Cingular executive recalls when 'send' button was new.

ANDY Shibley worked for Bell South in the early 1990s when cell phones looked like big bricks. Now, as the recently appointed vice president and general manager of the Greater Los Angeles market for Cingular Wireless--a joint venture between AT&T and Bell South Corp.--Shibley specializes in phones that fit in the palm of his hand and use third generation wireless technology.

Shibley has been in the wireless market for 16 years, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of the South Texas market.

"In the beginning, cell phones were very expensive so they became fashionable," said Shibley. "When you drove down the highway, you wanted people to see you on the phone. Or even better, you walked into a restaurant and pulled out your phone to talk."

Originally, corporate types were Bell South's predominant customers. But as people began to buy the phones for personal uses, business for the wireless service provider became widespread. He spent a lot of time teaching people the basics.

"Now cell phones are like a little computer and people know their way around, but back then most didn't know what 'send' and 'end' meant," he said.

Shibley got his start in the telecommunication industry by chance when he was fresh out of North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas. He wanted to start at a big company and work his way up the ladder, so he jumped at an opportunity to sell voice and data equipment in Knoxville, Tenn. for South Central Bell Advanced Systems in 1987.

He held a variety of sales and management positions that eventually landed him a place at in BellSouth Mobility in 1991 as a sales manager in Memphis.

"I was dealing with guys that were seeing the future, and I realized this is where I needed to be. I caught the bug."

In his position as Cingular's manager for greater Los Angeles, the company's largest metropolitan market, Shibley is responsible for overseeing all business and financial matters for L.A., Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties. He works at the division headquarters in Cerritos.

In one of the first duties in his new post Shibley had a surprise brush with celebrity. Cingular held a fundraiser and bone marrow drive for Padres Contra El Cancer, an organization that promotes understanding of childhood cancer and blood disorders in the Latino community. Cingular raised $245,000 for the cause, which Shibley presented to Eva Longoria.

"I didn't even know she was the national spokesperson for Padres. That's how you do it in L.A."

Shibley is temporarily living in Irvine with his wife Sheri and two children, George and Katelyn. Outside of the office, Shibley snow skis, hikes and camps. He's grateful for the geographic offerings here. "I mean, really, this is like dropping me into an amusement park."