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- Dealers rank limited inventory and the economy as the top two factors holding back business.
- The 3-month, forward-looking market outlook dropped sharply from the previous quarter and is at a record low.
- Profit index declines for the fourth straight quarter but indicates franchised dealers believe profits remain particularly strong; independent dealers see profits as weak.
ATLANTA, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. automobile dealer sentiment in Q3 2022 reflects that more dealers view the current market as weak than strong. Now, at 49, the current market index is below the threshold of 50 in the Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index (CADSI), marking the fifth quarter-over-quarter decline in overall market sentiment. The index is down five points from Q2 and down 13 points year over year. The current market index was last below 50 in Q1 2021; it peaked at 67 in Q2 2021. U.S. auto dealers indicate that their negative view of the market is influenced by inflation, economic anxiety, and tight inventory.
The 3-month, forward-looking market outlook index dropped sharply from the previous quarter and, at 44, is at a record low for the index, back to levels last seen at the onset of the pandemic in Q2 2020 and well below the 60 recorded in Q3 2021. The quarter-over-quarter decrease in market outlook, however, was driven more by independent dealers, with a 10-point drop to 40, equal to the lowest level last recorded at the start of the pandemic. Franchised dealers' outlook was also down quarter over quarter but by only five points.
"Importantly, a drop in current-market sentiment is not typical in the third quarter," said Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke. "The third quarter is usually mostly stable and, for franchised dealers, is often improving. There is typically excitement building with new models rolling out and energy for the new-vehicle market through the fourth quarter and holiday seasons. That is just not the case this year."
The Q3 2022 CADSI research was in market from July 26 to Aug. 9, 2022, when inflation was subsiding slightly from the 40-year high in June and the Fed was raising rates again while promising more rate hikes.
While still historically low, the new-vehicle inventory level index improved from last quarter and is up significantly from one year ago. Still, at 31, the new-vehicle inventory level index indicates inventory remains a major challenge for franchised dealers. For comparison: In Q3 2019, the index was at 61, meaning more dealers felt their inventory was growing, not declining.
"New-vehicle inventory is moving in a positive direction and clearly getting better for some dealers," added Smoke. "But the gains are not universal. In our inventory data, we see the domestic brands are in much better shape, and the Asian brands are notably worse."
While profits remain historically strong for franchised dealers, a lack of new-vehicle inventory and no quick fix in the making is likely weighing on franchised dealers' minds.
On the used-vehicle side, the inventory level index increased slightly as well in Q3 2022 to 36, one point higher than the previous quarter and up five points year over year. Among franchised dealers, the used-vehicle inventory level index improved by 12 points year over year in Q3 to 47. The index was flat quarter over quarter for independent dealers. The used-vehicle inventory mix index was also generally flat quarter over quarter and year over year at 47.
Still, all index scores associated with inventory remain below the 50 threshold, indicating dealers still face significant inventory challenges for both new and used vehicles. Consistent with last quarter, Limited Inventory ranks as the No. 1 factor holding back dealer business in Q3.
While new-vehicle inventory sentiment improved in Q3, the view of new-vehicle sales worsened slightly, decreasing from 52 to 51, meaning dealers are now marginally less optimistic about the current new-vehicle sales environment. One year ago, the index score was also 51, meaning the same number of dealers saw the market as good versus poor. The new-vehicle incentives index rose by one point quarter over quarter to 22 and has remained relatively stable in the low-to-mid-twenties for a year. For comparison, the incentive index was at 48 in Q3 2019.
The used-vehicle sales index remained stable at 47 in Q3 2022. For franchised dealers, the used-vehicle sales index decreased by three points and is now 12 points below year-ago levels. For independent dealers, the index fell one point from the previous quarter to 41 and is down 13 points from a year ago. Overall, most dealers view used-vehicle sales as poor.
While Limited Inventory continues to be the top factor holding back business according to the Q3 2022 CADSI, factors tied to the economy and inflation are clearly causing concern with the dealers.
In Q3 2022, the economy index dropped to 45, down from 50 in Q2 and 51 a year earlier. This indicates more dealers see the U.S. economy as weak. The Economy, in fact, is the second leading factor impacting dealer business, with 53% of dealers citing it, up from 46% in Q2, with Market Conditions, Interest Rates and Political Climate following closely behind. Dealers are worried about inflation, the possibility of a recession, and lagging consumer confidence. In response to a new question, dealers indicate that inflation had a strong impact on every aspect of the dealership, including costs/expenses (80), interest rates (71), vehicle sales (62), fixed operations (62) and staffing levels (50).
The cost index – specifically the cost of running a dealership – dipped one point to 75 in Q3 from the record high level in Q2 but remain historically elevated. After reaching a record low in Q2 2020 of 51 at the height of the pandemic, the cost index has been steadily increasing.
The Q3 2022 CADSI is based on 1,040 U.S. auto dealer respondents, comprising 574 franchised dealers and 466 independents. The survey was conducted from July 26 to Aug. 9, 2022. Dealer responses were weighted by dealership type and sales volume to represent the national dealer population. For each aspect of the market surveyed, respondents are given an option related to strong/increasing, average/stable, or weak/decreasing, along with a "don't know" opt-out. Indices are calculated by creating a mean score in which:
- Strong/increasing answers are assigned a value of 100.
- Average/stable answers are assigned a value of 50.
- Weak/declining selections are assigned a value of 0.
Respondents who select "don't know" for a particular question are removed from the related index calculation. The total metrics reported have a +/- 3.0 percent margin of error.
Download the full results of the Q3 2022 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index.
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company's more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com
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SOURCE Cox Automotive | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/cox-automotive-dealer-sentiment-index-us-auto-dealers-see-market-weakness-driven-by-inflation-economic-anxiety-tight-inventory-market-outlook-hits-record-low/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:07Z |
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Franchise today announced the opening of Crunch Cordova this winter, the second of five new Memphis Crunch Fitness locations set to open amidst Crunch's rapid and aggressive expansion into this area.
Crunch Cordova will be a $5 million, 40,000-square-foot fitness facility, with $1 million dollars' worth of state-of-the-art equipment and will be located in a newly renovated space at 1635 N. Germantown Pkwy, previously occupied by Stein Mart. Crunch Cordova will follow the opening of Crunch White Station this fall, each creating up to 100 new jobs in the community.
Fusing fitness with entertainment to make serious exercise fun, Crunch Cordova will offer top-quality cardio equipment and strength training equipment, circuit training, a functional training area with multiple indoor turf areas, a dedicated group fitness studio, a dedicated ride studio, boxing, Kids Crunch, HydroMassage® beds, and high-end tanning. Members looking for assistance reaching their goals will have access to our staff of highly experienced Personal Trainers.
Crunch Fitness Cordova is owned by Fitness Ventures, LLC, the fastest growing franchisee in the Crunch system with locations throughout the U.S. "Expanding into Memphis is particularly exciting for us, as the market is under served for high value, low price fitness options." We are coming into the market with multiple locations and will be announcing additional locations in the coming months," stated CEO Brian Hibbard. "Crunch is for everyone, from the first-time gym-goer to the seasoned athlete. Add in a high-energy and fun environment, and we have options to meet everyone's goals and budget!"
Crunch is known for its innovative group fitness programming and will offer a wide range of classes every week, including BodyWeb with TRX®, Zumba®, Cardio Tai Box, Yoga Body Sculpt and Fat Burning Pilates. Members looking for additional guidance or motivation can utilize the HIITZone™, a proprietary high-intensity interval group training program.
Prospective members can now visit https://www.crunchcordova.com or call 901.286.2899 to reserve memberships at discounted rates beginning at $9.99 per month.
Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people, with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves two million members with over 400 gyms worldwide in 34 states and the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.
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SOURCE Crunch | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/crunch-franchise-announces-second-five-new-locations-memphis-tennessee/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:14Z |
$600 Million Facility Represents a Key Pillar in the 104-year-old Co-op's Multi-Year Plan to Expand and Modernize
PASCO, Wash., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Darigold, Inc. hosted a commemorative groundbreaking ceremony today at the site of its future Pasco production facility. The $600 million facility is slated to open in early 2024 and will process approximately 8 million pounds of milk per day when fully operational from more than 100 dairy farms in surrounding communities.
"The Pasco project represents our third major capital investment in as many years, the largest investment in our co-op's 104-year-history, and a significant step in an ongoing strategy to expand and modernize Darigold," said Joe Coote, the co-op's chief executive officer. "We are a beloved heritage brand with deep roots in Washington and around the Pacific Northwest, but there's still considerable opportunity for us to leverage industry growth – here at home and around the world – to become a top-tier global dairy producer. This facility will play an important role in helping us achieve that vision."
The Pasco facility will be outfitted with two specialized milk dryers and two packaging lines for powdered milk products (or what the dairy industry calls "premium proteins"), two butter churns, two bulk butter packaging lines (for commercial and institutional customers), and five consumer butter packaging lines.
When fully operational, the facility will have the capacity to produce some 175 million pounds of butter per year, and nearly 280 million pounds of powdered milk products annually, including products that meet the highest industry specifications for use in the most sensitive applications such as infant formula. The facility's proximity to rail lines and global shipping ports will help the co-op realize transportation efficiencies for products going to both domestic and global customers.
"The growth of the dairy sector both domestically and internationally presents an opportunity for our dairy farmers," explained Allan Huttema, chairman of Darigold's board of directors and operator of Almar Dairy in Parma, Idaho. "Dairy farmers in the Pacific Northwest have a unique opportunity to benefit from global demand for dairy, which is rising considerably faster than it is domestically. This region is ideally suited to producing high-quality, nutritious dairy and our proximity to global shipping infrastructure makes it more efficient to access international markets."
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), demand for dairy grew at 1.6% in 2021 in the U.S., while demand for dairy exports rose by 19%. Very few countries have excess production capacity, giving U.S. dairy producers a unique opportunity to benefit from growing global demand.
In addition to adding capacity to Darigold's overall production capability, the new Pasco facility will incorporate a variety of innovative technologies and conservation strategies that combined could mitigate more than 300,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.
The milk dryers in the new facility will include state-of-the-art dryer burner technology that significantly reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Use of this dryer burner technology will reduce the facility's nitrogen oxide emissions to make it one of the lowest NOx emitting milk dryer facilities in the state. The co-op is also in talks with the City of Pasco for the planned expansion of its Process Water Reuse Facility (PWRF). The expanded PWRF will treat agriculture related wastewater from local food processors using a set of anaerobic digesters, which will generate renewable natural gas (cleaned from methane) for sale in the West Coast renewable natural gas (RNG) market.
Beyond design features that support the advancement of Darigold's environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitment, the facility's location within the multimodal Port of Pasco on the Columbia River gives it access to both rail and barge facilities, creating transportation efficiencies for the co-op.
"The dairy industry continues to be a key driver of the region's agricultural sector," said Coote. "By adding capacity through this facility, we stand to share the bounty of Northwest dairy with more consumers at home and around the globe, and build more value for the family farmers who own our co-op. That's something that should be easy for all of us in the PNW to stand behind."
Darigold expects the Pasco facility to be operational by early 2024, and plans to hire some 200 employees.
The groundbreaking ceremony marks the culmination of two years of collaboration between the Port of Pasco, Darigold, and several other public and private partners.
"The Port is grateful for the efforts of everyone involved in this project, especially those of Washington State Senator Mark Schoesler and legislators from the eighth, ninth, 15th, and 16th Legislative Districts, who provided $7.5 million in state funding for critical public infrastructure to support the Darigold project," said Vicki Gordon, president, Port of Pasco Commission. "The Federal government has also pledged support, with Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell securing a $3.6 million appropriation for railroad construction to connect the Darigold facility to the BNSF main line."
"Here at home, the Port enjoys strong working relationships with the City of Pasco, Franklin County, and Franklin County PUD. Their teams have worked hard to help us craft a plan to deliver more than $30 million in public infrastructure," Gordon continued. "This will be a wonderful day for Darigold and Pasco. Darigold's private investment delivers more than 200 high wage jobs, and the project will result in an impressive increase in state and local tax revenues to help support local schools and the community."
Developer for the project is the Port of Pasco. The facility was designed by architectural firm E.A. Bonelli & Associates, and Miron Construction is the builder.
Headquartered in Seattle, Darigold, Inc. is the marketing and processing subsidiary of Northwest Dairy Association (NDA), which is owned by more than 300 family-owned dairy farms in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Darigold handles approximately 10 billion pounds of milk annually. Darigold produces a full line of dairy-based products for retail, foodservice, commodity, and specialty markets, and is one of the largest U.S. dairy processors. Darigold, Inc. operates 11 plants throughout the Northwest, processing high-quality milk produced by NDA farm families, and satellite offices in Mexico City, Mexico and Shanghai, China. For more information, visit darigold.com.
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SOURCE Darigold, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/darigold-breaks-ground-new-production-facility-pasco-wash/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:21Z |
The cutting-edge HP digital web press becomes the centerpiece of the company's elite production capabilities
SEATTLE, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the addition of the multi-million dollar HP PageWide Web Press T250 HD digital inkjet and automated finishing lines, DCG ONE is vastly expanding its printing capabilities and becoming one of the few commercial printers in the Northwest to offer its customers offset-like quality with the speed of digital printing.
"Roughly speaking, we'll be doubling our digital page capacity," said Brad Clarke, president of DCG ONE. "We're radically reducing cycle times and increasing speed, and that creates tremendous value for our clients."
The advanced digital web press will help DCG ONE serve a wider variety of market segments and applications with a faster, more flexible and higher-quality digital print solution for publishing, transactional, direct mail and general commercial printing.
"Projects that might have taken six to eight hours to run can now cycle through in under two hours on the T250 HD," said Clarke.
Speed isn't the only advancement. The new digital web press features remarkable configuration capabilities, including variable printing that can make every sheet look different. And with no plates needed and more efficient use of a variety of paper types, the T250 HD minimizes waste.
"For DCG ONE and our customers, it's transformational," said Clarke.
Installation of the ultramodern press at the company's Seattle production facility is nearly complete. Projects are expected to begin rolling on the new press as soon as testing is completed this month.
When big ideas, bold creative and brilliant delivery converge, business thrives. DCG ONE is a marketing, technology and print production powerhouse that helps companies expand opportunities, drive customer engagement and blow past their business goals. Our smart, seamless strategic approach always pushes what's possible. At DCG ONE, that's the whole idea.
Based in Seattle, WA, DCG ONE has grown to become one of the largest privately held marketing services providers in the country. With locations including Seattle and New York, NY, DCG ONE services a variety of Fortune 500 companies.
Contact:
Mandy DiCesare, Marketing Specialist
Mandy.DiCesare@dcgone.com
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SOURCE DCG ONE | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/dcg-one-flexes-printing-muscle-with-new-advanced-digital-web-press/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:28Z |
DeciBERT-Large substantially improved throughput performance & accuracy while also significantly reducing model size
TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Deci, the deep learning company harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build better AI, announced results for its Natural Language Processing (NLP) inference model submitted to the MLPerf Inference v2.1 benchmark suite under the open submission track. Generated by Deci's Automated Neural Architecture Construction (AutoNAC) technology, the NLP model, dubbed DeciBERT-Large, ran on Dell-PowerEdge-R7525-2 hardware using the AMD EPYC™ 7773X processor. The resulting model outperformed both the throughput performance of the BERT-Large model by 6.46x and achieved a 1% boost in accuracy.
The model was submitted under the offline scenario in MLPerf's open division in the BERT 99.9 category. The goal was to maximize throughput while keeping the accuracy within a 0.1% margin of error from the baseline, which is 90.874 F1 (SQUAD). The DeciBERT-Large model far exceeded these goals, reaching a throughput of 116 QueriesPer Second (QPS) and an F1 score of 91.08 for accuracy.
For the submission, Deci leveraged its proprietary automated Neural Architecture Construction technology (AutoNAC) engine to generate a new model architecture tailored for the AMD processor. AutoNAC, an algorithmic optimization engine generating best-in-class deep learning model architectures for any task, data set, and inference hardware, typically powers up to a 5X increase in inference performance with comparable or higher accuracy relative to state-of-the-art neural models.
"While the key optimization objective when generating the DeciBERT model was to optimize throughput, AutoNAC also managed to significantly reduce the model size – an important accomplishment with a number of benefits including the ability to run multiple models on the same server and better utilize cache memory," said Prof. Ran El-Yaniv, Deci's chief scientist and co-founder. "These results confirm once again the exceptional performance of our AutoNAC technology, which is applicable to nearly any deep learning domain and inference hardware".
MLPerf gathers expert deep learning leaders to build fair and useful benchmarks for measuring training and inference performance of ML hardware, software, and services.
The Impact of Faster NLP Inference
Deci's NLP inference acceleration directly translates into cloud cost reduction as it enables more processes to run on the same machine in less time or alternatively it enables teams to use a more cost efficient machine while retaining the same throughput performance. For some NLP applications such as question answering, higher throughput also means better user experience as the queries are processed faster and insights can be generated in real time.
Deci Submission Results
About Deci
Deci enables deep learning to live up to its true potential by using AI to build better AI. With the company's deep learning development platform, AI developers can build, optimize, and deploy faster and more accurate models for any environment including cloud, edge, and mobile, allowing them to revolutionize industries with innovative products. The platform is powered by Deci's proprietary automated Neural Architecture Construction technology (AutoNAC), which empowers data scientists to build best-in-class deep learning models that are tailored for any task, data set and target inference hardware. Leading AI teams use Deci to accelerate inference performance, enable new use cases on limited hardware, shorten development cycles and reduce computing costs. Founded by Yonatan Geifman, PhD, Jonathan Elial, and Professor Ran El-Yaniv, Deci's team of deep learning engineers and scientists are dedicated to eliminating production-related bottlenecks across the AI lifecycle.
Media Contact
Garrett Krivicich, Headline Media
garrett@headline.media
+1 786 233 7684
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1893621/Deci_Throughput_Infographic.jpg
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SOURCE Deci | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/decis-natural-language-processing-nlp-model-achieves-breakthrough-performance-mlperf/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:34Z |
JERSEY CITY, N.J., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Effectual, a modern, cloud first managed and professional services company, announced that its public sector arm has been appraised at level 3 of ISACA's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®). Effectual Public Sector Inc. provides mission-critical IT modernization solutions to Federal, State, Local, Education, and Nonprofit organizations. CMMI is a proven, outcome-based performance model and a globally accepted standard committed to helping organizations drive continuous improvement and quality management efforts. The appraisal was performed by Concept Quality Assurance Labs.
An appraisal at Maturity Level 3 indicates the organization is performing at a "defined" level. At this level, processes are well characterized and understood, and are described in standards, procedures, tools and methods. The organization's set of standard processes, which is the basis for Maturity Level 3, is established and improved over time.
"As champions of digital transformation, we are continually expanding our expertise and credentials to provide the best possible service to our customers. The CMMI appraisal validates our ability to accelerate cloud migration, automate development in the cloud, and proves that our methodologies effectively enable us to deliver positive business outcomes for our customers," said Effectual CEO Robb Allen.
"Organizations worldwide are harnessing CMMI to elevate their business performance to new heights, creating a sustainable competitive advantage in the process" says Ron Lear, Senior Director, CMMI Program. "We commend Effectual on achieving this CMMI appraisal level and demonstrating their ability as a high-performing organization."
What our CMMI Maturity Level rating means for our customers:
- Our work and processes have received the highest form of third-party validation
- We deliver cloud-first managed and professional services with an established set of practices prioritized for each sector and division of the company
- Efficiency in strategic planning and delivering high quality services aligned to our customer's business objectives
- We are dedicated to continuous improvement and leading with innovation to solve complex modernization challenges with cloud services
With the credentials, certifications, and contract vehicles to ensure successful outcomes, Effectual Public Sector Inc.'s US-based teams have the proven ability to architect, build, secure, and manage highly scalable environments.
Effectual holds over 200 AWS Certifications and has achieved the AWS Managed Services Provider (MSP) designation, AWS Migration Consulting Competency, AWS DevOps Consulting Competency, AWS Mobile Consulting Competency, AWS SaaS Consulting Competency, AWS Government Consulting Competency, and AWS Nonprofit Consulting Competency designations. The company is also a member of the AWS Well-Architected Partner Program, AWS Public Sector Partner Programs, as well as the AWS GovCloud (US) and Authority to Operate on AWS Programs.
For more details on the appraisal, visit Public Appraisal Results System (PARs) website at www.cmmiinstitute.com/pars/appraisals/58832
For more information about CMMI performance solutions, visit www.isaca.org/enterprise/cmmi-performance-solutions.
An AWS Premier Consulting Partner, Effectual is a modern, cloud first managed and professional services company that works with commercial enterprises and the public sector to enable digital transformation and full stack IT modernization. Effectual's deeply experienced and passionate team of problem solvers apply proven methodologies to enable positive business outcomes with Amazon Web Services and VMware Cloud on AWS. Effectual is a member of the Cloud Security Alliance, and the PCI Security Standards Council.
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SOURCE Effectual Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/effectual-public-sector-inc-appraised-cmmi-level-3-isacas-capability-maturity-model-integration/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:41Z |
Workers Comfortable Talking about Burnout, Say a Four-Day Work Week and Increased Flexibility Would Alleviate Burnout
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly half (49 percent) of American employees say that they are burned out from their jobs. This level of burnout remains stable from earlier this year, but has dipped since the early months of the pandemic (58 percent in August 2020). Younger workers (53 percent) and women (54 percent) report feeling higher levels of burnout.
As for the top sources of burnout, workers say it's their workload (48 percent) and staffing shortages (45 percent). Nearly three-fourths of workers say that a four-day work week (72 percent) would alleviate stress, followed by increased flexibility (69 percent).
These findings are from a workforce survey from Eagle Hill Consulting conducted by Ipsos from August 11 -16, 2022. The 2022 Eagle Hill Consulting Workforce Burnout Survey included 1000 respondents from a random sample of employees across the U.S. Respondents were polled about burnout and vacation.
"It's encouraging to see that worker stress is dipping, but the high burnout levels remain troubling," said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "On the heels of Labor Day, it's important for employers to assess the state of their workforce. Employers need workers at the top of their game, and they need employees to stay on the job in this tight labor market. When employees are exhausted, stressed, or feel like they can't perform they're likely to walk out the door."
"Workers tell us that there are concrete steps employers can take to alleviate burnout – from increased scheduling flexibility to better health and wellness benefits. Employers are wise to really understand the specific burnout levels and triggers among their workforce, along with the actions they can take to address the problem. Our research indicates that employees are comfortable telling their employer they are feeling burned out, so initiating that conversation is the first place to start." Jezior explained.
The survey's key findings are as follows:
- When asked how staff shortages are impacting their workload, 86 percent of workers said it's covering the workload for un-filled positions, 42 percent said it's helping others learn their job, 37 percent said it's training new hires, and 24 percent said it's recruiting and interviewing new hires.
- Most employees who report burnout (62 percent) feel comfortable telling their manager or employer they feel burned out.
- The top causes of burnout include workload (48 percent), staff shortages (45 percent) juggling personal and professional lives (39 percent), a lack of communication and support (38 percent), and time pressures (29 percent).
- When asked how to reduce burnout, 72 percent said a four-day work week would help. Other solutions included increased flexibility (69 percent), decreased workload (64 percent), better health and wellness (61 percent), working from home (61 percent), reduced administrative burdens (55 percent), more on-site amenities (53 percent), and the ability to relocate or work from multiple locations (42 percent).
- The research also signals that the Great Resignation is likely to linger, as more than one-third of the workforce (36 percent) plans to leave their job in the next 12 months, up from 34 percent in April 2022. The planned departure rates are even higher for younger workers (46 percent for 18 to 34-year-old workers), followed by mid-career workers (37 percent for 35 to 54-year-old workers), and at 23 percent for those 55 and older.
Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is a woman-owned business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Strategy & Performance, Talent, and Change. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A leading authority on employee sentiment, Eagle Hill is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with employees across the U.S. and offices in Boston and Seattle. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.
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SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/employee-burnout-high-declining-according-new-eagle-hill-consulting-research/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:49Z |
PLUS: DAVE KARGER JOINS EW AS AWARDS CORRESPONDENT
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Entertainment Weekly (EW) will descend on the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2022 with the return of the EW and PEOPLE photo and video studio from September 9-12, followed by the exclusive EW Awardist party honoring the TIFF Must List sponsored by 1 Hotel Toronto and Paramount+ Canada on September 10.
The EW and PEOPLE photo and video studio is a one-stop shop where over 30 casts of TIFF's most talked-about films will promote their upcoming projects through one-of-a-kind interviews, photo shoots, and content creation that will run exclusively on EW.com, PEOPLE.com, and each brand's social channels. It also serves as a respite for talent with a lounge open from September 9-12. Additionally, the puppies are back! For the fourth year, EW and PEOPLE have partnered with a local dog rescue organization for a popular activation promoting pet adoption. This year's partnership is with Project Paws. To round out the weekend, EW will host its coveted VIP Awardist party, sponsored by 1 Hotel Toronto and Paramount+ Canada honoring our TIFF Must List and spotlighting Sanaa Lathan's directorial debut and Paramount+'s upcoming original film, On the Come Up. Other Must List honorees and guests include Jessica Chastain & Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse), Tyler Perry (A Jazz Man's Blues), Billy Eichner & Luke MacFarlane (Bros) and Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway).
In addition, EW is welcoming award-winning host, interviewer, and entertainment expert Dave Karger as the brand's new Awards Correspondent. His first assignment is at TIFF, where he will be conducting interviews with talent at the EW and PEOPLE video and photo studio. Karger will also contribute to EW's Awardist content, where his Oscar-forecasting expertise will continue to elevate the franchise. Karger is a host on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and has made more than 200 live appearances on NBC's Today show during his career.
ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Dotdash Meredith's Entertainment Weekly (EW) is an all-access pass to Hollywood's most creative minds and most fascinating stars. Launched in 1990, EW is one of America's leading consumer brands in the entertainment category, with a combined audience of almost 28 million loyal, engaged fans. Each day, EW.com publishes a variety of features, news articles, TV episode recaps, original videos, film reviews, and photo galleries. With sharp insight, unparalleled access, and a trusted voice, EW keeps readers plugged into pop culture and the best in entertainment.
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SOURCE Entertainment Weekly | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/entertainment-weekly-amp-people-celebrate-toronto-international-film-festival-with-return-photo-amp-video-studio-ew-awardist-party-sponsored-by-1-hotel-toronto-paramount-canada/ | 2022-09-08T18:30:56Z |
CLEVELAND, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Euclid Chemical, a leading manufacturer of concrete and masonry construction products, introduces PSI Fiberstrand REPREVE 225, an innovative new synthetic microfiber for concrete reinforcement that offers unique sustainability benefits.
Euclid partnered with Unifi—maker of REPREVE, the world's number-one branded recycled fiber—to develop this new product for its PSI Fiberstrand line of synthetic microfibers. With a low environmental impact, PSI Fiberstrand REPREVE 225 is a fine denier monofilament synthetic microfiber that is manufactured using resourced polyester material from plastic bottles. In fact, for every pound of PSI Fiberstrand REPREVE 225 that is used to reinforce concrete, nearly 10 plastic bottles are diverted from landfills.
Typically used at a dosage rate of 0.5 lb/yd³ (0.3 kg/m³), these microfibers are designed to significantly reduce the formation of plastic shrinkage cracking and spalling in concrete, as well as minimize segregation and bleed water. They also enhance the durability of concrete surfaces, improving their fire, impact and abrasion resistance.
PSI Fiberstrand REPREVE 225 can be easily added to a concrete mixture at any time prior to placement. It is ideal for a variety of applications, including pavements, slabs-on-grade, overlays and toppings, wall systems, foundations, shotcrete, precast and prestressed structures, composite steel decks and decorative concrete.
Available in a ¼" (6 mm) length, PSI Fiberstrand REPREVE 225 microfibers comply with ASTM C1116, ASTM D7508 and applicable portions of the International Code Council's (ICC) Acceptance Criteria AC32 for synthetic fibers.
For more information, visit www.euclidchemical.com/products/concrete-fibers/synthetic-microfibers/psi-fiberstrand-repreve-225.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Euclid Chemical has served the global building market for more than a century as a leading manufacturer and supplier of specialty products and technical support services for the concrete and masonry construction industry. Euclid Chemical's expansive product line includes admixtures, fiber reinforcement, concrete repair products, flooring materials, decorative concrete systems and more. Learn more at www.euclidchemical.com.
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SOURCE The Euclid Chemical Company | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/euclid-introduces-new-synthetic-microfiber-concrete-reinforcement/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:02Z |
The following statement is attributed to Binita Ashar, M.D., director of the Office of Surgical and Infection Control Devices in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety communication informing patients and providers about reports of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and various lymphomas located in the capsule or scar tissue around breast implants. After an initial extensive review, we currently believe that the risk of SCC and other lymphomas occurring in the tissue around breast implants is rare. However, in this case, and when safety risks with medical devices are identified, we wanted to provide clear and understandable information to the public as quickly as possible.
In some reported cases, patients were diagnosed years after having breast implants and presented with findings such as swelling, pain, lumps or skin changes. These emerging reports of lymphoma in scar tissue are different from Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), which the FDA began communicating about as a potential risk more than a decade ago.
The FDA's work in the area of patient-centered risk communication for these devices has accelerated in recent years, including convening stakeholders to share perspectives that have informed the FDA's regulatory oversight and implementation of new requirements for manufacturers. We continue to engage top cancer experts and are consulting with our Oncology Center of Excellence to ensure a coordinated approach informed by leaders in the field. Additionally, the agency continues to closely monitor various data sources, such as the scientific literature, adverse event reports submitted to the agency and is soliciting information from manufacturers regarding any reports they may have regarding SCC and other lymphomas related to the tissue around an implant.
We know that breast implants are not lifetime devices, and that the longer a patient has breast implants, the more likely they will need to be removed or replaced. We also understand that information regarding breast implant risks can be overwhelming for a patient. For this reason, we encourage review of our website with attention to patient labeling, which has easy to understand information in the patient brochure.
Right now, we do not have enough information to say whether breast implants cause these cancers or if some implants pose higher risk than others. For this reason, instances of SCC, lymphoma and any cancer located in the scar tissue around breast implants should be reported to the FDA. Our collective understanding has advanced significantly because of the efforts to study, communicate and act when needed. As the agency moves further into adopting modernized approaches to our regulatory responsibilities to promote faster science-based decision-making, accurate data is crucial.
If a patient with breast implants is experiencing a problem, or there is a case of SCC, lymphoma or any other cancer of the breast implant capsule identified, the FDA strongly encourages reporting this through MedWatch, the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting program. Reporting strengthens our ability to work with manufacturers and others to improve safety.
Today's safety communication underscores our commitment to sharing the information that we regularly gather and analyze so that patients may fully consider and thoughtfully discuss implant risks with their doctors. We will continue to collaborate with other regulatory authorities, clinical and scientific experts, breast implant registries and patients as a part of our commitment to educate and enhance evidence generation on these potential new risks.
Looking ahead, the FDA will soon complete a thorough literature review and continue our partnership with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons as we work to identify ways to collect more detailed information regarding patient cases where cancer in the breast implant capsule has been reported. As we learn more about these cases, we hope to better understand the patient risk and communicate findings to the public.
The safety signal issued today is an emerging issue that will require steadfast, ongoing evaluation and communication with patients, healthcare providers and manufacturers. We remain committed to informing the public of important and emerging medical device safety risks and appropriately take action on behalf of patients and public health.
Media Contact: Audra Harrison, 301-908-6101
Consumer Inquiries: Email, 888-INFO-FDA
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
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SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/fda-issues-safety-alert-squamous-cell-carcinoma-various-lymphomas-scar-tissue-around-breast-implants/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:08Z |
Widely respected former BofA Merrill Research leader brings additional fiduciary support and investment insight to Sanctuary advisors and their clients
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, announces the appointment of Mary Ann Bartels to the newly created office of Chief Investment Strategist. A veteran of more than 35 years in financial services, she spent more than two decades at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she was Head of Technical & Market Analysis and led the Research Investment Committee (RIC). She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will provide tremendous value to Sanctuary partner firms and allow them to offer additional innovative investment solutions to clients.
During that time, she created research that advisors and clients relied on to make informed decisions regarding their investments and received the prestigious Institutional Investor All-American Research award for six consecutive years. Mary Ann has been a frequent commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business and is regularly quoted in respected publications including Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times. She has been a regular presenter at the annual Barron's Advisor Women Summit, including serving as a keynote speaker.
"Mary Ann has built an outstanding and well-deserved reputation on Wall Street over the last 30-plus years for her research skills and thoughtful insights," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "She's fiercely dedicated to providing the best solutions to advisors and their clients as well as being a tireless advocate for women in the financial world. Independent financial advisors don't normally have access to someone of Mary Ann's caliber. Our network will have direct access to collaborate with her as much as they want."
During her time in the Merrill Lynch Chief Investment Office (CIO), she produced thought leadership on investment guidance and portfolio strategies for advisors and their clients, including the creation of the first client roadshow and spent six years educating advisors, clients, and prospects about the markets, the economy, and world events. Mary Ann also created the first research products for Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) for a large investment banking firm covering over 500 ETFs.
"I'm excited to be joining Sanctuary Wealth because I love the markets, but what I love most is working with best-in-class advisors and their clients to assist them in building out their future plans. It's a passion I've had for decades, and Sanctuary is the ideal place for me to put that passion to work in the service of others," said Mary Ann Bartels, Chief Investment Strategist, Sanctuary Wealth. "I've always felt that an important part of my mission was to help people understand the markets and market behavior so they can make better informed decisions with their advisors. I look forward to continuing to do that with Sanctuary's growing roster of advisor partners."
Throughout her career, Mary Ann has been a strong advocate for women in financial services due to the mentorship of her aunt Bernadette Bartels Murphy, who started working on Wall Street in the 1950s and rose to become one of the first woman traders and a trusted source for investment counsel for countless clients.
In keeping with her career-long commitment to providing guidance to advisors and their clients, after leaving Bank of America in 2020, Mary Ann immersed herself in the world of decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain, and cryptocurrencies, taking several courses and joining the London Real Investment Club, a prestigious investment club that specializes in the space.
"I believe this is a new part of our infrastructure that's going to be built out over time," she explained. "We will probably go through many changes as this new form of technology evolves under the umbrella of decentralized finance including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and the metaverse, and I want to be able to help Sanctuary's advisors and their clients understand and participate in this exciting new development."
"During our time together at Merrill Lynch, Mary Ann was a favorite of both the financial advisors and some of our largest clients," said Vince Fertitta, President of Sanctuary Wealth. "She has an incredible knack for making the complex easy to digest and to act upon. She will be an outstanding resource for Sanctuary partner firms and their clients. We are thrilled that Mary Ann chose to join our team at Sanctuary."
Also joining Sanctuary Wealth is Laura Anacker, Portfolio Strategist. Laura brings over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, holding various positions at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. She's spent the better part of the last 9 years as an Investment Advisory Specialist where she was responsible for providing fiduciary portfolio construction and guidance to over 700 domestic and international Merrill Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors.
About Sanctuary Wealth
Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary Wealth's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes partner firms in 27 states across the country with approximately $25 billion in assets under advisement. Sanctuary Wealth includes the fully owned subsidiaries; Sanctuary Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, Sanctuary Securities, Inc. a FINRA member broker-dealer as well as Sanctuary Alternative Holdings, Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Family Office.
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SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/financial-services-veteran-mary-ann-bartels-joins-sanctuary-wealth-chief-investment-strategist/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:14Z |
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Firstrust Bank today announced that President Timothy J. Abell will become CEO as part of a long-planned executive transition that will ensure business continuity and growth for the region's largest and strongest full-service, family-owned bank.
Current Board Chairman and CEO, Richard J. Green, who has spent his 45 year banking career building Firstrust, will become the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Richard's grandfather, Samuel, founded the bank in 1934, and during Richard's career was privileged to have worked with both his grandfather, and father, Daniel. Richard will remain the Owner of the bank.
This planned transition will become effective on January 1, 2023. As Tim Abell becomes CEO, Richard, in turn, will focus more fully on Firstrust's continued growth as well as the expanding philanthropic work of The Green Family Foundation.
During his tenure as CEO, Green led several successful transformations for Firstrust, including its transition to a full-service commercial bank, the reinvention of Hatch Bank, a subsidiary of Firstrust, into a bank focused on serving the Fintech community, as well as deftly navigating Firstrust through the Great Recession and the Global Pandemic.
Under his leadership, Philadelphia's Hometown Bank and the Official Bank of the Philadelphia Eagles has become national in capability, technology and innovation, while remaining local and personal in its service to its customers, while growing its assets to more than $5Billion.
"Tim Abell is an exceptional banker and charismatic leader who lives and breathes the Firstrust culture and our commitment to our customers and the community," Green said. "I have had the privilege of working side by side with Tim for the past 18 years, and I have complete confidence in his leadership and ability to accelerate the bank's growth and serve the community that we both love."
Abell was born and raised in Philadelphia and has longstanding ties throughout the community. He has served as Firstrust's President since 2007 and as a member of the Board of Directors since 2016. He will be the first non-family member to serve as CEO and he will remain President.
In his new position, Abell will be responsible for implementing the bank's strategic plan, including guiding its digital transformation, and the overall growth of the enterprise. He will oversee the day-to-day operations of Firstrust, as well as its Apex Commercial Capital, Firstrust Financial Resources and Hatch Bank subsidiaries.
Abell has more than 30 years of experience working with businesses and entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia region. He joined Firstrust in 2004 and during his tenure has expanded the bank's small business, commercial and real estate lending businesses, developed new business lines, overseen the investment in digital technologies, the expansion into the Maryland market and the growth of the subsidiaries. Prior to joining Firstrust, Abell was Market President for Fleet Bank in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
"Firstrust is a special bank with a professional, caring and motivated team that is passionate about our customers and their success, and the well-being of the communities we serve," Abell said.
"Richard has made an indelible mark on the bank and on the Greater Philadelphia community," he added. "Fortunately for me and the Firstrust Family, he is stepping up, not down. As we continue to work together in our individual capacities, I am excited to grow the Firstrust legacy of outstanding customer service, commitment to the prosperity of our community while continuing to invest in our people, technology and innovation."
Founded in 1934, with assets of approximately $5 billion, Firstrust Bank is the region's largest family-owned financial institution, one of the region's largest and strongest full-service commercial banks, and one of the most consistently top-performing banks in the Nation. Founded by Samuel A. Green, who began the business in his mother's kitchen in South Philadelphia, Firstrust is currently in its third generation of family management, operating as Philadelphia's Hometown Bank® for nearly 90 years. Firstrust offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions. In commercial banking, Firstrust provides a wide variety of solutions, including commercial real estate finance, business banking, asset-backed lending, and deposit and treasury management services. Firstrust meets the need of its consumer customers by offering a full range of deposit, lending, and residential mortgage products. Firstrust is a Small Business Administration (SBA) Preferred Lender, is a Top Workplaces employer, the Official Bank of the Philadelphia Eagles and serves its customers through 19 branch banking offices located in Southeastern PA, Cherry Hill, NJ, and Towson, MD. For more information, visit firstrust.com or call 800-220-BANK. Member FDIC.
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SOURCE Firstrust Bank | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/firstrust-announces-timothy-j-abell-will-become-ceo-richard-j-green-serve-executive-chairman/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:23Z |
ROCKY HILL, Conn., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Place to Work® and Fortune have honored CATIC as one of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Real Estate™. This is CATIC's first time being named to this prestigious list, this year coming in at 21st place. Earning a spot means that CATIC is one of the best companies to work for in the country.
The Best Workplaces in Real Estate award is based on analysis of survey responses from over 23,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the real estate industry. In that survey, 95% of all CATIC employees, including its subsidiaries (CATIC Title and Universal Component Lender Services), said CATIC is a great place to work. This number is 38 points higher than the average U.S. company.
"We are grateful for our hard working and dedicated employees who have made us a part of this prestigious list," said James M. Czapiga, Esq., President and CEO of the CATIC Family of Companies. "Our people make working at CATIC a truly special experience every day. We have built a strong culture of collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation. We celebrate and thank our employees for all they do to earn this incredible honor." Damon Carter, Senior Vice President and CHRO, added, "We are humbled and proud to be recognized on this esteemed list this year. Each person, regardless of their position in the company, is genuinely committed to making CATIC a great place to work for all employees. The candid feedback and thoughtful ideas that we regularly receive from our employees continuously shape our company culture, and their outstanding efforts are truly appreciated by the senior leadership team."
The Fortune Best Workplaces in Real Estate is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were considered only if they had been a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization.
Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.
CATIC, along with its sister company CATIC Title Insurance Company, is currently licensed in every state east of the Mississippi and in Texas and is currently doing business through an independent agent network in 15 states. The Company is an underwriting member of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the North American Bar-Related® Title Insurers. For more information about the Company, or to become a CATIC agent, please visit us at www.CATIC.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Great Place to Work selected the Best Workplaces in Real Estate by gathering and analyzing confidential survey responses from over 23,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the real estate industry. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work® Trust Index™ survey. Great Place to Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All™ methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America's largest ongoing annual workforce study, based on over 1 million survey responses and data from companies representing more than 6.1 million employees, this year alone. Read the full methodology.
To get on this list next year, start here.
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SOURCE CATIC | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/fortune-names-catic-one-best-workplaces-real-estate-2022-ranking-21/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:29Z |
Sheetz places third on prominent list
ALTOONA, Pa., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Sheetz, a major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience chain, is humbled to announce Fortune and Great Place to Work have named the company to this year's Best Workplaces in Retail list.
Ranking third nationally, Sheetz is the only convenience store to be named. While Sheetz has been named to this list every year, this is Sheetz's highest ranking ever, trailing only Wegmans Food Markets and Target.
"Being ranked third on this list, alongside highly respected companies that also prioritize a positive workplace environment, is a significant accomplishment for us and not something that we take lightly," said Travis Sheetz, President & CEO of Sheetz. "For the last 70 years, our organization's success has been driven by our people. Every day, we work to create a place where employees feel valued and appreciated – as the key to our success."
In 2021, Sheetz announced over $70 million in investments in store employee wages as well as an investment doubling the tuition assistance offered to employees through the company's College Tuition Reimbursement program. Sheetz also announced early last year that it had updated its parental leave policy to include 12 weeks of fully paid time off for new mothers and two weeks of fully paid time off for partners.
The company offers competitive pay and benefits packages to all employees, including medical and dental insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, an employee stock ownership plan, flexible schedules, opportunities for advancement, quarterly bonuses, vacation time and more.
Sheetz currently has more than 1,400 job openings available throughout its footprint with an average salesperson wage of $14.50. Individuals can visit jobs.sheetz.com to learn more about Sheetz's current job openings.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America's fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains with more than 24,000 employees. The company operates over 660 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of M•T•O® sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Sheetz is committed to offering employees sustainable careers built on an inspiring culture and community engagement. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on Twitter (@sheetz), Facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/sheetz).
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SOURCE Sheetz, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/fortune-names-sheetz-best-workplace-retail/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:36Z |
Digital marketing agency expands client portfolio and boasts 102% YoY growth
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Grit Studio™ ("Grit"), a content-first digital marketing studio, announces the appointment of Justyna Wilson as Vice President of Strategy + Accounts and Molli Mayeron as Director of Content + Production, expanding the agency's West Coast presence to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The firm also grew its client portfolio with the addition of three national consumer brands.
Justyna Wilson joins Grit's leadership team as the Vice President of Strategy + Accounts. In her new role, Wilson oversees account services and 360 digital marketing strategy, with an emphasis on full funnel strategy, channel management, and storytelling. Bringing more than 15 years of experience in marketing, digital innovation, and go-to-market strategies for DTC and B2B brands, Wilson previously served as Head of Brand & Growth at Face Reality and Senior Global E-Commerce Manager at Biossance.
Grit also welcomes Molli Mayeron as its Director of Content + Production. Mayeron is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and content director with more than 15 years of experience in entertainment and beauty, and wellness. She will lead client content, project, and production management. Her experience includes content lead roles at Beautycounter, CBS Interactive, and NBCUniversal Media.
"Justyna and Molli are seasoned marketing professionals with deep expertise in digital marketing strategy, content production, and client services," says Erin Fabio, CEO of Grit Studio. "We're excited to welcome them to the team and look forward to seeing how they level up our client content."
Since launching in 2017, Grit continues to accelerate growth with the addition of 10 full-time employees located in San Francisco, Seattle, Nashville, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and the Washington D.C. area where the agency is headquartered. The studio has experienced 100% YoY growth in revenue each year, with 102% growth in 2022.
Grit was recently named the agency of record for HeyMama and Sunfish, and was awarded business for Purecane. HeyMama is the largest and fastest-growing private online community of working and entrepreneurial moms in the country. Purecane is an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener from Amyris, Inc., a global science and technology leader of pure, sustainable ingredients. Sunfish makes parenthood attainable for all types of families through financial solutions, support, and guidance.
"Erin Fabio and the entire Grit team have been an incredible extension to our team. It is part of our mission to work with mother-founded businesses first, and having a team that not only gets us as a brand but feels invested in our success personally and professionally as mom business owners and leaders has helped our strategy and growth," said Erika Feldhus, CEO of HeyMama.
Grit's client roster also includes top national beauty & wellness brands including Amyris brand OLIKA, Larken, YouFit, Roadside Development, and Geneo, a Lumenis company, among others.
Grit Studio™ ("Grit") is a content-first digital marketing studio that empowers premium beauty, wellness + community brands through creative innovation + data-driven results. Established in 2017 by CEO Erin Fabio, a veteran of top marketing agencies and previous content director at Bluemercury, Inc., Grit Studio's offerings include full content production, branding and website design/development + 360 digital marketing services. Grit is a certified Woman Owned Small Business. For more information, visit www.gritstudio.com.
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SOURCE Grit Studio | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/grit-studio-expands-team-award-winning-creatives-grows-client-portfolio-with-several-national-consumer-brands/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:45Z |
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- H. Kent Falk, Chief Executive Officer, and Jeffrey S. Redeker, President, of Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization) ("Beach Cities") announced today the founding executive management team, the receipt of regulatory approval to organize and establish Beach Cities from the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (the "DFPI") on March 29, 2022, and from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the "FDIC") on August 24, 2022, subject to conditions relating to the establishment of de novo banks. The application to organize Beach Cities was filed with the DFPI on September 24, 2021, and the application for deposit insurance was filed with the FDIC on September 27, 2021. Beach Cities is also announcing the anticipated completion of its Irvine headquarters office on August 26, 2022, the anticipated completion of its Encinitas office before September 15, 2022, and the extension of its Offering for common stock to the close of business on Monday, October 31, 2022.
Mr. Falk and Mr. Redeker stated, "We are proud to announce the executive management team for Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization). Each member of our team has extensive experience in his or her area of specialty and has developed strong skills and expertise over many years of working in our market areas. They are dedicated to our success in building a strong, community-oriented bank. Many of us have worked together at other local banks and are excited to be a team again."
Following are the current members of the founding executive management team of Beach Cities, which will be a California state-chartered commercial bank:
- H. Kent Falk, Chief Executive Officer (with over 46 years of banking experience)
- Jeffrey S. Redeker, President (with over 27 years of banking experience)
- Nasrin Rostami, Executive Vice President ("EVP")/Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary (with over 30 years of experience in the banking, risk management and financial services industries)
- Joseph A. Simmons, EVP/Chief Credit Officer (with over 35 years of banking experience)
- Najam Saiduddin, EVP/Chief Financial Officer (with over 28 years of banking experience)
- Debora J. Edson, EVP/Chief Risk Officer (with over 35 years of banking experience)
- Matthew E. Blackmer, EVP/Chief Banking Officer (with over 30 years of banking experience)
Mr. Falk added, "In addition to the officers named above, certain non-executive officers are an important part of the management team, including Michael Berault, the Bank's Regional Manager for Orange County, Maryann T. Purviance, the Regional Manager for San Diego County, and Bri Alvarez, AVP/Executive Assistant. Other members of our team will be announced in future press releases."
Mr. Redeker stated, "Ryan B. Harlow-Nakano, who was an organizer of Beach Cities and proposed in the Offering Circular as EVP/Chief Information Officer ("CIO"), resigned on August 15, 2022 due to his decision to accept a retention offer from his current employer. Ryan was very helpful to Beach Cities in the organization process and his contributions are appreciated; however, Ryan determined that it was in his best interest and the best interest of his family to accept the generous retention offer from his current employer. All the directors and executive officers of Beach Cities wish Ryan well. Due to his contributions to date, the Board has decided that a new CIO is not needed. Instead, the Board may seek a replacement at a Senior Vice President level, with responsibilities more focused on vendor management. The Board may also decide that the executive management team has sufficient experience and expertise to cover that vendor management function without hiring an additional officer. If a new technology officer is hired, that candidate will be submitted to the DFPI and the FDIC for review."
Mr. Redeker further announced, "We are pleased that our headquarters office will be completed for our occupancy on August 26, 2022. Our headquarters is located at 100 Progress, Suite 150, Irvine, California 92618. We will occupy approximately 6,096 square feet of space in Suite 150 on the ground floor of a recently constructed 2-story building. The office is located in Innovation Office Park, with easy access to the 5, 405 and 133 freeways and only minutes to the Irvine Spectrum Shopping and Business Center, Hoag Hospital Irvine, Kaiser Permanente Orange County, University of California at Irvine and John Wayne Airport."
Mr. Falk added, "We anticipate completion of our Encinitas office by mid-September. The office is located at 171 Saxony Road, Suite 105, Encinitas, California 92024. The space consists of 2,950 rentable square feet on the ground floor of a 2-story building in Encinitas West, located in the Encinitas Corporate Center in Encinitas, California. The building is located just off Interstate-5 at Encinitas Boulevard. Located in North Coastal San Diego County, Encinitas is an affluent beach community that is in near proximity to the residential areas of Rancho Santa Fe, La Costa, Solana Beach, and Del Mar. The building is designed in a modern Mediterranean style and has an elaborate central courtyard that features a large waterscape and seating area. The building is high-tech friendly and easily accommodates tenants with high-speed broadband requirements."
The current stock offering (the "Offering") for the sale of 2,500,000 to 2,700,000 shares of common stock for total proceeds of $25,000,000 to $27,000,000, subject to the possible increase in the number of shares by up to an additional 10 percent in the event the Offering is oversubscribed, was originally scheduled to expire on August 31, 2022. The Board of Directors of Beach Cities has extended the Offering until the close of business on Monday, October 31, 2022.
H. Kent Falk, Chief Executive Officer or Jeffrey S. Redeker, President
Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization)
100 Progress, Suite 150
Irvine, California 92618
(949) 715-7161
kent@beachcitiescb.com
jeff@beachcitiescb.com
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to statements regarding the applications submitted to the DFPI and the FDIC and the nature of the conditions of approval thereof, the proposed members of the executive team of Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization), and expectations of performance of Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization) or its management team. The use of any of the words "achieve," "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "would", "project", "plans", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements or information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization) does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE Beach Cities Commercial Bank (In Organization) | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/h-kent-falk-chief-executive-officer-jeffrey-s-redeker-president-beach-cities-commercial-bank-organization-announce-receipt-regulatory-approvals-founding-executive-management-team-anticipated-completion-dates-irvine-headquarters-encinitas-full-service-branch-extension-offering/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:51Z |
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagerty (NYSE: HGTY), an automotive lifestyle brand and a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market, is proud to be recognized on Fortune magazine's Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance list.
The Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance award is based on an analysis of survey responses from over 176,000 employees at Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the financial services and insurance industry. In that survey, 91% of Hagerty's employees deemed it a great place to work, 34 points higher than the average U.S. company.
"Being named a top workplace is a testament to the culture our leadership and team members help build, sustain and grow," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. "I'm often asked what is the one thing that is the most important part of establishing and maintaining a successful organization. My answer is always to focus on culture first, and everything else will fall into place. This certification is a testament to that philosophy."
The Fortune Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance is highly competitive. Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they had been a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization.
Great Place to Work® is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.
"These companies have adapted to the challenges of an ever-changing workplace by their commitment to inclusive, high-trust cultures where employees are treated as human beings first and foremost," says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work®. "Congratulations to the Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance."
Based in Traverse City, Michigan, Hagerty's purpose is to save driving and car culture for future generations and its mission is to build a global business to fund that purpose. Hagerty is an automotive enthusiast brand offering integrated membership products and programs as well as a specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. Hagerty is home to Hagerty Marketplace, Broad Arrow Group, Hagerty Drivers Club, Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, Hagerty Drivers Foundation, Hagerty DriveShare, Hagerty Valuation Tools, Hagerty Media, MotorsportReg, Hagerty Garage + Social, The Amelia, the Concours d'Elegance of America, the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, the California Mille, Motorlux and more. For more information on Hagerty, please visit www.hagerty.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
More information can be found at newsroom.hagerty.com.
Related Links
https://www.hagerty.com
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SOURCE Hagerty | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/hagerty-named-fortune-magazines-best-workplaces-financial-services-insurance-list-fourth-consecutive-year/ | 2022-09-08T18:31:58Z |
MELBOURNE, Fla., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Lana Health and Health First (FL) announced an innovative partnership pilot to improve the patient experience starting at the bedside within the hospital, and extending care post-discharge, helping patients through a successful recovery at home.
As digital consumerism in healthcare accelerates, expectations for the patient experience continue to evolve in equal measure. Today, the patient experience extends beyond the four walls of a hospital and encompasses every step of the healthcare journey, be it preparing a patient for a surgery, enabling them to manage their chronic condition from the comfort of their home or guiding them post-discharge to avoid a potential readmission.
Health First and Lana Health understand that today's patients have higher expectations of their health care team and providers, and now more than ever, need to obtain their trust, and actively engage patients during their care journey.
No stranger to innovation, Health First is one of the first healthcare systems in the state of Florida to launch home-based hospital care (Hospital at Home) for patients presenting to an Emergency Department. Health First also recently announced they will be the first hospital in the state of Florida to begin using what's known as "whole blood" on its First Flight ambulance helicopters - providing a lifesaving edge for patients involved in a traumatic accident.
Lana's patient engagement solution will be deployed on iPads at the hospital bedside, ensuring privacy and security while providing patients with a modern consumer experience, with the goal to create the smart room of the future for the hospital.
With access to Lana, patients will have:
- Access to their schedule, labs, vitals and medications at any time of the day during the stay
- A variety of engaging content ranging from movies, music, relaxation content and access to their personal Netflix, Apple TV+ and other streaming services
- On-demand patient education content and interactive resources delivered to patients at the point of care. This empowers patients to be confident in their post discharge instructions, and better understand the condition
- A medium to virtually connect with their family and loved ones via video calls while also enabling them to consult with their care team virtually at any time of the day
In addition to the above services, the platform is designed to collect individual patient feedback during their care journey, enabling the care team to address concerns in real-time, improving patient satisfaction.
Lana's care platform extends beyond the four walls of the hospital and guides patients during their recovery at home. Lana's patient-focused app provides dynamic daily goals, education to help improve care plan adherence, and provides automated reminders for medications and follow-up appointments. In addition, the app enables seamless communication with care teams post-discharge creating a positive experience with the health system, reinforcing a stronger patient-provider relationship.
Health First with this partnership, aims to further improve patient satisfaction, increase health literacy through personalized patient education and in turn reduce avoidable readmissions by engaging and empowering patients during their care journey.
Upon completion of a successful pilot, the partnership will expand to deploy Lana Health enabled iPads at the bedside across all four of their hospitals creating an innovative and modern patient experience for their patients.
Health First
Founded in 1995, Health First is Central Florida's only fully integrated delivery network (IDN) and employs over 9,000 associates. In addition, it operates four hospitals: Health First's Cape Canaveral Hospital, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Palm Bay Hospital, and Viera Hospital. Health First Medical Group is the largest multi-specialty physician group on the Space Coast. Health First also offers numerous outpatient and wellness services, including Health First Aging Services, Health First Pro-Health & Fitness Center, Home Care and Hospice of Health First.
Lana Health
Lana Health is a digital health startup with the vision to create delightful and user-friendly patient experiences across the care journey, that have been severely lacking in healthcare. The company led by athenahealth alumnus Akshay Kolte, recently raised a pre-seed round of funding, backed by some formidable angel investors in health tech with the goal to achieve this vision. Lana's mission is to simplify complex care journeys, creating healthier and frictionless experiences for patients seeking care, be it in the hospital or at home. For more information, visit https://lana.health or follow us on LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Lana Health, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/health-first-partners-with-lana-health-improve-patient-experiences/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:05Z |
Sarah Dembert and Emily Giegerich both elevate CX roles
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Imre celebrates the accomplishments of its exceptional client experience team with the elevation of two CX practice leads. Sarah Dembert was promoted to Executive Vice President and Emily Giegerich, promoted to Senior Vice President, as the agency continues to redefine and build out what client experience looks like at imre.
Since joining imre Health in 2011, Sarah Dembert has grown from Account Executive to Executive Vice President by leading and driving innovation among the agency's most groundbreaking patient and HCP marketing programs. Sarah's work across Oncology, Respiratory, Immunology, Diabetes, Cardiovascular and multiple Rare Diseases account for many firsts for the agency, brands and industry. As one of the founding members of imre Health, Sarah has played a crucial role in the growth and transformation of the business and was recognized by PR News as one of the Top Women in Healthcare in 2019. In her elevated role, Sarah will continue to be at the helm of imre's largest portfolios of brands, and new business opportunities. In addition, she is taking on enterprise responsibilities as chair of imre's senior leadership team forum. She'll continue to report to Anna Kotis, President of imre Health.
Emily Giegerich has a passion for improving the patient experience and boasts more than ten years of experience in healthcare across patient advocacy and pharmaceutical marketing. Emily is responsible for ensuring best-in-class client service, overseeing the strategic direction of client accounts and leading integrated teams toward achieving business goals. She is an expert on patient communications and has spoken on the topic in numerous forums across the country and always ensures the patient perspective is represented in imre's work. As the Senior Vice President now overseeing Client Experience across several global pharmaceutical brands, Emily is taking more ownership and responsibility for nurturing the talent of our next-level leaders. She'll report to Anna Kotis, President of imre Health.
"Sarah and Emily are two shining examples of leaders within our organization who are naturally strategic, compassionate and results-driven team builders handling challenges with ease," said Anna Kotis, President of imre Health. "These two are also the catalysts behind so many of our imre firsts and new business successes. We're so proud of and in awe of their accomplishments and can't wait to see how they continue to push client experience at imre and the overall health practice forward."
About imre:
Imre works with many of the world's leading and high growth brands. Driven by innovation, the agency's integrated suite of marketing communications services include brand strategy, creative, digital marketing, social media, public relations and media, data & analytics. Imre partners with a diversified and growing portfolio of brands including Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bausch & Lomb, GlaxoSmithKline and PTC Therapeutics, among others. The agency maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Philadelphia in addition to a growing group of employees who work from anywhere. Imre is an LGBTQ-founded company.
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SOURCE imre | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/imre-celebrates-promotions-two-its-healthcare-client-experience-leaders/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:11Z |
SEATTLE, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National nonprofit Reskill Americans is excited to announce open enrollment for its tuition-free software development training program, which starts on Oct. 3, 2022. The seven-month online training is offered to anyone who self-identifies as an underrepresented racial minority, no prior experience required. With STEM talent in high demand, Reskill Americans aims to lower the barriers to access for people of color and address the need to find and train talent, regardless of background.
To enroll, participants must have an accurate LinkedIn profile and photo, a computer with internet access, and the ability to work legally in the U.S. Those looking to jumpstart their career in tech can enroll now through Sept. 30 at www.reskillamericans.org.
Founded by tech veterans, Reskill Americans launched its inaugural program in 2021 with more than 2,000 participants from 42 states, and alumni have been hired at businesses of all sizes.
"We were encouraged by our 2021 enrollment and hope to enroll even more people this year," said Reskill Americans Founder Femi Akinde. "By eliminating pre-existing barriers to tech training and providing it tuition-free, Reskill Americans is proud to help create access for as many underrepresented minorities as possible."
The program enables participants to learn from anywhere, at any time; receive tailored instruction and mentorship; and graduate with a portfolio of work samples. Graduates will earn a certificate of completion in either web development or UX/UI design and may have the opportunity to join the nonprofit's apprenticeship program.
"Reskill Americans really prepared me for my role as a software engineer at McDonald's — I wouldn't have this job without them," said Jalen Harris, a 2021 Reskill Americans alum. "Not only did I learn the skills needed to be successful, but they also offered invaluable networking opportunities and other resources."
To learn more or enroll, visit www.reskillamericans.org.
About Reskill Americans
Reskill Americans provides tuition-free software development training, mentorship and community to unemployed, underemployed and career-switching historically underrepresented racial minorities across the U.S. to help them launch a career in tech. The organization eliminates traditional barriers to access so that aspiring tech professionals with no prior experience can enroll in its rigorous, instructor–led online program. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit funds its tuition-free program through donations and a fee-for-placement model. For more information, visit www.reskillamericans.org.
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SOURCE Reskill Americans | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/increasing-access-national-nonprofit-offers-free-tech-training-underrepresented-racial-minorities-announces-2022-enrollment/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:18Z |
Builds on Progress to Date to Drive Positive Impact
Publishes 2022 ESG Report: Nurturing Shared Values
CINCINNATI, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's largest grocery retailer, today outlined an updated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) action plan to support the company's comprehensive ESG strategy and published its annual ESG report.
"We live our purpose – to feed the human spirit – through Kroger's commitments to advance positive impacts for people and our planet and create more resilient global systems," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "We are proud to report that Kroger continues to make progress toward key ESG goals. I am especially proud of the Kroger team's collective effort to create communities free from hunger and food waste. Through Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, Kroger has donated billions of meals to help end hunger and millions of pounds of surplus fresh food to avoid waste. We are committed to expanding food access, affordability, and choice for all our customers."
As the centerpiece of its ESG strategy, Kroger's signature Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social and environmental impact plan emphasizes the unique role Kroger plays across the food system and its many stakeholders as an employer, food processor, retailer, healthcare provider and more. This month, Kroger is marking the fifth year of this signature initiative. To date, the company has directed 2.3 billion meals to communities, including $1 billion in charitable support and 500 million pounds of surplus fresh food rescued from Kroger stores to help end hunger.
Kroger's 2022 ESG Report: Nurturing Shared Values and other resources can be found at the ESG Hub, ESG Strategy: Thriving Together.
ESG Action Plan Updates
In addition to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, Kroger continues to make progress toward key goals and strengthen commitments in several areas, most notably in climate impact, packaging, human capital management, human rights and animal welfare.
"With this updated action plan, we are seeking to address a wide range of complex social and environmental challenges, and setting ambitious impact targets," said Keith Dailey, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer. "These commitments express Kroger's aspiration to make affordable fresh food even more accessible while advancing positive impacts for our communities and the planet. Our progress and commitments reflect our efforts to operationalize and integrate ESG performance into lines of business and develop a shared-value framework that creates positive outcomes for all stakeholders."
Climate Impact
Kroger formally committed to set a more aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target aligned with the requirements of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company's current 2030 goal is aligned with a well-below 2°C climate scenario; however, given the urgency for greater climate action, the goal will be strengthened to support a 1.5°C climate scenario. Kroger will also set a new Scope 3 goal for supply chain emissions reduction as part of its SBTi commitment.
The company will share a detailed project roadmap for achieving the current GHG reduction goal by the end of the 2022 fiscal year.
Packaging
Kroger completed an initial packaging baseline assessment to establish a plan to achieve its 2030 sustainable packaging goals, which include 100% recyclable, reusable and/or compostable Our Brands packaging by 2030. The baseline focused on grocery and fresh food products, as well as health, beauty, household supplies and cleaning items. Baseline findings show that 40% of in-scope Our Brands product packaging meets the company's definition of recyclable today when measured by weight.
Human Capital Management
Kroger's family of companies continues to offer accessible employment and economic advancement opportunities for more than 400,000 people across the U.S. Kroger has invested an incremental $1.2B in associate compensation and benefits since 2018, raising the average hourly rate to over $17/hour, and over $21/hour when comprehensive benefits like health care and pensions are included.
Human Rights
Kroger recently updated its Human Rights Policy to align with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The company is in the process of developing a comprehensive human rights due diligence framework and implementation roadmap aligned with the UNGPs. This work will continue through 2022. The company also recently launched its first human rights impact assessment.
Animal Welfare
Kroger updated its Animal Welfare Policy and shared a detailed Animal Welfare Update to outline progress to date and roadmaps for future milestones.
The company published specific milestones to achieve its goal to source 100% of fresh pork sold in retail stores from suppliers that house sows in group housing systems by 2025. Kroger also outlined plans to invest $45 million in additional pricing, promotions and agreements to support the transition to a cage-free or higher-welfare egg supply, with specific milestones to reach 70% cage-free by 2030.
Following an announcement earlier this year, Kroger has partnered with Kipster Farms, the innovative egg production system founded in The Netherlands, to bring the world's first carbon-neutral, cage-free shell eggs to customers in the U.S. in 2023.
2021 Highlights
People: Help billions live healthier, more sustainable lifestyles
- Increased the average wage for hourly store associates to over $17, bringing the rate to more than $22 per hour when comprehensive benefits are included.
- Directed $343 million in charitable giving—including food and funds—to local and national non-profit organizations; of this, $210 million focused on improving food security in communities where we operate, reflecting the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste mission.
- Directed 546 million meals to communities in food and funds in 2021, including 94 million pounds of surplus food donated through Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Food Rescue program. Since introducing Zero Hunger | Zero Waste five years ago, the company has directed a total of 2.3 billion meals to communities toward its goal of 3 billion meals by 2025.
- Delivered 1.1 million dietitian-approved meals to vulnerable populations.
- Conducted research on how retailers can serve as important healthcare destinations, leveraging food and nutrition education to support shoppers and help them make healthful food purchases, resulting in a groundbreaking randomized controlled trial aimed at increasing diet quality and decreasing cardiovascular risk by promoting a heart-healthy diet through nutrition counseling provided by a registered dietitian.
- Supported healthier lifestyles by offering a wide range of better-for-you and diet-aligned food options across retail stores and seamless experience, including our integrated OptUP app with nutritional ratings on thousands of items.
- Increased access to fresh, affordable food for customers in existing and new geographies through the expansion of the Kroger seamless ecosystem and Kroger Delivery network.
Planet: Protect and restore natural resources for a brighter future
- Achieved a 9.1% cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a 2018 baseline.
- Installed infrared refrigerant leak-detection technology in 2,000 retail stores to date, to further reduce emissions.
- Reduced total food waste generated in retail stores by 18.9% and improved food waste diversion rate by 21.7% since 2017.
- Completed a comprehensive baseline product packaging footprint in 2022, finding that 40% of in-scope Our Brands product packaging is recyclable.
- Sourced 16.9 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients for Our Brands products, up 4% from the prior year.
- Sourced 94% of wild-caught seafood and 98% of farm-raised seafood in Kroger's seafood department from fisheries and farms meeting company's seafood sustainability requirements.
Systems: Build more responsible and inclusive global systems
- Continued to operationalize the company's ESG strategy by integrating ownership and accountability for ESG goals into lines of business.
- Increased the diversity and breadth of expertise on Kroger's board of directors and clarified board committee oversight of ESG topics.
- Spent $4 billion with diverse suppliers and welcomed 230 new diverse-owned suppliers in 2021, an increase of 115% from the prior year, reflecting more than $500 million in incremental spend.
- Offered extensive associate training on key governance topics, including business ethics and compliance; privacy; cybersecurity; food safety; diversity, equity and inclusion; and personal safety.
- Secured Kroger's investment of $45 million in pricing, promotions and supplier agreements to achieve a sustainable transition to a cage-free or higher-welfare egg supply, with specific milestones to reach 70% cage-free by 2030.
About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over eleven million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/kroger-outlines-updated-esg-action-plan/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:26Z |
Star Arizona safety Budda Baker becomes an investor in beverage and supplements brand
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Acclaimed professional football player Budda Baker, a 2x All-Pro safety for the Arizona Cardinals, has become a shareholder in LIFEAID Beverage Co., investing a significant but undisclosed amount related to the FITAID Energy launch. The investment was confirmed by FITAID Energy co-founders and formulators Orion Melehan and Aaron Hinde, who run LIFEAID.
In mid-2022, FITAID Energy was introduced in the US and shortly thereafter in Europe, as the better-for-you energy beverage boasting the cleanest ingredient list amongst its competitors. FITAID Energy is already an early e-commerce sales success, racking up a quarter million dollars (US$) in online orders in the first two days of launch, and in line with LIFEAID's exceptional direct-to-consumer business.
FITAID Energy today accounts for 26% of the brand's sales on both e-commerce and in its gym accounts. And that early success extends to Europe. FITAID Energy is the brand's strongest product launch ever in the EU markets, where LIFEAID Beverage Co. sales have surpassed €10 million since 2020.
True to the brand's strong omnichannel sales strategy, the FITAID Energy line is also sold at retailers such as The Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Harris Teeter, Sprouts, H-E-B, and in over 2,000 gyms nationally. The broader LIFEAID Beverage Co. product line up is already sold nationally.
FITAID Energy is based on FITAID, the pioneering recovery drink that is a staple of high intensity training and is ranked as the #1 Recovery Drink in the U.S. (Source: SPINS).
"We've partnered with top pro-athlete talent since 2019," says co-founder/CEO Orion Melehan. "But Budda was the first pro to make this significant a personal investment in our brand and business. It's validation that the country's most talented athletes support the FITAID Energy mission: to offer the most nutritionally balanced, responsibly formulated, and properly caffeinated performance drinks to all athletes, professional and amateurs alike."
"My investment is a no brainer," says Budda Baker. "Nutrition is a huge part of my training and performance on and off the field. FITAID Energy brings the benefits of functional beverages to the energy drinks category, without any of the negatives." Baker was advised on the deal by his business manager, Sherard Rogers, and attorney, Yediel Kadosh.
FITAID Energy is positioned to be the definitive energy drink for athletes. Flavors include: Mango Sorbet; Peach Mandarin; Blackberry Pineapple; and a fourth flavor, Raspberry Hibiscus, which is an online exclusive. All flavors have just 15 calories, no artificial flavors or sweeteners, the renowned FITAID blend of nutrients for sports recovery and are boosted with 200 mg of clean caffeine from green tea leaf extract. The FITAID Energy nutrient list also includes a post-workout recovery blend of BCAAs, turmeric, electrolytes, vitamins B, C, D3, and E.
With a focus on great tasting, wellness enhancing, and functionally driven supplement products, LIFEAID Beverage Co. has become a trusted brand among athletes, health conscious consumers and fitness enthusiasts. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California LIFEAID creates premium performance and recovery products for some of the most dedicated fitness communities in the US, Europe and Australian/New Zealand. The company's portfolio of better-for-you supplements contain both ready to drink and powdered mix blends including FITAID Energy, original FITAID, FOCUSAID, and IMMUNITYAID. LIFEAID products are sold in over 20,000 retail locations globally.
Budda Baker is a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, selected in the 2nd round of the 2017 league draft, and has been an impact player since he joined the league. Regarded as one of the best safeties in pro football, Baker has been named to four Pro Bowls and three All Pro teams in just his first five seasons. In 2019, Budda led all defensive backs in tackles (with 147) and led the league in solo tackles (with 104).
Baker is well-respected within the league. In the yearly vote of the league's top players, he has been ranked in the Top 100 (ranked 19, 67, 97) of all pro football players for the past three consecutive years. Baker has also been a defensive captain for the Arizona Cardinals since 2020. A true leader on the field, Budda looks to continue his success with another outstanding season in 2022.
Media Contact:
press@lifeaidbevco.com
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SOURCE LIFEAID Beverage Co. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/lifeaid-beverage-co-fitaid-energy-beverage-line-secures-major-investment-professional-football-talent/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:32Z |
The U.S. Has Some of the Worst Reproductive Health Outcomes in the High-Income World. Millie's Future-Forward Collaborative Care Model Aims to Change That.
BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Millie, a new kind of maternity clinic, "built by moms and care providers who've been there," is reimagining the standard of maternity care in the United States. The brand today announces the closure of an oversubscribed and female-powered $4M seed fundraising round, led by TMV Ventures & BBG Ventures with participation from Venn Growth Partners, Looking Glass Capital, Learn Capital, Hustle Fund and other top-tier investors including Turner Novak, Michelle Kennedy of Peanut, and Tristan Walker of Walker & Company. On September 26th, Millie will also open its premiere physical clinic next to the Alta Bates Campus in Berkeley, CA to kickstart the expansion of its broad-based services and repair a fragmented maternity care system nationwide.
Millie offers a 360-degree care approach that guides people from 48 hours after a positive pregnancy test to one year postpartum with a collaborative, patient-centered team that supports individuals' entire pregnancy journeys. While most birthing people are made to choose between and OB-GYN or a midwife, Millie pairs the patient with a care force comprised of an OB-GYN, a midwife, and a doula, ensuring individuals are wholly supported through the physical, mental, emotional, and social changes experienced during pregnancy and parenthood.
Created by birthing people, for birthing people, Millie is co-founded by Anu Sharma (Chief Executive Officer), Talia Borgo (Clinical Director), and Sarah Reynolds (Chief Technical Officer), with clinical leadership from Amy Kane (Medical Director & OB-GYN).
Sharma possesses more than 15 years of experience in healthcare innovation, having worked with some of the largest healthcare industry players on major strategy and operational issues, but her personal encounter with the inadequate U.S. maternity care system was a turning point. "I had endured an induction, over two days of labor, and an unplanned C-section with near-hemorrhage and, while this was the definition of a high-risk delivery, I was sent home with 'standard' care instructions to see my OB in six weeks. That resulted in a near miss," says Sharma. "I spoke with Talia, my midwife at the time, and asked her, 'If you could provide care the way you know people need, what would that look like?' Today, I'm proud to say that we're providing that level of attentive care through Millie."
Features within that level of care include proactive and well-rounded medical insight, comprehensive knowledge of the patient's needs, accessible services extended by 21st century technology, and a close-knit expert team who tends to every facet of one's pregnancy to achieve the best possible outcome. Millie's services are amplified through its digital app which provides around-the-clock messaging with providers and a social network. The app-enabled technology also gives Millie patients mental health support, nutrition counseling, lactation support and digital health checks. In addition to virtual and in-clinic monitoring, Millie also provides patients with at-home monitoring tools, such as blood pressure cuffs, to promote early detection of complications and, rather than the national standard of one visit with a clinician at six weeks postpartum, Millie offers three visits, the first of which happens at the patient's home within one week postpartum.
The new Millie Clinic will offer the best of modern-day medical care, community, educational resources to create a comprehensive hybrid structure and improve pregnancy outcomes across the board. With a contemporary design by Roarke Studios the Millie Clinic is structured to be a size-inclusive, family-friendly haven for birthing individuals paired with the latest in functional medical design. The space also promotes a nurturing environment, featuring the work of local artists displayed throughout, a maternity library, a "craving station," a stretching area, a baby feeding nook, postpartum care products, and more that serve patients' overall comfort levels and peace of mind.
"We are delighted to support Millie in improving maternity experiences nationwide," says Soraya Darabi, General Partner and Founder of TMV. "Working with a mission-driven brand that is making personalized, dignified care a pillar of its philosophy has been a gratifying opportunity, and one that we're pleased to watch expand even further."
"A new generation of American mothers is demanding more convenient, personalized, and supported care," says Nisha Dua, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of BBG Ventures. "We're proud to back Millie in its bid to drive better and more empowered outcomes for birthing parents."
In the U.S., most birthing people visit OB-GYNs, high-risk surgical specialists who focus mostly on medical interventions, and treatments, with less time for patient education and one-on-one care. Alternatively, midwives are trained to provide a wide range of services, including pregnancy management, childbirth support, and postpartum care. America currently has the lowest overall supply of midwives and OB-GYNs: 12 and 15 providers per 1,000 live births, compared to other countries with levels two to six times greater, making Millie's standard of a full-spectrum OB-GYN/midwifery model a crucial revolution in maternal health.
Recent findings from the Commonwealth Fund show there were 17 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the U.S. — a staggering ratio more than double that of most other high-income countries. Additionally, a 2019 study found that annual maternal morbidity from conception through age five resulted in a projected cost of $32.3 billion. Improving these outcomes has been a key focus for Millie, and true to their mission of bringing humanity back to reproductive care, Sharma, Kane, and Borgo have been honored to provide input on the White House's Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, an approach to combating maternal mortality, and working toward a future where the United States will be the "best country in the world to have a baby."
Further, Millie recognizes not every pregnancy results in a birth, and is committed to increasing access to medical abortion care during a crucial time for reproductive rights in the U.S..
"As moms and healthcare professionals, we know firsthand the incomplete, reactive, and often over-medicalized treatment in the U.S. that leaves mothers, birthing people, and their babies very vulnerable — creating some of the worst outcomes in the high-income world," says Borgo. "Through our acceptance of most major insurance plans and an ecosystem of culturally competent care providers that span specialties, we are committed to removing as many barriers as we can and bring humanity back to reproductive care.
"I was born at Alta Bates, so it's been a full-circle experience to work alongside Anu and Talia to build the foundation of future-shaping care right here in Berkeley," says Kane. "There is no doubt that Millie will be the blueprint for comprehensive maternity care nationwide. We are thrilled to provide patient-first services and make a special time in one's life even more extraordinary."
The Millie clinic will be open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST Monday through Friday as the company plans to open additional locations. Virtual care services are currently available for booking. For more information, please visit www.millieclinic.com
Media Contact: LaRue PR | millie@laruepr.com
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SOURCE Millie | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/millie-raises-4m-seed-round-opens-first-clinic-redefine-maternity-care/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:39Z |
Milliman 100 PFI funded status increases by $19 billion
SEATTLE, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today released the results of its latest Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index (PFI), which analyzes the 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans.
During August, the Milliman 100 PFI funded ratio climbed from 104.8% on July 31, 2022, to 106.4% as of August 31. The funded ratio improvement was driven by a 36-basis point increase in the monthly discount rate. The PFI projected benefit obligation (PBO) lessened by $65 billion as discount rates rose from 4.25% to 4.61% for the month. Meanwhile the market value of assets fell by $46 billion because of August's 2.47% investment loss.
"Despite year-to-date investment losses of 11.6% through the end of August, the funded status surplus for these plans climbed to $91 billion," said Zorast Wadia, co-author of the PFI. "This gain is attributable to the steep rise in discount rates, 36 basis points in August and 181 basis points year-to-date."
Looking forward, under an optimistic forecast with rising interest rates (reaching 4.81% by the end of 2022 and 5.41% by the end of 2023) and asset gains (9.9% annual returns), the funded ratio would climb to 111% by the end of 2022 and 125% by the end of 2023. Under a pessimistic forecast (4.41% discount rate at the end of 2022 and 3.81% by the end of 2023 and 1.9% annual returns), the funded ratio would decline to 103% by the end of 2022 and 94% by the end of 2023.
To view the complete Pension Funding Index, go to www.milliman.com/pfi. To see Milliman's full range of annual Pension Funding Studies, go to https://www.milliman.com/en/retirement-and-benefits/pension-funding-studies. To receive regular updates of Milliman's pension funding analysis, contact us at pensionfunding@milliman.com.
About Milliman
Milliman is among the world's largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe. For further information, visit milliman.com.
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SOURCE Milliman, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/milliman-analysis-corporate-pension-funded-ratio-improves-1064-august-despite-double-digit-investment-losses-year-to-date/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:46Z |
Finally, "A Loan of our own" a mortgage loan designed to assist BLACK people to become homeowners. The loan is called "CLOSING the GAP"
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LEGACY Home Loans, the largest Black Led mortgage banking firm in the nation, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada announced today that it has developed a "Special Purpose Credit Program" (SPCP) for BLACK people who want to become homeowners. That's right this loan program was developed by Black Mortgage Professionals for Black Borrowers. No one knows our people, like we do, Ben Slayton, the president, and CEO of LEGACY Home Loans, said.
LEGACY's SPCP loan program will be piloted in six (6) U.S. Metropolitan cities, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia. The borrowers must presently reside in a census tract of the 6 cities that has 51% or more BLACK population. However, there are NO -Restrictions whatsoever, as to where the BLACK homebuyer can purchase their new home.
The reason that LEGACY named its new SPCP loan program: CLOSING the GAP, is because there is a 30% homeownership gap between Blacks and Whites, meaning Only four (4) out of every ten (10) Black families own the home that they live in. This is in contrast to seven (7) out of every ten (10) white families own the home that they live in. Hence, the 30% homeownership gap. LEGACY's CLOSING the GAP home loan program intends to help close this 30% homeownership gap.
The CLOSING the GAP loan program is only 1% down payment, with Free Appraisal, Free Home Warranty program, Free Pre- Purchase homebuying counselling, Free Post-closing homebuying counselling, financial assistance with closing cost. CLOSING the GAP loan program uses credit guidelines based on factors such as timely rent, utility bill, phone, and auto insurance payments. The underwriting guidelines are based on the borrower's income with a minimum credit core of 620. "There may be others coming out with similar SPCP loan programs, but don't be fooled, LEGACY Home Loans is where you are Celebrated not just tolerated", said Slayton.
LEGACY's goal is to fund (1-Billion Dollars) to Black homebuyers by the end of 2023 and to fund 1-Billion Dollars and more to Black homebuyer every year thereafter. Slayton has been a leader in the African American community since he became the First African American REALTOR® in America, the first Century 21 franchisee Broker Owner, in America. The First Freddie Mac Multifamily Program Plus Seller/Servicer in America. Slayton has started, built, and sold several successful businesses in the real estate and mortgage industry. He is presently the President and CEO of LEGACY Home Loans. For more information about LEGACY Home Loans, and CLOSING the GAP loan program, visit the company's website at: https://www.MyHomeLegacy.Com, or call (844) 466-3669.
Media Contact: info@myhomelegacy.com
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SOURCE LEGACY Home Loans | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/mortgage-loan-just-black-borrowers-offered-by-nations-largest-black-led-mortgage-company/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:52Z |
InfeXtious Therapeutic, a subsidiary of AJK Biopharmaceutical, is headquartered at University Lab Partners, the premier life science incubator located in UCI Research Park.
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InfeXtious Therapeutic announces a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant award from the National Institute of Health (NIH). In collaboration with Dr. Rakesh Tiwari of Chapman University, the grant will support the development of broad-spectrum cyclic amphiphilic peptides to combat antimicrobial resistance.
The overuse of antibiotic drugs in agriculture, aquaculture, animal feed, and medicine has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria develop a defense mechanism against one or multiple antibiotic drugs. Antibiotic resistance has become one of the significant public health challenges of our time. There are only a few treatment options available for people infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi cause more than 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths in the United States and 750,000 worldwide annually.
"Our mission is to evaluate, develop, and invest in new and improved treatments that are urgently needed to tackle antibiotic resistance and generate drugs that are active against the antibiotic-resistant infections," stated Dr. Assad Kazeminy, Chairman and CEO of AJK Biopharmaceutical.
InfeXtious Therapeutic is a small biotechnology company with a novel cyclic peptides platform to combat antimicrobial resistance. We have developed several active lead candidates against multi-drug resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and pathogenic fungi. Our developed cyclic peptide-based discovery platform offers a multitude of anti-infectious drug lead candidates with superior properties of selectivity, synergistic activity with current antibiotics, stability, and activity against bacterial biofilm as compared to classically designed small molecules.
University Lab Partners (ULP) is a premier, nonprofit, wet lab incubator located in UCI Research Park in Irvine, CA. ULP is a professionally managed and equipped wet lab facility along with the benefits of peer-to-peer interactions among a life science-focused entrepreneurial community.
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SOURCE University Lab Partners | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/national-institute-health-nih-awards-infextious-therapeutic-small-business-technology-transfer-sttr-grant-development-broad-spectrum-cyclic-amphiphilic-peptides-combat-antimicrobial-resistance/ | 2022-09-08T18:32:59Z |
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The BARR Center today announced it has hired Rachael Maves, an acclaimed national education leader, to be its chief operating officer.
Maves was the Tennessee state chief of preparation and performance after previously serving as California's deputy superintendent for instruction as well as a district superintendent in California.
"Rachael is an inspirational instructional leader," said Angie Jerabek, BARR's founder and CEO. "She's a teacher who has a profound understanding of how important it is that every student in every school is truly known and understood. We are delighted she is joining the BARR team."
Based in Minnesota, BARR works with more than 250 schools around the country, improving student performance in every one of them. BARR is a strengths-based educational model that provides schools with a comprehensive approach to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of all students through the power of data and relationships.
Maves, who will start the newly created role of chief operating officer on October 1, said: "I could not be more excited to join the BARR team whose values are so crucial, especially in our current context, to the success of students. I want to help them continue to be effective, to grow, and to bring more opportunity to students and their families."
For more information about BARR, go to https://barrcenter.org/ or call Hannah Scherer at 612-600-0586
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SOURCE BARR Center | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/nationally-acclaimed-education-leader-joins-barr-center/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:05Z |
The First-Annual ESG Report Reinforces the Company's Commitment to its People, the Communities it Serves, and the Planet
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutrabolt, a global active health and wellness company, is proud to announce the release of its first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report. The 2021 Inaugural ESG Report brings attention to the many areas where the company is acting to strengthen its ESG initiatives through awareness of key topics, development of an ESG strategy, and the advancement of numerous ESG programs, policies, and practices.
"We recognize that our ESG efforts have never been more important, and our most exciting chapters are yet to come. It's an honor and privilege to lead such a great company, and I'm proud of our efforts to expand the reach and impact of our mission, support our consumers, give back to our communities, grow our teammates, and protect our natural resources," said Doss Cunningham, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nutrabolt.
For nearly 20 years, Nutrabolt has been dedicated to caring for its people, consumers, and communities, and aspires to be a premier health and wellness company grounded in its core values, integrity, and passion to innovate, inspire, and make products that maximize human potential accessible to all.
As the company continues to grow, the foundational attributes that make Nutrabolt an industry leader will endure to underpin efforts to be the best corporate citizen possible. The report in its entirety is available on Nutrabolt.com here.
Nutrabolt is a fast-growing, global active health and wellness company with a portfolio of market leading performance-oriented brands that energize and fuel active lifestyles. The company's disruptive and innovative products compete in the Functional Beverage and Active Nutrition segments, under three consumer-loved brands: C4® (one of the fastest-growing energy drink brands in the United States and the #1 selling global pre-workout brand), XTEND® (the #1 post-workout recovery brand in the United States), and Cellucor® (an award-winning sports nutrition brand created in 2002).
Since our founding 20 years ago, our goal has been to meet the discerning needs of performance athletes and fitness enthusiasts, while appealing beyond this core group to include consumers around the globe who are making healthy, active living a daily priority.
Nutrabolt's portfolio, which is distributed in over 125 countries, is sold through company-owned DTC platforms, Amazon, and other third-party e-commerce marketplaces, and is available at leading retailers across the U.S., including Walmart, Target, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Kroger, H-E-B, Wawa, Publix, GNC, and the Vitamin Shoppe. For more information about Nutrabolt, please visit www.nutrabolt.com.
Emily Clark
Nutrabolt
(806) 674-0110
eclark@nutrabolt.com
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SOURCE Nutrabolt | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/nutrabolt-publishes-its-inaugural-esg-report-highlighting-strategy-become-an-industry-leading-corporate-citizen/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:12Z |
Multi-Cloud Demonstrations to Guide Attendees in Building Cloud Native Infrastructures
BOSTON, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ONUG, the voice of the Global 2000, today announced the final program along with an expanded Multi-Cloud Demonstration area for its ONUG Fall 2022 event being held live at Center415 on 5th Avenue in New York City, as well as virtually, on October 19-20, 2022. ONUG Fall 2022 is a world-renowned live global event for cloud architects, IT professionals, designers, engineers, DevOps teams and C-level executives to learn about the tools and solutions to build, run and secure multi-cloud infrastructures.
ONUG Fall focuses on addressing challenges and presenting solutions to some of the most pressing issues faced by today's hybrid multi-cloud consumer.
Through conference sessions, proofs of concept, live demonstrations, hands-on training, and most importantly peer-to-peer collaboration, ONUG Fall attendees will learn how to build cost effective, networked, secure and observable multi-cloud architectures.
And now, through live demonstrations, leading suppliers including IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Gluware, ZPE Systems, Pliant, Kentik, TriggerMesh and others, will illustrate how their solutions fit into an ecosystem that connects to the multi-cloud environment to allow consumers to enhance their ability to connect, secure, observe and automate their multi-cloud infrastructures. The live show floor demonstrations include the Cloud Security Notification Framework (CSNF), Orchestration and Automation Use Cases, and new for ONUG Fall, the Network Cloud Demonstrations.
"Helping cloud professionals, infrastructure and operational teams skill up and automate operations that put into action enterprise multi-cloud solutions is at the heart of ONUG Conferences," said Nick Lippis, co-founder and co-chair of ONUG. "I am excited about the expanded live demonstrations, breakout sessions and hands-on training and technology sessions that will help enterprise cloud professionals drive digital value within and across their organizations," he said.
Attendees at ONUG Fall will hear from some of the largest cloud consumers in the world as well as the enterprise IT vendor ecosystem and learn about key topics including, but not limited to, a model for open multi-cloud security notifications, operationalizing DevSecOps in today's enterprise, shared risk management and security, building an infrastructure to meet the need for edge computing, operationalizing cloud security in the SOC, how networking is being integrated into the CI/CD pipeline, multi-cloud deployment techniques and more. View the complete agenda here.
ONUG welcomes all IT industry professionals to register for the Fall 2022 event. For more information or to register, visit https://onug.net/Fall-2022. News media or analysts who wish to attend may request a press pass by contacting Joann Varello
For more information on ONUG, please visit www.onug.net.
ONUG is the only organization composed of senior-level IT executives from the Global 2000 that represents the interests and initiatives of the Enterprise Community. Through its global event series, working groups, training academies, and webinars, ONUG plays a central role in the creation of new and improved tools to develop, manage, and secure the digital enterprise. ONUG's peer permission structure fosters the exchange of information among the world's largest organizations as they build and secure the digital economy. The ONUG Community is made up of IT leaders from Bank of America, Raytheon Technologies, Cigna, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, eBay, FedEx, Fidelity Investments, Gap Inc., GE, Intuit, JP Morgan Chase, Kaiser Permanente, the Lippis Report, Morgan Stanley, Pfizer, Raytheon Technologies, State Street Bank, TD Ameritrade, UBS, Oath, and hundreds more. For more on ONUG, go to www.onug.net or follow on Twitter @ONUG_.
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SOURCE ONUG | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/onug-releases-onug-fall-2022-agenda-new-line-up-multi-cloud-demonstrations-october-19-20-2022-center415-new-york-city/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:18Z |
Read the full press release online.
CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Poetry Foundation is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Pegasus Awards, a family of literary prizes that include the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Young People's Poet Laureate, and the Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism. The winners will be honored at an awards ceremony in Chicago in October.
In recognition of Poetry magazine's 110th anniversary, the Poetry Foundation has decided to award 10 additional Ruth Lilly Poetry Prizes this year, resulting in $1,132,500 in prizes distributed to the 2022 winners. It is the greatest prize amount that the Foundation has ever awarded to a cohort of living poets at one time.
"We're celebrating 110 years of Poetry magazine this year, and approaching 20 years of the Poetry Foundation in 2023. We wanted to do something special to mark these milestones by honoring an outstanding cohort of writers whose work has brought comfort and inspiration to so many," said Poetry Foundation president, Michelle T. Boone. "Poetry shows us the way forward, and there is no poetry without the imagination and talent of those behind the pen."
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is annually awarded to one living US poet with an award of $100,000 in recognition of their outstanding lifetime achievement; it is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets, and one of the nation's largest literary prizes.
In honor of the 110th anniversary of Poetry and in alignment with the goals announced in its new Strategic Plan, the Poetry Foundation is awarding 11 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prizes in 2022. The decision not only commemorates a historic milestone for the Foundation and magazine, but celebrates a diversity of backgrounds and styles from poets whose contributions to culture warrant the same recognition afforded to artists in other forms.
The 11 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize winners for 2022 are:
Sandra Cisneros is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and essayist whose work explores the lives of the working class. Cisneros's novel The House on Mango Street has been translated into over 25 languages, and is required reading in elementary, high school, and universities across the nation. Her awards include a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Medal of Arts, and a PEN/Nabokov Award for International Literature, among others. Cisneros's new collection of poetry, Woman Without Shame, is published by Knopf and Vintage Español in a Spanish language translation.
CAConrad has worked with the ancient technologies of poetry and ritual since 1975; their honors include a Lambda Literary Award. As a young poet, they lived in Philadelphia, where they lost many loved ones during the early years of the AIDS crisis, as documented in the essay "SIN BUG: AIDS, Poetry, and Queer Resilience in Philadelphia." Conrad is the author of many books of poetry, including AMANDA PARADISE: Resurrect Extinct Vibration and While Standing in Line for Death.
Rita Dove is a writer of poetry, fiction, drama, and essays who served as the United States Poet Laureate from 1993–1995. Dove's honors include an NAACP Image Award, a National Medal of Arts, and a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, among others. Her latest volume of poems, Playlist for the Apocalypse, was named a "Top Book of 2021" by The New York Times. Dove teaches at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she is the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing.
Nikki Giovanni is a poet and the author of several works of nonfiction and children's literature, and multiple recordings, including the Emmy-award nominated The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Giovanni's honors include a Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters, seven NAACP Image Awards, and a Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award. Her recent publications include Make Me Rain: Poems and Prose and Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid.
Juan Felipe Herrera is a poet and son of farmworkers; he has served as both the Poet Laureate of the United States and California. Herrera's awards include a National Book Critics Circle Award, a Los Angeles Times Robert Kirsch Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Latino Hall of Fame Award, among others. He is the author of more than 30 books, including the recent poetry collection Every Day We Get More Illegal and the translation Akrílica. The Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School is scheduled to open in Fresno in Fall 2022.
Angela Jackson is a Chicago poet, playwright, and novelist currently serving as the Illinois Poet Laureate. Jackson's honors include a Pushcart Prize and a Shelley Memorial Award from Poetry Society of America. Her poetry collection, All These Roads Be Luminous, was nominated for the National Book Award, and her debut novel, Where I Must Go, won an American Book Award. In addition, Jackson has written four plays: Comfort Stew, Witness!, Shango Diaspora: An African-American Myth of Womanhood and Love.
Haki Madhubuti is a poet, author, publisher, and educator. Madhubuti is widely regarded as one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement, and is the founder and publisher of Chicago's Third World Press. Madhubuti has published more than 36 books, including his recent collection, Taught By Women: Poems As Resistance Language, New and Selected. His honors include an American Book Award, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Prize, and a Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award, among others.
Sharon Olds is the author of 12 books of poetry, including Arias, short-listed for the 2020 Griffin Poetry Prize, and Stag's Leap, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and a T. S. Eliot Prize. Olds's other honors include the inaugural San Francisco Poetry Center Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award. She teaches in the Graduate Creative Writing Program at New York University, and helped to found the NYU workshop program for residents of Coler-Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island.
Sonia Sanchez is a poet, playwright, professor, activist, and one of the foremost leaders of the Black Studies movement. Sanchez is the author of over 20 books, including Morning Haiku, Shake Loose My Skin, and her Collected Poems, published in 2021. Her honors include an American Book Award, an Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award, a Langston Hughes Poetry Award, and a Robert Frost Medal, among others; in 2011, she was named the first Poet Laureate of Philadelphia.
Patti Smith was born in Chicago, raised in South Jersey, and moved to New York City in 1967. Smith's books of nonfiction and poetry include Year of the Monkey, Devotion, and M Train; her new collection, A Book of Days, is forthcoming. Her honors include the 2010 National Book Award for her bestselling memoir Just Kids, a PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, and being named a Doctor of Humane Letters from Columbia University.
Arthur Sze is a poet, translator, and editor; he is the author of 11 of poetry, including The Glass Constellation: New and Collected Poems and Sight Lines, which won a National Book Award for Poetry. Sze's honors include a Shelley Memorial Award, a Jackson Poetry Prize, and a Lannan Literary Award, among others. He was a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2012–2017, and was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. He is a professor emeritus at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Recent Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize recipients include Marilyn Chin, Martín Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, and Patricia Smith.
Elizabeth Acevedo, the bestselling author of The Poet X, will serve as the 2022–2024 Young People's Poet Laureate. The laureateship and $25,000 prize are awarded to a living writer in recognition of a career devoted to writing exceptional poetry for young readers. The aim of the Laureate is to promote poetry to children and their families, teachers, and librarians throughout their two-year tenure.
Acevedo's second book, With the Fire on High, was named a "best book of the year" by the New York Public Library, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. Other honors include a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, a National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and a National Poetry Slam championship. She will advise the Poetry Foundation on matters relating to young people's literature.
Recent Young People's Poet Laureates include Naomi Shihab Nye (whose tenure was extended due to interruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic), Margarita Engle, and Jacqueline Woodson.
The Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism annually honors one book-length work of criticism published in the prior calendar year, and includes a prize of $7,500. Kevin Quashie is the 2022 recipient for his book Black Aliveness, or A Poetics of Being, which draws on Black feminist literary texts, including work by poets Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, and June Jordan.
Quashie teaches Black cultural and literary studies and is a professor in the department of English at Brown University. Among his honors are a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, as well as citations for teaching excellence from Brown University and Smith College.
The 2022 Criticism finalists were Anahid Nersessian for Keats's Odes: A Lover's Discourse (The University of Chicago Press) and Rachel Zolf for No One's Witness: A Monstrous Poetics (Duke University Press).
The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. We work to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry. Follow the Poetry Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and Poetry at @PoetryMagazine.
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SOURCE Poetry Foundation | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/poetry-foundation-makes-history-honoring-2022-pegasus-awardees/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:25Z |
HOUSTON, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 300 senior leaders will gather in Houston at Operational Excellence in Oil & Gas this November 1-3, 2022.
Executives from Shell, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Delek, Baker Hughes, NOVA Chemicals, Chesapeake Energy, EDF Renewables North America, Ovintiv, ConocoPhillips, BASF and many more will share how they have unlocked the power of their people to drive operational excellence and tackle the larger economic challenges facing the industry.
In an event first, Gretchen Watkins, President of Shell USA, will be answering questions in a live podcast with Mark LaCour, Editor in Chief of Oil and Gas Global Network where they will discuss how Shell is justifying record profits while prices are rising at the pumps, and how Shell plans to balance energy security with the need to meet demand for oil and gas, while trying to decarbonize and bring down costs.
Alongside Gretchen, more than 40 industry leading speakers are confirmed to attend, including:
- Jason Gislason, Chief Digital Officer, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company
- Grigor Bambekov, Senior Vice President, Business Transformation, Delek
- Maria Claudia Borras, Executive Vice President, Oilfield Services, Baker Hughes
- Walter Pesenti, Vice President, Manufacturing Excellence, NOVA Chemicals
- Morgan Hager, Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment and Regulatory, Chesapeake Energy
- Rémi Raphael, Vice President of Digital Transformation, EDF Renewables North America
- Vineeta Maguire, Vice President Supply Management, Ovintiv
- Mark Hutcherson, Director, Low Carbon Projects & Technology, ConocoPhillips
Dr Faye Gerard, Vice President, Low Carbon and Sustainability said: "Thank you for such a terrific summit. It's so good to be in person again. These gatherings give us a boost of activation energy."
The event offers pre-conference workshops, interactive discussion groups, panels, case studies, workshops, networking sessions and more, on a variety of topics including: Operational Resilience, Data-Driven Operational Excellence, Asset Performance Optimization, Leadership & Culture, Safety, Process Improvement, Change Management and more.
Download the 2022 Event Guide: https://bit.ly/3x4hUbk
Visit the website: https://bit.ly/3euHxM1
Media contact:
Grant Schwer l Marketing Manager
IQPC
grant.schwer@iqpc.com
Press are invited to attend this leading industry summit. If you'd like to apply for a complimentary press pass or would like to discuss a partnership collaboration, please email grant.schwer@iqpc.com.
Tickets and full event program are available online at www.opexinoilandgas.com
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SOURCE IQPC Oil & Gas IQ | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/president-shell-usa-industry-leaders-chevron-phillips-delek-baker-hughes-edf-nova-chemicals-bp-more-confirmed-speak-oil-amp-gas-iqs-conference-operational-excellence-oil-amp-gas-summit/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:32Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Olmeca Altos®, the award-winning tequila, is mixing up the ready-to-serve cocktail market with the launch of Olmeca Altos® Margarita Classic Lime. With good taste and bar quality margaritas in mind, Altos Margarita Classic Lime uses only premium ingredients – made with Olmeca Altos® Plata Tequila, natural lime flavor, triple sec, and agave syrup. Here's to raising the at-home imbibing experience in three simple steps: simply unscrew the 750mL glass bottle, pour over ice, and sip!
Born from the passion of two bartenders inspired to create a tequila that fulfilled their mixology dreams, Altos is naturally smooth, blends well with a variety of flavors, and cuts through complex cocktails with great taste. The brand has become beloved within the bar community and consistently receives notable accolades, including being voted #1 best tequila for margaritas three years in a row by Drinks International. Altos brings this same commitment to quality taste with the new Altos Margarita Classic Lime.
In the spirit of the brand's integrated campaign 'It Takes Two to Altos', Altos is changing the way you think about tequila by encouraging drinkers to slow things down and celebrate those at-home moments best enjoyed with a cocktail. Altos knows a thing or two about slowing things down, producing premium plata tequila from agave that's been matured 7-8 years to peak sweetness and ground using a 400-year-old distilling method of the Tahona Stone.
Smooth to sip and best when shared, it's time to elevate an evening in and trade your basic glass of Chardonnay for a premium ready-to-serve cocktail: Altos Margarita Classic Lime. With premium ingredients, this Ready-to-Serve is best enjoyed over ice and should be refrigerated after being opened. (SRP $19.99 /750mL | 15% ALC/VOL | five-servings per bottle).
For more information, please visit OlmecaAltos.com or follow along on Instagram at @AltosTequila.
UNCORK, POUR OVER ICE, AND SIP RESPONSIBLY
Olmeca Altos® Margarita Classic Lime ©2022. Pernod Ricard USA, New York, NY
Award-winning Olmeca Altos® Tequila is made from 100% blue agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco in Mexico. The agave is slow cooked in brick ovens, distilled in copper pot stills and aged in ex-bourbon barrels, following centennial traditions for the purest expression of tequila. Olmeca Altos was created in 2009 by two world-famous bartenders and a Maestro Tequilero who believe in making tequila the right way, with respect for people and the planet.
Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA., the world's second-largest spirits and wine company. Pernod Ricard employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI) and is part of the CAC 40 index. The company's leading spirits include such prestigious brands as Absolut® Vodka, Avión® Tequila, Chivas Regal® Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson® Irish Whiskey, Kahlúa® Liqueur, Malibu®, Martell® Cognac, Olmeca Altos® Tequila , Beefeater® Gin, Del Maguey® Single Village Mezcal, Monkey 47® Gin, Plymouth® Gin, Seagram's® Extra Dry Gin, Malfy® Gin, Hiram Walker® Liqueurs, Midleton® Irish Whiskey, Powers® Irish Whiskey, Redbreast® Irish Whiskey, Aberlour® Single Malt Scotch Whisky; Lillet®; Smithworks® Vodka, Jefferson's® Bourbon, Smooth Ambler® Whiskey, Rabbit Hole® Whiskey, Pernod® and Ricard®; such superior wines as Jacob's Creek®, Kenwood® Vineyards, Campo Viejo® and Brancott Estate®; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouët® Champagne, G.H. Mumm™ Champagne and Mumm Napa® sparkling wines. Pernod Ricard USA is headquartered in New York, New York, and has more than 700 employees across the country. As "creators of conviviality," Pernod Ricard USA is committed to sustainable and responsible business practices in service of customers, consumers, employees and the planet. Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active program to promote responsible drinking. For more information on this, please visit: www.responsibility.org
Contact: Sara Keene
sara@corkknife.com
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SOURCE Pernod Ricard USA | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/raising-at-home-bar-olmeca-altos-launches-margarita-classic-lime-ready-to-serve/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:38Z |
Turning Constellations into Networks
A unique high-speed, low-latency and highly secure infrastructure for enterprise & government
BERLIN, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rivada Space Networks GmbH has announced a series of appointments to build up its senior leadership team.
Rivada Space Networks is deploying a new global network of 600 low-earth-orbit satellites (LEO) to enable gateway-less, point-to-point, global connectivity for governments and enterprises. The constellation uses laser links to create an optical mesh network in space. Combined with Rivada's patented terrestrial wireless technologies, RSN's constellation enables the convergence of terrestrial and orbital connectivity, ushering in a fundamental change in ultra-secure, global, end-to-end enterprise-grade networks.
Based in Germany, Rivada Space Networks GmbH is rapidly moving forward with procurement of the constellation of 600 Ka-band communications satellites and associated launch services. The company is currently undertaking an RFP with major satellite manufacturers to finalize the system design and manufacturing plan, paving the way for the production and deployment of the entire constellation.
The Rivada Space Networks GmbH leadership team comprises:
Declan Ganley, Chairman
Serial telecoms entrepreneur and co-inventor of 48 patents in the wireless sector, Declan was the founder of wireless broadband and cable TV businesses throughout Europe, including Broadnet, which operated broadband wireless networks in ten EU countries, and Cabletel, with a cable multimedia network in Eastern Europe.
Severin Meister, Chief Executive Officer
Former CEO of a large multinational single-family office, CEO of Constantia and several technology companies, Severin has a wealth of experience in strategic investment and corporate management. Severin is also a former submarine commander of the German Navy.
Clemens Kaiser, Chief Program Officer and Acting Chief Technology Officer
Former COO at Kayser-Threde and former Director of Program Development at EUMETSAT, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Clemens has an in-depth knowledge of system engineering and program management for the development of complex operational space-based infrastructures.
Mark Rigolle, Chief Operating Officer and Acting Chief Financial Officer
Former CEO at O3b and LeoSat and former CFO at SES, Mark has more than 30 years' experience in the telecom and satellite industries, including raising $1.2 billion in funding for O3b's constellation. He was a co-founder of Kacific, a company which delivers satellite broadband to isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Diederik Kelder, Chief Strategy Officer
Diederik has over 25 years' experience in the satellite communications industry, which includes working for a number of the most prominent satellite operators in the areas of strategic planning, commercial planning and business development. He was formerly with SES, New Skies Satellites, Eutelsat and KPMG.
Ann Vandenbroucke, Chief Regulatory Officer
Former Chief Regulatory Officer at Avanti Communications and former Senior Director at Inmarsat where she was responsible for global market access and spectrum issues, Ann has in-depth experience of the workings of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and securing universal rights to offer satellite services.
Declan Ganley, Founder and Chairman, said: "The expertise of this leadership team in the space sector combined with our experience in wireless technology gives us the ability to deliver on our mission to provide a highly disruptive new connectivity network for enterprise and government communications. I am excited to work with the team as we develop a communications network like no other."
* Rivada Space Networks Founder Declan Ganley will be outlining Rivada's game-changing connectivity network with all its advantages for enterprise and government communications at the forthcoming World Satellite Business Week event in Paris on Monday 12th September, 13:45-14:20 Busy Agenda for NGSO Constellations #WSBW 2022. To meet with Rivada, email events@rivada.com.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Rivada Space Networks representatives will be at World Satellite Business Week in Paris from 12-14 September. To arrange an interview, please contact Melanie Dickie. Email: mdickie@rivada.com
Rivada Space Networks GmbH is a disruptive new company set to establish and operate the first truly global low latency point-to-point connectivity network of LEO satellites. Thanks to a fully interconnected satellite constellation in synchronized near-polar orbits, Rivada Space Networks can provide resellers and B2B customers with the ability to securely connect any two points on the globe with low latency and high bandwidth without intermediate ground stations. The constellation of 600 low-earth-orbit communications satellites will represent a fundamental change in the availability of secure, global, end-to-end enterprise-grade connectivity for Telecom, Enterprise, Maritime, Energy and Government Services markets.
Follow us on:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rivada-networks/
Twitter: @rivadaspace
Media Contacts:
Brian Carney
Head of Corporate Communications
Rivada Networks
Tel: +1 (207) 256-0386
Email: bcarney@rivada.com
Anna Erhardt
Head of Communications
Rivada Space Networks GmbH
Tel: +49 1517 24 97 010
Email: aerhardt@rivada.com
Melanie Dickie
Global Marketing & Communications
MPD Communications
Tel: +31 6 14 22 97 62
Email: mdickie@rivada.com
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SOURCE Rivada Space Networks | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/rivada-space-networks-expands-leadership-team/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:44Z |
As a critical enabler for business agility, Scaled Agile offers new tools and resources designed to support the practice of SAFe for everyone across the business
BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scaled Agile, Inc., provider of SAFe®, unveiled its Summit Launch with over 20 new features and resources to help enterprises achieve business agility through inclusion of everyone in the organization's practice of SAFe, regardless of language, functional area, or experience. Focused on four areas—people in new roles, courseware translation, expanding practices beyond IT, and measuring and improving business agility—the new offering includes new workshops, online learning series, expanded language options, articles, reports, assessments, and a new exam platform.
"Applying SAFe in real-world environments can be daunting," said Chris James, CEO of Scaled Agile, Inc. "These new resources enable SAFe participants to develop the specific skills needed to help their organizations accelerate digital innovation and achieve business agility. Those leading the adoption of Agile at scale will love the ability to learn what they need at the moment they need it, and business leaders will appreciate knowing that their teams can consistently deliver on the needs of a dynamic business."
Key highlights of the Summit Launch include:
New training series and dashboard for on-boarding people in new roles:
- The Ready to Train online learning series is designed to help SAFe trainers build skills, confidence, and credibility
- The SAFe Jumpstart online learning series helps those new to SAFe quickly understand SAFe and how it is applied
- New e-learning dashboards help SAFe Enterprise administrators track learner progress
Expanded language and vision options:
- Select courses are now available in French, Japanese, and Spanish
- A new exam platform supports globalization through easily translated and localized exams, as well as contrast and scaling options for low vision learners
Resources and training to help engage more of the business:
- Business agility experience reports provide insights from transformation leaders who've successfully introduced SAFe to new functional areas in their organization
- The Marketing with SAFe® workshop helps marketing teams understand how to apply Lean, Agile, and SAFe practices in their context
- The Leading in the Digital Age program equips leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to support their Agile teams and manage change effectively
Tools to measure and improve business agility:
- Simplified assessments for Lean Portfolio Management, Agile Product Delivery, and Lean-Agile Leadership help to evaluate an organization's progress
- New OKR guidance enables people at every level of the organization to see their work's impact on achieving business outcomes
- Advanced topic articles, Accelerating Flow with SAFe® and Make Value Flow without Interruptions, provide new guidance for improving flow across value streams
Learn more about these new tools and resources at scaledagile.com/2022-summit-launch.
About Scaled Agile, Inc.:
Scaled Agile, Inc. is the provider of SAFe®, the world's most trusted system for business agility. Through integrated solutions that help teams unlock better ways of working, Scaled Agile is redefining the way the world's leading organizations identify and deliver customer value, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and improve business outcomes. Over 20,000 businesses and government agencies rely on SAFe and Scaled Agile's Global Partner Network to accelerate digital innovation and compete in a fast-changing marketplace. Learn more at scaledagile.com.
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SOURCE Scaled Agile, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/scaled-agiles-summit-launch-reveals-breakthrough-tools-resources-build-resiliency-safe-enterprises/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:51Z |
Standout Special Teams Player Enters Partnership with The Official Energy Drink of Esports®
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- G FUEL is pleased to announce that Seattle's star punter Michael Dickson has signed a long-term contract with The Official Energy Drink of Esports®.
"I've been a huge fan of G FUEL for a long time now. I take it with me on the road, before workouts, when I'm gaming on off days, game days … basically, every day," said Dickson. "I love that I'm able to officially partner with a brand that I've genuinely always been a big advocate for."
Dickson will serve as a G FUEL ambassador via in-store G FUEL events, social media integrations, special giveaways and more.
Voted into the 2019 Pro Bowl following his rookie season – a rare occurrence – Dickson continues to dazzle on Seattle's Special Teams year after year. In the 2021 season, Dickson punted 83 times for 3,895 yards and pinned 40 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, which was a season high for the league and the 10th most in league history. In another 2021 season feat, Dickson executed a memorable "double punt" maneuver against Los Angeles, answering a blocked punt with a 68-yard return while on the run.
Looking ahead, CBS Sports ranked Dickson as the No. 1 punter in the league heading into the 2022 season.
Dickson joins G FUEL as an active and passionate member of the video gaming community, with his game of choice being Call of Duty: Warzone.
"Michael Dickson is one of the most accomplished and promising athletes in the league, and we're immensely excited to see what he does next as a G FUEL partner," said G FUEL Founder and CEO Cliff Morgan. "We're proud to fuel Dickson on and off the field throughout this upcoming season."
Now at GFUEL.com, fans can save 30% on their next order by entering Code "DICKSON" at checkout.
Keep your eyes on G FUEL and Dickson's social media platforms for updates on this exciting partnership!
As The Official Energy Drink of Esports®, G FUEL provides gamers with a performance-driven alternative to standard energy drink products. With an ever-expanding, sugar-free product lineup that includes a powdered Energy Formula, ready-to-drink cans, powdered Hydration Formula and Sparkling Hydration bottles, G FUEL has firmly established itself as the market leader in the gamer energy drink industry.
With over 341,000 5-star Shopper Approved Ratings, a shipping network that spans over 125 countries, a nationwide retail campaign, and a global social media footprint of over 1 billion followers, G FUEL maintains the industry's largest and most passionate community of fans, customers, content creators, and partners. Content creators and partners include the likes of Ninja, Sentinels Esports, Logic, NoisyButters, Luminosity Gaming, PewDiePie, Mikal Bridges, Michael Dickson, Summit1G, xQc, Ghost Gaming, Activision, VIZ Media, Rare Ltd., SEGA of America, Capcom®, Bethesda Game Studios, Warner Bros., Disney, Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures, The Tetris Company, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., RESPAWN Products, SteelSeries, and Digital Storm.
Join the movement today at GFUEL.com and follow us on social media @GFuelEnergy.
Press Contact:
media@gfuel.com
Distribution and Wholesale Contact:
dluks@gfuel.com
Michael Dickson is not your average NFL athlete. Not only was Michael born in Australia, he did not play in a competitive American football game until opening day his freshman year at the University of Texas. Michael grew up playing soccer but eventually made the switch to Australian football which while having a similar name is not comparable to the American game. Michael was able to get himself recruited by Texas after attending a coaching program to help kickers and punters cross Pacific into the world of American football.
In his time at Texas, Michael solidified himself as one of the greatest punters in Texas history. In his third and final year at Texas, Michael was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, best punter in the nation earning him the Ray Guy Award and was named a Consensus All-American. He decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2018 NFL Draft. He was selected in the fifth round by the Seattle Seahawks.
If Michael's first year in the NFL is any indication to the rest of his career, he could go down as the greatest punter in the history of the game. He was named to the All-Rookie Team, the Pro-Bowl, and even the All-Pro Team in his first season. He was the first rookie punter in over 30 years to be named to the All-Pro team.
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SOURCE G FUEL | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/seattle-punter-michael-dickson-enters-agreement-with-g-fuel/ | 2022-09-08T18:33:58Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLP, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to:
SharpLink Gaming Ltd. (NASDAQ: SBET)'s merger with SportsHub Games Network, Inc. If you are a SharpLink shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Infrastructure & Energy Alternatives, Inc. (NASDAQ: IEA)'s sale to MasTec for $10.50 per share in cash and 0.0483 of a MasTec share for each IEA share. If you are an IEA shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Zymergen Inc. (NASDAQ: ZY)'s sale to Ginkgo Bioworks for 0.9179 Ginkgo shares for each Zymergen share. If you are a Zymergen shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
CyberOptics Corporation (NASDAQ: CYBE)'s sale to Nordson Corporation for $54.00 per share. If you are a CyberOptics shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Halper Sadeh LLP may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders.
Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.
Halper Sadeh LLP represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Halper Sadeh LLP
Daniel Sadeh, Esq.
Zachary Halper, Esq.
(212) 763-0060
sadeh@halpersadeh.com
zhalper@halpersadeh.com
https://www.halpersadeh.com
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SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/shareholder-notice-halper-sadeh-llp-investigates-sbet-iea-zy-cybe/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:05Z |
CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ShowPlace ICON Theatre & Kitchen announced the launch of their online food ordering system in partnership with Influx Worldwide, the leading provider of guest technology products and services for the cinema industry.
After a successful launch of the Intake system at their San Jose location in mid-July, the company has since rolled out the offering to all locations.
The Intake microsite makes it easy for guests to order their food and drinks when purchasing tickets in advance, when arriving at the theatre, or seated in the movie. In-seat ordering is activated by scanning unique QR codes installed on theatre seats or located in various areas within theatre lobbies. The microsite technology allows items to be available for pick-up from concession stands, delivered direct to seats or a combination of both.
"The microsite allows guests to choose when they wish to order food and drinks and what time they want them to be ready. Guests who have pre-purchased tickets but not food will also receive a friendly reminder text a few hours before their show, along with access to do so. Our guests also can easily modify and customize items to their liking. These are common and expected capabilities within restaurant environments so there is really no reason they should not exist in our theatres," said Fred Meyers, CEO of Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theatre & Kitchen. "Influx was a great partner. They really took time to understand our operating nuances and created functionality and capabilities unique to each theatre."
Meyers' teases more is on the way. "We have plans to enhance all digital sales channels for seamless cross functionality. Our website, mobile app, and kiosks will offer guests industry-leading omnichannel experiences, with expanded capabilities and conveniences. The technology with be highly intuitive and easy to navigate."
"Guests are coming back to the movies but now expect the same levels of convenience that they are accustomed to on other delivery service apps. We took the best of what they offered and packaged it into a microsite that any movie theater operator can easily link to from their website or mobile application without requiring any additional updates. We are bullish that Intake will soon be the largest contributing sales channel to Showplace Icon's food and beverage revenue," added Harish Anand Thilakan, CEO of Influx.
In addition to easy order selection and customization, the microsite also allows guests to pay with Apple and Google Play alongside traditional payment options such as credit, debit, and gift cards. Guests may also opt to receive convenient order reminders on their phones via text message. The microsite is immediately available on order.showplaceicon.com and guests with confirmed movie tickets can click on the "Order Food" button in their ticket confirmation emails.
With its rich 113-year legacy of innovating and enhancing the cinema experience, ShowPlace ICON Theater & Kitchen continues to redefine state-of-the-art entertainment. Showplace Theatre & Kitchen offers restaurant-quality food and beverage for in-theatre dining, a full bar and lounge, industry-leading consumer technologies, and fully immersive audio/visual movie presentations, including their exclusive ICONX experience. The theatres are stylish, contemporary, comfortable, with heated recliner seating throughout. These innovative elements create first-class moviegoing experiences, offer perfect corporate meetings/events setting, and are exciting options for live e-sports gaming sessions. ShowPlace ICON Theater & Kitchen currently operates seventy-eight screens in six locations across five states. https://www.showplaceicon.com
For more information, please contact Jim Nowicki, Director of Marketing - JNowicki@kerasotes.com.
With cinema partners worldwide, Influx is the leading provider of guest-facing technology for movie theaters. Powered by its middleware Injin, Influx delivers cinema websites, mobile apps and kiosks with cutting edge features and modules that help exhibitors sell more online, drive loyalty and create operational efficiencies. More recently, Influx launched Ingage, its guest data analysis and engagement automation platform and InTake, a food and beverage ordering microsite which can be easily added on to any cinema's existing website or mobile app. www.influxworldwide.com
For more information, please contact Carrie Dietrich, SVP of Business Development - CD@influxworldwide.com
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SOURCE ShowPlace ICON Theater & Kitchen | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/showplace-icon-theatre-amp-kitchen-launches-food-ordering-microsite-partnership-with-influx/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:11Z |
Agency Leveraged Inbound Marketing Strategies and HubSpot Expertise To Overcome Challenges and Support Business Objectives
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartBug Media® — a leading Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency that assists B2B businesses, B2C organizations and D2C e-commerce businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, scaling revenue operations and building market awareness through inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, revenue operations, public relations, paid media and web development — understands the pressure a changing financial landscape places on banks, credit unions and financial services firms. Over the last few years, SmartBug® has combined the power of intelligent inbound marketing with deep HubSpot expertise to help financial services clients identify opportunities for increased visibility and awareness of financial products, engage customers and build trust.
The National Bureau of Economic Research, despite contractions in the American economy for two consecutive quarters, has not determined the U.S. is in a recession in large part because job creation is so robust. Still, there are signs — the Federal Reserve steadily increasing interest rates to combat rapidly rising inflation and a volatile housing market — that have financial institutions concerned about providing products and services to their existing customers and attracting new ones.
"Connection to their customers is the most important opportunity available to banks, credit unions and other financial services providers," SmartBug Chief Revenue Officer Stephanie Valenti noted. "The days of financial institutions just expecting customers to come to them are gone, and our clients understand they need to earn their customers' business. SmartBug uses HubSpot tools to meet their objectives, such as building trust through value-first content, solving data-access issues to track conversions and supporting ambitious business expansion."
Here's how SmartBug strategists created custom objects through HubSpot that kept track of important metrics specific to the client, including the ability to sort, automate and report on associated data:
First State Community Bank (FSCB) is a financial leader in the state of Missouri, but connecting to current customers and attracting new ones was a challenge. SmartBug optimized existing content — using search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization — to increase year-over-year blog views by 1,346% and website visits through the blog by 219%, growing the bank's list of subscribers and its ability to build visibility and trust.
Emles Advisors was founded by experts in sales, marketing and investment management, and these experts knew HubSpot was the platform they needed to meet their short- and long-term objectives, but they realized they didn't know how to use it. As HubSpot's top agency partner, SmartBug onboarded the Emles team in HubSpot and coached them about how to use the tools available to them on the platform: customer relationship management, marketing hub, sales hub and reporting.
Based in the U.K. and with offices on six continents, Valutrades is a brokerage that provides traders access to the global foreign exchange market. The firm was already using HubSpot but not well, and it needed the expertise of SmartBug to help it expand globally when a host of regulations limited trading. SmartBug took advantage of everything HubSpot has to offer, primarily to transition the firm's website to a multilingual platform and to implement a smart content management strategy that increased monthly visitors from 10,000 to 50,000 and time on page as well.
"Facing a potential recession is certainly unsettling for banks, credit unions and other financial services, and they'll need a partner who can tackle tough challenges using a powerful tech stack that includes a powerhouse like HubSpot," Valenti said. "SmartBug has a deep well of experts across several marketing verticals who can craft thoughtful and determined strategies to help clients weather economic storms."
ABOUT SMARTBUG MEDIA®
SmartBug Media® is a globally recognized Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency assisting B2B businesses, B2C organizations and D2C e-commerce businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, scaling revenue operations and building market awareness through inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, revenue operations, public relations, paid media and web development.
As HubSpot's 2021 North America Partner of the Year, SmartBug® is one of its top-performing, elite global solutions partners as well as an Elite Master partner of Klaviyo.
Founded in 2008 as one of the few fully remote agencies, SmartBug is an innovator and trusted authority on creating life-work harmony for its 180-plus employees spread across 35 states and five countries. The company that implemented quarterly Certification Days to foster continuous learning and career development has won two Great Place to Work® and 31 Comparably awards. It has also been named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies list for six consecutive years and the Adweek Fastest Growing Agencies list three years in a row. With hundreds of awards for client work — and a team holding a combined 1,000-plus marketing certifications — SmartBug is fully dedicated to delivering client success and an unparalleled agency experience. Its services include inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, revenue operations, public relations, paid media and web development. For more information about SmartBug Media, visit smartbugmedia.com.
For SmartBug Media Inquiries, Contact:
Katie Quaranta, PR Manager
SmartBug Media
kquaranta@smartbugmedia.com
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SOURCE SmartBug Media | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/smartbug-media-celebrates-inbound-marketing-success-financial-services-market/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:18Z |
Denny Darrow to join team as company continues to expand exponentially
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spot, one of the fastest-growing logistics companies in North America, is pleased to announce the appointment of Denny Darrow as the company's new Senior Vice President for Human Resources.
In this role, Darrow will oversee the development and execution of the company's people strategy, including the expansion of its diverse workforce, compensation and benefits, recruiting, training and development and employee relations. Based out of Spot's national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, Darrow will work in close coordination with senior leadership ensuring policies and initiatives are aligned within all of the company's locations across the country.
"We are thrilled to welcome Denny to the Spot team," said Andrew Elsener, Co-Founder of Spot. "Our people are our greatest asset and this newly formed role underscores our commitment to our teammates across the organization. Denny will build upon our strong service orientation to our team and policies that support a positive company experience. He will also elevate our talent management and recruiting efforts as we continue to grow exponentially. We look forward to his leadership and passion for developing equitable workplaces that encourage innovation and excellence."
"I am extremely excited to join Spot at this stage in its incredible history," said Darrow. "Spot's values and people-first culture truly inspire me. I look forward to collaborating with leadership to capitalize on the company's momentum and amplifying the groundwork that has been laid."
With more than 24 years of leadership experience in the human resources field, Darrow has led the human resources function in private, public and government sector businesses. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President for Human Resources for STG Logistics, a multi-national provider of 3PL, transportation and warehouse distribution services in the U.S. and Mexico, including overseeing the human resources aspects of a large multinational acquisition that resulted in the addition of more than 700 employees across 30 locations.
In prior roles, Darrow has served as the Vice President for Human Resources at Celadon Group and Purdue University. He also led the State of Indiana's performance culture renaissance and healthcare strategy for four years as Chief of Staff and Director at the State Personnel Department, appointed by Governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence.
In the community, Darrow has served as an advisor on numerous boards and non-profits, also serving as past Chairman of the Employer's Forum of Indiana; a coalition of employers, healthcare providers, hospitals and insurers.
Darrow holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University, and has spoken to national audiences through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Governor's Association (NGA), the State and Local Government Benefit Association (SALGBA) and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) on the topics of health and well-being, healthcare transparency and effective human resources leadership.
To learn more about Spot's open positions, visit spotinc.com/careers, and to learn more about open technology positions, visit Spot's technology company, Red Technologies, at redtms.com/careers.
As one of the fastest-growing logistics companies in North America, Spot is built on relationships, combining 24/7 support with a proven, passionate, and dedicated team of logistics professionals. Spot provides custom, tailored logistics solutions for shipping challenges through relentless effort, industry knowledge, and advanced technologies. Established in 2009 with the vision that there is a better way to move freight, Spot has more than 500 employees across its U.S. locations in Indianapolis, Charlotte, Tempe and Tampa. For more information, visit Spot's website at spotinc.com and follow Spot on social media: Facebook (Spot), Twitter (SpotFreight), LinkedIn (Spot Freight), Instagram (spotfreight), and TikTok (spotfreight).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kris Nielsen
Director of Marketing
knielsen@spotinc.com | 317.635.6207 ext. 786
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SOURCE Spot Freight | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/spot-appoints-senior-vice-president-human-resources/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:25Z |
New Specialty Virtual Care Approach Provides Education, Tools, and Compassionate Expert Care Across All Stages of Cancer Journey
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Summus, the leading virtual specialist platform, today announced Summus Oncology, a new approach that provides personalized specialty virtual care support to help employees and their families across all stages of their cancer journey.
Summus Oncology supports people or family members with a cancer diagnosis through virtual access to nationally renowned oncology specialists and other care providers. A multidisciplinary team helps each family build and follow a comprehensive roadmap for dealing with every stage of their care, and is designed to educate those diagnosed with cancer about their condition and what to expect in each phase of their treatment.
"People and families faced with a cancer diagnosis often feel helpless and overwhelmed. It is the beginning of an unexpected, stressful, and complex health journey," said Dr. Mary Mulcare, Chief Medical Officer at Summus. "Summus Oncology offers the education, tools, and most importantly, expert physician guidance for navigating the rapidly advancing innovations in oncology treatments. It provides a compassionate, personalized roadmap to a cancer journey while assuaging some of the associated anxiety and stress."
Members work with physicians and other clinical experts for guidance on best practices and breakthrough diagnostics and treatment options, from clinical trials and nutrition to mental health and long-term lifestyle management, and when needed, vetted provider referrals to in-network and/or local specialists. Summus Oncology also provides organizational family support, including options for managing appointments, text-based reminders, and having family members participate in virtual consultations. This approach additionally reduces the patient administrative burden by digitizing medical records to share with virtual and in-person physicians and other clinical experts.
Summus Oncology helps employers who are dealing with unexpected leaves, productivity gaps, and escalating healthcare costs. Employers benefit from improved, directed, efficient medical decision-making for highest quality care and improved health outcomes among their employees. This leads to reduced employee absenteeism, increased productivity, and improved employee recruitment and retention by offering them a highly valued healthcare benefit. They can now help their employees and their families get personalized cancer support at a time when they are most vulnerable.
For more information about Summus Oncology, please visit https://go.summusglobal.com/summus-oncology-signup.
Summus, the leading virtual specialist platform, empowers families by providing access to a network of 4,600+ top specialists across 50 leading hospitals — within days, from anywhere in the world. The Summus model sets a new standard for speed of access to high-quality medical expertise and drives industry-leading engagement with employers. Pioneering the future of corporate health benefits, Summus partners with companies across the country to create an elevated healthcare experience for their employees and to support better, cost-efficient outcomes across all health questions and stages of care.
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SOURCE Summus Global | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/summus-introduces-summus-oncology-new-personalized-virtual-support-model-cancer/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:31Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. (NYSE: SWZ), a non-diversified registered closed-end investment company (the "Fund"), announced today that the Fund's Board of Directors has approved a quarterly distribution of $0.1665 per share of the Fund's common stock pursuant to Fund's managed distribution plan (the "Plan"). The distribution is subject to the following record, ex-dividend and payment dates:
Record Date: September 21, 2022
Ex-Dividend Date: September 20, 2022
Payment Date: September 30, 2022
The primary purpose of the Plan is to provide the Fund's stockholders with a more consistent, but not guaranteed, fixed minimum rate of distribution on a regular, quarterly basis. The Plan also may have the effect of narrowing the discount to net asset value per share at which the Fund's shares trade.
Distributions under the Plan may consist of net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and, to the extent necessary, return of capital (or other capital sources). With each distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income, the Fund will issue a notice to stockholders and an accompanying press release that will provide detailed information regarding the amount and composition of the distribution, as well as certain other related information. The Fund expects to issue any such notice and press release on or about the distribution payment date.
The amounts and sources of distributions reported in each notice will be estimated, are likely to change over time and are not provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for accounting and tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during its full fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send each stockholder a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell stockholders how to report distributions for federal income tax purposes.
The current distribution amount of $0.1665 per share of the Fund's common stock equates to an annualized distribution rate of 6.00% based on the Fund's net asset value per share, or NAV, as of October 31, 2021. The annualized rate is expected to change over time as the Fund's NAV varies. The Board will review periodically the terms of the Plan, including at least annually, to determine whether to adjust the amount or the calculation of the distribution rate, which may be affected by numerous factors, including changes in realized and projected market returns, Fund performance and other factors. The Board may amend the terms of the Plan or terminate the Plan at any time without prior notice to the Fund's stockholders. The amendment or termination of the Plan could have an adverse effect on the market price of the Fund's shares of common stock.
Unless a stockholder has otherwise elected, distributions declared pursuant to the Plan will be reinvested automatically in shares of the Fund's common stock as provided in the Fund's automatic dividend reinvestment plan.
The Fund (www.swzfund.com) is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company seeking long-term capital appreciation through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies. Its shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "SWZ." The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing generally in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities that are traded on a Swiss stock exchange, traded at the pre-bourse level of one or more Swiss stock exchanges, traded through a market maker or traded over the counter in Switzerland. The Fund also may invest in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies that are traded on other major European stock exchanges.
Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered. Typically, shares of closed-end funds are sold in the open market through a stock exchange. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Fund's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.
The Fund is managed by Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.
Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. and Schroder Investment Management North America Limited, investment advisors registered with the U.S. SEC, are units of Schroders plc (SDR.L), a global asset management company with approximately $939.2 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2022. Schroder's clients include major financial institutions including banks and insurance companies, as well as local and public authorities, public and private pension funds, endowments and foundations, intermediaries and advisors, as well as high net worth individuals and retail investors. The firm has built one of the largest networks of offices of any dedicated asset management company with more than 500 portfolio managers and analysts covering the world's investment markets, offering a comprehensive range of products and services.
Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. provides asset management products and services to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Schroders plc, a U.K. public company with shares listed on the London Stock Exchange.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Fund's shares in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.
Contact:
Jennifer Brogadir
212-641-3863
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SOURCE The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/swiss-helvetia-fund-inc-declares-quarterly-distribution-01665-per-share/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:38Z |
Award-winning conference for small and medium-size businesses to feature esteemed leaders from theworlds of business, public policy, science, social justice, sports, entertainment, media and more
DUBLIN, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHAT:
The third annual, award-winning, TriNet PeopleForce conference returns September 13-15. The three-day event—live from New York and streamed virtually—will give attendees the chance to interact with each other and our outstanding lineup of speakers during live sessions, Q&As, networking opportunities and more. Through exploration of entrepreneurial passion, purpose and perseverance, leaders of small and medium-size businesses will walk away with expert info, and the most strategic, innovative ways to do business now.
WHO:
The roster of prominent speakers include:
WHEN:
September 13-15
WHERE:
The Theater at City Tech
285 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
To join the virtual event, click here.
PRESS RSVP:
Renee Brotherton
408-646-5103
renee.brotherton@trinet.com
Josh Gross
347-423-8300
josh.gross@trinet.com
About TriNet TriNet (NYSE: TNET) provides small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR solutions tailored by industry. To free SMBs from HR complexities, TriNet offers access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation and compliance, payroll, all enabled by industry leading technology capabilities. TriNet's suite of products also includes services and software-based solutions to help streamline workflows by connecting HR, Benefits, Employee Engagement, Payroll and Time & Attendance. From Main Street to Wall Street, TriNet empowers SMBs to focus on what matters most growing their business and enabling their people. TriNet, incredible starts here. For more information, visit TriNet.com or follow us on Twitter.
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SOURCE TriNet Group, Inc.
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.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/trinet-peopleforce-returns-new-york-city-september-13-15/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:45Z |
This partnership will bring UBIX Advanced Intelligence to Sapphire's 1250 Customers
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UBIX Labs, the Advanced Analytics for Business company, today announced a strategic partnership with Sapphire, the leading provider of frictionless Digital Operations Transformation software and services to over 1250 mid-market to lower-enterprise companies, to simplify and accelerate the use of Advanced Analytics and Data Science to boost and accelerate the outcomes delivered by digital operations transformation.
Sapphire is the leading provider of multi-platform digital operations transformation in the UK and US and enables business to leverage the power of cloud digital platforms to transform all key business operating functions, from finance to supply chain, asset management to digital operations, and is a leading partner of SAP, ServiceNow, HxGN EAM, Infor SunSystems, and Automation Anywhere.
"Digital operations transformation is the new engine room of business differentiation and the unlimited supply of energy that enables greater agility, intelligence, speed, productivity, and efficiency and competitive advantage. UBIX provides that power. In a world where being 1% more intelligent, 1% more efficient, or 1% more predictive in running your business can deliver an exponential impact, UBIX drives that advantage" commented Chris Gabriel, Chief Strategy Officer at Sapphire.
"UBIX Labs and their rapid to deploy advanced data platform will turbo boost our customers' ability to make intelligent data driven decisions, without the huge dependencies, specialist AI and machine learning skills or complex technologies can sometimes demand. We now have a portfolio of data analytics and data science services that make us uniquely positioned to become the strategic data partner for our customers."
UBIX is an industry leading Advanced Analytics company that enables organizations of all sizes to leverage existing Customer Analytics, ERP & CRM infrastructure, blending transactional and external data to create new insights that drive intelligent action. With UBIX, business users and subject matter experts can quickly and affordably solve challenging analytics problems that are not possible without data science and AI. UBIX handles a wide variety of use cases including intelligent migration, front office, and back-office solutions.
"Through our relationship with Sapphire, more organizations can now exploit the power of UBIX for Intelligent Migration to the Cloud, preserving critical data assets and empowering an Advanced Analytics strategy," said John Burke, CEO of UBIX. "We know that leveraging UBIX's Advanced Analytics Platform, Sapphire can further strengthen its market position and emerge as a leader in delivering Intelligent Enterprise Solutions."
Together, the partnership will see Sapphire incorporate the UBIX Labs Platform into an extended offer across all its digital operating platform portfolio, and eventually lead to a Sapphire white labeled AI Services Platform powered by UBIX Labs.
UBIX is privately funded and based in Orange County, CA. For more information, visit http://www.ubixlabs.com.
Media Contact:
Jack Borie
760-331-9470
jack@ubixlabs.com
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SOURCE UBIX | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/ubix-labs-sapphire-partner-provide-advanced-analytics-drive-intelligent-transformation/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:52Z |
STARRING QUANNAH CHASINGHORSE, NAOMI WATANABE & MORE, NEW GLOBAL CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES THE EXPERIENCES ASSOCIATED WITH UGG® & ITS EMOTIONAL & TACTILE BRAND ATTRIBUTES
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California-based global lifestyle brand UGG® (a division of Deckers Brands [NYSE: DECK]) introduces Feels Like UGG – the brand's new Autumn/Winter 2022 global campaign that explores the unparalleled tactile and emotional experiences associated with wearing UGG®. Known for unapologetic individualism, bold style and luxurious materials, UGG® empowers bold self-expression through provocative fashion, extreme comfort, and the ability to make you feel good on the inside and out.
"What we hear from our consumers is how loyal they feel to UGG because of the way the brand makes you feel – both physically and emotionally," said Anne Spangenberg, President of UGG® & Koolaburra by UGG® at Deckers Brands. "The Feels Like UGG campaign is a celebration of the empowering feeling our brand delivers, allowing you to unapologetically express your authentic self."
To bring Feels Like UGG to life, the brand has paired its iconic styles—both world-renowned and reimagined—including an array of apparel and outerwear pieces with ten multi-hyphenate ambassadors who embody the brand's core values. Representing consumer sentiments about the many expressions of the UGG® brand, these creatives are bold, provocative, free-spirited, optimistic, and real. Ambassadors like model and land protector Quannah Chasinghorse (she/her); comedian Naomi Watanabe (she/her); professional BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester (he/him); musician Hwang Soyoon (she/they); chef DeVonn Francis (he/him); artist and designer Kiddy Akita Lou (she/they/them); stylist and model Gillean McLeod (she/her); and models India Graham (she/her); Alexis Ruby (she/her) and ELIBEIDY (she/her); all possess the UGG® brand's principles, which was lensed by noted Los Angeles-based photographer Arielle Bobb-Willis (she/her).
For Feels Like UGG, the brand translated its iconic look and feel through custom furniture by enlisting Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios, who is known for his radical take on design. Reflecting the UGG® brand's rich heritage and design codes, the visionary created a one-of-a-kind couch and ottoman. Designed to reflect the brand's ability to move easily from the indoors to the outside, the custom pieces express style and comfort while representing its softness emboldened by a statement-making aesthetic and inside-to-outside duality. Inspired by the silhouette of the UGG® Classic Boot, Crosby Studios experimented with texture and color by focusing on the brand's iconic Chestnut colorway and reinterpreting the brand's sheepskin material through their use of super-soft velvet. The oversized couch silhouette is a nod to the provocative fashion and extreme comfort only UGG® can deliver.
UGG® has always been a brand built on the power of emotion because of the way it makes people feel. Through iconic and new products, and a standard of quality and comfort known all over the world, the brand has evolved from a single silhouette to a global lifestyle brand tapping into culture, fashion, and design. Through extreme comfort and on-trend, laid-back bold designs, UGG® offers harmony with physical comfort and emotional confidence that allows consumers to fearlessly express their inner-selves for the world to see.
To learn more about Feels Like UGG, please visit ugg.com/feels-like-ugg; and available for purchase starting on Sept. 8, the collection featured in the campaign can be found on UGG.com, any participating UGG® stores and select wholesale retailers nationwide.
About UGG®
Founded in 1978 by an Australian surfer on the coast of California, UGG® is a global lifestyle brand renowned for its iconic Classic Boot. First worn by Hollywood royalty, fashion editors and then the world, UGG® designs and retails footwear, apparel, accessories, and homewares with an uncompromising attitude toward quality and craftsmanship. UGG® is an environmentally and socially conscious brand which strives to be socially just, economically inclusive, and environmentally restorative. Delivering more than $1.5 billion in annual sales, UGG® partners with the best retailers globally and owns concept and outlet stores worldwide in key markets including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing. For more information, please visit www.ugg.com @ugg #FeelsLikeUgg
About the Feels Like UGG Cast
Quannah Chasinghorse is from the Han Gwich'in from Eagle Village, Alaska and Sicangu/Oglala Lakota tribes from the Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota, but currently lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. She is an Indigenous land protector for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting those sacred lands from oil development and fighting for climate justice. Quannah's deep connection to the lands and her people's way of life guides and informs everything she does and stands for. She is passionate about Indigenous sovereignty/rights, MMIWG, and representation. She is an avid snowboarder, guitar, and ukulele player, and is apprenticing as a traditional Indigenous tattoo artist. Quannah was honored to make the 2020 list of Teen Vogue's "Top 21 Under 21."
Naomi Watanabe is a world-renowned comedian, actress, model, and inclusive fashion designer. Affectionately known as "The Japanese Beyonce," Naomi has captivated audiences around the world with her viral performances and celebrity impressions. The most-followed person in Japan and one of the most-recognized personalities in all of Asia, Naomi has accumulated a loyal global following of nearly ten million across her social media platforms. Naomi has used her platform to become of the most disruptive forces in the fashion and beauty space by consistently shattering traditional industry standards through global partnerships and ambassadorships with top brands and her very own brand, Punyus. Up next, the multi-hyphenate superstar is ready to take America by storm, beginning with a move to New York City and a new all-English podcast, Naomi Takes America on Spotify.
Nigel Sylvester is an American professional BMX athlete, content creator, entrepreneur, filmmaker, and philanthropist from Queens, New York. Nigel's career has extended beyond traditional BMX biking through his progressive riding style, innovative content creation, and one-of-a-kind artistic expression and style. These distinctive characteristics have catapulted Sylvester to the forefront of the sports world.
Hwang Soyoon is a singer-songwriter and artist who began her music career by launching the band SE SO NEON at eighteen. Her virtuosity in songwriting, energy on stage, and unforgettably unique voice were enough to make her, and her band stand out. Winning Rookie of the Year and Best Rock Song at the Korean Music Awards, they ended their first year on a high note as the hottest up-and-coming band in the Korean music scene. After the band's global success, Soyoon embarked on a solo career – debuting an album in 2019 that dismantled preconceived categories of music and declared a new genre called So!YoON!.
DeVonn Francis is a chef and artist who is reshaping the culinary scene as the world knows it. He is the mastermind behind Yardy World, which creates global food and culture journeys. With no brick-and-mortar location, Yardy World has the flexibility and ingenuity to navigate spaces in a way that utilizes food to authentically engage with people, and their stories and identities.
Kiddy Akita Lou is a visual artist, designer, and model based in Los Angeles. With a background in visual art and science, she is well known for expressing herself through art, sports, and advocating for the empowerment of people with disabilities and people of color.
Gillean McLeod, a top stylist who divides her time between commercial and editorial clients, is known for unique flair, creative image-making, and working closely with clients to manifest the sartorial aspects of their projects. At the age of sixty, she burst onto the advertising horizon as the star model in the viral sensation of an H&M campaign, which had her wearing nothing but a black swimsuit – without hair or makeup. Since her debut, she has starred in editorials, billboards, campaigns, and television commercials alike.
India M Graham is a divine spiritual being who strives to live every day in alignment with her true self and the universe. She has dedicated her life's journey to being a vessel of God by spreading the knowledge of self and practicing self-love daily.
Alexis Ruby is a model, plant mom, and at-home chef. She is a go-getter and a grounded individual. She loves to sing and play the guitar, as well as the piano. Alexis also enjoys working out and meditation; reading and writing when she has the free time. She is heavily family-oriented and leads with love in her daily life.
ELEBEIDY is a model from the Dominican Republic, specifically a small town in the countryside called Vallejuelo. From humble beginnings, she started modeling at the age of nineteen and has quickly made her mark in the world of fashion. She notably starred in Gucci's all-black model "Soul Scene" campaign.
HIGH-RES CONTENT
Campaign photo credit: Arielle Bobb-Willis
Campaign video credit: Kauai Moliterno & Michael Barth
Product profile photo credit: UGG®
Press Contact:
UGG®
Matty Magnin
PR Manager
Office: (212) 247-8552 x2772
Mobile: (917) 842-2391
matthew.magnin@deckers.com
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SOURCE UGG | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/ugg-unveils-feels-like-ugg-campaign-autumnwinter-2022/ | 2022-09-08T18:34:58Z |
Addition of five bankers accelerates capacity to support mid-size companies in Arizona
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: UMPQ), today announced the expansion of its Phoenix-based middle market banking team with the addition of five new members to support its rapid growth in serving mid-size companies across Arizona.
Today's announcement marks the latest development in Umpqua's Western U.S. expansion. Late last year, Umpqua hired long-time Phoenix banking leader Kevin Gillette as market director to build its middle market operation in Arizona. The bank also recently expanded into Colorado as part of its commitment to supporting high-growth companies in communities throughout the Mountain West.
"Phoenix in one of the fasting growing, most dynamic economies in the country right now, and Umpqua is thrilled to be a growing part of the business community here," said Gillette. "Our combination of size, expertise, and personalized approach to supporting our customers has been attractive to mid-size companies in the region, and these five talented additions to our team will enhance our contribution to customer success as we grow our market presence."
Joining Umpqua's growing middle market banking team under Gillette's leadership are the following bankers:
- Dan Slocum, senior vice president and senior relationship manager. Slocum has more than a decade of experience in banking serving as a trusted advisor to mid-sized companies and providing strategic insights around capital deployment, working capital and cash management. He has an MBA from Arizona State University and bachelor's degree in finance from Eastern Michigan University.
- Alain Pelanne, senior vice president and senior relationship manager. Pelanne brings years of banking and health care sector experience with a focus on credit risk and analysis. He has an MBA and bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Virginia.
- Michael Paduone, senior treasury management consultant, global payment and deposits. With more than two decades of banking experience, Paduone advises middle market health care and education clients on improving financial control, reducing fraud risk reduction, and improving capital management. Paduone has an MBA and bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania Western University. He also holds the designations of ACH Professional and Certified Treasury Professional.
- Jonathan Akongo, senior vice president and client solutions manager, corporate banking. Akongo has more than 25 years of experience in credit and commercial lending, primarily for middle market companies, including loan structuring, syndications, loan workouts and special assets management. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing from Makerere University in Uganda.
- Ramy Michael, middle market underwriter. Michael specializes in financial statement analysis, credit analysis, and credit risk. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Arizona State University.
Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, and operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the 17h consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to small businesses.
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SOURCE Umpqua Bank | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/umpqua-bank-expands-phoenix-middle-market-team/ | 2022-09-08T18:35:04Z |
HILVERSUM, The Netherlands, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group N.V. (EURONEXT: UMG) announced today that its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sir Lucian Grainge, will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on Monday, September 12, 2022 at 7:45pm CEST (10:45am PST).
To listen to the webcast, please visit investors.universalmusic.com.
About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation, and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms, and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information, visit www.universalmusic.com.
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SOURCE Universal Music Group N.V. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/universal-music-group-nv-participate-2022-goldman-sachs-communacopia-technology-conference/ | 2022-09-08T18:35:11Z |
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, a group of disgruntled residents and business owners joined with certain members of the Board of Trustees of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to create a coalition to raise awareness among voters about the need for change in the City Council election this fall. The coalition called, WEHO for The People, has launched a campaign to bring together this unique coalition of residents and businesses who share grave concerns with the aggressive, anti-community policies that are devastating West Hollywood (WEHO), which were driven by a majority of City Councilmembers who continually ignore and fail their constituents
"Our City leaders have forgotten who they represent," said Keith Kaplan, Chair of WEHO for the People and their Board of Independent Trustees. "The policies advanced by the majority of the City Council have ignored West Hollywood residents and businesses alike, both of whom are deeply concerned with public and economic safety. There's no question that West Hollywood is less safe today, that it's more expensive to shop, eat, and procure basic services here, and much more difficult to own and operate a small business here compared to other cities. Instead of taking meaningful action to combat these issues, the majority of this Council is fixated on auditioning for higher office."
A recent survey conducted by the Pandemic Recovery Coalition found that West Hollywood residents and businesses say they are not safe and that City policies are threatening WEHO's public safety. Local residents and business owners are increasingly fearful of facing retail theft and violent personal attacks.
Meanwhile, out-of-touch City policies are threatening WEHO's public safety. The Council voted to defund law enforcement and reduce the L.A. County's Sheriff's Department despite a 137% increase in violent crime.
Out-of-control City policies are also threatening WEHO's economic safety. The City Council has created policies that make the City much more expensive for residents and visitors by driving up labor costs for all businesses during a time when the nation is experiencing unprecedented inflation following two years of hardship during the pandemic. The same policies are also causing businesses to relocate to other cities or close altogether which has resulted in an alarming number of open storefronts along its most important commercial corridors.
"The people of West Hollywood are already facing a wall of uncertainty as they attempt to emerge from the deficit the pandemic has created – soaring gas prices, back rents due, rising inflation, challenges with access to labor, supply chain disruption, and a spike in crimes," said Alan Strasburg, long time West Hollywood resident. "The City Council is making bad matters terribly worse for a community that once promised safety, certainty, and the opportunity to exercise personal freedoms for our people here."
"I chose to live and work in WEHO over 20 years ago because of what the city offered to me as a resident and then-small business owner: being able to walk around without the fear of being in danger and being able to thrive in a business-friendly environment," said Mylena Christina, WEHO resident, and realtor with Sotheby's International Realty. "Now, I'm questioning if that is still the case."
WEHO for the People calls upon all WEHO residents, small business owners, and concerned voters to join us in this campaign to tell our leaders they need to serve the people and community they were elected to serve. They must act now to protect the freedoms and restore the vitality, safety, strength and promise that once attracted vibrant, contributing residents and creative businesses that put WEHO on the map as a state and national leader.
For more information, and to join "WEHO for the People," go to: https://www.WEHOforthepeople.org/
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SOURCE WEHO for The People | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/weho-people-launches-coalition-calls-voters-help-bring-change/ | 2022-09-08T18:35:18Z |
Winner Receives $5k Scholarship and Free Wings for a Year
PLANTATION, Fla., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Smokey Bones' virtual brand The Wing Experience is in search of its College Wingman (or Wingwoman) of the Year. The online-only wings restaurant is looking at universities near restaurants in all 16 states it operates for its Wingman. The winner will be crowned on October 17 and receive a $5k scholarship, 52 orders of free 8-piece wings, a $250 catered wing tailgate party, and swag.
Just like a great wingman always has you covered, whether it's reminding you when you have your next exam, making sure the playlist is perfectly crafted for gameday, or maybe even introducing you to your significant other, The Wing Experience also has your cravings covered with your choice of 50 different flavors, more than any brand. Wings are available three ways: jumbo bone-in served traditional style or smoked, and crispy boneless wings. Guests can choose the level of heat from mild, medium, hot and extreme. Unique flavors include hot cinnamon candy apple, garlic parmesan, strawberry chipotle, and many more.
"We know that having a trusted wingman can make a huge difference during college, so it's only fitting that we recognize a College Wingman (or Wingwoman) of the Year to help celebrate our brand on campus and remind people that we, too, can be your wingman for any occasion – from game days to late night cravings," said Cole Robillard, CMO of Smokey Bones, parent company of The Wing Experience. "Whether you're picking up wings for your tailgate or having them delivered to the comfort of your couch, we want The Wing Experience to be the wingman of your college experience."
Students can post on social media to nominate their favorite college student friend who has always had their back (and why) for Wingman of the Year. Students should take a video of their wingman or woman and tag @thewingx using the hashtag #thewingxman. The deadline to enter is September 20.
The first 100 entries on September 8 will receive a promo code for free wings available for pick-up. Each week over the following four weeks. The Wing Experience will post the top 20, 15, 10 and then five wingmen and women in the running. Of the final five, the student with the most likes will be named Wingman or Wingwoman of the Year. During the year of their reign, the winner will serve as the brand's big wingman on campus and will post about The Wing Experience to their social media channels.
The Wing Experience was created in 2019 and operates out of existing Smokey Bones' kitchens. The Wing Experience is available for pick up or delivery through The Wing Experience website. Guests can also view the menu and order from Uber Eats and DoorDash.
The Wing Experience is a delivery- and pick up-only brand from Smokey Bones, with 62 locations across 16 states. The Wing Experience has 50 unique flavors.
Media Contact:
mediarelations@smokeybones.com
View original content:
SOURCE Smokey Bones | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/wing-experience-launches-nationwide-search-college-wingman-year/ | 2022-09-08T18:35:25Z |
Like, Comment, Subscribe author Mark Bergen says YouTube has ushered in a world of abundant content and creativity, of influencers and hustlers, of information overload and endless culture wars.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
Like, Comment, Subscribe author Mark Bergen says YouTube has ushered in a world of abundant content and creativity, of influencers and hustlers, of information overload and endless culture wars.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | https://www.keranews.org/2022-09-08/how-youtube-became-one-of-the-planets-most-influential-media-businesses | 2022-09-08T18:36:57Z |
When I was growing up, remakes, sequels and prequels were considered slightly dodgy — either a money grab or an admission that one didn't have the chops to be original. These days they're what the world seems to embrace, be it Top Gun: Maverick, House of the Dragon or Better Call Saul.
The latest case is the Showtime series American Gigolo. It's a sequel to Paul Schrader's hit 1980 movie, which starred Richard Gere as Julian Kay, a high-end LA escort who gets framed for murder only to be redeemed by the love of a good woman, played by Lauren Hutton.
As it mixed potboiler material with ideas of religious transcendence, the film was often silly. But it was also memorable. Bristling with expensive, production-designed amorality, it offered the pounding beat of Blondie performing "Call Me," the image of Julian's closet bursting with Armani clothing — the movie helped launch that brand in America — and the sight of Gere dishing up the first full-frontal nude scene by a male star in a studio film. American Gigolo was one of those Hollywood "classics" that became mythic without being particularly good.
Aside from its title, there's nothing remotely mythic about the new series, which transfers Julian's story into the 21st Century. Where Schrader created a deliberately opaque metaphorical fantasy, the show's creator, David Hollander, takes a more literal-minded approach. He fiddles with the original plot, trading in highfalutin glitz for explanatory backstory and a conventional murder mystery.
The action begins when Julian — now played by the excellent actor Jon Bernthal — is exonerated for a murder he didn't commit and gets released from prison after 15 years. Wiser and worn, Julian doesn't want to return to his slinky old life. He wants to live clean, though he's also eager to find out who set him up for the murder. This means getting back in touch with people from his gigolo days: his handler Olga, who got him into the business, his escort pal Lorenzo, and his old lover Michelle — that's Gretchen Mol in the Hutton role — whose son is heading into serious trouble.
Predictably, Julian's return stirs things up. Soon there's another murder, and before he knows it, a police detective — oddly played by Rosie O'Donnell — looks eager to pin it on him. Nobody seems willing to help Julian, including his old flame Michelle.
When I heard that they were turning American Gigolo into a series I was curious but dubious. Schrader himself has called the project a terrible idea, but no matter: He doesn't own the rights to the characters. In France artists are protected by the so-called droit moral, or moral right, which means you can't take their creations and do with them what you will. But this is America, so the series was made anyway, taking Julian's story in a direction that Schrader — a complicated, genuinely fascinating man — would surely find banal.
Even as Julian's backstory involves a strange abuse narrative — the show's shot through with a startling misogyny — he himself becomes muted. Where Gere exuded a smug, plasticine perfection — he came from seemingly nowhere, like a sexy android — Bernthal's weathered Julian is weighed down by regrets and confusion. He has none of the pop zing that made Julian a cultural touchstone.
One reason American Gigolo resonated in 1980 was that Schrader caught the direction of American culture before most people did. Indeed, the film's rapt attention to money, consumerism and spiritual emptiness made it the first of many Reagan era morality plays — one that actually came out nine months before Reagan was even elected. It remains an emblem of its time.
I can't imagine that this will happen with the TV series, which relies too much on people knowing — and caring about — a movie that was made four decades ago. Then again, maybe this new American Gigolo DOES capture our current American mood. It's the story of a once cocksure man who now wears T-shirts and drives a borrowed convertible he can't begin to afford. As Julian looks back on his often glittering past, he wonders exactly what happened to his life and how it all went wrong.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-09-08/showtimes-american-gigolo-sequel-lacks-the-highfalutin-glitz-of-the-original | 2022-09-08T18:37:06Z |
The Funky Freqs came up playing the post-Corea jazz-rock style known as free funk — music with fewer complicated melodies and more earthy grooving. Their new album is Hymn of the Third Galaxy.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
The Funky Freqs came up playing the post-Corea jazz-rock style known as free funk — music with fewer complicated melodies and more earthy grooving. Their new album is Hymn of the Third Galaxy.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | https://www.keranews.org/2022-09-08/the-free-form-funky-freqs-blend-jazz-r-b-rock-and-a-little-space-music | 2022-09-08T18:37:08Z |
Results from a new online survey of K-12 teachers in Texas, released on Thursday, shows most “seriously considered” leaving the profession this year, a 19% increase from two years ago.
For its third annual survey on teacher satisfaction, the Charles Butt Foundation last spring sent an online questionnaire to 1,291 Texas public school teachers who were randomly selected from the Texas Education Agency’s 2020 roster of teachers in the state. All of them responded.
The Charles Butt Foundation is a nonprofit organization named after the chair and CEO of H-E-B, the largest privately held employer in Texas. The foundation’s goal is to make public education more equitable across the state through community partnerships.
Of those surveyed, 77% of them seriously considered leaving the profession in 2022, a 19% jump from the 2020 results and a 9% increase from last year. Among these teachers, 93% have taken steps to leave such as preparing resumes or conducting job interviews within the past year.
“That’s a huge, startling number,” said Shari B. Albright, president of the Charles Butt Foundation. “We need for our public schools to not only survive, but thrive and flourish.”
Victoria Wang, a senior research associate at the foundation, warns that when teachers are not supported, that impact is felt elsewhere at a local school.
“Schools are not just a place where kids go and they learn math and reading,” Wang said. “It’s where they learn how to interact with each other. It’s where they learn how to be in community with each other.”
These survey results come as Texas is amid a teacher shortage and school districts are scrambling to find creative ways to attract talent as the state and nation emerge from the global coronavirus pandemic. Some bigger districts, like Houston, have the capacity to approve significant pay increases while some rural districts have shifted to four-day weeks.
A major indicator that points to a shortage now is the state’s attrition rate, which tracks the number of teachers who have left the field in any given year. Since the 2011-12 school year, Texas’ attrition rate has hovered around 10%. That number dipped to about 9% during the 2020-21 school year but is going back up — rising to almost 12% during the 2021-22 school year.
Teachers point to low pay, lack of respect from both the community and elected officials, excessive workloads and pandemic school disruptions as reasons they want to leave. In the classroom, about 98% of respondents say they have to buy their own supplies, with the median cost being about $500. The average pay for teachers has not increased between 2010 and 2019; it instead decreased from $55,433 to $54,192, according to a University of Houston report released earlier this year.
In the Charles Butt Foundation survey, 91% of Texas teachers who said they feel unfairly paid earn less than $50,000 a year.
Last spring, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Education Agency to create a task force to tackle the teacher shortage issue. The task force has met twice so far, and school leaders and teachers have shared different strategies they use to attract and retain their workforce.
In 2019, Texas lawmakers mandated raises for teachers in a $11.6 billion overhaul of public school finance. The bill also included a merit raise system designed to help rural and poorer school districts attract talent. In rare cases, the program rewards Texas’ highest-rated educators with hefty pay raises that could balloon to a six-figure salary.
These factors contribute to low teacher morale. Results show that only 17% of teachers indicated they felt valued by Texans, and only 5% of survey respondents said they felt valued by elected officials.
Lawmakers over the last two years have put more on teacher’s plates. Some teachers have been required to take a 60- to 120-hour course on reading, known as Reading Academies, if they want to keep their jobs in 2023. And most have done it unpaid on their own time.
At the same time, teachers have felt the pressure to raise standardized test scores to pre-pandemic levels, but it hasn’t been an easy task as teachers’ workloads have increased because they have also spent more time addressing the social and emotional needs of students returning to school after the pandemic.
The survey results showed that 86% of teachers consider their noninstructional tasks and responsibilities obstacles to being a good teacher. Of those surveyed, 82% said say they lack planning time, and 81% feel pressured to teach to achieve high scores on standardized tests.
Finally, teachers feel caught in the crossfire of the state’s culture wars as school boards have centered more of their attention in some cities on book bans and removing more inclusive curriculum than on how to help teachers and students have a more productive year.
In the survey, 97% of teachers said a positive work culture and environment would keep them in the profession longer. Only 51% said they currently work in that environment. Teachers also would like greater input in school- and district-level decision-making. Only 16% of respondents said they have input into these decisions now.
“I fear an exodus and it’s not inevitable,” Albright said. “Teachers told us what we need to do.”
Lauren Cook, the foundation’s senior strategist, said the future of the state and its workforce is at stake if improvements aren’t made.
“It’s really on the Legislature and those at the local decision-making level to listen,” Cook said. “We can’t be at a more important turning point.” | https://www.keranews.org/education/2022-09-08/politics-and-pandemic-are-driving-texas-teachers-to-consider-quitting-survey-finds | 2022-09-08T18:37:11Z |
Updated September 8, 2022 at 1:47 PM ET
Queen Elizabeth II, whose seven decades on the throne of the United Kingdom was a longer reign than any other British monarch, has died at the age of 96.
The queen "died peacefully" on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands, royal family officials announced. King Charles, her son, is at Balmoral and will return to London on Friday.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
The queen had been placed under medical supervision earlier Thursday, officials said. "Following further evaluation this morning, The Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision," the palace had said in a statement.
Other members of the royal family had also traveled to Balmoral, including her grandson Prince William, who is now the heir apparent. Prince Harry, who was already in the country for a charity event, was also reportedly en route.
In recent years, the queen had taken on fewer public duties, occasionally canceling appearances in which her attendance was once tradition. Mobility issues had troubled her in recent months, and she had taken to spending much of her time at Windsor Castle, the family's country estate near London, and at Balmoral, the castle in Scotland.
In February, she contracted COVID-19, which she later described as leaving her "very tired and exhausted."
In June, Elizabeth appeared at her Platinum Jubilee celebrating her 70 years on the throne, watching the parade from a balcony of Buckingham Palace. But she missed most of the other festivities. And on Tuesday, she met with the U.K.'s new prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral, a first in her reign.
Elizabeth acceded to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952. Over her 70-year-long reign, she oversaw an extraordinary period of British history, including decolonization and the independence of more than 20 countries that were once a part of the British Empire.
Charles, 73, is now Britain's king.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/news/2022-09-08/queen-elizabeth-ii-the-longest-serving-british-monarch-has-died-at-96 | 2022-09-08T18:37:13Z |
CNN’s first chief anchor Bernard Shaw has died at the age of 82.
He was CNN’s first chief anchor. He was with the network when it launched in 1980 and stayed for more than 20 years before he retired. He died Wednesday of pneumonia.
NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik talks with Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/cnns-first-chief-anchor-bernard-shaw-dies-at-82 | 2022-09-08T18:54:19Z |
The European Commission is to put forward a plan to cap the price of Russian gas, as well as issue a mandatory European Union cut in electricity use.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the plans in a press conference Wednesday, citing the need to hurt Russian profit-making as it continues its assault on neighboring Ukraine. The announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin branded such measures as “stupid” and threatened to cut off Russian gas completely if plans moved ahead.
MSNBC host and economic correspondent Ali Velshi joins Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee for the latest
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/eu-leadership-proposes-price-cap-on-russian-gas-after-putin-brands-idea-stupid | 2022-09-08T18:54:26Z |
Like, Comment, Subscribe author Mark Bergen says YouTube has ushered in a world of abundant content and creativity, of influencers and hustlers, of information overload and endless culture wars.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
Like, Comment, Subscribe author Mark Bergen says YouTube has ushered in a world of abundant content and creativity, of influencers and hustlers, of information overload and endless culture wars.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/how-youtube-became-one-of-the-planets-most-influential-media-businesses | 2022-09-08T18:54:32Z |
Editor’s note: The following story deals with suicide. If you have suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889).
For suicide prevention resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, click here.
Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with singer-guitarist Marcus King about his new album “Young Blood” which dropped on Aug. 26.
King sets out on tour this fall.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/on-young-blood-singer-guitarist-marcus-king-sets-songs-of-pain-to-70s-style-stadium-rock | 2022-09-08T18:54:38Z |
Updated September 8, 2022 at 2:46 PM ET
Queen Elizabeth II, whose seven decades on the throne of the United Kingdom was a longer reign than any other British monarch, has died at the age of 96.
The queen "died peacefully" on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands, royal family officials announced.
Her son Charles, 73, is now king and will be known as King Charles III. Officials said he remains at Balmoral and will return to London on Friday.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
"The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," the king said in a statement. "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."
Elizabeth had been placed under medical supervision earlier Thursday, officials said. "Following further evaluation this morning, The Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision," the palace had said in a statement.
Other members of the royal family had also traveled to Balmoral, including her grandson Prince William, who is now the heir apparent. Prince Harry, who was already in the country for a charity event, was also reportedly en route.
World leaders and mourners pay tribute
After Thursday's announcement, a flood of condolences came in from all corners of the globe: world officials, cultural icons and everyday people alike.
"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the British nation's continuity and unity for over 70 years," said French President Emmanuel Macron. "I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century."
And outside of Buckingham Palace in London, hundreds of mourners had gathered to lay flowers and pay their respects as a double rainbow arced overhead.
In recent years, the queen had taken on fewer public duties, occasionally canceling appearances in which her attendance was once tradition. Mobility issues had troubled her in recent months, and she had taken to spending much of her time at Windsor Castle, the family's country estate near London, and at Balmoral, the castle in Scotland.
In February, she contracted COVID-19, which she later described as leaving her "very tired and exhausted."
In June, Elizabeth appeared at her Platinum Jubilee celebrating her 70 years on the throne, watching the parade from a balcony of Buckingham Palace. But she missed most of the other festivities. And on Tuesday, she met with the U.K.'s new prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral, a first in her reign.
Prime Minister Liz Truss cites a "great loss"
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Truss called Thursday "a day for great loss."
"With the king's family, we mourn the loss of his mother. And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him to help him bare the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all," she said. "We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long."
Elizabeth acceded to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952. Over her 70-year-long reign, she oversaw an extraordinary period of British history, including decolonization and the independence of more than 20 countries that were once a part of the British Empire. Fifteen British Prime Ministers came and went during her reign, along with 14 U.S. Presidents. By the time she died, most Brits had never known another monarch.
She commanded widespread respect both at home and abroad but was criticized after the death of Princess Diana for being out of touch with the public mood.
"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era," said President Biden and the First Lady in a statement. "We send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, who are not only mourning their Queen, but their dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world."
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/queen-elizabeth-ii-the-longest-serving-british-monarch-has-died-at-96 | 2022-09-08T18:54:45Z |
Updated September 8, 2022 at 2:49 PM ET
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has died at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, at age 96, Buckingham Palace said Thursday. She served as the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom for 70 years, making her the longest-ruling monarch in British history.
Her reign spanned a remarkable arc in British history and was defined by duty to country and considerable family pain. Her death is a major milestone for the country, triggering an outpouring of national affection and grief.
It also comes at a time when the U.K. is transitioning from a deeply controversial prime minister, Boris Johnson, to a new one, Liz Truss, who just took over the job this week. The country faces skyrocketing inflation and the challenge of the biggest war in Europe since 1945.
Elizabeth was born into an empire on which the sun never set and was the country's last major figure with a connection to World War II, a searing, ultimately triumphant experience that, for some, continues to define the nation. On V-E Day in 1945, Elizabeth, then 19, described slipping out of Buckingham Palace to join the jubilant crowds.
"I remember lines of unknown people, linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief," she recalled. "It was one of the most memorable nights of my life."
Later, Elizabeth watched as Britain lost most of its colonies and much of its power. There were many personal lows, including the divorces of three of her four children; the death of her former daughter-in-law Diana; and a sex scandal involving her son Prince Andrew. Late in her reign, her grandson Prince Harry left the family and England to settle in California with his American wife, Meghan Markle.
Through it all, though, the queen worked to honor a pledge she made when was just 21: "I declare before you that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service, and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."
Through the ups and downs of her tenure, her hard work and longevity won her deep admiration across the United Kingdom.
Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor in London in 1926, her ascension to the throne was an accident of history. In 1936, her uncle, King Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman. Elizabeth's shy, stammering father assumed the throne as George VI, placing her next in line.
When World War II erupted three years later, Princess Elizabeth began performing official royal duties and delivered the first of many broadcasts, billed as addresses to the children of the British Empire.
In 1947, at age 25, she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, a dashing naval officer and distant cousin with whom she'd fallen in love in her early teens.
While traveling in Kenya five years later, Elizabeth received grim news from home that her father, who suffered from heart disease and cancer, had died in his sleep. A year later, her lavish coronation in Westminster Abbey drew a global TV audience.
Elizabeth made a glamorous young queen in the gray, postwar years — but also a remote one. Occasionally, she appeared to drop her guard and allowed TV cameras into her home. She spoke of her embrace of the predictability of royal life and how younger family members chafed under its strictures.
"If you live this sort of life, which people don't very much," she said with a laugh, "you live very much by tradition and by continuity. I find that's one of the sad things, that people don't take on jobs for life, they try different things all the time."
Given the nature of her job, Elizabeth said she knew exactly what she would be doing in the next two months or even the coming year.
"I think this is what the younger members [of the royal family] find difficult, is the regimented side of it," she added.
Difficulties involving younger royals led to some of the most painful periods of the queen's life.
In just one year — 1992 — the marriages of her three oldest children collapsed. That November, fire devastated Windsor Castle, her childhood home along the banks of the River Thames outside London.
"In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'annus horribilis,' " the queen said.
"I think the queen really felt deeply wounded by the lack of success of her family," says Sarah Bradford, the author of several biographies of Elizabeth. "She just felt humiliated and possibly she felt guilty about it."
Five years later, things grew far worse, when paparazzi on motorcycles chased Diana, Princess of Wales, through Paris. She died after the Mercedes she was traveling in crashed into a pillar in a tunnel along the Seine River.
Diana had recently divorced Prince Charles, but remained for many a sympathetic figure.
Instead of returning to London to lead her people in mourning, the queen remained in her castle in Balmoral, comforting her grandchildren, Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry. Many Britons were furious and saw the queen as out of touch and uncaring.
"The week before Diana's funeral was probably the low point of the queen's life," Bradford says, "because for the first time in her life, she was actually really criticized, deeply criticized."
Bowing to public pressure, the queen returned to London and eventually responded to what she called "the extraordinary and moving reaction to [Diana's] death."
With that tribute to Diana, the crisis faded. By 2012, when the queen celebrated her 60th year on the throne, she had recovered her popularity. A few weeks later came the London Olympics, where she thrilled a global TV audience by pretending to skydive into the Olympic stadium with Daniel Craig as James Bond.
More recently, during the coronavirus pandemic, the queen made a rare national speech that illustrated the unique role she played in the United Kingdom. As head of state and national matriarch, she reassured the British people and emphasized the country's traditional values.
"Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it," she said from Windsor Castle. "I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. The attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humored resolve and of fellow feeling still characterize this country."
Still recent years brought additional family turmoil and crises that undermined the monarchy, including allegations that a 17-year-old girl was coerced into having sex with Prince Andrew, which he denied in an interview with the BBC.
In 2021, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said they'd encountered racism within the royal family. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, who is biracial, said there had been discrimination toward their son, Archie. She said there had been "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
In a statement, Buckingham Palace called the claims "concerning" and said the family would address them privately.
About a month later, Prince Philip, whom the queen had called "my strength and stay," died at age 99 after more than seven decades of marriage.
With the queen's passing, her son Charles becomes king.
The queen was enormously popular, even among Britons who weren't fond of the monarchy. Charles, however, is not. Polls this year showed that only about one-third of the public here wants him as king. Many people remain unhappy with Charles because of how he handled his first marriage.
"The legacy of the whole Diana catastrophe — it does go very deep," said Max Hastings, the former editor of Britain's The Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard. "The image that Diana passed onto the world about the Prince of Wales is not a very attractive image. It was an image of a very selfish, quirky, weird man."
Royal watchers say that Charles's lack of popularity and connection to many British people poses a serious challenge to the monarchy as it moves forward.
Elizabeth became queen when Winston Churchill was Britain's prime minister and Harry Truman was U.S. president. She worked with 15 British prime ministers and has met 13 of the last 14 American presidents.
Queen Elizabeth is the only monarch the vast majority of Britons have ever known. Bradford believes history will rank her among the nation's great sovereigns, alongside Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria.
"I think the queen's legacy will be holding the whole thing together, through bad and good, connecting with the world," Bradford says. "I think she'll be seen as dutiful, good at her job and self-sacrificing in many ways."
A quarter-century after assuming the throne, Queen Elizabeth II summarized her role and her relationship with her subjects: "When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of our people," she said. "Although that vow was made in my salad days when I was green in judgment, I do not regret nor retract one word of it."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/queen-elizabeth-ii-the-monarch-who-brought-stability-to-a-changing-nation | 2022-09-08T18:54:51Z |
Buckingham Palace has said that Queen Elizabeth II is under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after doctors became concerned for her health. Members of the royal family — including Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry — are making their way to the castle now.
Willem Marx has the latest from the UK and joins Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/royal-family-gathering-at-balmoral-castle-as-queens-health-worsens | 2022-09-08T18:54:57Z |
Teachers are on strike for a second day in Seattle public schools as contract negotiations between their union and the school district have stalled. Students were scheduled to begin their school year on Wednesday, but classes have been put on hold.
Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Rebecca Chase-Chen, a second and third-grade teacher at Beacon Hill International School, from the picket line.
Rebecca Chase-Chen with her daughter Ruth Chen (far left) and two other kids on the picket line who are entering 2nd and 1st grade at Seattle Public Schools. (Courtesy of Rebecca Chen-Chase)
Ivy Wichansky, 14, is a 9th grade student at Ingraham High School. (Courtesy of Ivy Wichansky)
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/seattle-elementary-school-teacher-shares-her-story-on-day-2-of-strike | 2022-09-08T18:55:03Z |
When I was growing up, remakes, sequels and prequels were considered slightly dodgy — either a money grab or an admission that one didn't have the chops to be original. These days they're what the world seems to embrace, be it Top Gun: Maverick, House of the Dragon or Better Call Saul.
The latest case is the Showtime series American Gigolo. It's a sequel to Paul Schrader's hit 1980 movie, which starred Richard Gere as Julian Kay, a high-end LA escort who gets framed for murder only to be redeemed by the love of a good woman, played by Lauren Hutton.
As it mixed potboiler material with ideas of religious transcendence, the film was often silly. But it was also memorable. Bristling with expensive, production-designed amorality, it offered the pounding beat of Blondie performing "Call Me," the image of Julian's closet bursting with Armani clothing — the movie helped launch that brand in America — and the sight of Gere dishing up the first full-frontal nude scene by a male star in a studio film. American Gigolo was one of those Hollywood "classics" that became mythic without being particularly good.
Aside from its title, there's nothing remotely mythic about the new series, which transfers Julian's story into the 21st Century. Where Schrader created a deliberately opaque metaphorical fantasy, the show's creator, David Hollander, takes a more literal-minded approach. He fiddles with the original plot, trading in highfalutin glitz for explanatory backstory and a conventional murder mystery.
The action begins when Julian — now played by the excellent actor Jon Bernthal — is exonerated for a murder he didn't commit and gets released from prison after 15 years. Wiser and worn, Julian doesn't want to return to his slinky old life. He wants to live clean, though he's also eager to find out who set him up for the murder. This means getting back in touch with people from his gigolo days: his handler Olga, who got him into the business, his escort pal Lorenzo, and his old lover Michelle — that's Gretchen Mol in the Hutton role — whose son is heading into serious trouble.
Predictably, Julian's return stirs things up. Soon there's another murder, and before he knows it, a police detective — oddly played by Rosie O'Donnell — looks eager to pin it on him. Nobody seems willing to help Julian, including his old flame Michelle.
When I heard that they were turning American Gigolo into a series I was curious but dubious. Schrader himself has called the project a terrible idea, but no matter: He doesn't own the rights to the characters. In France artists are protected by the so-called droit moral, or moral right, which means you can't take their creations and do with them what you will. But this is America, so the series was made anyway, taking Julian's story in a direction that Schrader — a complicated, genuinely fascinating man — would surely find banal.
Even as Julian's backstory involves a strange abuse narrative — the show's shot through with a startling misogyny — he himself becomes muted. Where Gere exuded a smug, plasticine perfection — he came from seemingly nowhere, like a sexy android — Bernthal's weathered Julian is weighed down by regrets and confusion. He has none of the pop zing that made Julian a cultural touchstone.
One reason American Gigolo resonated in 1980 was that Schrader caught the direction of American culture before most people did. Indeed, the film's rapt attention to money, consumerism and spiritual emptiness made it the first of many Reagan era morality plays — one that actually came out nine months before Reagan was even elected. It remains an emblem of its time.
I can't imagine that this will happen with the TV series, which relies too much on people knowing — and caring about — a movie that was made four decades ago. Then again, maybe this new American Gigolo DOES capture our current American mood. It's the story of a once cocksure man who now wears T-shirts and drives a borrowed convertible he can't begin to afford. As Julian looks back on his often glittering past, he wonders exactly what happened to his life and how it all went wrong.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/showtimes-american-gigolo-sequel-lacks-the-highfalutin-glitz-of-the-original | 2022-09-08T18:55:10Z |
The Funky Freqs came up playing the post-Corea jazz-rock style known as free funk — music with fewer complicated melodies and more earthy grooving. Their new album is Hymn of the Third Galaxy.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
The Funky Freqs came up playing the post-Corea jazz-rock style known as free funk — music with fewer complicated melodies and more earthy grooving. Their new album is Hymn of the Third Galaxy.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/the-free-form-funky-freqs-blend-jazz-r-b-rock-and-a-little-space-music | 2022-09-08T18:55:16Z |
The National Football League season begins Thursday. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talks about which teams to watch and storylines to follow with Lindsay Jones, senior NFL editor at the Ringer.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/the-nfl-season-kicks-off | 2022-09-08T18:55:23Z |
The United States ambassador to United Nations says there’s evidence that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been interrogated and forcibly deported to Russian filtration camps, in what she’s calling “a series of horrors.” The accusation by Linda Thomas-Greenfield — dismissed as fantasy by Russia — came during a United Nations Security Council meeting late Wednesday.
This comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes an unannounced trip to Ukraine Thursday— his second visit to Kiev since the war began six months ago.
Michele Kelemen is covering the story for NPR. She joins Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd from Washington.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/u-s-ambassador-to-ukraine-decries-hundreds-of-thousands-of-ukrainians-forcibly-held-in-russian-camp | 2022-09-08T18:55:29Z |
Syria’s civil war has been going on for more than ten years, and it is the world’s largest massive humanitarian crisis, according to Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute, with nearly 7 million refugees and nearly all of the population living in poverty. We look at what’s happening there now.
Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Borzou Daragahi who has been traveling to Syria over the months and years. He’s an international correspondent at the Independent and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. He’s in Istanbul, Turkey.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/whats-happening-in-syrias-civil-war-we-take-a-look-at-a-war-thats-fallen-from-the-headlines | 2022-09-08T18:55:36Z |
Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee explores the connection between the war in Ukraine, climate change and the hunger crisis in Somalia with The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/why-the-hunger-crisis-in-somalia-could-get-even-worse-by-fall | 2022-09-08T18:55:42Z |
In this second installment of our Youngbloods series, Jazz Night in America takes a look at Isaiah J. Thompson: a young musician and composer with a mature touch and rare combination of talent, creativity, humility and honesty.
That last quality is especially important to Thompson, who, for someone who has accomplished so much at such a young age, seems unburdened by ego. "I think sincerity is something that's missing, especially in my generation," he says, "and when you're writing music, your job is to bring people back to what's actually happening."
And what's "actually happening" in Thompson's life is a lot. During his sophomore year at Juilliard, already on the radar of many musical elders, he was taken under the wing of trumpeter and educator Wynton Marsalis. Since then, Thompson has been earning recognition both at his regular residencies around New York and on stages around the world.
Thompson's inspirations are wide-ranging — the past (Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey are two of his musical heroes); the present (his compositions reflect socio-political movements, like the Black Lives Matter movement); his childhood (and a love of comic books); and his peers, like saxophonist Julian Lee, whom he met when they were both teenagers at Jazz House Kids in Montclair, N.J.
In this episode we'll hear three of Thompson's original compositions, performed by his quartet at Dizzy's Club. We'll also hear him musical directing and performing two songs with The Young Stars of Jazz, featuring Wynton Marsalis.
Musicians:
Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet: Isaiah J. Thompson, piano; Julian Lee, tenor saxophone; Philip Norris, bass; TJ Reddick, drums.
The Young Stars of Jazz featuring Wynton Marsalis: Isaiah J. Thompson, piano and musical direction; Julian Lee, tenor saxophone; Alexa Tarantino, alto saxophone; Endea Owens, bass; Kyle Poole, drums; Wynton Marsalis, trumpet.
Set List:
Credits:
Writer and Producer: Alex Ariff; Assistant Producers: Scout Opatut and Camilo Garzon; Host: Christian McBride; Recording Engineers: Rob Macomber, Todd Whitelock and Chris Gold; Consulting Editor: Katie Simon; Episode mix: Ron Scalzo; Producers: Sarah Geledi and Trevor Smith; Project Manager: Suraya Mohamed; Vice President of Visuals and Strategy at NPR Music: Keith Jenkins; Executive Producers: Anya Grundmann and Gabrielle Armand.
Special thanks to Jake Cohen.
Copyright 2022 WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center. To see more, visit WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-08/youngbloods-pianist-isaiah-j-thompson | 2022-09-08T18:55:48Z |
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch of 70 years, has died at 96.
Adela Suliman, a breaking news reporter in London for our editorial partners, the Washington Post, and joins Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-09-30/queen-elizabeth-ii-dies-at-96 | 2022-09-08T18:55:54Z |
It was June 6, 1944 at 6:30am. Kenneth Crawford of Newsweek was part of the first wave of troops on a landing barge approaching the Normandy coast.
He had the distinction of being the first war correspondent to land on Utah Beach. It was what we now know as D-Day. The voyage from the mother ship, which housed almost 2000 officers and enlisted men, was difficult. It took the landing barge nearly four hours on rough seas to reach shore. Many of the troops were seasick.
Officers, enlisted men and Crawford stormed the 500-yard beach – jumping into waist deep water, carrying packs, guns and radio equipment. Fired upon by the Germans, there were numerous casualties. Crawford narrowly avoided being shot. Soon, though, the battalion he was with began capturing German prisoners. Most were frightened and wounded teenagers.
See the Harry C. Butcher papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more about the American invasion of Normandy in World War II. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/show/archives-on-the-air/2022-09-08/archives-on-the-air-266-dispatches-from-d-day-harry-c-butcher-papers | 2022-09-08T18:56:01Z |
After a lifetime of preparation, Charles takes the throne
LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Now, at age 73, that moment has finally arrived.
Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became King Charles III on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. No date has been set for his coronation.
After an apprenticeship that began as a child, Charles embodies the modernization of the British monarchy. He was the first heir not educated at home, the first to earn a university degree and the first to grow up in the ever-intensifying glare of the media as deference to royalty faded.
He also alienated many with his messy divorce from the much-loved Princess Diana, and by straining the rules that prohibit royals from intervening in public affairs, wading into debates on issues such as environmental protection and architectural preservation,
“He now finds himself in, if you like, the autumn of his life, having to think carefully about how he projects his image as a public figure,” said historian Ed Owens. “He’s nowhere near as popular as his mother.”
Charles must figure out how to generate the “public support, a sense of endearment” that characterized the relationship Elizabeth had with the British public, Owens said.
In other words, will Charles be as loved by his subjects? It’s a question that has overshadowed his entire life.
A shy boy with a domineering father, Charles grew into a sometimes-awkward, understated man who is nevertheless confident in his own opinions. Unlike his mother, who refused to publicly discuss her views, Charles has delivered speeches and written articles on issues close to his heart, such as climate change, green energy and alternative medicine.
His accession to the throne is likely to fuel debate about the future of Britain’s largely ceremonial monarchy, seen by some as a symbol of national unity and others as an obsolete vestige of feudal history.
“We know the monarch and certainly the monarch’s family – they’re not meant to have political voices. They’re not meant to have political opinions. And the fact that he’s been flexing, if you like, his political muscle is something that he will have to be really careful with ... lest he be seen as unconstitutional,” said Owens, who wrote “The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public, 1932-53.”
Charles, who will be the head of state for the U.K. and 14 other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, has defended his actions.
“I always wonder what meddling is, I always thought it was motivating,” he said in “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” a 2018 documentary. “I’ve always been intrigued if it’s meddling to worry about the inner cities, as I did 40 years ago and what was happening or not happening there, the conditions in which people were living. If that’s meddling, I’m very proud of it.”
In the same interview, however, Charles acknowledged that as king, he wouldn’t be able to speak out or interfere in politics because the role of sovereign is different from being the Prince of Wales.
Charles has said he intends to reduce the number of working royals, cut expenses and better represent modern Britain.
But tradition matters, too, for a man whose office previously described the monarchy as “the focal point for national pride, unity and allegiance.”
That has meant a life of palaces and polo, attracting criticism that Charles was out of touch with everyday life, being lampooned for having a valet who purportedly squeezed toothpaste onto his brush.
But it was the disintegration of his marriage to Diana that made many question his fitness for the throne. Then, as he aged, his handsome young sons stole the limelight from a man who had a reputation for being as gray as his Saville Row suits.
Biographer Sally Bedell Smith, author of “Prince Charles: the Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life,’’ described him as being constantly overshadowed by others in the family, despite his destiny.
“I think the frustrations are not so much that he’s had to wait for the throne,” Smith told PBS. “I think his main frustration is that he has done so much and that ... he has been sort of massively misunderstood. He’s sort of been caught between two worlds: the world of his mother, revered, now beloved; and Diana, the ghost of whom still shadows him; and then his incredibly glamorous sons.”
It took years for many in Britain to forgive Charles for his admitted infidelity to Diana before “the people’s princess” died in a Paris car crash in 1997. But the public mood softened after he married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 and she became the Duchess of Cornwall.
Although Camilla played a significant role in the breakup of Charles and Diana, her self-deprecating style and salt-of-the-earth sense of humor eventually won over many Britons.
She helped Charles smile more in public by tempering his reserve and making him made him appear approachable, if not happier, as he cut ribbons, visited houses of worship, unveiled plaques and waited for the crown.
Her service was rewarded in February 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II said publicly that it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla should be known as “Queen Consort” after her son succeeded her, answering questions once and for all about her status in the Royal Family.
Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born Nov. 14, 1948, in Buckingham Palace. When his mother acceded to the throne in 1952, the 3-year-old prince became the Duke of Cornwall. He became Prince of Wales at 20.
His school years were unhappy, with the future king being bullied by classmates at Gordonstoun, a Scottish boarding school that prides itself on building character through vigorous outdoor activities and educated his father, Philip.
Charles studied history at Cambridge University’s Trinity College, where in 1970 he became the first British royal to earn a university degree.
He then spent seven years in uniform, training as a Royal Air Force pilot before joining the Royal Navy, where he learned to fly helicopters. He ended his military career as commander of the HMS Bronington, a minesweeper, in 1976.
Charles’ relationship with Camilla began before he went to sea, but the romance foundered and she married a cavalry officer.
He met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 when she was 16 and he was dating her older sister. Diana apparently didn’t see him again until 1980, and rumors of their engagement swirled after she was invited to spend time with Charles and the royal family.
They announced their engagement in February 1981. Some awkwardness in their relationship was immediately apparent when, during a televised interview about their betrothal, a reporter asked if they were in love. “Of course,” Diana answered immediately, while Charles said, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.”
Although Diana giggled at the response, she later said that Charles’ remark “threw me completely.”
“God, it absolutely traumatized me,” she said in a recording made by her voice coach in 1992-93 that was featured in the 2017 documentary “Diana, In Her Own Words.”
The couple married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in a globally televised ceremony. Prince William, now heir to the throne, was born less than a year later, followed by his brother, Prince Harry, in 1984.
The public fairy tale soon crumbled. Charles admitted to adultery to a TV interviewer in 1994. In an interview of her own, Diana drew attention to her husband’s relationship with Camilla, saying: “There were three of us in this marriage.”
The revelations tarnished Charles’ reputation among many who celebrated Diana for her style as well as her charity work with AIDS patients and landmine victims.
William and Harry were caught in the middle. While the princes revered their late mother, they said Charles was a good father and praised him as an early advocate for issues like the environment.
Tensions persist inside the royal family, underscored by the decision of Harry and his wife, Meghan, to step away from their royal duties and move to California in 2020. In a televised interview, they later said a member of the royal family had raised “concerns and conversations” about the color of their baby’s skin before he was born. The explosive revelation forced William to publicly declare the family wasn’t racist.
Charles soldiered on, increasingly standing in for the queen in her twilight years. In 2018, he was named the queen’s designated successor as head of the Commonwealth, an association of 54 nations with links to the British Empire. The process accelerated after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, on April 9, 2021.
As Elizabeth declined, he sometimes stepped in at the last moment.
On the eve of the state opening of Parliament on May 10, 2022, the queen asked Charles to preside, delegating one of her most important constitutional duties to him -- evidence that a transition was underway.
Camilla said in a 2018 documentary that Charles was comfortable with the prospect of being king.
“I think his destiny will come,’’ she said. “He’s always known it’s going to come, and I don’t think it does weigh heavily on his shoulders at all.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/09/08/after-lifetime-preparation-charles-takes-throne/ | 2022-09-08T18:57:46Z |
Camilla becomes queen, but without the sovereign’s powers
LONDON (AP) — After seven decades, the United Kingdom has a new woman to call queen.
Charles’ wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will be known as Queen Consort — a title that came with Queen Elizabeth II’s blessing after years of contention, dating back to the days before she even married Prince Charles.
It wasn’t always a given that the 75-year-old Camilla would take the title, even though it gives her none of the sovereign’s powers.
While the wife of a king is traditionally crowned queen, the question of what title Camilla would hold when Charles became king had been a tricky one for many years. That was due to sensitivity about her status as his second wife — and the wave of grief that washed over Britain following the death of his former wife, Princess Diana, in a car crash in 1997.
Charles and the royal household have moved carefully on the matter, mindful of lingering public perceptions of Camilla as the “third person” that ruined the marriage between Charles and the beloved princess.
But over the decades, Camilla has won over large parts of the British public with her discretion, down-to-earth personality and loyalty to her husband.
When Camilla and Charles married in a low-key civil ceremony in 2005, she was in fact the new Princess of Wales — Diana’s title — but she styled herself the Duchess of Cornwall instead.
Palace officials said for years that Camilla “intended” to be known as “Princess Consort” — instead of the traditional “Queen Consort” — when Charles acceded to the throne.
There is no precedent for the title Princess Consort, which was reportedly suggested by royal officials. The similar title of Prince Consort has only been used once — for Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901.
In a 2010 interview with NBC, Charles was asked if Camilla would become “Queen of England, if and when you become the monarch.” He hesitated as he replied, “That’s, well ... We’ll see, won’t we? That could be.”
The question was resolved when Elizabeth declared she wanted Camilla to be known as Queen Consort after her son became king. It was an endorsement that formally signified the royal family’s acceptance of Camilla as a respected senior member and was widely seen as a move by Elizabeth to pave a smooth transition to Charles’ reign.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife, Camilla, the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” Elizabeth said in February 2022, when she marked the 70th anniversary of her rule.
Charles said he and Camilla were “deeply conscious of the honor.”
“As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout,” he said.
The most recent Queen Consort in British history was George VI’s wife Queen Elizabeth, known in later years as the Queen Mother after her daughter became monarch in 1952.
By custom, Camilla will be anointed at Charles’ coronation, although that could be omitted.
Born Camilla Rosemary Shand on July 17, 1947, she came from aristocrats with long and close links with Britain’s royal family. Her great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was a romantic partner of King Edward VII.
She met Charles at a polo match in 1970 when she was 23 and he was considered to be the most eligible bachelor in Britain. The two immediately became close, and by the end of 1972, Charles was smitten. But the romance was interrupted by his eight months of naval duty.
In his absence, Camilla married her longtime boyfriend, army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, in 1973. The couple divorced in 1995, shortly after Charles gave an explosive television interview admitting an affair with Camilla. Charles and Diana divorced the next year.
Charles and Camilla waited another nine years, marrying in 2005 in a private ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor.
Since then, Camilla has taken up dozens of royal duties. She is patron or president of more than 90 charities and has shown particular interest in work on animals, promoting literacy and empowering women. She also has found her voice as a public speaker, earning respect by campaigning about difficult issues such as sexual violence against women and domestic abuse.
In 2021, she delivered what many called her landmark speech, urging “the men in our lives” to get involved in women’s rights and expressing sympathy for the families of women who are murdered.
The same year, Buckingham Palace underlined Camilla’s role as a senior royal by making her a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of chivalry in Britain.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/09/08/camilla-becomes-queen-without-sovereigns-powers/ | 2022-09-08T18:57:47Z |
Bernhard Capital Launches AEC Platform with Investment in Grace Hebert Curtis
BATON ROUGE (press release) — Bernhard Capital Partners Management, a services and infrastructure-focused private equity management firm, has announced the launch of a dedicated architecture, engineering, and construction platform with an investment in Grace Hebert Curtis Architecture. GHC will continue to be led by CEO Jerry Hebert and its current management team, which will retain a significant stake in the business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in Baton Rouge and with locations in Dallas, New Orleans, Lake Charles, and Lafayette, GHC and its team of talented, client-focused architects have delivered innovative, functional, and personal projects for thousands of customers. Its holistic, immersive design project management approach prioritizes transparency, client engagement, and customer satisfaction throughout every step of the development process. The company currently serves clients in designing and developing properties across distinct asset classes and industries, including education (higher ed and K-12), commercial office, industrial, and healthcare.
Bernhard Capital will support the ongoing growth of GHC and build on the company’s recent momentum. The firm plans to leverage its critical infrastructure services expertise with this platform to partner with the best-in-class businesses supporting the growing demand for modern, sustainable infrastructure.
“We continue to see a number of tailwinds within the broader AEC market as businesses, institutions, and local and federal governments dedicate more resources to the development of critical and civic infrastructure, particularly K-12 schools and healthcare,” said Jeff Koonce, partner at Bernhard Capital. “GHC has established a reputation for delivering the highest quality architecture and design services to bring new, sustainable properties to life and will be well positioned for long-term success. We look forward to building a platform that will serve as a one-stop offering for customers across the country.”
“We have spent over five decades exceeding our clients’ expectations and serving as the conduit for their vision. Our team’s commitment to excellence and creating engaging spaces that embrace and celebrate our clients’ mission and culture has created unique opportunities to partner with premier businesses, organizations, and civic and educational institutions,” said Hebert. “The exceptional team at Bernhard Capital shares our vision for growth while maintaining our focus on designing buildings and infrastructures that support and improve the communities and businesses they serve. We are excited to work together to build on our track-record of success, expand our capabilities to better serve our clients and lay the groundwork for a leading, full-service national AEC platform.”
Bernhard Capital Partners is an operationally focused private equity firm investing in middle-market businesses that provide essential services for critical infrastructure in North America. Bernhard Capital Partners was established in 2013 and has deployed capital across four funds representing approximately $2.9 billion of gross assets under management and is ranked as one of Private Equity International’s 300 largest private equity firms worldwide. Bernhard Capital Partners seeks to create sustainable value by leveraging its experience in acquiring, operating, and growing services and infrastructure businesses. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/bernhard-capital-launches-aec-platform-with-investment-in-grace-hebert-curtis/ | 2022-09-08T19:20:23Z |
‘BOGO’ Deal for Vue Orleans Attraction atop the Four Seasons
NEW ORLEANS — During September, Louisiana residents can get a free ticket of equal or lesser value for each ticket purchased to Vue Orleans, the multimedia cultural experience at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans.
“It’s the perfect time to view New Orleans from an entirely different perspective,” said David Rand, Vue Orleans general manager, in a press release. “We invite Louisianans to take a ride to the top and view the city like never before.”
Vue Orleans offers a 360 degree observation deck and interactive experience high above the Mississippi River. Guests can learn about Irma Thomas, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Big Freedia and other cultural figures.
Tickets to Vue Orleans during the Louisiana resident promotion must be purchased in person at the box office. A Louisiana ID must be present at the time of purchase. The offer does not apply to groups of 10 or more and may be subject to blackouts.
Vue Orleans is located at 2 Canal Street in New Orleans. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/bogo-deal-for-vue-orleans-attraction-atop-the-four-seasons/ | 2022-09-08T19:20:29Z |
Cailloux Center: Justice, Liberation and Community Through the Arts
It’s no secret that New Orleans, despite its international reputation as a cultural city, does not take good care of its cultural creators. Awareness of the problem seems to be growing, and more efforts being made to address it; but few of these efforts really seem to meet our creators where they are, to provide the incubation and nourishment they truly need to be successful in every way.
The entire problem is exponentially more acute for creators of color.
Stepping in to help fill this void is the Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice. Located in the former St. Rose of Lima Church on Bayou Road, in a vibrant strip of Black entrepreneurism, its purpose is “to provide a place where Black performing artists can have a home,” in the words of Lauren Turner, the Center’s Executive Director.
“In a city that is so much shaped by Black performing arts and artists, there is no physical space dedicated to them,” Turner continued. “That is not sustainable.”
The Cailloux Center is part of the Rose Collaborative, a small complex anchored by the former church that also includes the Waldorf School and office and co-working space. The church now houses a main stage that can seat 125 people, a second performance area and the Sanctuary Bar.
Perhaps the core component of the Center is its residency program, which will host six performing arts organizations when fully realized. Three will be legacy companies, described by Turner as organizations that have been in existence for at least ten years. The first set of these will be Opera Creole, Voices in the Dark Repertory Theater, and the Seasons Center Dance Company.
The other three have yet to be determined, but they will be emerging, Black-led performing companies. All six troupes will benefit from the benefits laid out by Turner, starting with a very affordable monthly residence fee that will enable the groups to hold classes, rehearsals and performances. Marketing and the handling of ticket sales will be centralized and shared.
“They will also have the opportunity to share their audiences,” noted Turner, a great way to introduce the public to new performers.
In addition, each of the resident groups will receive support tailored to their individual needs, such as grantwriting or help with suppliers.
The Center’s second main area of focus is to be a community resource, and particularly a home to community conversations. There will be organized public dialogues, speakers, and other community-led events.
The Center’s namesake, Andre Cailloux, actually had nothing to do with the performing arts. Born a slave in Louisiana in 1825, Cailloux became one of the first Black officers in the Union army following the capture of New Orleans. Unfortunately, he was also one of the first Black military casualties of the war, dying while leading his company in the assault on Fort Hudson in 1863.
Despite multiple accounts of his heroism, Cailloux’s widow and family were not provided with the compensation that his rank and service entitled them to. This leads us to the Cultural Justice aspect of the Cailloux Center.
“Cultural justice goes beyond race, goes beyond most identifiers and speaks to the ephemera that create a place and people,” explained Turner. “Where does the narrative live, how is it respected and honored? Who are the people protecting that narrative?”
“Are we as a society giving it what it needs to thrive and expand?” added Dr. David Robinson-Morris, who is helping shape the Center’s policies and community engagement work. “Imagination is the first thing to go in oppressive systems. We are trying to create a just flow for liberation and healing through the arts.”
The Cailloux Center is still ramping up to full speed and force, settling now on its resident organizations and planning for a full grand opening in January. This will be followed by a multi-month festival from March through Juneteenth; highlights will be the staging of three new plays by Black southern playwrights. The New Orleans Black Film Festival will also be a part of this, and related public dialogues will bring community more fully into the festival. “Inheritance” will be the overall them for the Center’s first year.
Still, nothing is more important at the Center than nurturing the cultural creators it will house. “This is a place where we hope these companies grow and get strong,” stated Turner. “Ultimately, we want to develop a thriving ecosystem of Black-led arts organizations in the city.”
The Center’s location in a vital and historical corridor of Black enterprise is critical. “We see this becoming the Black cultural arts district in the city,” added Robinson-Morris. “We want to have a city that is thriving and full of commerce, and to see the arts become a tool for freedom and justice.” | https://www.bizneworleans.com/cailloux-center-justice-liberation-and-community-through-the-arts/ | 2022-09-08T19:20:35Z |
Carter Celebrates $3M in Federal Funds for 9th Ward Stadium Project
NEW ORLEANS – On Sept. 7, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter (D-New Orleans) was joined by students, coaches and local officials at George Washington Carver High School as he presented a check for $3 million to the 9th Ward Stadium Project, a nonprofit working to bring a public athletic stadium to the community.
Currently, students from the 9th Ward have to travel across the city to use other fields, but Carter hopes this funding will help change that.
“I am proud to have secured $3 million in federal funds to help build a state-of-the art stadium in the 9th Ward,” he said at the event. “This will be more than just a stadium for the community to share with the students and public of New Orleans. This is a chance to level the playing field for the 9th Ward, create opportunities for the neighborhood to recreate, build community pride, and ultimately to boost homeownership and energize the surrounding economy. This stadium will be a long-awaited win for this community, and I’m grateful to have played a part in bringing it to fruition.”
Carter secured the $3 million in federal funds as a community funding project within the fiscal year 2022 congressional appropriations bill. The Louisiana Legislature has already committed $3.8 million to the project, which is expected to cost a total of $9 million. Leadership at the 9th Ward Stadium Project are seeking private donations to raise the remaining $2.2 million. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/carter-celebrates-3m-in-federal-funds-for-9th-ward-stadium-project/ | 2022-09-08T19:20:42Z |
Dillard Hires Director of Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center
NEW ORLEANS — Dillard University has announced that Michelle R. Smith, PhD, has been named director of the Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center.
Smith will work to expand research across disciplinary areas to enhance and promote coordination and collaboration throughout the scientific community, and to improve the overall quality of health for racial and ethnic minorities.
The Little Rock, Arkansas native returns to her alma mater with more than 20 years of public health experience.
“Dillard gave me a strong background and it helped me realize that you need more than book knowledge to succeed. It was the connections and the family atmosphere that steered me clear of harm, and helped me to excel in academics,” said the former biology major in a press release.
President Rochelle L. Ford said Smith’s appointment is a win for Dillard and the state of Louisiana.
“I am proud that we are bringing this daughter of Dillard back home to lead this very important center,” she said. “Dr. Smith’s experience, qualifications, vision and enthusiasm for this work will provide the leadership we need to activate our commitment to act courageously to make the world better through reducing health disparities and creating greater equity. I look forward to the work that she will do.”
Prior to working at the Arkansas Department of Health, Smith was the HIV/AIDS coordinator for the Ryan White Part D program at Jefferson Comprehensive Care System. While there, she organized the first tri-state HIV conferences for Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Smith has led efforts to organize Sisters and Brothers United, a community-based program to address the state’s high infant mortality rate with Black fraternities and sororities. Her work was recognized in 2014 when Sisters United received the Vision Award for a creative and innovative approach to addressing public health challenges from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. She also developed the Arkansas Minority Barber & Beauty Shop Health Initiative that provided screenings and education about heart disease and stroke in non-traditional health care settings.
In 2018, Smith was commissioned into the United States Air Force as a captain and currently serves as the public health officer for the 189th medical group with the Arkansas Air National Guard. In 2021, she received a commendation medal for outstanding achievement while serving as medical liaison during Operation Allies Welcome, where she aided in the resettlement efforts for Afghan refugees.
Also in 2021, Smith directed the effort to secure a $41 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address health disparities in the state related to COVID-19. During the height of the pandemic, Smith created health equity strike teams to increase COVID testing and vaccinations. Vaccination sites included HBCUs, churches, barbershops, schools and other locations in minority communities. She also created the monoclonal antibody squad (MAB Squad) to increase access to COVID treatment for minorities. Her work has been nationally recognized, and she recently spoke on a panel at the Summit on the Future of COVID-19 Vaccines at the White House.
Smith is the recipient of multiple awards for her leadership and outreach. Most recently she received the President’s Award from the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus, the Friends of APA Award from the Arkansas Pharmacist Association, and the Dr. Joycelyn Elders’ Minority Health Pioneer Award from the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Just Communities of Arkansas recently announced that Smith was selected as one of its 2022 humanitarians of the year.
Smith received an Master of Public Health from Tulane University and a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Arkansas. She is also a certified lactation counselor through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. Additionally, she is a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, and she is a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Sorority. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/dillard-hires-director-of-minority-health-and-health-equity-research-center/ | 2022-09-08T19:20:48Z |
EyeCare Associates Welcomes Ophthalmologist Barry Leader
NEW ORLEANS – EyeCare Associates has added Dr. Barry Leader to its team of ophthalmologists. Leader has practiced in New Orleans and Metairie for three decades and is the first ophthalmologist to serve as Touro Infirmary’s president of medical staff. He also served as the president of the medical staff at the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital.
“I think the most satisfying emotions while being a doctor come while spending time and interacting with patients as people. You must listen and communicate and then try to meet their needs,” said Leader in a press release. “I look forward to continuing these relationships and making new ones as I join EyeCare Associates and its great team of doctors.”
Leader has written several journal articles and co-edited a book on glaucoma and diseases of the optic nerve, in addition to speaking at numerous medical meetings in the United States, Spain, Greece, Israel, Norway, Korea and Hong Kong. He graduated with academic distinction and several honors from the University of Virginia, then continued his medical studies at Tulane University where he received his medical degree.
“We are extremely excited about Dr. Leader joining our team of highly specialized ophthalmic physicians at EyeCare Associates,” said Tom Spiers, regional director of operations for EyeSouth Partners’ Louisiana affiliates. “His reputation for being one of the most experienced eyecare providers in the region, along with his commitment and dedication to his patients in delivering the highest quality of vision care, provides the perfect fit for our practice.” | https://www.bizneworleans.com/eyecare-associates-welcomes-ophthalmologist-barry-leader/ | 2022-09-08T19:20:54Z |
Metairie Company Touts Results of Hemp Testing Technique
METAIRIE (press release) — A technique used to test THC levels in hemp plants has now been confirmed to also identify the sex of the plant accurately without disrupting the growth cycle. The findings from research at Texas A&M University create an expansion point and valuable new use for Mariposa Technology’s software and database.
Called PAMAP (for Predictive Analytical Modeling Application for Plants), this digital farming tool has been in an extensive research and development process for the on-farm testing of live hemp plants’ THC levels, among other cannabinoids, to ensure plants remain below the federal legal THC limit (0.3%) for industrial hemp.
Mariposa Technology has been using the technique, known as Raman spectroscopy (RS), for rapid, in-field testing of industrial and pharmacological hemp for THC levels. Testing onsite at farms growing hemp crops provides farmers with affordable, accurate and immediate test results and offers the opportunity to supplement the work of testing labs.
Critical risk management for plant sex and THC
Identifying plant sex is critical for hemp growers, as one male or hermaphrodite hemp plant can pollinate an entire farm of female plants and negatively impact the production of cannabinoids. Only female cannabis plants can produce buds (flowers). While male plants can be identified visually around 6-8 weeks of growth, doing so is labor intensive and threatens the investment to date in the crop.
“This discovery will change the game for hemp growers everywhere,” said Mickal Adler, co-founder and chief executive officer at Mariposa Technology. “In the past, growers had to be carefully trained to identify the sex of a plant. This can cause problems if a plant is misidentified and is time-consuming. This new technique takes all the guesswork out, allowing farmers to know what they have planted, saving them both time and money.” He noted that PAMAP also enables hemp growers to swiftly test THC levels of live plants on the farm, positioning them to harvest before THC levels are considered “hot” and over federal limits.
In the past, growers had to cut samples, send them into a lab and wait days or weeks for results. This proprietary database allows anyone to test plants anywhere in minutes, without damaging the plant, for both gender and THC.
Mariposa Technology spent over a year traveling across the country to gather data on different varieties of hemp and marijuana plants using a hand-held Agilent Raman spectrometer device. That large-scale database is now used in conjunction with proprietary software, allowing an Agilent Resolve device (available through subscription to PAMAP and Mariposa Technology) to test their crop’s plant gender and THC levels.
Academic research partnership
The sex determination technique was discovered by researchers at Texas A&M University and Mariposa Technology and recently announced in a paper published in the academic journal Molecules. The authors found that by using a hand-held Raman spectrometer, they can probe plant biochemistry, allowing them to identify hermaphrodites with 98.7% accuracy and male and female plants with 100% accuracy.
“We recently discovered that we were able to use Raman spectroscopy to differentiate between young male and female plants,” said Dr. Dmitry Kurouski, assistant professor of biochemistry, biophysics and biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University. “This innovative optical sensing approach is based on the phenomenon of inelastic light scattering that occurs between incident photons and molecules present in the sample. And the best part is you can test each sample while allowing it to continue growing.”
Identifying plant gender
Hemp is a dioecious plant, which means it produces male, female and hermaphroditic plants. Female plants develop appendages which contain cannabinoids, molecules that include delta-9-terahydrocannabinol (delta-9 THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG). Male plants do not develop these appendages, making them of no use to hemp farmers who produce pharmaceutical hemp. Additionally, hermaphroditic plants develop characteristics of both sexes, which can drastically alter the cannabis population due to hermaphrodite-induced cross-fertilization. Therefore, cannabis farmers want to identify and eliminate male and hermaphroditic plants, and industrial hemp farmers want to identify and eliminate female and hermaphroditic plants.
“When we learned about the work Dr. Kurouski was doing with RS and hemp, we realized there was an opportunity to tap into that science to help hemp farmers everywhere,” said John Roberts, III, co-founder and President at Mariposa Technology. “Our partnership with Texas A&M allows us to continue to provide farmers with the latest research and a revolutionary tool that puts the power back into their hands so they can improve plant performance year over year”
Following the release of this research, Roberts indicated the company expects to initiate a new capital raise in the coming weeks to fund additional development and technology deployment. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/metairie-company-touts-results-of-hemp-testing-technique/ | 2022-09-08T19:21:00Z |
NEWSFLASH
Specialty cement manufacturer Calucem will enter the U.S. market by developing a $35 million manufacturing facility in eastern New Orleans. Calucem, a subsidiary of Spain-based Cementos Molins, is the world’s second-largest producer of calcium aluminate cement, a high-performance product popular in a variety of commercial and industrial uses. The project will create 70 direct jobs at an average annual salary of $51,700, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project also will result in 158 indirect jobs, for a total of 228 new jobs for Louisiana’s Southeast Region.
In July, the United Soccer League announced it an exclusive partnership with USL NOLA, a group dedicated to bringing a professional soccer club to Greater New Orleans with the intent to launch a USL Championship men’s team by 2025 and a USL Super League women’s team. The United Soccer League is the largest and fastest-growing professional soccer organization in North America, possessing more than a decade of experience in bringing the world’s game to communities across the United States and Canada. GNO, Inc. is partnering with USL NOLA to build synergies with the local business community and market. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/newsflash-8/ | 2022-09-08T19:21:07Z |
Port NOLA Awarded $514,965 in Security Funding from FEMA
NEW ORLEANS – From the Port of New Orleans:
Port NOLA was recently awarded $514,964 in port security grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to upgrade technology at the Harbor Police Department (HPD)’s Maritime Security Operations Center (MSOC).
“This grant funding will strengthen our ability to provide proactive law enforcement services, patrols, anti-terrorism efforts, and investigative services,” said HPD’s Police Chief Melanie Montroll. “I am grateful for FEMA’s ongoing support in our homeland defense efforts.”
The MSOC provides surveillance and communications equipment necessary for operational coordination and critical information-sharing with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and other public safety agencies. The upgraded system will be secure for the current threat landscape and adaptable to meet evolving security needs. New MSOC technologies also align with the cybersecurity priorities set by the USCG Sector New Orleans Captain of the Port.
FEMA’s Port Security Grant Program provides $100 million to agencies to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or re-establish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/port-nola-awarded-514965-in-security-funding-from-fema/ | 2022-09-08T19:21:13Z |
Nate Storey examines lettuce growing in his then-startup company’s patented vertical towers inside a University of Wyoming greenhouse in 2012. Today, he is chief science officer of Silicon Valley startup Plenty Inc.
The city of Laramie and local business organizations are applying for a $20 million grant to build a new research building for Plenty Unlimited.
Plenty has been heralded as an innovator in farming, and has Laramie business leaders hopeful about its potential for the local business community. It uses vertical farming to grow produce in an indoor area about the size of a big-box store, claiming its method produces crop yields 350 times greater than traditional farming.
Plenty co-founder and University of Wyoming graduate Nate Storey started commercializing vertical farming methods in Laramie in 2011. He joined with Plenty in 2017. The company operates in Compton and San Francisco, California, in addition to Laramie.
If a grant for the company’s new facility is approved, the business could expand even more, retaining 71 pre-existing local jobs and creating 125 more.
The goal of the company is to make it possible to grow food anywhere, as long as there is water, people and power available to make it happen, Storey said during a recent Laramie City Council meeting. He explained that indoor farming is the easy part of the job. The hard part is finding a way to do it as efficiently as possible.
The proposed research and development center would be located in the Cirrus Sky Technology Park, near 22nd Street and Asphalt Lane. It would be used for conducting plant science research to streamline Plenty’s farming methods.
While food from the research and development facility would be experimental in nature and not U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved, it would be available for local farmers to use as compost, Storey said.
“It’s a rapidly growing company in a globally important marketplace with how we are going to feed the world in a water, energy and space-efficient manner over the next generations,” said Brad Enzi, president of the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance.
The city of Laramie applied for the building grant, and LCBA is offering to match with $500,000. LCBA would receive 75% of the net revenues of the building during a six-year leasing period and invest 80% of these back into economic development projects. The Wyoming Business Council would retain the remaining 25% of revenues.
If the plan goes through, Plenty will look to recruit scientists from around the world, and create a pathway for UW graduates and interns to work with the company.
“It’s not just about (agriculture) or energy, it’s about the future, and it’s about opening the doors for young folks who want to get into this thing,” Storey said.
He explained that while previously the company has had difficulty recruiting high-level scientists to live in Laramie, new facilities may help attract them to the job.
“I think there is a future where Laramie is known, and when I say ‘I live in Laramie,’ and ‘I work in Laramie,’ people will know what that means,” Storey said.
Laramie resident Dave Coffey told City Council he hopes the business will encourage more housing developers to consider Laramie as a viable place to build.
Mayor Paul Weaver echoed the sentiment, saying that “a rising tide will lift all boats.”
Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell said collaborations between local governments and business groups are an important way to create more economic opportunities in the community.
“It’s important for us to not forget that the companies that are here in the state need just as much attention … as those we are trying to attract from out of state,” he said.
The Wyoming Business Council will consider the grant application this week. Then, it will be sent to the State Loan and Investment Board for approval Oct. 6. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/agribusiness/a-new-leaf-city-seeks-grant-for-vertical-farming-company/article_32dce308-2f9b-11ed-bf6d-b728c718c35f.html | 2022-09-08T19:33:25Z |
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE – Wyoming lawmakers expect to navigate constitutional roadblocks on the path to creating a statewide school choice program.
Members of the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee heard the prohibitions and education obligations laid out in the Wyoming Constitution on Thursday as part of their meeting at the state Capitol. Legislative Service Office Operations Administrator Tania Hytrek told members of the committee that these could leave the state at risk of litigation if a school choice program were developed, and she presented relevant case law from other parts of the country.
Hytrek said it is a complicated issue due to the state’s unique 40-year history of school finance litigation, and the fact that the Legislature has not previously undertaken the act of creating a school choice program. There are different options, such as voucher programs, education savings account programs, individual tuition tax credits and public charters that could be considered.
“There are policy choices that the Legislature can make to minimize some of these risks – tying the educational standards to those required by public schools is one. Another may be setting aside funds that are not School Foundation Program dollars,” she said. “But what we cannot answer is if and when such a program were challenged, what the outcome would be under Article 3, Section 36 and Article 16, Section 6, nor do we know the outcome under the lengthy school finance history.”
Public funds and obligations
Regarding the expenditure of public funds, there are four specific sections that Hytrek said are relevant to the discussion of school choice programs.
According to Article 1, Section 19 of the Wyoming Constitution, “No money of the state shall ever be given or appropriated to any sectarian or religious society or institution.”
Article 3, Section 36 outlines that, “No appropriation shall be made for charitable, industrial, educational or benevolent purposes to any person, corporation or community not under the absolute control of the state, nor to any denominational or sectarian institution or association.”
There are also guidelines in Article 7, Section 8 that provisions have to be made by general law for the “equitable allocation of such income among all school districts in the state.” No appropriation can be made to any district or school that has not been maintained for at least three months, and no part of any public school fund can be used for an educational institution at any level that is controlled by a church or religious organization.
Hytrek noted that “the state or any county, township, town, school district or any other political subdivision” can’t loan, give credits or make a donation to any “individual, association or corporation, except for the necessary support of the poor.”
These don’t speak to the constitutional education obligations that have been set as the standard in the Campbell County school district cases, as well as Washakie County School District #1 v. Herschler. Hytrek said there may be arguments made that the Legislature hadn’t met its obligation to provide a uniform system of public instruction, or funds were being taken away from public schools.
“I would raise three basic issues in this realm,” she said. “The first is with adequacy and equity of funding, the second is fulfillment of the basket of educational goods and services, and the third is the impact on Wyoming’s public school finance system.”
Among the legal requirements that Hytrek presented, Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, had her own concerns. She said she had dealt with stakeholders in the past who wanted to create charter schools that didn’t include special-education students or had extracurricular activities during the school hours that parents had to pay for. She said private schools having rules and regulations about who they admit or exclude could violate the Constitution.
“Any school that takes public money is obligated to educate all children equally and equitably,” she said.
School choice defense
Two national school choice advocates came before the Education Committee to show avenues to create a school choice program that works for Wyoming, as well as relevant case law if it resulted in litigation.
Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Federation For Children, said the state has an open field when it comes to enacting different types of school choice programs. He recommended pulling funding from the general fund or another appropriation not for public schools, or funding the program privately through a tax credit scholarship, or a tax credit funded education savings account program.
“Nineteen states expanded or enacted school choice programs that allow the funding to follow the child to a private school in 2021,” he said. “And in 2022, just a couple of months ago, Arizona passed the biggest school choice victory in U.S. history. Every single family, regardless of income, will be able to take their children’s state-funded education dollars to the education providers that they’re choosing.”
Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, asked whether these states faced legal battles after passing the legislation. Other legislators were doubtful if they could take action considering the extensive constitutional requirements, public education being guaranteed as a fundamental right and the funding systems in place connected to the mineral extraction industry.
DeAngelis said it was more likely than not that the states that enacted a program faced litigation because “teachers unions, in order to protect the status quo, will use every lever they can to try to trap kids in their schools, even if families want an exit option.”
However, he said the school choice movement has been successful at the Supreme Court level, and it is a friendly environment.
In Carson v. Makin, the court held that Maine’s exclusion of religious options from the state’s high school “tuitioning program” was a violation of the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, and took away a parent’s choice to select a religious school for their student. Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue also held that states can’t prohibit families from selecting religious-affiliated schools in school choice programs.
EdChoice attorney Leslie Heiner, who has been involved with school choice litigation for the last 20 years, also saw an opportunity for Wyoming to take action.
She said the U.S. Constitution is supreme, and the two recent school choice cases declared that state constitutions that have provisions that are discriminatory against religious people or religious entities “are repugnant to the U.S. Constitution, and they cannot stand.” She also provided examples of other states that have been successful in providing equity and equality, as well as the right to choose an education institution.
“Each state is unique, there’s no question about it. But the one thing I’ve learned after all these years is that the school choice programs can be structured in a way that meets your constitutional obligations,” she said. “So yes, Wyoming has nuance, but it’s not fatal.”
Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/education/school-choice-program-faces-constitutional-roadblocks/article_47c93992-2f9b-11ed-aca4-97cf7f24588b.html | 2022-09-08T19:33:31Z |
Staunton City Council to meet in closed session to discuss next steps in search for city manager
Published: Sep. 8, 2022 at 2:57 PM EDT|Updated: 51 minutes ago
STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - Staunton City Council meets Thursday, Sept. 8. One item on the agenda is to discuss the next steps on the search for city manager.
The discussion will take place during a closed session in their work session, scheduled on the agenda for 6:15 p.m. The regular meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.
Former City Manager Steve Rosenberg resigned in mid-January, and Leslie Beauregard became acting city manager. Since then, Beauregard became interim city manager.
Steven Rosenberg served as city manager to the City of Staunton since 2019, and before that he served as Deputy City Manager since 2013.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/09/08/staunton-city-council-meet-closed-session-discuss-next-steps-search-city-manager/ | 2022-09-08T19:49:59Z |
Child drowns in pool after wandering off from father, authorities say
Published: Sep. 8, 2022 at 3:31 PM EDT|Updated: 26 minutes ago
WASHINGTON, W. Va. (WTAP/Gray News) - A 6-year-old boy in West Virginia has died after falling into a pool.
WTAP reports the boy drowned in a neighborhood pool on Wednesday.
According to authorities, the boy’s father noticed his son had wandered off around 4 p.m. before deputies and firefighters found the child in a pool at a home nearby.
The Wood County sheriff said the boy was found unresponsive and taken to the hospital, but the child could not be revived.
Authorities said the boy’s name would not be released out of respect for the family.
Copyright 2022 WTAP via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/09/08/child-drowns-pool-after-wandering-off-father-authorities-say/ | 2022-09-08T19:58:42Z |
‘A stalwart’: World mourns Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II
LONDON (AP) — Condolences poured in from around the world Thursday after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose rule saw Britain through decades of change.
Elizabeth had been on the throne since 1952, when the nation was still rebuilding from the destruction of World War II, and became a global icon of calmness and fortitude through years of upheaval.
“She lived history, she made history, and with her passing she leaves a magnificent, inspirational legacy,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.
In India, once a British colony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her “a stalwart of our times.”
“She personified dignity and decency in public life,” Modi tweeted.
In Washington, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the flags lowered to half-staff at the U.S. Capitol, her office said.
Caribbean leaders from Bermuda to Dominica and beyond mourned the queen’s death.
“Her passing ends an iconic 70-year reign and is a profound loss for the commonwealth of nations and the world,” tweeted Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica’s prime minister.
Minutes later, Bermuda Premier David Burt issued a statement noting that her reign “has spanned decades of such immense change for the United Kingdom and the world.”
Elizabeth died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland, where members of the royal family had rushed after her health worsened.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/09/08/stalwart-world-mourns-britains-queen-elizabeth-ii/ | 2022-09-08T19:58:48Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 5WPR, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the U.S., is pleased to announce their work for client CarParts.com, an e-commerce platform that offers an end-to-end solution for drivers looking for a stress-free vehicle repair and maintenance, has been announced as a finalist in the 2022 PRNews Platinum Awards in the Ecommerce Campaign of the Year category.
The nominated campaign, executed by the Consumer and Emerging Technology team, reinforced the brand's position to establish their executive leadership as visionary innovators within the industry. 5WPR launched an all-encompassing strategy focused on amplifying the company's CEO and CFO as thought leaders, while simultaneously building brand awareness among business media and retail investors.
"This recognition is a testament to the incredible client-partner relationship we have built with CarParts.com," said 5WPR CEO, Matthew Caiola. "They have allowed our team the opportunity to implement game-changing strategies that demand to be recognized in the competitive e-commerce space. We look forward to continuing our partnership, supporting their corporate communications initiatives."
For over two decades, the Platinum PR Awards have been hailed as the most coveted and competitive award in the communications space. The winners of this world-renowned recognition represent the best of the best—those that have reached the pinnacle of both innovation and industry knowledge. Winners will be unveiled at the PRNews Platinum PR Awards Gala on Wednesday, October 12, in New York City.
About 5WPR
5W Public Relations is a full-service PR agency in NYC known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues and ideas. With more than 275 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications and Reputation Management), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and Digital Marketing (Social Media, Influencer, Paid Media, SEO). Founded by Ronn Torossian nearly 20 years ago, 5W was named to Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces 2022 list, awarded 2020 PR Agency of The Year, and brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results-driven approach to communication.
Media Contact
Matthew Caiola
mcaiola@5wpr.com / 212.999.5585
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SOURCE 5W Public Relations | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/5wpr-named-finalist-ecommerce-campaign-year-2022-prnews-platinum-awards/ | 2022-09-08T19:58:54Z |
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allspring Global Investments (Allspring), a leading independent asset manager with more than US$476 billion in assets under management*, today announced that John Moninger has been appointed Head of U.S. Distribution.
John will be responsible for leading a next-generation, client-centric U.S. distribution model for Allspring. He will lead Allspring's retail sales, institutional sales, platform development, and client service and consultant relations teams. John brings decades of industry experience and joins from Eaton Vance, a part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he was Managing Director of Intermediary Sales since 2012. In this role, he set the strategic direction and led the day-to-day operations for Eaton Vance's Sales and Relationship Management and the Eaton Vance Advisor Institute.
Allspring's Chair and Chief Executive Officer Joe Sullivan shared, "We are thrilled to welcome John to our Executive Team to lead our U.S. Distribution organization. He brings a strong blend of highly relevant industry experience that will be instrumental as we continue to build and grow Allspring as an independent company in partnership with our clients. As an organization, we are committed to providing exceptional value for clients and delivering on our mission to elevate investing to be worth more."
John Moninger said, "I am excited and energized to join Allspring at such a unique point in the firm's evolution. I have been impressed by the strong investment platform and caliber of the people at Allspring and look forward to partnering with Joe and the team to evolve the Company together."
Earlier in his career, John held leadership roles at LPL Financial and UBS Financial Services. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the SEAL Family Foundation. He is also actively involved with the Money Management Institute as former Chair of the Board of Governors. John earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Kutztown University.
This leadership announcement follows the appointment earlier this year of Andy Sowerby to lead Allspring's international distribution efforts. Joe shared, "With John and Andy's strong leadership at the helm of our distribution efforts, I am confident we can evolve Allspring to deliver meaningful outcomes and create even stronger partnerships with our global clients."
John will work out of Allspring's Boston location and is expected to start with the firm later this year.
To learn more about Allspring, visit us at www.allspringglobal.com.
About Allspring Global Investments
Allspring Global Investments™ is an independent asset management company with more than US$476 billion in assets under management*, offices around the world, and investment teams supported by 450 investment professionals. Allspring is committed to thoughtful investing, purposeful planning, and inspiring a new era of investing that pursues both financial returns and positive outcomes.
*As of June 30, 2022, AUM includes US$93 billion from Galliard Capital Management, an investment advisor that is not part of the Allspring trade name/GIPS company.
This material is provided for informational purposes only and is for professional, institutional, or qualified clients/investors. Not for retail use outside the U.S.
THIS MATERIAL DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION AND IN ANY CASE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED IN ANY JURISDICTION OR TO ANY PERSON WHERE IT WOULD BE UNAUTHORIZED OR UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.
Allspring Global InvestmentsTM (Allspring) is the trade name for the asset management companies of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, a holding company indirectly owned by certain private funds of GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. Unless otherwise stated, Allspring is the source of all data (which is current or as of the date stated); past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results; all investments contain risk; content is provided for informational purposes only with no representation regarding its adequacy, accuracy, or completeness and should not be relied upon; views, opinions, assumptions, or estimates are not necessarily that of Allspring and are subject to change without notice; and this communication does not contain investment advice, an investment recommendation, or investment research, as defined under local regulation of the respective jurisdiction.
© 2022 Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.
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SOURCE Allspring Global Investments | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/allspring-global-investments-announces-industry-vet-john-moninger-lead-us-distribution/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:01Z |
— Leading Specialty CDMO's Continued Growth Recognized by Prominent Business Media Property —
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascendia Pharmaceuticals announces it has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 rankings of the fastest growing privately-owned companies in the United States for the third consecutive year, based upon Ascendia's 180% growth. The list represents the leading companies within the American economy's independent small businesses. Inc. magazine's list and its ranking are measured on the percentage of revenue growth rate from 2018 to 2021.
Ascendia is a leading pharmaceutical contract formulation development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biologicals and gene deliveries, as well as small molecules. Ascendia was one of only 37 New Jersey companies to be included in the Inc. 5000 and was 40th in the health products industry.
"Our talented team at Ascendia has worked together to achieve tremendous success that is once again earned us an Inc. 5000 ranking. We expect to continue to grow, evident by the expansion of our state-of-the-art facility and 100% employee growth year-over-year. Ascendia is poised to offer more services to the pharmaceutical/biotech industry that will aid in our growth but more importantly help develop drugs to better treat society," said Ascendia founder and CEO Jim Huang, Ph.D.
Each year the Inc. 5000 lists seemingly become more competitive. Many of those that have garnered a spot on the list have shown growth within their ratings and revenues. Together, the companies on the list have added more than 1.1 million jobs over the past three years.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on the Inc. website.
The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
Ascendia Pharmaceuticals is a leading specialty CDMO that makes the insoluble soluble through a comprehensive suite of pre-formulation, formulation development, cGMP manufacturing, and ICH stability services for all dosage forms using proprietary nano-technologies in nanoemulsion, nanoparticles, and amorphous technology platforms. The company built its foundation of success on its customer-centric culture that exudes its BEST philosophy (Brilliant technology, Excellent service, Superior quality, and Trust).
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SOURCE Ascendia | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/ascendia-pharmaceuticals-named-inc-5000-list-americas-fastest-growing-private-companies-third-consecutive-year/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:07Z |
Program participants include experienced public health professionals who self-identify from underrepresented groups
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine announced the second cohort for the leadership development program, Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health (DELPH) today. The purpose of the DELPH program is to provide participants with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, expand their existing professional network, and create access and visibility within the public health system.
With funding from the CDC-CSTLTS office, DELPH has recruited 28 mid-to-senior-level governmental public health professionals from underrepresented groups in public health leadership and support learning, networking, and professional development opportunities to establish our second cohort of public health leaders. This program is committed to ensuring a well-prepared workforce of public health professionals, including practitioners who reflect the diversity of the jurisdictions they serve.
Program participants were selected from experienced public health professionals who self-identify from an underrepresented group including people of color, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
"It has truly been a phenomenal year of growth for our inaugural cohort of DELPH Scholars and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute alike," says Daniel Dawes, JD, professor and executive director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and Author of the Political Determinants of Health. "Building on this momentum, our second cohort, along with our team of experts, is ready to continue training and supporting these professionals with practical knowledge of the political determinants of health, the drivers of health inequities, and tailored mentoring experiences that will equip them with the foundational skills to address pressing issues that are impacting their community's health and wellbeing."
"The DELPH program is exciting to me because it strives to fill a longstanding gap in public health leadership," says Michael Fraser, PhD, ASTHO CEO. "If we are going to make meaningful progress on the way to achieving a truly equitable public health system, our leaders cannot only be advocates for this equity—they must understand and embody it. And I believe the DELPH program has been crucial in equipping these scholars for that role."
ASTHO's second cohort will include 28 public health professionals representing 17 state/local health departments and three island/territory health department partners. Meet them here.
The second DELPH cohort will kick-off in Atlanta, GA on Sept. 12 during the ASTHO Fall Leadership Summit 2022. This program will serve as a compliment to ASTHO's ongoing leadership development programs for state and territorial health officials and their executive leadership team members. The work is being advised by a diverse group of national experts and public health leaders, including several former state health officers and ASTHO alumni.
ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and Freely Associated States, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.
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SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/astho-announces-next-cohort-diverse-executives-leading-public-health/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:14Z |
The New England real estate company is returning to Portsmouth to strengthen its service in the Seacoast NH region
PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group today opened an office in one of the hottest neighborhoods on the Seacoast. The company's location at 95 Brewery Lane represents a renewed presence in Portsmouth, and will provide clients in New Hampshire's Seacoast region with the high level of service the Masiello Group is known for.
The location in Portsmouth's West End–one of the fastest growing housing markets in the region–puts the Masiello Group within walking distance of many popular Portsmouth neighborhoods, with both new home construction and beautiful historic homes.
"Portsmouth is such a unique and lively community, with tons to do and gorgeous homes to choose from," said Donna Gerry, Regional Sales Director for The Masiello Group. "We're excited to have an office in the heart of the West End and to become a bigger part of this community."
The office won't just be a hub for Portsmouth home sellers and buyers, however. Agents working within the office will serve the entire region.
"The office complements our already strong presence in the area," said Gerry. "With offices in Hampton, Dover and Durham, our agents are able to meet clients where they're at."
The new office is a reflection of The Masiello Group's commitment to the client and building a strong business culture. It is another location where agents can meet with customers face-to-face, which is in higher demand as the country transitions out of COVID-19 restrictions. It is also a place for agents to meet, collaborate and engage with the wider community, whether it's as members of local Chambers of Commerce or organizing charitable giving events. For decades, the company has put an emphasis on exceptional service, community engagement, and agent availability, and this renewed presence aligns well with the overall culture of the company.
Beyond helping home buyers find their forever home, The Masiello Group agents want people to know they are also a resource for anyone who has questions about the homebuying process.
"We're a source of value and expertise," said Gerry. "We want to make the homebuying experience positive and ensure all home sellers and homebuyers have the information they need."
With more than 35 offices throughout Northern New England, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group is the largest real estate firm north of Boston and is the only company in the region to offer a complete spectrum of home services, including mortgage, title, home warranty, homeowner insurance, and relocation services. The Masiello Group was recently named a Top 25 Broker by Realogy Leads Group in recognition of its excellent performance and customer satisfaction. In January 2022, Swanepoel Power 200 recognized Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Masiello as one of the most influential leaders in the residential real estate industry. For more information, visit www.masiello.com.
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SOURCE BHGRE The Masiello Group | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/better-homes-gardens-real-estate-masiello-group-opens-new-office-portsmouth/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:21Z |
LOS ANGELES , Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Official Tort Claimants' Committee ("TCC") of the Boy Scouts of America is pleased to announce that on September 8, 2022 the Bankruptcy Court approved the Boy Scouts' chapter 11 plan of reorganization ("Plan"), establishing the overall framework for a Survivor trust that will evaluate and pay claims. Plan approval comes more than two and half years after the case was filed in a detailed 280-page Bankruptcy Court decision. The TCC is represented by Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP.
"The TCC is proud to put this phase of the bankruptcy case to rest," said John Humphrey, Co-Chair of the TCC. He added that "The TCC has been fighting for Survivors for more than two and a half years and we are ready to move onto the next phase of the process so that the Settlement Trustee can be formally appointed and begin setting up the trust."
Doug Kennedy, Co-Chair of the TCC, remarked "I hope the Boy Scouts will immediately implement the Youth Protection measures that were part of the Plan. While the Plan is an extremely complicated document, the Youth Protection measures are straight-forward protocols designed to help ensure kids are safe. To that end, the Boy Scouts should not wait until the Plan is fully effective before putting them in place."
On September 15, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), the TCC will hold a Town Hall to discuss the terms of the Plan, what they mean for Survivors, and the process of establishing the Settlement Trust that will administer Survivor claims.
Survivors and counsel can attend the Town Hall by logging onto or calling the following:
Zoom: https://pszjlaw.zoom.us/j/82272826295 (no registration required)
Dial-In by Telephone: 888-788-0099 (Toll Free), Webinar ID: 822 7282 6295. If asked for a "Participant ID," just press #
If you are not able to attend the Town Hall you can view a recording that will be posted on the TCC's website: http://www.tccbsa.com. In addition to Town Hall information, the TCC's website contains a variety of resources directed to Survivors.
More information on the restructuring can be found at https://www.tccbsa.com.
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SOURCE Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/boy-scouts-americas-bankruptcy-plan-is-approved/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:28Z |
ITHACA, N.Y., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Carolyn Lee PLLC (CLP) is pleased to share a remarkable investor story.
A client contacted Carolyn Lee about EB-5 visas for the family, having first worked with Carolyn on the successful EB-5 case for an elder son some years back. The family now had a sensitive situation.
Their child was months from aging out – that is, turning 21. Aging out results in a child no longer qualifying for inclusion in the parent's EB-5 case. The parents were anxious to do all they could to keep their daughter included.
The new EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) was enacted in March 2022 with the support of Carolyn in her capacity as legislative counsel to IIUSA, the leading EB-5 trade association. As USCIS began to interpret this massive new body of immigration law, guidelines emerged.
One such guideline was the requirement that an I-956F (Application for Approval of an Investment in a Commercial Enterprise) receipt be included in the investor's petition. The investor's petition itself had to be filed on the newly published Form I-526E for regional center-based investments. Yet, the I-956F filed by the regional center had been pending for weeks with no formal receipt, though a plain paper receipt was in hand.
The child in this case was days from aging out in July 2022. The investor's regional center, a supportive industry leader, prepared an expedite request to USCIS requiring urgent issuance of the I-956F receipt.
Carolyn Lee argued that the I-956F receipt required was already in hand, as the I-956F form instructions did not specify the form of receipt required. Moreover, Carolyn argued that USCIS's practice of issuing plain paper notices to EB-5 regional centers established the relevant precedent.
The I-526E was filed just before the child turned 21 years, hoping until the last for a formal receipt to issue. A paper acknowledgment of filing arrived, but not the formal I-526E receipt with it under the new 2-step USCIS process for EB-5 receipt issuances. Then, the formal I-526E receipt was issued.
This I-526E receipt is likely the first issued in EB-5 RIA history.
We at Carolyn Lee PLLC are proud of our own story of continuing to make EB-5 history. Most of all, we are proud to be a part of an EB-5 advocacy community that worked hard to keep this family together.
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SOURCE Carolyn Lee PLLC | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/carolyn-lee-pllc-client-receives-first-i-526e-receipt-under-eb-5-reform-integrity-act/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:34Z |
TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The parties to a proposed class action commenced against Victoria Gold Corp., John McConnell, T. Sean Harvey, Michael McInnis, Sean Roosen, Marty Rendall, Orion Co-VI Ltd., BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., CIBC World Markets Inc. and PI Financial Corp. have reached a proposed settlement of the claim which is subject to approval by the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
The class action has now been certified as against Victoria Gold, and dismissed as against the remaining Defendants. This notice provides information about this proposed settlement and related matters and how to exclude yourself ("opt-out") out of the class action.
Your legal rights are affected even if you do nothing. Please read this notice carefully.
The proposed settlement amount is CAD $925,000, including Class Counsel's fees, applicable taxes and expenses, any honourarium, and interest. The Defendants do not admit any wrongdoing or liability. By agreeing to the proposed settlement, the parties avoid the costs and uncertainty of a trial and delays in obtaining judgment.
If you do not wish to be bound by the class action and participate in the settlement, you must opt-out of the class action. A copy of the Opt-Out Form is available here:
https://knd.law/class-actions/victoria-gold-corp/
The Supreme Court of British Columbia is required to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement, class counsel fees and disbursements plus tax, an honourarium for the Representative Plaintiff and a plan to allocate and distribute the settlement proceeds. The Court will hear submissions about the approval of the proposed settlement on November 18, 2022. Payments will only be made available if the Court approves the proposed settlement and after any appeals are resolved.
- Stay in the Class Action and Do Nothing: You do not have to do anything to stay in the class action, but you will give up your right to sue the Defendants on your own.
- Stay in the Class Action and Object: If you want to object to the proposed settlement or the payment of Class Counsel's fees, fill out a Notice of Objection available at: https://knd.law/class-actions/victoria-gold-corp/. You must submit your Notice of Objection by email to victoriagold@knd.law or fax at (416) 352-7638 by November 3, 2022 for it to be valid.
- Opt-Out of the Class Action: You can exclude yourself from the class action and the proposed settlement by filling out an Opt-Out Form available at: https://knd.law/class-actions/victoria-gold-corp/. You must submit your Opt-Out form by email to victoriagold@knd.law or fax at (416) 352-7638 by November 8, 2022 for it to be valid.
These rights and options and the deadlines to exercise them and further information about the proposed settlement are explained in a notice available at: https://knd.law/class-actions/victoria-gold-corp/
More details may be found in the Settlement Agreement. You can obtain a copy of the Settlement Agreement at https://knd.law/class-actions/victoria-gold-corp/. You can send your questions by email to victoriagold@knd.law or by fax to (416) 352-7638.
The lawyers for the Plaintiff and the Class in this class action are KND Complex Litigation.
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SOURCE KND Complex Litigation | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/certification-hearing-approve-proposed-settlement-victoria-gold-corp-securities-class-action/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:41Z |
SHELTON, Conn., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Logicbroker, a cloud-based curated marketplace and automated drop ship eCommerce platform provider, is proud to announce the official release of its business-to-business (B2B) product suite. Logicbroker's B2B offerings center around Supply Chain Visibility and B2B marketplace and drop ship capabilities.
Over the last three years, Logicbroker listened closely to its clients, partners, vendors, and industry colleagues on what they'd expect from a comprehensive B2B solution. Logicbroker began piloting new ways to help its B2B customers get products to their warehouses or stores quicker than ever before. After a year of successful execution of this new business model, Logicbroker's B2B offerings are available to the public.
"Logicbroker exists to empower our customers to continue to be innovative. We want to help them develop new business models, generate significant revenue, and continually increase the profitability of their eCommerce solutions. The official release of our B2B drop ship and marketplace solutions is one of the thousands of next steps we will take to help our customers," Peyman Zamani, Logicbroker's CEO, said.
"The Logicbroker platform has been about innovation and bringing automation to the forefront of the industry. With customer experience and business insight as our guiding lights, Logicbroker's new B2B offerings ensure our customers evolve, adapt, and overcome any supply chain, marketplace, or drop ship challenge," Chip Sockwell, Logicbroker's VP of Product Offerings, added.
Digital Commerce 360 predicts B2B eCommerce will more than double by next year and already over 49% of all B2B sales are done online. Logicbroker's B2B Supply Chain Visibility product allows retailers to have visibility across the entire order lifecycle for wholesale orders. Accommodating orders made by all suppliers, regardless of technical capabilities, Logicbroker takes on the burden of acting as the premier connection broker for retailers looking to not only automate their supply chain but also identify supply disruptions before they impact the customer experience.
"Your supply chain is really only as good as your weakest link. Not everyone has the same technical capabilities and the ability to connect to suppliers without EDI capabilities through API's, other file-based exchanges, or through our portal is huge. We can handle these large purchase orders and bring more clarity across transactions with long shipping windows ," Steve Norris, Logicbroker's Director of Sales Engineering, stated during Logicbroker's annual conference, Connected Commerce 2022: Evolution.
To continue providing the ultimate "one-stop-shop" for brands and retailers looking to drop ship, build their own marketplace, or both, Logicbroker's B2B Marketplace and Drop Ship product focuses on the frontend order tracking automation. Insights into inventory availability, price stratification, shipments, vendor performance, and more are handled through Logicbroker's advanced, cloud-based platform.
"We are so excited to officially release our B2B offerings to the world. Internally, we've already begun work with incredible partners like Babylist and Zageno to build and expand their B2B capabilities utilizing our platform. The team at Logicbroker believes no problem is too big to overcome so we've developed a platform that can connect to any platform in the world giving our customers a much-needed reprieve in an ever-expanding eCommerce space," Peyman Zamani, Logicbroker's CEO, said.
For more information about how Logicbroker remains the only provider of both drop ship and marketplace solutions for both D2C and B2B customers, visit our website at www.logicbroker.com.
Logicbroker helps companies launch profitable online drop ship and marketplace programs. Combining the most modern multi-tenant technology with an obsession for stellar customer experience, Logicbroker's powerful platform connects retailers, brands, and suppliers at record speed, empowering them to sell more products, reach more customers, and maintain their edge in an ever-evolving eCommerce universe. With a global footprint and headquartered in the United States, over 4,000 brands including Hasbro, Rite Aid, Verizon, Toys "R" Us, Samsung, M&M Mars, Coca-Cola, Kroger, and Walgreens rely on Logicbroker to manage $6 Billion in Gross Merchandise Value annually. Logicbroker recently received $135M from K1 Investment Management to continue fueling Logicbroker's position as a global category leader.
Contact:
Becca McCarthy
+1-203-929-7633
bmccarthy@logicbroker.com
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SOURCE Logicbroker | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/cloud-based-ecommerce-platform-logicbroker-publicly-releases-b2b-offerings/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:47Z |
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Maryland Insurance Administration Commissioner Kathleen Birrane, chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Innovation, Cybersecurity, and Technology Committee, represented NAIC members by testifying at the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs' hearing on "Current Issues in Insurance."
Among the topics discussed, Commissioner Birrane updated the Committee on the NAIC's work this year regarding Cybersecurity, Consumer Data/AI, and Innovation; Race and Insurance; Private Equity; and Climate Risk/Natural Catastrophes and Resiliency.
"The financial strength of our insurance system was tested simultaneously by a global pandemic, historic natural catastrophes, financial volatility, and social unrest, and yet it persevered," testified Commissioner Birrane.
Commissioner Birrane also reiterated the NAIC's support for a long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), protecting policyholders during an insurance receivership, and legislation (S. 4110) to provide state insurance regulators a vote on the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC).
Related Links:
Commissioner Birrane's written testimony
As part of our state-based system of insurance regulation in the United States, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides expertise, data, and analysis for insurance commissioners to effectively regulate the industry and protect consumers. The U.S. standard-setting organization is governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer reviews, and coordinate regulatory oversight. NAIC staff supports these efforts and represents the collective views of state regulators domestically and internationally.
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SOURCE National Association of Insurance Commissioners | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/commissioner-birrane-testifies-behalf-naic-us-senate-banking-committee-hearing/ | 2022-09-08T19:59:54Z |
The new app will accompany the Convatec Ostomy Nurse Solutions app as part of the me+™ Support Program
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Convatec is now offering an additional tool to support people living with an ostomy through the launch of the My Ostomy Journey app, which conveniently tracks ostomy-related activities without the hassle of keeping up with traditional paper checklists or diaries in the weeks and months following ostomy surgery. Some notable features of the My Ostomy Journey app include the ability to track daily fluid intake, discover new products, log pouch changes, and directly call ostomy product specialists and certified WOC nurses all from within the app.
"Resources like the My Ostomy Journey app exemplify our goal of providing ostomy products and support for individuals living with an ostomy," says Jennifer Lassiter, Convatec Ostomy Senior Manager of Digital Marketing. "The Convatec Ostomy team will continue to expand our support offerings as our customers' needs evolve."
Free to download and use, the My Ostomy Journey app is the newest resource in the Convatec me+™ program, which is designed to help make the transition to living with an ostomy more comfortable and seamless through customer support, education, and product information. In addition to providing tools and advice like the me+ podcast and blog, the me+ program offers virtual Telehealth in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Similarly, Convatec introduced the Ostomy Nurse Solutions app in 2021, which allows healthcare professionals to select the right ostomy products for their patients, order and ship samples quickly, and sign patients up for the me+ program through their mobile device.
"The My Ostomy Journey app is the perfect complement to our Ostomy Nurse Solutions app, which is also free to download & use on any smartphone or tablet," continued Lassiter. "These apps will ensure both consumers and healthcare professionals have the latest ostomy resources and information at their fingertips."
Pioneering trusted medical solutions to improve the lives we touch: Convatec is a FTSE 250 global medical products and technologies company, focussed on solutions for the management of chronic conditions, with leading positions in advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence and critical care, and infusion care. Group revenues in 2021 were over $2 billion. With around 10,000 colleagues, we provide our products and services in over 100 countries, united by a promise to be forever caring. Our products provide a range of benefits, from infection prevention and protection of at-risk skin, to improved patient outcomes and reduced care costs. To learn more about Convatec, please visit http://www.convatecgroup.com.
Logan Garrett
lgarrett@bouvierkelly.com
423-519-9979
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SOURCE Convatec | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/convatec-launches-free-my-ostomy-journey-app-consumers/ | 2022-09-08T20:00:01Z |
SEASONED EXECUTIVE TO LEAD DATA INTENSITY'S COMPREHENSIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE STRATEGIES FOR BEST IN CLASS CUSTOMER SUCCESS
COVINGTON, Ky., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Intensity, a leading trusted Oracle Partner and global Managed Services Provider, today announced the expansion of its executive team with the appointment of Clint Harder as its new Chief Experience Officer (CXO). Harder, a solutions-focused and results-driven technology leader, will be responsible for delivering consistent and efficient customer service strategies that engage and satisfy clients through best-in-class delivery.
Harder is an accomplished business leader who brings more than 25 years of executive experience leading global teams of IT professionals in product development, engineering, architecture, and operations. Most recently, he was the CTO and CPO of OneNeck IT Solutions. In the role of Data Intensity's CXO, Harder will report to Phil LaForge, Chief Executive Officer.
"Clint's background and deep experience servicing clients through all facets of the technology adoption cycle brings the depth and breadth we need to double-down on our commitment to drive superior client outcomes", says Phil LaForge, Chief Executive Officer, Data Intensity. "We are thrilled to have Clint lead this critical function for us."
Harder's background includes a variety of consulting and global leadership roles leveraging his extensive knowledge of infrastructure and cloud services with a security focus.
"I am excited to contribute to Data Intensity's commitment to client success excellence. Our mission is to ensure our clients are highly satisfied by creating more visibility and insight into our relationships," said Harder.
Data Intensity is an industry-leading Oracle Managed Services Provider delivering world-class, expert, managed services for the complex lifecycle of your Oracle-powered workloads. We provide full-stack, SLA-backed, technical and functional application services on any cloud. We future-proof your Oracle investments and optimally power your business with effective license position assessments, secure migration, 24x7 technical operational services, and functional adaptation of your E-Business Suite. Visit www.dataintensity.com to learn more about Data Intensity products and services.
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SOURCE Data Intensity | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/data-intensity-appoints-clint-harder-newly-minted-chief-experience-officer-cxo/ | 2022-09-08T20:00:07Z |
SYOSSET, N.Y., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DEIJI is making its debut at NYFW. Partnering with Flying Solo, DEIJI will showcase its signature line featuring the Cleopatra and the Elizabeth I on September 10th at 10 am for Flying Solo's "Ones to Watch" event. DEIJI has already launched its website DEIJI.com along with partnering with Flying Solo at their flagship store in NYC. DEIJI's entire line is also available through Flying Solo's website under DEIJI DESIGN.
Legendary designer Mark Schwartz has partnered with DEIJI.com as their Creative Director. Schwartz is renowned as a designer to the stars.
DEIJI's signature line is inspired by royal lineage, specifically Ancient Egyptian history and the Tudor dynasty. Regarding the Cleopatra Schwartz states, "I was truly inspired by the earth tones implemented through the [Egyptian's] hieroglyphics. Architecture, both elemental and industrial, really inspire a lot of my work, " The Cleopatra is also available in brown and black leather as an option.
The Elizabeth I, the other all-leather tote bag in DEIJI 's signature collection implements the same architectural aspects. Black square patterned, with pumpkin, beige and red tones, this tote bag was also inspired by an oil-based canvas Schwartz created. The bag's name is derived from Queen Elizabeth I's fiery red hair; she is one of the longest-ruling monarchs in European history and the daughter of Henry VIII. The Elizabeth I is also available in brown and black leather as an option.
DEIJI's Viola arrow sneaker, which incorporates soft gray leather with pink gemstones shaped into an arrow, as well as the Black Rose, which are perforated moon sneakers, will also be showcased during the Flying Solo event. These sneakers represent luxury and comfort and give a taste of DEIJI's other elegant shoe wear.
DEIJI's belts, the Iris, the Lioness, and the Lily, which are all leather, will also be pieced with other DEIJI line items.
"This is the first time the public, in general, will be able to see DEIJI up close and personal," Schwartz explains. "It gives people the opportunity to find out what DEIJI is all about, which is the creation of elegance through beauty," he further clarifies.
"The brand is fun and intelligently designed, and DEIJI is honored to be able to showcase our line during New York Fashion Week," Schwartz concludes.
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SOURCE DEIJI | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/deijicom-is-debuting-new-york-fashion-week-during-flying-solos-ones-watch-fashion-event/ | 2022-09-08T20:00:14Z |
Long Island-based branch moving to new, larger office space, adding loan officers
—Event with refreshments will be held on Thursday, September 15 from 3-7 pm—
MIDDLETOWN, R.I., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Embrace Home Loans, a top-ranked national mortgage lender, announces that the company's Melville, New York branch is hosting a grand opening of its new, larger office on September 15, 2022. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.
The new office will help accommodate the branch's growing team, said Branch Manager Ralph Murciano. He is recruiting more loan officers and branch development associates for the Melville branch.
"We have a wide variety of mortgage loans to meet all of our borrowers' home financing needs, "Murciano said. "That includes loan programs for first-time homebuyers, simplified Jumbo loans and loans with extended rate locks. At the event, my team and I are excited to see our current contacts and to meet with new people, including real estate agents and other professionals, as well as local homeowners and homebuyers."
Melville is located in the geographic center of Long Island at the intersection of the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, making the new offices a convenient location for Melville and surrounding towns, Murciano added.
Details of the grand opening are as follows:
Visit Orange Carpet Event for more details and to view a map of the new Melville branch location.
About Embrace Home Loans
Founded in 1983, Embrace Home Loans is a prominent mortgage lender that provides borrowers and financial institutions with an exceptional mortgage experience. Licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Embrace has been recognized seven times as one of the Best Medium-sized Companies to Work for in America by Fortune and five times as one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America by Inc. The company has also been recognized 17 times as one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island, as the Most Community Involved Company in Rhode Island, and with the Leadership Excellence Award by Providence Business News. The company is based in Middletown, Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.embracehomeloans.com.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Henry Drennan
Strategic Vantage Marketing and Public Relations
(615) 497-8358
HenryDrennan@StrategicVantage.com
Mary McGarity
Strategic Vantage Marketing and Public Relations
(203)260-5476
MaryMcGarity@StrategicVantage.com
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SOURCE Embrace Home Loans | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/embrace-home-loans-host-grand-opening-expanded-melville-ny-branch/ | 2022-09-08T20:00:20Z |
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