{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"132786","rtpr_id":"nGNX1bwTQF","ticker":"UNIT","exchange":"NASDAQ","all_tickers":["UNIT"],"title":"NASTD Names Uniti ‘2026 Corporate Champion’","author":"Globe Newswire","published_at":"2026-09-01T13:30:00.178Z","article_body":"Uniti is the inaugural recipient of this honor, recognizing the company’s\ngrowing role as a trusted partner to state government\n\nLITTLE ROCK, Ark., Sept. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniti Group Inc.\n(Nasdaq: UNIT), a premier insurgent fiber provider dedicated to enabling\nmission-critical connectivity across the United States, announced today that\nit has been named the first-ever Corporate Champion of the Year by the\nNational Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD). Headquartered in\nLexington, Ky., NASTD is a professional association representing state\ngovernment technology directors across all 50 states, dedicated to helping\nmembers navigate emerging technology and improve how state government delivers\nservices to its citizens.\n\nUniti is being recognized for its commitment to delivering reliable,\nhigh-performance connectivity and infrastructure solutions to state government\norganizations nationwide, as well as its partnership of more than twenty years\nwith the NASTD organization. The award was formally presented to Stephanie\nRobbins, Uniti’s vice president of SLED Sales and Development, at NASTD’s\nrecent 2026 Annual Conference, honoring Uniti as the vendor partner that\ndemonstrated the most outstanding service, innovation, and value to the state\ntechnology community over the past year, a distinction made even more\nsignificant as it is the first company to earn the accolade.\n\n“This recognition belongs to every team across Uniti who shows up for our\nstate government customers every single day,” said Kenny Gunderman,\npresident and chief executive officer of Uniti. “Being the very first\ncompany in NASTD’s history to earn Corporate Champion of the Year isn’t\njust a milestone. It’s a statement about who we are and the trust we’ve\nbuilt, one project and one partnership at a time. We couldn’t be prouder to\nset that bar, especially with an organization as renowned and respected as\nNASTD.”\n\nBeing named NASTD’s first-ever Corporate Champion of the Year sets Uniti\napart in a category of one. NASTD’s recognition carries particular weight,\nas it comes from the state technology directors who rely on Uniti’s network\nevery day to serve their constituents and communities. That makes it one of\nthe most credible, peer-driven endorsements a vendor can earn in the public\nsector space, and Uniti now sets the standard against which future honorees\nwill be measured.\n\nABOUT UNITI\nUniti (Nasdaq: UNIT) is a premier insurgent fiber provider dedicated to\nenabling mission-critical connectivity across the United States. We build,\noperate, and deliver fast and reliable communications services, empowering\nmore than a million consumers and businesses in the digital economy. Our broad\nportfolio of services is offered through a suite of brands: Uniti Wholesale,\nKinetic, Uniti Fiber, and Uniti Solutions. Visit us online at www.uniti.com.\n\nMedia Contact        \nScott Morris, 501-748-5342\nscott.l.morris@uniti.com\n\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a164c9c4-3fc3-43ff-8f46-16fd92f5f744)\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nGNX1bwTQF","title":"NASTD Names Uniti ‘2026 Corporate Champion’","author":"Globe Newswire","ticker":"UNIT","created":"2026-09-01T13:30:00.178Z","tickers":["UNIT"],"exchange":"NASDAQ","article_body":"Uniti is the inaugural recipient of this honor, recognizing the company’s\ngrowing role as a trusted partner to state government\n\nLITTLE ROCK, Ark., Sept. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniti Group Inc.\n(Nasdaq: UNIT), a premier insurgent fiber provider dedicated to enabling\nmission-critical connectivity across the United States, announced today that\nit has been named the first-ever Corporate Champion of the Year by the\nNational Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD). Headquartered in\nLexington, Ky., NASTD is a professional association representing state\ngovernment technology directors across all 50 states, dedicated to helping\nmembers navigate emerging technology and improve how state government delivers\nservices to its citizens.\n\nUniti is being recognized for its commitment to delivering reliable,\nhigh-performance connectivity and infrastructure solutions to state government\norganizations nationwide, as well as its partnership of more than twenty years\nwith the NASTD organization. The award was formally presented to Stephanie\nRobbins, Uniti’s vice president of SLED Sales and Development, at NASTD’s\nrecent 2026 Annual Conference, honoring Uniti as the vendor partner that\ndemonstrated the most outstanding service, innovation, and value to the state\ntechnology community over the past year, a distinction made even more\nsignificant as it is the first company to earn the accolade.\n\n“This recognition belongs to every team across Uniti who shows up for our\nstate government customers every single day,” said Kenny Gunderman,\npresident and chief executive officer of Uniti. “Being the very first\ncompany in NASTD’s history to earn Corporate Champion of the Year isn’t\njust a milestone. It’s a statement about who we are and the trust we’ve\nbuilt, one project and one partnership at a time. We couldn’t be prouder to\nset that bar, especially with an organization as renowned and respected as\nNASTD.”\n\nBeing named NASTD’s first-ever Corporate Champion of the Year sets Uniti\napart in a category of one. NASTD’s recognition carries particular weight,\nas it comes from the state technology directors who rely on Uniti’s network\nevery day to serve their constituents and communities. That makes it one of\nthe most credible, peer-driven endorsements a vendor can earn in the public\nsector space, and Uniti now sets the standard against which future honorees\nwill be measured.\n\nABOUT UNITI\nUniti (Nasdaq: UNIT) is a premier insurgent fiber provider dedicated to\nenabling mission-critical connectivity across the United States. We build,\noperate, and deliver fast and reliable communications services, empowering\nmore than a million consumers and businesses in the digital economy. Our broad\nportfolio of services is offered through a suite of brands: Uniti Wholesale,\nKinetic, Uniti Fiber, and Uniti Solutions. Visit us online at www.uniti.com.\n\nMedia Contact        \nScott Morris, 501-748-5342\nscott.l.morris@uniti.com\n\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a164c9c4-3fc3-43ff-8f46-16fd92f5f744)\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026"},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-09-01T13:30:00.218349483Z","server_sent_at_ms":1788269400218},"received_at":"2026-09-01T13:30:00.303Z","source_url":null},"analysis":{"id":"121678","press_release_id":"132786","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Specialized REITs","sector":"Real Estate"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"operations_update","narrative":"Uniti Group was named the inaugural Corporate Champion of the Year by the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD), recognizing its role as a trusted partner to state governments.\n\nThe award highlights Uniti's more than twenty-year partnership with the organization and its commitment to delivering reliable connectivity infrastructure to the public sector.\n\nCEO Kenny Gunderman stated the distinction marks a significant milestone for the company, validating the trust it has built with state technology directors nationwide.","sentiment":"bullish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Uniti receives inaugural NASTD Corporate Champion award, validating SLED strategy."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"partnership_duration_years":"more than twenty","consumers_and_businesses_served":"more than a million"}},"quotedText":"Being the very first company in NASTD’s history to earn Corporate Champion of the Year isn’t just a milestone. 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