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Former Fidelity Senior Executive Joins the Rebalance Team, Expands 401(k) Business Offering, Better K, in Southeast, David Ranney Recently Featured on Charleston’s FOX 24

Rebalance

David Ranney, a resident of Charleston since 2010, has recently joined Rebalance, a leading retirement planning and wealth management firm, as Vice President of Sales for its premier small business 401(k) offering, Better K. Ranney will be expanding 401(k) offerings throughout Charleston, greater South Carolina and North Carolina, as Rebalance accelerates its efforts to help transform the small business retirement savings ecosystem throughout the Southeast. Better K is Rebalance’s proprietary, innovative 401(k) offering specializing in small businesses with assets ranging from $1 million to $10 million. The Better K platform stands apart from other 401(k) solutions by reducing fees by up to 50% or more, by offering “Ivy League” endowment-style investment management, and by providing top-notch day-to-day service. On Monday, October 17, Ranney was featured on Charleston’s FOX 24 “Money Monday” segment, where he was interviewed about the legal risks that small business owners and 401(k) plan sponsors should be aware of. To view this segment, please visit this link: www.rebalance360.com/news As Vice President of Sales at Rebalance, Ranney partners with small businesses throughout the Carolinas. He will educate small businesses about how to avoid high 401(k) fees, how to optimize asset allocation, how to increase plan participation, and how to utilize retirement planning. The net result is higher employee satisfaction and greater employee retention. On November 1, Ranney will be a featured speaker at the North Charleston Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn, discussing how to successfully implement 401(k) plans within small businesses, despite various issues and risks that can arise. “I am looking forward to partnering with small businesses on my home turf, to help business owners find the best solutions to help both them and their employees successfully plan for retirement,” Ranney said. “Rebalance offers small businesses access to large endowment-caliber investment expertise combined with unparalleled customer service for plan sponsors and their employees, and I’m excited to share this access with my Carolina neighbors.” Ranney graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and he earned his Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Marketing from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. He currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, please visit: https://www.rebalance360.com/team-member/david-ranney/ About Rebalance Rebalance is an award-winning investment firm that provides its clients with access to a fundamentally different and better set of investment options. For individual consumers, Rebalance360 combines world-class investing, financial planning, and personalized advice into a powerful and transformative approach to wealth management. Small business clients trust the firm’s Better K offering to help them reduce their 401(k) fees by up to 50%, improve employee participation, and “bring alive” employer-based retirement savings plans. The firm’s innovative solutions and team leadership have been profiled in such top-tier media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, FOX Business, NPR, The New York Times, MSNBC, PBS and CBS among others. In 2015, the U.S Senate invited Managing Director Scott Puritz to testify regarding new fiduciary rules designed to make the investments of Americans safer, and he is the only financial advisor in the U.S. ever to testify on such an important issue. In 2018, Rebalance was honored by Schwab’s Pacesetter IMPACT Award™ for Innovation and Growth. The Rebalance Investment Committee is anchored by four of the most respected experts in the finance world: Professor Emeritus Burton Malkiel, the world-renowned Senior Economist at Princeton University and author of A Random Walk Down Wall Street; Dr. Charley Ellis, the former longtime chairman of the Yale University Endowment; Jay Vivian, the former Managing Director of IBM's $100+ billion in retirement investment funds for more than 300,000 employees worldwide; and Kristi Craig, CFA, the first-ever Chief Investment Officer of the National Geographic Society, where she oversees a $1.4 billion endowment. Rebalance is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. and Palo Alto, Calif., currently serves more than 600 clients and manages more than $1 billion of their financial assets. Contact Details Rebalance Katherine Cotter - Director of Strategic Communications +1 315-272-8075 kcotter@rebalance360.com Company Website https://www.rebalance360.com/

October 26, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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NMTC Coalition Urges White House and Congressional Leadership to Make the NMTC Permanent

New Markets Tax Credit Coalition

Today, the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Coalition, a national membership organization of Community Development Entities (CDEs) and investors organized to advocate on behalf of the NMTC, released a letter signed by 700 community development stakeholders to President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy in support of enactment of a permananent extension to NMTC in end of the year tax legislation. Signatories on the letter include 344 community development organizations, including 10 native-affiliated organizations; 74 housing organizations, including 41 Habitat for Humanity affiliates; 109 nonprofits, shelters, schools, healthcare facilities, and community service providers; and 134 businesses and community development-focused investors. The Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the ten-year cost of a permanent extension of NMTC provisions at only $1.38 billion over ten years, while those funds will leverage an estimated $85 billion investment in economically distressed rural, urban, and tribal communities. These communities will benefit from improved services, increased private sector investment, and 700,000 new jobs at a federal cost of under $4,000 per job. “We strongly support making the NMTC permanent,” said Aisha Benson, President of the NMTC Coalition and President and CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund. Recently, opinion pieces in support of making the NMTC permanent have appeared in publications in Little Rock and Cleveland. During this Congress, both the Senate and House introduced bills (S. 456 and H.R. 1321) with bipartisan support to make the NMTC extension permanent. Establishing permanence will provide certainty in delivering resources to low-income and marginalized communities, creating jobs, increasing economic opportunity, and improving lives at a time when underserved communities face significant challenges. Throughout its 20-year history, the NMTC has delivered more than $120 billion to rural and urban communities outside the economic mainstream, which has led to financing to more than 6,000 businesses and projects and over one million jobs. Establishing the NMTC as a permanent part of the tax code will provide certainty and further promote the in getting patient, flexible capital to low-income and marginalized communities, creating jobs, increasing economic opportunity, and improving lives at a time when the economic frailty of our underserved communities has never been more apparent. Established in 2000 in the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act (P.L.106-554), the New Markets Tax Credit is a bipartisan effort to stimulate investment and economic growth in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities. Since then, the New Markets Tax Credit has financed more than 6,500 projects and created over one million jobs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. “Following devastating impacts from COVID-19, the New Markets Tax Credit is absolutely vital for many of America’s urban neighborhoods and rural communities and will provide billions of dollars for high-impact, community revitalization projects,” said Bob Rapoza, spokesperson for the NMTC Coalition. “Over the years, the credit has been instrumental in financing plant and equipment for small manufacturing businesses and patient, flexible capital to other small businesses, hospitals, healthcare centers, homeless shelters and other transformative projects that improve communities, create jobs and economic opportunity. A permanent extension of NMTC will provide more certainty to private sector investors, which will result in better pricing and more subsidy to hard-to-finance, essential projects.” For examples of how the NMTC is making an impact in each state, see the NMTC Coalition’s newly released report, NMTC at Work in Communities Across America, featuring updated state statistics sheets on NMTC efficacy and more than 80 Tax Credit success stories. About New Markets Tax Credit Program The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) was enacted in 2000 in an effort 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 the NMTC, nearly $120 billion is hard at work in underserved communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 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/

October 24, 2022 11:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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VideoXRM Gets Your B2B Video Found

VideoXRM

VideoXRM, a B2B content distribution and discovery platform, launched its beta site today with a commercial launch slated for January 2023. VideoXRM merges the superior communications power of rich media with granular searchability to bring global exposure to video and rich media assets. VideoXRM is the launch brand and new corporate name for this cloud-hosted platform developed over two and a half years as Issuer Pixel. VideoXRM is a scalable media discovery platform leveraging proprietary indexing structures, industry taxonomies and search engine technology that lets content providers upload and individually index their rich media assets to be easily found. Industry Problem – B2B video is hard to find with precise results, which limits its value and potential. It’s either siloed on millions of corporate websites or buried on consumer video portals. Irrelevant results from conventional text searches create frustration rather than solutions. 59% of executives prefer video to reading text. 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. 82% of consumer internet traffic will be video by 2022 Global corporate video investments exceed $20K per company, per year - but these assets are hard to locate. Solution – VideoXRM’s patent-pending technology uses highly sophisticated indexing and search technology to make unstructured video content easily discoverable with precision. This new ecosystem delivers huge value to searchers and content providers as businesses increasingly tap the power of video and rich media to differentiate their value and to reach new audiences. The platform is ideal for company-to-company and company-to-customer engagement, news media, researchers, supply chain and procurement managers, M&A sourcing, partnering and benchmarking. VideoXRM has the “Last Mover” advantage in the video and audio sharing industry, bringing structure, searchability, distribution and intelligence to rich media investments. About VideoXRM ( VideoXRM.com ) VideoXRM is a global, searchable video and audio sharing and networking platform connecting corporate rich media content with all potential stakeholders. The platform and smart search technology creates value and knowledge from mountains of unstructured digital media, delivering greater ROI from content investments. VideoXRM’s mission is harnessing the enhanced communicative power of rich media through a new distribution and discovery paradigm. VideoXRM was Co-founded by David N. Baker, who formed Revere Data LLC (Sectorbase) which was acquired by FactSet Data Systems, Inc. His Co-founders are Vadim A. Tarasov, Byron Kwok and David Guzy. Contact Details Catalyst IR David Collins +1 212-924-9800 VideoXRM@Catalyst-IR.com Company Website https://videoxrm.com

October 20, 2022 02:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Skuad secures Series A funding to drive global expansion in helping companies hire, manage and pay talent globally

Skuad

Numerous large companies around the world have started to adopt globally distributed and hybrid team structures as part of business growth and expansion plans. However, they are struggling to remain compliant with local employment regulations, process cross-border payroll and find high-quality talent as they hire beyond borders. Skuad, a Singapore-based company that enables global hiring and payroll, announced today that it has raised US$ 15 Mn in Series A funding to help companies like these overcome challenges around building global teams. The funding round was led by a Southeast Asian venture capital fund alongside a U.S. strategic investor specializing in staffing and two leading global payments platforms. This round also saw participation from existing investors BEENEXT, Anthemis as well other prominent angel investors. This funding follows on from the US$4 Mn seed round in December 2020, taking the total capital raised to US$19 Mn. The brainchild of Sundeep Sahi, Skuad was founded in 2020 with the singular aim of simplifying the process of finding and managing the right talent while removing the limitations of boundaries. While the pandemic-induced lockdowns and the “work from home” situation enabled the rise of distributed working models and global teams, they also created a unique set of challenges for organizations that were used to a traditional “office” set-up. Skuad enables companies to build global, distributed teams by hiring the best talent beyond borders (without setting up a legal entity). Its array of services include onboarding, payroll, benefits, taxes and local compliance (at a fraction of the usual cost and time). “The way people work and companies hire has changed,” said Sundeep Sahi, Founder and CEO of Skuad. “ Our mission is to elevate lives by democratizing opportunities and talent globally. We started Skuad because we realized that talent was everywhere but opportunities were not. With the complexities of hiring in foreign markets and cross-border payments, companies were finding it hard to discover and hire the right talent and build global teams. On the other hand, talent did not have the right discovery platform for finding remote employment that invests and helps them grow in their career rather than working for transactional short term gigs. We want to change this status quo and actively work towards enabling 1 Mn workers to discover the best opportunities globally, work anywhere in the world & get paid anytime in their currency of choice”. To further its mission, Skuad is also finalizing its acquisition of Codejudge, a data-driven talent assessment platform that automates the tech interview process. On the Codejudge acquisition, Sundeep Sahi added: “Finding the right talent is only half the battle — being able to qualitatively assess, interview and hire this talent is fundamental to the success of talent acquisition and retention strategies. The acquisition of Codejudge will strengthen Skuad’s existing hiring and onboarding capabilities with an added layer of data-driven talent assessment functionalities. Skuad will leverage Codejudge’s robust code-simulation platform and code sandboxes to further enhance its product offerings and scale its acquisition capabilities.” Commenting on the funding, Dirk Van Quaquebeke, Managing Partner, Beenext, said, “Businesses are beginning to see the advantages of having teams not constrained by borders. This not only enables them to scale teams and enter new markets quickly, but also helps them find and hire the best talent without the need to relocate. As early investors in Skuad, we’ve seen the team bridge the gap between talent shortage and surplus markets. We are excited for this next phase of growth of the business — building global, distributed teams for thousands of customers.” In the last two years, Skuad has witnessed exceptional growth — with customers across 34 countries (>50% from North America and Europe), talent in 94 countries (>80% from emerging economies) and 3X growth in ARR since January 2022. Further, given Skuad’s affordable pricing plans — starting at US$199 per employee per month for payroll and US$499 per employee per month for talent discovered through the integrated platform — their clients range from emerging and early-stage startups to larger businesses. These companies have built their global teams on Skuad’s platform and are processing over US$120 Mn in payroll and payments worldwide in over 50 currencies. Skuad has also expanded its leadership team with experienced senior hires across all verticals (Product, Sales and Operations), resulting in brand visibility and big client wins in the US and EU in a short period of time. Remote and hybrid work trends have continued in the post-COVID world leading to a greater demand for digital knowledge workers, especially from the Asia-Pacific region. Evolving digital advancements across industries and sectors has led to the need for diverse and upgraded tech skills. This has resulted in the creation of new technology hubs in the Philippines, Malaysia, India and Indonesia. According to a McKinsey Global Institute article, Asia is expected to account for almost 40% of global consumption and generate more than 50% of world GDP by 2040. Skuad is built for this new world of work. Together with the funding capital and the Codejudge acquisition, the company plans to strengthen its tech features to scale across global hiring, payments and payroll. It will also continue to build growth functions to further penetrate prime markets and expand beyond current geographies. About Skuad Skuad is a fast-growing global employment and payroll platform, which enables large enterprises and emerging start-ups to employ and pay exceptional talent anywhere in the world, compliantly. Skuad is valued and trusted by leading global companies worldwide. Skuad’s digital employment infrastructure ensures companies can hire, onboard, and pay employees and contractors in 160+ countries, without setting up local entities, on a single unified dashboard. Our legal infrastructure manages all local compliances and provides a range of amazing country-specific benefits and insurance packages. Contact Details Skuad Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.skuad.io/

October 20, 2022 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Ulmer & Berne Launches Formal Venture Law Practice Group to Provide Full-Service Counsel to Entrepreneurs, Startups, and VC Funds

Ulmer & Berne LLP

Ulmer & Berne LLP announced today a significant step forward in its ongoing support of entrepreneurs, startups, and venture capital funds with the formal launch of the firm’s Venture Law Practice Group. This move positions the firm to provide seamless full-service legal counsel to emerging companies, investors, and VC funds, following the rapid expansion of its team of dedicated venture attorneys. Led by Ulmer Partners Vance V. VanDrake III and Zachary D. Bahorik, Ulmer has uniquely merged corporate venture law and intellectual property law by hiring and training attorneys that are dedicated to the venture space. Building upon these core disciplines, the team also has deep experience in venture tax, corporate selection, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions, data privacy, software transactions, patents, trademarks, copyrights, and litigation. “I’ve been working in the venture space for more than a decade, but largely with a specific focus on the intellectual property needs of startup companies,” said Venture Law Co-Group Leader Vance VanDrake. “With the strategic addition of Zach Bahorik, Brett Renzenbrink, and a number of associates on the corporate and tax side of venture, we’ve been able to grow the team around our combined capabilities. We are proud to have built a robust, experienced team of attorneys who intrinsically understand the needs of early stage companies, investors, and funds, because we’ve been where our clients are.” Ulmer’s Venture Law Practice Group is comprised of attorneys who understand the unique complexities of the venture law space because many are, themselves, current and former angel investors, venture fund managers, and startup founders. Because of the group’s deep industry knowledge, it understands clients’ business needs, and helps them identify and prioritize where legal adds to enterprise value rather than simply increasing the monthly burn rate. Ulmer represents both portfolio companies and investors at all steps of the venture path. Attorneys in Ulmer’s Venture Law Practice Group have worked with more than 1,000 startup companies across a full spectrum of industries. They have helped create over $1 billion of value for entrepreneurs by solidifying their intellectual property portfolios, served as counsel for venture funds and investor groups that have raised and deployed more than $300 million in investment capital, and fundraised with companies that have brought in over $500 million in investment capital. About Ulmer Ulmer & Berne, established in 1908, focuses on exceeding client expectations and delivering superior, customized legal solutions for an exceptional value. From offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, Columbus, New York, Washington, D.C., and Boca Raton, Ulmer’s attorneys handle cutting-edge, complex matters on a national basis across all practice areas, while retaining the work ethic, rates, and user-friendly attitudes reflective of the firm’s Midwest origins. Ulmer emphasizes world-class service and sophisticated industry expertise with flexible billing arrangements. For more information, please visit ulmer.com Contact Details Ulmer & Berne LLP Bridget Kochersperger +1 513-698-5204 bkochersperger@ulmer.com Company Website https://www.ulmer.com/

October 19, 2022 02:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Press Release: CLASP & Nithio, with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Launch Financing Facility for Productive Use Appliances

CLASP

Today at the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo, CLASP and Nithio launched a USD $6.5 million financing facility to catalyze uptake of productive use appliances across Africa. The facility will improve appliance affordability for consumers and companies and is supported in part by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). Access to productive use appliances can deliver significant economic, health, education, and quality of life benefits for an estimated 60 million households worldwide and put under-electrified parts of the world on a low carbon pathway to electrification. Yet, affordability remains a major barrier to access and scale. Speaking during the facility’s launch in Kigali, Rwanda, Jeff Stottlemyer, Director at CLASP said, “This facility is designed to catalyze private investment in productive use appliance markets at scale, making those appliances more affordable and accessible.” CLASP and Nithio identified six appliance technologies based on their relative maturity and potential to drive development impact – walk-in cold rooms, refrigerators, electric cookers, fans, mills, and solar water pumps. Chianda Njogu, Senior Associate at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) said, “By making productive use appliances affordable and accessible, the facility can transform lives by enhancing income generated by smallholder farmers and micro-enterprises, creating new green energy enabled jobs, and improving the sustainability of renewable energy infrastructure projects through increased demand for electricity.” The facility will initially operate in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda based on growth potential and market maturity. Kate Steel, Chief Executive Officer at Nithio said, “Consumer financing is crucial to long-term, sustainable growth in the productive use market. GEAPP’s support will enable Nithio to leverage our unique, data-drive approach to make consumer financing accessible for more companies and, ultimately, make it easier for their customers to afford these life-changing technologies.” How it Works The facility will offer procurement subsidies, capacity building grants, consumer financing, and advisory support focused on credit systems development for productive use appliance distributors. It will lower appliance costs for end-users by discounting the price of bulk solar appliance procurements and providing financing for distributors to enable them to sell their products on credit. For more information, please visit our website. Grant requests and general enquiries should be sent to Financing@clasp.ngo. About CLASP CLASP focuses on appliance & equipment energy performance and quality, to mitigate and adapt to climate change and expand access to clean energy. Super-efficient and high quality appliances accelerate access to and use of renewable energy for the world’s poorest people. CLASP supports progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7, affordable and sustainable energy for all. Renewable energy services like cooling, communications, and mechanization empower low-income communities and improve lives in a climate friendly way. CLASP works globally and has teams in Washington, DC; Nairobi, Kenya; New Delhi, India; Brussels, Belgium; and Jakarta, Indonesia. About NITHIO Nithio is an energy financing platform powered by its innovative credit risk analytics engine. Nithio leverages its deep sector expertise, geospatial data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast repayment patterns by consumer segment, provide detailed insight on projected cash flows, and finance energy access technologies. About the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of local entrepreneurs, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Our common mission is to support developing countries’ shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that ensures universal energy access and unlocks a new era of inclusive economic growth, while enabling the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. In doing so, as an Alliance we aim to enable 150 million new jobs, reduce 4 gigatons of future carbon emissions, and expand clean energy access to one billion people. With philanthropic partners, Bezos Earth Fund, IKEA Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, and deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions, and assist just transition solutions. For more information, please visit www.energyalliance.org and follow us on Twitter at @EnergyAlliance. CLASP focuses on appliance & equipment energy performance and quality, to mitigate and adapt to climate change and expand access to clean energy. Super-efficient and high quality appliances accelerate access to and use of renewable energy for the world’s poorest people. CLASP supports progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7, affordable and sustainable energy for all. Renewable energy services like cooling, communications, and mechanization empower low-income communities and improve lives in a climate friendly way. CLASP works globally and has teams in Washington, DC; Nairobi, Kenya; New Delhi, India; Brussels, Belgium; and Jakarta, Indonesia. Contact Details CLASP Dennis Migono +254 707 204548 dmigono@clasp.ngo Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet Eric Gay +1 917-912-6190 eric.gay@energyalliance.org Company Website http://www.clasp.ngo/

October 19, 2022 11:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Travel Technology Association Selects Laura Chadwick as New Leader

Travel Tech

The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry, announced today that following a comprehensive executive search, it has appointed Laura Chadwick as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Chadwick’s record of association leadership and public policy advocacy make her an ideal choice for the association to advance its mission of promoting marketplace competition, transparency, and advocacy for policies that deliver consumer value. Chadwick previously served as a Vice President, Industry Relations at the XRAssociation (XRA), where she launched the new organization’s membership, marketing, and development efforts. Under her leadership, XRA grew from five members to more than 40 in the span of two and a half years. Previously Chadwick led corporate member engagement and technology policy lobbying at the National Restaurant Association. She is also a veteran of the Consumer Technology Association and the Capitol Hill offices of U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (CA-28) and Mike Thompson (CA-05). “We are delighted Laura is leading Travel Tech. Her leadership skills, combined with her technology and policy background, make her the perfect choice,” stated Emmett O’Keefe, Chairman of the Travel Tech Board of Directors. “She will be a great advocate for the industry as we continue to provide value to the travel consumer.” Chadwick will focus on solidifying the Travel Technology Association’s value to the industry, highlighting its advocacy work, and expanding its membership. “I am honored to join the Travel Technology Association as its new leader and work with some of the most innovative companies in the travel industry,” Chadwick said. “Throughout my career, I have led efforts to highlight the power of technology to benefit consumers and transform businesses. As more and more Americans make plans to travel, we have a great opportunity to highlight Travel Tech’s core principles of consumer choice, competition, and transparency and its value as an organization supporting the industry.” “Laura’s leadership is a welcome addition to the team,” stated Kelly Kolb, Travel Tech’s Board Vice Chair. “Her plans to expand the reach of the association, enhance our advocacy efforts, and showcase the benefits technology brings to travelers and the economy, will be noticed quickly throughout the industry and especially in Washington, DC.” Chadwick takes on the role of President and CEO following the transition of Interim President Stewart Alvarez. Alvarez will continue to support Travel Tech in an advisory role. “I look forward to working with Laura as she leads Travel Tech in these important times,” stated Alvarez. “Proposals from the Department of Transportation regarding ticket refunds and ancillary services, ongoing discussions in state capitals and city halls, along with the continued advocacy of a transparent marketplace, make her leadership in this space essential.” ### About Travel Tech The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the voice of the travel technology industry, advocating for public policy that promotes transparency and competition in the marketplace to encourage innovation and preserve consumer choice. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies and metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms. To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com. Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 daniel.rene@kglobal.com Company Website https://www.traveltech.org.

October 19, 2022 09:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Study: Is Digital Nomadism the New Work Non-Negotiable?

MBO Partners

A new study from ​ MBO Partners® shows that digital nomadism is the number one work trend that employers can no longer ignore. Digital nomadism, a term referencing workers who embrace a location-independent, technology-enabled lifestyle that allows them to travel and work remotely, has grown by 131% from the pre-pandemic year 2019. Today, 16.9 million American workers describe themselves as digital nomads. Traditional workers are the fastest-growing segment embracing this style of work. The number of digital nomads with traditional corporate jobs increased by 9% in 2022, growing from 10.2 million in 2021 to 11.1 million this year. "The massive rise in digital nomads is just one more sign that the workforce of yesterday is gone for good,"said Miles Everson, CEO, MBO Partners. "The 'work from anywhere' trend is here to stay, and employers must take note that the power is in the hands of the worker, not the employer or client. To embrace this strong and growing population of nearly 17 million workers, look beyond the if and into the how – create and enforce a documented nomad policy, and consider how to engage flexible, blended talent teams that engage for purpose and outcomes." The report revealed several key insights about this fast-growing segment of the American workforce, including: Out of the office, into the world. The number of digital nomads with traditional jobs increased by 9% in 2022, growing from 10.2 million in 2021 to 11.1 million in 2022. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, the number of digital nomads with traditional jobs has more than tripled. Taking a page from the retiree's handbook, digital nomads seek out locations with lower costs of living and favorable amenities. No plans to quiet quit. Eighty-one percent of digital nomads report being highly satisfied, and 11% are satisfied with their work and lifestyle. Only 3% were dissatisfied. This compares to 68% of non-digital nomads reporting being highly satisfied and 14% satisfied with their work and lifestyle. Interestingly, in terms of politics, digital nomads skew heavily Democratic (51%) vs. Republicans (23%) and Independents (23%). VanLife is not out of gas. VanLifers, digital nomads who travel, live and work in RVs, vans, or other vehicles converted into roaming residences, were the fastest-growing digital nomad segment, increasing 19% in 2022 and reaching 3.1 million. Digital nomad villages offer support. A growing support industry is making it easier to be a successful digital nomad, whether it be providing products like cross-border health insurance to assist digital nomads or digital nomad villages like Nomad Village Brazil and Digital Nomad Valley Zadar, Croatia that provide a community and infrastructure to be productive. The top challenges reported by digital nomads are personal safety (34%), being away from family and friends (32%), and managing work and travel (25%). The new Dreamers: Armchair Nomads. Despite aspirations, only 8-11% of those who express interest in the nomadic lifestyle will actually make the leap in the next 2-3 years. A growing group of "armchair digital nomads" will live the life through the experiences of others vs. becoming nomads themselves. The convergence of remote work and technological improvements have been key drivers in accelerating the digital nomad trend. While the pandemic forced a change in physical work locations, it ignited an industry to support this holistic change of remote work. It was not a giant leap for workers to go from working from home to working from anywhere that technology allowed. As evidenced by summer air travel, our appetite for travel has not diminished. Even as work requirements shift from fully remote to hybrid or in-office, digital nomadism will not be grounded. Many factors will continue to drive the growth of this trend, such as cities and countries competing to attract digital nomads, improvement in remote work technology, and companies creating digital nomad policies. MBO Partners will release the full 2022 State of Independence study in November 2022. To obtain a copy of the brief, please visit www.mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/digital-nomads. About MBO Partners®​ MBO Partners is a deep job platform that connects and enables independent professionals and microbusiness owners to do business safely and effectively with enterprise organizations. 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 Words For Hire Karen Swim +1 586-461-2103 mbopr@wordsforhirellc.com Company Website https://mbopartners.com

October 19, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Ready for Ron Announces National Student Director

Ready for Ron

Ready for Ron, the only credible independent group working to Draft Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for President, announced a new initiative to engage college students, as activists and volunteers, in support of the official national petition to draft Ron DeSantis to run in 2024. ‘Young Americans Ready for Ron’ led by Dylan Dean, will build a nationwide network of student activists to actively engage their fellow students and their local communities as part of the growing national movement in support of a Presidential run by Governor DeSantis. Dean, a student at Montana State University served as a multi-State Chair for the renowned student activist movement Young Americans for Liberty (running five states at once) and is a tireless advocate on and off college campuses. Dean’s experience in grassroots organizing and action has helped him build a national network of Young Americans ready to engage in electoral activism. “My generation is Ready for Ron to continue defending freedom and liberty - just as he has done in Florida – but on the national stage. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor DeSantis refused to kowtow to the radical Left, keeping the Sunshine State open for business and rejecting the impulse to impose onerous mask and vaccine mandates on citizens of the state. It revealed true bravery and respect for liberty, and that's why I support him now," Dylan Dean said. “By choosing guidelines over mandates, Governor DeSantis has given hope to college students like myself, who can now look to 2024 with newfound optimism that he will win the White House,” Dean continued. For those still in the college system or who just left it, we know what a broken system looks like and how important it is to solve the problems. Only strong leadership can get that job done.” “We are thrilled to have Dylan involved with this effort,” stated Ready for Ron Chief Political Strategist Ed Rollins. We need more younger people involved to grow a powerful apparatus nationwide to draft and elect Ron DeSantis for President. Their future and ours depend on it.” Since its launch in late May, Ready for Ron has enlisted nearly one hundred thousand supporters, generated significant media attention, and run hundreds of ads to convince Ron DeSantis to run for President. Ready for Ron has emerged as the only credible independent organization in support of a Ron DeSantis candidacy. Americans are encouraged to sign the petition at ReadyForRon.com to draft Ron DeSantis to run in 2024. ### Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 dan@readyforron.com Company Website https://www.readyforron.com/

October 18, 2022 08:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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