BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A team of volunteers from Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC (“Vertical Bridge” or “the Company”), the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today helped the South Florida Audubon Society fortify a stretch of coastline against erosion and threats to natural habitats as part of a dune restoration project in the City of Pompano Beach. Vertical Bridge also donated $10,000 to the organization to support its conservation work in South Florida.
Severe beach erosion from storms, rising sea levels, and the millions of local residents and tourists who visit Florida’s beaches make its coastline vulnerable, threatening the natural ecosystem. As part of the restoration, the volunteers planted sea oats to restore valuable sand dunes and protect native habitat for nesting sea turtles, migratory birds, and shorebirds along the coastline.
“We are proud of our South Florida roots and happy to support the vital efforts to preserve our local ecosystem and foster pride in the beaches our local communities enjoy,” said Alex Gellman, CEO and Co-Founder of Vertical Bridge, which is headquartered in Boca Raton. “We have a strong culture of employee-driven philanthropy and an enduring commitment to the environment and to our community. We are pleased to continue our partnership with the South Florida Audubon Society to make sure families can continue to enjoy our coastline for years to come.”
15 Vertical Bridge employee volunteers participated in the dune restoration alongside volunteers from the South Florida Audubon Society. Local elected officials were also in attendance.
“We are grateful to Vertical Bridge for their incredibly generous donation, and the work their team did today to help restore our community’s beaches,” said Doug Young, Chief Operating Officer of South Florida Audubon Society. “This work creates a resilient and sustainable dune that serves as a first line of defense from storm surge and sea level rise and helps to reduce beach erosion. Their support will allow us to continue our local environmental protection activities.”
The coastal dune restoration project and donation were planned through the Vertical Bridge Charitable Network, an employee-led effort which identifies worthy opportunities to donate time and/or money to meaningful causes. Since initiating the community philanthropy program in 2014, Vertical Bridge has surpassed $8 million in cash donations and 4,000 hours of volunteer time and matched more than $328,000 in employee contributions. The Vertical Bridge executive team is equally committed to giving back, and in 2021 donated over $1.1 million from their personal funds to organizations that help veterans enter the telecommunications industry and support the families of those injured on the job.
About Vertical Bridge
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC is the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, with a portfolio of more than 318,000 sites, including over 9,000 owned and master-leased towers and the nation’s largest and tallest collection of broadcast tower sites. The Company’s portfolio spreads across all 50 states and Puerto Rico and is comprised of towers, rooftops, billboards, utility attachments, convenience stores and other locations in support of wireless network deployments. In addition to colocation, Vertical Bridge offers build-to-suit, edge data centers and inbuilding wireless network solutions.
Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Vertical Bridge was founded in 2014 and is led by a senior management team with over 300 years of collective experience in tower infrastructure and related sectors. Vertical Bridge became the first tower company in the world to reach net-zero emissions, gaining CarbonNeutral® certification in 2020. The company was recertified in 2021. For more information, please visit https://www.verticalbridge.com/
About South Florida Audubon Society
South Florida Audubon Society, based in Broward County, fosters conservation through local, regional, national, and global environmental advocacy and activities throughout South Florida with an emphasis on birds and other wildlife and their habitats. South Florida Audubon Society is a local chapter of National Audubon and Florida Audubon. For more information, please visit https://www.browardaudubon.org/
