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Storm Smart Acquires Steadfast Inc.

Rotunda Capital Partners LLC

Storm Smart, a Rotunda Capital Partners portfolio company and one of the largest storm-protection and lifestyle-enhancement companies in Florida, has acquired Steadfast Inc., the leading hurricane screen and shutter supplier in Palm Beach County. The transaction strengthens the combined businesses’ presence across Florida. Headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, Storm Smart provides homeowners and businesses with innovative hurricane protection and lifestyle improvement solutions, professional installations, and exceptional customer service. Since their start in 1996, the company has helped more than 90,000 homeowners increase the value of their property by making their homes both safer from storms and more energy efficient. "This acquisition establishes a base from which to expand our service offerings throughout Southeast Florida and aligns with our commitment to protecting our communities through our products, people and services," said Scot Burris, CEO of Storm Smart. "Steadfast has built an excellent reputation and team that we are excited to have join the Storm Smart family and our One Team culture. We believe that engaged team members equate to engaged and delighted customers.” “Our team is excited to strengthen the existing relationship with Storm Smart and for the growth potential this combination unlocks”, said Rene Rayner, Steadfast Vice President. “This partnership will enhance our ability to provide our customers with the highest levels of customer service.” About Storm Smart Storm Smart's innovative and industry-leading solutions have led to the company becoming the largest manufacturer and installer of code-approved hurricane protection products in Florida, with over 90,000 customers in Florida, the Caribbean and Mexico since opening its doors in Fort Myers in 1996. The company has a long list of accomplishments, including being named 2021 Manufacturer of the Year by Lee County Economic Development, Horizon Council and the Horizon Foundation. Storm Smart is headquartered in Fort Myers and has three manufacturing facilities in Lee County. The company also has two showrooms in Southwest Florida, located at 2351 Crystal Drive, Ste 101 in Fort Myers, and in Naples at 2400 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Unit 102, and will be adding a new showroom in North Port late Summer 2022. For more information, visit https://stormsmart.com. About Rotunda Capital Partners Rotunda Capital Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm focused on transforming family-founder owned companies into dynamic, data-driven platforms able to achieve and manage significant growth. Since its founding in 2009, Rotunda has partnered with management teams to build great businesses within three primary sectors: value-added distribution, asset-light logistics and industrial & business services. Rotunda strives to achieve replicable results by implementing its Rotunda Performance System to create strategic alignment, develop lean processes and create robust, data-driven infrastructures. For more information, visit www.rotundacapital.com. Contact Details Jill Lafferty +1 847-280-1295 jill@rotundacapital.com Company Website https://www.rotundacapital.com

June 08, 2022 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Brooklyn Magazine Festival Adds Tkay Maidza and Guerrilla Toss to its Music Fest Lineup

Brooklyn Magazine

The Brooklyn Magazine Festival (BKMF), the inaugural culture and arts festival taking place Wednesday, June 15, through Saturday, June 18, across some of Brooklyn’s best venues, is excited to welcome Zimbabwean-Australian musician Tkay Maidza and local art rockers and DFA label members Guerrilla Toss to its already star-studded lineup. They will be joining other previously announced acts, including Car Seat Headrest, hip hop legend DJ Premier, and the varied sounds of acts such as Empress Of, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, and Sudan Archives in Prospect Park June 17 and 18. Tickets start at $55 for a general single-day admission and go up to $180 for a two-day VIP admission. Locate venue and ticket information here. There are three ways that people can experience all that the BKMF has to offer. In addition to the live music festival in Prospect Park, BKMF is also excited to welcome acts to its four nights of club shows across Brooklyn starting Wednesday, June 15. To round out its club show lineup, BKMF is thrilled to share that Starchild & The New Romantics will be joining previously announced acts, including Jessy Lanza at Brooklyn Made, as well as an official after party curated by Boston Chery featuring Lion Babe’s Astro Raw, and local powerhouse producer iMarkkeyz. Further rounding out the club lineup, Crown Heights neighbors Wild Birds and Friends & Lovers bring together eclectic lineups in the borough, including a special live band edition of Friends & Lovers Fried Dynamite party, featuring grammy award winner J. Hoard, Zuzuka Poderosa and Sugar Sugar, with a free DJ party to follow. Wild Birds brings us the sounds of Miles Tucker and The Many Blessings Ft. Jonathan Scales, Lucky Chops Brass Band, and Monokike on separate nights throughout the festival. Advanced tickets to all of the club shows can be purchased at the BKMF site. Day-of tickets can also be purchased online or at the door at each respective club venue. Before any musical acts take the stage on Friday, June 17 BKMF will be hosting “ Brooklyn Magazine: Off the page and on the stage,” two evenings of intimate conversations at Dumbo Loft with the cultural, creative and political leaders of the borough. Talks are set to kick-off on Wednesday, June 15 and continue on Thursday, June 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Tickets are free but guests must RSVP to attend. Reserve free tickets here. Across these two days, ticket-holders will be invited to enjoy a series of short panel discussions that will explore emerging local trends with global impact in lifestyle, business, and the arts. Featured guests include comedians Wyatt Cenac and Donwill, the cast of Showtime’s hit show “ Flatbush Misdemeanors,” City Councilors Justin Brannan and Chi Ossé, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures founder Charlie O’Donnell, Humble Bloom CEO Solonje Burnett, leaders in the Brooklyn arts and culture scene from BAM, BRIC, Brooklyn Museum, House of Yes, Kings Theater and more. Guests are invited to stick around after the talks for libations, a live mural painting by artists Sean Qualls and Jonathan Blum, as well as a virtual reality experience courtesy of the Museum of Future Experiences. “Every day at Brooklyn Magazine, we work hard to bring to life the culture, community, and ideas intrinsic to the people of Brooklyn,” says President and editor-in-chief, Brian Braiker. “With the Brooklyn Magazine Festival, we’re excited to build a dynamic experience that people can enjoy in their own ways. From the larger concerts in Prospect Park to the more intimate fireside chats and club performances across the borough, we’re engaging in a deep and meaningful (and fun!) dialog with the communities that make up the borough—with people, artists and ideas that will be both familiar and new to our audiences.” For the full lineup for the music festival, club shows, and fireside chats, along with the relevant ticket information for each event happening Wednesday, June 15 through Saturday, June 18, please visit: https://www.bkmag.com/bkmf/. Day-of tickets can also be purchased for both the club shows and the festival online or in-person at the door of each respective venue. Brooklyn Magazine Brooklyn Magazine explores New York’s most populous borough through the lens of culture, community, commerce, arts and leisure. Visit bkmag.com to read the latest news and follow Brooklyn Magazine on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for up-to-the minute updates and more. Contact Details Brooklyn Magazine Trisha Larocchia +1 516-225-5932 tlarocchia@n6a.com Company Website https://www.bkmag.com/bkmf/

June 07, 2022 11:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Telos Blockchain Sponsors Unbound Now Gala

Telos Foundation

The Telos Foundation is proud to announce that it will be the official sponsor for the 2022 Unbound Now Gala happening on June 7th in Waco, Texas. Telos is firmly in favor of all that Unbound Now stands for and has accomplished as a non-profit organization and is pleased to support them as they continue to provide aid for humanity’s most vulnerable. Tuesday’s gala celebrates 10 years of Unbound Now’s work to end human trafficking in local communities and around the world. Telos believes that global ESG concerns such as human trafficking, an illicit practice that has more than tripled in the last decade, must be eradicated at all costs. Unbound Now is leading the effort to help save the victims from this heartless act. Founded in the United States in 2012, Unbound Now has grown substantially, launching in several locations worldwide, including Cambodia, Mongolia, Indonesia, South Africa, and various countries in Europe. While their operations vary from one city to the next, Unbound offers three main lines of effort: Prevention and Awareness: Unbound Now works to educate and empower youth, spread awareness through citywide outreaches and provide human-trafficking presentations to groups and organizations. Professional Training: Unbound Now provides training to equip all professionals to use their skills to identify and serve victims of human trafficking. Survivor Advocacy: Unbound Now advocates for victims and survivors by meeting immediate needs, supporting survivors and their families, and connecting each survivor with resources for his or her unique restoration journey. The values and principles of the Telos team are closely aligned with those of Unbound Now and looks forward to making its contribution to put an end to human trafficking - once and for all. About Telos Live since 2018, Telos Blockchain (ticker: TLOS) is an ESG compliant Layer 1 smart contract platform that offers full-service compatibility with Solidity, Vyper and Native C++ smart contracts. The chain along with all of its departments operates at Net Zero status and offers the use of its fair smart contract powered governance system to any interested organization in modular fashion. The chain is capable of finalizing over a billion low-fixed-cost (w/ a feeless option) transactions per day. Since the launch of mainnet, Telos has operated with a flawless network uptime record. The validators of the network are globally decentralized, vetted (KYC) and are all equitable in size. Telos is one of the only Layer 1 Blockchain to be both credibly neutral in both its finances and its architecture. About The Foundation The Telos Foundation is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization established as a promotional and funding body to advance the Telos Blockchain Network and provide support to network applications. Contact Details The Team hello@telosfoundation.io Company Website https://www.telos.net/

June 07, 2022 10:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Minuteman Press Franchise Owner Ken Tays Receives Veteran Business Award from NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce and The American Legion

Minuteman Press International Inc

US Army Veteran Ken Tays, who owns the Minuteman Press franchise in Newark located at 20 Clinton St., was recognized with the award for Veteran Business under $3 Million by the NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce (NJSVCC) and The American Legion at the Disabled Veteran and Veteran Business Summit. The event was held on May 10 th, 2022 at Middlesex College in Edison. The Summit connected over 100 Veteran-owned businesses with private companies and state agencies to help facilitate partnerships on upcoming projects. Ken says, “It was a real honor to attend the Summit, connect with so many other Veterans and supporters of Veterans, and receive such a prestigious award from the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber and The American Legion. My business, Minuteman Press in Newark, is a small, Veteran-owned franchise, and an event like this is really helpful and inspiring to me.” Ken served in the US Army for 11 years and then earned his degree in financial services. Ken shares, “I worked as a Federal Bank Regulator for 12 years and then entered the private sector working for companies like PwC and Citibank. I decided to research franchise opportunities because I wanted to be my own boss.” In 2019, Ken bought Minuteman Press in Newark. He took over the successful business from Holly Kaplansky, who retired after owning and operating Minuteman Press in Newark for 15 years. Ken says, “At its core, Minuteman Press International is a family-owned business. I went out to Long Island and CEO Bob Titus talked to me for an hour and a half. I was looking for a printing franchise that had that family-like atmosphere and wasn’t so corporate. The other franchises I looked into just didn’t have that same feel to them where I felt comfortable like I did with Minuteman Press.” As for why Minuteman Press is the right fit for Veterans, Ken shares, “I feel like this is my business and yet Minuteman Press provides me with that security blanket of local support and guidance. I have no printing experience and the training and ongoing assistance from Jim Galasso and the local field staff here in Newark really helps me. I know I can contact anyone in the company and they will respond and be there without breathing down my neck all the time.” When asked about the rewards of owning his own business, Ken’s first inclination is to say, “Work life balance. That is something I feel like I have even though I am working hard and always on. I love the challenge of running my own business and being responsible for everything. I spent a lot of time in corporate America making money for other people and I wanted to do this. There are ups and downs but it’s on my time.” Ken’s advice for others who are looking into business ownership or franchising is, “I would say that I looked at a lot of businesses. Find something that is a good fit for you, and find a franchisor that has what you’re looking for. I spent several months doing my due diligence, and once you make that decision, you have to be committed.” For more information on Ken Tays’ Veteran-owned Minuteman Press business in Newark, NJ, visit https://www.mmpnewark.com. Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

June 07, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Nearly All Americans Now View Video Game Play as Beneficial Following COVID-19 Lockdowns

The Entertainment Software Association

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today released the findings of its 2022 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry report. The report shows that players are of all ages and backgrounds and illustrates how the industry continues to impact people, culture and the economy – with 97% of all Americans now seeing the benefits of video games. “Last year, we saw the pandemic accelerate the growth of gameplay across the country, as people of all ages turned to video games – whether to relax, maintain community, exercise or learn something new,” President and CEO of the ESA Stanley Pierre-Louis said. “This year’s report demonstrates the impact video games continue to have – supporting wellness and mental health, strengthening relationships, providing community, facilitating skills development and introducing people to new places, cultures and ideas.” Following a record-breaking number of people playing video games in 2021, the new Essential Facts report shows that as the country emerges from the pandemic, people remain highly engaged with and inspired by video games. According to the 2022 report, more than 65% of Americans play video games – which translates to more than 215.5 million players from all walks of life – and gameplay time continues to rise among players, with average weekly time at 13 hours, up 7% from 2021. There was also an uptick in the proportion of players who view games as beneficial to skills development, mental health and community building: 89% of players say video games provide stress relief, while 88% say video games help improve cognitive skills. 88% percent of players agree that video games bring different types of people together, while 83% say games introduce people to new friends and relationships, a 5 percentage point increase from 2021. 61% of players say 89% of all Americans view video games as useful for building skills, with problem-solving as the leading skill (82%). Other skills saw increases, including conflict resolution at 63% (up 8 percentage points from 2021) and leadership skills at 61% (up 7 percentage points from 2021). Other notable results include: 69% of households have at least one video game player. Nearly one third of adult video game players are parents. Smartphones are the most common device for playing games – 70% of players use their phones for play, while 18% solely use their phones. Casual genres, such as matching, brain puzzles, party, music and dance, and exercise games, continue to be the most played. The ESA’s 2022 consumer survey was conducted using online methodology. A 15-minute questionnaire was completed by a representative sample of 4,011 US consumers ages 18 and older in February 2022 (margin of error +/- 2%). Video game players who play at least one hour a week are a subset of this total, representing 2,548 of respondents. The survey defines video games as games that may be played on a console, personal computer, mobile device, VR device, etc. These games could include computer and console video games, social games, mobile augmented reality games, virtual reality games and “edutainment” games. You can access the complete 2022 Essential Facts Report at https://www.theesa.com/resource/2022-essential-facts-about-the-video-game-industry/. About the ESA The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) serves as the voice and advocate for the U.S. video game industry. Its members are the innovators, creators, publishers and business leaders that are reimagining entertainment and transforming how we interact, learn, connect and play. The ESA works to expand and protect the dynamic marketplace for video games through innovative and engaging initiatives that showcase the positive impact of video games on people, culture and the economy. For more information, visit the ESA’s website or follow the ESA on Twitter @theESA. Contact Details Karen Elliott +1 202-223-2400 kelliott@theESA.com Company Website https://www.theesa.com/

June 07, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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ThreatModeler Announces New Patent for IaC-Assist

ThreatModeler Software, Inc

ThreatModeler, a leader in securing cloud infrastructure from design to deployment, today announced the issuance of their newest patent, which makes the IaC-Assist a proprietary technology. The patent, US Patent No. 20220004645A1, has been issued and granted as of April 26, 2022. With IaC-Assist, any user can truly shift left as it relates to implementing security within the code. Users can identify, review, and mitigate security flaws while writing the code in real-time - with simply the click of a button and without leaving their coding environment. IaC-Assist creates a more time and cost-efficient solution to the build process, saving developers the hours it would have taken to build designs and review its security. “Our patented solution, IaC-Assist, reduces threat drift from code to cloud and gives users a simple and efficient solution in truly shifting left,” said Archie Agarwal, Founder and CEO, ThreatModeler. “This patented technology is the only solution in the industry that helps you build threat models from your IDE itself and updates the threat model as you update the code. We’re excited to have these streamlined capabilities patented and available to users.” This patented technology solution is the first of its kind that helps to reduce threats from code to cloud. Users can implement the technology as a processor-executed method of generating a threat model from a code file. The system can analyze the code file, identify properties associated with the resources included in the code file, and generate a threat model based on the resources determined as a security threat. This technology addresses industry pain points by giving tools for security teams to work more collaboratively with the development organizations. Additionally, instead of adding more steps to the build and deploy process, this technology fits within the existing process and enables developers to build security within the code with the least amount of time lost. To learn more about this new patent and ThreatModeler technology, please visit here. About ThreatModeler Software, Inc. ThreatModeler Software, Inc. 's suite of products empowers DevOps to measure their threat drift from code to cloud. With a fraction of the time and cost tied to other tools, users can design, build and validate threat drift from development to deployment. Teams can instantly visualize their attack surface, understand security requirements and prioritize steps to mitigate threats. CISOs can make critical security-driven business decisions to scale their infrastructure for growth. Contact Details Clayton Murtle ThreatModeler@luminapr.com

June 07, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Three High School Seniors Begin a Career with MI Windows and Doors

MI Windows and Doors

Looking to solidify its position as an industry leader window manufacturer of employer of choice, MI Windows and Doors hired three top prospects at its signing day on May 26. Upper Dauphin Area High School seniors Hunter Zerby, Cody Craybill, and Haiden Urich all signed a “certificate of achievement” recognizing their decision to accept full-time positions at MI’s manufacturing facility in Gratz, Pa. The trio, who began working full-time last week, went through high school graduation ceremonies the day after the signing. The three new team members have all been working part-time with the company through Upper Dauphin’s Diversified Occupations/Co-op program, in which students spend part of their school day at area jobsites. Upper Dauphin’s cooperative education coordinator and teacher Amy Gehring administers the program. “The key to our success is we’ve partnered with quality employers like MI,” she said. “We want our students to be successful and have options after high school. Cody, Hunter, and Haiden already have job experience. They’ve built qualities and attributes that employers value, and they’re already ahead of the game.” Urich is an assembler on the 4300 Series line, while Craybill and Zerby both work on the 910 sliding-glass door line. Zerby is following in the footsteps of his father Dan, a long-time MI team member. “He’s been with the company 30-some years,” Zerby said of his father. “I have a lot of family and friends who work here.” Unlike Zerby, Craybill didn’t have family at MI Windows and doors, but, he was eager to learn and happy to be with the company. “I came here a month into the school year, and it seemed like a job I wanted to continue with,” Craybill said. “I’m excited to start my career path here.” Upper Dauphin superintendent Jared Shade attended the signing ceremony. An Upper Dauphin graduate himself, he’s proud of what his students have accomplished through the co-op program. “For too long, there’s been a closed door between industry and schools,” Shade said. “I like partnering with local employers to open those doors.” Learn more about career opportunities at: miwindows.com/careers ABOUT MITER BRANDS MITER Brands™ is a residential window and door manufacturer that produces a leading portfolio of window and door brands for the new construction and replacement segments. Through MI Windows and Doors, Milgard Windows & Doors, and Sunrise Windows & Doors, MITER Brands is one of the largest suppliers of precision-built and energy-efficient windows and doors, with more than 10 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States servicing thousands of dealers. For more information visit: miterbrands.com, miwindows.com or milgard.com. Contact Details MI Windows and Doors Joann Whetstine +1 253-896-8010 Joann.Whetstine@miwd.com Company Website https://miwindows.com/

June 07, 2022 07:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Fresho secures $10m to accelerates US and UK expansion plans to make food supply chains more sustainable

Fresho

Fresho, a company that aims to make food supply chains more sustainable between restaurants and their suppliers, has whet the appetite of investors with a $10m series A funding round. Fresho is used by tens of thousands of chefs who simply reach for their device to choose exact quantities for their needs, much like an online shopping experience but specifically tailored to the fast paced B2B food industry. Buyers see live prices and specials, allowing for informed product choices and assistance in food cost management. Suppliers receive the order immediately in an easy-to-use dashboard, which reduces data entry, errors and helps them fulfil orders without delay. The real time sales data enables suppliers to manage purchasing more efficiently and eliminates wastage before it becomes an issue. See how it works here. More than 38,000 foodservice venues across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States have now used the innovative software solution, with more than $1b processed through the platform annually. Fresho’s user base consists of restaurants, hotels, hospitals, cafes, schools, farm shops, QSRs and independent retailers. Fresho co-founder and Managing Director James Andronis, a former wholesale seafood senior executive from Australia, said increased investment in Fresho’s team and its leading-edge technology was driving the business. “We’ve managed to attract some of the best talent in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and they’re steering our continued investment in state-of-the-art technology,” Mr Andronis said. Fresho now employs over 60 people after launching in the UK in 2021. “This capital raise will enable us to accelerate our growth in the United Kingdom and a strong launch into the United States. Like our other markets, restaurants and suppliers in the US are itching to be more progressive but still working with antiquated processes such as email, phone calls, whatsapp and even the old fax machine. B2B food supply chains are changing at a rapid rate around the world with an increased focus on efficiency and lowering waste. We understand the industry and our tech solves key pain points for these businesses. The adoption of tech is speeding up and it’s fascinating to watch the industry progress at such a fast pace.” The food service market in those four key markets is worth a whopping $415b and is one of the last remaining antiquated industries with a lot of offline interactions. This funding round adds a number of new investors to a strong existing base that includes London based Primorus Investments (LON:PRIM). New investors include venture-capital firm Capital Zed, Andrew Sypkes (who was an early-stage investor in Canva, Aconex and Redbubble), and Second Quarter Ventures (Australia’s leading secondaries fund). In London, a number of iconic venues place orders with Fresho. These include Michelin star rated restaurant Wild Honey within Sofitel St James, Polpo, 1 Lombard Street, and the Bingham Riverhouse. Fresho’s other co-founder and Managing Director Huw Birrell, a former investment banker, reflected on the impact his business’ rapid recent growth is having in making food supply chains more sustainable. “A combination of the depth and breadth we hold in the food supply chain across various geographies, along with our leading-edge technology means we have an incredible bank of insights into food trends and market movements.” “We intend to use this intelligence to help drive improved sustainability in the sector and ensure increased prosperity for all participants in it. As an example, we recently worked with Apple & Pear Australia Ltd that represents Australia’s apple and pear growers to provide data on which varieties have had increasing or declining consumption which they previously had no access to. The power of this data is extraordinary and has the ability to change growing decisions in the future.” Mr Birrell added that he and his team harbour ambition to be the world’s leading ordering platform for food supply chains, and a major source of intelligence for the food industry About Fresho Fresho is used by tens of thousands of chefs who simply reach for their device to choose exact quantities for their needs, much like an online shopping experience but specifically tailored to the fast paced B2B food industry. Buyers see live prices and specials, allowing for informed product choices and assistance in food cost management. Suppliers receive the order immediately in an easy-to-use dashboard, which reduces data entry, errors and helps them fulfil orders without delay. The real time sales data enables suppliers to manage purchasing more efficiently and eliminates wastage before it becomes an issue. See how it works here. Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.fresho.com/

June 07, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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GSBA AND COMCAST RENEW RELIEF EFFORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES WITH THIRD ROUND OF “READY FOR BUSINESS FUND”

Comcast Washington

Following the success of the Ready for Business Fund in 2020 and 2021, GSBA – Washington’s LGBTQ+ and allied chamber of commerce – and Comcast are renewing the Ready for Business Fund relief effort this year to provide more than $200,000 in grants to eligible small businesses throughout the state. Starting Monday, June 13, small business owners may find more information and apply for Ready for Business Fund grants at theGSBA.org/ready-for-business. According to a 2022 survey, almost all small businesses (97%) are concerned about inflation, and rising costs are the most significant threats small businesses currently face. Boosting revenue from online sales has now become the No.1 priority for small businesses. To offer some relief and help small businesses continue to grow and adapt, the Ready for Business Fund will provide $2,500 cash grants to more than 80 small businesses throughout Washington. Emphasis will be placed on small business owners at greater risk, including people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Small businesses located in rural areas of Washington will also be considered. “Runaway inflation and increased expenses are hitting our small businesses hard in Washington,” said Ilona Lohrey, GSBA Deputy Director. “Providing a cash grant with wrap-around services to promote visibility and support is critical as more small businesses use more digital technology to drive online revenue. $2,500 may not seem like much, but for these small business owners, a microgrant may be what is needed to invest in a website, help build online sales tools, launch a social media effort, or purchase new technology.” “Small businesses play a critical role in our local economies. They provide jobs and serve our communities throughout Washington. They need our continued support to meet new economic challenges, and we want to help them,” said Diem Ly, Community Impact Director, Comcast Washington. “That is why we believe the Ready for Business Fund is so important. Small businesses across the state need the relief.” The Ready for Business Fund was founded in the summer of 2020 with a $100,000 investment from Comcast and GSBA as the fund manager. Over the past two years, the fund has distributed $2,500 cash grants to more than 120 small businesses in Washington. The Ready for Business Fund was renewed this year with $75,000 in funding from Comcast and GSBA, reprising its role as the program and fund manager. Grants from the Ready for Business Fund will be made possible by more than $150,000 in additional donations from Pepsi, T-Mobile, US Bank, Meta, and Verity Credit Union and a $100,00 grant from King County. About GSBA Established in 1981, GSBA is Washington State's LGBTQ+ and allied chamber of commerce and is the largest of its kind in North America. The chamber represents over 1,400 small business, corporate, and nonprofit members who share the values of promoting diversity, equity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. GSBA proudly serves as a connector across the region, bringing communities together through business while advocating for civil rights and small business. GSBA also promotes LGBTQ+ tourism through Travel Out Seattle, advocates for small businesses in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood through the Capitol Hill Business Alliance (CHBA) and invests in the next generation of LGBTQ+ and allied leaders through the GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Andy Colley Andy_Colley@Comcast.com GSBA – Washington State’s LGBTQ+ & Allied Chamber of Commerce Cade Schmidt Cades@thegsba.org Company Website https://www.thegsba.org/business-resources/ready-for-business

June 06, 2022 04:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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