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Darshan Bathija (28), Sanju Kurian (29), Co-founders of Singapore-based crypto trading and lending exchange platform, featured in Forbes Asia – 30 under 30
SINGAPORE, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 28 May 2022, Vauld founders - Darshan Bathija and Sanju Kurian - were featured in Forbes Asia 30 under 30 list.
Founded in 2018 by Darshan Bathija and Sanju Kurian, Vauld, a Singapore-based global Crypto platform, provides a suite of products that focus on long-term wealth generation for its crypto investors, including fixed deposits and asset-backed lending and borrowing. Vauld is easy to use, intuitive, and also provides automatic investment plans that focus on wealth creation for its customer base.
In July 2021, Vauld raised $25 million in a Series A funding round led by PayPal founder Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures. The company has customers from 190 countries and average deposits per customer of $20,000. Vauld recently announced a multi-year partnership with F1 Team Alfa Romeo.
On being featured in Forbes, Darshan Bathija said: "We have great people working together as a team of high performers. We're looking forward to taking our learnings and providing new features and tools to help our investors realize their financial objectives."
Sanju Kurian said: "I have always been fascinated by finance and the field of cryptocurrencies excited me. With Vauld, we now aim to make it a neo-bank like any of the nationalized banks in India with the help of our very well-learned and knowledgeable team.
About Darshan Bathija, Co-founder & CEO
Darshan comes from a family background of 4 generations of financiers. He has worked as the Head of Partnerships at TapChief. Before TapChief, he worked at Piramal Capital, a real estate NBFC and facilitated loans totalling $100 million against assets.
About Sanju Kurian, Co-founder & CTO
Sanju built the technical team at Kings Leaning from the ground up, which served more than 20 million users across various platforms. He has led multiple teams across multiple domains, including Python/Django, native mobile development (Android IOS, KaiOS), AngularJS, DevOps, design, and analytics.
Website – https://www.vauld.com/
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SOURCE Vauld | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/vauld-leading-crypto-trading-amp-lending-platforms-founders-feature-forbes-asia-30-under-30-list/ | 2022-06-02T14:59:12Z |
Paddleboarder aims to be first person with disabilities to cross Great Lakes
DULUTH, Minn. (KJBR/Gray News) – Mike Shoreman, a paddleboarder from Canada is attempting to be the first person with disabilities to cross each of the five Great Lakes.
When Shoreman was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome in 2018, he said his heart sank. He was a paddleboard instructor at the time, according to KBJR.
“After I received the diagnosis. I stood in an EMT doctor’s office and I remember, like, I just had tears streaming down my face and he said, ‘Your paddle boarding is done. You’re never going to paddleboard again.’”
Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is a neurological condition that can cause permanent damage to one’s vision, hearing and muscles.
For Shoreman, the disease also affected the one thing he used every time he stepped onto a paddleboard: his balance.
“For me, when I turn my head from side to side or up and down,” he said. “I get very dizzy. It’s like a carousel inside my head. And in the initial stages, when I was walking, I couldn’t even walk in a straight line”
However, Shoreman was determined to not only paddleboard again but to become the first person with disabilities to do it across all five Great Lakes.
“I thought, ‘Okay, well we can, we can set out to do these crossings. I just have to make sure that I’m strong enough to be able to do five back to back all in one summer,’” he said.
After months of training, Shoreman started his journey on Lake Erie, on May 29th, becoming the first person with disabilities to accomplish the feat.
It was an inspiring moment, but Shoreman still had four other lakes to go.
“10 days later, I set out to do Lake Huron and it took me 28 hours and 22 minutes which was brutal,” he said.
Now, Shoreman will take on Lake Superior, a task he says he and his team are prepared for.
“We’ve got first aid trainers on the boat, we’ve got people who know what my nutrition and my diet is going to be like,” he said.
It’s all part of a monumental journey, but one he hopes can inspire people far beyond the Great Lakes.
“People with disabilities are capable of achieving things when people believe in them and I hope it inspires kids to dream big,” Shoreman said.
Copyright 2022 KBJR via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/07/03/paddleboarder-aims-be-first-person-with-disabilities-cross-great-lakes/ | 2022-07-03T18:33:40Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — From the moment they arrive on campus, today’s high school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, and coaches. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students’ future careers, it’s not necessary for all fields — something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.
To find the highest paying jobs that don’t require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don’t require higher education. All professions that listed a high school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn’t list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to discover the highest paying jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX that don’t require a college degree.
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#50. Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $58,810
– #2 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 90
National
– Annual mean salary: $42,910
– Employment: 7,500
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($61,370)
— Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($58,810)
— Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($56,960)
#49. Firefighters
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $58,870
– #92 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 7,910
National
– Annual mean salary: $55,290
– Employment: 317,310
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($114,210)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($98,150)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($97,470)
#48. Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $59,400
– #13 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 510
National
– Annual mean salary: $54,400
– Employment: 10,600
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($75,030)
— Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($69,840)
— St. Louis, MO-IL ($68,630)
#47. Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $60,060
– #7 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50
National
– Annual mean salary: $54,340
– Employment: 2,770
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($134,990)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($104,060)
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($84,900)
#46. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $60,580
– #63 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 430
National
– Annual mean salary: $62,360
– Employment: 25,800
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,600)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($92,910)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($86,660)
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#45. Crane and tower operators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $60,640
– #87 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,420
National
– Annual mean salary: $65,270
– Employment: 43,400
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($131,160)
— Syracuse, NY ($103,350)
— Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($99,990)
#44. Real estate sales agents
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $60,650
– #119 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 7,200
National
– Annual mean salary: $61,480
– Employment: 175,920
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Midland, TX ($100,060)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($99,880)
— Worcester, MA-CT ($93,400)
#43. Flight attendants
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $61,000
– #13 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 8,320
National
– Annual mean salary: $62,280
– Employment: 96,900
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Kansas City, MO-KS ($94,320)
— Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL ($72,130)
— Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL ($67,620)
#42. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $61,230
– #92 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 4,100
National
– Annual mean salary: $62,250
– Employment: 101,530
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,680)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($90,370)
— Salinas, CA ($88,050)
#41. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $62,510
– #20 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 780
National
– Annual mean salary: $62,080
– Employment: 8,590
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN ($79,660)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($72,800)
— Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($71,910)
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#40. Hearing aid specialists
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $62,700
– #11 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 160
National
– Annual mean salary: $59,960
– Employment: 10,790
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($75,130)
— Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($73,180)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($72,300)
#39. Tax preparers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $62,820
– #12 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: data not available
National
– Annual mean salary: $51,080
– Employment: 83,190
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Anchorage, AK ($81,880)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($79,470)
— Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($73,170)
#38. Insurance appraisers, auto damage
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $62,870
– #27 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 710
National
– Annual mean salary: $68,180
– Employment: 11,430
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salt Lake City, UT ($89,810)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($86,970)
— Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($86,050)
#37. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $63,060
– #39 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70
National
– Annual mean salary: $78,440
– Employment: 5,220
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salinas, CA ($104,810)
— Visalia-Porterville, CA ($101,650)
— Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL ($101,610)
#36. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $63,650
– #84 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 46,560
National
– Annual mean salary: $63,380
– Employment: 1,443,630
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($82,050)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($79,520)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,430)
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#35. Private detectives and investigators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $63,680
– #31 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 630
National
– Annual mean salary: $60,970
– Employment: 28,860
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Jackson, MI ($93,360)
— Bakersfield, CA ($91,080)
— Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO ($87,760)
#34. Bailiffs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $63,690
– #10 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 140
National
– Annual mean salary: $52,340
– Employment: 16,420
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN ($69,600)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($69,050)
— Glens Falls, NY ($66,980)
#33. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $65,900
– #225 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 14,590
National
– Annual mean salary: $67,330
– Employment: 629,420
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
— Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
— Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($90,410)
#32. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $66,270
– #137 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 33,600
National
– Annual mean salary: $71,110
– Employment: 1,026,390
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
— Boulder, CO ($101,630)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)
#31. Fire inspectors and investigators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $67,440
– #46 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 220
National
– Annual mean salary: $69,680
– Employment: 14,600
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Dayton, OH ($116,740)
— Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ($112,040)
— Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($107,220)
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#30. Food service managers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $67,560
– #72 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 3,600
National
– Annual mean salary: $63,970
– Employment: 210,680
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)
#29. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $67,730
– #53 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 9,480
National
– Annual mean salary: $66,870
– Employment: 466,910
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,590)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($87,760)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($87,420)
#28. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $68,750
– #243 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 19,460
National
– Annual mean salary: $75,060
– Employment: 665,870
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,020)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,820)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($101,210)
#27. Lodging managers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $69,300
– #57 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 520
National
– Annual mean salary: $67,770
– Employment: 35,920
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($121,090)
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($111,410)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($99,600)
#26. Construction and building inspectors
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $69,830
– #77 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 2,960
National
– Annual mean salary: $68,480
– Employment: 117,830
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New Haven, CT ($121,510)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($107,330)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($106,190)
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#25. Model makers, metal and plastic
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $69,950
– #4 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50
National
– Annual mean salary: $59,080
– Employment: 3,690
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($81,140)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($76,210)
— Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($74,210)
#24. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $70,860
– #269 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 2,830
National
– Annual mean salary: $79,060
– Employment: 123,940
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($117,700)
— Salinas, CA ($110,180)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,490)
#23. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $71,840
– #128 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 10,530
National
– Annual mean salary: $70,960
– Employment: 278,140
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Kennewick-Richland, WA ($104,350)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($95,200)
— Salinas, CA ($90,800)
#22. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $72,280
– #76 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 480
National
– Annual mean salary: $69,750
– Employment: 54,470
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($114,400)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($113,220)
— Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA ($112,950)
#21. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $72,290
– #188 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 14,640
National
– Annual mean salary: $73,590
– Employment: 526,240
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($93,830)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,030)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,870)
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#20. Insurance sales agents
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $72,370
– #83 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 11,630
National
– Annual mean salary: $69,340
– Employment: 422,600
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,230)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,470)
— Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($95,620)
#19. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $72,740
– #107 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 28,330
National
– Annual mean salary: $72,390
– Employment: 1,242,490
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
— Napa, CA ($92,620)
#18. Power plant operators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $77,140
– #105 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 150
National
– Annual mean salary: $83,740
– Employment: 28,960
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fresno, CA ($129,650)
— Wenatchee, WA ($123,180)
— Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA ($114,660)
#17. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $77,650
– #20 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 7,120
National
– Annual mean salary: $69,470
– Employment: 125,440
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($86,470)
— Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($86,370)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($85,860)
#16. Wellhead pumpers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $77,750
– #1 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,440
National
– Annual mean salary: $67,170
– Employment: 16,040
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($77,750)
— Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($75,610)
— Midland, TX ($74,690)
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#15. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $78,490
– #37 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 540
National
– Annual mean salary: $80,500
– Employment: 34,230
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($105,090)
— St. Louis, MO-IL ($97,860)
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($96,520)
#14. Property, real estate, and community association managers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $79,030
– #47 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 7,520
National
– Annual mean salary: $70,030
– Employment: 234,680
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
— Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($103,610)
#13. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $79,910
– #85 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 380
National
– Annual mean salary: $87,640
– Employment: 22,490
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($120,210)
— Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA ($118,510)
— Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($114,280)
#12. Power distributors and dispatchers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $82,720
– #36 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 180
National
– Annual mean salary: $95,520
– Employment: 9,660
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($131,560)
— Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($129,570)
— Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($123,540)
#11. Gas plant operators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $83,380
– #14 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 270
National
– Annual mean salary: $76,970
– Employment: 15,110
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($99,600)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($98,750)
— Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($97,080)
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#10. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $83,560
– #99 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 2,550
National
– Annual mean salary: $83,270
– Employment: 80,890
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($171,060)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($145,740)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($135,860)
#9. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $86,760
– #132 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 7,900
National
– Annual mean salary: $92,320
– Employment: 243,920
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Portland-South Portland, ME ($129,860)
— Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($121,360)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($121,250)
#8. Detectives and criminal investigators
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $89,950
– #87 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,750
National
– Annual mean salary: $90,370
– Employment: 107,890
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($132,210)
— Anchorage, AK ($127,070)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($123,460)
#7. Postmasters and mail superintendents
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $90,900
– #7 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 110
National
– Annual mean salary: $81,820
– Employment: 12,750
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL ($97,930)
— Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($96,450)
— San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($94,460)
#6. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $96,990
– #4 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 160
National
– Annual mean salary: $65,240
– Employment: 12,300
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,910)
— Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($100,060)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($99,120)
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#5. Transportation inspectors
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $104,290
– #5 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 790
National
– Annual mean salary: $77,620
– Employment: 25,070
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Portland-South Portland, ME ($112,260)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($111,930)
— Anchorage, AK ($108,140)
#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $104,490
– #84 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,750
National
– Annual mean salary: $98,760
– Employment: 128,230
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($182,700)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($170,740)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($164,600)
#3. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $108,650
– #7 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70
National
– Annual mean salary: $98,330
– Employment: 33,490
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($126,420)
— Anchorage, AK ($118,620)
— New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($110,750)
#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $111,740
– #42 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 4,610
National
– Annual mean salary: $105,580
– Employment: 144,640
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($159,890)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($154,170)
— Trenton, NJ ($144,620)
#1. Commercial pilots
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
– Annual mean salary: $120,230
– #35 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,750
National
– Annual mean salary: $115,080
– Employment: 42,770
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($185,920)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($184,260)
— Savannah, GA ($177,450)
You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Dallas in the last week | https://cw33.com/news/local/highest-paying-jobs-in-dallas-that-dont-require-a-college-degree-2/ | 2022-06-13T18:08:36Z |
LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Spero Therapeutics, Inc. ("Spero" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: SPRO) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investors who purchased the Company's securities between October 28, 2021 and May 2, 2022, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before July 25, 2022.
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Fbankingrm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at bschall@schallfirm.com.
The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.
According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Spero submitted insufficient data to the FDA as part of its Tebipenem HBr NDA. It was unlikely that the NDA would receive FDA approval based on this deficiency. The Company would likely need to restructure and reduce its workforce due to the deficiency. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Spero, investors suffered damages.
Join the case to recover your losses.
The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.
CONTACT:
The Schall Law Firm
Brian Schall, Esq.,
www.schallfirm.com
Office: 310-301-3335
info@schallfirm.com
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SOURCE The Schall Law Firm | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/25/final-deadline-alert-schall-law-firm-encourages-investors-spero-therapeutics-inc-with-losses-100000-contact-firm/ | 2022-07-25T16:06:29Z |
NEW YORK, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestorsObserver issues critical PriceWatch Alerts for CLR, FDX, AAPL, COP, and BABA.
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- CLR: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=CLR&prnumber=061420224
- FDX: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=FDX&prnumber=061420224
- AAPL: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=AAPL&prnumber=061420224
- COP: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=COP&prnumber=061420224
- BABA: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-options-lp-2/?symbol=BABA&prnumber=061420224
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SOURCE InvestorsObserver | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/thinking-about-trading-options-or-stock-continental-resources-fedex-apple-conocophillips-or-alibaba/ | 2022-06-14T14:27:34Z |
Minor league housing plan freezing out players with families
By JAKE SEINER
AP Baseball Writer
Minor leaguers with wives and children are finding out days before the start of their seasons that some teams are not taking their families into account as part of a new policy guaranteeing housing for players. MLB initiated a policy for this season mandating that teams provide housing for roughly 90% of minor league players, and the change has taken tremendous stress off many of them. However, two married players tell The Associated Press their teams are only providing housing options that would force them to stay with teammates. One married player with a pregnant wife has been told by his team he’ll have to share a bedroom. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/04/01/minor-league-housing-plan-freezing-out-players-with-families/ | 2022-04-01T18:09:06Z |
Russia test-fires new intercontinental ballistic missile
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military said Wednesday it successfully performed the first test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin said would make the West “think twice” before harboring any aggressive intentions against Russia.
The test launch of the Sarmat missile comes amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West over the Russian military action in Ukraine and underlines the Kremlin’s emphasis on the country’s nuclear forces.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Sarmat ICBM was launched Wednesday from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia and its practice warheads have successfully reached mock targets on the Kura firing range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
It said the launch was fully successful, proving the missile’s characteristics “in all phases of its flight.”
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that Russia had given the U.S. an advance notice about the launch in line with the New START nuclear arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington.
“Russia properly notified the United States under its New START obligations that it planned to test this ICBM,” he said. “Such testing is routine. It was not a surprise. We did not deem the test to be a threat to the United States or its allies.”
Speaking to senior officials, Putin hailed the Sarmat launch, claiming that the new missile has no foreign analogs and is capable of penetrating any prospective missile defense.
“This really unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those, who in the heat of frantic aggressive rhetoric try to threaten our country, think twice,” Putin said.
Amid the new Western sanctions that banned the exports of high-tech products to Russia and specifically targeted its arms industries in response to Moscow’s action in Ukraine, Putin emphasized that the Sarmat is built exclusively from domestic components.
“Of course, this will simplify the serial production of the system by enterprises of the military-industrial sector and accelerate its delivery to the Strategic Missile Forces,” he added.
The Sarmat is a heavy missile that has been under development for several years to replace the Soviet-made Voyevoda, which was code-named Satan by the West and forms the core of Russia’s nuclear deterrent.
“The Sarmat is the most powerful missile that has the highest range in the world, and it will significantly bolster the capability of the country’s strategic nuclear forces,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the Sarmat is capable of carrying hypersonic glide vehicles along with other types of warheads. The Russian military had previously said that the Avangard hypersonic vehicle could be fitted to the new missile.
The military has said that the Avangard is capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound and making sharp maneuvers on its way to the target to dodge the enemy’s missile shield.
It has been fitted to the existing Soviet-built intercontinental ballistic missiles instead of older type warheads, and the first unit armed with the Avangard entered duty in December 2019.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the state Roscosmos agency that oversees the missile factory building the Sarmat, described Wednesday’s test as a “present to NATO” in a comment on his messaging app channel.
Rogozin said the Sarmat is set to be commissioned by the military this fall after the completion of its trials, calling it a “superweapon.”
___
Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/04/20/russia-test-fires-new-intercontinental-ballistic-missile/ | 2022-04-20T20:30:07Z |
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of Molecular Partners AG.
Shareholders who purchased shares of MOLN during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CLASS PERIOD: This lawsuit is on behalf of a class consisting of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired: (a) Molecular Partners American Depositary Shares pursuant and/or traceable to certain documents issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering conducted on or about June 16, 2021; and/or (b) Molecular Partners securities between June 16, 2021, and April 26, 2022.
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company's product, ensovibep, was less effective at treating COVID-19 than defendants had led investors to believe; that (ii) accordingly, the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") was reasonably likely to require an additional Phase 3 study of ensovibep before granting the drug Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA"); (iii) waning global rates of COVID-19 significantly reduced the Company's chances of securing EUA for ensovibep; (iv) another of the Company's product candidates, MP0310, was less attractive to Molecular Partners' collaborator, Amgen, than defendants had led investors to believe; (v) accordingly, there was a significant likelihood that Amgen would return to global rights of MP0310 to Molecular Partners; (vi) as a result of all the foregoing, the clinical and commercial prospects of ensovibep and MP0310 were overstated; and (vii) as a result, documents issues in connection with the Company's initial public offer and defendants' public statements throughout the class period were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein.
DEADLINE: September 12, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/moln-lawsuit-molecular-partners-loss-submission-form/?id=30254&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of MOLN during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is September 12, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
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SOURCE The Gross Law Firm | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-molecular-partners-ag-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-september-12-2022-nasdaq-moln/ | 2022-07-27T11:02:28Z |
Lake Wind Advisory issued May 12 at 1:15PM MDT until May 12 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
* WHAT…Southwest winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* WHERE…American Falls Reservoir and the Lower Snake River
Plain.
* WHEN…Until 9 PM MDT this evening.
* IMPACTS…Strong winds and rough waves on area lakes will create
hazardous boating conditions especially for small watercraft.
Boaters on area lakes should use extra caution since strong winds
and rough waves can overturn small craft. | https://localnews8.com/weather/alerts-weather/2022/05/12/lake-wind-advisory-issued-may-12-at-115pm-mdt-until-may-12-at-900pm-mdt-by-nws-pocatello-id/ | 2022-05-12T19:42:44Z |
‘It was like a movie’: 11-foot gator frightens residents in neighborhood
BOILING SPRING LAKES, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) - Residents in one North Carolina neighborhood say alligators are common in their community, but a rather large one was becoming a nuisance.
Carol Woollery spoke to WECT and shared that she has lived in her Boiling Spring Lakes home for four years and first spotted an 11-foot alligator at her next-door neighbor’s house last week.
Tara Lax, Woollery’s neighbor, has called the area home for 13 years.
Both residents said they were frightened by the gator as they had not seen one this size on their property before.
“It was so big we thought it was fake, but when we drove past the alligator, it spun around and opened its mouth. It was like a movie,” Woollery said.
Clayton Ludwick, a master officer with North Carolina Wildlife, was called to assist with moving the alligator. He said the agency regularly gets calls about nuisance gators and recently removed three gators in a single day.
“Every case is different, but an officer will be the one to come out and remove the animal,” Ludwick said. “With larger alligators, the information is forwarded to our alligator biologist and that person handles those calls.”
Officials say that gators over eight feet in length can be a safety risk to people and pets, especially if people have been feeding them.
“When people start feeding them, they become dependent on people to feed them. So, every time they see a human, whether a child or an adult, they think food,” Ludwick said.
The wildlife agency said the team was able to remove the 11-foot gator from the neighborhood, but alligators are considered endangered, so there are strict rules prohibiting hunting or killing them.
According to the agency, gators can only be removed by an NC Wildlife officer or by a licensed nuisance alligator agent with a permit.
Copyright 2022 WECT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/07/28/it-was-like-movie-11-foot-gator-frightens-residents-neighborhood/ | 2022-07-28T23:29:01Z |
Company signs on as corporate affiliate to diversify talent pipeline in support of military community
PITTSBURGH, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of retail and franchise locations across the U.S., a thriving e-commerce business and a need to staff up to support consumer demand, GNC is positioned for growth. To deliver, the company is investing in its commitment to the military community, launching a U.S. based partnership with the University of Health & Performance to form a dedicated Veteran hiring initiative company-wide the goal of which is to hire over 1,000 program participants over the next two years.
Founded by CEO Matt Hesse, a former GNC associate, franchise operator, Army Veteran and the Founder and Former CEO of PERFORMIX (a sports brand sold at GNC), the University of Health & Performance leverages his four-dimensional, integrated curriculum known as The Purpose Blueprint, to support the distinct needs of Veterans, empowering them to discover a new purpose and way to serve, though fitness and health.
"GNC played a fundamental role in my transition after service, offering stability and community during a time of change," said Hesse. "I joined GNC as an associate and was immediately drawn to its mission and commitment to supporting consumers through innovation and science-driven advancements. Building upon the company's mission to Live Well, I expanded my role; going on to own 12 units as a franchisee and developing the disruptive supplement brand, PERFORMIX."
As part of its affiliation, GNC is working with the University of Health & Performance to craft custom programming to equip graduates with the skills necessary to join the company as associates following graduation. Together, the organizations are aligning on core competencies, training opportunities, and leveraging the University's coaches to help develop and position potential candidates for success at GNC via a formal veteran recruitment pipeline.
"Active military and veterans have been a major part of the GNC community since the beginning, and we are passionate about supporting their transition to civilian life as part of the GNC family," said Nate Frazier, Chief Operating Officer, GNC. "We are actively pursuing ways to empower veterans throughout the company, and our partnership with the University of Health & Performance will allow us to drive meaningful value across all levels of the business."
In addition to Hesse, the University of Health & Performance boasts a strong coaching staff comprised of experts including former Army Special Forces coach, Hunter Schurrer, former Head of Mental Performance for the Toronto Blue Jays, Ben Freakley, and former Director of Whole Health Education at the Department of Veteran's Affairs, Kelly Howard, as Head of Education.
This relationship will complement GNC's existing engagement with Jay Glazer's Merging Vets and Players.
To learn more about GNC, visit www.gnc.com.
About GNC
GNC is a leading global health and wellness brand that provides high-quality, science-based products and solutions consumers need to live mighty, live fit and live well.
The brand touches consumers worldwide by providing its products and services through company-owned retail locations, domestic and international franchise locations, digital commerce and strong wholesale and retail partnerships across the globe. GNC's diversified, multi-channel business model has worldwide reach and a well-recognized, trusted brand. By combining exceptional innovation, product development capabilities and an extensive global distribution network, GNC manages a best-in-class product portfolio. www.gnc.com.
About the University of Health & Performance
The University of Health & Performance (UHP) is a wellness-based educational institution on a mission to empower students to discover purpose and new career paths, though fitness and health. UHP teaches a four-dimensional, integrated curriculum known as "The Purpose Blueprint," where students set goals in four key pillars of: How to Think, Train, Feel, & Lead. The immersive experience held on 500 acres in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, gives students the tools to identify their purpose, while building a focused plan to live it. Students train and live in world class facilities designed by a top NYC architecture firm. Graduates are certified as accredited health and fitness trainers and receive continued mentorship, job placement support, and counseling through UHP's graduate support program.
UHP was founded in January 2022, by Matt Hesse in Bentonville, AR. Hesse has an extensive history working within, and on behalf of the Veteran population. He also serves on the President of the United States Council for Fitness and Sports. For more information visit www.university-hp.com
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SOURCE GNC | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/07/gnc-establishes-veteran-hiring-initiative-through-university-health-amp-performance-partnership/ | 2022-06-07T14:45:16Z |
WHITTIER, Calif., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Sanitation Districts) recognized 370 companies with certificates for being "good corporate citizens" for the year 2021. These companies have met their limits for wastewater discharge for at least a year, maintained their environmental equipment, and fulfilled all permit requirements. Of these companies, ninety-three have received this recognition for five or more consecutive years.
"To protect public health and the environment, our agency works closely with our industrial dischargers to ensure their wastewater meets or exceeds regulatory requirements. The treatment that these companies provide before discharging wastewater to our sewer system allows the Sanitation Districts to operate more effectively for all ratepayers," remarked Robert C. Ferrante, Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Sanitation Districts. "We applaud these companies for their commitment to being good environmental stewards," added Mr. Ferrante.
"The recipients of these awards are pleased to receive this recognition, and we see ourselves as partners with the Sanitation Districts in protecting the environment," said Sam Bell, owner of Metal Surfaces, Inc., of Bell Gardens and chair of the Sanitation Districts' Industry Advisory Council.
The idea for the Certificates of Recognition originated with the Sanitation Districts' Industry Advisory Council, an advisory group currently consisting of 11 representatives from different industrial sectors. The Council and the Sanitation Districts believe that it is important to acknowledge industries with good compliance records. The recognition program is now in its twenty-sixth year.
The Sanitation Districts are a regional public agency consisting of 24 independent special districts serving over 5.5 million people in 78 cities and unincorporated territory within Los Angeles County. The agency protects public health and the environment through innovative and cost-effective wastewater and solid waste management and, in doing so, converts waste into resources such as recycled water, energy and recycled materials.
Contact: Jyoti Banaji, Industrial Waste Section
Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
(562) 908-4288, ext. 2906
or Basil Hewitt, Public Information Office
(562) 908-4288, ext. 2303
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SOURCE Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/15/industries-honored-being-good-corporate-citizens/ | 2022-09-15T16:28:46Z |
Long helps Red Bulls to 1-1 tie with Timbers
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Long scored the equalizer for the New York Red Bulls in a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers. The Red Bulls moved to 5-2-3 and the Timbers are 2-3-6.
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Long scored the equalizer for the New York Red Bulls in a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers. The Red Bulls moved to 5-2-3 and the Timbers are 2-3-6. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/05/07/long-helps-red-bulls-to-1-1-tie-with-timbers/ | 2022-05-08T03:31:55Z |
Revenue of $3,567.2 million flat, with organic growth of 11.3%
Operating profit of $541.6 million
Operating profit margin of 15.2%
Diluted earnings per share of $1.68
NEW YORK, July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) today announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
"We performed well on every metric this quarter, led again by double-digit organic revenue growth," said John Wren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Group Inc. "The changes we have made in our portfolio are delivering better results for our clients as we are uniquely qualified to help them digitally transform their business, navigate complexity, and expand in high-growth areas like retail media and e-commerce. As we enter the second half of the year, we are in a strong financial position, and our company is well-prepared to manage through economic headwinds."
Second Quarter 2022 Results
Revenues
Worldwide revenue growth in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the second quarter of 2021 was led by an increase in revenue from organic growth of $403.8 million, or 11.3%. Acquisition revenue, net of disposition revenue, was a decrease of $239.8 million, or 6.7%, reflecting dispositions in the Advertising & Media discipline in the second quarter of 2021 and the disposition of our businesses in Russia in the first quarter of 2022. The impact of foreign currency translation was a decrease of $168.4 million, or 4.7%. Reported total revenue in the second quarter of 2022 decreased $4.4 million, or 0.1%.
Organic growth in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the second quarter of 2021 increased across all of our fundamental disciplines, including: 8.2% for Advertising & Media, 15.8% for Public Relations, 21.0% for Precision Marketing, 9.2% for Healthcare, 9.3% for Execution & Support, 11.2% for Commerce & Brand Consulting, and 36.6% for Experiential.
Organic growth in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the second quarter of 2021 increased across our regional markets as follows: 10.7% for the United States, 15.1% for the Euro Markets & Other Europe, 4.7% for Asia Pacific, 12.0% for the United Kingdom, 12.5% for Other North America, 14.0% for Latin America and 28.3% for the Middle East & Africa. Growth in Asia Pacific was negatively impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns in China.
Expenses
Operating expenses increased $22.4 million, or 0.7%, to $3,025.6 million compared to the second quarter of 2021, including a decrease of 4.8% from the impact of foreign currency translation. Operating expenses in the the second quarter of 2021 were favorably impacted by a $50.5 million gain on the disposition of a subsidiary.
Salary and service costs, which tend to fluctuate with changes in revenue, are comprised of salary and related costs, and third party service costs. In total, salary and service costs decreased $37.1 million, or 1.4%. Salary and related costs increased $79.1 million, or 4.6%, due primarily to the increase in organic revenue, an increase in headcount, and an increase in travel and related costs. Third-party service costs decreased $116.2 million, or 13.2%, due primarily to dispositions in the Advertising & Media discipline in the United States and the disposition of our businesses in Russia, partially offset by costs related to our organic growth in revenue.
Occupancy and other costs, which are less directly linked to changes in revenue than salary and service costs, decreased $0.9 million, or 0.3%, to $293.0 million, due to lower rent and other occupancy costs, partially offset by the continued return of our workforce to the office.
SG&A expenses increased $7.7 million, or 7.5%, to $110.9 million due to higher marketing and professional fees.
Operating Profit
Operating profit decreased $26.8 million, or 4.7%, to $541.6 million compared to the second quarter of 2021, and our operating profit margin decreased to 15.2% from 15.9%. After adjusting for a $50.5 million gain on the disposition of a subsidiary in the second quarter of 2021, operating profit in the second quarter of 2022 of $541.6 million increased $23.7 million, or 4.6%, and the related margin improved to 15.2% from 14.5%.
Interest Expense
Net interest expense in the second quarter of 2022 decreased $33.4 million, or 45.4%, to $40.1 million compared to the second quarter of 2021. Interest expense on debt in the second quarter of 2022 decreased $27.5 million to $47.2 million, primarily as a result of the $26.6 million charge incurred in the second quarter of 2021 related to the early redemption of debt in May 2021. Net Interest expense in the second quarter of 2022 also decreased due to lower average debt balances, a lower weighted-average cost of debt, and higher interest income.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate of 26.5% in the second quarter of 2022 increased from 24.9% in the second quarter of 2021. The higher effective tax rate for 2022 was primarily the result of the nominal tax applied to the $50.5 million book gain on the disposition of subsidiary in the second quarter of 2021 resulting from the excess of tax over book basis.
Net Income – Omnicom Group Inc.
Net income - Omnicom Group Inc. for the second quarter of 2022 increased $0.2 million, or 0.1%, to $348.4 million compared to the second quarter of 2021. Net income - Omnicom Group Inc. for the second quarter of 2021 included a $50.5 million pre-tax and after-tax gain on the sale of a subsidiary, and interest expense related to the early redemption of debt of $26.6 million ($19.5 million after-tax). Diluted shares outstanding decreased to 206.9 million, or 4.7%, from 217.1 million. Diluted net income per share of $1.68 increased $0.08, or 5.0%, from $1.60 per share.
EBITA
EBITA in the second quarter of 2022 decreased $27.2 million, or 4.6%, to $562.4 million compared to the second quarter of 2021, and our EBITA margin decreased to 15.8% from 16.5%. After adjusting for a $50.5 million gain related to the disposition of a subsidiary in the second quarter of 2021, EBITA in the second quarter of 2022 of $562.4 million increased $23.3 million, or 4.3%, and the related margin improved to 15.8% from 15.1%.
Risks and Uncertainties
Global economic challenges, including the impact of the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation and supply-chain disruptions could cause economic uncertainty and volatility. The impact of these issues on our business will vary by geographic market and discipline. We monitor economic conditions closely, as well as client revenue levels and other factors. In response to reductions in revenue, we can take actions to align our cost structure with changes in client demand and manage our working capital. However, there can be no assurance as to the effectiveness of our efforts to mitigate any impact of the current and future adverse economic conditions, reductions in client revenue, changes in client creditworthiness and other developments.
Definitions - Components of Revenue Change
We use certain terms in describing the components of the change in revenue above.
Foreign exchange rate impact: calculated by translating the current period's local currency revenue using the prior period average exchange rates to derive current period constant currency revenue. The foreign exchange rate impact is the difference between the current period revenue in U.S. Dollars and the current period constant currency revenue.
Acquisition revenue, net of disposition revenue: Acquisition revenue is calculated as if the acquisition occurred twelve months prior to the acquisition date by aggregating the comparable prior period revenue of acquisitions through the acquisition date. As a result, acquisition revenue excludes the positive or negative difference between our current period revenue subsequent to the acquisition date and the comparable prior period revenue and the positive or negative growth after the acquisition date is attributed to organic growth. Disposition revenue is calculated as if the disposition occurred twelve months prior to the disposition date by aggregating the comparable prior period revenue of disposals through the disposition date. The acquisition revenue and disposition revenue amounts are netted in the description above.
Organic growth: calculated by subtracting the foreign exchange rate impact component and the acquisition revenue, net of disposition revenue component from total revenue growth.
Conference Call
Omnicom will host a conference call to review its financial results on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Participants can listen to the conference call by calling 844-291-6362 (domestic) or 234-720-6995 (international), along with access code 1468163. The call will also be simulcast and archived on our investor relations website.
Corporate Responsibility
At Omnicom, we are committed to promoting responsible practices and making positive contributions to society around the globe. Please explore our website (csr.omnicomgroup.com) for highlights of our progress across the four areas on which we focus: People, Community, Environment and Governance.
About Omnicom Group Inc.
Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We use certain non-GAAP financial measures in describing our performance. We use EBITA (defined as earnings before interest, taxes and amortization of intangible assets) and EBITA Margin (defined as EBITA divided by revenue) as additional operating performance measures, which exclude the non-cash amortization expense of intangible assets (primarily consisting of amortization of intangible assets arising from acquisitions). We believe EBITA and EBITA Margin are useful measures for investors to evaluate the performance of our business. We use Operating Profit Adjusted, Operating Profit Margin Adjusted, EBITA Adjusted, EBITA Margin Adjusted, Net Income – Omnicom Group Inc. Adjusted and Net Income per diluted share – Omnicom Group Inc. Adjusted as additional operating performance measures. We believe these measures are useful in evaluating the impact of certain items on operating performance and allows for comparability between reporting periods. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information presented in compliance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures reported by us may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts reported by other companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, including statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, from time to time, the Company or its representatives have made, or may make, forward-looking statements, orally or in writing. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial position, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the Company's management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company's management. Forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "could," "should," "would," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "future," "guidance," "intend," "may," "will," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project" or similar words, phrases or expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Company's control. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include: the impact of the war in Ukraine, adverse economic conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic, severe and sustained inflation in countries that comprise our major markets, supply chain issues affecting the distribution of our clients' products; international, national or local economic conditions that could adversely affect the Company or its clients; losses on media purchases and production costs incurred on behalf of clients; reductions in client spending, a slowdown in client payments and a deterioration or a disruption in the credit markets; the ability to attract new clients and retain existing clients in the manner anticipated; changes in client advertising, marketing and corporate communications requirements; failure to manage potential conflicts of interest between or among clients; unanticipated changes relating to competitive factors in the advertising, marketing and corporate communications industries; the ability to hire and retain key personnel; currency exchange rate fluctuations; reliance on information technology systems; changes in legislation or governmental regulations affecting the Company or its clients; risks associated with assumptions the Company makes in connection with its critical accounting estimates and legal proceedings; and the Company's international operations, which are subject to the risks of currency repatriation restrictions, social or political conditions and regulatory environment. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's business, including those described in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Except as required under applicable law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
For definition of Adjustments, see footnote on page 1. The above table reconciles the U.S. GAAP financial measure of Net Income - Omnicom Group Inc. to EBITA (defined as earnings before interest, taxes and amortization of intangible assets) and EBITA Margin (defined as EBITA divided by revenue) for the periods presented. We use EBITA and EBITA Margin as additional operating performance measures, which exclude the non-cash amortization expense of intangible assets (primarily consisting of amortization of intangible assets arising from acquisitions). Accordingly, we believe EBITA and EBITA Margin are useful measures for investors to evaluate the performance of our business. The above table also reconciles the GAAP financial measure of Net Income – Omnicom Group Inc. to the non-GAAP financial measures of EBITA Adjusted and EBITA Margin Adjusted for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Management believes excluding the gain on disposition of subsidiary provides investors with a better picture of the performance of the business during the period presented. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information presented in compliance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures reported by us may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts reported by other companies.
The above tables reconcile the GAAP financial measure of Net Income – Omnicom Group Inc. to the non-GAAP financial measures of Operating Profit Adjusted, Net Interest Expense Adjusted, Net Income - Omnicom Group Inc. Adjusted and Net Income per share - Diluted Adjusted for the period presented. Management believes excluding the gain on disposition of subsidiary and the charge on the early extinguishment of debt provides investors with a better picture of the performance of the business during the period presented.
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SOURCE Omnicom Group Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/omnicom-group-reports-second-quarter-2022-results/ | 2022-07-19T21:19:23Z |
Lod scores in Minnesota United’s 3-1 win over Rapids
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Robin Lod’s goal proved to be the game-winner as Minnesota United picked up a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. United is now 3-2-2 after the victory and the Rapids fell to 2-3-2. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/04/16/lod-scores-in-minnesota-uniteds-3-1-win-over-rapids/ | 2022-04-17T05:26:35Z |
Topeka man booked into jail for DUI, found to have warrant for child sex crimes
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - After refusing to give his name to officials, a Topeka man was booked into jail for a DUI, then it was found he was wanted on a felony warrant for child sex crimes.
The Shawnee Co. Sheriff’s Office says on Monday, Sept. 12, officials arrested Hugo Enrique Lopez-Vela, 41, of Topeka, after an early morning traffic stop on Sunday.
Officials said that just after 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, a Drug Recognition Expert deputy pulled over a green 1998 Honda Civic in the 1400 block of SW Topeka Blvd. which had failed to maintain its lane of traffic.
During the investigation, the expert said they found the driver, later found to be Lopez-Vela, had been too impaired to drive the vehicle.
After he provided multiple false identities, the Sheriff’s Office said Lopez-Vela was booked into the Shawnee Co. Dept. of Corrections on driving under the influence, felony interference with law enforcement, aggravated false impersonation, transporting an open container of liquor, driving with a suspended license and improper driving on a laned roadway.
Later, officials said they were finally able to identify the suspect as Lopez-Vela and it was discovered that he had a felony warrant for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and an immigration felony deportation violation.
The incident remains under investigation.
Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/09/12/topeka-man-booked-into-jail-dui-found-have-warrant-child-sex-crimes/ | 2022-09-12T19:37:32Z |
PITTSBURGH, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ansys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSS) announced today that the Company expects to release its second quarter earnings on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, after the market closes. The Company will hold a conference call conducted by Ajei Gopal, president and chief executive officer and Nicole Anasenes, chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 4, 2022 to discuss second quarter 2022 results and future outlook.
CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION:
What: Ansys Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call
When: August 4, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
We encourage participants to pre-register for the conference call using the enclosed link. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call, bypassing the live operator. Participants may pre-register any time, including up to and after the call start time. You will immediately receive an online confirmation, an email with the dial in number and a calendar invitation for the event.
To pre-register, go to:
You may also register for the conference call by logging in through the investor section of our website at https://investors.ansys.com and clicking on Events & Presentations and click on the event or go to Quarterly Results under the Financials section and click on the Webcast link.
The following will be available on the corporate website https://investors.ansys.com at or prior to the time of the conference call: a link to the live audio webcast of the call as well as the earnings press release and earnings prepared remarks.
For those who do not have internet access or are unable to pre-register, simply join the call on the day of the event by dialing (855) 239-2942 (US) or (412) 542-4124 (CAN and INT'L). Ask the operator to join you into the Ansys Conference Call.
The call will be recorded with replay available within two hours after the call at https://investors.ansys.com or at (877) 344-7529 (US), (855) 669-9658 (toll-free Canada) or (412) 317-0088 (INT'L). Passcode: 3042539.
/ About Ansys
When visionary companies need to know how their world-changing ideas will perform, they close the gap between design and reality with Ansys simulation. For more than 50 years, Ansys software has enabled innovators across industries to push boundaries by using the predictive power of simulation. From sustainable transportation to advanced semiconductors, from satellite systems to life-saving medical devices, the next great leaps in human advancement will be powered by Ansys.
Take a leap of certainty … with Ansys.
Ansys and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries. All other brand, product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
ANSS–F
/ Contacts
Investors
Kelsey DeBriyn
724.820.3927
kelsey.debriyn@ansys.com
Media
Mary Kate Joyce
724.820.4368
marykate.joyce@ansys.com
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SOURCE Ansys | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/ansys-release-second-quarter-2022-earnings-august-3-2022/ | 2022-07-14T21:58:14Z |
Man denies killing mother at sea to inherit family’s estate
RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A 28-year-old man who was rescued from a raft off the coast of New England in 2016 after his boat sank pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he killed his mother at sea to inherit the family’s estate.
Nathan Carman was arraigned in federal court in Rutland on multiple fraud charges and a first-degree murder charge in the death of Linda Carman. He shouted “not guilty” in the direction of reporters who had asked him on his way into the courthouse whether he killed his mother.
Authorities allege in the indictment unsealed Tuesday that Carman also killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, at his home in Windsor, Connecticut, in 2013 as part of a scheme to obtain money and property from his grandfather’s estate, but he was not charged with that killing.
“As a central part of the scheme, Nathan Carman murdered John Chakalos and Linda Carman,” the indictment reads.
Carman was found in an inflatable raft eight days after leaving a Rhode Island marina to go fishing with his mother, who was never found. Prosecutors allege Carman altered the boat to make it more likely to sink that day. He has denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy.
Carman, who was arrested Tuesday, faces life in prison if convicted of killing Linda Carman, his mother. His attorney did not comment after the arraignment.
Federal prosecutors said in a court document filed Wednesday he should remain detained because he poses a flight risk and is a danger to the community. They wrote that Carman was treated for mental health issues from when he was a small child until he was 17 years old and has avoided any treatment since then.
“For an individual who would kill his own family members, nothing is off the table,” prosecutors wrote. A hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Prosecutors allege the inheritance scheme that has spanned nearly a decade began with Carman buying a rifle in New Hampshire that he used to shoot Chakalos on Dec. 20, 2013, while he slept. He then discarded his computer hard drive and the GPS unit that had been in his truck, prosecutors said.
Police have said Carman was the last person to see his grandfather alive and owned a semi-automatic rifle similar to the one used to kill Chakalos — but the firearm disappeared.
After Chakalos’ death, Carman received $550,000 from two bank accounts that his grandfather had set up and that he was the beneficiary of when Chakalos died. He moved from an apartment in Bloomfield, Connecticut, to Vernon, Vermont, in 2014. He was unemployed much of the time and by the fall of 2016, was low on funds, prosecutors said.
In September 2016, Carman arranged to go on a fishing trip with his mother on his boat named the “Chicken Pox.”
“Nathan Carman planned to kill his mother on the trip,” the indictment reads. “He also planned how he would report the sinking of the ‘Chicken Pox’ and his mother’s disappearance at sea as accidents.”
Before the trip, Carman altered the boat by removing two forward bulkheads and trim tabs from the transom of the hull, the indictment states.
“After leaving the marina, Nathan Carman killed his mother, Linda Carman, and eventually sank the Chicken Pox,” it states.
In 2019, a federal judge in Rhode Island decided that Carman contributed to the sinking of the boat. U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a written decision in favor of an insurance company that had refused to pay an $85,000 claim to Carman for the loss of his 31-foot fishing boat.
Carmen denied the allegations, telling the Coast Guard that when the boat filled quickly with water, he swam to the life raft and called for his mother but never saw her again.
He was found floating in the raft off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts island, by the crew of a freighter eight days after the boat was reported missing.
Chakalos, who was a real estate developer, left behind an estate that was worth nearly $29 million, which was to be divided among his four daughters. Carman is in line to get about $7 million of the estate, as his mother’s only heir.
Chakalos’ three surviving daughters sued Carman in New Hampshire probate court, seeking to bar him from receiving any money from Chakalos’ estate. A judge dismissed the case in 2019, saying Chakalos was not a New Hampshire resident. The probate case was refiled in Connecticut, where it remains pending.
William Michael, an attorney for Carman’s mother’s sisters, said Tuesday the family had no immediate comment.
___
AP reporters Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vermont, and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/05/11/man-denies-killing-mother-sea-inherit-familys-estate/ | 2022-05-11T18:32:43Z |
NEW YORK, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPST) between November 9, 2021 and May 9, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 12, 2022.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Upstart securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Upstart class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=6208 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 12, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Upstart's AI model could not adequately account for macroeconomic factors such as interest rates that impact the market-clearing price for loans; (2) as a result, Upstart was experiencing negative impact on its conversion rate; (3) as a result, the Company was reasonably likely to use its balance sheet to fund loans; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and/or misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Upstart class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=6208 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
-------------------------------
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/shareholder-alert-rosen-leading-law-firm-encourages-upstart-holdings-inc-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-upst/ | 2022-05-17T22:11:30Z |
SINGAPORE, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Trip.com, the global travel service provider, has been named the 10th most downloaded OTA app globally in the first half of 2022 by leading app analysis firm Apptopia. The announcement comes as Trip.com continues to expand worldwide with its all-in-one app-first offering.
The success seen in download numbers is guided by Trip.com's app-first strategy. By applying a balanced mix of approaches learned through experimentation and best practices, Trip.com app installs from marketing channels grew steadily to a total of 6.2 million downloads. In H1 2022, Trip.com app downloads saw double-digit growth compared to H2 2021, reflecting the success of this strategy and increased consumer desire for travel.
Through full utilisation of the trustworthy products and attractive deals presented on Trip.com, new downloads were gained across a variety of app marketing channels. In tandem, a web-to-app strategy also showed great potential in constantly attracting new app users.
Feng Han, Marketing Director at Trip.com, said: "This year, we have experienced an energized, organic recovery of the travel industry. Leveraging this trend, our teams have adopted a targeted and data-oriented approach in each market to encourage users to download the Trip.com app. We are delighted to see our young brand reach the top 10 most downloaded OTA apps globally for the first time ever. We will continue to work to share the convenience and top-class services available on Trip.com with an ever-growing audience."
On top of the platform's extensive range of products, the Trip.com app gives users a more unique and comprehensive browsing and booking experience. Currently available in 24 languages in 39 countries and regions worldwide, the app gives users easier booking management capabilities, direct access to reliable customer support and exclusive app-only deals.
Trip.com's breakthrough in Apptopia's global app download rankings correlates to increased traveller demand as the industry continues to recover following the outbreak of covid. This year, Trip.com's European sites saw an average monthly growth in traffic of around 10% between April and July. In Asia, countries and regions that have relaxed their travel restrictions have seen an impressive market performance, particularly those in Southeast Asia. Overall in the APAC region, bookings on Trip.com increased by 21% in May and by a further 7.8% in June.
As demand increases, users turn to platforms with a comprehensive scope of services that goes beyond a solely product offering. In turn, Trip.com has looked to grow the engaging travel content hosted on the platform. In the first quarter of this year, daily average content traffic on Trip.com increased by 80% YoY, whilst the content engagement rate on Trip.com grew by 115% YoY.
A key benefit to using the Trip.com app is the ease in which users can access Trip.com's best-in-class customer support. Trip.com global customer support is available in 19 languages delivered by a dedicated international customer support team. In the first half of 2022, over 95% of calls made to Trip.com Group customer service were picked up within 20 seconds, 99% of chats were responded to within 20 seconds and 92% of incidents were dealt with in a timely manner. In addition to this, of all incoming enquires, 88% of incidents were resolved on the first attempt. App users can book and travel reassured in the knowledge that Trip.com customer support is only a click on their phone away.
-END-
About Trip.com
Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 24 languages across 39 countries and regions in 31 local currencies and sites. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels and flights from over 480 airlines covering 2,600 airports in 200 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to 'create the best travel experience' for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit trip.com.
Media Contact:
Trip.com PR, pr@trip.com
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SOURCE Trip.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/22/tripcom-features-top-10-most-downloaded-ota-apps-global-rankings-h1-2022/ | 2022-07-22T02:17:17Z |
PITTSBURGH, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I did not like how it was difficult to see the road when travelling in various conditions," said the inventor from Santa Ana, Calif. "I wanted to create a device that would allow roadways to have an abundance of light through the collection of different types of energy and converting it into light."
He invented the patent-pending SOLAR POWER AND HEAT GROUND REFLECTOR to help enhance roadway visibility and safety for motorists who might otherwise overlook traditional reflectors. This could help prevent indecisiveness and unintended over-steering accidents and vehicular damage. This roadway device may reduce stress and anxiety that are often associated with driving on unlit roadways. Additionally, this would help provide peace of mind for drivers and allow then to get to their destination safely.
The original design was submitted to the Orange County sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-OCM-1525, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/inventhelp-presents-roadway-illuminating-system-ocm-1525/ | 2022-06-30T15:36:19Z |
ZURICH, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) today announced that Cheryl Krauss has been appointed Senior Vice President, Chubb Group and Chief Communications Officer, effective June 6. Ms. Krauss will be responsible for Chubb's corporate communications and marketing functions globally. In addition, the investor relations function will report jointly to Ms. Krauss and Peter Enns, Executive Vice President, Chubb Group and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Krauss will report to Evan G. Greenberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Formerly Chief Communications Officer of global investment management firm Barings, Ms. Krauss succeeds Patrick McGovern, Senior Vice President, Chubb Group, who will assume an interim role providing executive communications and speechwriting support to the CEO. Mr. McGovern will work closely to support Ms. Krauss on the successful leadership transition of the chief communications role.
"Cheryl is a seasoned global marketing and communications executive with extensive experience in financial services, private equity and management consulting," said Mr. Greenberg. "Cheryl has a distinguished track record of developing strong, consistent global brands and driving strategic marketing communications for both consumer and commercial businesses. I am pleased to welcome Cheryl to Chubb."
"I want to thank Pat for his 19 years of service building and leading our communications function through a period of significant change and growth," Mr. Greenberg continued. "I am fortunate that we will continue to work together on my communications and public speaking agenda."
Prior to joining Barings in 2019, Ms. Krauss spent four years with BNY Mellon in senior global communication roles and approximately 14 years with Bain & Company as Worldwide Senior Director, Public Relations. Before Bain, she held a range of agency and in-house communications roles for Burson-Marsteller (now BCW), a subsidiary of WPP, including Managing Director of the Latin America Media Practice. Ms. Krauss started her career as a journalist and photojournalist with ABC and NBC affiliates in Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida and CBS News in New York. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in Communications with a major in broadcast/journalism and she studied art history at the University of Sydney.
Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com
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SOURCE Chubb Limited | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/01/chubb-appoints-cheryl-krauss-senior-vice-president-chubb-group-chief-communications-officer/ | 2022-06-01T21:35:25Z |
The acquisition of Emmersion's state-of-the-art testing platform broadens IXL Learning's language and literacy offerings
SAN MATEO, Calif. and LEHI, Utah, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IXL Learning, developer of personalized learning products used by millions of people worldwide, announced it has acquired Emmersion, the Utah-based leader in certifying language ability through artificial intelligence. Emmersion's platform has conducted millions of automated assessments for corporate and educational institutions, including The World Bank, Randstad, Columbia University, Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, providing valuable data insights into language proficiency scores.
The acquisition of Emmersion deepens IXL Learning's line of language and literacy products, which include the world-renowned Rosetta Stone, IXL English Language Arts, Vocabulary.com, SpanishDict, inglés.com and Fluencia. Emmersion's cofounders, Brigham Tomco and Dr. Jacob Burdis, will remain with the company.
Emmersion's adaptive assessments evaluate and certify speaking, writing and reading abilities, which shorten an organization's time-to-hire and improve customer satisfaction scores.
Its AI-powered Speaking and Writing Assessments conduct reliable, pre-employment language screenings in 15 minutes so that companies can hire the perfect candidates for the right roles. The verbal exam is the world's first fully automated speaking assessment and covers nine languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese and Tagalog.
The Speaking and Writing Assessments are scored using Emmersion's proprietary 100-point scale, TrueNorth, which gives organizations unparalleled insights into test-takers' language skills. Additionally, each assessment uses AI to deliver accurate, bias-free scores that are mapped to global language standards, such as CEFR, ACTFL and TOEFL.
Educational institutions use WebCAPE, Emmersion's adaptive placement exam, to measure learners' reading, grammar and listening skills. The multiple-choice test takes only 15-30 minutes to complete and can assess learners' abilities in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Russian.
"Emmersion's adaptive technology and automated exams are unrivaled," said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. "The Emmersion team will be a valuable addition to our family and we expect to make more investments in the company as we expand to additional languages and capabilities."
"Emmersion has striven to close the global communication gap through exceptional services that assess employees, check academic knowledge and certify language abilities. Joining IXL Learning is an incredible opportunity to continue advancing our mission and perfecting our products," said Brigham Tomco, CEO of Emmersion. "Our companies share the same ambitious vision for helping people build and evaluate their language skills, and we can't wait to contribute our expertise to this new venture."
Founded in 2015, Emmersion is a rapidly growing technology company located in Lehi, Utah. With a mission to close the global communication gap, the company focuses on helping organizations be smarter with their global language strategy. It has developed AI-driven, fully automated language assessments that provide accurate and immediate reports in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian and Tagalog. With over 700 customers around the world, Emmersion's cloud-based, AI technology automates assessment processes and provides the most accurate results. Learn more at www.emmersion.ai.
IXL Learning has revolutionized educational technology since its founding in 1998. Today, the company leads the world of education through innovation and provides a diverse set of products and services that help learners develop skills in math, literacy, language and more. IXL Learning's eight brands—IXL, Rosetta Stone, Curiosity Media, Emmersion, Wyzant, Vocabulary.com, ABCya and Education.com—empower all students with engaging, personalized learning experiences. Our teams create breakthrough solutions to education's most pressing challenges and inspire students to become life-long learners.
Eric Bates
IXL Learning
press@ixl.com
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SOURCE IXL Learning | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/09/ixl-learning-acquires-emmersion-developer-ai-powered-language-assessments/ | 2022-09-09T01:54:01Z |
"Future Goals" Program Links Sports and Sustainability in Curaçao and Beyond
WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In connection to the recent June 1 opening of the brand new Sandals Royal Curaçao, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and its philanthropic arm, the Sandals Foundation, joined forces with the Netherlands' AFC Ajax team to launch Future Goals – a program that turns fishing nets sourced from the ocean and recycled plastic waste into soccer goals for children. Expanding opportunities for locals through the power of youth sports, particularly the beloved game known locally as football, the landmark partnership begins at primary schools across the Dutch Caribbean island, where MGR Niewindt College students received the first set of Future Goals last month ahead of the resort's opening.
"When it comes to our communities in the Caribbean, we have a great responsibility to take care of our islands and our people," said Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of SRI. "Curaçao is a new island for Sandals and a new opportunity to expand our impact — and 'football' is the soul of the Caribbean. If we can give children the tools to play and in the process teach them about protecting our planet — that is a 'goal' in and of itself."
Fishing nets lost at sea, also known as ghost nets, make up nearly half of the world's 'plastic soup' – a term for the accumulation of waste, including plastic, that ends up in the ocean. To help mitigate this global concern, the Sandals Foundation and AFC Ajax have tapped into local Curaçaon plastic recycling company, Limpi, whose creative approach to plastic waste recycling and product development now includes the colorful Future Goals goal posts, which are made almost entirely of fishing nets collected from the sea and recycled plastic waste.
The first phase of the partnership includes plans to outfit four dozen elementary schools throughout the island of Curaçao with close to 100 Future Goals and more than 600 soccer balls provided by Adidas, and is complemented by a unique training program with AFC Ajax coaches at the helm. Coaches will mentor 'Future Coaches' recruited by the local Curaçao life skills program, Favela Street, on a robust eight-week curriculum for the children that will focus as much on technique as it does mindset in order to foster the next generation. Overarching plans for the Future Goals program include an island-wide tournament featuring all participating primary schools, as well as expansion into additional Caribbean islands, with the program to be adapted based on the unique scope of each destination.
"Ajax is on a mission to impact the future of football on a global level, starting with the youth, our next generation," said Edwin van der Sar, CEO AFC Ajax. "Together with Sandals Resorts and the Sandals Foundation, we are eager to facilitate impactful football programs for children in Curaçao and the rest of the Caribbean, realizing tomorrow's opportunities through today's fun."
Since its inception in 1981, Sandals Resorts has taken an unparalleled approach to supporting the communities where it operates. Through its philanthropic arm, the Sandals Foundation, the luxury all-inclusive resort company began its work in Curaçao – Sandals Resorts' seventh and newest Caribbean island – far ahead of Sandals Royal Curaçao's opening. This includes supporting local artisans, such as Limpi, to whom the Sandals Foundation has provided the necessary equipment needed to increase their production levels.
Future Goals is one of the many projects underway on the island of Curaçao for the Sandals Foundation, including beach cleanups that have helped rid the planet of over 400,000 kilograms of trash to date, and the development of a digital hiking app in partnership with IVN Tiny Forest the Netherlands to make the magic of the island's natural resources more accessible to visitors and locals.
"Future Goals brilliantly encapsulates Sandals' unwavering commitment to empower our islands in the Caribbean through our philanthropic arm, the Sandals Foundation, and our core pillars of education, environment and community," said Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation. "Enveloping ourselves in the destination was part of the blueprint as we rolled out the plans for Sandals Royal Curaçao – and this one-of-a-kind partnership with Ajax is a sign of our promise to generations to come."
Additional Resources:
- For more information on the Future Goals program, visit www.sandals.com/futuregoals.
- Future Goals 'About' Video: https://youtu.be/mFRQ9GT9pyM
- Future Goals 'Campaign' Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5xyTmQxxZM
- Contribute to the Future Goals program via the Sandals Foundation: https://sandalsfoundation.org/donation.
The Sandals Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), the Caribbean's leading family-owned resort company. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was created to continue and expand upon the charitable work that Sandals Resorts International has undertaken since its founding in 1981 to play a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where SRI operates throughout the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community and the environment. One hundred per cent of the monies contributed by the general public to the Sandals Foundation go directly to programs benefiting the Caribbean community. To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, visit online at www.sandalsfoundation.org or on social media @sandalsfdn.
Founded in 1981 by the late Jamaican entrepreneur Gordon "Butch" Stewart, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) is the parent company of some of travel's most recognizable vacation brands. The company operates 24 properties throughout the Caribbean under four separate brands including: Sandals® Resorts, the Luxury Included® brand for adult couples with locations in Jamaica, Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia and a resort opening in Curaçao on June 1st; Beaches® Resorts, the Luxury Included® concept designed for everyone but especially families, with properties in Turks & Caicos and Jamaica, and another opening in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; private island Fowl Cay Resort; and the private homes of Your Jamaican Villas. Family-owned and operated, Sandals Resorts International is the largest private employer in the region. For more information, visit Sandals Resorts International.
Founded in 1900 in Amsterdam, Ajax is the record-holding champion of Dutch football, with four Champions League titles and 36 Dutch championships, earning a name for themselves in European football and beyond. Notorious for their creative, brave and always forward approach to the game, the team comprises young talent from its academy and all over the world. Ajax has shaped some of the greatest players the world has ever seen -- athletes like Johan Cruijff, Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to name a few – believing today's youth are the legends of tomorrow. The team's academy is voted number one over and over again, holding the highest percentage of trained players who reach professional football status. Each year, new exceptional talent reaches Ajax 1, ultimately earning their place among top European athletes such as Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong.
Contact:
The Decker/Royal Agency
sandals@deckerroyal.com
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SOURCE Sandals Resorts International | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/ocean-future-sandals-resorts-international-afc-ajax-empower-caribbean-youth-through-soccer/ | 2022-06-08T15:19:45Z |
Cineworld theater chain confirms it’s considering bankruptcy
LONDON (AP) — Cineworld Group PLC, one of the world’s largest movie theater chains, said Monday that it is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and similar actions elsewhere.
The British company, which owns Regal Cinemas in the United States and operates in 10 countries, said bankruptcy is one option it is weighing to help preserve a business that has struggled to rebound from the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.
Cineworld said it’s holding talks with major stakeholders such as lenders. It expects operations to run normally following any filing and “ultimately to continue its business over the longer term with no significant impact upon its employees.” It has about 28,000 workers, according to the company’s website.
Company shares tumbled 58% Friday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was preparing to file for bankruptcy within weeks.
Cineworld, which has 9,189 screens across 751 sites, said Monday that it’s open for business and is still evaluating its options to boost cash flow and potentially restructure.
In March, the company said COVID-19 closures in the first part of last year took a toll, reporting a $565.8 million loss after taxes and debt of $4.8 million. It also took a hit from terminating its 2020 takeover of Canadian movie theater company Cineplex Inc. A court in Ontario agreed with Cineplex that the British company breached its obligations and awarded 1.23 billion Canadian dollars ($947.5 million) in damages. Cineworld has appealed.
Despite the hurdles, Cineworld has said pent-up demand to see movies on the big screen helped its bottom line at the end of last year. It also expected blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jurassic World: Dominion” and others to help it “continue to rebound strongly.”
Shares of AMC and Cinemark, two major theater chains based in the U.S., also fell before the opening bell in New York.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/08/22/cineworld-theater-chain-confirms-its-considering-bankruptcy/ | 2022-08-22T12:45:28Z |
Justices Encouraged to Forbid Race and Ethnicity as Factors in College Admissions
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a nonprofit organization with over 20,000 members, filed its opening brief in two cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court: Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.
In November 2014, SFFA filed federal lawsuits against Harvard, the nation's oldest private college, and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest public university, alleging that both schools were engaged in unfair, polarizing, and illegal racial discrimination in their admissions policies.
Furthermore, SFFA petitioned the justices to overrule Grutter v. Bollinger, and hold that all institutions of higher education cannot use racial or ethnic classifications and preferences as factors in admissions.
Regarding Harvard, SFFA notes that the college is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by penalizing Asian-American applicants, engaging in racial balancing, overemphasizing race, and rejecting workable race-neutral alternatives. Harvard's demerits of Asian-American applicant's personalities are particularly scandalous and inexcusable. Harvard penalizes them because, according to its admissions office, they lack leadership and confidence and are less likable and kind.
Regarding the University of North Carolina, SFFA notes that the university is violating the U. S. Constitution and Title VI by illegally rejecting a race-neutral alternative to racial admissions preferences because the composition of its student body would change, without proving that the alternative would cause a dramatic sacrifice in academic quality or the educational benefits of overall student-body diversity. UNC rejects any race-neutral alternative, even if those alternatives would improve overall student body diversity.
While Harvard and UNC have breached the current legal boundaries that narrowly permit racial classifications and preferences in college admissions, the legal opinion in Grutter allowing these policies was wrong on the day it was decided on June 23, 2003.
Grutter is also internally contradictory. It claims that racial preferences improve diversity because race is a proxy for certain views and experiences. Then it claims that racial preferences break down stereotypes because race is not a proxy for any views or experiences. The latter is, of course, true: A person's skin color says nothing about who they are, what they think, or where they've been. Yet this is a "lesson of life" learned by most at an early age. And if a student's views aren't tied to his or her race, then why would the racial makeup of a class predictably change what students learn or discuss? Grutter has no answers.
No one is under any illusions that we live in a post-racial society, or that racial discrimination is a thing of the past. But when our most elite universities place high-schoolers on racial registers and tell the world that their skin color affects what they think and know, what they like and don't like, they are hurting, not helping.
Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions said, "Recent surveys (2022) by the Pew Research Center reveal that 74% of all Americans do not believe a student's race should be a factor in college admissions." The Pew Research report noted:
About eight-in-ten White adults (79%) say race or ethnicity should not factor into admission decisions. By comparison, 68% of Hispanic adults say this, as do about six-in-ten Asian American (63%) and Black (59%) adults. And while 87% of Republicans say race or ethnicity should not be a factor in admissions, that share falls to 62% among Democrats.
Blum added, "In a multi-racial, multi-ethnic nation like ours, the college admissions bar cannot be raised for some races and ethnic groups but lowered for others. Our nation cannot remedy past discrimination and racial preferences with new discrimination and different racial preferences."
Blum noted, "These two cases now at the U.S. Supreme Court are rescue missions for the colorblind legal principles that hold together Americans of all races and ethnicities.
Blum concluded, "The ancient faith that gave birth to our nation's civil rights laws is the principle that an individual's race should not be used to help or harm them in their life's endeavors. It is the hope of the vast majority of all Americans that the justices end these polarizing admissions policies."
Students for Fair Admissions
2200 Wilson Blvd. #102-13
Arlington, VA 22201
StudentsForFairAdmissions.org
703-505-1922
edwardjayblum@gmail.com
Media Contact:
Edward Blum
703-505-1922
edwardjayblum@gmail.com
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SOURCE Students for Fair Admissions | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/02/students-fair-admissions-files-opening-brief-us-supreme-court-students-fair-admissions-v-harvard-students-fair-admissions-v-university-north-carolina/ | 2022-05-02T22:37:38Z |
POWERHANDZ + PUMA + Champs Sports combined its strength in sports performance to serve the community.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- POWERHANDZ, a global sports and fitness product tech platform transforming the way athletes and the overall fitness community improve skill development, launched in the Champs Sports Homefield's 35,000 square foot new retail concept, which is the largest of the Foot Locker, Inc. subsidiary. The brand has the distinction to be the only black woman owned business sold at Champs Sports Homefield.
Champs Homefield provided the perfect retail and experiential model to curate a unique experience for the community focused on sports and fitness performance. POWERHANDZ led this activation with a surprise appearance by General Partner, NBA All-Star and Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball, whose Puma MB.01 collection is also featured.
"Our goal is to transform the way our community thinks about performance by working in tandem with bridge builders like LaMelo who have a tremendous inspirational influence over young athletes and adults who watch him play. Consumers better understand how a performance sneaker combined with sports training innovation, truly elevates your game," said POWERHANDZ CEO, Danyel Surrency Jones.
Fully utilizing the innovative space, POWERHANDZ conducted private training for six local middle school and high school (girls & boys) basketball teams led by LaMelo Ball's trainer and manager Jermaine Jackson and strength & conditioning coach, Mike Fox. Each athlete trained with POWERHANDZ patented weighted anti-grip basketball gloves and weighted heavy basketballs to improve ball-handling skills, while laced up in LaMelo's MB.01 PUMA Collection. Then, LaMelo signed everyone's POWERHANDZ basketballs and Puma sneakers, while guests were entertained with a high-octane performance by McDonald's All American and first POWERHANDZ POWER U & POWER University NIL Athlete, Flau'jae Johnson.
The POWER Takeover Weekend ended with a POWERHANDZ Invitational powered by The Power to Give Foundation which featured 5on5 games led by the Wheelchair Basketball Association and an intense fitness class integrating POWERHANDZ Resistance Bands and POWERFIT Training Gloves now sold in Champs Sports Homefield.
"Being involved in the community and inspiring youth, boys and girls, from all backgrounds is what we are all about.'' said Jermaine Jackson, LaMelo Ball's Manager. "That's why having the Wheelchair Basketball Association included in the POWERHANDZ Invitational was a must."
POWERHANDZ is a global double minority-owned sports and fitness training product tech platform transforming the way athletes and patients improve human performance through the combined use of intelligent sports products, technology, and services for the lifecycle of an athlete. Based out of Frisco, Texas, the brand offers 12+ smart sports products and a technology platform designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts across multiple sports to improve performance, decrease injury, and aid in recovery. These products are sold in over 87 countries worldwide and are used by athletes of all different skill levels, ranging from youth to professionals. For more information visit http://www.powerhandz.com
Foot Locker, Inc. leads the celebration of sneaker and youth culture around the globe through a portfolio of brands including Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Eastbay, atmos, WSS, Footaction, and Sidestep. With approximately 2,800 retail stores in 28 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as websites and mobile apps, the Company's purpose is to inspire and empower youth culture around the world, by fueling a shared passion for self-expression and creating unrivaled experiences at the heart of the global sneaker community. Foot Locker, Inc. has its corporate headquarters in New York.
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SOURCE POWERHANDZ | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/powerhandz-debuts-champs-sports-homefield-with-training-activations-an-appearance-by-general-partner-lamelo-ball/ | 2022-06-14T16:39:23Z |
AMAZING: Former elementary school janitor works his way up to principal
IONE, Calif. (KCRA) – A man in California who started his career 30 years ago as a janitor is celebrating his first year as that same school’s new principal.
Decades ago, Mike Huss attended Ione Elementary School as a student. He went on to become an employee there – first as a janitor, then as a teacher, and now as a principal.
Huss said he never wanted to be an educator, but his seventh-grade teacher felt otherwise.
“I remember Mrs. Collier telling me, ‘You will be such a great teacher someday,’ and I laughed at her, not going to happen, but here I am,” he said.
Huss ended up starting as Ione Elementary School’s janitor 30 years ago. He then spent 19 years there as a teacher and now is starting his first year as the school principal.
“I was really looking forward to teaching fifth grade again, and they reached out to me and said, ‘We think you’re the leader the school needs.’ That was very humbling, and it brings chills just to say it.”
Huss credits his career to a push from family and friends. He wanted to show his young son, who was 3 years old when Huss went back to school for teaching, that you can do anything you put your mind to.
“If your dad can do this, if your dad can be the school janitor – I was coaching youth sports, maintain a good grade point average – and become a schoolteacher, you can accomplish anything in this life, son.”
Ione Elementary School Office Administrator Melanie Cortez is also a former student of the school. She said the only downfall to Huss’ transition is keeping him in the office and not in the classrooms.
“The kids aren’t used to seeing him in the office, so we have kids come in all day long [asking] ‘Is Mr. Huss busy?’ and so we’ve kind of had to say, ‘OK, let him answer emails – important stuff in there.”
For Huss, it’s about the opportunity to change a child’s life.
“Believe in one person every day that you are here help them see themselves in a different light, because that’s what people have done for me my whole life,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do; I’m trying to help students believe in themselves that they can accomplish great things if they just stay the course.”
Copyright 2022 KCRA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/09/01/amazing-former-elementary-school-janitor-works-his-way-up-principal/ | 2022-09-01T19:26:14Z |
6 migrants die, 25 injured in Mexico bus crash
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in northern Mexico say six migrants have died and 25 were injured after a bus they were riding in plunged through a guardrail and down an embankment. It was the latest in a series of deadly crashes and drownings of migrants in the last week. The civil defense office in the northern state of San Luis Potosi said Wednesday that the injured included a six-month-old baby and an 8-year-old child. The office said that all of the victims “are migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Cuba.” Immigrants activists say crackdowns on migrant crossing have led some to seek more dangerous routes to the U.S. border. | https://localnews8.com/news/ap-national/2022/05/25/6-migrants-die-25-injured-in-mexico-bus-crash/ | 2022-05-26T03:10:19Z |
As the new Chief Operating Officer, David Shively will draw on his extensive industry experience to support the scaling of Equisoft's leadership position in financial services.
PHILADELPHIA and MONTREAL, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Equisoft, a leading global digital solutions provider to the financial industry, is proud to announce the appointment of David Shively as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Shively succeeds retiring veteran Steeve Michaud who has spent 20 successful years propelling Equisoft forward and was a driving force behind its global expansion strategy.
An accomplished executive with over 30 years of experience in managing on-premises and SaaS software solutions across global markets, David will be mainly responsible for overseeing Equisoft's global operations to continue its strategic expansion.
"Steeve has made an immense contribution to Equisoft over the past 20 years, and we would like to thank him and wish him a healthy and happy retirement," said Equisoft's CEO Luis Romero. "With David's proven track-record in driving superior operational efficiencies, achieving business growth, and delivering mission critical solutions to diverse markets such as Commercial Heath Insurance, Life & Annuity Insurance, and Property & Casualty Insurance, we are more than confident that our new COO will be equally successful in helping Equisoft further strengthen and expand its global presence."
Prior to joining Equisoft, David held several executive positions with reputed technology companies such as Oracle, CGI, Accenture, Wyde Corporation, and more recently as Vice President, Life & Annuity Platforms Business at EXL, where he was responsible for leading cross-functional teams supporting multiple SaaS and on-premises software platforms.
David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Ohio State University.
Founded in 1994, Equisoft is a global provider of advanced insurance and investment digital solutions. Recognized as a valued partner by over 250 of the world's leading financial institutions in 16 countries, Equisoft offers a complete ecosystem of solutions, from innovative front-end applications to extensive back-office services and unique data migration expertise. The firm's flagship products include a SaaS policy administration solution, CRM, financial needs analysis, financial planning, asset allocation, fund and portfolio analysis, quotes and illustrations, electronic application, agency management systems, as well as customer, agent and broker portals. Equisoft is also Oracle's largest and most experienced partner for the OIPA platform. With its business-driven approach, deep industry knowledge, innovative technology, and expert teams based in Canada, USA, UK, Chile, Colombia, South Africa, India and Australia, Equisoft helps its clients tackle any challenge in this era of digital disruption. For more information about our products and services, please visit www.equisoft.com.
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SOURCE Equisoft | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/equisoft-welcomes-industry-veteran-david-shively-new-coo/ | 2022-08-15T14:18:50Z |
This annual list recognizes exceptional young technologists whose innovations will shape our lives for decades to come
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today MIT Technology Review announces an inspiring new class of Innovators Under 35, an annual list recognizing the brightest young minds working in technology today. The problems these 35 innovators are working on now, and the plans they have for how to solve them, show us where technology is headed next.
By developing a VR therapy to fight vision loss in children, compiling African-language data sets for machine learning, and producing industrial chemicals with a lower carbon footprint, this year's innovators have already made important discoveries and advances. They are entrepreneurs, humanitarians, inventors, and researchers tackling tough challenges in five areas: climate change, AI and robots, materials science, computing, and biotech.
"This year's class of innovators is incredibly strong and diverse. Everyone on this list is doing work that's making a real impact," says Amy Nordrum, editorial director for special projects and operations. "These are the people to watch if you want to see what happens at the leading edge of technology in the years ahead."
This year's innovators were chosen from more than 600 nominees by the editors of MIT Technology Review and a panel of 31 expert judges. In a new addition this year, five judges and former honorees—one for each category—also contributed essays outlining what they see as the critical next steps in their respective fields.
"Before anyone has been nominated in the first place they've usually done something pretty spectacular—which makes whittling that list down to a smaller group of semi-finalists and then to the ultimate list of 35 an incredibly difficult task," says Tim Maher, managing editor of MIT Technology Review. "It's a good problem to have, and it means the final 35 are among the most interesting and promising young people working in technology all over the world."
2022 Innovators Under 35
AI and robots:
Biotech:
Climate change:
Computing:
Materials science:
Learn more about this year's honorees in the July/August issue of MIT Technology Review and online here. The honorees will also be celebrated at the upcoming EmTech MIT conference, MIT Technology Review's flagship event on emerging technology and global trends. EmTech MIT will be hosted as a hybrid event for both live and online audiences November 1-3, 2022.
About MIT Technology Review
Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899, MIT Technology Review is a world-renowned, independent media company whose insight, analysis, and interviews explain the newest technologies and their commercial, social, and political impacts. MIT Technology Review derives its authority from its relationship to the world's foremost technology institution and from its editors' deep technical knowledge, capacity to see technologies in their broadest context, and unequaled access to leading innovators and researchers. MIT Technology Review's in-depth reporting reveals what's going on now to prepare you for what's coming next.
Subscribe. Listen. Attend. Follow: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram.
About EmTech MIT
Launched in 1999, MIT Technology Review's annual flagship conference has a long-standing and world-renowned record of exploring the most significant innovations and global tech trends. Hosted live from the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA this November, EmTech MIT will offer a carefully curated, global perspective on the most significant developments of the year in fields including AI, biotech, energy, space, Internet 3.0, and more. Part of the esteemed EmTech event series, the conference is a deep dive into the ways these technologies impact society, research, education, and life as we know it. EmTech MIT will feature conversations with innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, industry leaders, and some of the world's most brilliant minds. In addition, EmTech MIT celebrates the 2022 Innovators Under 35, representing the best and brightest technologists the world has to offer. Learn more about the event and register at emtechmit.com. To inquire about diversity scholarships, group discounts, and how to obtain media credentials, contact eventsreg@technologyreview.com.
Media Contact:
MIT Technology Review
press@technologyreview.com
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SOURCE MIT Technology Review | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/29/mit-technology-review-announces-2022-innovators-under-35/ | 2022-06-29T18:12:07Z |
Universal suicide hotline rolls out this week
Published: Jul. 14, 2022 at 1:10 PM CDT|Updated: 50 minutes ago
(CNN) - A new universal suicide crisis hotline is launching across the United States this week.
The phone number is 988 and will be available in every state starting Saturday.
Year after year, tens of thousands of people in the U.S. take their own lives. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it happened every 11 minutes.
The national suicide prevention lifeline will have trained counselors available 24/7.
The current number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), will also stay in place.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/07/14/universal-suicide-hotline-rolls-out-this-week/ | 2022-07-14T19:01:00Z |
Supporting game-changing dialysis technology to transform therapy for kidney disease
SEATTLE, April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kuleana Technology, Inc. (Kuleana), a Seattle Washington-based company, received the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Innovation Fund's first dialysis investment. Kuleana is developing a groundbreaking portable hemodialysis device that will not require connection to an external water source and will not require complex sorbents. This device will be more effective than current dialysis since it will allow patients to dialyze on the go - enabling whenever, wherever dialysis for millions of patients worldwide.
"The kidney health landscape is broken and lacks needed innovation," said Kevin Longino, chief executive officer of NKF and a kidney transplant recipient. "About 37 million Americans have kidney disease and many crash into kidney failure and require dialysis before ever being diagnosed. We need a fundamental change in how we deal with chronic kidney diseases. NKF's Innovation Fund will provide donors with a unique opportunity to see their dollars support companies pursuing the most promising therapies, treatments and prevention methods that offer the potential to transform kidney care."
Capitalizing on the prize-winning innovations and the extensive patent portfolio of the University of Washington's Center for Dialysis Innovation (CDI), Kuleana is revolutionizing treatment technologies aimed at improving patient outcomes and enabling patients with chronic kidney failure to live life to the fullest. "Using the most promising biomaterials and bioengineering technologies and leveraging the CDI's multi-disciplinary research teams and patient advisory board, Kuleana is transforming dialysis. Our solutions will keep dialysis patients healthier and productive, and they will lower costs to make sustainable dialysis accessible worldwide," according to Kuleana's Chief Technology Officer and CFO, Buddy D. Ratner, PhD.
NKF indicates that "10% of the population worldwide is affected by chronic kidney disease, and millions die each year because they do not have access to affordable treatment." In upper income countries, like the US, only 60% of people who need dialysis have access to it. In lower and lower-to-middle income countries dialysis is available to between 1% and 4% of people who need it.
"We're enthusiastic about the support NKF is providing Kuleana. Like NKF, we recognize that the unmet needs in hemodialysis are imperative – for the patient and for the economy. Progress over the last 62 years has been incremental and unimpressive. Patients want and deserve radically transformed treatment options that are safer, more effective, and that significantly improve their quality of life. Kuleana is a Hawaiian word conveying care, responsibility, accountability and reciprocity. These are the values that underpin everything we do", said Dr. Jonathan Himmelfarb, Kuleana's President and CEO.
About Kuleana Technology
Kuleana, a spinoff from the University of Washington, enjoys a close relationship with the Center for Dialysis Innovation , and with the Northwest Kidney Centers. These institutions pioneered dialysis technology and care, and with the support of investors like the NKF Foundation, they will continue to revolutionize it. For more information, visit kuleanatechnology.com.
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SOURCE Kuleana Technology | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/11/kuleana-technology-receives-nkf-innovation-funds-first-dialysis-investment/ | 2022-04-11T12:28:10Z |
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Robert Bigelow, a Las Vegas-based hotel magnate, has always had a cause.
For decades, he invested his hotel profits into UFO research, creating his own aerospace company while lobbying senators to fund additional research. More recently, he offered nearly $1 million in prizes for a contest to show consciousness after death, part of his newer interest in the afterlife.
Now Bigelow, 78, has become the largest donor this cycle in Nevada’s midterm gubernatorial race, donating $5.7 million through his companies to the campaign for Nevada GOP gubernatorial nominee Joe Lombardo and to political action committees supporting him. The race has implications for inflation policy, reproductive rights and the Democrats’ hold on the Legislature.
Bigelow’s donations give a lifeline to a Republican challenger who is spending more and fundraising less than the Democratic incumbent. As of the latest filings, Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak leads Lombardo, the Clark County sheriff, in cash-on-hand $10.78 million to $1.2 million, which includes direct contributions to their campaigns but does not account for donations to political action committees, which make up the bulk of Bigelow’s donations in support of Lombardo.
PACs are required to operate independently from candidates, meaning they can raise money for candidates but aren’t allowed to coordinate with the their campaigns.
Bigelow has made his wealth through his extended-stay apartment chain Budget Suites of America, which he has used to fund his UFO research. He was also a vocal critic of the federal eviction moratorium, calling it “legalized theft” as some tenants didn’t pay rent, and he filed 46 eviction actions at the height of the pandemic. He lamented Sisolak’s statewide closure of nonessential businesses early in the pandemic, which he said sank his aerospace company.
Bigelow’s political and social influence in Nevada has long been pronounced, most notably in his UFO research that is now shifting toward afterlife research. In an interview with The Associated Press, he said that UFOs are “under our noses” and wondered why news organizations have not extensively covered UFO sightings.
But Bigelow, a staunch Republican, said his interest in UFOs and the afterlife is not related to his current political donations.
“Number one, honesty in government. That’s the foundation,” Bigelow said of his priorities. “Liberalism, that’s a cancer. And we have U.S. senators and representatives that need to go. And the second would be a philosophy of freedom — a philosophy of free enterprise and freedom for everybody.”
He called Sisolak a “puppet” to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is a frequent target of Republican politicians. And he likened Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to a young Ronald Reagan, saying that he hopes the Republican runs for president in the future after he bucked other states’ approach of issuing COVID-19 emergency protective orders during the pandemic. Earlier this summer, Bigelow donated $10 million to DeSantis-backed political action committees, making him the largest individual donor to DeSantis’ reelection race as well.
For decades, Bigelow has invested millions in UFO research with money he has made from his hotel and real estate business. He has also pushed it in politics. He once convinced his friend and then-U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat, to allocate $22 million to a secretive program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification program, which investigated reports of UFOs from 2007 through 2012. Much of the money went to Bigelow’s company to investigate and the allocation was not made public until a 2017 New York Times investigation. The Pentagon said the program shut down in 2012, though Reid later said he had no regrets about the funding.
Bigelow said he considered Reid a good friend, though toward the end of Reid’s tenure in the Senate, they maintained that friendship by not talking politics.
Since shifting his focus toward the afterlife, he has founded the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies and offered nearly $1 million in prizes last year for a contest that shows “the survival of consciousness after permanent bodily death.”
Bigelow donated $5.5 million to PACs supporting Lombardo this cycle — $3.5 million to Better Nevada PAC, which has financed pro-Lombardo ads, and $2 million to Stronger Nevada PAC, which transferred money to Better Nevada PAC. Through 39 donations of $5,000 each through his companies, he donated $195,000 directly to the Clark County sheriff.
The Nevada contributions have provided a talking point for Sisolak, who has tied Bigelow’s support for Lombardo to the housing crisis in Nevada, referencing Bigelow’s pandemic evictions.
“While the governor is fighting for housing affordability, creating good paying jobs and making historic investments to support hardworking families, Joe Lombardo is siding with the Ultra Wealthy, standing with his campaign’s single largest donor — a billionaire who got rich off of evicting families during the pandemic,” spokesperson Reeves Oyster said in a statement last month.
Lombardo’s campaign did not respond to email requests for comment.
Lombardo has been vastly outraised by Sisolak in direct contributions, which is common for a challenger facing an incumbent. Sisolak has raised the second-highest amount in direct contributions for a Nevada gubernatorial campaign since 2000 and he’s on pace to break his own 2018 record, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group that tracks political spending.
“Overall, challengers do need to spend in order to overcome the incumbency advantage,” said Christina Ladam, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Nevada-Reno, in an email. “While Joe Lombardo was a familiar name in the Vegas area, he was less well known in northern Nevada. Sisolak does not need to spend as much in terms of getting name recognition.”
Still, Lombardo has outspent Sisolak this year — $3.1 million to about $727,000 as of the latest filing date — after facing a crowded primary field.
___
Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues. Follow Stern on Twitter https://twitter.com/gabestern326 | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-hotel-mogul-ufo-believer-spending-in-nevada-governors-race/ | 2022-09-14T23:33:14Z |
LUTZ, Fla., Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InVista, a division of PAR, Inc., recently announced its first offering from their pre-hire solutions product line. The InVista Select: Personality Candidate Report is designed to help hiring managers select the best-fitting candidates for open roles. Reports are customized for each candidate based on their responses to the InVista Select: Personality Assessment.
Based on the gold-standard NEO personality test, the assessment measures how candidates will likely behave, perform, and interact with others in a work setting. Results focus on five aspects of the candidate's personality: agreeableness, conscientiousness, even-temperedness, extraversion, and openness. Research has shown that matching candidates to roles using these five areas of personality is linked to greater success in hiring and retaining high performing employees.
Available in both web-based and downloadable formats, the report provides an immediate hiring recommendation and a snapshot of candidates' overall scores on the five NEO factors, along with personality facet summaries and customized management considerations. Hiring managers can use this information to screen candidates quickly and efficiently, compare candidates' strengths and weaknesses, and make valid, science-based hiring decisions. In addition, the report provides actionable guidance regarding what managers can expect from the employee in the workplace and suggestions for how best to manage them.
Using standardized assessments for hiring is beneficial because it allows for a more consistent, fair process and more reliable results, even across different hiring managers and different roles. In addition, the digital format supports consistent selection processes within remote or hybrid work environments.
"This report is a very exciting evolution to the InVista offerings," said Kristin Greco, CEO of PAR and InVista. "It's user-friendly and succinct, allowing business leaders to quickly get the information they need to not only hire the right employees but also help them succeed once they're on board."
Supplemental materials offered along with the report include a comprehensive structured interview guide and guidance on best practices for interviewing. The InVista Select product line will continue to expand, eventually offering several solutions to support different hiring needs.
Learn more about InVista and its solutions for employee selection, development, and wellbeing at invistainsights.com.
InVista (invistainsights.com) is a division of PAR, Inc., dedicated to employee wellbeing and talent acquisition built on the strength of PAR's proven psychological assessment experience.
Founded in 1978, PAR (parinc.com) is a leading publisher of assessment instruments, software, and other related materials. Over the past three decades, PAR has earned a reputation for providing customers with innovative assessment solutions and unparalleled customer service.
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SOURCE InVista Insights | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/invista-releases-new-solution-personality-based-hiring/ | 2022-08-03T18:20:23Z |
DALLAS (Nexstar) — Texas students are lagging behind in the classroom, especially when it comes to English and reading levels.
According to newly-released results from this year’s STAAR exams, about one-half of Texas students met grade-level standards in English I. About 60% met grade-level standards in English II.
Those numbers were not exasperated by the pandemic, as the Texas Education Agency says results for the 2020-21 school year stayed “largely consistent.” However, the gaps still equate to thousands of Texas hundreds of thousands of students who are falling behind.
It’s why the Barbara Bush Foundation is aiming to fill those gaps through its peer-to-peer mentoring program, called Teen Trendsetters, which has been around for 20 years. Middle and high school students are paired with younger ones, ranging from grades 1-3, who are reading four months or more behind their grade level.
Students who aren’t reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school, according to a long-term study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
British Robinson, the president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation, said the “special sauce” in the Teen Trendsetters program is peer mentoring.
“We found out year-over-year, independent evaluations, that the mentors also gain. They gain confidence, they gain the ability to see themselves as a lawyer or a doctor,” she said. “That confidence that they gain pushes them through school and makes them stay in school, get their high school diploma and then typically move on to college.”
Currently, Teen Trendsetters has 10 active programs in four different Texas school districts. Within those programs are nearly 200 mentees and 125 student mentors. Each program is overseen by a volunteer educator. Cathy Kazyaka is one of those educators and has been running the program in Dallas-area schools for five years.
“If I want things to be great for my students in high school, then we better start building that foundation in elementary school,” Kazyaka said.
Kazyaka, who is also a high school teacher, said her Teen Trendsetter students started at least six months behind where they were supposed to be reading last fall.
“It just saddens me that we are having kids sort of fall through the cracks,” Kazyaka said.
Robinson said Texas ranks 48th out of all 50 states for adults with low literacy, often a byproduct of children not learning to read well enough early on, or due to adults who learned English as a second language. For students, the state average is about 40%t of all students not reading at grade level.
“This affects every aspect of our life. It’s a social issue. It’s an economic issue. It’s an equity issue, and it’s multigenerational,” she said. “If one of us suffers, all of us suffer and we can leave no one behind due to low literacy in America.”
She’s hoping her nonprofit can expand programs like Teen Trendsetters to more Texas school districts, citing funding as the biggest barrier. The other aspect is outreach to school districts, which she says is made easier when presenting evidence of the program’s efficacy.
“It also has an incredible spillover effect,” Robinson said. “They are not a lot of tutoring and mentoring programs. That’s the distinction with our teen trendsetters program…its special sauce is the mentoring.”
A five-year analysis of the program showed mentees progressed one grade level or more in reading after seven months in the program. The study showed that progress was 56% more growth than would be expected for the average student during that same time period.
“By the end of the program when I’m putting in these scores, I literally get tears in my eyes. Because not only has every student made progress, but every student, you’ll see their scores have doubled, sometimes tripled. It is crazy,” Kazyaka said.
Kazyaka receives a small stipend for the program for the extra hours she volunteers to run Teen Trendsetters, on top of being a high school teacher. Her students met once a week, with the high school mentors coming in before their classes began for the day. Each child is paired with the same mentor throughout the year.
“That relationship building has been huge. The Teen Trendsetters program has provided some normalcy. It’s provided structure,” she said. “They know there’s going to be a reading buddy there on Friday morning to look forward to.”
How is the program funded and sustained?
As a nonprofit, the Barbara Bush Foundation receives funding from grants and donations. Robinson wanted to give kudos to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, which has been one of their partners for 20 years. In April, it donated a $1.6 million grant to implement an action plan for adult literacy.
Robinson said in general, the field of literacy gaps is very underfunded and underresearched.
“Oftentimes, there’s there’s money going to tutoring programs, but maybe not necessarily to the mentoring tutoring programs and then programs that actually support the parent,” she said. “This is a true family sort of literacy parent engagement program.”
“The donors donating to this program, they really are truly changing lives. We’re building home libraries for kids that could never have a home library. We’re building a parent connection because every book has a parent guide that the parents can read to them,” Kazyaka said. “It is just an amazing opportunity to build a community connection.” | https://cw33.com/news/texas-politics/how-a-mentor-program-aims-to-boost-reading-levels-of-texas-students/ | 2022-06-21T17:24:14Z |
Jamal Davis II of Canton is back in the NFL after one year in the CFL and hoping to stay
COSTA MESA — Jamal Davis II is back where he wants to be. Back in the NFL. He hopes to remain there.
After playing one season in the Canadian Football League, Davis signed with the Los Angeles Chargers on Jan. 25. The Canton native had never been to California before signing with the Chargers but settled in once he went inside the facility.
“The first impression was amazing,” Davis said. “It felt great when I first came here. It felt great and it felt right.”
Davis, 26, will be entering his second season in the NFL if he makes the 53-man roster. He is no stranger to minor setbacks and adjustments. He's dealt with those before.
Davis was a standout linebacker at McKinley High School. At 6-foot-3 215 pounds, he had a strong senior campaign which led him to get more than a dozen Division I college offers.
He settled on Pittsburgh, but after one season, he made a U-turn back to Northeast Ohio and transferred to Akron. Due to the NCAA transfer rule, he then sat out a season.
Catching the eye of NFL scouts as an Akron Zip
At the time, Davis was a scout player when Terry Bowden, the former Zips head coach, and his defensive staff took notice of him when he lined up at defensive end. Davis was impressive enough that he switched to the position full time. Another decision that took him to the next level.
“Jamal Davis is a hand on the ground, beat you off the line of scrimmage guy that has a freaky twitch," Bowden said. "His first step, I said freaky, because it’s phenomenal. He has that incredible first step to get off that line of scrimmage faster than most guys can, and that’s a high commodity in the NFL.“
Bowden, who is now the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe, makes strong comparisons to former NFL defensive ends who were undersized. Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, a 1990s Akron Zip star, and former Pro Bowler Dwight Freeney came to mind when he thought about Davis. He thinks Davis could do well in the league not as an every-down player, but as a rotational pass rush specialist because of his traits.
“I think he has to find his niche ... (to showcase) his ability to cause disruption in the backfield," Bowden said.
McKinley High School athletics:Thom McDaniels, Jim Tressel kept trying to tell him. Tim Jackson admits he should have listened.
Davis played 26 games at Akron, recording 149 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, six pass deflections, an interception and a forced fumble. NFL scouts started paying attention. He tested well at the NFL Combine with a 4.6 40 time and 39-inch vertical to further get the attention of NFL teams.
He went undrafted in 2019 but was picked up by the Houston Texans but waived in September of that year. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts, never appeared in a game, before playing three games in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2019. Davis doesn't know for sure why it didn’t work out the first time in the NFL. But did have an idea his weight might have something to do with it. Davis was undersized as an edge rusher. He's added around 15 pounds since college.
The Chargers list Davis at 6-4, 252 pounds.
“The first time around, you come to the league, you worked so hard to get there, a lot of stuff blindsides you, and I feel it was just the weight," Davis II said. "That’s really of it. Other than that, I really don’t know, but you have to build yourself back to full strength.”
Jamal Davis II makes his mark in CFL with Montreal
After getting cut by the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns during the 2020 season, Davis made a name for himself in the CFL after signing with Montreal Alouettes for the 2021 season.
He appeared in nine games, making 17 total tackles, including four sacks. He also scored a defensive touchdown.
Two of those sacks were back-to-back against Ottawa.
“It was a great move for me. One of the amazing moves for me,” Davis said. “It was different because you have to play a yard off the ball, the field is wider. But it was a great plus for me and I’m glad that I did it.”
Jamal Davis II built the same as another former McKinley Bulldog
If all goes well, Davis will be one of two former McKinley Bulldogs playing in the NFL this fall.
Dominique Robinson is a rookie trying to earn a roster spot with the Chicago Bears.
Davis and Robinson share some things in common — starring in college at Mid-American Conference schools after position changes — but with some minor differences. While they graduated two years apart at McKinley, they never played with each other. At the time Davis was a Bulldog star, Robinson was still at Timken before the school merged with McKinley.
During the 2018 season, Robinson and Davis took a picture together after Akron played Robinson's Miami RedHawks. Someone pointed out that the two McKinley grads were built to the same. And Robinson eventually switched from wide receiver to defensive end. The Chicago Bears drafted Robinson in the fifth round in April.
“I’m just realizing that he could play d-end. He has the body for it. Kind of similar to me because I was playing linebacker,” Davis said. “We could’ve had the same approach. Things were or weren’t going his way where he was and with his speed and power, it worked out for him. He should do good up there. You know, Canton, Ohio people have to stick together, so I’m really happy for him.“
Jamal Davis gets chance to learn from stars Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa in San Diego
Davis' primary focus now is doing what he can to impress the Chargers. He has the chance to work with some top-tier edge players such as Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Playing behind those two could help his game as tries to make the 53-man roster.
"Learning from those guys is going to be amazing," Davis II said. "My expectation is always to be the best I can be for the team, and whatever they need me to do, I will do, but you always want to be great, always give it your best.” | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/06/24/jamal-davis-ii-san-diego-chargers-linebacker-canton-mckinley-nfl-cfl-montreal-alouettes-akron-zips/7586445001/ | 2022-06-24T11:33:18Z |
WATCH: Inmates save officer from assault at detention center
Published: Jun. 16, 2022 at 10:00 AM CDT|Updated: 49 minutes ago
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CNN) – An inmate’s recent attack on a detention officer was caught on camera.
Jail officials say Bridgette Harvey attacked Deputy Lillian Jimenez from behind at a detention center in Florida.
Harvey attempted to choke Jimenez with a pillowcase.
Jimenez was able to call for the emergency response team on her radio while several other inmates came to her and removed the pillowcase from around her neck.
The detention officer suffered minor injuries.
Harvey and a co-conspirator who helped her are facing assault charges.
They were moved to solitary confinement, along with two other inmates who are accused of playing a role in the attack.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/06/16/watch-inmates-save-officer-assault-detention-center/ | 2022-06-16T15:49:51Z |
Recognized for Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute
PARIS, July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WALLIX, (Euronext: ALLIX) a European cybersecurity software publisher and expert in access and identity solutions, today announced that WALLIX has been positioned by Gartner® as a Leader in the Magic Quadrant™ for Privileged Access Management. The evaluation was based on specific criteria that analyzed the company's overall completeness of vision and ability to execute.
PAM4ALL Vision
WALLIX is executing its PAM4ALL ("PAM for all") vision which consists of delivering the promise of a secure digital transformation for everyone. It is particularly addressing the new digital challenges, such as the risks related to the democratisation of remote and hybrid work, the growing adoption of cloud services, the development of Smart Cities, and the automation in industrial environments and financial services.
To achieve this vision, WALLIX has introduced PAM4ALL, a unified solution combining all WALLIX technologies that goes beyond securing privileged accounts. PAM4ALL secures all exposed users and endpoints according to the principle of least privilege.
WALLIX PAM4ALL delivers value for all verticals and especially the most critical ones like Industry.
As per Gartner®, "PAM Leaders deliver a comprehensive toolset for administration of privileged access. These vendors have successfully built a significant installed customer base and revenue stream and have high viability ratings and robust revenue growth. Leaders also show evidence of superior vision and execution for anticipated requirements related to technology, methodology or means of delivery. Leaders typically demonstrate customer satisfaction with PAM capabilities and/or related service and support."
2022 Magic Quadrant™ for Privileged Access Management
Magic Quadrant™ reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players. The research enables you to get the most from market analysis in alignment with your unique business and technology needs.
To view a complimentary copy of the Magic Quadrant™ report to learn more about WALLIX's strengths and cautions, among other provider offerings, click here: https://www.wallix.com/gartner-2022-magic-quadrant-pam
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management, Michael Kelley, James Hoover, Felix Gaehtgens, Abhyuday Data, Published 19 July 2022.
Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
ABOUT WALLIX
A software company providing cybersecurity solutions, WALLIX is the European specialist in digital Identity and Access Security Solutions. WALLIX PAM4ALL, the unified privilege management solution, enables companies to respond to today's data protection challenges. It guarantees detection of and resilience to cyberattacks, which enables business continuity. The solution also ensures compliance with regulatory requirements regarding access to IT infrastructures and critical data. WALLIX PAM4ALL is distributed through a network of more than 300 resellers and integrators worldwide. Listed on the Euronext (ALLIX), WALLIX supports more than 1900 organizations in securing their digital transformation. WALLIX is a founding member of the HEXATRUST group and has been included in the Futur40, the first ranking of growth companies on the stock exchange published by Forbes France and is part of the Tech 40 index.
WALLIX affirms its digital responsibility and is committed to contributing to the construction of a trusted European digital space, guaranteeing the security and confidentiality of data for organizations as well as for individuals concerned about the protection of their digital identity and privacy. Digital technology, whether for professional or personal use, must be ethical and responsible in order to pursue a secure societal digital transformation that respects individual freedoms.
www.wallix.com | info@wallix.com
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SOURCE WALLIX | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/22/wallix-named-leader-2022-magic-quadrant-privileged-access-management/ | 2022-07-22T16:20:44Z |
Upscale, Fast Casual Dining Powerhouse with House-Crafted Menu Now Open in Lehigh County
ALLENTOWN, Pa., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, known for its award-winning, hand-crafted cheese steaks, turkey subs and more, debuted a new location in Allentown at 5585 Hamilton Blvd. on Monday, June 20. Capriotti's brings the Allentown community its 45-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house and hand-pulling them every morning and other favorites like the made-from-scratch meatballs using premium, fresh ingredients.
Capriotti's is known for its wide array of sandwiches including The Bobbie, made with fresh oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo, the Capastrami, made with hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and homemade coleslaw and the cheesesteak is made with premium steak, chicken or Impossible plant-based meat and melted cheese plus hot or sweet peppers. The Allentown Capriotti's will offer a convenient order-ahead option, in addition to third-party delivery services. The new shop will bring 20 new jobs to the Allentown community.
The new Capriotti's is owned by Michael Seibert and operated by his son Ryan and brother Billy. Michael has 32 years of experience as a financial advisor but has a background in the food industry. Growing up in the Philadelphia region, Michael knew it was important to bring a good cheesesteak to Allentown. After one bite into Capriotti's American wagyu cheesesteak he had his sights set on the brand. Each cheesesteak served at the Allentown Capriotti's will be served on a Liscio's roll that are delivered fresh daily. The entire Seibert family spent time in restaurant management prior to opening a Capriotti's. The Seibert family as a whole will play a role in the day-to-day operation at Capriotti's in Allentown, with a pair of other family members on their mind.
"In the past year my mother and sister lost their lives to COVID-19. Both of them worked in the restaurant industry with Billy and I," said Michael Seibert. "We plan to open Capriotti's and run the shop in honor of them. We want to greet every customer with a smile and great energy the way my mother and sister would have."
Allentown Capriotti's fans can download the CAPAddicts Rewards app on iOS and Android to earn and redeem rewards and score free food. The restaurant also features online ordering. Capriotti's in Allentown offers catering for any event from corporate events to birthday parties with items such as party trays with cold subs, box lunches or a hot homemade meatball bar.
Capriotti's in Allentown is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For additional information visit www.capriottis.com or call the location at 610-871-0100.
About Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
Founded in 1976, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop is an award-winning national franchised restaurant chain that remains true to its 45-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house every day. Capriotti's fresh ingredients, homemade subs and unique menu items have won numerous accolades including being named one of the "10 Great Places for a Surprising Sandwich" by USA Today and many "Best of" awards across the country. Capriotti's cold, grilled and vegetarian subs, cheese steaks and salads are available at more than 100 locations across the U.S. Capriotti's signature sub, The Bobbie®, was voted "The Greatest Sandwich in America" by thousands of readers across the country and reported by AOL.com. Capriotti's fans can also download the CAPAddicts Rewards app for iOS and Android, where they can earn and redeem rewards. For more information, visit capriottis.com. Like Capriotti's on Facebook, follow on Twitter or Instagram.
Media Contact: Tyler Scheuermann, Fishman PR | tscheuermann@fishmanpr.com | 262-598-6092
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SOURCE Capriotti's Sandwich Shop | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/28/local-entrepreneur-opens-capriottis-allentown-honor-late-family-members/ | 2022-06-28T17:31:13Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Humanigen, Inc. ("Humanigen" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: HGEN) and certain of its officers on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased, or otherwise acquired Humanigen securities between May 28, 2021, and July 12, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/hgen.
This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws.
The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) lenzilumab was less effective in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients than Defendants had represented; (2) as a result, the FDA was unlikely to approve the lenzilumab EUA and the ACTIV-5/BET-B study was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint; (3) accordingly, lenzilumab's clinical and commercial prospects were overstated; and (4) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/hgen or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Humanigen, you have until October 25, 2022, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contact:
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
Peretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson
212-697-6484 | info@bgandg.com
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SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/investor-alert-bronstein-gewirtz-amp-grossman-llc-notifies-humanigen-inc-hgen-investors-class-action-encourages-investors-actively-participate/ | 2022-08-31T15:16:44Z |
Beauty Industry Leader and Global Brand Builder to Drive Continued Growth of the Brand at the Forefront of Holistic Wellness
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Naturopathica™, the leading holistic beauty and wellbeing company for natural and responsible skincare and body care, announces the appointment of Cathy O'Brien as Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, O'Brien will be responsible for accelerating Naturopathica™'s growth in the clean beauty and wellness space, driving product innovation, expanding into new channels and markets, and continuing to build on the brand's industry-leading spas and healing centers.
O'Brien has served in numerous leadership roles in the ultra-competitive and continually changing entertainment and beauty industries. She brings more than 25 years of experience building businesses, identifying and launching emerging talent to worldwide success. O'Brien is Co-Founder of Bona Fide Beauty Lab, the Beauty Brand Accelerator that works with brands at all stages of development to strategically plan, grow, and succeed.
Prior to Bona Fide, O'Brien founded AAM Brand Management Group, a full-service organization that built and executed branding and marketing strategies for female-focused clients, including LVMH Brands, Hermès, The Kellwood Company, Marimekko, Sam Edelman, Avon, Juice Press, Penhaligon's, and HINT, among others. Additionally, O'Brien has held senior positions at Estee Lauder (where she was Global Vice President of marketing and communications at Jo Malone), La Mer, Tommy Hilfiger, Prescriptives, and Kate Spade. She is also a veteran of BMG, where she was Head of the International Division of Arista Records under Clive Davis, representing Whitney Houston, Puffy Combs, Usher, Outkast, Notorious BIG, PINK, and others, and Sony Music and Capitol Records in global marketing and creative leadership roles.
During the global pandemic, O'Brien earned a Master of Social Work degree at Columbia University and has spent many years supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of women through her work with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Mt. Sinai's SAVI program, Sanctuary for Families, and the One Love Foundation.
"I am dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing of women through personal and supportive care. The opportunity to work with Barbara Close, the pioneer of the holistic healing space and clean skincare and body care products, to articulate and grow this vision in today's world, is a dream," said O'Brien.
"I am thrilled to have someone with Cathy's expertise and unique vision to guide our Company in our next phase of growth," said Naturopathica™ Founder, Barbara Close. "Cathy has a deep and genuine concern for the welfare of others and is uniquely suited to help us champion new frontiers in wellness."
Naturopathica™ is a skincare and body care brand famed for its use of naturopathic healing rituals and its holistic approach to beauty and well-being. Founded in 1995 by Barbara Close as the Naturopathica Healing Arts Center and Spa and the pioneer of the clean beauty space, the company is renowned for its high-performance products formulated with a hybrid of natural ingredients and clean cosmeceuticals. Naturopathica's restorative spa treatments, balms, creams, and tinctures are designed to work with nature, empowering people to take control of their well-being, and find pleasure and purpose in healing rituals that are good for the skin, the body, and the planet.
For more information, visit www.naturopathica.com
PURPLE PR, naturopathica@purplepr.com
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SOURCE Naturopathica | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/naturopathica-holistic-health-appoints-cathy-obrien-chief-executive-officer/ | 2022-08-18T14:57:51Z |
More Than $150,000 in Funding Will Benefit Shelters in Missouri, Rhode Island, California and Florida
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Purina and the nonprofit RedRover have awarded four new Purple Leash Project grants to help domestic violence shelters make pet-friendly renovations. The latest grant recipients include Finding Grace Ministries in Jefferson, County, Missouri; Women's Resource Center in Newport County, Rhode Island; Monarch Services - Servicios Monarca in Santa Cruz County, California and Seminole County Victims' Rights Coalition Inc in Seminole County, Florida. Funding will provide pet-friendly upgrades and resources to domestic abuse survivors and their pets at each shelter, including pet-safe housing, veterinary care, outdoor pet play yards and supplies.
Together, through the Purple Leash Project, Purina and RedRover are working to help domestic violence shelters across the country become pet-friendly so that survivors and their pets can escape abuse and heal together. Currently, only about 15% of domestic violence shelters in the United States allow pets.
"Nearly half of all domestic violence survivors will delay leaving their abuser if they can't bring their pet with them, which is a choice that nobody should have to make," said Nina Leigh Krueger, CEO and President of Purina. "Luckily, the number of resources to help survivors and their four-legged family members escape abuse and heal together is growing every day, and Purina is humbled to help lead the charge alongside our partners at RedRover to make more pet-inclusive resources available."
Since the Purple Leash Project was founded in 2019, Purina has provided more than $1 million in funding and is working together with RedRover toward a goal of helping to ensure that at least 25% of domestic violence shelters are pet-friendly by 2025. To date, 34 grants totaling $701,850 have now been gifted to domestic violence shelters across the US by Purina providing thousands of safe nights for survivors with pets.
- Finding Grace Ministries in Jefferson County, Missouri will receive $60,000 to build on-site outdoor play yards. Additional funds will support the installation of pet-friendly flooring and scratch guards for doors as well as pet supplies and veterinary care.
- Women's Resource Center in Newport County, Rhode Island will receive $40,000 to build dog play areas and a 'catio' - an enclosed cat patio. Remaining funds will go toward a fence installation.
- Monarch Services - Servicios Monarca in Santa Cruz County, California will receive $33,400, which will allow the shelter to house cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, fish, reptiles, small mammals and pocket pets. The remaining funds will go toward building pet play yards, providing pet supplies and covering veterinary costs.
- Seminole County Victims' Rights Coalition Inc in Seminole County, Florida will receive $19,450 to build pet-friendly suites where survivors can stay with their pets, in their own private rooms, and have access to a dog park on-site. Remaining funds will be allocated for a security system and pet supplies.
"RedRover and Purina's Purple Leash Project grant will help Finding Grace Ministries become the first pet-friendly human shelter in Jefferson County, Missouri," said Doreen Page, Finding Grace Ministries Executive Director. "We're so thankful to both organizations for helping us bring our dreams of providing real, impactful solutions to survivors of domestic violence to reality."
To learn more about the Purple Leash Project, donate or sign up for ongoing updates, visit www.PurpleLeashProject.com.
If you know someone who is being abused and ready to leave with their pet, they can find information on pet-friendly shelters in their area at www.SafePlaceForPets.org.
Nestlé Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world's most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats. Our more than 8,700 U.S. associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter brands that feed 51 million dogs and 65 million cats every year. More than 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and nutrition.
Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific research, our products and our support for pet-related organizations. Over the past five years, Purina has contributed more than $150 million towards organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as well as those that help our communities and environment thrive.
Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. For more information, visit purina.com or subscribe here to get the latest Purina news.
Since 1987, RedRover has focused on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the human-animal bond through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance, and education. To learn how RedRover is creating a more compassionate world, visit RedRover.org.
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SOURCE Purina | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/purina-redrover-award-four-new-purple-leash-project-grants-continue-support-domestic-violence-survivors-with-pets/ | 2022-09-07T15:18:45Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Rockefeller Foundation, created with wealth generated from the oil industry more than a century ago, plans to make the fight against climate change central to all of its work, including its operations and investments.
In a public letter released Tuesday, foundation president, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, acknowledged the “irony” that his organization’s founder John D. Rockefeller “made his fortune by fueling a growing United States with carbon.”
Speaking to The Associated Press in advance of the announcement, Shah said that all institutions that benefited from the development driven by fossil fuels have a responsibility to battle climate change.
“Obviously, an institution like the Rockefeller Foundation has an even higher level of responsibility because we’re an even bigger beneficiary of that process,” he said. The Rockefeller Foundation funds part of The Associated Press’ coverage of climate change.
The commitment builds on the foundation’s decision to divest its more than $6 billion endowment from fossil fuels starting in 2020, though it still has what Shah called negligible exposure. The foundation also partnered with the Ikea Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund to launch an international consortium to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, with all three nonprofits giving $500 million. The consortium has since raised around $10 billion in additional funds, the foundation said.
Partnerships like that reflect the Rockefeller Foundation’s belief that it can alter the course of history by amplifying the scope of its work and its resources.
“The reason for doing this is basically to put down a marker about our ambition, our sense of urgency and our willingness to be transformational in order to deepen our partnerships with others, to try to actually change the course of the climate equation on this planet,” Shah said.
The Rockefeller Foundation plans to take a year to study where it can make the most impactful partnerships and investments.
“Our process is really less about closing, locking ourselves in a closet and reading and modeling spreadsheets, and more about listening to and speaking to leading individuals, institutions, heads of state and the people we ultimately serve,” Shah said. “And understanding how philanthropy can best marshal support for their boldest and most urgent ideas.”
The foundation remains committed to its current grantees, a spokesperson said, adding “Because climate change is the biggest threat of our time, it requires us to remain adaptable and learn alongside our grantees and partners.”
It argues that the new commitment does not represent a change from its mission “to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world.” Established in 1913, the foundation focused on public health, including mass vaccination campaigns and the founding of public health authorities around the world. Its first environment related program launched in 1969. The foundation’s current work continues to focus on public health as well as access to renewable energy, economic equity and food access. In 2021, the foundation said it had distributed the equivalent of $22 billion in its history.
However, Shah says a response to the climate crisis is urgent. Data shows philanthropic giving to climate change mitigation represented just 2% of total global philanthropic giving in 2020, according to an analysis by the organization ClimateWorks Foundation.
“Combine that with the lack of action happening at the requisite levels of governments and businesses and then the trillions that need to be unlocked,” said Shawn Reifsteck, vice president for ClimateWorks. “We need essentially more and more funders doing more things at increased levels.”
Increased philanthropic involvement cannot come too soon according to the world’s top body of climate scientists. In April, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report that warned of an unlivable world unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut faster than countries’ current commitments.
Marion Gee, co-executive director of Climate Justice Alliance, said it was encouraging that a large foundation would want to make confronting climate change central to their work but said foundations also need to challenge the economic system that perpetuates it, including divestment.
“How are you moving that money out of Wall Street where a lot of the problems that we are facing today have been caused by these corporations,” and moving the funds into local, sustainable economies, Gee asked.
ClimateWorks’ analysis does show foundations donating more to climate change mitigation on an annual basis in the last five years, with the total increasing from $900 million in 2015 to $1.9 billion in 2020.
“We’re hopeful that that continues and in fact, accelerates,” Reifsteck said.
___
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/oil-funded-rockefeller-foundation-centers-fight-for-climate/ | 2022-07-26T17:56:26Z |
Biden to deliver remarks on inflation Tuesday, official says
By Arlette Saenz and Paul LeBlanc, CNN
President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on inflation Tuesday, a White House official said, as his administration looks to further address one of the key economic concerns for voters heading into November’s midterm elections.
“He’ll detail his plan to fight inflation and lower costs for working families, and contrast his approach with Congressional Republicans’ ultra-MAGA plan to raise taxes on 75 million American families and threaten to sunset programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,” the official said in an email.
A CNN poll released last week found 8 in 10 US adults said the federal government wasn’t doing enough to curb inflation, and a majority said the President’s policies have hurt the economy. Even within the Democratic Party, just 7 in 10 approve of Biden on the economy (71%) and helping the middle class (71%), considerably lower than the 86% of Democrats who approve of his performance overall.
Biden’s expected remarks were first reported by Axios.
Inflation rates have been increasing sharply since August 2021 and have been out of the normal 2%-to-4% range for a full year. The Consumer Price Index rose 8.5% for the year ending in March, a rate that hadn’t been seen since December of 1981.
“It’s our job to make sure that inflation of that unpleasant high nature doesn’t get entrenched in the economy,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last week, just after he announced a half-point interest rate hike to combat inflation.
Still, Americans are struggling with rising costs everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pump. Keeping prices stable is part of the Fed’s mandate, but so far inflation has kept creeping higher, leading some to wonder if the central bank is behind the curve with its policy.
The GOP is already leveraging inflation to weaken Democrats heading into the midterm elections as it argues that Biden and congressional Democrats aggravated the problem with the injection of pandemic-related stimulus funds into the economy in 2021.
Biden, for his part, has repeatedly acknowledged the reality of rising inflation while still touting the strength of the US economy.
“Too many families are struggling to keep up with their bills,” the President said during his State of the Union address earlier this year, noting that soaring costs are keeping workers from reaping the benefits of the strong labor market and rising wages. “I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”
This story has been updated with additional information Sunday.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2022/05/08/biden-to-deliver-remarks-on-inflation-tuesday-official-says/ | 2022-05-09T05:35:00Z |
Russia, Ukraine trade missile strikes on war’s 150th day
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s military fired a barrage of missiles Saturday at an airfield in central Ukraine, killing at least three people, while Ukrainian forces launched rocket strikes on river crossings in a Russian-occupied southern region.
The attacks on key infrastructure on the 150th day of Russia’s war in Ukraine marked new attempts by the warring parties to tip the scales of the grinding conflict in their favor.
In Ukraine’s central Kirovohradska region, 13 Russian missiles struck an airfield and a railway facility. Gov. Andriy Raikovych said that at least one serviceman and two guards were killed. The regional administration reported the strikes near the city of Kirovohrad, wounded another 13 people.
GRAPHIC: Videos used may contain graphic content.
In the southern Kherson region, which Russian troops seized early in the invasion, Ukrainian forces preparing for a potential counteroffensive fired rockets at Dnieper River crossings to try to disrupt supplies to the Russians.
The new attacks came hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals with the United Nations and Turkey that were intended to avert a global food crisis. The agreements clear the way for the shipment of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain and some Russian exports of grain and fertilizer held up by the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that the agreements offer “a chance to prevent a global catastrophe – a famine that could lead to political chaos in many countries of the world, in particular in the countries that help us.”
Despite the progress on that front, fighting raged unabated in eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland of the Donbas, where Russian forces tried to make new gains in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance.
Russian troops also have faced Ukrainian counterattacks but largely held their ground in the Kherson region just north of the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Earlier this week, the Ukrainians bombarded the Antonivskyi Bridge across the Dnieper River using the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed regional administration in Kherson, said.
Stremousov told Russian state news agency Tass that the only other crossing of the Dnieper, the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant, also came under attack from rockets launched with the weapons supplied by Washington but wasn’t damaged.
HIMARS, which fires GPS-guided rockets at targets 80 kilometers (50 miles) away, a distance that puts it out of reach of most Russian artillery systems, has significantly bolstered the Ukrainian strike capability.
In addition, Ukrainian forces shelled an automobile bridge across the Inhulets River in the village of Darivka, Stremousov told Tass. He said the bridge just east of the regional capital of Kherson sustained seven hits but remained open to traffic.
Stremousov saod that unlike the Antonivskyi Bridge, the small bridge in Darivka has no strategic value.
Since April, the Kremlin has concentrated on capturing the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking region of eastern Ukraine where pro-Russia separatists have proclaimed independence.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized Wednesday that Moscow plans to retain control of other areas its forces occupy during the war.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/23/russia-ukraine-trade-missile-strikes-wars-150th-day/ | 2022-07-23T10:33:57Z |
NEW YORK, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of CareDx, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNA) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.
This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased CareDx common stock between February 24, 2021, and May 5, 2022.
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 22, 2022
No obligation or cost to you.
Learn more about your recoverable losses in CDNA:
https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/caredx-inc-loss-submission-form?id=28442&from=4
CareDx, Inc. NEWS - CDNA NEWS
CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that CareDx, Inc. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants had engaged in a variety of improper and illegal schemes to inflate testing services revenue and demand, including pushing a surveillance protocol through inaccurate marketing materials, offering extravagant inducements or kickbacks to physicians and other providers, and improperly bundling expensive testing services with other blood tests as part of the Company's RemoTraC service for remote, home-based, blood-drawing; (2) these practices, and others, subjected CareDx to an undisclosed risk of regulatory scrutiny; (3) these practices rendered the Company's testing services revenue reported throughout the class period artificially inflated; and (4) as a result, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in CareDx you have until July 22, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased CareDx securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the CDNA lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/caredx-inc-loss-submission-form?id=28442&from=4.
ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM
J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
J. Klein, Esq.
Empire State Building
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jk@kleinstocklaw.com
Telephone: (212) 616-4899
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SOURCE The Klein Law Firm | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/cdna-alert-klein-law-firm-announces-lead-plaintiff-deadline-july-22-2022-class-action-filed-behalf-caredx-inc-shareholders/ | 2022-06-14T11:16:15Z |
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Norway’s exports reached a record in July, driven mainly by natural gas prices that have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Scandinavian country’s statistics agency on Monday said Norwegian exports reached 229 billion kroner ($24 billion) last month, 0.4% higher than the previous record set in March this year.
Norway’s trade surplus of 153.2 billion kroner ($15.8 billion) also was the highest on record.
Norway, a major producer of offshore oil and gas, has seen energy exports surge as European countries scramble to find alternatives to Russian energy in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since the invasion, the EU has approved bans on Russian coal and most oil to take effect later this year, but it did not include Russian natural gas because the 27-nation bloc depends on gas to power factories, generate electricity and heat homes.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has weaponized gas exports to pressure the bloc into reducing its sanctions over the war in Ukraine or to push other political aims. The EU has been left scrambling to fill gas storage ahead of winter, when demand rises and utility companies draw down their reserves to keep homes warm and power plants running.
Statistics Norway said natural gas exports reached 128 billion kroner ($13.2 billion) in July, more than four times higher than in the same month last year.
Jon Olav Roerhus, senior adviser for external trade at Statistics Norway, said reductions in Russian gas deliveries to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline contributed to soaring gas prices last month, which were “the main reason for the exceptionally high export value we are now experiencing.”
At a one-day meeting of the five Nordic leaders in Oslo, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: “We must phase out Russian gas as soon as possible.” She said Europe is “facing a challenging fall.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the Nordic countries also should focus on renewable energies, including wind and solar.
“We all struggle with increased energy prices,” said Gahr Støre, whose country and Iceland are not EU members.
“As we enter the cold winter, our populations have to understand what is at stake,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
Higher fish and metals exports also contributed to Norway’s surge in exports.
___
Follow all AP stories on developments related to the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/norway-hits-export-record-amid-soaring-gas-prices/ | 2022-08-16T00:43:56Z |
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita agrees with Pelé or whoever it was decades ago that first described soccer as the “beautiful game.”
Yamashita is one of three women picked by FIFA to be referees at the men’s World Cup in Qatar, which opens on Nov. 21. It’s the first time a woman will be in charge on soccer’s largest stage.
She sees her job this way: Let the game shine, as it should.
“One of the big goals as a referee is to bring out the the attractiveness of soccer,” she said Monday in Tokyo in an interview with the Associated Press. “I do my best for that, and I will do what I should at that time toward that end. So if I need to communicate with the players, I will do that. If I need to show a card, I will show a card. Rather than control, I’m thinking about what to do toward the big goal of bringing out the appeal of soccer.”
Stéphanie Frappart of France and Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda are the other women who were selected. There are 36 referees in total. FIFA has also named three female assistant referees in a pool of 69: Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico, and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States.
Though it’s likely all three will be in charge of games, it’s not a given. They would also be used as so-called “fourth referees” on the sidelines. However, they cannot be used as assistants.
“Each match official will be carefully monitored in the next months with a final assessment on technical, physical and medical aspects to be made shortly before the World Cup,” Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s director of refereeing, said in a statement.
Yamashita’s selection puts the focus on Japan’s low ranking on most measures of equal pay for women, and in global studies of gender equality.
Only 14.3% of the seats in Japan’s national legislature are held by women — 152nd of 190 countries in a study published several months ago by the U.S. Congressional Research Service. Another study on the gender pay gap placed Japan 120th of 156 countries.
“I would be very happy if women could play an active role in sports in this way, and if sports and especially soccer could lead this,” Yamashita said. “In Japan, there is still a long way to go in the world of soccer (regarding participation of women), so it would be great if this could connect to promotion of female participation in different ways, not only in soccer or in sports.”
Women’s soccer has led the way in Japan. Japanese women won the 2011 women’s World Cup, were runners-up in 2015, and have been been consistently among the game’s elite teams.
Yamashita went through a workout on Monday just outside Tokyo, sweltering in temperatures that reached 35 C (95 F). She laughed when she was reminded that games in Qatar — located on a tip of the Arabian Peninsula — will be much cooler, being played in the Northern Hemisphere winter and in air-conditioned stadiums.
Yamashita seemed relaxed during the interview, removed from the obvious pressure. She has been a referee in Japan’s men’s J League, and has also been in charge of the Asian equivalent of the men’s Champions League. She also handled matches during last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“Of course, I think the pressure is huge,” she said, “and I think I have a lot of responsibility. But I am really happy to take this duty and pressure, so I try to take it positively and I try to be happy.”
She described the excitement of leaving the waiting room just before a match.
“I guess it cheers me up in that moment. I feel like that’s when I switch gears the most,” she said.
She said the difference in the men’s and women’s game was, of course, speed. But not simply that some men might run faster.
“It’s the speed, but not just the players’ speed,” she said. “Not the ball speed. It’s just the game speed. It means for me I have to make quicker decisions — more speed.”
Yamashita conducted most of the interview in Japanese, but said she would use English and “facial gestures, body gestures” when communicating with players in Qatar.
“Usually when I give a card, I say nothing,” she said, shifting to English. “But when I give a warning, I just tell them I’m not happy. They understand.”
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/news/ap-top-headlines/female-referee-at-mens-world-cup-wants-the-game-to-shine/ | 2022-06-28T08:23:18Z |
Jackson, Miss., residents travel to find clean water amid system problems
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - The city has been under a boil water notice for more than a month. During that time, residents have had to boil their water before using it.
As a result, cases of bottled water have become hot commodities in Jackson. Residents lined up one by one at distribution sites trying to get their hands on a case.
“I’ve been in line maybe for almost an hour there are other things I could be doing,” said Patricia Watkins, who lives in Jackson.
Watkins was one of the hundreds in line. She said the water woes have caused a big inconvenience in her day-to-day routine.
She’s currently seeing low water pressure inside her South Jackson home.
“It’s been hard, especially when you have a family,” Watkins expressed. “Like right now, we just got one case. I mean, I am thankful, but you could have three or four or five people in your family,” Watkins said.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Jackson’s water system is troubled by short staffing and “decades of deferred maintenance,” the Associated Press reported.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration request for the state of Mississippi on Tuesday, directing federal resources to the area.
Residents have been told their water isn’t safe to drink or give to their pets.
They’re also being told to only use bottled or boiled water just to brush their teeth.
However, some residents said they’ve been dealing with water woes in Jackson for decades.
“This has been an issue for me since I came down here to Tougaloo College in 1991, I was always told not to drink that water,” said Danyelle Holmes, who’s a national social justice organizer and a Jackson resident.
Holmes spent the day lending a hand at the different water giveaways, helping residents get safe drinkable water during the ongoing crisis.
She said she believes politics are being placed over people, which is contributing to this current problem.
She also said she believes Gov.Tate Reeves should’ve acted sooner to help fix this issue.
“If we were talking about Madison County or if we were talking about Rankin County, we would not see these issues,” Holmes said. “The extreme racist politics that are being played, placing politics before people, it has to stop, and it has to stop today. We have 175,000 residents or more who are impacted and lives are at jeopardy.”
There were two common sights at the bottled water giveaways: the first was hundreds of cars lining up to get the water, the second was many residents leaving empty-handed because the demand is so high that the cases of water ran out.
The water giveaways will take place all week.
Copyright 2022 WLBT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/08/31/jackson-miss-residents-travel-find-clean-water-amid-system-problems/ | 2022-08-31T14:01:32Z |
Investment in hybrid-electric propulsion innovator to accelerate transformational technologies for advanced air mobility applications
ARLINGTON, Va., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Technologies' (NYSE: RTX) corporate venture capital group, RTX Ventures, today signed an agreement to invest in VerdeGo Aero to accelerate the development of hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for advanced air mobility applications. This investment will also provide opportunities for VerdeGo Aero to collaborate with Pratt & Whitney on future product development.
Established in 2017, the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based company specializes in delivering powerplants that efficiently convert jet fuel or sustainable aviation fuel into electric power, enabling greater performance and mission capability for a wide range of electric aircraft segments including drones, electric vertical-take-off-and landing (eVTOL), short-take-off-and-landing (STOL) aircraft, regional aircraft, and high-speed VTOL airframes. VerdeGo Aero's current hybrid powertrain programs range from 150kW up to multiple megawatts of continuous electrical output.
"Delivering sustainable aviation technologies to help our customers bend the emissions curve remains one of Raytheon Technologies' most important priorities," said Daniel Ateya, managing director of RTX Ventures. "Our investment represents one of the ways we're working to deliver a more sustainable future."
RTX Ventures is the lead investor in VerdeGo Aero's $12 million Series A funding round, which will support VerdeGo Aero's expansion and development of its growing portfolio of hybrid-electric powertrain systems, including the VH-3 185kW powerplant. Other investors participating in the funding round include DiamondStream Partners, Avfuel Technology Initiatives Corporation, Seyer Industries, and Standish Spring Investments.
"VerdeGo Aero is excited about the opportunity to continue to develop technologies that convert aircraft engines into hybrid powerplants, and to expand our portfolio offerings and customer base," said Eric Bartsch, CEO of VerdeGo Aero. "As VerdeGo continues its recruiting of technical and commercial aerospace experts, our growing team is looking forward to leveraging a strong relationship with Pratt & Whitney to address the needs of the hybrid-electric aircraft segment at multiple power levels."
VerdeGo Aero is currently developing its third generation of full-scale hybrid-electric powerplant hardware, having already delivered pre-production powerplants for flight test operations. Employing a high-speed development culture, the company is significantly expanding its team of industry-leading electric propulsion experts, creating numerous opportunities for engineering, marketing, finance, and project management professionals working among a world-class team of innovators.
"VerdeGo Aero is helping to pioneer the emerging field of hybrid-electric propulsion technology, which has an important role to play in enabling the aviation industry's goal of reaching net zero CO2 emissions by 2050," said Graham Webb, chief sustainability officer at Pratt & Whitney. "This investment has promising potential to enhance our technology and capability in segments of our small engine business while moving quickly and nimbly to advance our hybrid-electric propulsion strategy."
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
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SOURCE Raytheon Technologies | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/raytheon-technologies-venture-capital-group-invests-verdego-aero/ | 2022-07-27T14:12:56Z |
Verizon customers: Your cellphone bill is about to get more expensive
(Gray News) - Consumers can expect to see their cellphone bills increase as companies look for ways to fight inflation.
Each voice line for Verizon Wireless will go up $1.35, making the total administrative fee $3.13 a month, according to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg also reports that Verizon representatives said business customers will see phone data plans increase by $2.20 a month and basic service plans going up by 98 cents.
You can expect to see the new charges beginning in June.
This move comes on the heels of AT&T announcing similar price increases.
According to Bloomberg, AT&T raised its rates on older consumer plans by $6 on single lines and $12 for families in an effort to compete with rising costs and wages.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/05/18/verizon-customers-your-cellphone-bill-is-about-get-more-expensive/ | 2022-05-18T19:08:58Z |
Uhre’s goal helps Union earn 1-1 draw with Revolution
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mikael Uhre scored the tying goal for the Philadelphia Union in a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution. Uhre scored the equalizer in the 77th minute for Philadelphia (6-1-7). Gustavo Bou scored on a penalty kick to give the Revolution (4-5-4) a 1-0 lead in the 75th minute. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/05/28/uhres-goal-helps-union-earn-1-1-draw-with-revolution/ | 2022-05-29T04:46:24Z |
(NEXSTAR) – Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve noticed the cost of living – including gas, food, rent and everything else – has gone way up. There is a sliver of hope for residents of certain U.S. cities, where wages are also going up.
MoneyGeek analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the country’s 75 largest metro areas to determine where wages are going up and where they’re going down.
According to data shared with Nexstar, wages grew fastest over the past year in cities across the South. Florida has three cities among the top 10.
Wages grew slower in coastal cities – where pay tends to be highest. San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and San Diego all saw growth between 2% and 5% in 2022.
The 20 cities with the fastest-growing hourly wages, according to MoneyGeek’s analysis, are:
The bad news is that even as wages rise across some U.S. cities, most aren’t rising fast enough to keep up with inflation. Year-over-year inflation was at 9.1% in June, and only a handful of cities saw salaries grow equal to or faster than that.
Despite rising costs, five cities actually saw hourly wages drop in 2022.
The national average wage went up 5.11% to $32.08 per hour. | https://cw33.com/news/local/the-us-cities-where-wages-are-growing-fastest-and-where-theyre-shrinking/ | 2022-07-22T14:33:39Z |
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The amount of time and detail that goes into setting up a National Heritage Academies classroom might not be noticeable to those who aren't teachers. For some, the process begins as a school year is winding down, with plans for next year already in their heads.
Vanguard Charter Academy Second Grade Teacher Tami DeKam reflects on the positives and potential changes. This summer, she is focused on building relationships, which means changing the layout from kids facing forward and being socially distanced to small- and large-group areas.
From the walls to floors, space is precious, and for good reason; this is where scholars will learn for hundreds of hours each year.
"There's a place for everything," said DeKam, who has taught for 25 years, 15 at Vanguard.
Bulletin boards make the most of wall space, so DeKam said they should focus on the day's activities as opposed to something cute you might find on Pinterest. For her, that includes songs or games, exit tickets, the beginning, middle, and end of a lesson, and rules and consequences.
Excel Charter Academy Fifth Grade Math teacher Natalie Rush creates bulletin boards with broad topics such as Moral Focus. She also enjoys when students contribute by sharing math strategies each day to build into a bulletin board. She recommends fabric instead of bulletin board paper so they can be used each year.
Maximizing space can lead to overkill, though. Rush remembers that in high school, one of her teachers covered every inch of the walls with materials, making the room cluttered.
"You lost focus, and sometimes students need to stare at a blank wall to be able to hear what the lesson is," she said. "Sometimes, simpler is better."
Desk placement determines a classroom's flow, including what direction they face. Clusters of desks are better for a class that does a lot of group activity and eliminates roadblocks for a teacher.
"You don't want any spots that you are not able to move freely throughout the classroom because we don't want our students to want to hide," Rush said. "We want them to be able to succeed. Sometimes, you have to break them out of that comfort zone."
DeKam said choosing how much work to put into a classroom depends on the individual. What works one year for one group might not be best next year, including for the teacher.
"Personally, I need change every year to make it an exciting new adventure for me, too," she said. "I've stayed in the same grade, but I make lots of changes every year to my instruction and my classroom to keep it fresh and current."
NHA is a network of 98 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 60,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com
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SOURCE National Heritage Academies | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/setting-up-classroom-right-way-gives-teachers-an-optimal-learning-environment/ | 2022-08-11T15:26:08Z |
Adding Wind Turbines to Solar Projects Reduces Costs and Energy Storage Needs in a Supply-Constrained Market
AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Semtive USA Inc. today introduces the Nemoi™ M wind turbine system, a vertical wind solution that radically lowers the cost of renewable energy for homes and commercial entities. Generating clean energy for a highly competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) as low as $0.01/kWh, the Nemoi M can be installed as a standalone system or to optimize solar and energy storage as part of a hybrid renewable energy system.
The Nemoi M includes the Trinity Energy Management Interface (EMI), an advanced inverter and energy management solution that easily integrates wind, solar and energy storage resources to take advantage of their natural operating windows and offset load during peak demand times when electricity prices are at their highest.
LCOE is defined as the total cost of an energy system over its useful life, divided by the total energy production. Semtive's estimated LCOE is based on the installed cost of the complete turbine system using average US labor costs for renewable energy installation. Energy production is based on turbine performance in average weather conditions where wind speeds range from 4 to 7 miles per hour.
The Nemoi M solves historical issues with vertical wind turbines related to design, performance, unit cost, maintenance and energy management. Virtually noiseless, the Nemoi is made of durable, aerospace-grade aluminum and operates from a light breeze to high winds. Designed and manufactured in the U.S., the Nemoi M has a rated power capacity of 2400W and includes a comprehensive 20-year warranty.
"We are proud to offer a decentralized energy solution that will provide access to reliable, affordable clean energy for all," said Ignacio Juarez, CEO of Semtive. "Semtive solutions will help solar installers expand their market with hybrid systems that minimize costs, reduce the need for large roof space, and optimize energy production."
The Nemoi has a simple design and can be installed on concrete pads in less than an hour. Systems have been in development and installed in pilot sites worldwide, including homes, nonprofits and businesses across the U.S. as well as Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
To learn more about Semtive's ground-breaking products and become a Semtive dealer, go to www.semtive.com/dealers or contact Ken Oatman, Director of Business Development, koatman@semtive.com.
Semtive develops and produces simple, affordable and reliable wind energy systems from its headquarters in Austin, Texas. Established in the U.S. in 2016, our mission is to decentralize, digitize and expand access to clean energy. Learn more at www.semtive.com.
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SOURCE Semtive USA | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/22/semtive-usa-introduces-wind-system-that-lowers-cost-improves-roi-residential-commercial-renewable-energy/ | 2022-06-22T14:22:55Z |
BANCO SANTANDER MÉXICO ANNOUNCES STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN ITS CEO POSITION AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT
Published: Jul. 21, 2022 at 3:30 PM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
MEXICO CITY, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco Santander México, S.A., Institución de Banca Múltiple, Grupo Financiero Santander México (BMV: BSMX; NYSE: BSMX) ("Banco Santander México" or the "Bank") one of the leading banking institutions in Mexico, announced that, on the date hereof, its Board of Directors approved the appointment of Mr. Felipe García Ascencio as Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, replacing Mr. Héctor Grisi Checa. Mr. Héctor Grisi will remain as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Financiero Santander México (the "Group") until December 31, 2022.
Mr. Felipe García Ascencio has a degree in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and a master's degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has broad experience in the Mexican financial industry and he has worked in the Group as Head of Mexico's Corporate Investment Banking (SCIB). Previously, he worked at Credit Suisse for 18 years in different positions, the last of which was Head of Corporate & Sovereign Latam Coverage, a part of the Global Markets division. Mr. Felipe Garcia Ascencio also worked at Goldman Sachs and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público).
The Board also approved the creation of two Vice-presidencies. The Vice-presidency of Administration and Finance, to be led by Mr. Didier Mena Campos, who currently holds the position of Chief Financial Officer, and the Vice-presidency of Consumer, Commercial and Institution Business Banking, to be held by Mr. Pablo Fernando Quesada Gómez, who heads the Consumer, Commercial and Institution Business Banking department.
The new organizational structure includes the appointments of Mr. Alejandro Capote Garza as the new Head of SCIB; Ms. Ana Felisa López Escobar, as Head of Human Resources, replacing Mr. Juan Ignacio Echeverría Fernández; and Mr. Matías Núñez Castro, as Head of Digital, Innovation and Channels, replacing Ms. Maria Fuencisla Gómez Martín.
ABOUT BANCO SANTANDER MÉXICO (NYSE: BSMX BMV: BSMX)
Banco Santander México, S.A., Institución de Banca Múltiple, Grupo Financiero Santander México (Banco Santander México), one of the leading banks in Mexico, offers a wide range of products and financial services, including retail banking, financial advisory services, as well as other investment activities. Banco Santander Mexico offers a financial services platform focused on the middle and high-income segments of the population as well as small and medium companies. It also provides financial services to large multinational companies in Mexico. As of March 31, 2022, Banco Santander Mexico held total assets of Ps.1,734 billion pesos and had more than 20.1 million clients. Based in Mexico City, the company operates 1,345 branches and offices nationwide with a total of 25,342 employees.
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SOURCE Banco Santander México, S.A.
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/banco-santander-mxico-announces-structural-changes-its-ceo-position-senior-management/ | 2022-07-21T22:01:42Z |
6 men arrested in operation targeting online sexual predators, sheriff’s office says
Published: Jul. 15, 2022 at 8:04 PM CDT|Updated: 22 minutes ago
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA/Gray News) - Authorities in Alabama are cracking down on online sexual predators.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office recently completed its third operation targeting online sexual predators in the last 11 months through Operation Safe Summer.
WALA reports the sheriff’s office arrested six suspects and has warrants pending on numerous others from this most current operation.
Authorities shared the names of those arrested:
- Walter Mochel, 57, of Shalimar, Fla.
- Densworth Hendricks, 32, of Destin, Fla.
- Steven Hooper, 44, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
- John Staggs, 45, of Shalimar, Fla.
- Jordan Towery, 28, of Milton, Fla.
- Miguel Santa Maria, 22, of Opelika, Ala.
According to the sheriff’s office, the men arrested face charges that include using a computer to solicit a minor, traveling to meet a minor for sex and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
Copyright 2022 WALA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/07/16/6-men-arrested-operation-targeting-online-sexual-predators-sheriffs-office-says/ | 2022-07-16T01:27:50Z |
Acquisitions help Optimove advance the CRM marketing industry in delivering a one-stop, full-service multichannel marketing hub built for personalization at scale
TEL AVIV, Israel and LONDON, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimove, a leading CRM marketing platform, announced today it has acquired Graphyte, a real-time, cloud-based personalization platform optimizing the web and mobile experience for consumers. The announcement comes on the heels of Optimove's purchase of Kumulos, a leading provider of a personalized messaging platform for mobile applications. The combined purchase price of the two deals was not disclosed. The acquisitions help bolster Optimove as one of the most comprehensive CRM marketing platforms. Its AI-driven solutions autonomously determine the next-best-action for each customer, eliminating the need for marketers to manually map every customer journey.
With the new capabilities added to the Optimove platform, for the first time, marketers can deeply personalize every customer touchpoint, empowered by Optimove's hallmark capability of transforming customer data into customer-led journeys at scale. Optimove's Customer Data Platform unifies all customer data from all sources to create a comprehensive single customer view. Graphyte adds real-time content recommendations across any channel and touchpoint. Kumulos bolstered Optimove's journey orchestration engine, adding native mobile capabilities to allow brands to seamlessly orchestrate multichannel marketing journeys across the web, email, and mobile channels. The result is a one-stop, full-service multichannel marketing hub built for personalization at scale.
The new joint offering builds upon Optimove's ability to eliminate marketing misfires in cross-channel communication with customers to ensure the most relevant and the most personalized message reaches customers. It is helping marketers increase customer loyalty, retention, and lifetime value.
Newly acquired London-based Graphyte provides a real-time, cloud-based personalization platform for customer relationship programs and campaigns. The platform delivers improved conversion rates, click-through rates, and revenue uplift by leveraging personalized recommendations across channels. For example, Gala Bingo has driven a 35% turnover uplift using Graphyte's web personalization models and seen a 300% increase in site visits when providing intelligent recommendations in emails instead of traditional static emails.
Graphyte delivers improved business results because its platform enables marketers to serve personalized content recommendations and dynamically adapt their web, native mobile sites, and mobile apps to engage customers effectively. Graphyte provides over 20 different AI models that, unlike other personalization engines, empower marketers with complete control over how recommendations are made when testing and deploying personalized treatments, without needing to make any changes to the core CMS. Furthermore, personalized recommendations can seamlessly be embedded in outbound digital channels.
Pini Yakuel, CEO and Founder of Optimove, said, "With the addition of Graphyte, marketers can transform their customer data into personalized customer-led journeys at scale. Our platform seamlessly delivers real-time symmetric messaging across any channel and touchpoint. The Graphyte acquisition was a natural next step in our evolution. It is part of Optimove's relentless journey of empowering marketers to optimize customer data into deeper relationships, incremental sales, and loyalty at scale. The winner in these acquisitions is our clients and their customers."
Said Damien Evans, CEO of Graphyte. "Optimove's CRM Marketing capabilities are second to none. Our goal has always been to create unprecedented freedom for brands to realize their CRM marketing visions. We are confident that our machine learning personalization models, combined with Optimove, will enable brands to connect with their customers intelligently. We couldn't be happier to join forces with Optimove as an integral part of their offering."
Said Bob Lawson, co-founder of Kumulos, who is now Director of Mobile Offering at Optimove, "Kumulos has brought a unique blend of mobile messaging and engagement capabilities, such as geo-fencing and deferred deep linking, to enable personalized mobile-first experiences for brands. Marketers are already building mobile campaigns and journeys within Optimove."
A recent Forrester report underscored Optimove's evolution. The report entitled, The Forrester Wave™: Cross-Channel Campaign Management (Independent Platforms), noted, "Optimove transforms from CDP (customer data platform) to full-fledged CCCM (cross-channel campaign management) solution. Optimove leverages its CDP as a foundation for personalized customer-led journeys aligned with business key performance indicators (KPIs)."
Yakuel added, "If you think about marketers when they engage with their customers, it doesn't matter if they do it in one channel or another. It doesn't matter if they do it with a small amount of data or a lot. They want customer data to guide them properly in developing the best ideas and communication strategies. And they want symmetric communication across all the channels. Ultimately, that's what we're doing with these acquisitions – pushing the CRM industry forward while making sure marketers leverage customer data for value. Realizing the full value of customer data is a never-ending mission," he concluded.
With the acquisitions of Graphyte and Kumulos, marketers using Optimove are now empowered with the following:
- Symmetric multichannel journeys: Symmetry ends cross-firing messages that can confuse or alienate a brand's customers. It ensures customers view the same personalized recommendations in outbound campaigns when clicking through to the brand's website or mobile app. It is enabled when marketers leverage Graphyte's real-time, cloud-based personalization platform and Optimove's multichannel marketing platform.
- Geolocation-triggered personalized recommendations: An example of geolocation is triggering relevant product recommendations when customers walk into a retailer's store. Marketers now have the power to meet the customer in the moment by maximizing Graphyte's product recommendation relevancy, leveraging past-purchase behavior from tens of thousands of customers, and combining it with Kumulos' geo-fencing technology to trigger personalized messages to customers' mobile apps.
- True 1-to-1 personalization: 1-to-1 personalization means the ability to overlay powerful AI-based models with historical customer data, such as customers' loyalty tiers or RFM attributes. Marketers can now achieve this by selecting one of Graphyte's 20 distinct, open AI models to personalize player experiences based on robust segmentation from Optimove's Customer Data Platform.
Joint customers will benefit from synergies which will see Graphyte's models enriched with robust data from Optimove's CDP. At the same time, the models' results will be readily accessible within customer profiles inside Optimove for segmentation, activation, and analysis. Joint customers will soon be able to reap these benefits and more.
Separately, Optimove announced in September 2021 that it raised $75 million in funding to accelerate its platform development through M&A and strategic hiring, already increasing its workforce to 370 employees.
Optimove is a leading CRM Marketing Platform, empowering brands to personalize CRM journeys at scale with customer insights, AI-led orchestration, and all the channels they need in one place. With a customer data platform (CDP) at its core, Optimove leverages AI to autonomously surface valuable customer segments, orchestrate self-optimizing CRM journeys, and accurately deliver the marketing interaction of the highest incremental impact across email, mobile, web, and more. Optimove has been recognized as a Cross Channel Campaign Management Leader by Forrester and a Customer Data Platform (CDP) Leader for Retail and CPG by IDC. Optimove's clients gave it a 95% "Willingness to Recommend" score on Gartner Peer Insights. Optimove is used by leading brands, including Dollar Shave Club, BetMGM, SodaStream, Pennsylvania Lottery, Papa John's, and Staples, to maximize customer loyalty, retention, and lifetime value. For more information, go to www.optimove.com
Contact: press@optimove.com
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SOURCE Optimove | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/13/optimove-acquires-cloud-based-personalization-platform-graphyte-following-purchase-kumulos/ | 2022-07-13T14:27:23Z |
Uvalde: Visitations, funerals and burials, one after another
UVALDE, Texas (AP) - It should have been the first day of a joyous week for Robb Elementary School students — the start of summer break.
Instead on Monday, the first two of 19 children slain inside a classroom were being remembered at funeral visitations.
The gathering for 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza was at Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home in Uvalde, Texas, directly across from the grade school where the children, along with two teachers, were shot to death on Tuesday before the gunman himself was killed.
Amerie was a happy child who had just gotten her first cell phone for turning 10 and had gotten a certificate the morning of the shooting for making the honor roll. She also loved to paint and draw and work in clay.
Her stepfather, Angel Garza, a medical assistant who arrived soon after the shooting and found himself helping injured students learned she had been shot from one of the 10-year-old’s friends.
Visitation for another 10-year-old, Maite Rodriguez, was at another funeral home.
Maite liked and excelled at physical education — after her death, her teacher texted her mother to say she was very competitive at kickball and ran faster than all the boys.
She was among the honor roll students recognized at an assembly the morning of the shooting.
Her mother, Ana Rodríguez, described her as “focused, competitive, smart, bright, beautiful, happy.”
More visitations, funerals and burials will follow over the next two-and-a-half weeks, one after another, after another.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/05/31/uvalde-visitations-funerals-burials-one-after-another/ | 2022-05-31T05:15:09Z |
SUZHOU, China and ROCKVILLE, Md., June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK), a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in developing novel therapies for cancers, chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and age-related diseases, today announced that its novel inhibitor of the embryonic ectoderm development (EED) protein, APG-5918, has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enter a first-in-human (FIH) study that will assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of APG-5918 in patients with solid tumors or hematologic malignancies.
This multicenter, open-label Phase I study is designed to assess the safety and tolerability, and determine the dose-limiting toxicity, maximum tolerated dose, and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) of orally administered APG-5918. Prof. Joseph Paul Eder, Clinical Director of the Early Drug Development Program at Yale Cancer Center will be the Principal Investigator of this multicentric clinical trial.
EZH2, which is highly expressed in multiple tumors in humans, was found to promote the development and progression of tumors, and the targeted inhibition of EZH2's methyltransferase activity has already been proven as an effective mechanistic approach for cancer treatment. However, the secondary mutation of EZH2 may lead to acquired drug resistances, while the homologous EZH1 also has methyltransferase activity that could limit the effects of EZH2 inhibitors. Furthermore, EED protein can stimulate the methyltransferase activity of EZH2, thus making the allosteric targeting of EED an effective approach. EED inhibitors have shown good therapeutic potential in many kinds of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
Discovered and developed by Ascentage Pharma, APG-5918 is an orally active, potent, selective, small-molecule EED inhibitor with high binding affinity. As an allosteric inhibitor, APG-5918 selectively binds to the EED protein. By regulating tumor epigenetics and microenvironment, APG-5918 can potentially overcome tumor resistance and deliver complete and durable tumor regression.
Dr. Yifan Zhai, Chief Medical Officer of Ascentage Pharma, commented, "I am excited that we are poised to initiate the FIH study of APG-5918 under the leadership of Prof Paul Eder. In preclinical studies, APG-5918 showed potent binding activity with the EED protein, in vitro antiproliferative activity, and in vivo antitumor activity."
"We look forward to advancing the clinical development of APG-5918 to hopefully bring clinically meaningful benefits to patients as early as possible", added Prof Paul Eder.
About Ascentage Pharma
Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK) is a globally focused biopharmaceutical company engaged in developing novel therapies for cancers, chronic hepatitis B, and age-related diseases. On October 28, 2019, Ascentage Pharma was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code 6855.HK.
Ascentage Pharma focuses on developing therapeutics that inhibit protein-protein interactions to restore apoptosis, or programmed cell death. The company has built a pipeline of eight clinical drug candidates, including novel, highly potent Bcl-2, and dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors, as well as candidates aimed at IAP and MDM2-p53 pathways, and next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Ascentage Pharma is also the only company in the world with active clinical programs targeting all three known classes of key apoptosis regulators. The company is conducting more than 50 Phase I/II clinical trials in the US, Australia, Europe, and China. Olverembatinib, the company's core drug candidate developed for the treatment of drug-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), was granted Priority Review status and a Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and is already approved for the indication. In addition, olverembatinib was also granted an Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and a Fast Track Designation (FTD) by the US FDA, and an Orphan Designation by the EU. To date, Ascentage Pharma has obtained a total of 15 ODDs, 2 FTDs, and 2 Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) designations from the FDA and 1 ODD from the EU for four of the company's investigational drug candidates. Ascentage Pharma has been designated for multiple Major National R&D Projects, including 5 National Major New Drug Discovery and Manufacturing projects, 1 New Drug Incubator status, 4 Innovative Drug Programs, and 1 Major Project for the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases.
Leveraging its robust R&D capabilities, Ascentage Pharma has built a portfolio of global intellectual property rights and entered into global partnerships with numerous renowned biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and research institutes such as UNITY Biotechnology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Merck, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer. The company has built a talented team with global experience in discovering, developing, launching, and commercializing innovative drugs and is setting up world-class commercial manufacturing and Sales & Marketing teams. One pivotal aim of Ascentage Pharma is to continuously strengthen its R&D capabilities and accelerate its clinical development programs, in order to fulfil its mission of addressing unmet clinical needs in China and around the world for the benefit of more patients.
Forward-Looking Statements
The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, Ascentage Pharma undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions may alter in light of future development.
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SOURCE Ascentage Pharma | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/ascentage-pharma-announces-ind-clearance-by-us-fda-first-in-human-study-novel-eed-inhibitor-apg-5918/ | 2022-06-30T03:45:27Z |
NEW YORK, July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Empire State Building (ESB) today announced plans for a modern, tenant-only amenity space to be completed within the next year to include a town hall meeting space for 400 people, basketball court, lounge, food and bar service, and "ESRTees," a reservable lounge with two golf simulators. ESB's new amenities will be constructed in a unique concourse level space with vaulted ceilings.
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) also has announced that Scott Klau's team from Newmark, a leading commercial real estate advisory and services firm, has been appointed leasing agent at the "World's Most Famous Building." ESRT and Newmark's Klau team have partnered together with great success at One Grand Central Place, 1400 Broadway, and 111 West 33rd Street.
"Our partnership with Scott Klau and his team has been tremendously successful. Now with our large block availability, we offer a destination for all sizes of tenants in their flights to quality," said Anthony E. Malkin, ESRT's chairman, president, and CEO. "ESB's superior fully modernized, energy efficient, and healthy building features with additional unmatched amenities, ESG efforts, turnkey services, and prime location are a winning combination."
In addition to the newly announced offerings, the current tenant-only amenities at the iconic Empire State Building include a 15,000 square foot fitness center, a private conference center, and seven in-building dining options, which include Tacombi, STATE Grill and Bar, and a new 23,000 square foot Starbucks Reserve scheduled to open this year. ESB's new amenities will expand on this offering and allow tenants to reserve the space to accommodate 400+ people.
"ESB is an iconic brand with modern infrastructure, committed ownership, industry-leading energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality, and a central location with easy access to major transit hubs," said Scott Klau, vice chairman at Newmark. "Every quality tenant can give its employees a unique, personalized experience at an unmatched value, from our more than 274,000 square foot large block to pre-built spaces, for the building's unrivaled amenities and offerings. It is a true employee attraction and retention tool for today's world."
ESB underwent an industry-leading deep energy retrofit that decreased carbon emissions by 54 percent over the last decade with the continued objective to make it easy for tenants to reach their own ESG goals. The 274,000 square foot large block space at ESB spans eight full and partial floors, with a dedicated 24,000 square feet of prime retail space.
More information about the Empire State Building, and current availability, can be found online.
About Empire State Realty Trust
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) is a REIT that owns and manages office, retail, and multifamily assets in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area. ESRT owns the Empire State Building – the World's Most Famous Building – and Tripadvisor's 2022 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Awards #1 attraction in the U.S. and #3 attraction in the world, in the newly reimagined and iconic Empire State Building Observatory. The company is a leader in healthy buildings, energy efficiency, and indoor environmental quality, and has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per square foot of any publicly traded REIT portfolio in New York City. As of Mar. 31, 2022, ESRT's portfolio is comprised of approximately 9.4 million rentable square feet of office space, 700,000 rentable square feet of retail space and 625 units across two multifamily properties. More information about Empire State Realty Trust can be found at esrtreit.com and by following ESRT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. You can identify these statements by use of words such as "assumes," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects" or similar words or expressions that do not relate to historical matters. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and could materially affect actual results, performance or achievements. These factors include, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC and any failure of the conditions or events cited in this release. Except as may be required by law, the Company does not undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Category: Leasing
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SOURCE Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/empire-state-building-announces-new-tenant-amenities-leasing-agent/ | 2022-07-19T21:16:17Z |
Cuba and US take tentative step with talks on migration
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cuba and the United States took a tentative step toward thawing relations and resuming joint efforts to address irregular migration, a senior Cuban official said following the highest-level talks between the two countries in four years.
There were no major breakthroughs, but the mere fact that the U.S. was holding substantive talks was a sign relations might be looking better under President Joe Biden after going into deep freeze under his predecessor, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said Friday.
“They seem committed. They ratified that they are committed to the agreements in place,” Fernandez de Cossio said. “So we have no reason to mistrust what they’re saying, but time will tell.”
The talks did not focus on broader U.S.-Cuba relations but more narrowly on restoring adherence to previous agreements that were intended to curtail the often-dangerous irregular migration from the island to the United States.
“These talks helped both of us to understand the nature and the magnitude of the problem we’re facing,” the deputy foreign minister said in an interview with The Associated Press at the Cuban ambassador’s residence outside Washington.
U.S. officials want Cuba to resume taking back flights of deported migrants, which it stopped doing at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuban authorities, meanwhile, want to see the U.S. follow through on its plan to restore consular services in Havana, so people can once again get visas to legally come to the United States, as well as change other policies that it believes encourage irregular migration from the island.
“They asked us to renew the flights because it was an important element of deterrence,” he said. “We said we agree that is an important element of deterrence. We explained that we needed to do in an integral manner, and they understood this.”
It was a more detailed rundown of the talks than what was provided by the U.S. a day earlier. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the meeting “underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba where appropriate to advance U.S. interests.”
The talks take place against the backdrop of relations that sharply deteriorated under President Donald Trump and amid a sharp increase in the number of Cubans seeking to enter the U.S. along the Southwest border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped Cubans more than 79,800 times from October through March — more than double all of 2021 and five times more than all of 2020. Overall, the Border Patrol stopped migrants of all nationalities more than 209,000 times in March, the highest monthly mark in 22 years.
Cubans who cross the U.S. border illegally face little risk of being deported or expelled under a public health law that has been used to deny asylum to thousands of migrants of other nationalities on the grounds of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Asked why so many Cubans are fleeing their country, Fernandez de Cossio blamed tough economic conditions in his country and widespread knowledge among Cubans that they will be granted asylum and legal residency in the U.S.
“Life is difficult for Cubans. It’s a developing country like any other country in the region,” he said. “They leave for economic reasons, like most migrants around the world.”
Cubans are often granted asylum after they assert what’s known under U.S. law as “credible fear” of persecution, typically for political or religious reasons. The deputy foreign minister is, not surprisingly, skeptical of such claims.
“When they reach the border, they claim that they have a credible fear if they if they are returned,” he said. “But then they’re accepted, and once they get residence the first thing they do is get a passport and move back to Cuba.”
Cuba wants the U.S. to stop routinely granting asylum, end the economic embargo and take other measures that it says encourage migration and to restore consular activities so people can legally travel back and forth from the island with visitor visas.
Operations at the U.S. embassy in Havana were severely curtailed beginning in 2017 after the emergence of unexplained health problems among some employees.
Cases of what became known as “Havana Syndrome” became a major issue during the Trump administration, which rolled back the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba that had been initiated by former President Barack Obama.
Fernandez de Cossio said the Trump administration curtailed visas as part of its “maximum pressure” against Cuba, contributing to the irregular migration occurring now and he welcomed the Biden administration’s commitment to restore visa operations.
“It needs to be done so that people in Cuba can find that there’s a legal normal way to migrate to the United States, which has been lacking since 2017,” he said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/04/23/cuba-us-take-tentative-step-with-talks-migration/ | 2022-04-23T23:45:55Z |
Plaintiff Attorneys: Wells Fargo Refuses Black Female Judge in Discrimination Case
Published: Apr. 20, 2022 at 11:11 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
Plaintiff lawyers say bank seemingly questions judicial objectivity on racial grounds
LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wells Fargo's refusal on Monday to consent to the jurisdiction of a Black female U.S. District Court judge to preside over a case where the bank is accused of improperly using race as a factor in its mortgage refinance approval process is a revelation of Wells Fargo's view of judicial objectivity, say lawyers representing the plaintiffs.
"Coming on the heels of the historic appointment of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Wells Fargo's rejection of the handling of a discrimination class action case by a Black female judge reeks of racism," said Trent Copeland, partner at Ellis George Cipollone, the law firm representing the plaintiffs.
Wells Fargo filed its objection on Monday to the random assignment of Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore—the only Black woman currently sitting on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California—in the case of Aaron Braxton, et al. v. Wells Fargo. Westmore was appointed as Magistrate Judge in 2012, after serving 13 years as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Oakland. She received her law degree from the University of San Francisco.
The case has been reassigned to Judge Jacqueline S. Corley in the San Francisco Division. "We are pleased that we will be able to present our strong case to Judge Corley, whose participation in a cameras-in-the-courtroom pilot project will add much-needed public transparency to the important principles at issue," Copeland said.
Aaron Braxton filed this discrimination class action on March 18, 2020, alleging—both on his own behalf and on behalf of thousands of other impacted Black homeowners—that Wells Fargo systematically discriminated against Black homeowners in its evaluation of refinancing applications. In 2020—at the height of the refinancing boom, when millions of Americans benefitted from the historically low interest rate environment—Wells Fargo approved 47 percent of all refinance applications by Black homeowners (meaning that Wells Fargo rejected the majority of applications from Black homeowners), whereas all other lenders approved 71 percent of all applications by Black homeowners. No other lending institution rejected a majority of Black homeowners' applications for refinancing.
"It's more than ironic that in responding to litigation over its redlining of Black mortgage applicants, Wells Fargo sought to redline the federal court." Copeland said. "It speaks directly to the bank's treatment of our clients."
Contact: Trent Copeland
310-274-7100
tcopeland@egcfirm.com
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SOURCE Ellis George Cipollone
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/04/20/plaintiff-attorneys-wells-fargo-refuses-black-female-judge-discrimination-case/ | 2022-04-20T16:41:36Z |
BRUSSELS (AP) — Spurred into action by reports of atrocities in Ukraine, NATO countries agreed Thursday to ramp up the supply of weapons to Kyiv, including hi-tech arms, amid concerns that Russia is about to launch a large offensive in Ukrarine’s eastern Donbas region.
NATO, as an organization, refuses to send troops or weapons to Ukraine or impose a no-fly zone over it to keep the trans-Atlantic military group from being drawn into a wider war with nuclear-armed Russia. Individual NATO countries, however, have provided anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, as well as equipment and medical supplies.
“There was a clear message from the meeting today that allies should do more, and are ready to do more, to provide more equipment, and they realize and recognize the urgency,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after chairing a meeting of allied foreign ministers in Brussels.
Stoltenberg declined to say which countries were stepping up supplies or what kinds of equipment they might send, but he said: “Rest assured, allies are providing a wide range of different weapons systems, both Soviet-era systems but also modern equipment.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “sickening images and accounts coming out of Bucha and other parts of Ukraine” have strengthened the West’s resolve to punish Russia and step up support for Ukraine.
Blinken said the United States is “looking across the board right now not only at what we provided, and what we continue to provide, but whether there are additional systems that could make a difference.”
One of the drawbacks of sending modern arms is that Ukrainian troops would have to learn how to to use them, but some NATO nations raised the possibility of providing training outside of the war-ravaged country.
Britain was also outspoken about its intentions.
“We’ve agreed to step up support for Ukraine and we’ve also recognized that the conflict has entered a new and different phase with a more concentrated Russian offensive,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
“There was support for countries to supply new and heavier equipment to Ukraine so that they can respond to these new threats from Russia. We’ve agreed to help Ukrainian forces move from their Soviet-era equipment to NATO-standard equipment on a bilateral basis,” Truss said.
After talks with his NATO counterparts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he was cautiously optimistic that some countries would boost weapons supplies to his nation. But he warned that those arms must get to Ukraine quickly, with Russia set to attack more widely in the east.
“Either you help us now — and I’m speaking about days, not weeks — or your help will come too late,” Kuleba said his message was to NATO countries. Asked what more his country was seeking, Kuleba listed planes, land-based missiles, armored vehicles and air defense systems.
He also criticized some Western countries for failing to impose sanctions quickly enough, or of acting too late, highlighting his point with the reports of war crimes in the northern town of Bucha.
“How many Buchas have to take place for you to impose sanctions? How many children, women, men, have to die,” Kuleba said, “for you to understand that you cannot allow sanctions fatigue, as we cannot allow fighting fatigue?”
Some NATO countries sending weapons have been making a distinction about what kind of support they can provide, saying Ukraine should only receive arms for defensive purposes and not offensive weapons like war planes or tanks.
But Stoltenberg rejected the rhetorical arguments. “Ukraine is fighting a defensive war, so this distinction between offensive and defensive weapons doesn’t actually have any real meaning,” he said.
Stoltenberg said he has “urged allies to provide further support of many different types of systems, both light weapons but also heavier weapons.”
Despite the allegations of Russian war crimes and warnings that more atrocities might emerge, it appears unlikely, at least for now, that the world’s biggest security alliance will agree as an organization to arm Ukraine and help end Europe’s biggest land war since World War II.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/ukraine-appeals-to-nato-for-weapons-weapons-weapons/ | 2022-04-07T23:54:08Z |
BETHESDA, Md., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it completed the sale and acquisition financing for 7 Square, a 402-unit, Class A apartment community in Houston, Texas. Located less than ten miles from Downtown Houston, the property features excellent access to major employment centers, shopping, entertainment, and top-rated schools.
Walker & Dunlop's Ryan Epstein and Jennifer Ray represented the seller in the disposition. The team collaborated with Mark Vinitsky and Harvey Pava of Walker & Dunlop's Capital Markets group to structure acquisition financing for the buyer at closing. The bridge loan features a three-year term with interest-only payments.
"7 Square has an unparalleled location within the Memorial school district. While the property is beautifully appointed, the asset had never gone through a programmatic upgrade and new ownership has the opportunity to make modest upgrades to further improve rental rates and operations," said Managing Director, Ryan Epstein. "The buyer plans on updating both the units and common areas to better compete with newer assets in the area."
Located along Houston's major thoroughfares, 7 Square is perfectly positioned to cater to renters looking to shorten their commute and maintain the benefits and amenities of the city's urban core. The property features upscale interiors in one- and two-bedroom apartment options. Community amenities include two pools, a fitness center, yoga and spin room, private wine room, outdoor grilling stations, and structured parking.
Walker & Dunlop is a leader in multifamily property sales, having completed $19.3 billion in property sales volume in 2021 alone, up 214% from 2020. The firm was also the third largest provider of capital to the U.S. multifamily market, originating $49 billion in transactions and lending over $42 billion for multifamily properties in 2021. For information about multifamily properties available for sale via Walker & Dunlop's investment sales platform, visit our website.
About Walker & Dunlop
Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) is one of the largest providers of capital to the commercial real estate industry, enabling real estate owners and operators to bring their visions of communities — where Americans live, work, shop and play — to life. The power of our people, premier brand, and industry-leading technology makes us more insightful and valuable to our clients, providing an unmatched experience every step of the way. With more than 1,400 employees across every major U.S. market, Walker & Dunlop has consistently been named one of Fortune's Great Places to Work® and is committed to making the commercial real estate industry more inclusive and diverse while creating meaningful social, environmental, and economic change in our communities.
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SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/walker-amp-dunlop-completes-sale-financing-apartments-prime-houston-neighborhood/ | 2022-07-14T11:55:04Z |
Manatee schools ending free lunch for all program
BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - Free lunches for all students in Manatee County public schools will end in August because the federal program funding them is expiring, the Manatee County School District announced Monday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded its nutrition assistance program in response to COVID-19. Beginning Aug. 10, lunch meals will no longer be free for all students. However, breakfast meals will continue to be free for all students.
Students who qualify for free or reduced meal benefits based on direct certification or an approved 2022-23 meal benefit application will continue to receive meals at no or reduced costs. Students who are not eligible based on income will return to a full pay status.
Students enrolled at the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) schools listed below are eligible to receive a lunch at no charge:
CEP Elementary Schools: Abel Elementary, Ballard Elementary, Bayshore Elementary, Blackburn Elementary, Daughtrey Elementary, Manatee Elementary, Moody Elementary, Oneco Elementary, Palm View Elementary, Palmetto Elementary, Prine Elementary, Rogers Gardens-Bullock Elementary, Samoset Elementary, Sea Breeze Elementary and Tillman Elementary.
CEP Middle Schools: Lee Middle, Sugg Middle and Lincoln Memorial Academy
CEP High Schools: Bayshore High and Southeast High
CEP Alternative/Charter Schools: Horizons Academy, Just for Girls Elementary, Manatee School of the Arts and Sciences, Oasis Middle School and Visible Men Academy
Free or Reduced Meal Benefit Applications for the 2022-23 school year will be available July 1 at www.manateeschoolfood.net
Copyright 2022 WWSB. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/05/17/manatee-schools-ending-free-lunch-all-program/ | 2022-05-17T12:38:30Z |
CCSO looking for attempted murder suspect
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a fugitive wanted on charges of attempted second-degree murder.
They are currently looking for Nicholas Jerome Bell who is described as 5-feet-6-inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
He is wanted for charges of attempted second-degree murder, as well as aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
If you have any information on Bell’s whereabouts, please call 911 immediately and do not approach or attempt to apprehend. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information regarding this case can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000.
Tips may also be made online at www.southwestfloridacrimestoppers.com or on the P3Tips mobile app.
Copyright 2022 WWSB. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/06/14/ccso-looking-attempted-murder-suspect/ | 2022-06-14T18:03:36Z |
House OKs security boost for Supreme Court judges, families
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that would allow around-the-clock security protection for families of Supreme Court justices, one week after a man carrying a gun, knife and zip ties was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house after threatening to kill the justice.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously last month, but it languished in the House as Democrats sought to broaden the measure to include protection for families of court employees. Republicans ramped up pressure to pass the bill after the arrest at Kavanaugh’s house, asserting that Democrats were essentially trying to intimidate the justices as the court weighs a potential landmark ruling on abortion.
The House passed the security measure overwhelmingly, 396-27. All of the votes in opposition came from Democrats.
“By passing this bill as is, we are sending a clear message to left wing radicals: you cannot intimidate Supreme Court justices,” said House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy.
The Senate voted to expand security protections shortly after the leak of a draft court opinion that would overrule Roe v. Wade and sharply curtail abortion rights in roughly half the states. Supporters of the legislation said threats to the justices have increased since then, with protesters sometimes gathering outside their homes.
“We don’t have time to spare when it comes protecting the members of the court and their families,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the bill’s sponsor. “If, heaven forbid, something were to happen ... shame on members of the House of Representatives. It would be on them for their failure to act on this commonsense, bipartisan bill.”
Democrats noted that the Supreme Court justices already have round-the-clock security details. They said they also supported extending security to immediate families. But they wanted “one itty bitty concession” to include security for families of court employees, such as the law clerks who work for the justices and help them prepare for cases.
“Democrats want to also protect employees and families who are getting threats from right wing activists,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.
But last week’s arrest clearly brought new emphasis to the bill and new pressure from Republicans seeking a vote. Democrats said they would pursue the protections for families of court employees separately.
“We can no longer delay in passing the only version of the bill they would apparently agree to,” Lieu said of Republicans.
In the Kavanaugh case, authorities have charged Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, California, with the attempted murder of a justice. Clad in black, he arrived by taxi outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
He spotted two U.S. marshals who were guarding the house and walked in the other direction, calling 911 to say he was having suicidal thoughts and also planned to kill Kavanaugh, according to court documents.
Roske said he found the justice’s address on the internet.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/06/14/house-oks-security-boost-supreme-court-judges-families/ | 2022-06-14T21:54:48Z |
Lockdowns in Shanghai and other Chinese cities pose a growing threat to the economy
By Laura He, CNN Business
China’s unwavering commitment to stamping out Covid by locking down big cities such as Shanghai threatens to deal a hefty shock to its vast economy, place more strain on global supply chains and further fuel inflation.
Shanghai — home to China’s leading financial center and some of its largest sea and airports — has been under lockdown for 12 days, and there’s no sign of it ending.
Small businesses have been hit hard, with shops and restaurants being forced to shut down. Tesla, as well as many Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers, are unclear about when they can restart their factories. Meanwhile, port delays are getting worse, and air freight rates are soaring, putting even more pressure on global trade.
The stringent restrictions have dispelled any expectations that the country may relax its zero-tolerance approach towards Covid-19.
“The surging cases in Shanghai convinced top leaders that there is no middle ground between zero-Covid and living with Covid. From now on, snap lockdown could be the prevailing strategy,” said Larry Hu, chief economist for Greater China at Macquarie, in a research report this week.
President Xi Jinping has pledged to “minimize” the economic impact of his Covid policy, but the deteriorating situation in Shanghai — and the extended lockdown — raise tough questions about Beijing’s approach to outbreaks of Omicron, a much more infectious variant of the original virus.
“The Omicron variant is highly infectious, and it has become increasingly challenging for China to reach its ‘zero-Covid’ objectives while most other countries opt for a ‘living with Covid’ approach,” Ting Lu, managing director and chief China economist for Nomura, wrote in a note earlier this week.
He believes that China’s rising cases and escalating lockdowns in Shanghai and several other cities will suppress activity across a wide range of sectors, including in-person services, travel, logistics, construction and some manufacturing.
“The economic costs could be staggering,” Lu said, adding that global investors may be “underestimating” the impact of China’s zero-Covid policy on its economy and the markets.
Businesses hurting
Since last month, full or partial lockdowns have been implemented in about 23 cities, according to latest estimates by Nomura. Those cities have around 193 million residents combined — 13.6% of China’s population — and contribute 23 trillion yuan ($3.6 trillion) worth of GDP — 22% of the country’s economy.
“These figures could significantly underestimate the full impact, as many other cities have been mass testing district by district, and mobility has been significantly restricted in most parts of China,” Lu said.
By Thursday, at least 40 Chinese companies had been forced to suspend operations in Shanghai and other regions, according to stock exchange filings in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.
Meanwhile, more than 90 Taiwanese companies have reported that their operations in Shanghai and the neighboring city of Kunshan were affected by the lockdowns, including printed circuit board manufacturer Unimicron Technology and top bike maker Giant Manufacturing, according to filings to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Growing wounds
The World Bank and some investment banks have recently warned that the damage caused by China’s zero-Covid policy to the economy is growing.
The World Bank on Tuesday slashed China’s 2022 growth forecast, estimating that the world’s second largest economy will now grow at 5% this year, sharply down from last year’s 8.1%. That’s also lower than China’s official target of about 5.5%.
“The continuation of China’s zero-Covid policies in the face of the Omicron variant will hurt economic activity in China and have negative spillovers onto the rest of the region,” the World Bank said in its latest economic update for the East Asia and Pacific region.
Goldman Sachs on Monday maintained its 2022 growth forecast for China at 4.5%, a full point below the official growth target. But the bank pointed out that the latest outbreak and the lockdown in Shanghai are starting to “weigh more heavily” on economic activity in China.
Citi, meanwhile, has said that the Omicron wave could drag down China’s GDP growth by 1 percentage point in the first quarter. A prolonged Omicron wave could deduct between 0.6 and 0.9 percentage point from GDP growth in the second quarter, it estimated in a report this week.
It could get worse
The Shanghai lockdown comes at a time when the country’s economy is already struggling.
Services and manufacturing were both hit hard last month. The Caixin Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for services recorded its sharpest decline since the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan in February 2020.
The Caixin manufacturing PMI also contracted at the quickest pace in two years. The deterioration in economic conditions was also reflected in official PMI data.
April’s data could be even worse, economists warned, as lockdowns continue to hurt domestic demand.
“Following several rounds of lockdowns, many individuals are worn out, unemployed or underemployed, and have drained their savings to a level at which they now have to reduce spending,” said Lu from Nomura.
Spillover effects
The crisis in China is also a problem for the world.
The World Bank labeled China’s slowdown as one of the major shocks facing Asian economies this year, along with the war in Ukraine and rate hikes by the Fed.
The situation in Shanghai, which has the world’s largest container port, has caused shipping delays to worsen, putting more pressure on global supply chains. Although Chinese authorities said the Shanghai port remains operational, industry data showed last week that the number of vessels waiting to load or discharge had skyrocketed to an all-time high.
“Shutdowns affect supply chains from many angles including factory shutdowns, port slowdowns and shortages of truck drivers,” said Zvi Schreiber, CEO of Hong Kong-based freight booking platform Freightos.
It could cause “extra inflationary pressures” on goods imported from China.
Air freight rates are rising too. All passenger flights to Shanghai, one of the world’s busiest airports, have been canceled. Schreiber said air cargo rates between Shanghai and northern Europe shot up 43% last week from the level before the outbreak.
Factory closures in Shanghai and neighboring cities could add to the disruptions to key supply chains for electronics and automotives.
For example, Kunshan-based Unimicron Technology supplies printed circuit boards to customers such as Apple, while Eson Precision is an affiliate of Foxconn, which makes iPhones. Eson Precision also supplies components to Tesla.
“It is very likely that given the severity of the current outbreak in China, electronics and automotive supply chains will experience significant disruption due to supplier outages in the coming 7-10 days,” said Julie Gerdeman, CEO of supply chain analytics firm Everstream.
— CNN’s Beijing bureau contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/news/2022/04/08/lockdowns-in-shanghai-and-other-chinese-cities-pose-a-growing-threat-to-the-economy/ | 2022-04-08T10:23:10Z |
LONDON, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the leading standards organisation for the global jewellery and watch industry, announced new appointments to the Board at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held today.
During the meeting, David A. Bouffard, RJC Chair and Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Signet Jewelers Limited, announced the results of elections to the RJC Board of Directors.
Elections were held for RJC Member Forum representatives. Each elected Director will represent his respective forum in the jewellery and watch supply chain. The appointments are:
- Raj Kumar Jain from Gemstones Corporation was elected to represent the Diamonds and Gemstones Traders, Cutters and Polishers forum.
- Ankur Goyal from MMTC-PAMP was elected to represent the Precious Metals traders, refiners and hedgers forum.
- Arien Gessner from the Richline Group and Roger Forman from the Marathon Company were elected to represent the Jewellery Manufacturer and/or Wholesaler forum.
- Pravin Pattni from Minar Jewellers was elected to represent the Jewellery Retailer forum.
- Rajesh Neelakanta from BVC Logistics was re-elected to represent the Service Industries forum.
- Edward Asscher from the World Diamond Council was elected to represent the Trade Association forum.
The RJC has more than 1,600 member companies in 71 countries. All members have the shared belief that all jewellery should be produced responsibly, contributing to the prosperity and preservation of the planet.
David Bouffard, Chair of the RJC, said: "I am delighted to continue to serve in the second term of my elected position as Chair of the RJC's board, helping to protect the reputation of the jewellery sector. I would also like to extend my congratulations to everyone returning or joining our board following the AGM, and thank them for their service to the industry."
"Our mission to continuously improve the integrity of the global jewellery and watch supply chain has been strengthened by these appointments, and the guidance of the board alongside our interim Executive Director, John Hall, will be critical to helping us ensure we build upon our already very strong foundations."
Interim RJC Executive Director, John Hall said: "Our members are united by their commitment to strengthen the sustainability of the jewellery and watch industry. Under the continued guidance of David and our new and returning Board members, we are in a stronger position to continue working together on behalf of the entire jewellery and watch supply chain, from mine to retail."
ABOUT RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY COUNCIL
Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is the leading standards organisation of the global jewellery and watch industry. It has over 1,600 member companies in 71 countries, that span the jewellery supply chain from mine to retail. RJC Members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC Code of Practices – an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, coloured gemstones, silver, gold and platinum group metals.
RJC is a Full Member of the ISEAL Alliance – the global association for sustainability standards. RJC complies with the ISEAL Standard-Setting Code which specifies general requirements for transparent and accountable preparation, adoption and revision of sustainability standards. RJC is also a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) since 2009.
For more information on RJC Members, Certification, and Standards please visit www.responsiblejewellery.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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SOURCE Responsible Jewellery Council | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/01/rjc-welcomes-new-board-members-2022-agm/ | 2022-06-01T15:54:58Z |
AUSTIN, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NetRise, the company providing visibility into the world's XIoT security problem, and Fortress Information Security, the nation's leading cybersecurity provider for critical infrastructure organizations with digitized assets, announced today a strategic partnership.
This partnership gives Fortress Information Security's global customers access to the most advanced firmware binary analysis platform on the planet. The NetRise team's experience in data science, machine learning; and software reverse engineering dramatically expands Fortress customers' ability to identify and catalog risk rapidly across a much larger set of devices and images. NetRise gains access to a robust route to market for power, oil and gas and manufacturing clients that Fortress serves, a market that historically has proven difficult to tap into.
NetRise has developed an automated, cloud-based platform that provides comprehensive insight into the many risks present in a XIoT device. These risks and associated artifacts are presented in a clear and concise manner allowing consultants, product security personnel and SOC analysts to take appropriate action and begin to address the risks presented by these devices in their environment.
Tony Turner, Vice President of Fortress had this to say, "We are excited to be working with the NetRise team and have been very impressed with the capabilities of their platform overall. Most impressive is the velocity at which new features and any fixes have been delivered, and the flexibility of the team in working to integrate our ideas into the solution so quickly. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the NetRise team."
Thomas Pace, CEO of NetRise also commented: "This partnership represents an important milestone for our business. The team of world-class consultants and operational technology experts at Fortress have already brought great ideas to the table that are continually being integrated into our roadmaps. This partnership is a perfect example of why it is so important that technology startups find the right early design partners and customers to ensure they are building a great solution."
For more information about the NetRise/Fortress Information Security partnership, please email: partnerships@netrise.com.
Fortress Information Security secures critical industries from cybersecurity and operational threats stemming from vendors, assets, and software in their supply chains. Fortress is the only end-to-end platform that connects intelligence surrounding vendors, information technology and operational technology assets, and software through a holistic, fit-for-purpose approach. Fortress has also partnered with its customers and suppliers to form the Asset-to-Vendor (A2V) Network, which facilitates the secure and seamless exchange of asset information and security intelligence, enabling collaborative workflows to better understand and remediate potential issues. Fortress serves critical industries such as energy, government, aerospace & defense, critical manufacturing, industrial automation, automotive, and healthcare.
Based in Austin, Texas, NetRise was built by defensive cyber experts bred across the private sector, intelligence community and U.S. federal government to solve the firmware security problem. The company is currently partnering with companies across manufacturing, automotive, medical devices, industrial control systems, satellites and many more.
Media Contact:
For NetRise:
Danielle Ostrovsky
Hi-Touch PR
410-302-9459
Ostrovsky@hi-touchpr.com
For Fortress:
Adam Benson
Vrge Strategies
202.999.9104
adam@vrge.us
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SOURCE Fortress Information Security | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/26/fortress-information-security-annouces-strategic-partnership-with-netrise-extend-xiot-offering/ | 2022-07-26T13:35:45Z |
Preliminary Presentation Times and Schedule for Participating Companies at EnerCom Denver Now Posted on the Conference Website
DENVER, July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EnerCom, Inc. announced today that institutional investors, portfolio managers, financial analysts, CIOs and other investment industry professionals registered for the EnerCom Denver conference can now request One-on-One meetings with the senior management teams of participating companies on the EnerCom Denver conference website.
Preliminary presentation times for presenting companies and a complete list of events can also be found on the conference website at www.enercomdenver.com. This year's panel topics will include discussions on Capital Allocation, Responsibly Sourced Gas, Private Capital, Carbon Capture, Renewable Natural Gas, ESG, Private Companies and Digital Technology.
2022 is EnerCom's 27th annual Denver investment conference and will be an in-person event hosted at the Westin Denver Downtown. At this year's conference, C-level leadership of leading energy companies will discuss their outlook for drilling and completion activity, well results, production, ESG and capital expenditures for the balance of 2022 and into 2023. Institutional investors, private equity, hedge funds, family offices, research analysts, retail brokers, high net worth investors and industry professionals who invest in the energy space can register now on the conference website EnerCom Denver - The Energy Investment Conference.
EnerCom Denver is the largest independent energy-focused investor conferences and will take place August 7-10, 2022. The conference provides extensive networking opportunities for all attendees at several sponsored events the week of the conference.
EnerCom is adding to the line-up daily and encourages attendees to check the website frequently for the most current information. A sample of the companies that are scheduled to participate at EnerCom Denver on August 7-10, 2022 include:
- AEGIS Hedging Solutions - aegis-hedging.com
- APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA) - apacorp.com
- Aureus Energy Services - aureusenergy.com
- Battalion Oil (NYSE American: BATL) - battalionoil.com
- Bayswater - bayswater.us
- Baytex Energy Corporation (TSX: BTE) - baytexenergy.com
- BDO - bdo.com
- BPX Energy (NYSE: BP) (LON: BP) - bp.com
- CAC Specialty - cacspecialty.com
- Caerus - caerusoilandgas.com
- Canacol Energy - canacolenergy.com
- Carbonvert - carbonvert.com
- Civitas Resources (NYSE: CIVI) - civitasresources.com
- Comstock Resources (NYSE: CRK) – comstockresources.com
- Cureton Midstream - curetonmidstream.com
- Denbury (NYSE: DEN) - denbury.com
- Donovan Ventures - dv-llc.com
- Earthstone Energy (NYSE: ESTE) - earthstoneenergy.com
- Eckard Enterprises - eckardenterprises.com
- Empire Petroleum Corporation (NYSE American: EP) - empirepetroleumcorp.com
- EnerCom, Inc.- enercominc.com
- The Environmental Partnership- theenvironmentalpartnership.org
- ESG Dynamics- esg-dynamics.com
- Evolution Petroleum (NYSE American: EPM) - evolutionpetroleum.com
- FactSet (NYSE: FDS, NASDAQ: FDS) - factset.com
- Fitch Ratings - fitchratings.com
- Five States Energy - fivestates.com
- Fundare - fundareresources.co
- FutEra- futerapower.com
- Gevo (NASDAQ: GEVO) - gevo.com
- Haynes Boone - haynesboone.com
- Independence Contract Drilling (NYSE: ICD) - icdrilling.com
- Kolibri Global Energy, Inc. (TSX: KEI, OTCQB: KGEIF) - kolibrienergy.com
- Landgate- landgate.com
- Liberty Energy (NYSE: LBRT) - libertyfrac.com
- Milestone Carbon, LLC - milestonecarbon.com
- Mobius Risk Group - mobiusriskgroup.com
- Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. - netherlandsewell.com
- NCS Multistage (NASDAQ: NCSM) - ncsmultistage.com
- Newpark Resources (NYSE: NR) - newpark.com
- Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NYSE: NOG) - northernoil.com
- Now, Inc. (NYSE: DNOW) - distributionnow.com
- NuVista Energy Ltd. (TSX: NVA) - nuvistaenergy.com
- Parex Resources (TSE: PXT)- parexresources.com
- PDC Energy (Nasdaq: PDCE) - pdce.com
- PetroTal Corp. (TSX-V: TAL, AIM: PTAL and OTCQX: PTALF) - petrotal-corp.com
- Power the Future - powerthefuture.com
- Prairie Provident Resources (TSX: PPR) - ppr.ca
- Project Canary - projectcanary.com
- PureWest - purewest.com
- Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (TSX-V: RECO) (OTCQX: RECAF) (Frankfurt: 0XD) - reconafrica.com
- ResFrac - resfrac.com
- Ring Energy - (NYSE American: REI) - ringenergy.com
- ROK Resources – (TSX-V: ROK) - rokresources.ca
- SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD) - sandridgeenergy.com
- Select Energy Services (NYSE: WTTR) - selectenergy.com
- SilverBow Resources (NYSE: SBOW) - sbow.com
- SM Energy (NYSE: SM) - sm-energy.com
- Steel Reef - steelreef.ca
- Strive Asset Management - striveassetmanagement.com
- Summit Carbon Solutions - summitcarbonsolutions.com
- Talos Energy (NYSE: TALO) - talosenergy.com
- Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd (TSX: TVE) - tamarackvalley.ca
- Total Helium (TSXV: TOH) - totalhelium.com
- W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) - wtoffshore.com
- Wasatch Energy Management - wemenergy.com
Investor presentations begin at 8:00 a.m. and run through 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. The complete daily schedule of presenters can be found on the website (presenters, days, times are subject to change).
How to Register: Investment professionals and oil and gas companies may register for the event through the conference website.
Conference Details: EnerCom Denver - The Energy Investment Conference in Denver offers investment professionals a unique opportunity to listen to company senior management teams across the energy value chain update investors on their operational and financial strategies and learn how the leading energy companies are building value in 2022. The event features public and private oil and gas companies with operations around the world including the U.S. shale basins, the Gulf of Mexico and Canada.
Conference Dates: August 7 - 10, 2022. EnerCom will host its annual charity golf outing on August 7 and host formal presentations and meetings on August 8 – 10.
Venue: The Westin Denver Downtown. Click here to book your hotel room under the discounted conference rate.
Who Attends the Conference: More than 2,000 institutional, private equity and hedge fund investors, family offices, research analysts, retail brokers, trust officers, high net worth investors, investment bankers and energy industry professionals gather in Denver for the conference.
One-on-One Meetings: EnerCom works in advance with presenting company management teams to arrange one-on-one meetings with the attending institutional investors and research analysts at the conference venue.
About EnerCom
Founded in 1994, EnerCom, Inc. is an internationally recognized management consultancy advising companies on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), investor relations, corporate strategy/board advisory, marketing, analysis and valuation, media, branding and visual communications design. Headquartered in Denver, EnerCom and its team of experts are passionate about the energy industry and its work to provide clients with a wide range of services to build brand recognition that drives valuation and returns.
For more information about EnerCom and its services, please visit http://www.enercominc.com/ or call +1 303-296-8834.
EnerCom Denver Sponsors Include:
About Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc.
Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (NSAI) was founded in 1961 to provide the highest quality engineering and geological consulting to the petroleum industry. Today they are recognized as the worldwide leader of petroleum property analysis to industry and financial organizations and government agencies. With offices in Dallas and Houston, NSAI provides a complete range of geological, geophysical, petrophysical, and engineering services and has the technical experience and ability to perform these services in any of the onshore and offshore oil and gas producing areas of the world. They provide reserves reports and audits, acquisition and divestiture evaluations, simulation studies, exploration resources assessments, equity determinations, and management and advisory services. For a complete list of services or to learn more about Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. please visit https://netherlandsewell.com/.
About Moss Adams
Moss Adams is a fully integrated professional services firm dedicated to assisting clients with growing, managing, and protecting prosperity.
With more than 3,400 professionals and staff across more than 25 locations in the West and beyond, we work with many of the world's most innovative companies and leaders. Our strength in the middle market enables us to advise clients at all intervals of development—from start-up, to rapid growth and expansion, to transition. For more information, please visit www.MossAdams.com
About Haynes Boone
Haynes Boone, LLP is an energy focused corporate law firm, providing a full spectrum of legal services and solutions to clients across the oil and gas industry, including the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. Lawyers from our Denver office and 15 other offices work as a team to meet the legal needs of our domestic and international clients involved in oil and gas. We represent private and public oil and gas companies, financial institutions, investment funds and other investors. Our team of more than 100 energy lawyers and landmen understands the physical and financial energy markets, and the firm has been helping both operators and lenders complete some of the largest financings and M&A transactions in recent years. The BTI Industry Power Rankings, published by BTI Consulting Group, Inc., named Haynes and Boone a "Leading Recommended" firm for the energy industry in 2017, ranking our firm among the top three percent of all law firms. For more information, please visit www.haynesboone.com/.
About BDO
BDO delivers assurance, tax, and financial advisory services to clients throughout the country and around the globe. We offer numerous industry-specific practices, world-class resources, and an unparalleled commitment to meeting our clients' needs. We currently serve more than 400 publicly traded domestic and international clients. For more information, please visit: www.bdo.com.
About Mobius Risk Group
Mobius Risk Group is an independent commodity and physical energy risk advisory firm. Founded in 2002, Mobius provides strategic advisory services including financial, physical, and commodity risk management and valuation, carbon strategy development, and regulated energy oversight for producers, consumers, distributors and capital providers backed by its proprietary C/ETRM, RiskNet. For more information, please visit: www.mobiusriskgroup.com.
About Project Canary
Project Canary is a climate tech company that provides trusted, independent, and verified environmental data to track, measure, and score the "E" in ESG across an enterprise's operational value chain. They are the leaders in providing dynamic environmental ratings using real-time monitoring data at the facility level to assess and improve operating practices and provide a science-based and technology-enabled measurement of emission profiles, including methane. Formed as a Public Benefit Corporation, Project Canary's team of scientists, engineers, and seasoned industry operators have earned recognition for their uncompromising standards, including being named "Best for the World" B Corp. For more information, please visit: www.projectcanary.com.
About Fitch Ratings
Fitch Ratings is a leading provider of credit ratings, commentary, and research. Dedicated to providing value beyond the rating through independent and prospective credit opinions, Fitch Ratings offers global perspectives shaped by strong local market experience and credit market expertise. The additional context, perspective, and insights we provide help investors to make important credit judgments with confidence.
Fitch Group is a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries. Fitch Group is comprised of: Fitch Ratings, a global leader in credit ratings and research; Fitch Solutions, a leading provider of credit market data, analytical tools and risk services; and Fitch Learning, a preeminent training and professional development firm. With dual headquarters in London and New York, Fitch Group is owned by Hearst. For additional information, please visit www.fitchratings.com.
About CAC Specialty
CAC Specialty is an employee-owned risk solutions company of seasoned and proactive industry leaders, operating as a nimble and collaborative partner who puts you and your business first. With a knowledge-driven approach informed by industry data and decades of honed instinct, CAC brings an innovative vision to insurance broking and merchant banking by providing solutions to solve your risk challenges – from the simple to the previously unsolvable. Backed by a $40B AUM asset manager and not constrained by traditional risk transfer thinking, CAC can expand the range of risk transfer through access to private debt and alternative pools of risk capital. For additional information, please visit www.cacspecialty.com.
About Preng & Associates
Preng & Associates is the world's leading executive search firm totally dedicated to the energy industry. Over our 40 years, we have assisted more than 750 management teams and boards in 75 countries and conducted over 3,700 engagements. Our mission continues to be helping companies and boards identify and attract talent around the world that will impact shareholder value. For additional information, please visit www.preng.com.
About MUFG
We have been a leading provider of banking services to the oil and gas industry in the Americas for more than 30 years, consistently ranking in the Top 10 Lead Arrangers and Top 10 Bond Arrangers in the Thomson Reuters Oil and Gas League Tables. We support clients across the industry—from regional exploration and production to global diversified services companies—that benefit from our focused approach, strong execution, and customized services. Whether you are looking to expand existing reserves, make an acquisition, or streamline operations, we can support your growth2 with services, including: underwriting and syndications; U.S./Canadian cross-border funding; securities underwriting and placements; leasing and tax equity financing; and commodities, interest rate, and foreign exchange risk management.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.97 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,300 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 31 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune's 2020 rankings of America's largest corporations.
About FactSet
FactSet (NYSE:FDS, NASDAQ:FDS) delivers superior content, analytics, and flexible technology to help more than 170,000 users see and seize opportunity sooner. We give investment professionals the edge to outperform with informed insights, workflow solutions across the portfolio lifecycle, and industry-leading support from dedicated specialists. We're proud to have been recognized with multiple awards for our analytical and data-driven solutions, with the distinction of having been recently added to the S&P 500, and repeatedly scored 100 by the Human Rights Campaign® Corporate Equality Index for our LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices. Subscribe to our thought leadership blog to get fresh insight delivered daily at insight.factset.com. Learn more at www.factset.com and on Twitter: www.twitter.com/factset.
About AEGIS Hedging Solutions
AEGIS Hedging Solutions enables companies to manage their commodity price and interest rate risk through leading software and advisory capabilities. AEGIS develops and executes cash flow protection strategies and manages all hedge program activities through an award-winning SaaS platform. AEGIS was recently named the Hedge Advisor of the Year for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.
About Petrie Partners
Petrie Partners, LLC is a boutique investment banking firm offering financial advisory services to the oil and gas industry. We provide specialized advice on mergers, divestitures and acquisitions and private placements.
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SOURCE EnerCom, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/enercom-announces-company-one-on-one-meeting-requests-opened-now-qualified-investors-enercom-denver-energy-investment-conference-hosted-denver-august-7-10-2022/ | 2022-07-06T21:13:05Z |
MACON — The Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Congressional Luncheon, which brings together federal and state elected officials, business leaders and other notable community figures, will be held Aug. 9 from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Macon Marriott City Center at 240 Coliseum Drive.
This year’s Congressional Luncheon attendees will hear from keynote speaker Pollster and Wordsmith Frank Luntz.
Other confirmed Georgia Congressional Delegation members include Congressman Sanford Bishop, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Congressman Buddy Carter, Congressman Austin Scott, Congressman Rick Allen and Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux. They are expected to discuss the Infrastructure of the Future and the War for Talent in Georgia, efforts, the state chamber said, that would assure Georgia remains the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do business.
As the state’s largest business advocacy organization, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce represents investors in every county of the state with a diverse cross-section of more than 500 industry sectors. The chamber’s primary mission is keeping, growing, and creating jobs to make Georgia a better state for business. For more visit, gachamber.com
Allergies develop when your pet's immune system responds to an allergen. ManyPets outlines five types of pet allergies, where they come from, and how owners can manage them to keep their pets healthy and happy. Click for more.
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accounts, the history behind an article. | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/date-set-for-georgi-chambers-annual-congressional-luncheon/article_0e7478e8-0eb5-11ed-82e3-239abd3a0346.html | 2022-07-28T22:06:05Z |
These researchers came up with a solution for one of VR’s biggest issues: tracking your legs
By Rachel Metz, CNN Business
If you’re a newcomer to virtual reality, you’ll notice something odd about your appearance: Depending on the app, you may look down to see you’re represented by an avatar that’s just a floating torso or nothing but a pair of hands.
While wireless headsets and handheld controllers laden with sensors and software do a good job of tracking your upper body in VR, actual leg tracking is still rare. That’s because it tends to require an array of sensors on or around you to do it well, which most consumers don’t want to buy. (Some apps, such as VRChat, do offer full-body avatars, but they tend to use software to approximate lower-body motions.)
Now, a group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) are offering a possible solution to the leg tracking problem that has so far arguably limited how immersed people can really feel in virtual spaces.
The researchers came up with a way to track a person’s entire body by affixing cameras with fisheye lenses to a pair of Facebook-parent Meta’s Quest 2 controllers, which is currently the most popular VR headset by far (and, like most headsets on the market, does not currently offer leg tracking). As a Quest 2 headset wearer held the controllers, the cameras captured images of their body and were used to control a full-body avatar in several VR demos the researchers created.
With the prototype, users could make their avatar kick and stomp blocks in “Feet Saber” (a tongue-in-cheek reference to the popular VR game “Beat Saber”), or twist and turn into the right position to pass through an obstacle in a sort of human-sized “Tetris” game. The researchers also came up with demos that let users kick a soccer ball and defend a goal from incoming hockey pucks.
“I think the legs are expressive. I think they are important to see how people are moving around — not just for locomotion but body pose for human-to-human interactions,” Chris Harrison, an associate professor of human computer interaction at CMU and a coauthor of the study, told CNN Business.
The prototype, called ControllerPose, isn’t precise enough to capture fine movements, Harrison said, but it works “quite well” for tracking coarser actions. “If you want to look down and see if you’re squatting or lifting a leg or kicking a ball, it’s more than accurate enough to capture those kind of cases,” he said.
On average, the system is off by 6.98 centimeters (2.75 inches) when estimating where to show a joint in VR versus where it actually is, he said.
To make it work, researchers streamed images from two fisheye-lens cameras on each controller — one facing upwards, one facing downwards — to a computer. (Initially, they used a desktop computer; later on, they used a small computer connected to a controller to show the whole process could be done right in the palm of your hand.) Software filtered out bad pictures and fixed lens distortion, then stitched camera images together so they could be used to estimate the headset wearer’s real-life poses. Those estimates determined the poses of the full-body avatar in VR.
Harrison’s lab at CMU, the Future Interfaces Group, has worked on paid collaborations with Meta in the past, he said, but this was not one of those projects.
Meta has been considering for years how to make avatars more realistic. In an Instagram “Ask Me Anything” session in February, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth acknowledged the difficulty of the task while saying the company is considering how to solve it. “Tracking your own legs accurately is super hard and basically not workable just from a physics standpoint with existing headsets,” Bosworth said.
Skip Rizzo, director of the Medical Virtual Reality Group at the University of California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, thinks leg tracking is useful for certain applications, such as when using VR for rehabilitation after a stroke. (One of the researchers’ demos was a balance-training exercise that had users stand on one leg at a time.) As with video game accessories — be it a steering wheel for a racing game or a vest that vibrates if you’re shot in a first-person-shooter game — he knows that most people don’t want to pay for extra sensors to use with their VR headsets.
“You gotta be real hardcore to buy that,” he said.
Still, he noted that adding cameras and a small computer to hand controllers would suck up more power (and since the Quest 2 controllers run on batteries, that could mean replacing them more often). Harrison, too, sees power consumption as a challenge; in the future, the researchers would like to increase the speed at which they can process images on the handheld controller, but they don’t want to run down its battery life too quickly.
While the ControllerPose project is meant to get people interested in the potential for using controllers to track the body, Harrison thinks it’s likely we’ll see such a feature included with an upcoming VR headset. (Meta declined to comment.)
“It’s not that it’s the killer app for VR,” Harrison said, “but we’re just going that one step closer to unlocking that vision of really teleporting yourself into another reality.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/money/cnn-social-media-technology/2022/05/12/these-researchers-came-up-with-a-solution-for-one-of-vrs-biggest-issues-tracking-your-legs/ | 2022-05-12T14:00:09Z |
CDC to extend federal transportation mask mandate for additional 15 days
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to extend the federal transportation mask mandate for another 15 days to early May, according to a Biden administration official familiar with the decision.
The announcement is expected as early as Wednesday afternoon from the CDC. The mandate is now set to expire on May 3. The Associated Press was first to report the extension.
The administration official familiar with the decision told CNN the goal of the extension was to gather more information and understanding of the BA.2 variant of the coronavirus.
"Since early April, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of cases in the US. In order to assess the potential impact, the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, CDC is recommending that TSA extend the security directive to enforce mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs for 15 days, through May 3, 2022," the official told CNN.
The official added, "This will give additional time for the CDC to learn more about BA.2 and make a best-informed decision."
The US is now averaging 38,345 new Covid-19 cases per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Cases are trending up in more than half of states -- including all but one state in the Northeast, Delaware. But the daily rate is still one of the lowest since mid-July.
According to the latest estimates from the CDC, BA.2 caused 86% of new Covid-19 cases nationwide last week.
The mandate, which requires masks on public transportation such as planes, trains, buses -- as well as in hubs like airports and bus terminals -- had been set to expire on April 18. White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told CNN on Monday that the CDC planned to share a scientific framework this week for the federal transportation mask mandate.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/health/coronavirus/2022/04/13/cdc-to-extend-federal-transportation-mask-mandate-for-additional-15-days-2/ | 2022-04-13T19:08:53Z |
PITTSBURGH, April 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Commonwealth Court Judge Patricia McCullough ordered 12th Congressional District Candidate Mike Doyle's name to remain on the ballot and awarded him costs and attorney's fees to be assessed to the individuals who filed the objection. The ruling follows a two day trial that included a line by line review of the signatures.
Congressional Candidate Mike Doyle made the following statement:
Together, working with an outstanding and committed group of volunteers, we collected just over 1300 signatures in two weeks. Today, efforts by a D.C. extreme left law firm, and the special interests behind them, had their frivolous attempt to challenge our petitions tossed by the court.
I'm grateful that the court agreed that we filed with more than enough signatures to appear on the ballot and voters of the 12th Congressional District will have the ability to vote for an independent candidate who will bring a commonsense conservative approach to Washington, D.C. I'm looking forward to formally launching my campaign soon and bring my message of opportunity and leadership to every community in the district.
Allegheny County Republican Chairman Sam Demarco made the following Statement:
Left wing attorney Marc Elias couldn't help himself. The judicial activists on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court already chose Elias' gerrymandered congressional map intended to elect allies of President Biden's left wing agenda. Elias then sent his attorneys into the 12th Congressional district to suppress the voices of Republican voters who demand to have a quality candidate on the ballot. After drawing our congressional maps, Elias now wants to pick our candidates. I'm proud that Mike Doyle stood up to this attack.
The Democrat's desperate attempt to knock Mike Doyle off the ballot is telling… It shows they are scared. They know that Mike Doyle is well poised to defeat whichever of the far-left and socialist activists that the democrats put up as their candidate in the May Primary. Pennsylvanians don't appreciate these blatant attempts to disenfranchise the voices of the 1000 plus Republicans who signed Mike Doyle's petition. They are eager to send D.C. a message by electing Mike Doyle to Congress and firing Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Westmoreland County Republican Chairman Bill Bretz made the following statement:
It is absurd that the democrats have abused the legal system to bring this frivolous challenge to Mike Doyle's candidacy. The arguments brought forward included the attempt to throw out the signatures of many voters because they felt the signature was illegible. Among the many unsuccessfully challenged signatures were a sitting County Commissioner and his spouse, two former County GOP Chairs, a Republican State Committeeman, and many other dedicated volunteers of our party.
It is unlikely that the democratic operatives behind this fastidious review of petition signatures will carry over their recent epiphany on the significance of signature verification to join us in supporting the reinstatement of such security measures on mail-in ballots and universal Voter ID as cornerstones of election integrity going forward rather than just this cynical and opportunistic attempt to knock a rival off the ballot with frivolous litigation in hopes that the courts do what they can't do at the ballot box- defeat Republicans.
For More Information- Ben Wren (724)-961-8180 or ben@longnyquist.com
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SOURCE Friends of Mike Doyle | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/04/02/doyle-remains-ballot-following-frivolous-attempt-remove-him/ | 2022-04-02T23:39:24Z |
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ftribe Fighters is excited to announce an exclusive offering Mystery Box on Binance NFT Marketplace and MOBA official release on May 09th.
Ftribe Fighters, a 3D MOBA game, belongs to a gaming ecosystem that emphasizes on building a convenient platform for users to play, earn, and exchange. Its ecosystem includes a traditional MOBA game, Marketplace, DeFi features, upcoming Idle game - Clash of Ftribe and Wallet. Binance NFT is a platform that enables users to participate in top-tier gaming projects by purchasing NFT assets, also known as an Initial Game Offering (IGO). Auctions, fixed price auctions, and mystery boxes are all options for launching assets. IGOs are only for gaming, and all drop contents will be in-game assets like early access passes, weapons, accessories, exclusive Binance cosmetics and skins, and more.
Integrating with Binance NFT is one of the major milestones on the company's path to success. Ftribe Fighters would like to introduce the Ftribe Fighters Mystery Box in this launch, which will be available in quantities of 3,500 for $60 each. Each box will contain one of the other 12 NFTs at random. Players will have a 33.33% percent chance of acquiring a gun from this Box, which is also a utility item.
All Binance Box guns (Deadbolt DK, Stroke SM, Light Ray L, Scepter EVO) will have maximum damage, giving all players a significant advantage. Any other box, for example, will only give them a random damage between 17 and 25 for the Light Ray L gun when opened, whereas the Binance Box will always give them 25. Another advantage of receiving any gun is that it will be their pass to participate in the highly anticipated Clash of Ftribe - Idle Game, which will be released in May 2022.
Ftribe Fighters Mystery Box will open for 12 hours from 11:00 UTC - 23:00 UTC on May 9th. Users who pass the intermediate level KYC can purchase the Ftribe Fighters Mystery Box.
Aside from the launch, players will have the opportunity to try our official release on the same day. This will allow them to take advantage right after purchasing the Box. Ftribe Fighters is ecstatic to finally deliver on what its communities have been waiting for, and it looks forward to expanding ecosystem very soon, with the release of Clash of Tribes - Idle Game in May.
About Ftribe Fighters
Developed by a team with many years of experience in blockchain, gaming, and IoT, Ftribe Fighters (F2 NFT) dreams of building an NFT gaming metaverse where players immerse themselves in an exciting MOBA game experience and earn juicy rewards. Our ecosystem comprises Ftribe Fighters, the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game, NFT Marketplace, Defi platforms, Clash of Ftribe (Idle Game) and so on. Our strongest backers in the NFT Game industry are Dao Maker and Icetea Labs.
Our mission is to build a free, transparent, and decentralized world where players have the right to play the game their way freely. Our vision is to be one of the pioneers in building up Metaverse development in the near future.
Website: f2nft.games
Twitter: https://twitter.com/f2nft
Telegram: https://t.me/F2NFTOfficial
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ftribefighters
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/GnDbCzfamf
Medium: https://ftribefighters.medium.com/
About Binance NFT Marketplace
Binance NFT, the official NFT marketplace of Binance, offers an open market for artists, creators, crypto enthusiasts, NFT collectors and creative fans around the world with the best liquidity and minimal fees.
Consisting of three product lines: Premium Events, Mystery Box and a Marketplace. Now, Binance NFT aims to build the first and largest GameFi NFT trading platform for gaming projects via IGO (Initial Game Offering) - featuring core in-game assets from top gaming projects.
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SOURCE FTRIBE GAMES PTE. LTD. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/05/ftribe-fighters-launches-an-exclusive-collection-binance-nft-marketplace-officially-releases-their-mobile-game-may-09th-2022/ | 2022-05-05T09:20:19Z |
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Moody Center has officially been blessed by the University of Texas’ Minister of Culture.
Academy Award-winning actor and University of Texas graduate Matthew McConaughey had a special performance for the crowd gathered outside of Austin’s Moody Center Tuesday morning. UT brass and city leaders gathered to officially open Austin’s newest entertainment venue and the home of Longhorns basketball with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
UT’s MOC was last to speak at the event, and they saved the best for last — maybe.
McConaughey said at the podium — “it is time to believe what happens in here, from now on, can and will change the world.”
Then, he broke out into an original song, asking the crowd if they were “ready to bless the mood.”
“Are you ready to bless the mood? I need some help, please… are you ready to bless the mood,” McConaughey sang nine times for the crowd just moments before the ribbon was cut.
Looking for some singing support, McConaughey was able to get some light participation from the crowd. Either way, he certainly left a lasting memory on the Moody Center’s first day.
The Moody Center is replacing the four-decade-old Frank Erwin Center as the Longhorns’ home gym and Austin concert venue.
It is a privately-funded $375 million venture, located at 2001 Robert Dedman Drive. The Moody Foundation gave $130 million toward the project that now bears its name.
The new arena can seat around 15,000 for concerts and other events. UT basketball games will only allow around 10,000 seats as the upper section will be closed off by panels. The panels, which rotate up to allow seating in the upper bowl, are acoustic and are meant to bounce sound back to the court. | https://cw33.com/news/video-matthew-mcconaughey-blesses-moody-center-with-original-song/ | 2022-04-19T19:05:01Z |
2nd-year QB Mac Jones leaving something behind this year
By GLEN FARLEY
Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne probably needed to do a double take when he saw quarterback Mac Jones. Bourne noted that Jones is lacking something he brought with him when he arrived in New England as a first-round draft pick out of Alabama last year. His gut. According to Jones, conditioning is an area he’s prioritized following a rookie season that saw him throw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns (with 13 interceptions) while leading his team to 10 regular-season wins and a playoff berth. | https://localnews8.com/news/2022/05/23/2nd-year-qb-mac-jones-leaving-something-behind-this-year/ | 2022-05-23T22:37:44Z |
Topeka residents not overly concerned with pedestrians in roadway, providing they don’t get ‘too aggressive’
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - It isn’t uncommon to see pedestrians on median strips at Topeka intersections soliciting donations from motorists.
But such activity is illegal at about 23 intersections in the capital city.
Among them are S.W. 29th and Topeka Boulevard; S.W. 21st and Gage; S.W. Huntoon and Fairlawn; and S.W. 17th and Wanamaker.
According to the city of Topeka, the ordinance passed in 2020 addressed a large number of crashes and the possibility that distracted driving contributed to some of those collisions at these intersections.
According to city code, pedestrians are increasingly using highways and roadways in ways for which the roads weren’t designed or intended.
These uses include approaching vehicles when stopped or in use or staying on medians and in the public right-of-way for purposes other than crossing the highway.
These activities create safety hazards for pedestrians and distract drivers, making vehicle crashes more likely.
City officials tell 13 NEWS they’ve not received a large increase in the number of citizen complaints about pedestrians in the roadway in recent weeks.
Topeka police enforce the ordinance and can tell violators they must leave the intersection. Violators also can face fines of up to $499 and up to 30 days in jail.
This past week, police told pedestrians soliciting funds at S.W. 29th and Topeka Boulevard they needed to get out of the intersection.
The individuals then went about three blocks east to 29th and S. Kansas Avenue, where they continued to solicit funds.
While it was against city ordinance for the individuals to be in the intersection of S.W. 29th and Topeka Boulevard, it wasn’t a violation of city ordinance for them to be at 29th and S. Kansas Avenue.
Some Topeka residents say they’re not overly concerned with pedestrians in the roadway, providing they don’t become too aggressive when soliciting funds.
“Honestly, it doesn’t bother me too much, except if they start approaching my vehicle and demanding more than asking,” said Bob Krische, of Topeka. “Then I have a problem with it. Other than that, I don’t really care too much.”
Aleksa Kent, of Topeka, said she doesn’t see a major problem with pedestrians in the roadway.
“As long as they’re not aggressive, I mean, I’ll help them out if I can,” she said. “But for the most part, I just keep my windows up and mind my business.”
According to the city of Topeka’s website, intersections where pedestrian activity is restricted include:
• S.W. 5th and Topeka Boulevard
• S.W. 12th and Jackson
• S.W. 6th and Orchard
• S.W. 8th and Topeka Boulevard
• S.W. 10th and Topeka Boulevard
• S.W. Huntoon and Gage
• S.W. 21st and Fairlawn
• S.W. 6th and Topeka Boulevard
• S.W. 10th and Lane
• S.E. 21st and Adams
• S.W. 29th and Fairlawn
• S.W. 21st and Gage
• S.W. 6th and Gage
• S.W. 21st and Wanamaker
• S.W. 17th and Wanamaker
• S.W. Huntoon and Fairlawn
• S.E. 15th and Adams
• S.W. 29th and Gage
• S.W. 29th and Topeka
• S.W. 21st and Washburn
• S.W. 29th and Wanamaker
• S.W. 21st and Topeka Boulevard
• S.W. 17th and Oakley
For more information, visit www.topeka.municipal.codes/TMC/10.80.
Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/06/topeka-residents-not-overly-concrned-with-pedestrians-roadway-providing-they-dont-get-too-agressive/ | 2022-07-06T23:38:09Z |
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Delek Logistics Partners, LP (NYSE: DKL) today announced that 2021 Schedule K-3 tax packages are now available on its website, www.deleklogistics.com. Unitholders may access their 2021 tax information by selecting the Tax Information link on the website.
Questions regarding the 2021 Tax Reporting Package can be addressed by contacting 1-855-301-4589 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. CST Monday through Friday, or via email at DelekLogisticsK1Help@deloitte.com
About Delek Logistics Partners, LP
Delek Logistics Partners, LP is a midstream energy master limited partnership headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Through its owned assets and joint ventures located primarily in and around the Permian Basin, the Delaware Basin and other select areas in the Gulf Coast region, Delek Logistics Partners, LP provides gathering, pipeline and other transportation services primarily for crude oil and natural gas customers, storage, wholesale marketing and terminalling services primarily for intermediate and refined product customers, and water disposal and recycling services. Delek US Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DK) ("Delek US") owns the general partner interest as well as a majority limited partner interest in Delek Logistics Partners, LP, and is also a significant customer.
Information about Delek Logistics Partners, LP can be found on its website (www.deleklogistics.com), investor relations webpage (https://www.deleklogistics.com/investor-relations), news webpage (https://www.deleklogistics.com/news-releases) and its Twitter account (@DelekLogistics).
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SOURCE Delek Logistics | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/01/delek-logistics-partners-lp-2021-k-3-tax-packages-available-website/ | 2022-09-01T19:45:39Z |
DENVER, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - BellRock Brands Inc. ("BellRock" or the "Company") (CSE: BRCK.U), an industry-leading cannabis multi-state house of brands announced today that C.J. Chapman, BellRock's Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, is leaving the company effective July 4, 2022. Under C.J.'s legal stewardship, the Company initially listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, the OTCQX and the Frankfurt Exchange and consummated various transactions, including the merger with BR Brands. He has agreed to work with the Company during this period to ensure a smooth transition with his replacement.
"I would like to thank C.J. for his professionalism and legal guidance in taking the Company public and building out the legal department and various other functions over the past four years. He will be missed, and we wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors," said BellRock CEO and President, Brian Jansen.
As a result of the change, Eduardo Provencio, BellRock's current Senior Vice President of Legal and Business Development, will be assuming the role of General Counsel. Eduardo was previously Mary's Medicinals' General Counsel prior to Dixie Brands merger with BR Brands. Eduardo has over six years of experience in the cannabis industry and has been a thought leader for the regulatory framework in Colorado and other states.
"I am leaving the cannabis industry to pursue another opportunity, but BellRock is in good hands with Eduardo taking over the legal helm and with the guidance of Brian Jansen and the BellRock board," said C.J. Chapman.
BellRock Brands is a cannabis multi-state house of brands and intellectual property focused CPG operator that possesses one of the industry's broadest branded product portfolios. BellRock consists of two iconic cannabis brands, Mary's Medicinals (a pioneer in the Health & Wellness segment since 2013) and Dixie (a market-leading cannabis-infused edibles brand since 2010). BellRock also includes two growing California-based brands, Rebel Coast and Défoncé. BellRock's CBD portfolio includes the brands Mary's Nutritionals and Mary's Tails. With 7 brands and over 200 SKUs, BellRock reaches nearly every key consumer group and addresses the needs of a diverse cannabis consumer base. The BellRock manufacturing and distribution footprint continues to expand and currently spans nine states, and the Company owns or manages production facilities in its largest markets. For more information, visit www.bellrockbrands.com.
The information provided in this press release may contain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, made by the Company (or its predecessors) that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements preceded by, followed by or that include words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "intends", "anticipates", "targeted", "continues", "forecasts", "designed", "goal", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. Forward-looking statements may relate to future financial conditions, results of operations, plans, objectives, performance or business developments. These statements speak only as at the date they are made and are based on information currently available and on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events, which are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from that which was expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: (i) the regulation of the medical and recreational marijuana industry in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and other countries in which the Company may carry on its business; (ii) the ability of the Company to obtain meaningful consumer acceptance and a successful market for its products on a national and international basis at competitive prices; (iii) the ability of the Company to develop and maintain an effective sales network; (iv) the success of the Company in forecasting demand for its products or services; (v) the ability of the Company to maintain pricing and thereby maintain adequate profit margins; (vi) the ability of the Company to achieve adequate intellectual property protection; (vii) the availability of financing opportunities, risks associated with economic conditions, dependence on management and conflicts of interest; and (viii) other risks described from time to time in documents filed by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, including the Company's listing statement dated October 31, 2020.
The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain key expectations and assumptions, including the Company's ability to transition to new senior leadership without any material adverse change to the Company's operations or business.
With respect to the forward-looking statements contained herein, although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements as no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including the risks described above. Consequently, all forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by such cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the anticipated results or developments will actually be realized or, even if realized, that they will have the expected consequences to or effects on the Company.
The cautionary statements contained or referred to herein should be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that the Company and/or persons acting on the Company's behalf may issue.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.
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SOURCE BellRock Brands Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/22/bellrock-brands-announces-management-change/ | 2022-06-22T12:21:59Z |
DALLAS (KDAF) — Sweet tooths, hot days, vanilla ice cream and some accompanying ingredients could create the perfect storm to enjoy the ever-so-popular dessert, the vanilla milkshake.
As summertime is here, so is the heat that the Texas sun never forgets to bring, meaning one of the factors to properly enjoying a vanilla milkshake is in play. Monday, June 20 is National Vanilla Milkshake Day!
NationalToday says, “Vanilla is actually native to central Mexico and it’s the only fruit-bearing member of the orchid family. The first people that used the fruit of the Tlilxochitl vine were the ancient Totonac Indians of Mexico, but after the Aztecs defeated them, they no longer had sole ownership of the fruit.”
Don’t feel like making one at home? Don’t worry, we checked out Yelp’s list of the best milkshakes in Dallas for you to get out and enjoy:
- The Yard Milkshake Bar
- Baldo’s Ice Cream & Coffee
- Son of a Butcher – Lower Greenville
- Hopdoddy Burger Bar
- Pokey O’s Cookies & Ice Cream
- Hypnotic Emporium – Lakewood
- Twister Root Burger
- Tongue in Cheek Ice Cream – North Dallas
- Keller’s Drive-In – Lake Highlands | https://cw33.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/whos-got-the-best-vanilla-milkshakes-in-dallas/ | 2022-06-20T14:29:27Z |
HONG KONG and BEIJING, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison Auction is excited to present 2022 Madison August Live Auction at 10 am (HKT), Saturday, August 20th in Hong Kong, the stunning 555 lots of which includes 407 lots of wines (includes 130 lots of Bordeaux, 211 lots of Burgundy, 33 lots of American cult wines, 16 lots of Champagne, etc.), 43 lots of whiskies, with a total estimate of HK$23,000,000 - HK$39,000,000.
This sale will be live-streamed on Madison Auction bidding platform (www.madison-auction.com/auctions) and the Madison Auction App (search 'Madison Auction' in the app store). Take advantage of the last few days to place online absentee bid via the bidding platform and app.
As the first Hong Kong based luxury lifestyle auction house, Madison Auction hosts auctions for the unique pool of high-net-worth clients from APAC and other regions. Madison Auction continues to accept consignments at 0% seller's commission throughout the year for upcoming sales.
In addition to Hong Kong, Madison Auction will also set up salerooms in Shanghai and Shenzhen, allowing more mainland bidders to simultaneously attend the auction via live streaming. And even more specifically, the Shanghai saleroom will be jointly hold by Madison Auction and FGA together, with various industry entrepreneurs, elites, enthusiasts, and KOLs to be invited to present an extraordinary auction experience.
407 Lots Wine (Lots 1 – 407)
Of these 407 lots of wines, about 30% are from Bordeaux, 50% from Burgundy, 10% from Napa Valley.
Steal a glance, you will see a beautiful Arnaud Ente collection that haven't appeared on market for a long time (Lot 207-211). Bizot has been one of the hottest items among Burgundy collectors, and there are quite a few lots from 2012-2015 vintages with perfect conditions (Lot 36, 37, 212-218).
Besides these splendid and bright young generations, this auction does not lack reputable classic wineries. There are couple sets of DRC assortments in original wooden cases (Lot 160 & 161), Contis from legendary vintages (Lot 177 & 191), and even a set in banded wooden case (Lot 355). Leroy is certainly the other top Burgundy; besides the most applauded Musigny (Lot 219 & 220), there is also one bottle of the rarest Corton-Charlemagne from 2008 (Lot 163), one of the greatest vintages for Burgundy whites.
Bordeaux lovers, there are many classic Châteaus in their best drinking windows, such as Vieux Château Certan 1989 (Lot 102). Several large formats, such as the 1985 Le Pin double magnum (Lot 84), will certainly add icing on the cake to your collections.
The 1999 Salon in original wooden case (Lot 145 & 146) or the Jacques Selosse disgorged in early years (Lot 376-379) may excite all Champagne collectors.
Napa fanatics, now Madison Auction presents to you the top producers in the 70s-90s, including the superb vintage 1994 (Lot 182, 370). Some other rare and collectible wines are 2007 Rayas Blanc (Lot 148), 1988 Soldera (Lot 71), Château d'Yquem 80s vintage assortment ((Lot 95), and SQN Mr.K (Lot 400).
43 Lots Spirit (Lots 408 – 450)
The highly acclaimed Sake Mujaku is extremely difficult to find on market, there are two lots of back-vintage (Lot 408 & 409) to all sake aficionados.
Also from Japan, highly-limited bottles from the most reputable distilleries such as Karuizawa, Hanyu, etc. If you are a Japanese whisky enthusiast, you may also appreciate「和馨」(Lot 442), Hibiki limited editions (Lot 447 & 448) such as Aritayaki (有田燒) and Kutani Yaki (九谷燒).
The full set of Edition No.1-No.6 (Lot 423), the Archival Series Folio 4 (Lot 422), and Diamond Jubilee 2012 Queen Elizabeth Anniversary (Lot 420) to complete the Macallan collection.
Recommendation
2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment
Lot 160 | 10 Bottles, Banded OWC
Est. HK$ 320,000 - HK$ 600,000
- 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru (1)
- 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru (2)
- 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru (1)
- 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru (2)
- 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru (2)
- 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru (2)
1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment
Lot 161 | 12 Bottles, OWC
Est. HK$ 600,000 - HK$ 1,100,000
- 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru (1)
- 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru (3)
- 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru (2)
- 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru (2)
- 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru (2)
- 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru (2)
DRC Assortments are always the hot but rare property in the auction, for those with the original wooden cases (OWC) are undoubtedly the Helen in the Trojan war! Vintage 1999 and 2011 are both collectible and drinkable for Burgundy, with only one beauty available each, it is time to move her heart.
1998 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru
Lot 219 & 220 | 1 Bottle | RP 96 | 585 bottles produced
Est. HK$ 260,000 - HK$ 400,000
The vintage 1998 is beginning to reveal its distinctive aromas and style of Leroy, a top Musigny producer known for its low yields and high quality. Hunt the true gems now.
2008 Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Lot 163 | 1 Bottle | BH 93 | 1,510 bottles produced| Capsule: Perfectly waxed
Est. HK$ 65,000 - HK$ 100,000
Leroy Corten-Charlemagne shares its reputation with the same appellation of Coche-Dury. 2008 is a great vintage of Burgundy whites and well worth the price.
Domaine Arnaud Ente Mixed Lot (1)
Lot 210 | 4 Bottles+1 Magnum
Est. HK$ 30,000 - HK$ 55,000
2014 Domaine Arnaud Ente Meursault, Clos des Ambres (4)
2014 Domaine Arnaud Ente Volnay 1er Cru, Santenots-du-Milieu (1 Magnum)
A well-lauded Meursault producer in recent years. This mixed lot shall lead people on a fantastic journey to discover the charm of Arnaud Ente's Reds & Whites.
Suntory 「和馨」Blended Whisky
Lot 442 | 1 Bottle, Singe OC | Alc: 43%, Vol: 700ml
Est. HK$ 45,000 - HK$ 75,000
This blended whisky is aged in the old Mizunara casks from Yamazaki Distillery including a 1984 vintage, created by the 4th generation of Suntory's Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyoa. Only 539 bottles of this limited-edition masterpiece were released, and it is no longer available for sale.
Email: consignment@madison-auction.com
Tel: +852 3188 6613
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SOURCE Madison Auction Limited | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/catch-glimpse-madison-2022-august-live-auction-wine-amp-spirit/ | 2022-08-15T09:38:52Z |
TTEC Announces Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results
Published: Aug. 9, 2022 at 3:05 PM CDT|Updated: 36 minutes ago
Second Quarter 2022
Revenue was $604.3 Million Operating Income was $35.9 Million or 5.9 Percent of Revenue Non-GAAP $61.2 Million or 10.1 Percent of Revenue Net Income was $25.2 Million ($46.4 Million Non-GAAP) Adjusted EBITDA was $84.1 Million or 13.9 Percent of Revenue Fully Diluted EPS was $0.53 ($0.98 Non-GAAP)
Signs Bookings of $170 Million Updates Outlook for Full Year 2022
DENVER, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTEC), one of the largest, global CX (customer experience) technology and services innovators for end-to-end digital CX solutions, announced today financial results for the second quarter, ended June 30, 2022.
"We exceeded our second quarter revenue and profit expectations and are confident in the long-term enduring strength of our business," commented Ken Tuchman, chairman and chief executive officer of TTEC. "Over the years, we have diversified our business by expanding our CX capabilities, global clientele, industry expertise, and geographic footprint. Furthermore, our suite of digitally-enabled customer experience solutions provide the outcomes that our clients need to deliver increased customer value and brand loyalty. Our ability to help attract, retain, serve, and grow profitable customer relationships remains mission critical in any economic cycle. Amidst this dynamic macro environment, we will continue to focus on innovating new digital CX solutions, delivering superior services to our clients, maintaining business agility, and prudently investing for the future."
SECOND QUARTER 2022 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Revenue
Second quarter 2022 GAAP revenue increased 8.9 percent to $604.3 million compared to $554.8 million in the prior year period.
Foreign exchange had a $10.5 million negative impact on revenue in the second quarter 2022.
Income from Operations
Second quarter 2022 GAAP income from operations was $35.9 million, or 5.9 percent of revenue, compared to $65.8 million, or 11.9 percent of revenue in the prior year period.
Non-GAAP income from operations, excluding restructuring and impairment charges, equity-based compensation expenses, amortization of purchased intangibles, and other items, was $61.2 million or 10.1 percent of revenue versus $78.6 million or 14.2 percent for the prior year period.
Foreign exchange had a $2.7 million positive impact on Non-GAAP income from operations in the second quarter 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA
Second quarter 2022 Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA was $84.1 million, or 13.9 percent of revenue, compared to $95.7 million, or 17.3 percent of revenue in the prior year period.
Earnings Per Share
Second quarter 2022 GAAP fully diluted earnings per share was $0.53 compared to $1.00 for the same period last year.
Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share was $0.98 compared to $1.27 in the prior year period.
Bookings
During the second quarter 2022, TTEC signed an estimated $170 million in annualized contract value compared to $204 million in the prior year period. Second quarter bookings mix was diversified across segments, verticals, and geographies.
STRONG CASH FLOW AND BALANCE SHEET FUND INVESTMENTS AND DIVIDENDS
Cash flow from operations in the second quarter 2022 was $77.6 million compared to $63.1 million for the second quarter 2021.
Capital expenditures in the second quarter 2022 were $19.1 million compared to $12.0 million for the second quarter 2021.
As of June 30, 2022, TTEC had cash and cash equivalents of $163.2 million and debt of $934.7 million, resulting in a net debt position of $771.5 million. This compares to a net debt position of $667.8 million for the same period 2021. The increase in net debt is primarily attributable to the Faneuil asset acquisition in April 2022 and capital distributions.
As of June 30, 2022, TTEC's remaining borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility was approximately $425 million compared to $360 million for the same period 2021.
TTEC paid a $0.50 per share, or $23.5 million, semi-annual dividend on April 20, 2022 to shareholders of record on March 31, 2022. This dividend represents a 16.3 percent increase over the April 2021 dividend and 6.4 percent over the October 2021 dividend.
SEGMENT REPORTING & COMMENTARY
TTEC reports financial results for two business segments: TTEC Digital (Digital) and TTEC Engage (Engage). Financial highlights for the two segments are provided below.
TTEC Digital – Design, build and operate tech-enabled, insight-driven CX solutions
Second quarter 2022 GAAP revenue for TTEC Digital increased 8.0 percent to $116.6 million from $108.0 million for the year ago period. Income from operations was $10.9 million or 9.3 percent of revenue compared to operating income of $9.6 million or 8.9 percent of revenue for the prior year period.
Non-GAAP income from operations was $17.1 million, or 14.7 percent of revenue compared to operating income of $17.1 million or 15.8 percent of revenue in the prior year period.
TTEC Engage – Digitally-enabled customer care, acquisition, and fraud mitigation services
Second quarter 2022 GAAP revenue for TTEC Engage increased 9.1 percent to $487.7 million from $446.8 million for the year ago period. Income from operations was $25.0 million or 5.1 percent of revenue compared to operating income of $56.3 million or 12.6percent of revenue for the prior year period.
Non-GAAP income from operations was $44.1 million, or 9.0 percent of revenue compared to operating income of $61.5 million or 13.8 percent of revenue in the prior year period.
Foreign exchange had a $9.7 million negative impact on revenue and $2.5 million positive impact on income from operations.
BUSINESS OUTLOOK
"We are pleased with our second quarter performance, achieving many of our key metrics, closing on a meaningful strategic asset acquisition, and surpassing $600 million in revenue in the second quarter for the first time, representing double-digit top-line growth of 10.8 percent over the same period last year on a constant currency basis, commented Dustin Semach, chief financial officer of TTEC. "Taking it all together, amid a dynamic, rapidly changing macroeconomic environment, we delivered a strong first half of 2022. However, our second half 2022 updated outlook reflects a recent shift in client decision making and moderation in certain verticals' growth-related volume forecasts."
Semach continued, "We are helping organizations across the world deliver value-added, outcome-based customer experiences through our digitally-enabled CX technology and service solutions. The investments we are making, the client relationships we have built, and our talented leadership and teams position us well to navigate the dynamic environment ahead of us."
The Company has not quantitatively reconciled its guidance for Non-GAAP operating income margins, Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA margins, or Non-GAAP earnings per share to their respective most comparable GAAP measures because certain of the reconciling items that impact these metrics, including asset impairment, restructuring and integration charges, cybersecurity incident-related costs, gains or losses on the sale of business units or other assets, equity-based compensation expense, changes in acquisition contingent consideration, depreciation and amortization expense, and provision for income taxes are dependent on the timing of future events outside of the Company's control or cannot be reliably predicted. Accordingly, the Company is unable to provide reconciliations to GAAP operating income margins, net income margins, and diluted earnings per share without unreasonable effort. Please note that the unavailable reconciling items could significantly impact the company's 2022 financial results as reported under GAAP.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
This press release contains a discussion of certain Non-GAAP financial measures that the Company includes to allow investors and analysts to measure, analyze and compare its financial condition and results of operations in a meaningful and consistent manner. A reconciliation of these Non-GAAP financial measures can be found in the tables accompanying this press release.
GAAPmetrics are presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Non-GAAP - As reflected in the attached reconciliation table, the definition of Non-GAAP may exclude from operating income, EBITDA, net income and earnings per share restructuring and impairment charges, equity-based compensation expenses, amortization of purchased intangibles, among other items.
ABOUT TTEC
TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is one of the largest, global CX (customer experience) technology and services innovators for end-to-end, digital CX solutions. The Company delivers leading CX technology and operational CX orchestration at scale through its proprietary cloud-based CXaaS (Customer Experience as a Service) platform. Serving iconic and disruptive brands, TTEC's outcome-based solutions span the entire enterprise, touch every virtual interaction channel, and improve each step of the customer journey. Leveraging next gen digital and cognitive technology, the Company's Digital business designs, builds, and operates omnichannel contact center technology, conversational messaging, CRM, automation (AI / ML and RPA), and analytics solutions. The Company's Engage business delivers digital customer engagement, customer acquisition & growth, content moderation, fraud prevention, and data annotation solutions. Founded in 1982, the Company's singular obsession with CX excellence has earned it leading client NPS scores across the globe. The Company's nearly 60,000 employees operate on six continents and bring technology and humanity together to deliver happy customers and differentiated business results. To learn more visit us at https://www.ttec.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This earnings release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, relating to our operations, expected financial position, results of operation, and other business matters that are based on our current expectations, assumptions, and projections with respect to the future, and are not a guarantee of performance. In this release when we use words such as "may," "believe," "plan," "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "project," "would," "could," "target," or similar expressions, or when we discuss our strategy, plans, goals, initiatives, or objectives, we are making forward-looking statements.
We caution you not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, and you should review and consider carefully the risks, uncertainties and other factors that affect our business and may cause such differences as outlined in Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and any subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") which are available on TTEC's website www.ttec.com, and on the SEC's public website at www.sec.gov. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements include, among others, the risks related to our business operations and strategy, including the risks related to our strategy execution in a competitive market; our ability to innovate and introduce technologies that are sufficiently disruptive to allow us to maintain and grow our market share; risks inherent in the reliability of our information technology systems; risks related to our information technology infrastructure's cybersecurity in general, and criminal activity such as ransomware, other malware and data exfiltration or destruction in particular, which can impact our ability to consistently deliver uninterrupted service to our clients; our dependence on third parties for our cloud solutions; risks inherent in our transition to a work from home environment; our ability to attract and retain qualified and skilled personnel at a price point that we can afford and our clients are willing to pay; our M&A activity, including our ability to identify, acquire and properly integrate acquired businesses in accordance with our strategy; the risk related to our international operations; the risks related to legal and regulatory impact on our operations, including rapidly changing laws that regulate our and our clients' business, such as data privacy and data protection laws, regulatory changes impacting our healthcare businesses, financial and public sector specific regulations, our ability to comply with these laws timely and cost effectively; and the cost of wage and hour litigation in the United States; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic economic and regulatory realities on our business and our clients' business; and risks inherent in our equity structure including our controlling shareholder risk, and Delaware choice of dispute resolution risks.
Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that this release is issued. We undertake no obligation to update them, except as may be required by applicable law. Although we believe that our forward-looking statements are reasonable, they depend on many factors outside of our control and we can provide no assurance that they will prove to be correct.
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/09/ttec-announces-second-quarter-2022-financial-results/ | 2022-08-09T20:41:27Z |
A look at what’s happening around baseball today:
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HOTLANTA
After another slow start to the season, the reigning World Series champion Braves are surging like an October contender once again, riding an 11-game winning streak into a series at Washington.
It’s the club’s best stretch since winning 14 straight from July 26 to Aug. 9, 2013. Atlanta has outscored opponents 74-30 with 22 homers during the run, and the pitching staff has a 2.32 ERA over the same span.
Braves right-hander Ian Anderson (5-3, 4.53 ERA) has two victories in that time, although he also has a 5.25 ERA his past two starts — Atlanta scored 13 runs behind him in each game. He’ll face Nats righty Josiah Gray (6-4, 4.33) to start the series.
LYNN IS IN
Lance Lynn will return from the injured list and pitch for the White Sox a day earlier than planned after manager Tony La Russa shuffled his rotation in response to Michael Kopech’s injury Sunday.
Kopech left a start against Texas after 13 pitches with right knee discomfort, and La Russa ended up using Johnny Cueto — Monday’s projected starter — in relief. Kopech was optimistic he’ll return soon, and La Russa said the right-hander could be back by next Sunday.
Lynn was slated to return Tuesday but instead will take Cueto’s vacated spot for the opener of a series at Detroit. Lynn had right knee surgery during spring training and has yet to pitch this season. The 35-year-old was 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA over 28 starts last year.
MASTERFUL MARLIN
Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara tries to keep up his impressive run when he starts against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
The 26-year-old Alcantara (6-2, 1.61 ERA) has allowed just three earned runs in 48 innings over his last six starts.
Aaron Nola (4-4, 3.50) pitches for Philadelphia, which had its nine-game winning streak end Sunday with a loss to Arizona.
BACK TO WRIGLEY
The Cubs return home with a season-high six-game losing streak as lefty Justin Steele (1-5, 4.79 ERA) takes on Yu Darvish (5-3, 3.61) and the Padres.
Chicago got hammered 18-4 on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, and was outscored 28-5 while getting swept in a three-game series.
The Cubs fell to 4-23 overall against the Yankees, including a pair of World Series sweeps in the 1930s by New York teams starring Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. The Cubs are 0-12 in the Bronx.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/leading-off-braves-go-for-12th-straight-win-lynn-returns-2/ | 2022-06-14T07:05:28Z |
Serena Williams is going to play at Wimbledon, after all. The All England Club announced on Tuesday that Williams was awarded a wild-card entry for singles, marking her return to Grand Slam action after a year away.
The owner of a professional era-record 23 Grand Slam singles trophies, and as big a star as tennis ever has seen, is going to tune up by playing doubles at a smaller grass-court event first, teaming with Ons Jabeur at Eastbourne, England, next week.
Main-draw play at Wimbledon begins on June 27.
Williams has not competed anywhere since getting injured during the first set of her first-round match at the All England Club in 2021. And her name did not appear on the women’s singles entry list released by the grass-court Grand Slam tournament earlier this month.
But Williams was among a half-dozen women given a spot in the singles draw on Tuesday, along with five British players: Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage, Sonay Kartal, Yuriko Miyazaki and Katie Swan.
Two other women will get invitations “in due course,” the All England Club said.
Seven of the eight men’s wild-card berths were also announced, including one for three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka.
Earlier in the day, Williams posted a photo of her white shoes on what appears to be a grass court and the message: “SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022. See you there. Let’s Go.”
“SW” are her initials, of course, and “SW19” is the postal code for Wimbledon.
The 40-year-old American has won seven of her singles trophies at Wimbledon, the first in 2002 and most recently in 2016. Williams was the runner-up there in 2018 and 2019 (the tournament was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic).
In 2021, Williams lost her footing on the slick grass and then her right leg buckled, leading to just the second mid-match retirement at any Grand Slam tournament of her career and first since 1998.
With the lack of activity since then, Williams — who first reached No. 1 in July 2002 — is 1,208th in the WTA rankings this week. That is why she was not automatically placed in the Wimbledon field.
While Williams has been sidelined, first Ash Barty and then Iga Swiatek stepped into the opening left by her extended absence. Barty won Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this January to solidify her hold on the No. 1 ranking, but then abruptly retired at age 25 in March.
That allowed Swiatek to rise to No. 1, and she has backed up that new status with an ongoing 35-match winning streak that included claiming a second French Open trophy this month.
That unbeaten stretch exceeds by one a 34-match run Williams put together in 2013 and equals one by Williams’ older sister, Venus, for the longest since 2000.
Adding Williams to the bracket at the All England Club adds quite a story line for this year’s tournament, which as things stood was going to be filled with them, including the ban on players from Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine, the subsequent removal of rankings points by the WTA and ATP tours, the 100th anniversary of the opening of Centre Court and the addition of scheduled play on the fortnight’s middle Sunday for the first time.
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More AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/serena-williams-implies-shell-play-at-wimbledon-this-year/ | 2022-06-15T01:15:02Z |
Illinois, Delaware and South Carolina had the Highest Foreclosure Rates;
Completed Foreclosures Increase 28 Percent from Last Month
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, today released its August 2022 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows there were a total of 34,501 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — up 14 percent from a month ago and up 118 percent from a year ago.
Lenders started the foreclosure process on 23,952 U.S. properties in August 2022, up 12 percent from last month and up 187 percent from a year ago.
"Two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after massive government intervention and mortgage industry efforts to prevent defaults, foreclosure starts have almost returned to 2019 levels," said Rick Sharga, executive vice president of market intelligence at ATTOM. "August foreclosure starts were at 86 percent of the number of foreclosure starts in August 2019, but it's important to remember that even then, foreclosure activity was relatively low compared to historical averages."
States that had at least 100 foreclosure starts in August 2022 and saw the greatest monthly increases in foreclosure starts included: Oklahoma (up 80 percent); Tennessee (up 74 percent); Virginia (up 64 percent); Arkansas (up 53 percent); and Washington (up 50 percent).
In taking a more granular look, those counties that had the greatest number of foreclosure starts in August 2022 included: Cook County, IL (798 foreclosure starts); Los Angeles County, CA (740 foreclosure starts); Harris County, TX (465 foreclosure starts); Suffolk County, NY (297 foreclosure starts); and Riverside County, CA (280 foreclosure starts).
Nationwide one in every 4,072 housing units had a foreclosure filing in August 2022. States with the highest foreclosure rates were Illinois (one in every 1,926 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Delaware (one in every 2,387 housing units); South Carolina (one in every 2,417 housing units); New Jersey (one in every 2,441 housing units); and Florida (one in every 2,950 housing units).
Among the 223 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000, those with the highest foreclosure rates in August 2022 were Peoria, IL (one in every 869 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Jacksonville, NC (one in every 968 housing units); Bakersfield, CA (one in every 1,454 housing units); South Bend, IN (one in every 1,478 housing units); and Rockford, IL (one in every 1,496 housing units).
Those metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million, with the worst foreclosure rates in August 2022 were: Cleveland, OH (one in every 1,820 housing units); Chicago, IL (one in every 1,877 housing units); Jacksonville, FL (one in every 2,074 housing units); Riverside, CA (one in every 2,091 housing units); and Orlando, FL (one in every 2,445 housing units).
Lenders repossessed 3,938 U.S. properties through completed foreclosures (REOs) in August 2022, up 28 percent from last month and up 59 percent from last year.
"Repossessions are likely to continue running below pre-pandemic levels for several reasons, most importantly that over 90 percent of borrowers in foreclosure have positive equity in their homes, and would benefit from selling these properties at a profit rather than risk losing everything to a foreclosure auction or lender repossession," Sharga noted.
Those states that had the greatest number of REOs in April 2022, included: Illinois (493 REOs); New York (337 REOs); Michigan (326 REOs); Pennsylvania (260 REOs); and California (189 REOs).
Among those major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a population greater than 1 million that saw the greatest monthly increase in REOs in August 2022, were: Kansas City, MO (up 967 percent); New York, NY (up 90 percent); Philadelphia, PA (up 28 percent); and Detroit, MI (up 23 percent).
The ATTOM U.S. Foreclosure Market Report provides a count of the total number of properties with at least one foreclosure filing entered into the ATTOM Data Warehouse during the month and quarter. Some foreclosure filings entered into the database during the quarter may have been recorded in the previous quarter. Data is collected from more than 3,000 counties nationwide, and those counties account for more than 99 percent of the U.S. population. ATTOM's report incorporates documents filed in all three phases of foreclosure: Default — Notice of Default (NOD) and Lis Pendens (LIS); Auction — Notice of Trustee Sale and Notice of Foreclosure Sale (NTS and NFS); and Real Estate Owned, or REO properties (that have been foreclosed on and repurchased by a bank). For the annual, midyear and quarterly reports, if more than one type of foreclosure document is received for a property during the timeframe, only the most recent filing is counted in the report. The annual, midyear, quarterly and monthly reports all check if the same type of document was filed against a property previously. If so, and if that previous filing occurred within the estimated foreclosure timeframe for the state where the property is located, the report does not count the property in the current year, quarter or month.
ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property reports and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, that offers immediate access and streamlines data management – ATTOM Cloud.
Media Contact:
Christine Stricker
949.748.8428
christine.stricker@attomdata.com
Data and Report Licensing:
949.502.8313
datareports@attomdata.com
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SOURCE ATTOM Data Solutions | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/us-foreclosure-starts-reach-pre-pandemic-levels-nationwide/ | 2022-09-08T12:42:12Z |
SINGAPORE, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XT.com, the world's first social infused digital asset trading platform, is delighted to announce that it will soon list the Redlight Finance (REDLC) coin on August 20, 2022, at 13:00 (UTC). REDLC/USDT is the available trading pair that will be onboarded under the exchange's Main Zone (Metaverse).
REDLC is a blockchain governance coin of the Redlight Finance ecosystem. It functions as the platform's primary medium of exchange for all transactions. Redlight Finance aims to solve blockchain scalability, security, and decentralization challenges through its optimized gasless blockchain. Without the involvement of a third party, Redlight Finance's main objective is to showcase how REDLC can serve as the true bridge from the DeFi world to the real world without any hassle.
XT.com encourages crypto enthusiasts and REDLC coin holders to proceed with depositing crypto assets on August 19, 2022, at 13:00 (UTC). Furthermore, everyone can participate in and capitalize on (REDLC) by trading it. XT.com will offer REDLC/USDT withdrawal options specifically on August 21, 2022, at 13:00 (UTC).
The XT team highlights that, in line with their continuous coin listing, this forms a huge part of their long-term goal of building an efficient, secure, and inclusive virtual asset ecosystem for its users. Investors are welcome to take advantage of the listing to make a liveable income by trading REDLC/USDT when it goes live.
Jonathan Shih, the Head of MEA (Middle East & Africa) at XT.com, exclaimed, "We are delighted to partner with Redlight Finance (REDLC), and have their coin listed on our platform. By onboarding the REDLC coin for trading, we will further extend our arms and support Redlight Finance to achieve its aims of solving the security, decentralization, and scalability trilemmas of blockchain by projecting its REDLC utility coin on our exchange for trading."
About Redlight Finance (REDLC)
Redlight Finance is a Layer 1 (L1) Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible blockchain. It aims to solve the three main trilemmas of blockchain, which include scalability, decentralization, and security. Moreover, one of Redlight Finance's goals is to provide a sophisticated blockchain bridge to close the gap between the DeFi world and the real world and connect hospitals, financial institutions, and other governmental organizations to securely transition into Web3. To achieve this, the company has developed its one-of-a-kind gasless blockchain with an intuitive use case for traditional crypto investors by integrating smart contracts.
Website: https://redlight.finance/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/redlight
About XT.com
By consistently expanding its ecosystem, XT.com is dedicated to providing users with the most secure, trusted, and hassle-free digital asset trading services. Our exchange is built from a desire to give everyone access to digital assets regardless where you are.
Founded in 2018, XT.com now serves more than 4.5 million registered users, over 500,000+ monthly active users, and 30+ million users in the ecosystem. Covering a rich variety of trading categories together with an NFT aggregated marketplace, our platform strives to cater to its large user base by providing a secure, trusted, and intuitive trading experience.
As the world's first social infused digital assets trading platform, XT.com also supports social networking platform based transactions to make our crypto services more accessible to users all over the world. Furthermore, to ensure optimal data integrity and security, we see user security as our top priority at XT.com.
Website: https://www.xt.com/
Telegram: https://t.me/XTsupport_EN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/XTexchange
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SOURCE XT.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/redlight-finance-redlc-gets-listed-xtcom-with-usdt-trading-pair/ | 2022-08-19T14:38:37Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of Dingdong (Cayman) Ltd..
Shareholders who purchased shares of DDL during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
CLASS PERIOD: This lawsuit is on behalf of persons who purchased, or otherwise acquired, Dingdong American Depository Shares pursuant or traceable to the F-1 registration statements and related prospectus on Form 424B4 issued in connection with Dingdong's June 2021 initial public stock offering.
ALLEGATIONS: According to the filed complaint, the registration statement and prospectus used to effectuate the Company's initial public offering misstated and/or omitted facts concerning Dingdong's so-called commitment to ensuring the safety and quality of the food it distributes to the market. For example, despite claiming that it applies "stringent quality control across [its] entire supply chain to ensure product quality to [its] users," Dingdong sold food past its sell-by date. Consequently, Dingdong was, in fact, no better at providing or assuring access to "fresh" groceries than the supermarkets, traditional Chinese wet markets, or traditional e-commerce platforms it repeatedly claimed to be displacing. Moreover, the foregoing conduct subjected Dingdong to an increased risk of regulatory and/or governmental scrutiny and enforcement, all of which, once revealed, were likely to negatively impact Dingdong's business, operations, and reputation.
DEADLINE: October 24, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/dingdong-cayman-ltd-loss-form/?id=31653&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of DDL during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is October 24, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
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SOURCE The Gross Law Firm | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-dingdong-cayman-ltd-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-october-24-2022-nyse-ddl/ | 2022-09-14T10:23:34Z |
CARLSBAD, N.M., July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NextMart, Inc. (the "Company" or "NXMR" - Pink Sheets Alternative Reporting Pink: NXMR) – NXMR would like to announce the development of two new water stations in the Carlsbad, New Mexico are.
The Permian Basis is currently growing at an exponential rate with regards to the new production of oil and gas properties. The Company believes that there will be a corresponding increase in needs to oil field services including water stations which are required for the development and operation of oil and gas leases. As such, the new management of the Company is in the process of building out two new water stations in the Carlsbad area.
Mr. Maldonado (CEO of the Company), states…"Since starting as the new CEO of the Company, I have been trying to expand our top line revenue base. By opening two new water stations in Carlsbad, we will become a main source of the large amount of new and growing water requirements in the Permian Basin for oil and gas producers. We expect these operations to be up quickly and be in full operation during the third quarter. This is only one of our many planned future expansions to the revenue producing operations of the Company. We will be announcing several new additional revenue initiatives over the coming weeks and months."
Certain statements that we make may constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained herein may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to NXMR that are based on the beliefs of NXMR's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to NXMR's management. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the NXMR's business prospects, future developments, trends and conditions in the industry and geographical markets in which NXMR operates, its strategies, plans, objectives and goals, its ability to control costs, statements relating to prices, volumes, operations, margins, overall market trends, risk management and exchange rates.
NextMart, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, is a public quoted Pink Sheet issuer under the ticker symbol "NXMR". Currently, NXMR currently is a shell company with a new management team with plans to become a current alternative reporting issuer with OTC Markets. The Company is currently looking for an appropriate business acquisition.
Company Web Site: https://nextmartcorporation.com/
Emco Oilfield Services, LLC Web Site: https://emcooilfield.com/
Twitter: @CorporationNxmr
Company Email: info@nextmarkcorporation.com
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SOURCE NextMart, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/nextmart-inc-new-water-stations/ | 2022-07-19T18:15:15Z |
Published: Aug. 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
Second quarter revenues of $1.195 billion, up 35.6% year-over-year
GAAP Income from Operations was 7.8% of revenues and Non-GAAP Income from Operations was 14.9% of revenues for the second quarter
Second quarter GAAP Diluted EPS of $0.32, a decrease of 83.5%, and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS of $2.38, an increase of 16.1% on a year-over-year basis
For the third quarter, EPAM expects revenue to be at least $1.210 billion, GAAP Diluted EPS to be at least $1.65 and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS to be at least $2.48
NEWTOWN, Pa., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM), a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, today reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
"Our strong second quarter results reflect EPAM's resiliency, agility and focus as the Company navigates the impact of the war in Ukraine," said Arkadiy Dobkin, CEO & President, EPAM. "The acceleration of our strategy will enable EPAM to continue our growth trajectory by developing our consulting and next generation delivery capabilities, investing in our people and communities as well as leading the change for customers through strategy and execution, simultaneously. I remain confident we will continue to execute through this near-term challenge, and emerge as a more diverse, more resilient and more relevant global company."
Second Quarter 2022 Highlights
Revenues increased to $1.195 billion, a year-over-year increase of $313.5 million, or 35.6%. On a constant currency basis, revenues were up 40.1% compared to the second quarter of 2021. Acquisitions completed in the last twelve months contributed 6.2% to revenue growth in the quarter;
GAAP income from operations was $93.0 million, a decrease of $32.3 million, or 25.7%, compared to $125.3 million in the second quarter of 2021;
Non-GAAP income from operations was $177.5 million, an increase of $22.2 million, or 14.3%, compared to $155.2 million in the second quarter of 2021;
Diluted earnings per share ("EPS") on a GAAP basis was $0.32, a decrease of $1.62, or 83.5%, compared to $1.94 in the second quarter of 2021 largely driven by the impact of appreciation of the Russian ruble on our intercompany payables denominated in Russian rubles and U.S. dollar denominated assets held by our subsidiaries in Russia as well as the decrease in GAAP income from operations; and
Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $2.38, an increase of $0.33, or 16.1%, compared to $2.05 in the second quarter of 2021.
Cash Flow and Other Metrics
Cash provided by operating activities was $25.7 million for the first six months of 2022, compared to cash provided by operating activities of $81.7 million for the first six months of 2021;
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $1.296 billion as of June 30, 2022, a decrease of $153.7 million, or 10.6%, from $1.449 billion as of December 31, 2021; and
Total headcount was approximately 61,300 as of June 30, 2022. Included in this number were approximately 54,850 delivery professionals, an increase of 28.1% from June 30, 2021.
Third Quarter Outlook
EPAM expects the following for the third quarter:
Revenues will be at least $1.210 billion on a GAAP basis for the third quarter reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of at least 22% which includes an unfavorable foreign currency translation impact of approximately 4%. Revenue growth on a constant currency basis will be at least 26%. The Company expects acquisitions will contribute approximately 4% to reported revenues;
For the third quarter, EPAM expects GAAP income from operations to be in the range of 9.5% to 10.5% of revenues and non-GAAP income from operations to be in the range of 15% to 16% of revenues;
The Company expects its GAAP effective tax rate to be approximately 19% and its non-GAAP effective tax rate to be approximately 22%; and
EPAM expects GAAP diluted EPS will be at least $1.65 for the quarter, and non-GAAP diluted EPS will be at least $2.48 for the quarter. The Company expects weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter of 59.4 million.
Conference Call Information
EPAM will host a conference call to discuss the results on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The conference call will be available live on the EPAM website at https://investors.epam.com. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register for the event. For those who cannot access the live webcast, a replay will be available in the Investor Relations section of the website.
About EPAM Systems
Since 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) has leveraged its advanced software engineering heritage to become the foremost global digital transformation services provider – leading the industry in digital and physical product development and digital platform engineering services. Through its innovative strategy; integrated advisory, consulting, and design capabilities; and unique 'Engineering DNA,' EPAM's globally deployed hybrid teams help make the future real for clients and communities around the world by powering better enterprise, education and health platforms that connect people, optimize experiences, and improve people's lives. In 2021, EPAM was added to the S&P 500 and included among the list of Forbes Global 2000 companies.
Selected by Newsweek as a 2021 Most Loved Workplace, EPAM's global multi-disciplinary teams serve customers in more than 50 countries across six continents. As a recognized leader, EPAM is listed among the top 15 companies in Information Technology Services on the Fortune 1000 and ranked as the top IT services company on Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list for the last three consecutive years. EPAM is also listed among Ad Age's top 25 World's Largest Agency Companies for three consecutive years, and Consulting Magazine named EPAM Continuum a top 20 Fastest-Growing Firm.
EPAM supplements results reported in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, referred to as GAAP, with non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes these measures help illustrate underlying trends in EPAM's business and uses the measures to establish budgets and operational goals, communicate internally and externally, for managing EPAM's business and evaluating its performance. Management also believes these measures help investors compare EPAM's operating performance with its results in prior periods. EPAM anticipates that it will continue to report both GAAP and certain non-GAAP financial measures in its financial results, including non-GAAP results that exclude stock-based compensation expenses, acquisition-related costs including amortization of intangible assets, impairment of assets, expenses associated with EPAM's humanitarian commitment to its professionals in Ukraine, unbilled business continuity resources resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, costs associated with the geographic repositioning efforts in Russia and Belarus, employee separation costs in Russia, certain other one-time charges and benefits, changes in fair value of contingent consideration, foreign exchange gains and losses, excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation, and the related effect on income taxes of the pre-tax adjustments. Management also compares operating results on a basis of "constant currency," which is also a non-GAAP financial measure. This measure excludes the effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations by translating the current period revenues and expenses into U.S. dollars at the weighted average exchange rates of the prior period of comparison. Because EPAM's reported non-GAAP financial measures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP, these measures are not comparable to GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly described non-GAAP measures reported by other companies within EPAM's industry. Consequently, EPAM's non-GAAP financial measures should not be evaluated in isolation or supplant comparable GAAP measures, but rather, should be considered together with the information in EPAM's consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes estimates and statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Our estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect our business and operations. These statements may include words such as "may," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or similar expressions. Those future events and trends may relate to, among other things, developments relating to the invasion of Ukraine, political and civil unrest or military action in the geographies where we conduct business and operate, developments relating to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect that they may have on our revenues, operations, access to capital, profitability and customer demand. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions, the risk factors discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the factors discussed in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on or after the date of this press release, particularly under the headings "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made based on information currently available to us. EPAM undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law.
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/04/epam-reports-results-second-quarter-2022/ | 2022-08-04T11:46:45Z |
Partners KAMP Global and Eventim Live Asia to Bring K-Pop's Biggest Stars Together with Art and Emerging Tech
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- South Korea-based immersive entertainment brand KAMP Global, in partnership with Eventim Live Asia (ELA), proudly present KAMP LA 2022. On October 15th and 16th, 2022, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the most legendary venue in Los Angeles, KAMP LA 2022 will deliver one of the biggest live-music K-pop experiences in history.
KAMP is set to bring a truly blockbuster lineup to the Rose Bowl. Confirmed acts include MONSTA X, KAI (of EXO and Super M) and JEON SOMI, in their solo debut U.S. appearance; the iconic Super Junior playing Los Angeles for the first time in six years; iKON in its first U.S. performance since Covid; BamBam and a host of acts performing Stateside for the first time such as Zion.T, and Lapillus. The full lineup with additional headliners and artists for the two-day event will be announced in the coming weeks.
"It's exciting to take part in the KAMP LA lineup," says KAI. "This may legitimately be the biggest K-pop event in US history."
Adds Lee Teuk of Super Junior, "To be part of what should be the biggest K-pop music experience in history is incredibly exciting. This is something special that K-pop fans will remember and talk about for years to come."
This immersive two-day concert will be held inside the stadium and boast arts, culinary, gaming, and significant brand collaborations, including a partnership with legendary Los Angeles artist Kenny Scharf to create KAMP LA 2022 imagery and aesthetics. Through its brand partnership with South Korean media phenomenon Dingo Music and South Korea's leading personalized card payment system i-Aurora, KAMP will also bring exclusive content and trending technology to the live music space, including personalized, collectible KAMP LA- branded South Korean payment-approved cards.
KAMP LA 2022 brings together the powerful vision and singular history of KAMP Global CEO Tim Kim with the global reach, experience, and network of Eventim Live Asia, led by CEO Jason Miller.
Kim has led KAMP to the forefront of the K-pop movement. His experience includes working with high-profile clients in the Western music and Hollywood space. Kim identified the potential for K-pop as a global force in entertainment very early on and brought KAMP to life to lead and foster K-pop's cultural expansion.
KAMP first came to life with its 2019 Singapore Festival. The sold-out event featured Super Junior, NCT 127, Stray Kids, MOMOLAND, GFRIEND, Sonnet Son, WJSN, Chungha, Ha Sung-woon, and AleXa; TimeOut hailed it as "trailblazing" and urged, "Get all charged up for two days of music, state-of-the-art effects, red carpet events, and opportunities to get up close and personal to your favorite acts."
"We want KAMP LA to be the ultimate K-pop experience in all aspects," says Kim. "U.S. fans have waited so long for great music because of the pandemic--they need to see their favorite artists for the first time in two years in many cases.
"Everyone in K-pop wants to break into America," continues Kim. "There's a deep connection between Korean culture and L.A. This was always the place to start. But we are also going to bring K-pop worldwide with KAMP and Eventim Live Asia. We will go to all markets where K-pop resonates—which is everywhere these days. KAMP isn't just about mega-concerts or historic events—it's a culture."
Adds Jason Miller: "Kim's vision was immediately exciting. KAMP Global and Eventim Live Asia share a true global vision for K-pop and the experience to make it happen in unprecedented ways. KAMP LA is a meaningful first step in that direction. There are many more to come."
Fans can visit KAMPLA.vip now to sign up for first-access tickets, VIP giveaways, chances to win backstage access and more. Stay tuned for further announcements from KAMP and Eventim Live Asia, including additional KAMP LA lineup announcements and ticket on-sale details.
KAMP Global is an immersive entertainment and cross-cultural bridge-building group of companies focusing on growing K-pop globally through festivals, live events, immersive experiences, and artist representation. Headquartered out of Seoul, KAMP also promotes live events and I.P. experiences in the domestic South Korean market. The KAMP festival brand is considered the first and premier western-style K-pop festival with a fully immersive experience, including art and tech, to global K-pop fans since its start in Singapore in 2019.
EVENTIM LIVE ASIA is a new partnership between CEO Jason Miller and CTS EVENTIM, one of the world's top three live entertainment companies. Headquartered in Singapore, EVENTIM LIVE ASIA will focus on the rapidly growing live entertainment markets in China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The company is run by Miller, who previously led all touring activity for Live Nation Entertainment's Asia and Middle East offices, working with the world's biggest artists and most powerful brands. Miller produced 80 percent of the last decade's highest-grossing Asian tours for Western artists, including Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Madonna, Maroon 5, U2, and countless others.
CTS EVENTIM is one of the leading international providers of ticketing services and live entertainment. Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, around 250 million tickets per annum were marketed using the Company's systems – be it through physical box offices, online, or from mobile terminals. Its online portals operate under brands such as eventim.de, oeticket.com, ticketcorner.ch, ticketone.it, and entradas.com. The EVENTIM Group also includes many concert, tour, and festival promoter companies for events like Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside, and Lucca Summer. In addition, CTS EVENTIM operates some of Europe's most renowned venues, for example, the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, the K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, the Waldbühne in Berlin, and the EVENTIM Apollo in London. CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE 0005470306) has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000 and is currently a member of the MDAX segment. Against a backdrop of forced closures, cancellations, and restrictions on events as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Group generated revenue totaling €256.8 million in more than 20 countries in 2020 compared with more than €1.4 billion in the year before.
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SOURCE KAMP LA LLC | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/16/kamp-la-k-pop-mega-concert-brings-together-historic-lineup-rose-bowl-los-angeles/ | 2022-08-16T14:47:05Z |
Expanding Partnership Accelerates FHE Broad Market Adoption
HOBOKEN, N.J., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duality Technologies, the leader in privacy preserving secure data collaboration today announced that Google integrated its open-source Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) Transpiler, which was built using XLS SDK and resides on GitHub, with the Duality-led OpenFHE, the leading open-source fully homomorphic encryption library, to make cryptographic expertise more accessible and streamlined, thus accelerating FHE adoption by developers.
Yuriy Polyakov, senior director of cryptography research and principal scientist at Duality commented, "Our team has achieved significant milestones with our OpenFHE library, and it has quickly become the choice for many of today's technology leaders, like Google. The Google Transpiler provides access to the latest features of OpenFHE for the community of application developers who are not FHE experts."
FHE refers to a class of encryption methods that differ from typical encryption methods in that it allows computation to be performed directly on encrypted data without the need for a secret key. Rooted in post-quantum open-source lattice cryptography, OpenFHE was founded by a community of world-renowned cryptographers, that designed the library for maximum usability, improved APIs, modularity, cross-platform portability and, when integrated with hardware, a project accelerator. OpenFHE coupled with Google's Transpiler allows developers to convert high-level code, such as C++ routinely used on unencrypted data, into high-level code that operationalizes encrypted data without the need to learn cryptography.
"At Google, we are intent on democratizing access to cutting-edge technology that helps secure the Internet and keeps people safe online. Our FHE Transpiler is one step in that direction, and we are happy with the working partnership we've established with Duality. Whether developers are working on Cloud applications or on the edge, we are eager to see the exciting new use cases of the Transpiler that will help provide advanced security and privacy protections and guarantees." Miguel Guevara, product manager, privacy and data protection office, from Google advised.
The Google Transpiler streamlines the process for leveraging FHE-powered applications without requiring the significant software development expertise currently needed to implement FHE from scratch. This bridges the gap sometimes experienced by software designers and developers who want to take advantage of the capabilities of FHE without the steep learning curve.
Polyakov added, "A major strategic goal of OpenFHE is to make FHE usable for many important practical problems, with special focus placed on machine learning applications. Our collaboration with the Google Transpiler team plays a significant role in realizing this vision."
For more information about Google Transpiler and its off-the-shelf approach to FHE – please read: The General Purpose of Transpiler for Fully Homomorphic Encryption.
For more information about OpenFHE – please read the white paper, "OpenFHE: Open-Source Fully Homomorphic Encryption Library", or visit the project website: https://OpenFHE.org.
About Duality Technologies
Duality is the leader in privacy enhanced secure data collaboration, empowering organizations worldwide to maximize the value of their data without compromising on privacy or regulatory compliance. Founded and led by world-renowned cryptographers and data scientists, Duality operationalizes privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) to accelerate data insights by enabling analysis and AI on encrypted data, while preserving data privacy, compliance and protecting valuable IP. A Gartner Cool Vendor, Duality was named a Tech Pioneer 2021 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and listed on Fast Company's 2020 Most Innovative Companies and recently won the 2022 CB Insights' AI 100, the 2022 RegTech 100 Awards, and the AIFinTech100 2022 Awards.
For more information, visit dualitytech.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Media Contact:
Marcella Arthur
marthur@dualitytech.com
Tel. +1 908 601 2333
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SOURCE Duality Technologies | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/google-leverages-duality-led-open-source-fully-homomorphic-encryption-library/ | 2022-09-14T08:24:56Z |
Joining the World's First Culture Agency are Industry Veterans Eric Erickson as Chief Operating Officer and Rebecca Williams as Vice President, Group Creative Director; Head of People & Culture Aisha Bean Promoted to Chief Diversity Officer, Celeste Bazán Promoted to Vice President of People & Culture
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cashmere Agency today announced new additions to its leadership team with the appointment of Eric Erickson as Chief Operating Officer and creative veteran Rebecca Williams as Vice President, Group Creative Director. The agency also announced the promotion of Aisha Bean to Chief Diversity Officer and Celeste Bazán as Vice President of People & Culture. These moves follow the agency's meteoric rise in the industry and a surge in demand for the company's culturally aware and diverse, differentiated service offerings.
"We're continuing to grow as an agency because we are engineered differently to help our clients navigate through The Culture in real time. This leadership and infrastructure allow us to continue to evolve with our clients' ambitions and resonance in Culture," said Ryan Ford, President & Chief Creative Officer, Cashmere. "I could not be more inspired by the intentionality and commitment that Eric, Rebecca, Aisha and Celeste bring to their respective new roles at Cashmere."
Erickson brings significant experience to the position with over 20 years driving operational excellence and executing strategic programs with clients such as Samsung, SC Johnson, UPS, Intel, and Honda/Acura. As Chief Operating Officer, he will be responsible for overseeing business operations of the company and working with Executive leadership and department leads to support the agency and clients. Erickson will report to Seung Chung, Co-Founder and CEO, Cashmere Agency.
With a career spanning more than 20 years, Williams most recently spent over nine years at Burrell Communications leading the vision and development of national campaigns for QSR giant, McDonald's. Prior to Burrell, as Senior Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, she managed the overall creative direction of Uniworld Group and shaped campaigns for clients including Burger King, Ford Motor Company, Pillsbury, the United States Marine Corps, M&M Mars, Avon, and Walt Disney World. Williams has also worked and created dynamic campaigns for Coca-Cola, Fox Sports, Carson Products, and Bally Total Fitness. In her new role as Vice President, Group Creative Director, Williams will be responsible for driving Cultural strategy across entertainment and brand clients. Williams will report to President & Chief Creative Officer, Ryan Ford.
Bean joined Cashmere in 2017 to build and oversee the execution of all Human Resources activities including Talent Discovery, the oversight of staffing Cashmere's premier accounts, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging, Employee Retention, Workforce Planning, Employee Relations, Professional Development, and Team Building. In her new role, Bean who considers herself, "a culture evangelist," will be focused on continuing to drive diversity, equity and inclusion offerings for employee and client initiatives through original programs at Cashmere and serves as an Executive Sponsor for Cashmere's #OneOpp Coalition against Police Brutality. Prior to Cashmere, she grew her career of over 16 years in Human Resources working in Federal Government and various Silicon Beach tech companies such as Experian Interactive Media, Core Digital Media, (mt) Media Temple and Godaddy. Bean will report to President & Chief Creative Officer, Ryan Ford.
Bazán came to Cashmere nearly one year ago from Hitco Entertainment where she was selected by music moguls LA Reid and Charles Goldstuck to establish the human resources function in their record label start-up. An alum of WPP and Omnicom where she developed a strategic business partner practice focused on employee relations, performance management, employee retention, professional development, employee satisfaction and company culture. Bazán brings over 15 years of strategic resources expertise tapping into a diverse background of industries ranging from theater, media, advertising, and recorded music. In her new role as Vice President of People & Culture, Bazán will be responsible for Human Resources Compliance, Benefits Administration, Employee Relations, Professional Development, and Performance Management.
Earlier this summer, Cashmere promoted five senior executives across multiple divisions including Cameron Crane to Chief Growth Officer; Joey Furutani to Chief of Staff; Sandy Song to Chief Client Officer; Brianne Pins to Senior Vice President of Public Relations; and Jesse Nicely, to Senior Vice President of Cultural Strategy.
Cashmere is an award-winning lifestyle-marketing company composed of a diverse collective of minds from the worlds of entertainment, advertising, and new media. Cashmere identifies trends to create and execute campaigns that resonate drive culture. Cashmere utilizes social media, creative strategy, digital trends, experiential, influencer and public relations strategies to provide full-service support for campaigns and brands. Cashmere builds brands who truly matter in culture.
Cashmere's diverse client roster includes top brands and entertainment companies, including: Google, Instagram, Facebook, BMW of North America, Taco Bell, Danone North America, Heineken, DoorDash, adidas, Warner Media, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, AppleTV+, Netflix, Universal Pictures, FX, CBS, Snoop Dogg and more. Cashmere has been recognized as a leading force within the creative industry and a recipient of multiple awards, which include: Ad Age's 2021 A-List Standout Agency, Ad Age's 2020 A-List Agencies to Watch, and Ad Age's 2019 Multicultural Agency of the Year; being named the 28th Fastest Growing Agency in the world by AdWeek, Clios, PRNews Agency Elite Top100 Winner, 2019 Cannes Lions Creative Award, and more.
In September 2021, Cashmere joined forces with Media.Monks ( S4Capital (SFOR.L), the tech-led, new age/new era digital advertising and marketing services company, to significantly expand the capabilities of both its content practice in the USA and global cultural strategy.
For more information about Cashmere, please visit www.cashmereagency.com or follow us on Instagram,
Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn @cashmereagency.
Media Contacts:
Brianne Pins
Cashmere Agency
Brianne@cashmereagency.com
Lindsay Colker
Elevate Communications
lindsay@elevateprco.com
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SOURCE Cashmere Agency | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/cashmere-rounds-out-leadership-team-with-new-hires-promotions/ | 2022-08-31T19:27:16Z |
HOUSTON, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Capital Partners ("Aurora"), a leading middle-market private equity firm, today announced that its affiliate, Raven Buyer, Inc. ("Parent"), has directed its wholly-owned subsidiary, Raven Houston Merger Sub, Inc. ("Purchaser") to commence its previously announced all-cash tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Sharps Compliance Corp. (NASDAQ: SMED) ("Sharps"), a leading full-service national provider of comprehensive waste management solutions including medical, pharmaceutical and hazardous waste, for $8.75 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. The offer price represents a premium of approximately 207% over Sharps' closing share price on July 11, 2022, the last full trading day prior the announcement of the transaction.
The tender offer is being made pursuant to a merger agreement, dated as of July 12, 2022, as amended, among Sharps, Purchaser and Parent, and is being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase, dated July 25, 2022. The Sharps' Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholder tender their shares in the offer.
The tender offer is scheduled to expire at the end of the day, one minute after 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on August 19, 2022, unless the tender offer is extended or terminated. The closing of the tender offer is subject to customary conditions, including the tender of a majority of the issued and outstanding Shares as of the expiration of the offer on a fully-diluted basis, and the expiration or the termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The offer is also subject to the other conditions described in the Offer to Purchase.
Promptly following completion of the tender offer, and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining conditions set forth in the merger agreement, Purchaser will acquire any shares of Sharps that are not tendered in the tender offer through a second-step merger under Delaware law for consideration equal to the tender offer price, without interest and less any required withholding taxes, without prior notice to or any action by any other stockholders of Sharps. Following the transaction, Sharps will become a privately held company.
The complete terms and conditions of the tender offer can be found in the tender offer statement on Schedule TO that includes the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and other related materials that Parent and Purchaser are filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") (together with any amendments or supplements thereto). Additionally, Sharps will be filing today with the SEC a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 setting forth in detail, among other things, the recommendation of the Sharps' Board of Directors that Sharps' stockholders tender their shares in the tender offer.
D.F. King & Co., Inc. is acting as Information Agent for the tender offer and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is acting as Depositary and Paying Agent in the tender offer. Requests for documents and questions regarding the tender offer may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., by telephone, at (866) 284-1755 (toll-free), at (212) 269-5550 (bankers and brokers call), or by email, at SMED@dfking.com.
About Aurora Capital Partners
Aurora Capital Partners is a leading Los Angeles-based private equity firm with over $4.5 billion in assets under management. Founded in 1991, the firm focuses principally on control investments in middle-market companies with leading market positions, stable industry dynamics, attractive business model characteristics and actionable opportunities for growth in partnership with management. Aurora provides unique resources to its portfolio companies through its Strategy & Operations Program and its team of experienced operating advisors. Aurora's investors include leading public and corporate pension funds, endowments and foundations active in private equity investing. For more information about Aurora Capital Partners, visit: www.auroracap.com.
About Sharps Compliance Corp.
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sharps Compliance (NASDAQ: SMED) is a leading business-to-business services provider to the healthcare, long-term care and retail pharmacy markets. Sharps Compliance offers comprehensive solutions for the management of regulated medical waste, hazardous waste and unused medications. For more information, visit: www.sharpsinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The information in this press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the Sharps and the proposed tender offer for all the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Sharps by Purchaser and other statements about Sharps, Aurora, Parent and Purchaser that are based on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the management of Sharps, Aurora, Parent and Purchaser on the date of this press release. When used in this document, the words "may," "could," "position," "plan," "potential," "designed," "continue," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "project," and "intend" and words or phrases of similar import, as they relate to the tender offer or Sharps, Aurora, Parent, Purchaser or their subsidiaries or their management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, changes in facts and circumstances and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions concerning the offer and the subsequent merger, including whether the offer and the subsequent merger will close, the timing of the closing of the offer and subsequent merger, strategic and other potential benefits of the transactions, the ability of the parties to satisfy the various conditions to the consummation of the offer or the subsequent merger, including the outcome of the regulatory reviews of the proposed transaction, and obtaining HSR approval, the percentage of outstanding shares that will be tendered in the tender offer, the ability of the parties to complete the proposed transactions, the ability of the parties to meet other closing conditions, the potential effects of the proposed transactions, the outcome of legal proceedings (if any) that may be instituted against Sharps, Aurora, Parent, Purchaser (or any of its affiliates) and/or others related to the proposed transactions, unexpected costs or unexpected liabilities that may result from the proposed transactions, whether or not consummated, the possibility that competing offers will be made, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, including in circumstances which would require Sharps to pay a termination fee or other expenses, effects of disruption from the announcement or pendency of the transactions making it more difficult to maintain relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, and other business partners, and risks related to diverting management's attention from Sharps' ongoing business operations, and other general risks facing Sharps' business and operations, including with respect to regulatory submissions, competitive factors, general economic conditions, customer relations, relationships with vendors, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, distribution networks, product introductions and acceptance, technological change, changes in industry practices, onetime events and other factors described herein including the impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 ("COVID-19") pandemic on the Sharps' operations and financial results, and those risk factors and other cautionary statements in Sharps' Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings with the SEC. Sharps may update risk factors from time to time in its Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q, in its Current Reports on Form 8-K, or in other filings with the SEC, available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Based upon changing conditions, should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, or intended. Consequently, no forward-looking statements can be guaranteed. Actual results may vary materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. You should also understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and as such should not consider the preceding list or the risk factors to be a complete list of all potential risks and uncertainties. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. None of Sharps, Aurora, Parent, Purchaser or any of their affiliates undertakes any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, subsequent events, circumstances or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.
Important additional information will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither a recommendation, an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities, nor is it a substitute for the tender offer materials that Purchaser will file with the SEC upon commencement of the tender offer. At the time the tender offer is commenced, Purchaser will file with the SEC a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal, and certain related tender offer documents, and Sharps thereafter will file with the SEC the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with respect to the Offer. The offer to purchase shares of Sharp common stock will only be made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and related tender offer documents filed as part of the Schedule TO (together with any amendments or supplements thereto). THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, A RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT, AS THEY MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. HOLDERS OF SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OF SHARPS ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE (AS EACH MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME) BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE VARIOUS TERMS OF, AND CONDITIONS TO THE TENDER OFFER, THAT HOLDERS OF COMMON STOCK OF SHARPS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR SHARES. The tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal, and certain other tender offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, will be made available to all holders of shares of common stock of Sharps at no expense to them. The tender offer materials, the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement and other related documents (when available), and other documents filed with the SEC, including annual, quarterly and special reports and other information filed by Sharps with the SEC, will be made available for free at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, or by contacting Sharps at 9220 Kirby Drive, Suite 500, Houston, Texas 77054; 713-432-0300, or by directing a request to D.F. King & Co., Inc., as the Information Agent for the Offer, by telephone, at (866) 284-1755 (toll-free), at (212) 269-5550 (bankers and brokers call), or by email, at SMED@dfking.com.
For more information contact:
For Aurora Capital Partners
ASC Advisors
Steve Bruce / Taylor Ingraham
Phone: (203) 992-1230
Email: sbruce@ascadvisors.com / tingraham@ascadvisors.com
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SOURCE Aurora Capital Partners | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/25/aurora-capital-partners-commences-tender-offer-all-outstanding-shares-sharps-compliance-corp/ | 2022-07-25T12:58:52Z |
Boeing clashes with key supplier ahead of Starliner spacecraft launch
By Reuters
Boeing Co. is feuding with Aerojet Rocketdyne, a key supplier for its Starliner spacecraft, as the U.S. aerospace giant races to test launch the uncrewed astronaut capsule and mend its reputation in the space sector, people familiar with the matter said.
The CST-100 Starliner is scheduled for a May 19 Florida launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket to the International Space Station, with Boeing aiming to show NASA that the spacecraft is safe to ferry astronauts to and from the orbiting outpost. Software failures cut short a similar 2019 uncrewed test flight.
The mission is a crucial step toward re-establishing Boeing as a viable rival to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX, a drive complicated by Boeing’s disagreement with propulsion system supplier Aerojet, according to three people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Chicago-based Boeing (BA) and El Segundo, California-based Aerojet (ARJD) are at odds over the cause of a problem involving fuel valves in the Starliner propulsion system that forced a postponement of a test flight last July, with the two companies faulting one another, the sources said.
The disagreement, which has not been reported before, comes at time when Boeing already is scrambling to emerge from successive crises that have hobbled its jetliner business and drained cash.
The Aerojet dispute is the latest illustration of Boeing’s struggles with Starliner, a program costing the company $595 million in charges since 2019. Facing fixed-price NASA contracts that leave Boeing with little wiggle room financially, the company has pressed forward with the Starliner test.
Boeing in a statement provided by a spokesperson to Reuters acknowledged for the first time that it ultimately intends to redesign Starliner’s valve system to prevent a repeat of the issue that forced last year’s test-flight postponement. The Boeing statement said that “we are working on short- and long-term design changes to the valves.”
Thirteen fuel valves that are part of a propulsion system that helps steer Starliner in space were discovered stuck and unresponsive in the closed position, prompting last year’s postponement.
The various technical setbacks have pushed Starliner’s first flight with people aboard into an unknown future, placing it far behind Musk’s SpaceX, whose Crew Dragon capsule, developed under the same NASA program as Starliner, has already flown five astronaut crews for the U.S. space agency.
NASA hopes Boeing can provide additional options to carry astronauts to the space station. NASA in March awarded SpaceX three more missions to make up for Boeing’s delays.
A team of Boeing and NASA engineers is in general agreement that the cause of the stuck valves involves a chemical reaction between propellant, aluminum materials and the intrusion of moisture from Starliner’s humid Florida launch site.
Aerojet engineers and lawyers see it differently, blaming a cleaning chemical that Boeing has used in ground tests, two of the sources said.
An Aerojet representative declined to comment.
‘ROOT CAUSE’
“Testing to determine root cause of the valve issue is complete,” Boeing said in its statement, and the work did not find the problems described by Aerojet.
NASA shares that view, Steve Stich, who oversees the Boeing and SpaceX crew programs for the space agency, told Reuters.
Boeing also said Aerojet did not meet its contractual requirements to make the propulsion system resilient enough to resist the problems caused by the chemical reactions.
Boeing last week wheeled Starliner back to the launch pad for a third time ahead of the upcoming launch, having swapped out the propulsion system for a new one with a temporary fix that prevents moisture from seeping into the valve section.
Boeing and NASA said they did not recreate any fully stuck valves during nine months of testing, instead measuring the degree to which valves struggled to open.
This approach was used in order to get Starliner back to the launchpad quickly, two of the sources said.
NASA, Boeing, Aerojet and independent safety advisers are set to meet this week to reach a final determination on the cause of the valve problems and decide whether the temporary fix will work.
Boeing officials privately regard Aerojet’s explanation for the faulty valves as a bid to deflect responsibility for the costly delay for Starliner and to avoid paying for a redesigned valve system, two of the sources said.
“It’s laughable,” one person involved in the joint Boeing-NASA investigation of the value issue said of Aerojet’s claim, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential supplier relations. “Getting a valve maker or propulsion system provider to write down, ‘Yeah, I screwed that up’ … that’s never gonna happen.”
After testing and software issues caused Starliner’s 2019 failure to dock at the space station, NASA officials acknowledged they had trusted Boeing too much when they decided to devote more engineering oversight to the newer SpaceX than the aerospace giant.
The feud with Aerojet is not Boeing’s first Starliner subcontractor quarrel. In 2017, Starliner had an accident during a ground test that forced the president of a different subcontractor to have his leg medically amputated. The subcontractor sued, and Boeing subsequently settled the case.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/news/2022/05/11/boeing-clashes-with-key-supplier-ahead-of-starliner-spacecraft-launch-2/ | 2022-05-11T15:30:54Z |
The California Partners Project releases its fourth report examining the impacts of SB 826 on California's public company boards. The report tracks corporate compliance and a nationwide ripple effect.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Partners Project (CPP), co-founded by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, today released its fourth report tracking the implementation and impacts of Senate Bill 826, a law requiring all public companies in California to have one to three women on their board of directors, depending on board size. The law addresses the underrepresentation of women on public company boards and is the subject of a recent adverse court ruling that is being appealed by the State of California.
"Corporations influence everything from income equality, communications, community health, the environment, and responses to calls for gender and racial equity. That's why it's imperative to have women's perspectives represented in the rooms where these decisions are made," said California First Partner and CPP co-founder Jennifer Siebel Newsom. "SB826 is a highly effective tool for addressing gender discrimination. As a result, we've seen increased gender diversity on California boards, which has positively impacted companies' environmental, social, and governance outcomes, as well as their bottom lines. We are not rolling back the progress we've made."
Prior to the enactment of SB826 in 2018, California's public companies lagged the national average in board gender diversity. Now California, with 32% of seats held by women, is a world leader in gender diversity on public company boards, ahead of the United States as a whole and the European Union.
CPP's data shows companies are overwhelmingly complying with the law, nearly tripling the number of public company board seats held by women – from 766 in 2018 to 2,055 today.
Among the California companies studied, those with three or more women on their board had 29% higher revenue in 2021 than those with fewer women board directors.
The CPP report has also uncovered places where progress has fallen short – the underrepresentation of women of color. 58% of California's public companies do not have any women of color on their board and Latinas remain the most underrepresented group. Latinas comprise 20% of California's population and hold only 1.5% of public company board seats.
A summary of the SB826 compliance data from CPP's report series is available here.
For the full report visit www.calpartnersproject.org/thebigpicture.
MEDIA CONTACT:
California Partner Project
Dayanna M. Carlos
press@calpartnersproject.com
(559) 289-9885
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SOURCE California Partners Project | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/20/californias-unprecedented-leap-advance-gender-diversity-corporate-boards/ | 2022-05-20T14:30:42Z |
500-megawatt Cider Solar Farm Takes Big Step Toward Achieving the Empire State's Clean Energy Goals
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- New York's Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) has approved Hecate Energy's permit for the 500-megawatt (MW) Cider Solar Farm, the largest solar energy project in New York State history.
- The permit is also the first issued by ORES for a project that's application was initially filed with the new state office under the Section 94-c rules – all previous ORES-permitted projects were transferred from Article 10 proceedings.
- Cider Solar Farm will be capable of supplying 920,000 megawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power over 120,000 average New York households.
- The emissions-free energy from Cider Solar Farm is expected to offset 718,694 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is equivalent to the annual emissions from 141,794 passenger vehicles.
ELBA, N.Y., July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hecate Energy, a leading developer, owner and operator of renewable power projects and energy storage solutions in the United States, has announced state approval of its siting application for the 500-megawatt (MW) Cider Solar Farm.
The landmark ruling from the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) makes Cider Solar Farm the largest solar energy generation project ever permitted in the state. It is also the first permit issued by ORES for a project whose application was initially filed with the new state office; all previous ORES-permitted projects initially filed their permit applications under the older Article 10 siting process.
"This permit marks a major milestone, not only for Hecate Energy, but in making meaningful progress toward New York State's ambitious climate goals," said Harrison Luna, Hecate Energy's project developer for the Cider Solar Farm. "We are appreciative of the support and coordination for the Cider Solar Project that we received from civic leadership of the Oakfield and Elba town governments. Hecate Energy experienced a positive collaborative interaction with ORES during the permitting process, which was key in advancing this project."
Cider Solar Farm is to be built on nearly 3,000 acres across the towns of Elba and Oakfield. Hecate Energy anticipates starting construction on the solar farm by 2023. Construction is expected to create positions for 495 full-time employees. When complete, the project will be interconnected to the New York State electricity grid through the Dysinger-New Rochester 345kV transmission line.
"Cider Solar Farm represents a significant $500 million private infrastructure investment in Western New York – not only will this project create hundreds of local jobs, but it will also directly fund local governments, schools, and community services like the fire department and ambulance squad," said Luna.
The solar farm will be capable of supplying 920,000 megawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year – enough to power over 120,000 average New York households. The emissions-free energy from Cider Solar Farm is expected to offset 718,694 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is equivalent to the annual emissions from 141,794 passenger vehicles.
To learn more about Hecate Energy and the proposed Cider Solar Farm, visit the project website at www.CiderSolarFarm.com or contact Harrison Luna, project developer, at CiderSolar@HecateEnergy.com.
About Hecate Energy
Headquartered in Chicago, Hecate Energy is a top-ten developer of solar and wind generation facilities and energy storage solutions in North America. Founded in 2012 by a team of energy industry veterans who have worked together for more than 20 years, Hecate Energy's team members have developed to operating or construction 1.5 gigawatts of solar projects across the United States, including several projects in New York and the Northeastern United States.
Media Contact
Harrison Luna
CiderSolar@HecateEnergy.com
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SOURCE Hecate Energy | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/26/state-approves-new-yorks-largest-solar-farm/ | 2022-07-26T16:53:09Z |
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