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Greenland’s Prime Minister to Keynote ZESTAs COP26 Burns Supper

Morgan Marketing & Communications

Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte Bourup Egede, will be delivering the keynote address at ZESTAs COP26 Burns Supper on Monday, November 1 st hosted by SHIFT clean energy. The supper will conclude the first day of Ship ZERO hosted by ZESTAs (Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association) in Glasgow as part of the COP26 activities. It is expected that the Prime Minister will be announcing a major Greenland government initiative relating to fossil fuel use. "With the Arctic warming at a rate three times faster than the rest of the world, we are in Greenland experiencing the drastic changes first-hand “stated the Prime Minister. “The science is alarming and our collective actions must be accelerated. That is why the Government of Greenland has announced an immediate halt to all new oil and gas explorations and are putting all efforts into developing our green energy sources. We believe that Greenland can become an important partner for zero-emission shipping. We have huge untapped hydropower resources that exceed our domestic demand multiple times, which can generate cheap renewable electricity for e-fuels, and we have an infrastructure well suited for being early adapters." “Ship ZERO 0 – Charging to True Zero” is a three-day workshop including robust technical presentations from zero-emissions solutions providers, as well as finance, insurance, classification sectors and regulators. Speakers’ panels, audience Q&A, and brainstorming sessions will follow each session to facilitate collaborative solution building, as well as giving stakeholders an opportunity to examine how solutions will fit with their individual business cases. The event takes place well before COP26 transport day, which will give the team of researchers and stakeholders time to summarize the outcomes to be taken in consideration by regulators beforehand. “We are honored that Prime Minister Egede will be making such a pivotal keynote address as part of our event”, stated Madadh MacLaine, Secretary-General of ZESTAs. “His leadership will resonate around the globe as we address a zero emission future.” Highlights of the ShipZERO conference include a keynote by Peter Thomson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations as well as the UNSG’s Special Envoy for the Ocean on A healthy planet requires a healthy ocean, a healthy ocean requires clean shipping; Why Zero Emissions Needs Better Battery Safety Standards, delivered by Brent Perry, ZESTAs Board Chair and CEO of SHIFT; and How Financiers, Insurers and Cargo owners can enable innovation and accelerate the transition to true zero emissions from Michael Parker, Chairman of Global Shipping, Citibank and Chairman of the Poseidon Principles Association. Registration is still open, and media are welcome. Go to https://zestas.org/ship-zero/ The Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association promotes the rapid and large-scale uptake of Zero Emissions Ship Technology (ZEST). Zero emissions means zero GHG emissions at the point of use on the vessel with minimal upstream impacts. By combining zero emission technologies, it is possible to achieve zero emissions at the shipboard level faster. With today’s technologies, the shipping industry can achieve fully zero emissions now, particularly on smaller return to base vessels, as well as drastically reduce emissions on larger, ocean-going vessels with more complicated operational profiles. Contact Details Morgan Marketing & Communications Carleen Lyden Walker +1 203-260-0480 c.walker@morganmarketcomm.com Company Website https://morganmarketcomm.com/

October 29, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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British cyber security startup Risk Ledger secures £2.1m funding as supply chains hit the headlines

Risk Ledger

British cyber security company Risk Ledger has today raised £2.1 million in seed funding. The funding round was led by Finnish VC Lifeline Ventures with participation from Seedcamp, firstminute Capital, Episode 1 and Village Global. This news comes hot on the heels of a flurry of new customers including NHS Test and Trace, wealth management giant Quilter, and tech unicorn Snyk. The Risk Ledger platform is a first of a kind global network of connected organisations, all working together to defend as one against cyber attacks. This game changing approach makes the platform ideal for almost any organisation trying to identify, measure and mitigate supply chain risks regardless of industry. Supply chain cyber breaches often result in personal data such as payment details, addresses and medical records being accessed by unauthorised third parties. Major supply chain cyber security breaches in 2021 at Accellion, Solarwinds and Microsoft have put the challenge of defending against supply chain breaches at the top of the agenda for every large organisation globally. Haydn Brooks, founder and CEO at Risk Ledge r commented: “The past 18 months have been a period of rapid growth in the company. We grew our client base and our user numbers have sky-rocketed despite the significant economic disruption caused by the pandemic. We have expanded the product into non-cyber security factors, including ESG and financial supply chain risks. Testament to the wider scope of the platform, we are now engaging procurement leaders in companies as well as their information security counterparts. This investment will help us grow our team and operations to fully capitalise on the heightened focus on supply chain security driven by all the new regulations and high-profile breaches.” Risk Ledger's client base includes a wide range of organisations including NHS Test & Trace, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, City of London Police, Schroders Personal Wealth and ASOS among others. Recently, the Risk Ledger platform was able to help the NHS Test & Trace team identify complex vulnerabilities in multiple interdependent suppliers that provide key reagents to the organisation. These systemic risks within supply chains often go undiscovered and in this case could have caused weeks of disruption to the UK’s ongoing COVID-19 response in the event of a cybersecurity incident. Petteri Koponen, founding partner at Lifeline Ventures said: “We wanted to be part of Risk Ledger’s growth journey because they have the right product at the right time. With supply chain breaches becoming mainstream and regulators globally mandating better management of the risks, the Risk Ledger platform is in a fantastic position to become the industry agnostic tool of choice and penetrate the market extensively. The potential for the platform to proliferate virally is also unique. Capturing 30% of the UK water market in just over a year shows this possibility which is exciting for us.” Risk Ledger is a rising star of the UK's growing cyber security industry having won competitions run by the UK Government's National Cyber Security Centre, the tech industry body TechUK and most recently a winner in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport’s ‘Most Innovative UK Cyber SME of the Year’ competition. The company is also a member of the UK Government backed LORCA programme (London Office of Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement). About Risk Ledger Risk Ledger is a British company that manages cyber security risks in supply chains. The process of supply chain security risk management ensures third parties who deliver critical services, have access to data, corporate networks, or any other status of business trust, maintain a good base level of cyber security controls to prevent bad actors using the third party as an attack vector. Risk Ledger's client base includes organisations like BAE AI, City of London Police, Telenor, Schroders Personal Wealth and ASOS. Risk Ledger is a rising star of the UK's growing cyber security industry having won competitions run by the UK Government's National Cyber Security Centre, the tech industry body TechUK and most recently a winner in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport’s ‘Most Innovative UK Cyber SME of the Year’ competition. The company is also a member of the UK Government backed LORCA programme (London Office of Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement). Contact Details Risk Ledger Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://riskledger.com/

October 28, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cyvatar Named Finalist in Computing Security Excellence Awards 2021

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced that it has been chosen as a finalist in Computing’s Security Excellence Awards 2021 for the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Security Solution Award. Computing celebrates the achievements of the IT industry's leading security companies, solutions, products, and personalities that keep every other part of the industry operating. Award categories include product- and project-related recognition, organizational achievements, and accolades for outstanding individual success. Computing selected Cyvatar for its cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) platform, designed with SMEs in mind. SMEs are increasingly at the mercy of ransomware attacks, phishing scams, and other cyber threats, but unlike larger orgs, most SMEs don’t have the budget or expertise to invest in comprehensive in-house security programs. Moreover, they struggle to show value from the security tools they do buy. Cyvatar CSaaS democratizes cybersecurity, making the best protection accessible and affordable for any SME regardless of budget, even if they have no cybersecurity expertise in-house. Customers can select the membership and pricing that meet their desired business outcomes in seconds; a freemium model ensures they can achieve tangible results fast with no out-of-pocket costs--an industry first. And they can cancel anytime--another industry first. “We don’t throw technology over the wall and expect our customers to figure it out themselves the way many product companies do,” said Corey White, Cyvatar co-founder and chief executive. “We deliver all three pillars of cybersecurity—the teams, technology solutions, and best practices—to SMEs that would not otherwise be able to implement them. Our subscription model ensures they don’t end up buying solutions they can’t use or don’t need, and our platform lets them see at a glance what’s going on in their environment to give them the best cyber prevention available.” Cyvatar offers its proprietary ICARM™ (install, configure, assess, remediate, maintain) methodology to deliver smarter, more efficient solutions, allowing SMEs to achieve security compliance and cyber-attack prevention faster and more effectively. ICARM ensures SMEs won’t get crushed under the weight of too many products, and guaranteed outcomes mean they get maximum value from their technology spend. Choose the Cyvatar membership with the best outcomes for your business today. About Cyvatar Cyvatar is committed to effortless 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 practitioners, market-leading technologies, and proven best practices to guarantee business results. Our approach is rooted in a proprietary ICARM (installation, configuration, assessment, remediation, maintenance) methodology that delivers measurable security solutions for superior compliance and cyber-attack prevention, all bundled into a fixed monthly subscription that 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 Dan Chmielewski +1 949-231-2963 dchm@madisonalexanderpr.com Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

October 28, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Velocity Global adds DJ Matt Cassidy as Dance Floor Director

Velocity Global

Cassidy responsible for vibe creation for growing global team Cassidy to play company’s annual party this week in his hometown of Denver Cassidy featured in lineup for Icelantic’s Winter on the Rocks in January Velocity Global officially named DJ Matt Cassidy as Dance Floor Director as the company makes final preparations for its annual party this week. Cassidy is responsible for vibe creation for the company’s growing global team of more than 400 people across six continents. He reports to Sam Warren, recently promoted to Chief Fun Officer, or CFUNO. “We’re thrilled to officially welcome Matt to the Velocity Global family. Matt’s contributions to Velocity Global’s Fun department over the past three years established him as an instrumental member of the team,” said Warren. “Matt embodies what the company does every day — serves up smiles and delivers unforgettable experiences.” Cassidy is a native of Denver which also serves as corporate headquarters for Velocity Global, a remote-first company. Cassidy shares the company’s passion for global influence, often mixing international beats into his repertoire. This week, Velocity Global welcomes team members from around the globe to Denver for an event to celebrate its employees and their contributions to the company's growth, including two acquisitions this year. The event will follow strict protocols including vaccination requirements and COVID-19 testing. “The dance floor has grown immensely over the past three years as the company takes off,” said Cassidy. “I’m honored to officially be part of the family and to continue to focus on how to have fun amidst hard work and tremendous success.” DJ Matt Cassidy will open for global DJ and record producer, Diplo, at the 10th annual Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks on January 28, 2022, at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Velocity Global is a presenting sponsor of the upcoming event that Cassidy has played for the last seven years. Stream music from DJ Matt Cassidy here. About Velocity Global Velocity Global accelerates the future of work beyond borders. Its global work platform simplifies the employer and employee experience to employ any talent anywhere with just a click through its proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, backed by personalized expertise and unmatched global scale. As the largest global Employer of Record (also known as International PEO) in 185 countries and all 50 United States, more than 1,000 brands rely on Velocity Global to build global teams without the cost or complexity of setting up foreign legal entities or state registrations. The company offers additional services including Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors. Velocity Global was named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall. Founded in 2014, the company has hundreds of employees across six continents. For more information visit velocityglobal.com. Contact Details John Hall +1 720-650-4348 news@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

October 27, 2021 07:01 AM Mountain Daylight Time

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Making content king again: Instoried secures $8M to expand AI-powered platform that guarantees enhanced content performance and ROI

Instoried

Instoried, the only AI-powered pre-publication sentiment analysis tool that enhances content performance in real-time has raised $8M in funding from Pritt Investment Partners and 9Unicorns with participation from Mumbai Angels, Venture Catalysts Angel Fund and SOSV. Instoried turns traditional content performance tracking software on its head, delivering real-time sentiment analysis at the point of content creation to ensure performance ahead of publication. The startup’s AI engine dynamically determines the emotional engagement quotient of any type of written content and then makes smart recommendations to help content writers guarantee that their readers will be emotionally engaged. This enhanced emotional engagement enables businesses, enterprises and freelancers to dramatically improve content ROI through lead generation, brand engagement and product adoption. Instoried has seen customers increase lead generation 3-fold and double content ROI within 6 months of using the tool. Making use of complex Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms developed in-house, Instoried has tagged millions of lines of text with emotion and tone across all types of genres including business, health, politics and social media. The startup’s team of in-house linguists then annotate the text for context and semantics, providing the essential human understanding of tone from which their proprietary AI can learn. In simple terms, the tool can analyse content of any type or length to determine whether it is ‘any good’ insofar as it will achieve the goals of the content writer. Where content needs improvement to achieve these goals, Instoried provides real-time instructions for enhancing the copy to achieve optimal results. The Instoried SaaS platform delivers both content evaluation and content generation using OpenAI’s GPT-3. Some of the features include short-form content generation, emotional quotient analysis, grammar and plagiarism checking, headline analysis, tonality review and panel testing. Instoried has built web apps and APIs to help integrate the tool onto any licence-based platform. Instoried was founded in 2019 by Sharmin Ali. Sutanshu Raj joined as CTO and was later co-opted as a co-founder. Sharmin is both a published author and seasoned content creator having founded other companies in the media industry during her career. This insider insight inspired her mission to help businesses who have adopted content as a key driver in their marketing plan to stop “flying blind” when it comes to predicting content success. As a creative process, content writing is largely based on intuition which does not allow for a data-driven approach to audience engagement and content performance. Even existing software that can measure post-publication engagement, cannot tell businesses why their content is underperforming. So Sharmin joined forces with Sutanshu and built a team with rich tech, product, marketing and linguistic expertise to develop a tool that gauges and predicts content performance while creating it. Sharmin Ali, Founder & CEO, Instoried, commented: “With all brands doubling down on ecommerce and the world going virtual, there has never been a more important time for businesses to make their written content count and work hard. Over the past 12 months we have increased revenue 50x. We are now looking at scaling operations in the US. This fundraise will help us go to market, build a strong team in the US and add more product offerings to our existing portfolio. We are thrilled to have Pritt Investment Partners on board this content tech journey.” On investing in Instoried Scott Tripp, Director at Pritt Investment Partners said: “Pritt Investment Partners has been focused intently on investing in companies that have a strong product, management team, market in which to grow, and a solid plan for growth and favorable returns in the future. We believe we have found this in Instoried and Sharmin Ali. Instoried has successfully developed a SaaS based deep-tech platform that helps enterprises and individuals create emotionally engaging content, thereby improving return on investment (ROI) for marketing efforts and campaigns. As the digital marketing industry continues to grow we believe Instoried is well positioned with their product to take advantage of this opportunity and quickly penetrate the market. We are excited and proud to be a lead investor in the company and look forward to seeing the continued rapid growth of the company. This is only the beginning. Well done Sharmin and team!” “Instoried with its deep-tech tools have ensured that it analyses content so that companies can reach out to their target audience effectively and on time. We are optimistic about Instoried’s growth in the global content tech market that is likely to touch $400 billion in the next two years. Sharmin and her team are well equipped to emerge as leaders in this segment and we are excited to be a part of their growth story” added Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder & Director, 9Unicorns who have also invested in Instoried. Sharmin Ali added: “Instoried will enable brands, enterprises and freelancers to create more meaningful content in less time that resonates with their target audience. Our aim is to create a robust and all-inclusive content tool that can be the complete solution for content writers of all kinds. We want to make empathetic communication the next revolution in content marketing”. Instoried has previously raised $2M from investors including SOSV, Artesian Investments, Mumbai Angels, 9Unicorns, Venture Catalysts, Rockstud Capital. Instoried has received constant support from Censie Capital investment banking partners in their fundraising journey. About Instoried Instoried helps enterprises and individuals create emotionally engaging content which is also commercially rewarding. The platform helps content writers, in the SME category, e-commerce, FMCG, and other verticals to optimize emotions and generate emotive copy for marketing content. Instoried uses a data-driven approach using their proprietary AI driven technology to make real time analysis and suggestions to enhance content to increase engagement and interest for the reader. Instoried uses the principles of neuromarketing to offer smart recommendations to increase or decrease a particular emotion in the content. Instoried has won several awards including Best Product and Innovation (The Economic Times), Best AI Startup (IIT Kanpur) and Best Woman Driven Startup (JSS). Contact Details Instoried Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

October 27, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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APGA Champ Kevin Hall partners with Velocity Global

Velocity Global

Velocity Global today announced a partnership with 4-time Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Tour champion Kevin Hall. Hall competes on the APGA Tour in addition to Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR appearances. He joins 6-time PGA TOUR champion and recent European Tour BMW PGA Champion Billy Horschel as a brand ambassador for Velocity Global. “I met Kevin at Billy’s APGA tournament this summer and knew immediately that we had to work together,” said Ben Wright, Velocity Global founder and CEO. “He embodies our values in everything he does and his personal story of breaking down walls to access opportunity is an inspiration to all of us. I am honored that he will share these stories, along with his electric smile and contagious laugh, while wearing our brand on the front of his hat.” Hall plays each round in silence. He lost his hearing at the age of two due to a life-threatening illness, H-flu meningitis. Determined, he committed himself to the game of golf and earned a full academic and athletic scholarship to The Ohio State University - the first African-American player to receive a golf scholarship at Ohio State - and went on to win the Big Ten Championship by 11 shots. He most recently added his fourth APGA victory at TPC Deere Run in July, shooting an 8-under par 63. “Hard work earns your next opportunity, but it takes partners to open doors for our chosen path in life,” said Hall. “When I learned about Velocity Global’s platform to make work available to anyone, anywhere, I knew they understood the idea of partnership. Opening doors to people everywhere is something I can get behind. I am proud to represent them on and off the course.” The APGA is a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf through hosted tournaments, player development, and mentoring programs. Billy Horschel hosted his inaugural AGPA Tour Billy Horschel Invitational at TPC Sawgrass this summer. “Kevin is a fantastic guy and heck of a golfer,” said Horschel. “I’ve worked with Velocity Global for a couple of years and Kevin is a perfect fit for their people-first approach to the world. Kevin and Velocity Global’s values align as they both understand that hard work is just as important as being successful.” Hall will join the Velocity Global team this week at the company’s annual party in Denver, Colorado. About Velocity Global Velocity Global accelerates the future of work beyond borders. Its global work platform simplifies the employer and employee experience to employ any talent anywhere with just a click through its proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, backed by personalized expertise and unmatched global scale. As the largest global Employer of Record (also known as International PEO) in 185 countries and all 50 United States, more than 1,000 brands rely on Velocity Global to build global teams without the cost or complexity of setting up foreign legal entities or state registrations. The company offers additional services including Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors. Velocity Global was named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall. Founded in 2014, the company has hundreds of employees across six continents. For more information visit velocityglobal.com. Contact Details Velocity Global John Hall +1 720-650-4348 news@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

October 26, 2021 09:01 AM Mountain Daylight Time

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ElementalTV Debuts Newest CTV Tech Innovation, ELM iQ

ElementalTV

ElementalTV, an emerging media technology company and a division of Adoppler, today debuts its newest connected TV (CTV) tech solution, ELM iQ. The breakthrough CTV technology solution addresses the “last mile” creative problem, which is a major bottleneck for the CTV industry creative development and delivery. It accomplishes this by providing brands, publishers, and agencies to leverage real-time data to create new, compelling, customized creative ad content on the fly, and at scale. Current creative updating processes are manual and time consuming, with constant re-edits proving costly. ELM iQ leverages ElementalTV’s proprietary AI creative composer technology to address this massive slowdown in ad deployment. By pairing ELM iQ’s machine learning with real-time information from a partner’s database, CMS, or API, advertisers can now create and deliver dynamic CTV advertising content with near real-time speed and accuracy. ELM iQ creates new opportunities for brands to generate dynamic ad creative, by rapidly connecting data to develop immersive CTV ad creatives that are highly personalized and localized. The result is faster, near real-time ad executions and creates significant cost savings for brands, publishers, and agencies. “ELM iQ is an advanced technological solution that, we believe, has the power to propel CTV ad innovation to the next level,” says Sergey Lobko-Lobanovsky, Chief Technology Officer of ElementalTV. “Historically, video ad creatives for TV were not updated or refreshed very often, and when they were, it was usually seasonally or monthly. Advertisers today are looking for flexibility and speed to keep up with rapidly shifting consumer sentiments and buying behaviors. With ELM iQ and its smart machine learning technology, we now have the capability to do this in near real time, thus solving for advertisers the challenge of remaining agile and relevant in today’s competitive markets.” With ELM iQ, content creators can now focus squarely on conceptualizing and developing creative, relevant and hyper localized ad content that will resonate with its intended audiences, ensuring a better and more effective overall ad experience. “We see ELM iQ as a win for all stakeholders,” says Shafi Mustafa, VP Product Marketing for ElementalTV. “Viewers will see more dynamic and relevant ads with much fewer duplicate advertiser messages; publishers will benefit from increased bid density as more advertisers are now able to participate in CTV advertising; and advertisers will have the ability to create, update, and personalize creative messages in a highly scalable, low cost manner. This solution is a game changer.” ELM iQ is ElementalTV’s latest next-generation innovation, following the recent expansion of the company’s ELM product suite earlier this month. With the release of ELM, the company announced it surpassed one billion CTV advanced ad impressions in its first year of business. ELM iQ, a product of the company’s focus on rapid innovation, has been in beta with a select number of advertisers and is now available at scale. To learn more about ElementalTV and its solutions, visit www.elementaltv.com. About ElementalTV Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Pasadena, CA, ElementalTV is pioneering the next generation of CTV ad innovation. ElementalTV pushes the boundaries of how technology can immerse an audience’s advertisement experience. Its proprietary vertically integrated platform, ELM, combines a wide range of capabilities including advanced ad decisioning, demand-side platform (DSP), creative optimization, transcoding, and stitching to allow for seamless, next generation ad experience. To learn more, visit elementaltv.com. Contact Details Angelina Kaliszak angelina@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.elementaltv.com/

October 26, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

National Guard Veteran Darin Overstreet Transitions to Owning Minuteman Press Franchise in Aurora, Colorado

Minuteman Press International Inc

Darin Overstreet, co-owner of the Minuteman Press franchise located at 14190 E. Jewell Ave., Suite 1, has retired from the Colorado National Guard where he served as Chief Public Affairs Officer for the Joint Task Force - Centennial. Today, Darin, who also served in the U.S. Air Force, runs Minuteman Press in Aurora along with his wife Anne. Together, Darin and Anne provide local businesses and non-profits with design, printing, marketing, and mailing services. During his time of service, Darin was an integral part of several missions both at home and abroad. He shares, “We (the National Guard) did both federal and state missions that could take us anywhere from The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to El Salvador to right here in Colorado. In 2013, one mission that particularly hit home was the Colorado floods. The flood ripped through a dozen counties, and I was part of the Colorado National Guard’s Joint Staff. We coordinated everything from sandbagging and evacuations to helping people in flooded areas. After the floods, our team was brought in to help rebuild the highway that leads to Estes Park, Colorado. We were able to get the roads paved and, during the rebuild, I coordinated with the media including interviews, public relations, photography, video, and writing articles.” Darin continues, “I am most proud of the fact that I was part of team that truly made a difference and helped people when they needed us most. Over 15 years, our Public Affairs team received 75 National Military awards. I really enjoyed community relations, which is something I am still doing today in a different capacity with Minuteman Press, our Veteran-owned family business in Aurora.” Applying Military Skills to Business Ownership With Minuteman Press in Aurora, Darin has found the perfect opportunity to apply the skills he acquired during his years of military service. He says, “There are so many lessons and experiences I have taken with me – community relations, messaging, public relations, photography, and building relationships with so many different types of people. As the Director of Community Outreach, I was already connecting people who may not otherwise meet and I learned the value of simply helping others by providing service.” Darin adds, “90 percent of our clients are other local business owners like me. If I see that they can benefit from one another, I make meaningful connections and I see working with my clients as a two-way street. I love working with them on all of their marketing promotions and social media, and just building relationships. I want to serve and strengthen my community just as I did when I was in the National Guard.” One other benefit that Darin sees in the transition to business ownership is his ability to endorse and promote businesses, which was not the mission of the National Guard. He says, “Now, I can promote other businesses and help them, and I love being an active part of the Aurora community in this way. For example, during the pandemic I’ve been working to promote local artists. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photo/Video, and so I’ve been art-adjacent all my life. With Minuteman Press, I am able to help these incredible artists print on demand and promote their stories.” Buying the Business During the Pandemic and Operating as an Essential Business Darin and Anne bought their business in June 2020 and have remained open and operating throughout the pandemic as an essential business. They have seen high demand for a wide variety of products as businesses continue to ramp up their marketing efforts. Darin says, “We’ve seen high demand for direct mail and Every Door Direct Mail. We help businesses reach out to targeted geographic and demographic areas so they can tell their customers about operations changes, new guidelines, and of course, special offers.” He continues, “Throughout the pandemic, popular items have included large format printing (banners, posters, and signage), updated restaurant menus, stickers, and dye sublimation (face masks and apparel). We’ve also helped clients come up with special offers for subscription boxes featuring relevant printed and promotional items that their customers will appreciate and remember.” When asked why he chose Minuteman Press, Darin answers, “I looked at other franchises but I’ve always been interested in printing. I have a passion for art, photo and video, and with this business I feel like I can help others bring their visions and branding to life. When I visited Minuteman Press at the Denver Franchise Expo, they were very professional and straightforward. They told me about how the franchise model worked including their training, ongoing support, and capped royalties. I also found the startup costs reasonable and felt they had the knowledge and resources to really help us operate this business.” Darin also credits the local support team in Colorado for being there every step of the way. “Regional Vice President Jack Panzer and Area Manager Todd Golberg are there for us whenever we need them and it is a tremendous benefit to us to have their continued guidance and reassurance.” Minuteman Press in Aurora is located at 14190 East Jewell Avenue, Unit 1, Aurora, CO 80012. Contact Darin and Anne Overstreet at 303-751-5007 or visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/co/aurora21 Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Franchise Business Review has also named Minuteman Press International a Top Franchise for Veterans. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

October 25, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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NCMA Announces Public Meeting of the Standards Consensus Body

National Contract Management Association

The National Contract Management Association (NCMA), the leading resource for professionals in contract management and acquisition will hold a public meeting of the Standards Consensus Body (SCB) on November 18, 2021, from 5 – 7pm EDT. The SCB leads NCMA standards-setting activities and oversees the Contract Management Standard (CMS)™, an ANSI-approved standard that has been adopted by industry and agencies, including the US Department of Defense as the basis for their contract management competency framework. “The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the new work of reaffirming the Contract Management Standard TM (CMS™) as an American National Standard (ANS) ANSI/NCMA ASD 1-2019 and to hold a formal vote to accept, reject, or modify the new work,” said Kraig Conrad, CEO. “This is a great opportunity to unite as a community to advance adoption of the CMS TM for more user categories.” In 2018 NCMA was designated as an Accredited Standards Developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), an internationally recognized third party entity, solidifying NCMA as the foremost standards development organization for the contract management profession. Shortly thereafter, NCMA created the SCB to serve as the heart of its standards program, providing expertise to maintain ANSI accreditation. ANSI’s third-party accreditation provides additional confidence and trust in the CMS™ and its ability to create efficiency and stability to contract management. To become an approved ANS, the CMS endured rigorous processes for: A consensus-based standard; Public review and comment on draft standards; Response to comments; Incorporation of approved changes; and Right to appeal. The same processes will be used in the reaffirmation process. All interested parties (both members and nonmembers) can register for the public meeting here, For additional information, please contact NCMA at Standards@ncmahq.org. The National Contract Management Association (NCMA), which was founded in 1959 and is the world’s leading association in the field of contract management. The organization, which has over 18,000 members, is dedicated to the professional growth and educational advancement of procurement and acquisition personnel worldwide. NCMA strives to serve and inform the profession and industry it represents and to offer opportunities for the open exchange of ideas in neutral forums. To find out more, please visit www.ncmahq.org. Contact Details Jennifer Knowlton +1 571-382-1127 jennifer.knowlton@ncmahq.org Company Website https://www.ncmahq.org/

October 22, 2021 01:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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