A Towering Drive to Give Back
Realtor® Alex Abad's foundation supports education and other causes.
Written by Nancy Sokoler Steiner | Photographed by Micheal Neveux
Born in Argentina, Alex Abad grew up dirt poor. “I had no toys, nothing. My mom had to sell her shoes to put food on our table,” he recalls. Abad vowed if he ever escaped poverty, he would use his means to help others.
Now the owner of a successful El Segundo-based real estate company, Abad is keeping his promise. His Tower60 Foundation has raised more than $250,000 for charitable causes thanks to the popularity of an image of the community’s lifeguard tower. It started with a photo he took of the city’s only lifeguard tower—Tower 60 at the foot of Grand Avenue—silhouetted against a stunning sunset. Abad posted it on social media and immediately received requests for copies of the image.
At holiday time, his wife suggested Abad print the photo on coffee mugs and use them as gifts for clients. When he posted images of the mugs, he was inundated with requests. “I gave away 2,500 mugs, shipping them to locations all over the country,” he reports.
Next came trucker hats with the image of the silhouetted tower. This time, Abad asked recipients for a donation to the El Segundo Education Foundation, a nonprofit providing funding to the El Segundo Unified School District. Now the logo appears on an array of apparel and merchandise including sweatshirts, beanies and beach bags. All profits are donated.
Most funds—about $166,000—have gone to the El Segundo Education Foundation. Other monies supported breast cancer research. In 2019 Abad obtained permission to paint Tower 60 pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The campaign raised $50,000 that year and another $50,000 in 2021. Tower60 Foundation also donated food to support Torrance Memorial’s health care workers during the pandemic.
An El Segundo resident for 33 years, Abad initially chose the community for the caliber of its schools. That and other qualities have kept him there. “It’s a tight, small community and you get to know everybody,” he says. As a surfer, he appreciates the beach lifestyle.
He started his real estate career selling properties in Manhattan Beach and then expanded to El Segundo. Now eight agents work with Tower60 Real Estate Group.
Abad’s first foray into organized giving began in 2006 when, as a new real estate agent, he created Commissions for Education. He and other participating South Bay Realtors pledged to give at least 1% of their commissions to the education foundation of the city where the property was located. (Every South Bay city from El Segundo to Palos Verdes has its own education foundation.)
After about three years, the effort fizzled. But by then Abad had become involved in the El Segundo Education Foundation, eventually serving as its chair in 2015 and 2016. And he had found his calling.
“Your greatest achievements are the things you do for others,” he says. “I’m living my dream.”
