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University of Dayton Law School Leads the Way in Contract Excellence with the Adoption of the NCMA Contract Management Standard™

National Contract Management Association

The University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) proudly announces its commitment to advancing education in Government Contracting & Procurement through the adoption of the National Contract Management Association's (NCMA) ANSI-approved Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™) and Contract Management Book of Knowledge ® (CMBOK ® ). The Master in the Study of Law (M.S.L.) in Government Contracting & Procurement program at UDSL is dedicated to providing students with the highest quality education and ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the ever-evolving profession of contract management. By incorporating the NCMA CMS™ and CMBOK ® into its program and course curricula, UDSL reaffirms its commitment to academic excellence and aligns with contract management best practices. Kraig Conrad, CEO of the National Contract Management Association, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "We commend the University of Dayton School of Law for taking this progressive step for their program. This standard is a recognized benchmark in the profession, and its incorporation into UDSL's program reflects the university's dedication to providing students with a competitive edge in their careers." The NCMA CMS™ and CMBOK ® will serve as the foundation for UDSL's M.S.L. program, guiding the development of curriculum that addresses the dynamic and complex landscape of government contracting and procurement. This strategic adoption ensures that students receive comprehensive and up-to-date education and prepares them for success in the workforce. In response to the adoption, Sabra Tomb, UDSL’s Director of Training Programs and Strategic Business Development stated, "UDSL’s Government Contracting & Procurement Program is committed to delivering excellence in education and preparing our students to excel in their professional pursuits. The integration of the NCMA Contract Management Standard™ into our program is a testament to our dedication to providing a top-notch education that meets the needs of the industry and empowers our students for success." As UDSL continues to strengthen its position as a leader in legal education, this decision underscores its commitment to staying at the forefront of profession advancements and provide students with a competitive advantage in the job market. The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) – www.ncmahq.org – stands as the premier contract management organization whose mission is to collaborate towards a globally recognized contract management profession that strengthens its nexus with related acquisition communities. Serving approximately 20,000 members in both the public and private sectors, NCMA propels the growth, advancement, and impact of practitioners through a steadfast commitment to serve through the open exchange of ideas in neutral forums. The School of Law offers a fully online master's program in government contracting and procurement designed by seasoned industry and government experts. The program is designed for contract professionals; a law degree is not required. Courses are taught in real-time to encourage active learning and provide opportunities for live feedback and interaction between faculty and students. Each class meets once a week, scheduled for working professionals. Financial aid, military, and veteran benefits; and corporate and government tuition deferment, assistance and reimbursement options are available. For more visit: https://udayton.edu/law/. Contact Details National Contract Management Association Holly DeHesa +1 281-865-3296 holly.dehesa@ncmahq.org Company Website https://www.ncmahq.org

February 01, 2024 05:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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American Paper Plate Coalition Petitions for Relief from Unfairly Traded Imports from China, Thailand, and Vietnam

American Paper Plate Coalition

The American Paper Plate Coalition (“APPC”), representing the majority of American paper plate production, today petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (“ITC”) to investigate unfairly priced and subsidized paper plate imports from China, Thailand, and Vietnam. The antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions detail unfair trade practices to sell paper plates at less than fair value and allege dumping margins up to 279%, as well as numerous subsidies. The petitions detail the injury suffered by the U.S. industry and its workers, and request relief in the form of special duties on all associated imports to offset unfair pricing and unfair subsidies. “Imports from these countries have used dumped prices and subsidies to continue to grow in the U.S. market at the expense of American producers and workers,” said Bill Biggins, President and Co-owner of APPC member Aspen Products, Inc. “Over the past three years, unfairly priced and subsidized imports have harmed American producers and taken jobs away from hard-working Americans.” The cases filed today cover all types of plates produced from any type of paper, regardless of color, decoration, shape and size. “American producers can compete with anyone in the world, as long as we’re all playing by the same rules,” said Robert Epstein, President and CEO of APPC member AJM Packaging Corporation. “Fortunately, our country’s trade laws are set up to support fair trade. On behalf of our employees, customers, and colleagues, we look forward to seeing those laws enforced and those who violate our laws held accountable.” The next steps in these investigations will be the initiation of Commerce antidumping and countervailing duty investigations by February 14, 2024, and a preliminary ITC determination by March 11, 2024. About the American Paper Plate Coalition The American Paper Plate Coalition, representing the leading U.S. producers of paper plates, is comprised of AJM Packaging Corporation of Bloomfield Hills, MI; Aspen Products, Inc. of Kansas City, MO; Dart Container Corporation of Mason, MI; Hoffmaster Group, Inc. of Oshkosh, WI; Huhtamaki, Inc., of De Soto, KS; and Unique Industries, Inc. of Philadelphia, PA. For more information, visit https://www.ajmpack.com/, https://www.aspenpro.com/, https://www.dartcontainer.com/, https://www.hoffmaster.com/, https://www.huhtamaki.com/en-us/north-america/, and https://www.favors.com/ The American Paper Plate Coalition is represented by Adam H. Gordon of The Bristol Group PLLC, a Washington, DC international trade law firm committed to defending American industry, agriculture, and manufacturing jobs. Contact Details EAH Strategies Elizabeth Posthumus +1 202-445-9858 elizabeth@eahstrategiesllc.com

January 25, 2024 01:05 PM Eastern Standard Time

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The best generative AI solutions of 2024

AIport

January 25, 2024 — Ever since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in the fall of 2022, generative AI (GenAI) solutions have continued to disrupt industries with their surprising and never-before-seen features. Many of the generative AI solutions we hear about today are based on large language models (LLM), which allow them to successfully communicate with end users. Every such model has to be pre-trained on vast amounts of data and then fine-tuned using a variety of different methods. As we’re approaching the end of January, let’s look at the list of the most noteworthy of these models and explore the generative AI solutions they power. Compiled by the AIport newsletter team, this list is by no means exhaustive, but it is a review of what we believe are the LLM-based generative AI solutions and tools that are likely to make headlines this year. GPT (OpenAI and Microsoft) Expectedly, the first LLM on our list with some of the highest expectations this year is at the core of ChatGPT from OpenAI. GPT wasn’t the first LLM out there (there had been others like BERT ), but it was certainly the first one that resulted in a market-ready GenAI product. The original GPT model (Generative Pretrained Transformers) had 170 billion parameters, while the latest version, GPT-4, boasts over 1.75 trillion. The model’s applications are far and wide, being the basis not only for ChatGPT, but also Microsoft’s Bing Chat, which is now part of the Copilot infrastructure. While ChatGPT remains arguably the most impressive text-producing GenAI tool, Bing Chat (unlike ChatGPT) has internet access, making it ideal for web browsing. In addition, the same core GPT model is being utilized by other entities — from Panasonic Connect in Japan, OCBC Bank’s ChatGPT in Singapore, and KPMG’s KaiChat in Germany to the UK government’s upcoming GOV.UK chat. Notably, GPT is also a vital part of OpenAI’s DALL-E suite — a solution that generates images based on descriptions from text. PaLM and Gemini (Google) The next one on our list is Google’s PaLM (Pathways Language Model). The model, boasting 540 billion parameters, was first successfully tested in the spring of 2022. A year later, PaLM 2 was announced and subsequently integrated into Bard — Google’s GenAI chatbot — becoming available to test users around the world. Bard is considered among the finest solutions for productivity, having internet access like Bing Chat, but being less about navigating the web and more about answering burning questions. Bard was seriously bolstered at the end of last year with Google’s highly anticipated launch of the multimodal LLM, Gemini, which had been trained on images and audio/video files, not just text. The jury is still out on how far this update will take Bard, but the expectations are very high indeed. LLaMA (Meta, Microsoft, and Hugging Face) LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI) from Meta was released in February last year. However, the 65-billion-parameter model was leaked online as a downloadable torrent only a week later. While the model did not lead to any ChatGPT-like products at Meta, another AI company — Hugging Face — picked it up and released Hugging Chat. Offering internet access, this GenAI solution has been praised as “the first open source alternative to ChatGPT” with a snarky sense of humor. Not to be outdone, Meta partnered with Microsoft to produce LLaMA 2 in July of last year. Following that, the company announced a beta release of Meta AI at the end of September — a GenAI chatbot, currently available in the US, that can “provide real-time information and generate photorealistic images” from text prompts. This solution is expected to reach Meta users across the rest of the globe later in the year. Claude (Anthropic) Our next LLM is made by Anthropic, and it’s named Claude. Founded in 2021, the company along with its language model may be a less familiar name to most non-geeks. But this is likely to change in 2024. That’s the case not only because the latest version of the namesake GenAI chatbot released last year can now process long PDF files of up to 75,000 words, taking moments to summarize entire books. But also because this has already caught the attention of both Google and Amazon who are keen to invest $2 and $4 billion respectively. While Claude doesn’t offer internet access, its processing power, namely input character memory, outpowers every competitor by a wide margin, including ChatGPT. And the company is said to be working on yet more handy features as we speak. HyperCLOVA X (Naver) HyperCLOVA X is both the LLM and the namesake GenAI chatbot released by the South Korean search engine giant, Naver, last August. Boasting over 200 billion parameters, the LLM is being used mainly for AI-assisted web browsing, much like Bing Chat. While HyperCLOVA X doesn’t speak English, the chatbot’s proficiency in Korean is impressive, having learned 6,500 more Korean words than ChatGPT. In addition to answering user queries, HyperCLOVA X has been designed to offer AI assistance to businesses across numerous sectors — from finance to gaming. Naver is also presently working to make HyperCLOVA X multimodal, following in the footsteps of Google’s Gemini, so another big international headline is likely on the way. Pangu (Huawei) Last spring, Huawei, one of the global tech leaders, unveiled Pangu — an LLM with 1.085 trillion parameters in over 40 natural and programming languages. This LLM now powers the Chinese company’s GenAI assistant called Celia, which resides within Huawei’s HarmonyOS 4 operating system. Supposedly, Celia has already outperformed both Siri and Google Assistant as a phone-based virtual assistant in terms of prompt execution accuracy, such as finding specific photos and documents stored on a device. And as more Huawei smartphones are being churned out, Celia is expected to reach more global users this year with further refinements to the Pangu model. In addition, Pangu is available through Huawei Cloud for commercial use. According to a statement from the company’s leadership, the newest Pangu 3.0 utilizes hierarchical architecture, allowing it to be quickly fine-tuned for a wide range of downstream applications (including Huawei’s autonomous vehicle solutions ), which we’ll surely see more of in 2024. MiLM-6B (Xiaomi) Next up is another Chinese company, Xiaomi — one of the largest phone manufacturers in the world. The company made an entry into the LLM race last summer with its MiLM-6B, a lightweight model created for mobile devices. Boasting 6.4 billion parameters, MiLM-6B has reportedly outperformed rivals in its category and achieved notable scores from evaluation platforms like C-Eval and CMMLU. Xiaomi’s leadership has been vocal for some time about integrating LLMs into its smartphones. It appears that the company’s virtual assistant, Xiao AI, has now finally become a fully fledged GenAI chatbot, generating over 11 words per second. By this metric, despite operating locally on the phone, Xiao AI has matched the performance of some LLMs running on cloud computing services. It’ll be interesting to see whether Xiao AI gets assimilated into the company’s other products, as the rumors suggest, including the recently announced Xiaomi SU7, an autonomous-enabled electric sedan. YandexGPT (Yandex) The final entry on our list is an LLM named YandexGPT from the Russian search engine Yandex. The namesake GenAI solution with 100 billion parameters was beta-released in May last year. The more recent release of YandexGPT2 has demonstrated a 65% improvement in response quality, with a 1.5-fold increase in training data. Interestingly, this GenAI solution was tested and scored enough points to enter a Russian university. YandexGPT was also integrated into Yandex’s flagship virtual assistant named Alice, as well as the company’s smart speakers. Furthermore, the LLM has allowed the company’s e-shoppers to view summarized customer reviews in one place. With YandexGPT at the core, the company now also offers visual GenAI solutions, YandexART and Shedevrum, that can generate images from text, much like Open AI’s DALL-E. Currently, the LLM is also being merged with Yandex Search to offer the end user something similar to Bing Chat and HyperCLOVA X. It’s likely that we’ll see a new announcement pertaining to this development later in the year. New kids on the block Apart from the above entries on our list, several brand new LLMs along with their GenAI solutions are expected to arrive any day from other big players. Among them are Samsung from South Korea, Tencent from China, as well as Amazon and Apple. In fact, Apple already has an internal AI chatbot for employees, but its much-talked-about AppleGPT based on the company’s LLM, Ajax, is said to be around the corner. Amazon began to offer a service for building AI chatbots called Lex a while ago, but more notably, the company recently announced its upcoming GenAI solution tailored for commercial use. Japan doesn’t intend to be left behind either — at least three major LLM initiatives are currently being played out. Among them is a joint project between Fujitsu, RIKEN, Tokyo Tech, and Tohoku University who are developing a series of LLMs using one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, Fugaku. In addition, both NTT and SoftBank are reportedly in the final stages of developing their “homegrown” LLMs. While much remains unclear and covered in mist (or is it gray goo 😉), one thing is certain — 2024 is going to be the most AI-intense year we have seen yet! If you enjoyed this listicle, visit AIport for more exclusive insights into the latest tech trends, with a focus on the global ML landscape. All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Contact Details NettResults PR Nick Leighton +1 949-478-5880 nick.leighton@nettresultsllc.com Company Website https://aiport.substack.com/

January 25, 2024 09:53 AM Pacific Standard Time

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How Minuteman Press Franchise Owner Ray Ochoa Turned a First Order for Sales Flyers Into a Branded Building Project for SoCalGas

Minuteman Press International Inc

Ray Ochoa has owned the Minuteman Press franchise in Torrance, CA since November of 2016. Before buying the business, Ray was no stranger to the printing industry. Ray shares, “I’ve been in printing all my life. I graduated from Don Bosco Technical Institute located in Rosemead, California, which was part of five-year program combined with high school. We spent half of each day on academics and the other half on vocational training. After completion of the program, I went straight into the workforce.” Throughout the course of his career prior to Minuteman Press, Ray worked all over Los Angeles, Texas, and Atlanta for large printing companies that worked with big businesses. Ray says, I worked my way up from press operator to sales to several levels of management. One of my jobs was doing sales for an entertainment print company doing theatrical printing, banners, posters, and printing for home entertainment. We had clients like Sony, Warner, and Paramount.” First Order Leads to Bigger Business Ray’s hard work in his previous career paid off when out of the blue, one of his clients from the entertainment industry called with a rush project for a friend of his. They hadn’t talked in years but they remembered Ray from his outstanding service. Ray says, “I get a call from my contact to see if I could help with a rush printing job for SoCalGas. They needed super-fast turnaround for sales sheets. I didn’t hesitate and fulfilled the order that same day.” Turning around that small print project of 2,500 sales flyers same day lead to the larger month-long project which included painting and large format graphics for the SoCalGas ERC (Energy Resource Center). SoCalGas happens to be the nation’s largest gas distribution utility. They service 21.1 million consumers for the past 150 years and are a subsidiary of SEMPRA Energy. Ray says, “You never know where that next big client will come from. The client was impressed with our quickness and efficiency, and this kick-started everything that was to come between the partnership of Minuteman Press and SoCalGas.” As the business relationship grew, so did the scope of the orders. Ray says, “The team at SoCalGas is so busy and they come to me to turn printing around on a dime. I was used to working with entertainment companies and ad agencies with short timeframes, and so I carried that with me to Minuteman Press. We have fast service, quick turnaround, and can handle high-level commercial printing.” Today, in order to service the SoCalGas marketing division with top quality, fast turnarounds and very competitive pricing, Ray and his team consider themselves an extension of the marketing team. He says, “When we hear of a potential project coming our way we purchase the paper right away and communicate with SoCalGas that we are ready to, willing and able to jump!” Ray continues, “We have delivered through so-called client emergencies, dilemmas, and timeframe issues, even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone. When SoCalGas needed a shipping container to be painted and have vinyl graphics added and installed, I managed the whole project including lining up the painters. They have come to trust me to get the job done, and it is very gratifying to keep delivering for their team.” 30-Day Project Sparks Record Sales Month It is no surprise that when SoCalGas needed to complete a 30-day project in lightning fast time, they turned to Ray Ochoa and Minuteman Press in Torrance. Ray shares, “They came to me with a huge project. There’s a push here in California for companies like SoCalGas to be carbon free by 2030, creating a big push for electric energy. SoCalGas has initiated a process where they add hydrogen to natural has, which is an intermediate step before going green.” Ray continues, “With that said, SoCalGas has its headquarters in downtown Los Angeles but has facilities all over Southern California, including their Energy Resource Center (ERC). As a result, they built a carbon-free hydrogen home – otherwise known as H2 Home – and they tasked me with doing all of the prep work, painting, and graphics installations.” For this project, Ray acted as the project manager in addition to handling all of the printing later on. He says, “I was there every morning at 7:30 am for their construction meetings, listening to everything that was happening. We went in there and prepped/painted all of the equipment and even the rooftops. We carefully measured each piece of equipment and then had graphics installed on every single piece that was built to those measurements.” The completion of this project not only helped Ray achieve a record sales month, it also has created even more business afterwards. Ray explains, “This initial project was 30 days and we had tight deadlines so they could hold their grand opening for the facility. Since then, we have also printed a lot of collateral materials for SoCalGas. They had a special request to have their marketing materials printed on FSC paper that is 100% recyclable, and we got it done. We’ve also done graphics for their trucks as well as a 200-ft. banner.” When asked for the keys to his relationships with clients like SoCalGas, Ray says, “It’s all about customer service… understanding what is needed, when it’s needed and delivering it to them without exception! You are that problem-solver and you need to build that reputation as a trusted business partner.” “When it comes to doing business, there are three keys: 1. We are in the happy customer business; 2. We need to make a profit; 3. We want to have fun doing it!” -Ray Ochoa, owner, Minuteman Press, Torrance, CA Additional Quick Questions and Answers On doing business in Torrance, CA: “Torrance is a big city with a rather large footprint. We are a beach city with restaurants, manufacturing, and attorneys, etc. The three primary ways I’ve grown my business are through marketing, building my reputation, and cultivating personal relationships.” On products and services: “High-demand products are all of the different kinds of signage – pullup banners, vinyl banners, window clings, large format, and stickers.” On support from Minuteman Press: “I graduated from that five-year program in 1985 and have been in printing since that time. What I liked about Minuteman Press the most was FLEX – from order entry to reports, it’s such a valuable tool. I also liked the capped royalties and the local support. If I need help, my RVP Dan Byers or anyone on the team at World HQ is there.” Advice for Others: “1. Customer service – this is the most important. 2. Follow the Minuteman Press system. Also, maximize the capabilities of FLEX. 3. You are there to serve and to help. Buyers are trusting you. If they pick the wrong vendor, they can lose their jobs. Mistakes happen, so make up for them, and say ‘this is what I’ll do for you.’ Clients may sign off on the proof but you have to look beyond that and make things right when needed.” For more information on Ray Ochoa’s Minuteman Press franchise in Torrance, CA, visit https://www.minutemantorrance.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

January 22, 2024 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Trust & Will Bolsters Executive Team with Strategic Hires

Trust & Will

Trust & Will, the leading digital estate planning and settlement platform in the U.S., today announced that it has made a number of new executive hires amid significant revenue and member growth and future market opportunities. These notable hires include: Dale Sperling joins the company as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing a unique blend of leadership, creativity, and deep knowledge of brand and marketing to the new role. Dale has been a persistent force in the marketing world, most recently serving as CMO at Stash, a financial investing app, and previously held senior marketing roles at Walt Disney Internet Group and AOL. Doug Luftman joins the company as Chief Legal Officer to lead the legal, government affairs, and people operations groups and further elevate such functions as strategic business resources. Over his 25-year career, Doug has served in strategic roles spanning from General Counsel at startups to senior legal executive positions at companies such as DocuSign, CBS & Palm, Inc. Stephany Bader joins the company as VP of Product, to lead the product management and design organization, bringing over 15 years of product management experience to the role. She is responsible for setting the company’s product strategy and roadmap, as well as overseeing product execution and user experience design. Previously she led the investing product at Wealthfront, and held senior product leadership roles at Intuit, Eventbrite, and Google. Michael Jones joins the company as VP of Engineering to lead our engineering practice, bringing over 20 years of engineering leadership experience across fintech, startups, and communities. He has been accountable for building efficient teams from scratch and maturing organizations to scale across multiple engineering disciplines and cross-functional accountabilities. He most recently held senior engineering roles at Fundrise, Acorns, and Capital One. David Weisman was promoted to VP of Sales & Partnerships. He brings over 13 years of experience in partnerships and sales strategy and execution to his role. Previously, David held roles as Head of Business Development at Scoop Technologies and as Global Product Expert at Google, demonstrating expertise in B2B development, market analysis, and driving sustainable revenue growth. After recently announcing brand ambassadors Matthew and Kelly Stafford, along with becoming a Certified B Corporation, the startup is uniquely poised to help every family leave a legacy. "Empowering families to leave a lasting legacy is our mission. With top-tier talent joining our executive team, we're primed to reach the 60% of Americans without an estate plan through our affordable platform. As we gear up for explosive growth in 2024, their expertise and leadership align seamlessly with our vision. I'm confident their contributions will shape Trust & Will's future success," said Cody Barbo, Founder and CEO of Trust & Will. With more than 700,000 members, the digital platform has a 1300% growth rate according to Deloitte, and will reach even more families in 2024 to help with estate planning and probate. Squarely in hyper-growth mode, Trust & Will’s newly enhanced executive team will help propel the company through this next growth phase to serve hundreds of thousands of new members. ABOUT TRUST & WILL Trust & Will is simplifying estate planning and settlement with attorney-approved, legally valid documents and processes designed to adhere to individual state guidelines. Since 2017, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of Trust & Will members leave their legacy with an affordable way to create an estate plan or settle the estate of a loved one. Our platform uses bank-level encryption that protects customer data and complies with the highest security standards, including SOC 2 and HIPAA. Trust & Will is a certified B Corporation and is the official estate planning benefit provider for AARP members, along with several leading financial institutions, who all believe in our mission of helping every family leave their legacy. Trust & Will is an online service providing legal forms and information. Trust & Will is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Contact Details Danielle Nuzzo +1 631-807-7772 danielle@trustandwill.com Company Website https://trustandwill.com

January 22, 2024 07:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Trust & Will Announces Strategic Investment from Erie Strategic Ventures

Trust & Will

Trust & Will, the leading digital estate planning and settlement platform, is proud to announce a strategic investment from Erie Strategic Ventures, the venture capital arm of Erie Insurance (ERIE) in partnership with Touchdown Ventures. This financing builds on previous investments, with more than $50 million raised since Trust & Will’s founding in 2017. The new capital will further integrate Trust & Will's award-winning platform with leading financial institutions and insurance providers. “We are honored to partner with Erie Strategic Ventures and Touchdown Ventures to help more families leave a legacy,” said Cody Barbo, founder and CEO of Trust & Will. “With this strategic investment and ERIE’s reputation as a leading auto, home, business and life insurance company, we can bring our innovative digital solutions to people who may otherwise think they can’t afford or don’t need an estate plan.” Nearly 60% of American adults do not have an estate plan. Trust & Will provides an easy and secure way to create estate plans and settle estates online, with the ability to customize legal documents that adhere to individual state and county guidelines. The fintech company recently achieved B Corporation certification, becoming the first in their industry to do so. “Trust & Will has made it easy and affordable for anyone to proactively get their estate in order and we’re pleased to partner with this leader in online estate planning and settlement,” said Keith Kennedy, senior vice president for Next Level Innovation at Erie Insurance. “Similar to the flexible and affordable life insurance that we offer through Erie Family Life, estate planning is an essential part of protecting your family and helping loved ones when they'll need it most.” About Trust & Will Trust & Will is simplifying estate planning and settlement with attorney-approved, legally valid documents and processes designed to adhere to individual state guidelines. Since 2017, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of Trust & Will members leave their legacy with an affordable way to create an estate plan or settle the estate of a loved one. Our platform uses bank-level encryption that protects customer data and complies with the highest security standards, including SOC 2 and HIPAA. Trust & Will is a certified B Corporation and is the official estate planning benefit provider for AARP members, along with several leading financial institutions, who all believe in our mission of helping every family leave their legacy. About Erie Strategic Ventures Erie Strategic Ventures is the venture capital arm of Erie Insurance (ERIE), a Fortune 500 auto, home, business and life insurance company that generated $8.6 billion in direct written premiums in 2022. Founded in 1925, ERIE is the nation’s 12th largest homeowners insurer, 12th largest automobile insurer and 13th largest commercial lines insurer based on direct premiums written. ERIE is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best and has more than six million policies in force and a network of over 13,000 independent agents across 12 states and Washington D.C. Learn more about Erie Strategic Ventures at www.erieinsurance.com/ventures. About Touchdown Ventures Touchdown Ventures partners with corporations to manage their venture capital programs. Touchdown works closely with each corporation to help achieve the financial and strategic benefits from venture capital investments. The firm maintains offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. More information on Touchdown can be found at www.touchdownvc.com. Trust & Will is an online service providing legal forms and information. Trust & Will is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Contact Details Trust & Will Danielle Nuzzo +1 631-807-7772 danielle@trustandwill.com Company Website https://trustandwill.com

January 18, 2024 01:47 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Quilbot Out, Excellence In: Best Alternative to Quilbot's Paraphrasing Tool

Spark Metro

When it comes to writing for school or work, having a good paraphrasing tool is super important. Students and professional writers often need a tool to help them rephrase work while keeping their writing clear and unique. Quilbot has been a go-to for many, but it turns out it is not so great at getting the job done. This tool doesn't give the required output at first, making it very time-consuming. Also, the subscription rates are not student-friendly at all! That's where our journey begins — exploring alternatives that not only beat Quilbot but also save time and money. We have discovered the top 2 paraphrasing tools that will get the job done at the most affordable rates. MyEssayWriter.ai PerfectEssayWriter.ai How to use them? Don’t worry! This descriptive guide is your answer to all of your paraphrasing woes! Stay tuned, and let's dig deeper into each tool! MyEssayWriter.ai's Paraphrasing Tool Unlike Quilbot, MyEssayWriter.ai's paraphrasing tool is designed with a focus on accuracy and speed. This tool stands out with its accuracy, speed, extensive support, and document-friendly features, offering a superior alternative to the limitations of Quilbot. Benefits of MyEsayWriter.ai’s Paraphrasing Tool This outstanding paraphrasing tool stands out through an enhanced user experience and thoughtful adaptability to user preferences. Let’s check out some of the benefits of this smart paraphraser. Enhanced User Experience: The tool transforms the user experience with its intuitive, seamless, and straightforward experience, designed for users of all proficiency levels. Precision in Rephrasing: One of the standout features is the tool's remarkable precision in rephrasing content. It carefully looks at the context, keeps the original intent, and makes it clearer and more organized. Preservation of Original Meaning: The tool places emphasis on preserving the original meaning of the text. Through advanced algorithms, it ensures that the rephrased content remains faithful to the author's intent. Adaptability to User Preferences: Recognizing the diverse needs of users, the tool offers a range of customizable settings. Users can tailor the level of paraphrasing based on their preferences. How it Works Let’s dig into the convenient and easiest working process of this tool: 1. Manual Content Input Whether it's a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire document, the user-friendly interface allows for manual and direct input. 2. Paste Text or Sample Text Another convenient option is the ability to paste existing text directly into the tool. Users can simply paste the content they want to paraphrase or else use sample text to test the efficiency of the tool. 3. Document and PDF Upload MyEssayWriter.ai's paraphrasing tool goes a step further by supporting document and PDF uploads. Now, users can also upload files directly into the tool. 4. Click “Paraphrase” Button Once the content is input or uploaded, start the paraphrasing process with a simple click on the "Paraphrase" button. We used this tool to check out its efficiency and definitely loved the results: Outstanding Features of this Paraphrasing Tool MyEssayWriter.ai's tool excels at preserving the context and tone of the original content. Here are some outstanding features offered by MyEssayWriter.ai: Contextual Brilliance: MyEssayWriter.ai's tool goes beyond simple rewording, ensuring that the essence and feeling of the original text are preserved with precision. Customizable Settings: Whether the users want a subtle rephrase or a more significant transformation, the tool adapts to their unique writing style and needs. Multilingual Support: This tool goes beyond language barriers, offering robust multilingual support for over 26 languages. Multiple Modes MyEssayWriter.ai also offers different modes of paraphrasing, making the experience unforgettable for you! If you, like us, also liked this tool, you can also explore multiple tools offered by this essay maker. PerfectEssayWriter.ai's Paraphrasing Tool In contrast to Quilbot, PerfectEssayWriter.ai's paraphrasing tool is designed with a focus on precision and efficiency. This tool surpasses Quilbot with accurate and swift paraphrasing, keeping the main idea of the original text intact. Benefits of PerfectEssayWriter’s Paraphrasing Tool This smart and advanced paraphraser is loved for its exceptional precision, ensuring a refined and clear paraphrasing of content. Precision Beyond Rephrasing: The tool excels not just in rephrasing but also in precision. Each word and sentence is thoroughly analyzed, maintaining coherence and clarity. Enhanced Coherence: The tool carefully structures the rephrased content, ensuring that ideas flow seamlessly, contributing to an improved and polished narrative. Clarity Amplification: The rephrased content is not only coherent but also crystal clear, making complex ideas more accessible. How it Works Let's delve into the seamless and user-friendly operational process of PerfectEssayWriter.ai's tool: 1. Manual Content Input Users enjoy the flexibility to manually input content, and paste functionality for text and sample text. It further supports document and PDF uploads, enhancing versatility and ease of use. 2. Paraphrase it Once content is input or uploaded, users can paraphrase the content with a simple click on the "Paraphrase" button. 3. Effortless Results The paraphrasing tool swiftly processes input, providing a well-crafted, paraphrased version that maintains the original meaning while presenting it in a unique way. Exceptional Features of PerfectEssayWriter.ai Paraphraser PerfectEssayWriter.ai's tool includes a vast set of paraphrasing features, including: Enhanced User Interface: Its intuitive and user-friendly interface simplifies navigation, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable paraphrasing experience. Contextual Brilliance: This tool shows precision in maintaining the context and tone of the original content, ensuring intent preservation. Customizable Settings: You can tailor the paraphrasing with user-controlled settings, allowing for a subtle rephrase or transformative modeling. Multilingual Proficiency: Get support for over 26 languages, breaking language barriers for seamless paraphrasing in diverse linguistic preferences. Various Writing Modes PerfectEssayWriter.ai has different ways of paraphrasing, making the experience memorable for you! PerfectEssayWriter.ai also offer the diverse range of tools other than paraphrasing too. Try out this AI essay writer! Final Thoughts As we wrap up, the transition from Quilbot to MyEssayWriter.ai and PerfectEssayWriter.ai marks a significant upgrade in your paraphrasing experience. These tools, each with their unique strengths and modes, promise precision, clarity, and a user-friendly approach. Say goodbye to limitations and embrace the future with MyEssayWriter.ai and PerfectEssayWriter.ai. It's no t just a change; it's a powerful transformation. Your writing deserves the best, and with these tools, you're on the path to excellence. Contact Details Skyscrapers LLC Alex +1 302-597-6768 info@skyscrapersllc.com Company Website https://skyscrapersllc.com/

January 16, 2024 07:12 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Shareholder Statement on Departure of Al Gore from Board of Directors for Apple Inc.

NLPC

Apple Inc. announced that former Vice President Al Gore will not stand for reelection to the board of directors at the annual meeting in two months, attributing his departure to the company’s age limit for members. Ahead of last year’s annual meeting, National Legal and Policy Center – a shareholder in Apple – called for fellow investors to oppose Gore’s reelection, explaining in a lengthy memo filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission why he was unqualified to serve in such an influential leadership role and was detrimental to the company. NLPC wrote in part: Mr. Gore has held a position on Apple’s board since 2003, despite having no relevant experience in technology or core business functions. His primary benefit to the board is his supposed climate change expertise. However, Mr. Gore’s public reputation is inconsistent with his track record, his carbon-intensive lifestyle, and his actual investments. Instead, he has used his public advocacy as a tool for personal enrichment. In addition, his political activism poses to Apple a reputational risk that is not worth his limited skillset. Following the announcement, Paul Chesser, Director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project, stated: “Al Gore was Apple’s longest serving director, for more than 20 years – but he never should have even served a day. How influential were his many distortions and exagerations over the years about energy and climate? How much more did his policy preferences increase the costs of Apple products to unaffordable highs for many more potential customers? How much did his hypocritical jet-setting and personal electricity use undermine the company’s reputation?” “Apple is a great company, but it would have been even greater without the presence of Al Gore. Good riddance.” NLPC is also sponsoring a shareholder proposal at the upcoming annual meeting, which seeks accountability from the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant about its human rights policies versus its actions. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with Paul Chesser, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or drene@nlpc.org. Please visit http://www.nlpc.org. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

January 11, 2024 06:02 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to Support NCMA Nexus 2024

National Contract Management Association

The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) is pleased to announce the collaboration with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) for the inaugural Nexus 2024 conference, scheduled from March 3-6 in Jacksonville, FL. This strategic partnership is a significant milestone for NCMA as it reinforces the commitment to advancing the knowledge and skills of the defense acquisition workforce. Notably, participants in Nexus 2024 will benefit from transferable credits toward their certifications, making this collaboration with DAU particularly valuable for professionals seeking career development opportunities. Nexus 2024, offers a unique platform for cross-functional collaboration for both government and industry to address pressing issues in federal procurement, including supply chain risk, cybersecurity, and sustainability. The event encourages joint efforts in innovation, strategic discussions, case studies, hackathons, and real-world problem-solving, providing deployable solutions for attendees. The co-hosted event aligns seamlessly with the new Better Contracting Initiative (BCI), emphasizing that multi-functional groups come together to learn the acquisition lifecycle side by side, promoting a comprehensive understanding of each’s others perspective job functions along with federal procurement challenges. One of the emcees for Nexus 2024 is DAU’s Professor of Program Management, Julie Knechtel, expressed her excitement about the event, stating, "I am excited to be part of an event that brings together diverse perspectives and expertise in defense acquisition. It is a great opportunity to train as we work, leverage the expertise of multi-functional teams, and enhance the skills needed to tackle the evolving challenges in federal procurement collaboratively." NCMA's Chief Executive Officer, Kraig Conrad, commented on the natural fit between NCMA and DAU, saying, "The collaboration with DAU at Nexus 2024 exemplifies our shared commitment to advancing the knowledge and skills of the acquisition workforce. We are grateful for their support as together we drive better practices and better outcomes in acquisition and procurement.” Michelle Currier, NCMA's Chief Learning Officer, also shared her enthusiasm, stating, "The Nexus 2024 event underscores the importance of collaboration and continuous learning in federal procurement. DAU's support enhances the educational value of the event, aligning with the goals of not only NCMA, but the federal government overall." Nexus 2024 is open to all professionals involved in federal procurement, providing an ideal opportunity for integrated teams to learn and train together. For more information about Nexus 2024 and to register for the event, visit the NCMA website at http://www.ncmahq.org/nexus. The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) – www.ncmahq.org – stands as the premier contract management organization whose mission is to collaborate towards a globally recognized contract management profession that strengthens its nexus with related acquisition communities. Serving approximately 20,000 members in both the public and private sectors, NCMA propels the growth, advancement, and impact of practitioners through a steadfast commitment to serve through the open exchange of ideas in neutral forums. DAU is the acquisition learning, development and talent management organization for the Department of Defense with a mission to provide a global learning environment to develop qualified acquisition, requirements, and contingency professionals who deliver and sustain effective and affordable warfighting capabilities. Nearly 160,000 acquisition professionals across all military services and Department of Defense agencies have access to career-long learning and support from DAU faculty and staff. Contact Details Holly DeHesa +1 281-865-3296 dominick.belfiore@ncmahq.org Company Website https://www.ncmahq.org

January 11, 2024 05:05 AM Eastern Standard Time

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