Early Life
Craig McCaw was born in Centralia, Washington, on August 11, 1949. He is the second of four sons. His father, J. Elroy McCaw, was a broadcasting magnate. McCaw attended The Lakeside School in Seattle and later studied at Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts/Science degree. He struggled with dyslexia in his early years, but he was determined to overcome it, and he succeeded through hard work.
Rise to Success
McCaw entered the business world by working in his father's cable television company. After his father's death, Craig took over the family's cable business, which he then expanded through aggressive acquisitions. In the early 1980s, he saw the potential of the emerging cellular phone industry. He started acquiring cellular licenses and built McCaw Cellular into the largest cellular operator in the United States. McCaw Cellular was sold to AT&T in 1994 for $11.5 billion. Following this, he restructured Nextel Communications and founded Clearwire Corporation.
Key Business Strategies
McCaw's success can be attributed to his strategic vision and innovative approach. He was among the first to see the potential of cellular technology and aggressively pursued expansion opportunities. He used aggressive expansion strategies, borrowing against and selling shares in his cable operation to finance cellular growth. He also invested in emerging technologies, as seen with Clearwire Corporation's focus on wireless broadband.
Philanthropy
McCaw has been involved in philanthropic efforts, including the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, which aimed to release the orca Keiko into the wild. He also co-founded the Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation (now COM Family Foundation), which supports education, environmental conservation, and international economic development. The foundation's top grants in 2019 included $5 million to The Nature Conservancy.
