Our business is built around connecting people and communities. Every day, our work naturally intersects with societal challenges like maintaining public safety and bridging the digital divide. That’s why we have a greater opportunity to make an impact. Whether it’s through our daily work, our employees or our suppliers—we’re constantly looking for ways to make a difference. We foster a diverse and inclusive culture and are committed to supplier diversity. We’ll continue our mission for years to come—not only because it’s what we believe in, but also because it’s key to our success.
Our goal.
Reach 16% in diverse supplier spend by 2026, representing the top quartile in US diversity spend among 100+ large companies.1,2
Our progress.
of our 2022 addressable spend was with diverse suppliers3
invested in communications infrastructure in low-income areas4
of employees participated in the 2023 employee engagement survey5
where leaders and employees across the company actively participated
1 Diverse supplier spend is calculated as spend with diverse suppliers, divided by our total addressable spend. A diverse supplier is defined as a supplier that is greater than 50% owned and operated by one or more individuals that are either minorities, women, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ+ and are certified by a third-party certification agency.
2 The Hackett Group, 2021 Supplier Diversity Study. Quartile ratings are as of 2021, when our goal was established.
3 As of December 31, 2022.
4 Based on total capital invested in Crown Castle assets that are located within, or provide service coverage (entirely or partially) to, US Census blocks with 2022 median household income at or below $49,999, which is a key input to qualify for an automatic zero “expected family contribution” calculation for federal student aid (dependent students).
5 As of May 2023.
Empowering communities.
Every day, we work with municipalities to create solutions that help bridge the digital divide, propel businesses forward and position them for the future. Whether it’s establishing foundational infrastructure in underserved communities, promoting public safety, creating desirable job opportunities, outfitting venues for large-scale events or helping businesses grow—our goal is to provide solutions that empower communities and build sustainable change.
Connected by Good.
We volunteer in the communities where we live and work through our program, Connected by Good, which focuses on advancing access to education and technology, promoting public safety and improving public spaces.
Boys & Girls Club
In 2022, 1,200+ employees collectively volunteered more than 6,000 hours at over 50 participating Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, helping to inspire young people to envision a future in STEM.
WorkForce High
Our support enabled the development of a new fiber splicing lab for WorkForce High in Chicago—creating opportunities for young adults from the West and South Side communities.
Washington Literacy Center (WLC)
By supporting WLC’s “Digital Literacy for the Workplace” program in Washington, D.C., we helped adult learners develop introductory computer and digital skills.
Prioritizing supplier diversity.
Suppliers are an important part of our business. We depend on them to deploy and manage our assets through tasks like site preparation, construction, engineering and maintenance. We have a goal to increase our diverse supplier spend—not only because we believe it’s the right thing to do, but also because we believe it will make our community, business and supply chain stronger.
Our General Procurement Policy and Supplier Diversity Program aim to make opportunities known and accessible to a wide range of suppliers. The policy classifies diverse suppliers to be greater than 50% owned and operated by individuals that are either minorities, women, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ+ and are certified by a third-party certification agency. Our Supplier Diversity Program includes a dedicated team that serves as a resource throughout the certification process—advocating for diverse suppliers, identifying sourcing opportunities and facilitating introductions to internal decision-makers.
Diverse supplier spend6
We believe our efforts to increase business with existing diverse suppliers, proactively identify and assist diverse suppliers with obtaining certification and enhance our tools and resources to equip our decision makers with the insights they need to increase our diverse supplier spend will position us to make progress toward our goal.
6 Diverse supplier spend is calculated as spend with diverse suppliers divided by our total addressable spend. A diverse supplier is defined as a supplier that is greater than 50% owned and operated by one or more individuals that are either minorities, women, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ+ and are certified by a third-party certification agency.
Dive deeper.
Company values
We live our Purple values—striving to operate efficiently, safely and ethically throughout every part of our organization.
Diverse supplier spotlight
For over 18 years, we have worked with On Air Communications, a certified LGBTQ+ owned business.
Business Immersion Program (BIP)
We support early career talent as they learn about our business, gain valuable experience and grow as professionals.
Community engagement
We are proud of the value our infrastructure creates by keeping local communities throughout the country connected and safe.
Building a diverse workforce.
We deliver our best work with team members who bring a variety of backgrounds, experiences and points of view. That’s why we’re committed to building an inclusive community. To create long-term benefits for all who interact with Crown Castle, we use diverse hiring panels and competency-based interviews during our recruitment process. While we recognize there’s still room for growth, our progress demonstrates our commitment toward a more diverse future.
Diversity among new hires7
7 Percentages calculated as of December 31 of each year represented. Percentages do not include employees who chose not to specify their ethnicity/race.
Employee racial diversity8
| Job Categories | White | Hispanic/ Latinx | Asian | Black | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | American Indian/Alaska Native | Two+ Races | Not Specified | Total People of Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Leaders9 | 73% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 8% | 19% |
| Managers & Professionals | 75% | 9% | 8% | 3% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 2% | 2% | 23% |
| Non-Management | 68% | 13% | 5% | 8% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 3% | 2% | 30% |
| Total | 71% | 11% | 7% | 6% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 2% | 2% | 26% |
8 Data as of December 31, 2022. Amounts may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
9 Senior leaders consist of Executive Management Team (EMT), Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents.
Employee gender diversity10, 11
- Women
- Men
10 Data as of December 31, 2022.
11 This data is derived from our 2022 EEO-1 Report.
12 Senior leaders consist of Executive Management Team (EMT), Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents.
Employee promotions racial comparison13
- People of Color
- White
13 Data as of December 31, 2022.
Employee promotions gender comparison13
- Women
- Men
13 Data as of December 31, 2022.
Listening to our employees.
Employee engagement is a key part of nurturing our talent, growing our business and maintaining our inclusive culture. Our annual survey helps us get an accurate pulse on employee sentiment and needs. Our participation rate and engagement scores exceeded Mercer’s US company norms. Each year we continue to reevaluate how we work together and how we foster our engaged workforce.
Employee engagement survey highlights.14
My immediate manager treats me with respect and dignity
My immediate manager openly supports Inclusion and Diversity
My immediate manager encourages teammates to suggest ideas for improvement
My organization gives clear guidance on acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the workplace
I work in an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination
I am proud to work for Crown Castle
14 As of May 2023.
Promoting professional growth.
We invest in our employees by providing resources that support their professional growth and empower them to build new skills. Employees have access to a wide range of training tools—including our Learning Management System, LinkedIn Learning, Harvard ManageMentor and Harvard Spark. We offer a two-year Business Immersion Program for recent college graduates so that they can immerse themselves in our business, have a variety of experiences and develop diverse skill sets. We also prioritize programs that equip leaders and teammates on topics that drive economic growth of the business, such as our Finance and Value Creation development program. In an industry that’s constantly evolving, helping our employees continue to learn and grow is essential in creating competitive advantage.
2022 learning highlights.
learners
training hours per learner
courses available across 75 topics
articles, videos, podcasts available through our learning platforms
training hours
course completions
Offering quality benefits.
We have a robust, market-leading benefits package that ranks fourth among 54 high tech companies in Willis Towers Watson’s benchmarking survey.15 Because we recognize the importance of holistic wellbeing, we provide quality healthcare, financial planning, time off, flexible work arrangements and education benefits.
For physical health, we offer comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans—plus on-site gyms and telehealth. We partner with a leading healthcare navigation company, Included Health, which is committed to raising the standard of healthcare. This benefit program connects our employees and families to top providers, expert opinions, treatment decision support and more—at no cost to them. For mental health, we offer each employee and their family members up to 16 sessions of therapy or mental health coaching through Lyra Health annually, also at no cost to employees.
For financial security, we have a competitive 401(k) plan—ranking first of 54 high tech companies in Willis Towers Watson’s benchmarking survey.15 We also have tuition reimbursement and funded healthcare savings accounts. We provide flexible paid time off for vacations, holidays and personal reasons. We offer parental leave, adoption benefits and more. Also, we match charitable contributions and encourage our employees to help communities by volunteering through our Connected by Good program.
15 2022 High Tech BenVal benchmarking report. Ranking is based on value of employer-subsidized benefits.