Vertical Bridge Strengthens Leadership Team and Welcomes Two New Senior Vice Presidents

Allison Cannella joins as Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Peter Appel joins as the Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Development

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BOCA RATON, FL – February 14, 2024 – Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC (“Vertical Bridge” or “the Company”), the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today announced the hiring of Allison Cannella and Peter Appel, effective February 12, 2024. Ms. Cannella joins as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and Mr. Appel joins as Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Development.

In her role, Ms. Cannella is responsible for leading the legal and compliance functions across Vertical Bridge's operations. Mr. Appel is responsible for all portfolio acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions for Vertical Bridge.

“Allison and Peter are great additions to our senior leadership team,” said President and CEO, Ron Bizick. “Allison’s energy, enthusiasm, and vast experience make her a perfect fit, while Peter’s expertise and successful track record in the digital infrastructure industry make him ideally suited for his new role. I look forward to working alongside them as we continue building a best-in-class U.S. tower company.”

Ms. Cannella brings 15 years of real estate and legal experience to Vertical Bridge. Before joining the team, Ms. Cannella was Associate General Counsel at Kayne Anderson Real Estate, where she led many different complex commercial real estate and corporate transactions. Ms. Cannella’s expertise spans acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, mergers, mortgage and mezzanine financings, private/preferred equity investments, and developments, in addition to other leasing transactions.

“I am honored to join such a dynamic and innovative company, especially as Vertical Bridge enters an exciting new phase of growth,” said Ms. Cannella. “I look forward to working with the team to bring a solutions-oriented approach to complex legal, compliance, and business issues while collaborating across functions to generate the best possible outcomes for our investors and customers.”  

Prior to Vertical Bridge, Mr. Appel was an Investment Banker at Citigroup for ten years where he covered the digital infrastructure sector, including tower, fiber, and data center operators. Before Citigroup, Mr. Appel co-founded the Valuation & Strategic Analysis group at Providence Equity Partners and worked in the Transaction Advisory Services group at Ernst & Young.

“I am excited to join Vertical Bridge,” said Mr. Appel. “Vertical Bridge has established itself as a leader within the U.S. tower sector with a uniquely differentiated value proposition. I look forward to working with the team to further develop its impressive growth trajectory as we enter the next phase of the digital revolution.”

Bob Paige, Executive Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions, will continue to work alongside Mr. Appel through the end of the year until he fully transitions into his new role.

“Peter brings a broad knowledge base and a fresh perspective to the Vertical Bridge M&A practice. I am looking forward to him succeeding me and taking our platform to the next level,” said Mr. Paige.

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 500,000 sites, including over 11,000 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 in-building wireless network solutions.

Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Vertical Bridge was founded in 2014 and is led by a senior management team with over 400 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, maintaining CarbonNeutral® certification since 2020. For more information, please visit www.verticalbridge.com.