Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a key driver of growth in the digital infrastructure industry. Tower Title, a specialized title company, has extensive experience facilitating these complex transactions. With a dedicated focus on telecom assets, proprietary software and the largest database of title data for cell towers in the country, Tower Title enables industry leaders to build and expand with confidence across all 50 states.
As the Federal Reserve plans to cut interest rates and capital becomes more accessible, M&A activity is likely to increase. While M&A is a clear path to growth, it’s not always a smooth one. Lorelei Silvia, COO of Tower Title, says the company has a proven process to ensure these transactions are as seamless as possible.
“We assign senior examiners to review the sites involved in these transactions, identifying patterns and potential issues early on. This collaboration allows us to facilitate the closing of these types of transactions effectively and efficiently.” Silvia says Tower Title confirms the insurability of the assets being acquired, which is requisite when buying portfolios with hundreds or thousands of sites.
Founded in 2019 by a team with over 15 years of telecom industry experience, Tower Title has built its success on specialization, according to Kevin Bradley, CEO and co-founder of Tower Title. “By primarily focusing on telecom, our team quickly became firmly embedded within the space. Naturally, this industry immersion translated to providing better service through valuable insights and expertise,” said Bradley.
Driven by Data
A key competitive advantage for Tower Title is its vast database of title data for telecom assets, which includes over 50% of the country’s cell tower sites. “With our existing title data, we can fast-track new transactions and reduce costs for clients,” explained Jeff LeBlanc, co-founder & president, Tower Title.
Buying and selling telecom assets presents unique challenges, such as incomplete documentation or legal descriptions. Silvia pointed out that these challenges vary by portfolio, depending on the quality of documentation. “Sometimes, you have recorded leases and survey work, which makes for a clean transaction. Other times, you’re missing key documents, which can complicate things,” she said.
The goals of the data-centric strategy are to expedite transactions and mitigate risk, said LeBlanc. “By leveraging this plethora of data, we can proactively identify potential issues and help clients make informed decisions about the M&A transactions they are considering,” LeBlanc explained. “Tower companies can get ahead of due diligence setbacks and accelerate closing times while lowering overall risk exposure.”
Clients can tap into Tower Title’s existing data, so there is no need to start from scratch with each transaction. “The data we’ve collected on telecom assets allows us to anticipate issues and resolve them quickly,” LeBlanc continued. By continually updating and expanding its data, Tower Title sets the stage for future transactions.
Reflection & Recognition
Tower Title’s expertise and focused approach to telecom M&A has earned the company a strong reputation in the industry, according to Silvia. “We understand telecom better than any other title company, and we’re solving problems with both our expertise and our data.”
This dedication to innovation and service has not gone unnoticed. Tower Title was recently recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. “We were thrilled to receive this recognition,” Bradley added. “It’s a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our entire team.”
The Tower Title team isn’t distracted by work in residential or unrelated commercial verticals like other title organizations. “Because we focus on infrastructure assets and specialize in telecommunications, we can dedicate our resources to solving problems in this industry.” With a growing client base and continued investment in data and technology, “Our goal,” Bradley concluded, “is to make transactions faster, more cost-effective, and less risky for our clients. And with the largest database of title data for the telecom industry in the country, we’re on track to do just that.”
