Steve Bernstein of Boca Raton and his daughter, Abby Bernstein Henderson, have teamed up to co-chair the 2025 Rock ‘n’ Roll Classic Party to benefit HomeSafe, which helps neglected children. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Steve Bernstein was well on his way to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the cell-tower industry more than 20 years ago when he came across HomeSafe, a nonprofit geared toward helping at-risk children.
“I always wanted to give back,” said Bernstein, 63, “and children’s charities are important to me because I really believe that how we raise children factors into society and what they become as adults.
“I did some research and found there are a lot of neglected children just in Palm Beach County as well as everywhere else. So, as I met the management team at HomeSafe I got inspired to help out.”
One aspect of HomeSafe that hit home with this coastal Boca Raton resident was that each child, who typically shared a room with another child at that time, was given a footlocker with permission to decorate it however he or she wanted.
“Everything they owned was in that footlocker. And it just broke my heart. So from that point I got involved, and I brought my daughter, Abby, into the loop because it was important for her to see and give back.”
Abby has turned that introduction into a career of her own, working as a certified mental health therapist.
“She also has two kids, so it’s important to me she has taken that route,” Bernstein said.
Steve and Abby — now Abby Bernstein Henderson — will team up again next January when they become co-chairs of the 2025 Rock ’n’ Roll Classic Party.
“HomeSafe relies on about $2 million of donations every year and this is our biggest fundraiser,” Bernstein said. “This event alone raises about $500,000, which goes a long way.”
Since Bernstein has gotten involved, HomeSafe has grown to four campuses throughout Palm Beach County and gone from two beds to a room to one in the newer campuses.
“It’s better for children with behavioral problems to have their own room,” he said. A campaign launched in 2021 strives to make that a reality on all four campuses.
The renovated campus on Ipswich Street in Boca Raton hopes to open in December. It is named the Bernstein Family Foundation Campus.
“The foundation is our charity and we give to several nonprofits, and HomeSafe has always been on the top of our list,” Bernstein said.
“When they were redoing campuses, I walked through our Boca campus and said we have to redo this one, too, so we made a significant gift toward that campus. But it’s not just us, there are other donors as well.”
Bernstein said the gift was $1 million.
He enjoys golf and tennis and walking on the beach as well as spending time with his grandchildren and his fiancée, Lori Keezer.
— Brian Biggane
Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I grew up in New York City, and at the age of 14 our family moved to Sarasota, which was quite a culture shock since at that time Sarasota was full of rednecks and retirees. I attended the University of Florida and majored in real estate. I was selling houses to the parents of fraternity brothers. I always liked the freedom of being my own boss and the ability to make money based fully on my own efforts. I was always very entrepreneurial.
Q: What professions have you worked in? What accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: One of my first jobs out of college was with MCI, the first pure long-distance phone company, and I was assigned to a division that was trying to obtain the very first cellular phone licenses.
As a real estate specialist, it was my job to travel across the country to lease properties and secure zoning for cellular tower sites. Over time, as the cellular industry grew, I saw a great opportunity to capitalize on a niche business, and provide site acquisition, zoning and construction services to the cellular industry.
I started the business with credit card cash advances, and over time became the largest provider of these services to the cellular industry. With the continued growth of cellular providers, I transitioned the company to owning tower sites for ourselves and renting them to all the different carriers.
Today, SBA Communications — which originally stood for Steven Bernstein and Associates — is an S&P 500 public company with a market cap of $20 billion; we own approximately 40,000 towers in more than 13 countries.
Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: When in college, know what you want to do early and find internships or jobs in your field. You want to set yourself apart from the rest when you graduate, and having experience in your field is the best way to do it.
If you are entrepreneurial, work for someone in your field of interest, and focus on obtaining all the knowledge, experience and most importantly contacts that you can, so you can prepare for going out on your own.
Q: How did you choose to make your home in coastal Boca Raton?
A: I started my business in Pittsburgh, but since I was working all over the country, I could headquarter anywhere. Boca seemed to have the best of everything: lifestyle, climate, beaches, etc.
Q: What is your favorite part about living in coastal Boca Raton?
A: I’m an avid golfer, tennis player and beach walker. Where else can you get all those 365 days a year!
Q: What book are you reading now?
A: I’m into historical fiction lately, so I’ve been reading a lot of Ken Follett: The Pillars of the Earth, Fall of Giants, etc. History repeats itself and I’ve always been a history buff. The climate today is such that we ought to learn from our mistakes.
Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: I’m a classic rock listener, which can go anywhere from relaxed to inspiring. Because of my age I’m still stuck in ’70s classic rock. I don’t listen to anything else; I try to but I really don’t. So Eagles, Rolling Stones, Billy Joel. Just using him as an example, he has songs that are mellow and relaxing and also has songs that are upbeat, that tell a story.
Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: When I started my business, I used to have to drive three hours to Harrisburg and back to Pittsburgh once a week to do zoning hearings. Back then, I had a cassette player in my car and had listened to the Anthony Robbins 30-cassette tape series — and that really motivated, inspired and gave me tools for success.
Q: Is there something people don’t know about you but should?
A: I have a new side hustle — I enjoy renovating and building homes. So, Lori and I buy, build, fix, decorate and sell homes.
Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: I recently read the book Shoe Dog by Nike founder Phil Knight, which talks about his early days of starting Nike and all his trials and tribulations. Then I saw the movie Air, which again highlighted the early days of Nike and making their deal with Michael Jordan. Ben Affleck did a great job of playing Phil Knight, so I pick him to be me.
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