Did we do it?

By: Cara Jurkowski

We’re one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. Plus, meet the team behind saving us $270M - all under 10.

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On today’s episode of Up To Speed Live, 10 stories in 10 minutes:

  1. Running to an emergency in Ohio,
  2. One of the most innovative companies in the world? That’s us!
  3. St. Patrick’s Day for the Test Force,
  4. Springing into spring,
  5. Lights out for Earth Hour,
  6. Verizon Forward for the customers that need us most,
  7. Our summer STEM program,
  8. A huge offer for the serious gamer,
  9. Anew partnership with the LA Chargers, and
  10. Visiting the remittance center and lab.

🌪️Weather emergency in Ohio. [00:20]

Last week, Ohio experienced a supercell weather event, which led to numerous deadly tornadoes.

Running to the crisis: Naturally, the Verizon Frontline Team was there to help. In addition to assisting multiple emergency operations centers with critical communications, they also flew drones to assist in search and rescue operations.

Thank you: A huge round of applause for these amazing V Teamers who are on the job when our communities need them most.

💡World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024? That’s us! [00:57]

Verizon was just named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024!

Verizon is being recognized for Innovation for the work of our Verizon Response and Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Teams, as well as unique deployables like the Verizon Rapid Response Connectivity Unit and Mobile Connectivity Agile Vehicle.

Read all about it.

🍀St. Patrick’s Day blues? Not with the Test Force around! [01:25]

This past weekend, the Verizon Test Force kept our customers connected at Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Be sure to check out the clip on the @insideverizon Instagram!

💐Spring has sprung! [01:38]

Today is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and if you’re like us, it’s time for a little spring cleaning. Tidying up your home is always a great practice, but it’s also a great time to do some spring cleaning for your wellbeing.

There are plenty of ways to take care of yourself this spring and beyond, so be on the lookout for some great ideas, including this new team step challenge in the U.S to put some pep in your step.

Mark your calendars for a date with mother 🌍[02:16]

Earth hour is coming; mark your calendars for 8:30 PM on March 23. During this annual event, millions of people across the world join together to raise awareness and act as a catalyst for urgent action on the critical issues facing our planet.

🚨Calling all V Teamers: Join us in turning off your lights from 8:30 to 9:30 PM your local time. We’re challenging you to pick up at least one bag of trash or recycling on a litter walk. If you do, and turn out your lights, you can receive an hour of volunteer time on the portal.

A rewarding experience: Share a picture throughout March on the platform or on social media and tag @Verizon and/or @VerizonGreen and use #IAMVZ and #Seizethehour. We’ll pick 20 participants at random to win some great VZ swag!

Learn more: Get all the info on Earth Hour.

➡️ A new offer from Verizon Forward ➡️ [03:17]

Affordable and reliable broadband connectivity is a necessity in our world, yet more than 40M Americans are living without it. At Verizon, we’re committed to help bridge this gap.

A new offer: Verizon Forward will provide new qualifying customers with discounts to bring the cost of home internet down to $0 dollars for six months.

Get the deets/apply for assistance: Verizon Forward online.

Calling all tweens! 📢[03:52]

Registration is now open for middle schoolers to apply for Verizon Innovative Learning’s STEM achievers summer program. The free program is open to middle school students in under-resourced communities to explore STEM subjects, learn problem-solving skills and gain exposure to career opportunities in technology fields.

The program is offered at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving institutions (HSIs) and community colleges, thanks to Verizon’s partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).

Learn more: Check out this message from STEM Achievers Program Director at Tennessee State University, Tamara Rogers, who’s supported the program since 2017 [4:49].

Register your child.

🎮Gamers, get your hands on this epic gear. [06:53]

Gamers, it’s time to stock up on energy drinks and make sure you have plenty of snacks IRL, because once you get this epic VR headset, you will NOT want to AFK, BRB or GTG.

We’re offering a 25% employee discount on the 128GB Meta Quest 3VR Headset, saving you $125 dollars and bringing the price down to $375!

Mount up and get moving; this special offer is only available until March 31.

Teaming up with the Los Angeles Chargers. 🏈[07:20]

Football season may be over but Verizon Business is still working hard behind the scenes to partner with your favorite teams. And today we’re announcing our partnership with the Los Angeles Chargers!

Here’s the scoop: As the official 5G technology and innovation partner, we'll work with the Chargers to leverage innovative technology throughout their new training facility and headquarters.

See for yourself: You can see the video that breaks it all down here: – here’s a video that breaks it all down at [07:37].

💸Congratulations to the Bill Remittance Center & Lab in Cranford, New Jersey! [09:04]

Last week, VGS leader Craig Silliman and VGS Senior Vice President of Finance Operations Dan Gerola toured our Bill Remittance Center & Lab in Cranford, New Jersey. They learned all about their 2023 successes, including:

  • Processing more than 18.6M payments
  • Depositing $6B+ from our home, mobile and business customers

At the lab, our engineers used their homegrown automated test solution to clean and screen returned products from our customers. Thanks to their ingenuity and tenacity, they were able to test nearly two million FWA and Fios devices, resulting in $270M in cost avoidance for 2023 while enhancing next-generation products.

Keep up the great work, Cranford!

▶️Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a special Up To Speed with Hans and the VZ Board of Directors at 12:45 PM ET!
 

Click here for a transcript of the webcast.

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About the author:

Cara Jurkowski is a failed standup comedian who made up for her lack of comedic success by spending the past two decades telling stories about the communications industry and the amazing people who work to connect the world. When she is not writing about Verizon, she lives in an unofficial Lego museum, slowly working through a steadily growing backlog of unbuilt sets at a perfectly acceptable pace.

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