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Ready for Ron Advocates and Spokespeople Generating Tremendous Support & Amplifying Pro-DeSantis Messages

Ready for Ron

Ready for Ron, a draft committee encouraging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for President is seeing growing momentum as the only credible organization working to draft, and elect, Ron DeSantis as President in 2024. Ready for Ron launched an advertising and grassroots mobilization effort in late May to help convince Ron DeSantis he has the support to win the Presidency in 2024. The PAC also filed an official Advisory Opinion Request with the Federal Election Commission to ask if it may share the names of Draft petition signers with Governor DeSantis to convince him to run. A series of op-eds from the past few weeks show the significant and growing support DeSantis has throughout the country among grassroots activists and donors: Ed Rollins, Ready for Ron Senior Strategist wrote in Real Clear Politics, “…With a commitment to defending the rights of parents, getting inflation and government spending under control, and solving the problems the radical left causes, DeSantis can unify the grassroots activists and his volunteers and donors. Undeterred by bullies and the woke mob alike, he is listening and putting people first every step of the way. No class warfare – only common ground…” Lilian Rodrigues Baz, Ready for Ron’s Chief Legal Counsel wrote in The Washington Times, “…From Florida to the blue states north and west, America is ready for Mr. DeSantis. He will make America great again, carrying on the Trump tradition and inspiring hope in our country yet again. It can’t come soon enough…” Autry Pruitt, CEO of New Journey PAC wrote in the Western Journal, “…From pro-business economics to anti-wokeism, DeSantis innately recognizes the fight before Republicans in 2022 and 2024. He has routinely clashed with left-wing reporters and liberal Democrats, recognizing that one cannot realistically turn enemies into friends — not in today’s America. Along those lines, DeSantis is not afraid to dismiss radical bureaucrats who make states like Florida less free or less safe…” Shaun McCutcheon a Free Speech advocate and successful Supreme Court plaintiff, wrote in TownHall, “…Even conservatives like me, who love Trump, see DeSantis as the real alternative with a proven track record of standing up for American values. As Governor, he defended the rights of parents and got government spending under control, solving the big problems the Biden administration creates…” “We are excited to see our efforts paying off. Support for Ron DeSantis continues to grow, despite increasing attacks from the Left, and his base is solid,” stated Lilian Rodríguez-Baz. “We are building the biggest grassroots movements ever, and with support growing like this, it will happen even quicker than anticipated.” “We are 100 percent committed to drafting and electing Ron DeSantis in 2024. Ron DeSantis is the best choice to carry the America first agenda forward,” Ed Rollins said. Ready for Ron continues its TV and online advertising efforts to engage Americans to sign the petition at www.ReadyForRon.com to Draft Ron DeSantis to run in 2024. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with a ‘Ready for Ron’ spokesperson or advocate, please contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or dan@readyforron.com Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 dan@readyforron.com Company Website https://www.readyforron.com/

August 29, 2022 12:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Minuteman Press Franchise in Swindon, England Reopens Doors After Flooding and Fire

Minuteman Press International Inc

Minuteman Press in Swindon, England has reopened its physical location at 19-21 Newport Street (Ground Floor – Newport House). After suffering water damage from flooding in July of 2021 and electrical fire damage in October of 2021, owner James Beckwith and his team continued to operate and serve clients as repairs were being made. James shares, “The community has been fantastic, we officially remained open the whole time taking orders from the website and emails, as well as keeping our phone lines open. We have had nothing but positive comments and folks telling us they are so happy we are back open. Some customers have commented that though they had to go elsewhere for a time, the quality of the print and the quality of the service just didn’t compare to what they received when working with us.” During this critical time and leading to the reopening of their facility, James was grateful to be part of the Minuteman Press franchise family, who stepped in and provided crucial support in many areas. James says, “Mark Jones (UK South Regional VP) and Richard Myers (local field rep) and Duncan Diesel (at MPIHQ) have been invaluable to us. I routinely spoke with Duncan on equipment decisions when ours was being replaced as well as marketing ideas and technical help with Minuteman Press FLEX software and the new website. Richard has been out to see us during the time we had no premises to work up a plan once we were back open and he has been out since opening to assist with production processes and marketing ideas. Mark Jones was always at the end of the phone if we needed advice on anything. He was very key in us making the decision to stay in our current premises when we were investigating moving locations.” Being part of the Minuteman Press system also enabled James to receive vital support from choice vendors like Xerox. James states, “I want to particularly give a shout out to Xerox. They were amazing throughout the entire process. The Xerox kit was always the most expensive shop item and there were lots of negotiations on price to replace the two Versants that were damaged. They ultimately gave us the opportunity to acquire the Xerox Iridesse and offline booklet maker to match the requirements from the two previous Versants while keeping the insurance company happy on cost. Xerox also gave me near free reign of their Uxbridge HQ where I was allowed to run one particular job on their presses every month for six or seven months.” Today, with the repairs finished, new equipment in place and new signage installed, James is excited about the upgrades that have been made to the business. He says, “Our offices and production area have been refurbished, and we can now provide more services than before.” James continues, “We now have totally new kit, and because it is so versatile, we can offer more options than before, with an even faster turnaround. The new Xerox Iridesse is a full production press allowing us more and faster capabilities as well as improved image quality over our previous presses.” He adds, “Even our booklet-making capacity has improved. Whereas before, making a large number of booklets could take several hours, we can now produce up to 3,000 booklets in an hour.” James further explains the benefits of the new equipment installed at Minuteman Press in Swindon: “The Iridesse is absolutely amazing. The image quality is second to none. The job that I would run at Xerox HQ was a monthly magazine run for a local village. 1050 copies, ranging from 20 – 32 pages each month. On our Versants, the job would take 6 – 8 hours. Now the entire job takes us about 2 hours!” We were able to update our Duplo 615 to the 618 and that piece of kit is a dream. Touch screen, easy to configure and very dependable. We replaced our SureColour T5200 with the same model, however now we have the large format scanner which was one area we were sorely lacking. Customers would routinely come in with paper plans looking to get copies or scans and we would have to turn them away, now we can handle the full job for them. We replaced our HP Latex 330 with the Latex 335 that has the Print & Cut feature. We couldn’t be happier with the decision. We are still getting our feet wet with the Print & Cut, but so far we are producing work on all the new kit.” Minuteman Press in Swindon also plans to re-add dye sublimation and add a self-service area for walk-in customers who need a simple print job. James says, “This is really ideal if someone wants a return label printed, for example. We always offered this kind of service for customers, but soon they will be able to do it on a DIY basis.” James concludes, “We are happy to be back in our new and improved facility, and we are excited to continue to welcome back our clients. We are so thankful for them and all of the help we’ve received from our community and MPIHQ, and now we are ready to serve our clients better than ever before.” For more information about Minuteman Press in Swindon, visit https://minuteman.com/uk/locations/england/swindon/ To learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and to see Minuteman Press franchise reviews, visit https://minutemanpressfranchise.co.uk or https://minutemanpressfranchise.com Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

August 26, 2022 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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This Company Believes Biometrics Could Be One Of The New Super Powers Of The Digital World

BIO-key International, Inc.

In March 2017, Netflix’s official Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) account tweeted "love is sharing a password." Five years later, media reports created a furor, hinting that Netflix was considering ways to curtail password sharing with people beyond the main user’s household. Password sharing on digital streaming platforms like Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Amazon.com Inc. ’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) Prime Video is common practice with multiple people sharing a single account with different user profiles. But what Netflix has taken issue with now, and is trying to curtail, is the unauthorized and illegal sharing of passwords through password-sharing marketplaces run by bad actors, which it says costs the company more than $6 million in annual revenue loss. The consequences of credential-related cyber crime could prove to be very expensive for organizations if the spate of reported incidents is anything to go by. Some of the most significant password-related security breaches of the last year include those at Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), SolarWinds Corp. (NYSE: SWI), and GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY). Microsoft reported a cyberattack by Chinese hacking group Hafnium, which targeted thousands of its servers across the United States and affected government agencies and businesses, exposing the email communications of each affected organization. In a separate incident, U.S. government agencies were compromised in a series of nationwide attacks involving software from the cyber security firm SolarWinds where hackers reportedly exploited a vulnerability in its network monitoring software, allowing them to infiltrate companies that were using that software and gain access to their email communications. Cybercriminals apparently had access to GoDaddy’s systems for over two months before they were detected and their access blocked, by which time considerable damage had already been done. Rising Cyber Crime Could Be Driving Companies’ Focus Toward Identity And Access Management User credentials are the entry point to an organization’s data, and securing the network and access to data has become a top priority for businesses in the highly digital world. Companies like BIO-key International Inc. (NASDAQ: BKYI), 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM), Fujitsu Ltd. (TYO: 6702), and Safran SA (SAF.PA) provide secure access management solutions in different parts of the world could play an important role in addressing the challenges that are inherent with password-based security solutions and the risk and cost associated with traditional methods of access management. More organizations are moving away from password-based solutions to biometric authentication. Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB) provides a type of authentication that verifies the actual identity of the individual behind the keyboard, and BIO-key says its world-class biometric platform integrates into its customers’ Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy. The company reports that it offers multiple Identity and Access Management system options when it comes to enforcing stronger security and multi-factor authentication. It is showcasing new innovations at the Gartner Identity and Access Management (IAM) Summit (Booth 232) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 22-24th. At the Summit, BIO-key will highlight new authentication methods, as additions to its current PalmPositive TM palm scanning method, for its BIO-key MobileAuth ™ mobile app, including FacePositive™ for server-secured facial recognition, device-based biometrics for Android and iOS, and new push token support. It boasts decades of expertise in the field and claims it has a proven track record of successful Identity & Access Management (IAM) project delivery and strong customer relationships in financial services, healthcare, education, manufacturing, communication, transportation, and government. BIO-key says its signature product — PortalGuard® IDaaS (Identity-as-a-Service) — has flexible single sign-on and various authentication options to meet the security goals of most modern organizations to deliver an optimized user experience. Features the company says make PortalGuard an attractive access management solution include: Accessibility to a suite of apps from multiple devices without requiring the user to manage numerous, difficult-to-remember passwords. Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), including biometric authentication options like Identity-Bound Biometrics, to prevent unauthorized access if an attempt to access an application is made from outside of the company’s usual geography. Reduced operational costs and a less heavy burden on tech support to enable password resets because users can quickly reset their own passwords using their fingerprint as their authentication method of choice. To learn more about BIO-key’s biometric solutions visit the company webpage. BIO-key is revolutionizing authentication and cybersecurity with biometric-centric, multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) software managing millions of users. Its cloud-based PortalGuard IAM solution provides cost-effective, easy to deploy, convenient and secure access to devices, information, applications, and high-value transactions. BIO-key's patented software and hardware solutions, with industry-leading Identity-Bound Biometric (IBB) capabilities, enable large-scale Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solutions, as well as customized on premises solutions. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Catalyst IR- William Jones, David Collins +1 212-924-9800 BKYI@catalyst-ir.com Company Website https://www.bio-key.com/

August 25, 2022 03:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Talon Wall Holdings Files $150 Million Defamation Claim Against Reflection Window & Wall

Talon Wall Holdings, LLC

Talon Wall Holdings LLC and their related entities, Chicago Heights Glass Inc. and Entekk Group LTD, longstanding national leaders in commercial high-rise façade construction, recently filed a $150 million defamation counterclaim against Reflection Window & Wall, LLC (RWW) and its director of curtain wall, Joel J. Phelps, who formerly worked for Talon Wall. Talon Wall Holdings, LLC and the related entities had sued the defendants in 2021 for patent infringement, a case that has yet to be resolved. In the interim, RWW filed a lawsuit and published a press release that questioned the safety of Talon Wall®, a patented and revolutionary exterior aluminum and glass wall construction system for commercial buildings. Talon Wall Holdings LLC and the entities refute the RWW allegations and have filed the defamation claims in response. The counterclaim states that RWW “baselessly alleges that the Talon Wall System is not fire safe,” and “in an effort to compete through the courts rather than the marketplace” alleges that the Talon Wall entities committed “fraud.” The counterclaim calls the RWW allegations a “far-reaching and illogical conspiracy” and alleges that, in fact, the “Talon Wall System utilizes the same Window Wall Fire Safe Structure” as all the window wall systems that RWW and other façade manufacturers have been installing for decades, and which RWW has asserted “are known for exceeding fire safety objectives.” According to the counterclaim, “the Talon Wall System has been stringently evaluated by experts on fire safety through the process of approval for large projects throughout the country, and through third-party engineering judgments (including third-party fire testing).” The counterclaim further states that the “Talon Wall System meets or exceeds project specifications with class-leading thermal, structural, air, acoustic, seismic and water performance. It does not require field-applied acoustical, fire-safing insulation, mullion wraps, or fire sealant at floor slab interfaces. It does not require layout or presetting of unit anchors at mounting locations to floor slabs.” In fact, the Talon Wall System has been approved for use by multiple building departments for projects throughout North America, including in Chicago, New York, Denver, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, Nashville, New Jersey, and Virginia, among others. It has also been awarded five United States patents. The counterclaim also alleges that RWW’s July 7, 2022, press release made numerous false statements about Chicago Heights Glass that constitute defamation, commercial disparagement, and slander. The claim further alleges that Phelps, now employed by RWW, breached his fiduciary duty to his former employer by disseminating confidential documents and that they “misquoted and misrepresented ASTM standards in an effort to scare monger and create suspicion when [they] knew that all test requirements were met and passed by the Talon Wall System.” The counterclaim attaches 26 certified engineering judgments and fire test reports for Talon Wall projects, which contradict RWW’s claims that Talon Wall is unsafe. A May 20, 2018, engineering judgment was actually directed to Phelps while he was employed by Entekk as its vice president. Phelps left Entekk in June 2020 to join RWW as its director of curtain wall. He helped RWW design a curtain wall system known as UWALL, which sparked the original patent infringement suit by Talon Wall. The counterclaim seeks damages of $150 million and asks the court to direct RWW and Phelps to retract all defamatory communications and false statements, enjoin them from making further defamatory statements, and disgorge profits from all unlawful activity. Chicago Heights Glass, Inc., a privately owned specialty subcontracting firm, and Entekk Group LTD, a privately owned specialty design and manufacturing firm, are both located in the southern Chicago suburbs and specialize in large commercial construction projects. More information on the company is available at www.chicagoheightsglass.com and www.entekk.com. The original patent infringement lawsuit and the recently filed counterclaim can be downloaded here and at www.LawsuitPressRelease.com. Contact Details LawsuitPressRelease.com John P. David +1 888-859-6637 john@LawsuitPressRelese.coom

August 25, 2022 01:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Shareholder’s Group Demands Morningstar Correct Inaccuracies in Report on ESG Proposals

National Legal & Policy Center

Last week, influential financial ratings and research firm Morningstar reported its findings in its proxy season analysis of a so-called “anti-ESG explosion” of shareholder resolutions at the annual meetings of several major corporations. Without contacting National Legal and Policy Center about its 25 proposals this year, Morningstar mischaracterized them as measures antithetical to the Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) emphasis that has been widely embraced by Corporate America. “In its apparent zeal to denigrate NLPC’s participation in the shareholder process, Morningstar dismissed the fact that nearly all of our resolutions addressed governance issues – that’s right, the “G” in “ESG,” said Paul Chesser, director of the Corporate Integrity Project for NLPC. “That makes them pro -ESG!” Indeed, NLPC’s proposals at various times have been proposed in the past, with very similar language, by progressive shareholders who would be identified as “pro-ESG.” Of NLPC’s 25 proposals, six of them sought to split the Chairman and CEO roles; Eleven of them sought greater charitable donation disclosure; Four of them sought greater lobbying expenditure disclosure; and one sought greater board diversity. The other three also could have been proposed by progressives: One sought transparency from Alphabet about requests it received from the government to remove content from its platforms, and two of them addressed human rights and slave labor (Disney and General Motors). “What about any of these proposals makes them ‘anti-ESG?’” Chesser wondered. “Why is good, transparent governance ‘pro’ when progressives present the idea, but ‘anti’ when conservatives present it? Morningstar can’t even point to anything in our resolutions’ supporting statements that screams ‘conservative’ or ‘anti-ESG.’” Puzzlingly, Morningstar unintentionally admitted that NLPC’s proposals were really pro -ESG, by reporting, “Many of the [NLPC] proposals found language and phrasing that the Securities and Exchange Commission finds acceptable by copying earlier approved pro-ESG proposals.” Morningstar also stated that one of NLPC’s many proposals – to split the Chairman and CEO roles – was “reasonable, and many players, Morningstar Sustainalytics included, recommended that investors vote for the proposal.” Nonetheless Morningstar – in its overall effort to paint the resistance to “woke” corporate policies as a failure – misled its readers, subscribers, and the business media about the nature of NLPC’s resolutions. Worse – and without contacting NLPC to learn more about its proposals – Morningstar smeared NLPC by characterizing its intentions as “disingenuous” and “insincere.” “If shareholders had approved any of our resolutions and the companies implemented their measures, they would not have done so in a way that was advantageous for political conservatives or so-called ‘anti-ESG’ advocates – because that’s not what we asked for in our resolutions,” Chesser said. “Greater transparency and accountability represent good governance for all customers and investors — and again, these are measures sought many times in the past by progressive shareholders.” Chesser added that Morningstar is not the objective research and ratings company -- influencing hundreds of billions of dollars in investments -- that many consider it to be. The finance firm is being investigated by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, under the state’s consumer protection and anti-“Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” laws. “I suspect what really upsets Morningstar and ESG advocates is that we have shown up on what they regarded as their conquered turf at annual shareholder meetings,” Chesser said. “I’m sure they don’t like the competition.” Chesser characterized the proxy season overall as a first-step for conservatives, and noted that nearly all “pro-ESG” resolutions presented to shareholders over the past several years have been rejected also. Nonetheless the progressive shareholders have won the overall “battlefield” by showing up year after year, by virtue of pro-ESG sympathizers overtaking the boardrooms and executive suites of every major corporation. “Morningstar hoped we would be demoralized by the failure of our resolutions to pass, and I’m sure they wish we would just go away,” Chesser said. “But we are just getting started. See you next year!” ### 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. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

August 22, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Dukkantek seals $10m funding round as it scales digital ecosystem for SMB retail sector in MENA

Dukkantek

Store management platform Dukkantek has quickly scaled across the MENA region as SMB retailers adopted their tech for customer services, business processes and faster growth. In supporting this growth, Dukkantek is today announcing an oversubscribed $10m pre-series A funding round as it powers the digital ecosystem for 13 million SMB retailers across the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia as it looks for more opportunities in North Africa. The funding round was led by BECO with significant participation from Rocketship and Colle Capital. Other strategic investors in the round included Comma Capital, AMK Investment Office, Chaos Ventures, and Wamda Capital. The funding round follows their $5.2m seed round in October 2021, taking their total funds raised to $15.2m. Dukkantek was founded in January 2021 by Ali Al Sayegh, Sanad Yaghi and Shadi Joulani. Originally conceived as a service aimed at retailers in the grocery sector, the merchants on the platform now span 70 different verticals, with clothing and electricals particularly prominent alongside food and drink. It has already attracted more than thousands of customers for its suite of services empowering traditional merchants with end-to-end digital technology that improves all business processes. It enables these retailers to run their bricks and mortar stores more efficiently and productively and to make the leap into ecommerce. Dukkantek co-founder Sanad Yaghi commented: “For too long, the owners of small and medium-sized businesses have been left on the margins of the technology shift; now we are serving their unmet needs. We bring a technology platform consisting of three different value propositions that enable these merchants to compete in a digital world” “This includes a set of tools that enables merchants to run their businesses more effectively. Payments options ensure merchants can offer customers more choice about how to settle their bills. And an e-commerce offering which gives merchants everything they need to start selling online for the first time and to manage that operation in tandem with the brick-and-mortar business. Many merchants struggle to keep track of inventory when selling both online and in physical stores, so having one system that incorporates both parts of the business is very important”. The coronavirus pandemic hastened digital adoption in the MENA region, leading to an increase in online shopping, in particular. The region's e-commerce market is expected to reach $49 billion in 2025, up almost 55 per cent from 2021, a report by EZDubai, an e-commerce zone in Dubai, and Euromonitor International showed earlier this year. The UAE’s e-commerce market alone is forecast to grow 60 per cent to more than $8bn by 2025 from 2021. Community retailers in the UAE without a digital presence, who were unable to accept online payments during the pandemic, were severely affected due to the drop in customer footfall. Dukkantek believes that traditional merchants and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) remain the backbone of the global economy, and their transactions should be digitized to keep pace with market developments. And to this end they platform provides: Cloud POS: The Cloud POS is a Point-of-Sales system that can be accessed online, from anywhere. It allows businesses to keep track of transactions & sales, calculate VAT, generate reports and calculate profit margin. Inventory Management: The Cloud IM is an online software that helps businesses track, manage & organize the inventory. It allows users to keep track of stock, measure stock value, manage fast-moving products and generate reports for analysis. Payment Options: The platform offers a variety of payment options including cash, card payments or credit payments. Reports can be generated to track payments. E-Commerce: The e-commerce functionality allows stores to sell their goods online or through an app. One of its features includes live inventory, as it’s linked to the IM & POS software. Another feature is that stores can choose what items to put online and their corresponding prices. Moreover, it sends push notifications to customers. Companion App: The companion app is a mobile application that helps manage the store online. Its features include: Automated Inventory Reconciliation, live store data, linked to IM & POS, ability to track daily sales on the dashboard, ability to review all transactions, and track cash movements and payment methods. "It's very rare to come across a business and team that have been able to execute the way in which Dukkantek has done so far. Launching 7 countries in 18 short months since founding is no easy feat, yet the Dukkantek team has managed to do it in such a seamless and capital efficient manner. We are very excited to partner with Sanad, Ali and the wider team as they look to build on their exciting traction and overall vision of digitizing merchants." said Abdulaziz Shikh Al Sagha from BECO Capital Having met its geographical expansion goals, Dukkantek’s focus will now turn to adding new services. In particular, exploring working capital solutions and building its data analytics capabilities for users. “We have seen an increase in users accessing analytics tools on the platform which, for example, help them understand which products will sell best. Three-quarters of the businesses on the platform are now trading in this way. Also, many merchants are keen to expand the number of stores they operate, but are held back by the lack of finance available in the region which we can look to explore” added Sanad Yaghi. About Dukkantek Founded in January 2021, Dukkantek is the UAE’s first and only revolutionary store management platform that enables traditional merchants to compete equally in an evolving digital world, and further empower their retail capacity. Redefining the conventional way of managing tasks and sales, the innovative platform aims to strengthen local community stores and power digital transformations with end-to-end technology that enhances and streamlines all business processes, enabling them to compete with dark stores and delivery players. Dukkantek is the technology partner for all local community stores in the region. For more information please visit https://www.dukkantek.com Contact Details Dukkantek Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.dukkantek.com/

August 19, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Fullintel Appoints Angela Dwyer as Head of Insights

Fullintel, LLC

Fullintel, a leading media monitoring and media intelligence service, is proud to announce it has appointed Angela Dwyer, a leader in the global PR measurement industry, as its new Head of Insights. A former senior vice-president at NYC-based PR agency Lippe Taylor and senior project manager at PRIME Research (now Cision), Angela has spent years developing and implementing advanced media metrics – such as the Hypatia Gravity Score – to help improve the effectiveness of PR campaigns and media outreach. She’s also actively involved in the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) and International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC). Building on Fullintel’s Award-Winning Media Measurement Foundation “Fullintel has mastered a cost-effective, human-curated media monitoring approach,” explains Dwyer, “along with a great analysis foundation in terms of Fullintel’s Media Impact Score and PredictiveAI™ crisis module. I want to continue adding to that by customizing the approach for each client based on a range of factors, such as drivers of recall, predictors of how someone might think about your brand, or even different audience drivers depending on the client’s goal.” Angela’s addition builds on Fullintel’s growing momentum in the PR measurement industry, culminating in the company winning Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards at the 2021 AMEC Awards for media measurement. “Angela is one of the most talented senior members of the global measurement community, period. We’re extremely proud to have her join our team,” said Fullintel President Andrew Koeck. “We look forward to providing our clients across healthcare, tourism, retail, aviation, and other industries with even more impactful and actionable insights, based on our ever-evolving measurement program and new products such as PredictiveAI.” Improving Measurement Standards For Communicators Angela is a regular on several industry committees and boards, including the International Public Relations Measurement Commission. She’s also set to join other media measurement experts in hosting the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) Master Class, a strategic playbook for communicators featuring eight live and interactive sessions from Sept. 19, 2022 to April 18, 2023. About Fullintel: Fullintel combines best-in-class technology with expert content curation to deliver the most relevant, cost optimized media monitoring, daily news briefs, and media analysis possible. Our analysts curate print, online, social media, broadcast, and influencer opinions in real time compiled by technology, supplemented and verified by humans. Where technology alone fails, your dedicated analyst has you covered. Fullintel has offices in Cambridge, Mass., Ottawa, Ont. and Nagercoil, India. Contact Details Fullintel Samuel Chen +1 339-970-8005 schen@fullintel.com Company Website https://fullintel.com/

August 17, 2022 10:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Family Pleads for ASIRT to Actively Investigate Death of Alberta Man Who Died in RCMP Custody

Hartzler Family

For the second time in less than a year and a half, an Alberta man has died while in custody of the Grande Prairie RCMP. Despite evidence to suggest the matter should be under ASIRT’s purview, a decision has been made to allow a specialty unit within the Grande Prairie RCMP to investigate and control the case. On June 3, 2022, Addison Hartzler called 911 requesting help for what he believed to be a break and enter at his residence. The family was told that RCMP officers arrived at the scene and failed to find evidence that a break and enter had occurred; the RCMP then made the decision to take Addison into custody for public mischief – within nine minutes of arrival at his residence. The family believes Addison was taken into custody unlawfully since the Criminal Code of Canada requires officers to have reasonable grounds, to prove that a false report was made intentionally and that there was an “intent to mislead.” According to information provided by the RCMP, Addison’s behaviour indicated that EMS or a doctor should have assessed him prior to being detained. The officers who arrested Addison said he "was either unwilling to provide his name, or was unable to provide his name, and therefore, they were holding him in order to identify him when he was willing to provide his name to the charge." In a phone conversation with Addison’s family after the incident, the RCMP indicated Addison was acting in a psychotic and delusional manner. “It is our view that, given his alleged state of health, Addison was unlawfully detained and that the RCMP failed to provide the necessaries of life,” says Addison’s father, Gregory Hartzler. “We believe these system failures resulted in Addison’s untimely death.” According to the RCMP, at no point was Addison assessed by EMS or a doctor. Additionally, Information received from a request to Alberta Health Services under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act indicates that Addison was last seen alive at 9 a.m. – more than two hours before RCMP placed the request for EMS. The EMS report indicated that Addison was “obviously dead” and had been for some time. The family has serious concerns regarding the two-hour gap between when Addison was last seen alive and when EMS was called. “Due to the circumstances surrounding his death, we believe there was gross negligence in respect to the care provided to Addison while in custody of the Grande Prairie RCMP and their staff, and that an internal investigation by the RCMP is neither appropriate nor adequate,” continues Hartzler. “As a result, we implore the Government of Alberta to direct ASIRT to handle the investigation.” ASIRT is an arm’s length, independent team created under Alberta’s Police Act toinvestigate situations where Alberta police may have caused serious injury or death or when significant allegations of police misconduct have been made. According to an email exchange between the Hartzler family lawyer and Mr. Marlin Degrand, an assistant deputy minister for Alberta Justice and Solicitor General who was the executive director of the Government of Alberta’s Law Enforcement Oversight Branch at the time, it appears the decision to have the RCMP investigate instead of ASIRT was in part due to capacity issues at ASIRT. In his email Mr. Degrand stated he directed the RCMP to oversee the investigation, “…taking into consideration the tasking events recently given to ASIRT.” In further communications between Mr. Degrand and the family, Mr. Degrand indicated that, “Because there was no report of confrontation with police, and no indication of negligence on behalf of the police, I directed that the RCMP should retain carriage of the investigation”. “It is unfathomable that the Government of Alberta does not believe there to be negligence when evidence from EMS states that my son was ‘obviously dead’ and had been for a substantial period of time,” says Hartzler. According to RCMP policy, members must “check prisoner[s] frequently and at irregular intervals to ensure their security and well-being. The intervals are to be no more than 15 minutes apart. These checks must be physical checks, not a check of the CCVE.” “It’s disappointing to see an agency set up by the Alberta Government as a police agency ‘watch dog’ is simply too over tasked and underfunded to actively investigate the death of an individual in police custody. It is suspicious this case is being treated differently than a recent case with seemingly similar circumstances,” adds Hartzler. The RCMP are under investigation for a similar death in custody that occurred on February 8, 2021, at the same detachment. ASIRT is actively investigating that incident. “Albertans should be aware of the RCMP and Government of Alberta’s gross negligence and ASIRT’s apparent capacity issues to investigate the death of an individual while in police custody,” continues Hartzler. “By bringing attention to this issue, we hope to prevent a similar situation from happening to another Albertan family. No one should die alone, in fear – especially while police custody.” Contact Details CIPR Communications Peter Pilarski, President +1 403-462-1160 peter@ciprcommunications.com

August 17, 2022 09:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Blockchain Solutions Provider ChainUp Expands Global Presence with a New Office in South Korea

ChainUp

ChainUp, a global blockchain technology solutions provider, announced its expansion with a new office opening in Seoul, South Korea. While they are headquartered in Singapore, ChainUp currently has offices in Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, and the United States. With its office in South Korea, the company plans to strengthen its presence in the region and harness the market’s potential. ChainUp provides businesses with a complete suite of blockchain solutions all within one platform. Its comprehensive solutions include digital asset exchange systems, NFT trading systems, wallet solutions, liquidity solutions, and digital assets custody and management. Since its founding in 2017, ChainUp has served more than 1,000 clients in 30 countries and regions, reaching over 60 billion end-users. Mr. Lee Sangwook, Head of Korea Office of ChainUp said, “The Web3.0 and blockchain industry in Korea is fast-growing and backed by strong government support. With our new office in South Korea, we aim to bring our comprehensive solutions to businesses in the region while fostering close partnerships with relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem to promote technological advancements and industry developments.” Mr. Sailor Zhong, Founder & CEO of ChainUp said, “To fulfil our vision of making blockchain technology more accessible for businesses around the world, we aspire to consistently grow our footprint to facilitate blockchain adoption and support businesses across different industries in their blockchain journeys to stay ahead of the technological curve.” --- End --- About ChainUp Group Founded in 2017, ChainUp is a leading end-to-end blockchain technology solutions provider covering infrastructure development and ecosystem support. Built on the mission to empower businesses through blockchain technology, ChainUp’s innovative and all-around compliant solutions include digital asset exchange systems, NFT trading systems, wallet solutions, liquidity solutions, and digital assets custody and management. Headquartered in Singapore and with offices around the world, the company has served more than 1,000 clients in 30 countries, reaching over 60 million end-users. For more information, please visit: www.chainup.com. Contact Details ChainUp Group Xue Zhen Yeo xuezhen.yeo@chainup.com

August 17, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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