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National organ tracking service will prevent delays or loss; provide peace of mind

United Network for Organ Sharing

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has launched a national organ tracking service that provides organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant hospitals the ability to monitor organs in transit from the donor hospital to the transplant hospital and ensure that they arrive safely. “The transplant system handles the most precious gift, the gift of life,” said UNOS Labs Program Manager Casey Humphries. “Our solution provides peace of mind to OPOs and transplant programs, assuring that organs are moving safely and reliably to patients waiting to receive them. Patients and donor families can feel confident that these gifts can be tracked every step of the journey.” The UNOS Organ Tracking Service utilizes GEGO Internet of Things (IoT) technology and is integrated into the systems that the nation’s 57 organ procurement organizations already use to package and label organs for transport and that hospitals use to manage organ offers. The service is being offered nationally after more than a year of developing, testing and improving the service based on the direct engagement, influence and feedback from 16 OPOs who participated in the pilot and testing. As the mission-driven nonprofit organization that works with the organ donation and transplantation community to save lives through transplantation, UNOS is solely focused on making more lifesaving transplants available, safely and equitably, to patients in need. This mission guides our work both as a federal contractor, serving as the nation’s transplant system, and as a private, nonprofit supporting clinicians, professionals and patients. “Providing organ procurement and transplant professionals tools that enable them to work more efficiently and save more lives is at the core of what we do,” said Humphries. “That’s why projects like this that are outside of the work we’ve traditionally done are so exciting. UNOS Labs gives us a way to quickly test and implement ideas that provide extra value and resources to organ donation and transplant professionals.” About UNOS United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the mission-driven nonprofit serving as the nation’s transplant system under contract with the federal government. We lead the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to honoring the gifts of life entrusted to us and to making lifesaving transplants possible for patients in need. Working together, we leverage data and advances in science and technology to continuously strengthen the system, increase the number of organs recovered and the number of transplant performed, and ensure patients across the nation have equitable access to transplant. About GEGO GEGO is leading innovation in the IoT space as leaders in software-based in tracking solutions, pioneers in Smart Luggage, and as #1 market leader in luggage tracker hardware and software. GEGO Tracking Solutions is a global platform specially designed to help secure businesses' supply chains and keep track of valuable shipments anywhere in the world. As GEGO is compliant with all aviation regulations. In a world where everything is connected, we create technology to keep track of everything important to you. Contact Details United Network for Organ Sharing Anne Paschke +1 804-782-4730 anne.paschke@unos.org Company Website https://unos.org

May 20, 2021 03:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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The Return to Cruising is On the Horizon

YourUpdateTV

This past year, many travelers have spent a lot of time destination daydreaming, but now is the time to start making those dreams into reality. Recently, Travel Expert Michaela Guzy teamed with Norwegian Cruise Line and YourUpdateTV on a satellite media tour to discuss the future of cruise vacations, planning ahead, and details about Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest innovative ship, Norwegian Prima. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/K_H4dVkPjrM “This summer, cruising is back!,” said Michaela Guzy, travel expert and founder of Oh the People You Meet. “It is one of the best ways to make up for missed travels, as one of the beauties of cruising is visiting multiple destinations on one trip. With a wide variety of experiences readily available on board, you can easily design your ideal vacation with little or no additional planning. From relaxing poolside or at the spa, eating your way deck-by-deck, enjoying Broadway-caliber entertainment, or experiencing the numerous activities on board – there is something for everyone.” Norwegian Cruise Line sails to more than 300 destinations worldwide offering a wide variety of itineraries to buck-list destinations. Beginning July 25, 2021, the Company will sail the Greek Isles with seven-day voyages from Athens (Piraeus), Greece. Travelers can spend their summer exploring the ancient ruins and learning more about Greek Mediterranean culture through its local food and people. New week-long itineraries to the Caribbean from Montego Bay, Jamaica begin Aug. 7, 2021 and from Punta Cana (La Romana), Dominican Republic starting on Aug. 15, 2021. The Cruise Line also announced that its newest ship – Norwegian Prima – will debut the summer of 2022. As the first of the Company’s newest class of ships in nearly 10 years, Norwegian Prima will offer guests exciting itineraries to Northern Europe, Bermuda and the Caribbean, as well as the highest staffing levels and space ratio of any new cruise ship in the contemporary and premium cruise categories. She will also deliver Brand-first experiences that bring guests closer to the water with Ocean Boulevard, Indulge Food Hall, The Concourse, Infinity Beach and Oceanwalk. Norwegian Prima will not only offer the largest variety of suite categories available at sea but will also boast a redefined The Haven by Norwegian, NCL’s ultra-premium keycard only access ship-within-a-ship concept. The Haven will feature an expansive sundeck, a stunning infinity pool overlooking the ship's wake and an outdoor spa with a glass-walled sauna and cold room. For additional details and a list of itineraries, rendered images and video content of the all-new Norwegian Prima, please click here. For more information about Norwegian Cruise Line ships and their itineraries, or to book a long awaited cruise vacation, please contact a travel professional, call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784) or visit www.ncl.com. About Michaela Guzy: Michaela Guzy is the founder of OhThePeopleYouMeet, a content company that focuses on people, places + purposes. In her award winning series, “Michaela's Map”, she curates the local hosts you are supposed to meet when traveling -- from local chefs and street artists, to her film featuring Dr. Jane Goodall and the person working to save baby sea turtles and teach your kids about them. In response to COVID-19 she launched a NEW trending IGTV show called InspirationStation: with 115 episodes + over 5.5 million+ views! Each episode navigates credible sources of information, resources to make the new and next normal brighter + more balanced and always connecting viewers with an inspiring person they ought to meet. She speaks at conferences across the globe, teaches travel storytelling at NYU and has appeared on multiple morning shows across the country sharing her sustainable and immersive travel tips, such as on: CBS New York, Fox2Now St. Louis, PIX 11 New York, WJLA Good Morning Washington DC, WTNH Good Morning Connecticut, and KTNV The Morning Blend Las Vegas. About Norwegian Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line has been the premier innovator in the cruise line industry for over 54 years. We were the first to eliminate set dining times and provide guests with the freedom to cruise on their schedule to over 450 incredible destinations around the world. Our award-winning fleet provides an unparalleled onboard experience and will continue to expand with the introduction of Norwegian Encore in 2019 and the arrival of our Leonardo Class ships starting in 2022. Guests are welcomed aboard with a wide variety of complimentary and specialty dining options, entertainment that ranges from live music and comedy to shows straight from Broadway and our wide range of accommodations that are perfect for any type of traveler. In the coming years, Norwegian’s commitment to innovation will continue to raise the bar for the cruise industry. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

May 20, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cyvatar Wins Two Coveted Global InfoSec Awards at RSA 2021

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced two more prestigious industry award wins, this time as 2021 Global InfoSec award winners for the Cutting-Edge in Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CSaaS) and the Most Innovative SecOps-as-a-Service, by Cyber Defense Magazine--the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine. This year marks Cyber Defense Magazine’s ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Its submission requirements are for any startup, early-stage, later stage, or public companies in the information security space who have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. “We’re thrilled to receive one of the most prestigious and coveted cybersecurity awards in the world from Cyber Defense Magazine,” said Cyvatar Co-Founder and Chief Executive Corey White. “We knew the competition would be tough, and with top judges who are leading infosec experts from around the globe, we couldn’t be more pleased.”. Award judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature, and other market variables. “We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cybercrime, said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. “Cyvatar is absolutely worthy of these coveted awards and consideration for deployment in your environment.” CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking “What’s Next?” so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions. Whether you’re a small business starting from scratch or need to amplify your existing security investments, Cyvatar is here for you. Get started for free or reach out to Cyvatar at CYVATAR.AI. About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power. About Cyvatar Cyvatar is committed to cybersecurity for everyone. As the industry’s first subscription-based, cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) company, it’s our mission to transform the way the security industry builds, sells, and supports cyber solutions. We empower our members to achieve successful outcomes by providing expert advisors, proven technologies, and a strategic process roadmap to guarantee results that map to their business drivers. Our approach is rooted in proprietary ICARM (installation, configuration, assessment, remediation, maintenance) methodology that delivers smarter, measurable security solutions for superior compliance and cyber-attack protection faster and more efficiently, all at a fixed monthly price. And because we’re a subscription, members can cancel anytime. Cyvatar is headquartered in Irvine, California with locations around the world. Begin your journey to security confidence at CYVATAR.AI and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact Details Cyvatar KC Higgins +1 303-434-8163 kc@cyvatar.ai Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

May 19, 2021 12:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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COVID-19 crisis will lead to a new period of rapid, transformative growth and prosperity: Studio 44 reveal 10 key insights for business leaders

Stockwood Strategy

As we recover from the COVID pandemic, environmental, social and technological trends are converging, leading to rapid, disruptive and transformative change, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than a generation, argues Simon Sear, CEO and founder of Studio 44. Leaders need to ensure that they and their organisation are ready to innovate and transform. Sear said: “The COVID crisis will lead to a new period of rapid, transformative growth and prosperity just like the First World War led to the roaring twenties, the Second World War to the golden age of capitalism and the recession of the late 1970s to the expansive growth of the 1980s. Spring always follows winter.” Combining with this natural economic cycle are major tailwinds, such as society’s demand for more progress on racial and gender equality, social mobility and mental wellbeing, Studio 44 argues. Governments and wider society have reached a tipping point on progress with environmental sustainability, while technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), hyper-automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) are supercharging change. These converging trends will result in rapid, disruptive and transformative change, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than a generation. Sear added: “Economists are predicting record growth and leaders need to ensure that their organisations are bold, more agile and quicker to change than at any time in history in order to deliver competitive performance in terms of cost efficiency, revenues and return on capital” Studio 44 has identified ten key insights by working with leaders during the challenging times of COVID, ranging from experimentation to mindset, technology to organisational culture. Sear concluded: “The crisis has highlighted many insights into how leaders can prepare for this next phase of growth and the journey ahead. They are at a once in a generation inflection point, opportunity is coming, and they need to ensure that they and their organisation are ready to innovate and transform.” Here is a summary of Studio 44’s top ten insights: Create a common mission: Often, in non-crisis times, organisations pay lip service to their mission. It’s written down, but no one really buys it. If the crisis did one thing very well, it was to provide a focus. The need for speed: The pace of change had been increasing, but the crisis supercharged this. Leaders need to focus their organisation on being able to respond quicker and with more agility than ever before. Change the corporate mindset: Many companies have long-held beliefs that limited their ability to respond and transform assumptions that need to be put in the bin. Make bold investments: The successful businesses of the last 12 months were the ones that had historically invested in new ways of working and bold new propositions. Experiment: In a decade that will be defined by rapid change and transformation, inexpensive, fast experimentation needs to be in the DNA of an organisation. Allocate your best people to your best opportunities: The pace of change is becoming ever faster and the war for talent continues to heat up. Leaders need to balance the need for transparency and fairness with quickly getting the right people in the right roles to optimise the chances of an organisation’s success. Teach more than new digital skills: In building on the successes of working from home and a period of change and disruption, it's crucial to teach employees new cognitive strategies and behaviours to enable them to adapt. Break the silos: During the COVID crisis innovative leaders gathered a multi-skilled team, incentivised them all for success in the same way and gave them the space to make it happen. Many leaders are now thinking about how they can maintain this kind of operating model and not return to older ways of working and the inefficiencies they create. Keep communicating: The pace of disruption and uncertainty in the next decade means that people will often feel unsettled and will seek reassurance. These are the same needs team members faced during the COVID crisis. Practice stakeholder capitalism: Leaders need to take a cooperative model into the next period of transformation. They need to take a long-term view, to have a strategy that not only ensures financial performance in the short term, but invests, and is seen to invest, in longer-term positive outcomes for all stakeholders. About Studio 44 Studio 44 is creating the future. It is a next generation consultancy that helps senior business leaders create step-out growth, disrupt markets and transform their culture and ways of working. It brings together smart people from tech, the arts, business and science with a common mission to create growth for clients with a focus on people and the planet. By bringing diverse thinking and the spirit and energy of a start-up to corporate clients Studio 44 radically shifts the operating model of a traditional consultancy. Contact Details Studio 44 Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://studio44.io/

May 19, 2021 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Digital transformation evades businesses that mismanage data

Stockwood Strategy

Data is poorly understood, inadequately valued and badly managed by global businesses costing them and their investors billions of dollars every year, according to a report published today by Anmut, the data valuation specialists. This is a big problem because it means most businesses are running on data that isn’t fit for purpose. The Anmut Data Leadership Report compiled data and anecdotal evidence from almost 100 Chief Data Officers from organisations headquartered on five continents whose collective annual revenues total over $1 trillion. The report finds that 91% of business leaders believe data is critical to the success of their businesses. However, only one in three (34%) of their companies manage their businesses’ data assets with the same disciplines as other business assets. These companies spend their allocated data management budget on creating value from their data that in turn helps them scale their businesses and develop their strategies. The remaining two thirds (66%) are using half of their data budgets to fix problems and errors identified within the data itself. According to the report, the average global business spends between 4% and 7% of annual operating expenses on managing its data. For a global financial services brand, that amounts to as much as $1.5-3 billion annually. “Time and again we’re seeing international businesses and household name brands coming under fire for reasons that seem preventable with hindsight,” says Herman Heyns, CEO of Anmut. "Those that succeed do so because they really understand the value of their data, and therefore prioritise and manage it well." Three quarters of respondents (76%) say their businesses are investing in large-scale data and digital transformation strategies. And, 63% say data is more critical than technology to achieve business transformation. Yet, Anmut's report also finds that technology investment regularly overshadows data investment. Technology gets three times the attention (73%) and five and a half times (88%) the budget as data. This is in spite of the fact that technology is dependent on reliable data to run well. Heyns adds: “The preference to invest in technology over data throws up a fascinating question about what digital transformation really means for businesses all over the world. Digital transformation is a term that’s used everywhere, in every annual report and corporate strategy document. Digital transformation is what companies do to become data-driven. The advances many companies make might be digital in name, but to create the transformation they're aiming for, they cannot lose sight of the data.” Chief Data Officers (CDOs) interviewed for the report regularly cite the challenge to make data something that everyone in their businesses understands, values and knows how to manage. The report finds that one third of company boards (33%) don’t consider data a ‘material asset’. 9 in 10 CDOs (87%) say putting a monetary value on data would enable people within the business to manage that data better. Heyns adds: “A critical issue for businesses’ data leaders is winning senior buy-in. When the board doesn’t appreciate the value of data to a company’s future performance, it’ll lack investment further down the business. That’s where data valuation comes into play. When the value of data assets are set out in pounds and pence, data can be thought of as a business asset. Then it climbs up the food chain, gets taken more seriously, impacts C-suite decision-making more readily, and receives greater investment. When data is treated like any other asset by assigning a monetary value to it, businesses can make better strategic decisions.” Anmut, whose clients include Smith & Nephew and Highways England, advises international companies across all sectors on how to manage, measure and value the data within their businesses. Intangible assets make up 90% of the total market value of the world’s largest companies. Anmut’s most conservative estimates put data at 20% to 30% of that. With only a third of companies managing that value well, it’s not a surprise that companies who do manage data well - the FANGS - have become the most valuable companies in history in the shortest time. In March, the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) published its report: Increasing Data Access across the UK Economy in which they commit to creating a framework within which the government may have the ability to make interventions into private and third sector organisations to unlock the full value of their data. DCMS follows governments in several leading economies including the US and Germany that are taking the lead to enforce better data management in business. About Anmut Consulting Anmut is the only data asset management company that makes the value of data unignorable, comparable and manageable for businesses investing in digital transformation. Anmut believes in the power of data-driven decisions to make people’s lives better, be they customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, local communities or future generations. Contact Details Anmut Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.anmut.co.uk/

May 19, 2021 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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ThreatModeler Software, Inc Wins Two Categories by Global Infosec Awards for 2021

ThreatModeler Software, Inc.

ThreatModeler Software, Inc is proud to announce that it has won the following two categories from Cyber Defense Magazine, the industry's leading electronic information security magazine exclusively for RSA Conferences: Most Innovative in Cloud Security Most Innovative in Threat Modeling The 9th annual Global InfoSec Awards were announced during the opening of the RSA Conference on May 17, 2021. We have been selected by CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals based on their independent reviews of the products/services. Innovation is the driving force here at Threatmodeler and believe this is what sets us apart to be the leader in our industry category. “We are very excited to see continuing recognition for our automated threat modeling platform and the innovation we bring to cyber security”, said Archie Agarwal, Founder and CEO of ThreatModeler Software, Inc. “We’re honored to be selected by a panel of expert judges around the globe from over 3,000 companies”. “These winners are the most innovative, forward thinking and proactive cyber security companies and service providers on the planet who are working to bring tomorrow’s cybersecurity solutions to market, today,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. About Cyber Defense Magazine Infosec Awards This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of delivering and honoring the most innovative and valuable innovator for any startup, early-stage, later-stage, or public companies in the information security space who have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at https://cyberdefenseawards.com/ About ThreatModeler Software, Inc. ThreatModeler is an automated platform that provides a sustainable, self-service threat modeling practice for applications and infrastructure that evolves as your infrastructure grows. ThreatModeler encourages collaboration through its simple process flow diagram-based functionality that's easy to use in the creation of threat models that identify, prioritize and mitigate threats, while communicating them broadly. ThreatModeler integrates with JIRA, Jenkins, and Azure Boards and Pipelines, with bidirectional web services API also unifying stakeholders in collaboration. Teams are empowered to code fearlessly and deliver new products with security built-in as early as the design phase, which is based on global security and compliance standards. Click here to schedule a live demo with a threat modeling expert. Contact Details ThreatModeler Software, Inc Sarah Chan +1 201-266-0510 marketing@threatmodeler.com Company Website https://threatmodeler.com/

May 18, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Industrial Defender Named Hot Company in OT Vulnerability Management by Cyber Defense Magazine in the Global InfoSec Awards

Industrial Defender

Industrial Defender, an operational technology (OT) security pioneer, announced that it has received the “Hot Company in Operational Technology Vulnerability Management” award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine.For this awards program, CDM seeks out next-generation players with new, unique technologies, rather than the ones with the most customers or money in the bank. The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of each company’s submission. “Orchestrating OEM vulnerability and patch management in OT environments is a real pain point for industrial companies,” said Jim Crowley, CEO of Industrial Defender. “Our team has worked hard to create an innovative solution to this problem, and we’re thrilled that this panel of leading cybersecurity experts from around the globe has recognized our efforts.” “Industrial Defender embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow’s threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. All winners of the 9th Annual Global InfoSec Awards will be announced today at RSAC 2021. View the complete list of award winners here: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/ To learn more about Industrial Defender’s OT vulnerability and patch management offering, visit their website: https://www.industrialdefender.com/vulnerability-management/ About Industrial Defender Since 2006, Industrial Defender has been solving the challenge of safely collecting, monitoring, and managing OT asset data at scale, while providing cross-functional teams with a unified view of security. Their specialized solution is tailored to complex industrial control system environments by engineers with decades of hands-on OT experience. Easy integrations into the broader security and enterprise ecosystem empower IT teams with the same visibility, access, and situational awareness that they’re accustomed to on corporate networks. Learn more at www.industrialdefender.com. About CDM InfoSec Awards This is Cyber Defense Magazine’s ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power. Contact Details Industrial Defender Erin Anderson +1 617-675-4206 eanderson@industrialdefender.com Cyber Defense Magazine April Palanca +16465869545 marketing@cyberdefensemagazine.com Company Website https://www.industrialdefender.com

May 17, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Minuteman Press Franchise in Richmond, Kentucky Adapts and Grows During Pandemic as Essential Local Business

Minuteman Press International Inc

Pete Cummings and Chuck Bentley have owned their Minuteman Press printing and marketing franchise in Richmond since May 2014. While the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly the biggest challenge for people and local businesses everywhere, Pete and Chuck managed to remain open as an essential business, adapt their products and services to what local businesses needed during the pandemic, and position themselves for sales growth both during and after the pandemic as a result of their hard work. Pete says, “At the outset of the pandemic we were as alarmed as anyone else over not only what this could do to our business but our community and even the country as a whole. The prospect of slogging through months of economic slowdowns did cause us some anxiety in the beginning. However, we remained optimistic and determined to take advantage of any unique opportunities that the pandemic presented to those of us in the print world.” He continues, “It quickly became apparent that those businesses allowed to remain open would need COVID-related printing and signs in order to both safely assist customers as well as stay in compliance with state and local ordinances. We discovered that some organizations had been allotted grant money from the Federal Government to help with pandemic-related safety requirements. We honed in on those agencies to let them know we were open as essential business and local to them. They responded well to our outreach efforts and we ended up doing a considerable volume of business printing floor decals, signs, logo-imprinted face masks, and other safety-related products. Almost every business that chose to remain open had similar pandemic-related printing needs and we wanted to do everything possible, especially for our local small businesses, to provide them everything we could to help them navigate these unchartered waters.” “We primarily grew our business in 2020 through the expanded offering of signage, floor decals, posters, direct mail, and other essential printed items. We are anticipating that 2021 will see continued growth as more and more local businesses reopen and come back online.” -Pete Cummings, co-owner, Minuteman Press franchise, Richmond, Kentucky Supporting Local Businesses During and After the Pandemic Over the past year, Minuteman Press in Richmond has continued to reach out to local businesses as they reopen. Pete says, “We’ve seen a positive response from local business owners. Many of them seem as glad to see that we are still operating and succeeding as we are trying to help them achieve their own successes through these challenging times. I think in some ways we have had a galvanizing effect for local businesses as we are all in this together. It’s that ‘can-do spirit’ that can really lift others up and we are thankful to be a part of it.” As more restrictions continue to be lifted and other local businesses reopen and recover, Pete and Chuck are ready to help them with custom printing products and marketing services. Pete says, “Because we have stayed open the entire time, Minuteman Press has the experience of helping all different types of businesses at all different phases of the pandemic. We have proven to be a valuable partner and we are excited to provide our business community with as many resources as possible to enhance their marketing and sales efforts.” Pete continues, “Now that the tide is turning on the pandemic, we are encouraging clients to resume their direct marketing efforts. As conferences and events resume, we are promoting all of our capabilities including imprinted table throws, retractable banners, trade show displays, conference-related signage, and promotional products.” Direct mail was another key area of growth that Minuteman Press in Richmond experienced during the pandemic. Pete is excited about the future prospects of direct mail as well. He says, “Surviving and flourishing during the past year has required some adaptation. Last year, direct marketing became very challenging with social distancing becoming the norm. To continue growing we looked to direct mailings as an additional revenue stream. Based on the success we saw from these efforts, we have decided to fully embrace direct mail. We would certainly encourage other businesses to utilize direct mailings as a way to ‘connect’ with potential customers as they ramp up and reopen.” “ Contrary to what some would have one believe, printing is not dead. The increased demand for direct mailings can partly be explained by the ‘contact-free’ environment of the pandemic era. With that said, I believe it also underscores how printed advertising campaigns, when utilized effectively, can yield significant results for our customers. We have also diversified our offerings with signs, promotional items, and apparel. This provides our customers with the convenience of getting everything done under one roof through someone they trust will give them the level of service and quality they expect. So, the printing industry has evolved but those who evolve with the industry will see continued success.” -Pete Cummings Meet the People Behind the Business As Pete and Chuck celebrate seven years in business this month, they reflect on their journey as well as their experiences as Minuteman Press franchise owners. One interesting thing to note is that Pete and Chuck come from two very different backgrounds and did not have any printing experience until joining the Minuteman Press family. Pete explains, “I worked at a bank for roughly ten years after graduating from college and then owned/operated an outpatient pediatric rehabilitation center, offering Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy to children. We were out of our home state of Kentucky at this time and once we had children we decided to return home. The same opportunities did not exist to operate a rehab center but I had small business ownership in my blood at that point and was actively looking for a good opportunity.” He continues, “Chuck was a school teacher for ten years and he was growing restless. He began looking for a business opportunity that would allow for more financial freedom for his family. He mentioned this to his uncle, Garry Conley, who just so happened to own a Minuteman Press franchise in London, Kentucky along with Chuck’s Aunt, Amy Conley. We sat down with Garry and he did a pretty good job explaining the benefits. It was evident he was running a profitable operation so we listened intently and after meeting with our Regional Vice President Gary Nowak, we decided to take the plunge.” “We opened in 2014 with zero customers and have seen steady growth every year since. Our rate of jobs quoted to jobs earned is very strong. We built the business, especially in the early years, heavily using direct marketing along with the Minuteman Press Internet Marketing program. Sometimes asking people for the opportunity to earn their business is all it takes to open the door to that first job. And once we get that first opportunity, we will almost always turn that person into a repeat customer either in the near future or somewhere down the road. Providing a quality product along with good, friendly service goes a long way.” -Pete Cummings As Pete reflects on the past seven years and especially 2020 when the pandemic first hit, he is thankful to be part of the Minuteman Press franchise family. He says, “We are very grateful for the efforts Minuteman Press International made fairly early on in the pandemic to help keep franchisees flourishing. There’s no question that things could have turned out differently. From continued guidance on how to operate as an essential business to initiating the free Bounce Back program to support local businesses, it was all instrumental in helping us navigate this unprecedented time.” When asked about the rewards of owning a business, Pete answers, “Financial freedom and the feeling that we can control our own destinies for us are the biggest rewards to business ownership. We can’t be the victim of a company downsize or see our jobs shipped overseas. We certainly work hard to achieve success but those efforts are going towards building something that directly benefits our families.” As for what advice he would give to local businesses right now, Pete sums it up best by saying, “Don’t lose heart. I know it has been a tough year but as more and more sectors of the economy ramp things up again, economic opportunities will return.” Pete Cummings and Chuck Bentley’s Minuteman Press franchise is located at 202 Wayne Dr., Ste. A; Richmond, KY 40475. For more information, call 859-314-1172 or visit their website: https://www.richmondky.minutemanpress.com. Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

May 17, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Article thumbnail News Release

CMA CGM Group to set U.S. East Coast and Canada Big Ship Record with the CMA CGM MARCO POLO

CMA CGM America (LLC)

The 16,022-TEU CMA CGM MARCO POLO is the largest container ship to ever call North America’s east coast. This landmark record is the result of a capacity increase on CMA CGM’s Columbus JAX service. CMA CGM Group is dedicated to creating agile and flexible solutions to meet its customers’ needs. The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, announced today that it will break its own record next week for the largest vessel to ever visit the U.S. East Coast and Canada. The 16,022-TEU CMA CGM MARCO POLO will first set the Canadian record with a stop in Nova Scotia on Monday, May 17. The ship will then break the U.S. East Coast record when it calls New York on Thursday, May 20. An impressive vessel scheduled to set seven North American big-ship records in 11 days The CMA CGM MARCO POLO is a massive ship. With a length equivalent to more than 3.5 football fields, the containers fitting on the vessel would span nearly 61 miles if placed end-to-end. In addition to the Canada country and U.S. East Coast records, the CMA CGM MARCO POLO will set individual big-ship records at every port it visits on the North American east coast. This includes Port of Halifax (May 17), Port of New York and New Jersey (May 20), Port of Virginia (May 23), Port of Savannah (May 26) and Port of Charleston (May 28). Increased capacity to serve our U.S. customers’ needs The CMA CGM MARCO POLO is sailing on the company’s Columbus JAX service, travelling from South Asia to the East Coast of America. The debut of the vessel on the JAX reflects an increase in capacity. It signifies the Group’s commitment to creating agile and flexible solutions to meet the needs of its U.S. customer base, many of whom are experiencing unprecedented boosts in e-commerce sales and the resulting increased demand for goods. As one of the nation’s top ocean-freight carriers, CMA CGM is well-positioned to serve its customers during these unique times. CMA CGM serves 19 U.S. ports with 34 services and 93 weekly port calls. In addition, the Group’s subsidiary, American President Lines (APL), operates a fleet of U.S.-flagged vessels and supports U.S. territories and American military stationed around the world. The CMA CGM Group employs more than 12,000 team members across the U.S. and is also a leading provider of logistics services through its subsidiary CEVA Logistics. Ed Aldridge, President of CMA CGM America and APL North America, said, “ At CMA CGM, we are dedicated to providing solutions for our customers. The deployment of the CMA CGM MARCO POLO is yet another indicator of our flexibility and commitment to delivering the essentials that keep America moving. It is also important to mention that this milestone would not be possible without the efforts of our port partners on the East Coast. Their intelligent, timely infrastructure improvements to support larger ships make it possible for us to proactively respond to the needs of our customers. ” About CMA CGM Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics. Its 566 vessels serve more than 420 ports around the world, on all five continents. In 2020, they transported nearly 21 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) containers. With CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handles 400,000 tons of airfreight and 2.8 million tons of inland freight every year. CMA CGM is constantly innovating to offer customers new maritime, inland and logistics solutions. Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of 755 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs more than 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 are in Marseille where its head office is located. In the United States, CMA CGM, which is based in Norfolk, Va., employs more than 12,000 people. Its subsidiary, American President Lines (APL), operates a fleet of U.S.-flagged vessels and supports U.S. territories and American military stationed around the world. For media inquiries: usa.aleonard@cma-cgm.com or media@cma-cgm.com Contact Details CMA CGM Amber Leonard +1 804-218-8933 usa.aleonard@cma-cgm.com Company Website https://www.cma-cgm.com

May 14, 2021 11:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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