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Are You Confident About Your Vehicle’s Repairs?

AutoTech IQ

Many car owners dread making an appointment with auto repair shops because they feel unprepared to carry on a discussion with the service adviser about the need and cost of repairs. That lack of preparation creates unease over whether to even go to the shop for fear of being ripped off. AutoTechIQ.com was created to make car owners overcome that initial fear by being preeducated and confident about what symptoms and related fixes are typical for their specific vehicle type and compare the visible and audible symptoms their vehicle shows with images, videos and descriptions in articles. A typical example is a squealing noise while driving. How Does Preeducation Make Me Confident? By preeducating yourself before a meeting with the shop, you’ll ensure that you have the proper details to share with a service adviser. For example, if your car starts emitting oil-like odors, you can browse through AutoTechIQ and find articles that cover oil-related issues, such as “Why does my car smells like burning oil?” Then, by reading the article’s content and comparing the images and videos with your vehicle’s symptoms, you’ll rule out potential problems and their fixes. Note that AutoTechIQ’s articles feature images, videos and sound representations of typical issues that point to specific symptoms. There, you’ll also find information about certain vehicles’ years, makes and models that commonly portray these symptoms and the usual faulty parts involved. Get the knowledge you need and share it with your go-to auto shop; this will make a discussion about the service’s budget more transparent and precise. What Is the Best Approach When Engaging the Service Adviser? Often, shops focus on fixing the symptom and send you back on the road. That approach implies less money spent on an individual visit but adds up over time. Tell the service adviser about the symptom and ask for a digital vehicle health inspection, which will give you the entire vehicle’s state of health. The best approach when dealing with a service adviser during car service is to ask for a digital vehicle health inspection. This type of inspection aims to make you aware of your car’s current condition and future risks; it creates a state of health for your car. This approach focuses on saving you money in the long run by showing your vehicle’s “possible upcoming issues” and how impactful they can be for your wallet and your safety. Why Repairs Based on the State of Health Save You Money Once the state of health information is in your hands, showing in red, yellow and green and substantiated with images and videos and notes what your vehicle’s health is, you can engage the service adviser in what needs to be done now (red), can be deferred (yellow) and is in mint condition (green). Certified AutoTechIQ shops follow a process guaranteeing a comprehensive report, which lets you budget the current and upcoming repairs. If the shop is certified the digital vehicle health inspection is called a Digital Auto Checkup. More specifically, the state of health record shows, in color-based categories, what type of risk your vehicle has. The colors identify as: Red: Needs urgent assessment Yellow: Can be deferred Green: Mint condition at the time of inspection This is also substantiated with images, videos and notes to clarify the condition as much as possible. When taking your car to a certified AutoTechIQ shop, you’ll have education-focused service. The state of health they offer will be a comprehensive report where you’ll budget the current and upcoming repairs confidently. Note that for AutoTechIQ-certified shops, the term you can use for this inspection is Digital Auto Checkup. Why Is It Important to Ask for a Digital Auto Checkup? Many auto repair shops listen to your concern and immediately provide a solution. When you go to any doctor for a symptom checkup, does the doctor immediately diagnose you? Typically they don’t do that unless you are in the emergency room. Instead, they’ll check your vital signs, test your blood and conduct other testing procedures. The same goes for your vehicle during car service. First, you establish baseline health before addressing the main symptom. The vehicle’s bill of health is called Digital Auto Checkup or Digital Vehicle Health Inspection. What Do You Get From AutoTechIQ as a Car Owner? The majority of car owners dread the appointment at an auto repair shop. To counter that, the shops in AutoTechIQ ’s network put your education and professional service as top priority. Additionally, the shops you’ll find in AutoTechIQ’s business directories follow these criteria: The business has at least 100 Google reviews with an average score higher than 4.5 out of 5. A digital vehicle health inspection is consistently relied upon to examine the health of your vehicle and covers at least 35 topics. The documentation of mint and problem conditions uses images and videos to give you complete transparency. Contact Details AutoTech IQ AutoTech IQ +1 866-678-8505 support@AutoTechIQ.com Company Website https://www.autotechiq.com/

December 05, 2022 04:02 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Apple, CEO Tim Cook Can’t Ignore China Risks Any Longer

National Legal & Policy Center

As the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, Apple Inc. is belatedly taking steps to diversify its supply chain as it experiences costly delays – just as the holiday shopping season ramps up – in getting its merchandise to consumers, due to the company’s overdependency on production in communist China. The troubles were absolutely foreseeable, but Apple’s board and CEO Tim Cook have demonstrated they have a huge blind spot when it comes to the oppressive dictatorship. They espoused all the benefits of working with and in China, while failing to account for the human and financial costs of doing business with the brutal regime. Apple even willfully cooperates with the communist government by removing apps from its platform, censoring content, hosting cloud content where it is accessible by the regime, and most recently removing a private peer-to-peer Airdrop sharing function on Chinese customers’ iPhones. As a result, National Legal and Policy Center – which owns stock in the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant – will sponsor a shareholder proposal at the company’s next annual meeting in March 2023. “Tim Cook and Apple’s board got caught with their pants down. Stronger leadership would have seen this coming,” said Paul Chesser, director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project. “The company has now heard from U.S. Senators from both political parties about ‘doing, in effect, the bidding’ of the Chinese Communist Party, and its immoral reliance on Chinese labor.” “Mr. Cook refused to respond to questions from the media about Apple’s unhealthy entanglements with the communist government, but shareholders expect him to not be so evasive when they demand answers.” The text of NLPC’s proposal for a “Communist China Audit” report for Apple’s 2023 annual meeting follows: RESOLVED: Shareholders request that, beginning in 2023, Apple Inc. report annually to shareholders on the nature and extent to which corporate operations depend on, and are vulnerable to, Communist China, which is a serial human rights violator, a geopolitical threat, and an adversary to the United States. The report should exclude confidential business information but provide shareholders with a sense of the Company’s reliance on activities conducted within, and under control of, the Communist Chinese government. Supporting Statement: American companies doing business in China is a controversial public policy issue, according to an April 2, 2021 CNN report titled, “Doing business in China is difficult. A clash over human rights is making it harder.” Apple does business in – and relies on materials, parts, labor and/or services from – entities in China. China is a serial violator of human and political rights. China is also hostile to the U.S. for a variety of reasons, including: — China intends to displace the U.S. as the lone global superpower by 2049; — The U.S. has committed to defend Taiwan, which China has asserted is part of its country and may attempt to seize by force; — U.S.-China relations are tense over a number of issues including China’s military expansion; egregious human rights violations; actions related to the COVID pandemic; intellectual property theft; relentless espionage; elimination of freedom in Hong Kong; and environmental pollution. China has also indicated that it would use its industrial capabilities for strategic purposes against adversaries. Many Chinese companies – which are ultimately under the control of the Communist government – are vulnerable to the U.S. Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, do not adhere to basic auditing standards, and are therefore untrustworthy. China, and by extension the companies it controls, were also identified in the U.S. State Department’s 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report as a state sponsor of human trafficking. They are now subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which imposes strict verification of parts and products imported from China, that they are not generated from slave labor. Apple’s extensive ties to China also breed reputational risk for the company. For example, while the company funds groups that promote the interests of homosexual and transgender individuals, the Communist government persistently and vigorously cracks down on those forms of identity. A July 2022 joint statement from the leaders of the British and American domestic intelligence agencies warned that the Communist Chinese Party is the greatest threat to the international order. “We consistently see that it’s the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security, and by ‘our,’ I mean both of our nations, along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray. Given the controversial, if not dangerous, nature of doing business in and with China, shareholders have the right to know the extent to which Apple’s business operations depend on Communist China. 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 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 Paul Chesser +1 703-237-1970 pchesser@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

December 05, 2022 10:28 AM Eastern Standard Time

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FatBrain AI Is Working To Mitigate COVID Concerns Over The Holidays

FatBrAin

Doctors are urging the public to be extra careful over the next few months as we approach our third pandemic holiday season. Although domestic and global pandemic mandates have eased and most countries have returned to business as usual, some doctors are fearing a seasonal surge. In Europe, cases are starting to climb again and the World Health Organization is warning that a new wave of infections could be on its way. The need to protect against COVID is still incredibly high. There is much the scientific community does not know about the novel virus. SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to attack the body in a variety of ways, causing damage to the lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Long COVID is a phenomenon that doctors are still figuring out and it might be years until research can definitively explain all the nuances of the virus. Masks and testing are effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID but accessing risk data is just as critical. While there is state-level data, until recently there has not been consistent local data for citizens to rely on. High-level data is important to know, but it often lacks actionability for individuals and families on the local level. FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) ( OTCQB: LZGI ) (“FatBrain”), a leading provider of powerful and easy-to-use AI solutions to empower the star enterprises of tomorrow in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow, innovate, and drive the majority of the global economy, is looking to change this. FatBrain reports it has created an advanced math and epidemic modeling system that provides clarity about the individual risk that American people face daily. FatBrain’s CovidRisk.Live app quantifies the COVID-19 risks of a local community by looking at the viral transmission rate, daily active cases, and government policies and countermeasures in your zip code. All of this information is used to create an easy-to-consume score or threat level (severe, high, elevated, guarded, low). The scale was modeled after the scale developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to communicate the probability of foreign attacks. “[Now], anyone can get clarity on whether they or their family and friends face a severe risk, low risk, or somewhere in between for COVID-19 within their community,” shares Peter B. Ritz, CEO of FatBrain AI, “CovidRisk.Live helps minimize the confusion and provides everyone with a simple, consumable, explainable, and quantifiable way to see the threat level within their community. This capability is critical as each of us can use this tool to exercise personal agency to influence the impact of active policies for the broader community outcomes. COVID-19 is not like an asteroid or an earthquake where we are helpless — rather together we can win, guided by using CovidRisk.Live and similar tools to bolster smart cooperation.” Families and business owners have a tool at their disposal to assess their community's risk going into the third pandemic winter. While it doesn’t seem like COVID is going away anytime soon, apps like FatBrain’s CovidRisk.Live help provide the public with the necessary information to make informed decisions about health and safety. To check out your zip code's COVID risk level, visit www.fatBrain.ai/covid-risk-live/ FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.; OTC: LZGI) is the first and leading provider of powerful and easy-to-use AI solutions to millions of businesses of tomorrow driving the majority of the global economy, empowering them to grow, innovate faster and savemoney. FatBrain’s innovative solutions transform continuous learning, narrative reasoning, cloud, blockchain and Web3 technologies into auditable, explainable and easy to integrate products. FatBrain’ssubscription model allows all companies to deploy its advanced AI solutions quickly and easily, securely utilizing them on premises behind their firewalls or via cloud. The AI 2.0 pioneered by our teams is like WAZE for business growth, using advanced peerdynamics technology to automatically learn patterns from individual and peer behavior. This allows us to deliver coached, personalized AI solutions at hyperscale. FatBrain unifies insights from SaaS applications, turbo-charged by peer and market dynamics: 1) Realize attainable goals from explainable peer performance. 2)Turbo-charge human expertise with superhuman AI insights. 3) Accelerate growth through the contributory network effects. 4) Simplify harnessing data across common apps and market signals. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Shawn Carey ir@fatbrain.ai Company Website https://fatbrain.ai/

December 02, 2022 09:15 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Best Workplaces for Parents™ Give 16 Weeks for Maternity Leave

Great Place to Work - USA

In a year when many companies are cutting back on paid parental leave, great workplaces are increasing time off for working parents. Paid parental leave among the 2022 Best Workplaces for Parents ™ averages 16 weeks for new moms, and nearly 12 weeks for new dads. These companies have increased paid parental leave since 2020, while other employers, according to a June survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, have cut maternity and paternity leave this year, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Not only are winning workplaces remaining competitive by increasing paid leave, but they have cultures where new parents can actually take their available leave. More than 90% of moms and 70% of dads take parental leave their companies offer. “What sets these companies apart is they have cultures that allow new parents to take paid leave without fear—fear of losing their job, fear of missing out on a promotion, fear of getting left behind,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work®. “Offering time off in cultures where it can’t really get taken erodes trust.” Great Place To Work determined this year’s Best Workplaces for Parents list by analyzing data from more than half a million employees with parenting responsibilities. That research revealed three key areas companies must invest in to remain competitive to working parents. Top retention drivers for working parents: 1. Expand special and unique benefits, such as paid leave. Nearly nine out of 10 parents at the Best Workplaces for Parents say their company has “special and unique benefits,” and when that’s true, they’re 65% more likely to stay with their employer. 91% of parents at winning companies want to work at their companies for a long time, compared with 55% of parents at a typical U.S. workplace who are open to changing jobs by the end of this year, according to a July Great Place To Work market survey of nearly 2,200 working parents. 2. Connect meaning to work. Purpose is the top retention driver for parents as well as a key predictor of employee attrition for all workers. Parents at a typical workplace experience less meaning at their jobs — just 57% — compared with 88% at the Best Workplaces for Parents. There is a three-fold increase in the odds that a parent will stay with their company if they believe their work has special meaning and is more than “just a job.” 92% of parents at winning companies feel they make a difference at their job compared with 66% at a typical workplace. 3. Offer work-life balance support. 91% of parents at winning workplaces say they’re encouraged to balance their personal and work lives compared with 62% at a typical workplace. Parents are nearly 40% more likely to feel their company is a great place to work if they believe people are encouraged to have a healthy work-life balance. 94% of parents at great workplaces report people give extra at work compared with 54% of parents at a typical workplace. Parents are 16% more likely to plan to stay at their companies for a long time if they believe people are encouraged to have a healthy work-life balance. The Best Workplaces for Parents in 2022: The top 10 among large organizations (1,000+ employees): 1. Cisco 2. Slalom Consulting 3. Hilton 4. American Express 5. Comcast NBCUniversal 6. Deloitte 7. NVIDIA 8. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 9. Accenture 10. Bain & Company, Inc. The top 10 among small- and medium-sized organizations (10-999 employees): 1. Greenhouse 2. Ro 3. Jobot 4. Ripple 5. Maven Clinic 6. Lattice 7. Thumbtack, Inc. 8. Collaborative Solutions 9. Sprout Social 10. GitLab Visuals available: Companies with great cultures increase parental leave; Meaningful work drives retention for parents About the 2022 Best Workplaces for Parents Great Place To Work determines the list using our proprietary For All™ methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study, based on over 1 million employee survey responses and data from companies representing more than 6.1 million employees, this year alone. Over 568,000 responses were from employees with parenting responsibilities. To determine the Best Workplaces for Parents™ list, Great Place To Work measures the differences in parents’ survey responses to those of their peers and assesses the impact of demographics and roles on the quality and consistency of parents’ experiences. Statements are weighted according to their relevance in describing the most important aspects of an equitable workplace for parents. To be considered for the list, companies must be Great Place To Work Certified™ and have at least 50 responses from parents in the U.S. We require statistically significant survey results, review anomalies in responses, news, and financial performance, and investigate any employee reports of company noncompliance with strict surveying rules to validate the integrity of the results and findings. Data is also normalized to compare companies fairly across sizes and industries. Companies with 10 to 999 people are considered for the small and medium category; companies with 1,000 employees or more are considered for the large category. To get on this list next year, start here. About Great Place To Work Great Place To Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, it has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Its employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything it does is driven by its mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact Details Kim Peters: +1 415-844-2574 kpeters@greatplacetowork.com Company Website https://www.greatplacetowork.com/

December 02, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Tax Policy Leaders Focus on New Markets Tax Credit

New Markets Tax Credit Coalition

Tax policy trends and economic recovery for underserved urban and rural communities were the focus as the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Coalition held its annual NMTC Conference November 30-December 1, 2022. The event featured several members of Congress and the CDFI Fund Director as keynote speakers. Conference participants noted the need to pass legislation calling for the NMTC’s permanence as a key tax policy. The event kicked off with NMTC Coalition President, Aisha Benson, welcoming speakers and guests alike. The experienced NMTC practitioner and CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund highlighted recent successes and looked to the future of the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition. Keynote speakers included Senator Steve Daines (R-MT); and Mike Kelly (R-PA); Jodie Harris, Director, CDFI Fund, U.S. Department of Treasury and Graham Steele, Assistant Secretary, Financial Institutions, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Panelists included congressional staff, NMTC board members and leadership, investors and economic development leaders, Treasury Department officials and legal experts. Panels held discussions on the trends in NMTC projects, the pending expiration, the investor demand and pricing, legislative hurdles, and the latest insights from the Treasury Department. In 2019, the NMTC was extended for one year (2020) with a 44 percent increase in allocation authority from $3.5 to $5 billion. In December 2020, Congress enacted a 5-year, $25 billion NMTC extension through 2025, the largest in the program's history. These two NMTC expansions were only possible because of the significant support for the NMTC in both parties. In the 117th Congress, nearly 170 members of Congress, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, took action in support of the NMTC by cosponsoring legislation expanding the Credit, making it permanent, or increasing the allocation levels. “I look at the results and outcomes for return on investment and NMTC is a perfect example of a very good investment of taxpayer dollars to get a great return,” said Sen. Daines. “Don’t give up on telling your stories as you have on the Hill yesterday about the merits and projects that are being delivered and how its helping our communities. Just keep that push going.” “It’s not just an investment in a property, it’s an investment in the future,” said Rep. Kelly. “It’s taking a cost prohibitive property and turning it into a revenue producer… it’s taking something the community no longer values and making it an asset... This credit, by the way, is the answer, it’s the answer.” At the conference, Rep. Kelly and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) released a sign on letter to their House colleagues that urges the House Leadership to support including a permanent extension of the NMTC in any year-end tax legislation. “With more than two decades of bipartisan successes under our belt, we’re continuing our push to increase funds and to make the NMTC permanent,” said Bob Rapoza, NMTC Coalition spokesperson. “At a time when the economic frailty of our underserved communities has never been more apparent, we see a tremendous opportunity for our coalition to help create jobs, spread opportunity and help put America back on a solid financial footing, and we implore Congress to make it happen.” Neither the current Congress nor the Biden administration has diminished support for the NMTC. The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2021 (H.R. 1321/S. 456) has already amassed over 140 combined cosponsors from both parties. The Biden Administration's Fiscal Year 2023 tax proposals included a permanent extension of the NMTC as well. About New Markets Tax Credit Program The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) was enacted in 2000 to stimulate private investment and economic growth in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities that lack access to the patient capital needed to support and grow businesses, create jobs, and sustain healthy local economies. Since its inception, the NMTC has generated more than one million jobs. Today due to NMTC, more than $120 billion is hard at work in underserved communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.NMTCCoalition.org. Contact Details Bob Rapoza +1 202-498-9921 bob@rapoza.org Company Website https://nmtccoalition.org/

December 01, 2022 02:53 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Unbox Real Happiness: Don't Let Counterfeit Goods Ruin Your Holidays

YourUpdateTV

Click to download Top 10 Tips to #shopsmart: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ei2fv66u1btakb0/AABWxAAqYRCWZObXk0HlwDd0a?dl=0&preview=GIPC_ShopSmart_Top10Tips_2022_1pager.pdf Counterfeit goods are a problem all year long, but demand for gifts, household goods, and even health products means that the holiday season is an especially busy time for crooks. Just how big is this problem? On average, the worldwide trade in counterfeit and pirated goods amounts to over $500 billion each year—and more than 50 percent of consumers believe they may have purchased a fake item when holiday shopping. Moreover, most consumers report purchasing those counterfeit items online. As the holiday shopping season kicks off, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Amazon are helping to raise awareness among consumers about the dangers of counterfeit goods and how to avoid falling for scams and instead “unbox real happiness.” As families do their best to save money and create new holiday memories, they continue to shop online in record numbers looking for the best deals. However, with this convenience, consumers must remain vigilant to be sure they receive authentic products. For more information about what you can do you can do to can do to shop smart this holiday season, make sure to visit www.USChamber.com/shopsmart Click to download Top 10 Tips to #shopsmart: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ei2fv66u1btakb0/AABWxAAqYRCWZObXk0HlwDd0a?dl=0&preview=GIPC_ShopSmart_Top10Tips_2022_1pager.pdf Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

December 01, 2022 10:51 AM Eastern Standard Time

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RKS WINS MAJOR RULING: FRAUDULENT TRANSFER CLAIMS AGAINST BAUSCH HEALTH, BAUSCH + LOMB WILL MOVE FORWARD

Rolnick Kramer Sadighi LLP (RKS)

In an important step in protecting their clients’ interests and preventing Bausch Health Companies (“Bausch Health”) from putting the assets of Bausch + Lomb (“B+L”) beyond the reach of judgment creditors through a corporate spin-off, Rolnick Kramer Sadighi LLP (“RKS”) has secured a vital legal ruling that will allow their clients to pursue fraudulent transfer claims against Bausch Health and B+L in New Jersey state court. United States District Judge Michael A. Shipp granted RKS’s motion to remand their clients’ fraudulent transfer action against Bausch Health and B+L back to state court, holding that Bausch Health and B+L had improperly removed the action to federal court earlier this year. In removing the action, the defendants purported to rely on a 1998 federal law (the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act or “SLUSA”), which was designed by Congress to prevent securities fraud strike suits from being filed in state court. Defendants argued that SLUSA barred Plaintiffs’ fraudulent transfer claims. Judge Shipp agreed with RKS that SLUSA does not apply to RKS’s clients’ declaratory judgment action brought pursuant to New Jersey’s fraudulent transfer statute because: (i) the relief RKS seeks on behalf of its clients is a declaration that the spin-off is voidable, such that they may continue to look to B+L’s assets to satisfy their claims against Bausch Health; and (ii) securities fraud is not a factual predicate of the fraudulent transfer claims. RKS’s clients’ fraudulent transfer action will now proceed against Bausch Health and B+L in state court. Following this adverse ruling by the Federal District Court, Bausch Health has designated Bausch + Lomb as an unrestricted subsidiary. About RKS: Rolnick Kramer Sadighi, LLP (RKS) provides strategic litigation solutions for the investment management community. Launched in 2020, RKS is a premier securities litigation boutique dedicated to serving the investment management industry, including hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity, credit, real estate, and structured finance firms. For more information, visit RKS online: https://www.rksllp.com/. Contact Details Arielle Goren +1 212-717-5863 agoren@kivvit.com Company Website https://www.rksllp.com/

November 30, 2022 10:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Going, Going, Gone: New Study Reveals Workers Flip The Script on Traditional Work

MBO Partners

The signal finding of the MBO Partners 2022 State of Independence report is the continued surge in independent work, with more than half of all Americans now freelancing or have freelanced at some point in their careers. Upended by the pandemic, 64.6 million Americans now pursue independent work, a dramatic 69% growth since 2020. There have never been more payroll jobs in the U.S.: 153 million, and there have never been more people working independently. Across the board, the old stereotypes and tropes about independent freelancers and workers are being upended. Independents are growing in number, becoming more centered in the economy, and forming connections to one another and to companies large and small. Further, the old tension of payroll jobs draining the independent workforce has been eradicated as workers get comfortable with owning their economic reality by creating their own jobs. “Beyond the pandemic and macroeconomic climate, the underlying factor driving the thrust in independent work is institutional mistrust,” said Miles Everson, CEO, MBO Partners. “We don’t trust institutions to have our best interests at heart and our proof points have mounted as we have faced the challenges of the past few years. As we have come to question our view of security, workers have realized that creating a job is no greater risk than having a traditional job.” The annual State of Independence in America report is the country’s longest-running end-to-end study of the American independent workforce, now in its 12 th year. This year’s study showed six key insights about the independent American workforce, including: Demand is boosting supply. The number of Full Time Independents, those regularly working more than 15 hours per week, soared 27% to 21.6 million, up from 15.3 million in 2019. By 2025, more than half of all Americans will be independent or will have worked independently at some point in their careers – a massive tipping point in the conversation about the future of work. Happier, healthier, and more financially secure. People are increasingly turning to independent work to regain control and autonomy over their life and their career. And they’re happy doing it, with 76% reporting that they are “very satisfied,” 87% saying they are happier, 80% reporting better health, and 67% feeling more financially secure than their traditionally employed counterparts. Test driving independence grows in popularity. The number of Occasional Independents— people who earn money periodically by working at least once a month as an independent— more than tripled from 2020 to 2022, rising from 15.8 million to 31.9 million. These workers do so by and large to supplement income (the side hustle is real) but also to build a bridge to a larger independent career, to fill a passion, and more. Younger workers call the shots. While Millennials (ages 27-42) are the largest independent cohort, Gen Z (ages 18-26) are coming into the scene in larger numbers vs. opting for a traditional career. Together, these two groups make up half of the independent workforce and are predicted to be the dominant force by 2023. What does this mean? As younger workers take their careers into their own hands, the workforce must evolve to match where the workers go, and that work is independent. Independents are becoming increasingly diverse. Between 2019 and 2022, the proportion of white independents fell from 84% to 77%, while African Americans doubled from 7% to 14%. Among the creator economy, those who earn money by creating and distributing digital content, the percentage is even higher, 20%. With hustle, there is flow. As the number of independents rise, more are reporting higher incomes, with some 4.4 million earning more than $100,000 in 2022. That’s up 16% from last year, and it comes on the heels of a 27% increase in 2021, due in part to the economy’s recovery from the pandemic. To obtain a copy of the full 2022 State of Independence study, please visit https://www.mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/. About MBO Partners®​ MBO Partners is a direct sourcing platform that enables enterprises and independents to work efficiently together. Its unmatched experience and industry leadership enable it to operate on the forefront of the independent economy and consistently advance the next way of working. For more information, visit​ ​mbopartners.com​ Contact Details Karen Swim +1 586-461-2103 karen@wordsforhirellc.com Company Website https://mbopartners.com

November 30, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Jon Harper Appointed as Chief Client Officer for Assembly Europe

Assembly

Global omnichannel media agency Assembly has elevated Jon Harper to a new role as Chief Client Officer for its European business. The role is the first of its kind for Assembly in the region, signaling the increasing importance of Client Experience & Leadership within the agency. Over the course of Jon’s 6-year tenure with Assembly, he has worked with clients including Lenovo, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and Converse with great success, building strong relationships across the board. With his new appointment, Harper will be leading every step of the client relationship journey in the business for Europe. “Assembly has grown and evolved to become a true global force beyond digital media, leading the agency to win large omnichannel deals and expanding existing client relationships. Through this, we have identified the need to go further to support clients with a broader set of solutions at a high service level in order to promote growth in a constantly evolving media landscape. Our aim is to ensure clients have the best data, tech, and talent in the industry,” said Jon Harper, Chief Client Officer, Assembly Europe. Part of achieving this has been the creation of the Client Experience and Leadership pillar (CEL), led by Harper in Europe and other leaders across Assembly’s business. This ongoing investment focuses on driving new standards of creativity and improving the agency’s viewpoint on clients’ needs. This has included “brand immersion days” and stepping outside of standard client-agency interactions through hosting Q&A sessions all the way through to getting back to the basics by visiting brand stores and speaking to front-of-house staff to truly know the heart of each brand the agency works with. Jon added, “We firmly believe that everyone is a part of client services within the agency. That’s why we’re training everyone to be immersed in our clients’ brands – my goal is for all of our teams to have more dedicated client service time and to roll out our new global CEL toolkit to assist with this.” Assembly Europe’s Managing Director, Kate O’Mahony commented, “We are delighted about Jon’s elevation to Chief Client Officer. His rich experience and willingness to go above and beyond when it comes to getting to know our clients has proven fruitful. With Jon leading this division, we will continue to drive proactive relationships and deliver higher levels of innovation in connecting Assembly with our existing and future clients.” ABOUT ASSEMBLY: Assembly is the modern global omnichannel media agency, bringing data, talent, and technology together to find the change that fuels growth for the best brands on the planet. Our approach connects big, bold brand stories with integrated, global media capabilities that deliver performance and drive large-scale business growth. Our work is powered by our proprietary, in-house technology solution, STAGE, and led by our global talent base of over 1,600 people around the world. We’re purpose-driven at our core and pioneers in social and environmental impact in the agency world. Assembly is a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. Contact Details Assembly Gunilla Huddleston, VP of Marketing, Europe gunilla.huddleston@assemblyglobal.com Company Website https://www.assemblyglobal.com/

November 29, 2022 01:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

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