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Data Integrity Company Claravine Secures $16 Million in Series B Funding

Claravine

Claravine, a pioneer in data integrity with its platform, The Data Standards Cloud, announced a $16 million Series B funding round. The round was led by Five Elms Capital with participation from existing investors Grayhawk Capital, Next Frontier Capital, Peninsula Ventures, Kickstart Fund and Silverton Partners. This new funding will help Claravine meet its aggressive growth goal of doubling its headcount this year, accelerating product development, and investing in its integrations to automate data standards across digital experiences. Founded in 2012, Claravine empowers a proactive approach to data by activating standards across people and technology – bridging the silos that limit speed and decisions. The company has forged successful partnerships with well-known Fortune 1000 companies such as Under Armour, Ancestry and Vanguard and is currently working with a quarter of the Fortune 100. With a collaborative user interface and strategic integrations with top customer experience platforms such as Adobe and Google, The Data Standards Cloud helps global organizations define, apply and connect standards across their ecosystem for faster decisions, greater agility and increased ROI. This latest round of funding comes as Claravine continues to experience significant company growth. As first-party data becomes paramount and industry-wide demand grows for more solutions for data standardization, measurement, and personalization, Claravine is substantially expanding its integration library to be compatible with more of the major platforms powering digital advertising, including measurement solutions, creative optimization and customer data. Funding will also enable the company’s investment in talent and plans to hire key roles for teams in the disciplines of product management, engineering, sales, customer success and marketing. "CX-focused organizations are frustrated by an ever-growing trove of marketing data they can't trust or use in a timely way. There are many tools, workarounds, over-engineered spreadsheets, ETLs, etc. to manage the problem, but these only treat the symptoms,” said Verl Allen, CEO, Claravine. “We've been able to pioneer a new category by refocusing the process and developing a healthier overall organizational approach to data. Rather than being reactive and improving data quality after the fact, we help our customers proactively build in data integrity from the start using standards. We have found this approach to be most effective because, by controlling inputs, companies have the ability to adapt and react to any market change – including what the industry is experiencing with marketing measurement." “Claravine has carved out a new category that continues to redefine how top brands manage their digital experience. We have been exceptionally impressed by Verl, his team and their mission,” Stephanie Schneider, Partner at Five Elms Capital, said. “Claravine is positioned to become a dominant player in the space as it continues to scale its platform and offerings. We are proud to support the company on this exciting growth trajectory.” In addition to raising its Series B, Claravine was also recently named a “Momentum Leader” and “High Performer” in the Spring 2022 G2 Rankings. The company has ranked consecutively for the last five quarters in categories such as best relationship, support and easiest to do business in the enterprise relationship index for the data governance category. About Claravine Claravine is a pioneer in data integrity for the global enterprise. We empower a proactive approach to data by activating standards across people and technology, bridging the silos that limit speed and decisions across digital experiences. That’s why a quarter of the Fortune 100 use our platform, The Data Standards Cloud, to define, apply and connect standards across their ecosystem for faster decisions, greater agility, and increased ROI. For more information, visit www.claravine.com. About Five Elms Capital Five Elms Capital is a leading growth equity firm that invests in fast-growing B2B software businesses that users love. Five Elms provides capital and resources to help companies accelerate growth and further cement their role as industry leaders. For more information, visit www.fiveelms.com. Contact Details Michael Kocher Kite Hill PR claravine@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.claravine.com/

May 17, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Steve Weber Reflects on 30 Years in Business As Minuteman Press Franchise Owner in Norwich, CT

Minuteman Press International Inc

Located at 595 W. Main Street, Minuteman Press in Norwich, Connecticut first opened in August 1992. Owner Steve Weber shares the following insights and advice as he reflects on celebrating 30 years in business: “I guess looking at it from the outside 30 years is quite an accomplishment, especially when you realize I was 40 years old when we started. I think that this milestone means it is almost time to retire. Our success can be attributed to a number of things. For the first 25 years, my wife and partner Gail helped grow the business and keep me on track. Since she has retired, I think our continued success can be attributed to surrounding myself with the best people as well as giving excellent customer service and evolving our business to meet the times. Our equipment and services have definitely evolved. Several years ago, we became an all-digital shop. We have invested in the equipment needed to provide excellent quality with the quick turnaround time our customers expect. We also have great suppliers who can provide old school offset printing when the job calls for it. We have expanded into the ad specialty market and learned the specifics of selling clothing. We have also invested in mailing equipment. This has been an excellent complement to our printing. We never sell a large printing job without asking, ‘What are you doing with this printing?’ Often, the answer has been we are mailing it. Providing mailing has earned us many new customers. Our community is relatively rural. We do not have any trade binderies to help support our business. To that end we have invested in our own bindery. We have a collator / booklet maker, as well as a perfect binder and a small die cutting unit. To complement the mailing services, we also have a folder inserter. We do over 100,000 business cards per month so we added a slitter cutter to automate that service. The machine is relatively slow but we have nicknamed it ‘set it and forget it.’ The person in bindery can set it up and do another job while it is running. We are proof that ‘print is dead’ is not truthful. Our customers still want business cards to hand out and annual reports to distribute. We also work with many nonprofits who have learned that the best return on fundraising is by mailing the information. Email just does not work to this end. Minuteman Press International has guided us every step of the way. From our first meeting with Roy Titus to now working with Nick Titus, we always feel comfortable. We have been fortunate to have Ron Rubin as our New England Regional Vice President. His wisdom and guidance have kept me focused on the goal of success. The proprietary software we used originally developed by Minuteman Press has also evolved. The current FLEX management software has been a great help especially when training employees in our company. We have been fortunate over the years to introduce more than a few other people into the Minuteman Press system. Our son Michael and his wife Lindsey now have 3 Minuteman Press locations of their own in Enfield, CT, Springfield, MA, and Brattleboro, VT. We did a mailing a number of years ago to the printers in our area. We have been able to acquire four different independent businesses who were competitors. It creates a win/win because the owners are typically retiring and they know their clients will be left in good hands. Lastly, this is not a business for an absentee owner. You must work in your business to succeed. After 30 years, I no longer work 50 hours/week, but I am still involved. My staff now does the heavy lifting but when we are bidding a large project, I appreciate them reaching out to me to utilize my years of experience.” For more information on Minuteman Press in Norwich, CT, visit https://minuteman.com/us/locations/ct/norwich/ Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

May 16, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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City Produce Joins FreshEdge

FreshEdge

INDIANAPOLIS – FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies backed by Rotunda Capital Partners, acquired City Produce, a fresh food distributor headquartered in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. For many years, City Produce has been serving North Central Florida, the Florida Panhandle, and central to southern Alabama distributing fresh fruits and vegetables, including an array of fresh-cut offerings, dairy, meats, seafoods, specialty foods, and more. City Produce operates out of two facilities, one in Fort Walton Beach, and a second in Foley, Alabama. The addition expands FreshEdge’s footprint into the southern United States and provides space and logistical support to better serve its customer base as it spreads farther south. City Produce joins Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Indianapolis Fruit, Get Fresh Produce, McCartney Produce, Monteverde’s, Valley Produce, Vine Line, Garden Cut, CIBUS Fresh and Papania’s. FreshEdge now operates with more than 2,000 employees, approximately 808,500 square feet of warehouse space, and a fleet of more than 720 trucks. “We welcome Tommy Sundy and his amazing team to the FreshEdge family of companies,” said Steve Grinstead, CEO of FreshEdge. “We are excited for this great company to join FreshEdge as we expand farther into the Southeast.” Terms of the deal, which closed on May 10, 2022, were not disclosed. The transaction strengthens the combined business’s presence in Florida and southern Alabama. “City Produce will be a great addition to our expanding group of ‘best in class’ fresh food distribution companies,” said Greg Corsaro, president and COO of FreshEdge. “We look forward to Tommy’s continued leadership at City Produce.” “Our City Produce team is excited to join the FreshEdge family - knowing we’ll be ‘better together’,” said Tommy Sundy, president. “This is the next step in increasing our footprint, serving customers with expanded offerings and growing for our future.” FreshEdge is backed by Rotunda Capital Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on investments in founder and family held companies. Rotunda seeks to provide opportunities for management teams to reach strategic, financial, and operational objectives. Rotunda entered the food business in 2017 with the acquisition of Indianapolis Fruit and Piazza Produce. FreshEdge was created in 2019 when Get Fresh Produce joined the platform. City Produce represents FreshEdge’s seventh acquisition since Rotunda’s initial investment. Together, Rotunda and FreshEdge intend to continue expanding FreshEdge by welcoming more companies into the group—all focused on high quality produce and specialty food products, along with exceptional service—to create a unique group of complementary entities. About FreshEdge FreshEdge was formed in 2019 through the combination of Get Fresh Produce (founded 1982) and the IF&P Foods family of companies, primarily composed of Indianapolis Fruit (founded 1947) and Piazza Produce (founded 1970). McCartney Produce (Paris, TN) joined the FreshEdge family in November 2020 followed by Valley Produce (Knoxville, TN) in June 2021, Vine Line (Grand Rapids, MI) in October 2021, and Monteverde's (Pittsburgh, PA) in November 2021. Collectively, these leading fresh food distribution companies have nearly 500 years of combined experience serving the grocery and food service industries. FreshEdge includes two Garden Cut branded fresh-cut processing facilities, a tomato re-packer, a USDA fresh kitchen (CIBUS Fresh), and two transportation companies. FreshEdge's fleet resource includes more than 720 trucks servicing the Midwest and beyond from 12 facilities totaling approximately 808,500 square feet of warehouse space. Today, FreshEdge is one of the largest independent fresh food distributors in the United States and a category leader in providing both the foodservice and retail industries with fruit, vegetables, proteins, fresh grab-n-go offerings, dairy, floral, and specialty products. For more information, visit www.freshedgefoods.com. About Rotunda Capital Partners Rotunda Capital Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm focused on transforming family-founder owned companies into dynamic, data-driven platforms able to achieve and manage significant growth. Since its founding in 2009, Rotunda has partnered with management teams to build great businesses within three primary sectors: value-added distribution, asset-light logistics and industrial & business services. Rotunda strives to achieve replicable results by implementing its Rotunda Performance System to create strategic alignment, develop lean processes and create robust, data-driven infrastructures. For more information, visit www.rotundacapital.com. Contact Details FreshEdge Greg Corsaro +1 317-981-3440 gcorsaro@freshedgefoods.com Rotunda Capital Partners Jill Lafferty +1 847-280-1295 jill@rotundacapital.com Company Website https://www.freshedgefoods.com/

May 11, 2022 07:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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NLPC Targets ConocoPhillips Over Carbon Tax Advocacy

National Legal & Policy Center

On Tuesday, National Legal and Policy Center presented a resolution at ConocoPhillips Company ’s annual shareholder meeting that would require greater transparency and itemization by the corporation about its lobbying expenditures. The company’s board of directors opposed our proposal, as explained in its proxy statement. Speaking as sponsor of the resolution was Paul Chesser, director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project. Excerpts from his five-minute remarks, which you can listen to here, follow: Americans are suffering under the highest gasoline prices in their lives. And they are not only paying more at the pump – they are also sending much larger checks every month to their local electricity providers. But what are ConocoPhillips and their allies at the American Petroleum Institute prioritizing? A carbon dioxide tax. Talk about being tone-deaf. This is just one reason why my organization, as the shareholder sponsoring this proposal, seeks greater transparency and specificity from ConocoPhillips about its lobbying expenditure disclosures. And while I’m at it, we believe it is no longer in shareholders’ interest for the company to remain as a member of API. Let other fossil-fuel haters fund API President Mike Sommers’s $2.5 million-dollar annual salary to advocate for the demonization of his organization’s principal product. And if a carbon dioxide tax continues to be a priority for Mr. [Ryan] Lance (pictured above), then his leadership should be revisited as well… In case you haven’t noticed, ESG is failing. Company leaders may think they are ahead of the curve on ESG, but they are in fact behind, as we are in the middle of another very sharp curve that turns in the opposite direction. The backlash against “woke” is very real and very significant. Just look at what’s happening to Disney in Florida. And what happened to the advocates of racist CRT training and education in Virginia last year. The trend against climate-focused ESG is no different. Americans are furious at the price of gasoline and natural gas, caused by climate alarmist advocacy. Pinning a carbon dioxide tax on top of it should be a non-starter… Make no mistake: Climate change alarmists are anti-science, anti-logic, anti-economics, and anti-humanity. They are anti-science because they fail to understand that the physics of energy dictates that they can never erect enough wind, solar, and other so-called renewables to replace the density and power packed into fossil fuels, to meet the energy demands of global humanity. Yet they disregard this incontrovertible science and instead make repeated false predictions about future climate doom if we don’t abandon fossil fuels. Their prophecies always fail to materialize on their predicted timelines, yet no one calls them on it… It’s time for ConocoPhillips’s directors and executives to exercise real leadership, and to stand for truth in science and against these false prophets. It’s to that end that we seek greater transparency from ConocoPhillips about its lobbying expenditures, to provide assurance that the company truly is acting in the best interests of shareholders, of customers, and of our country. Read NLPC’s shareholder resolution for ConocoPhillips annual meeting here. Read a transcript of Chesser’s full five-minute remarks here. Listen to Chesser’s presentation of NLPC’s shareholder resolution here. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. Contact Details Paul Chesser +1 703-237-1970 pchesser@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

May 10, 2022 01:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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CleverTap Appoints Honey Bajaj as SVP & Global Chief of Consumer Experience

CleverTap

CleverTap, the world’s leading retention cloud, today added to its core leadership team with the appointment of Honey Bajaj as SVP & Global Chief of Consumer Experience. In this position, Bajaj will pioneer CleverTap’s extensive program to help companies reimagine customer experience and realise the “Art of Possible”. Bajaj is a design strategist, an innovation leader and a social entrepreneur with extensive work in India and the U.S. Her ability to problem solve and identify patterns in human behaviour has earned her multiple prestigious awards and recognition as an Innovation Global Shaper and Inventor of the Year (2016). She is also a dual degree holder with a Master’s Degree in Engineering and Management and a Master’s in Sustainability Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Design and Innovation Methodologies in the Digital World. Before joining the CleverTap Leadership Team, Honey built an innovation pipeline for several Fortune 500 companies, including Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures, Disney, Microsoft Research, MIT Media Lab and Tata Group, one of India’s largest and highly profitable conglomerates. There she developed detailed market segmentation frameworks based on purchase behaviour to orchestrate product launches and go-to-market strategies. Bajaj has also dedicated her talent in designing for scale and impact to serving the needs of government bodies, financial institutions and healthcare organisations. Her work, which spans over a decade, has impacted over 50 million lives. “As we scale CleverTap into a global category creator for “Retention Cloud”, we realise that our customers are eager to co-create experiences that will fuel growth and the future of their own digital businesses. For this reason, we are expanding our leadership team with a new appointment that benefits the most important stakeholder: our customers’ customers,” Vikrant Chowdhary, CleverTap Chief Growth Officer, explains. “From fintech to e-commerce, and from on-demand Super Apps to media and streaming services, companies need the inspiration and tangible examples of the “Art of Possible” to unleash human- centred design thinking, unlock new perspectives and drive powerful momentum and positive results for all stakeholders.” This outcome, he continues, is “inextricably linked with our customers’ abilities to realise and hyper-personalize omnichannel journeys for their customers.” “I have always focused on designing for impact and inventing for scale by contextualizing tech for the consumers. The truth is, no matter what we think we’re doing, we are all in the customer-experience business. Before you can accomplish it, you need to envision it. The digital behaviour and expectations of customers is evolving faster than most industries are able to deliver.I am looking forward to my journey with CleverTap to embed human-centered principles and design thinking into a series of initiatives and programs,” Honey Bajaj says. “These efforts will allow digital-first companies to co-create and simulate digital journeys that will fuel growth through superior customer experience and will enable CleverTap’s customers to realise their consumer journeys in a more seamless and contextual manner as the lines of the digital and omnichannel world are no longer separated.” About CleverTap CleverTap is the modern, integrated retention cloud that empowers digital consumer brands to increase customer retention and lifetime value. For brands that understand and value user retention, CleverTap drives context and individualization with the help of a unified and deep data layer, AI/ML powered insights and automation. Customers around the world representing over 10,000 apps, including Vodafone Idea, SonyLIV, Daimler, Gojek, Carousell, and Premier League, trust CleverTap to achieve their retention and engagement goals, growing their long term revenue. Backed by leading venture capital firms including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, and Accel, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Dubai. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Forward-Looking StatementsSome of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap’s belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could amount in the actual result being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or any related damages. Contact Details Sony Shetty sony@clevertap.com Company Website https://clevertap.com/

May 06, 2022 12:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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ThreatModeler Recognized as Silver Stevie® Award Winner for Best Cloud Platform by the 2022 American Business Awards®

ThreatModeler Software, Inc

ThreatModeler, a leader in securing cloud infrastructure from design to deployment, today announced that CloudModeler has earned a Silver Stevie® Award for Best Cloud Platform as part of the 20th Annual American Business Awards®. Optimizing ThreatModeler’s automated capabilities, CloudModeler enables organizations to implement true DevSecOps, providing actionable insights through continuous monitoring and empowering teams to discover unknown flaws in real-time. Designed with cloud migration in mind, CloudModeler enables DevOps teams to detect security flaws before they become code vulnerabilities, enabling instant remediation, mitigating risk and ensuring compliance post-deployment. “ThreatModeler is dedicated to creating a collaborative platform where security experts or non-security professionals alike can visualize design flaws within a few hours or minutes instead of weeks,” said Archie Agarwal, Founder and CEO, ThreatModeler. “This award highlights the value we have been able to deliver with CloudModeler, enabling enterprises to develop and deploy cloud architectures quickly, confidently and compliantly.” The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – large and small. More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s American Business Awards® winners. ThreatModeler’s distinction as a best cloud platform was clear to the ABA judges, who provided the following comments as part of their assessment of the CloudModeler solution: “A product designed with the specific pain point or niche market needs in mind, and solutioning implemented in a way that is easy to use, light to implement and maintain, brings efficiency and cuts cost from day one! ThreatModeler fits every category of this type of product. With the cloud being the top platform and destination for services and cybersecurity being the top priority and concerns of almost all businesses with a presence in cloud, threat modeling is a crucial part of the development cycle that ensures the product is secure and robust enough to protect both the business and the customers. I am impressed by the result metrics and statistics provided in the submission demonstrating how ThreadModeler has helped shorten the whole development efforts, cut costs, and avoid cyber risk and threats for its customers.” “[This submission] clearly demonstrates the success and growth of the company. ThreatModeler’s suite of products empowers DevOps to measure, design and validate threat drift from development to deployment within a fraction of the time and cost tied to other tools. Optimizing ThreatModeler’s automated capabilities, CloudModeler enables organizations to implement true DevSecOps, providing actionable insights through continuous monitoring, empowering teams to discover unknown flaws in real-time.” To learn more about ThreatModeler, CloudModeler and more, click here. Details on The American Business Awards and the list of Stevie winners are available here. About ThreatModeler Software, Inc. ThreatModeler Software, Inc.’s suite of products empowers DevOps to measure their threat drift from code to cloud. With a fraction of the time and cost tied to other tools, users can design, build and validate threat drift from development to deployment. Teams can instantly visualize their attack surface, understand security requirements and prioritize steps to mitigate threats. CISOs can make critical security-driven business decisions to scale their infrastructure for growth. About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com. Contact Details Clayton Murtle ThreatModeler@luminapr.com

May 05, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Vermont legislature passes bill to phase out most toxic light bulbs

CLASP

Today, the Vermont Senate adopted legislation to ban the sale of 4-foot linear fluorescent light (LFL) bulbs in 2024. Climate, environmental, and health advocates applaud the vote, noting the widespread availability of more energy-efficient, mercury-free LED alternatives. “Vermonters no longer need to tolerate fluorescent lighting, which contains mercury, a potent neurotoxin,” said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project. “By passing this legislation, Vermont is making a clear statement that it will not accept outdated and toxic technologies when safer, more efficient bulbs are widely available.” Four-foot LFL bulbs are the most common type of fluorescent bulb, covering about 90% of fluorescent installations including lighting in most offices, schools, and other indoor spaces. According to a recent report, fluorescents release mercury whenever they are broken, posing a threat to the environment and vulnerable groups like pregnant women, infants and others with chemical sensitivities. “Who wants to put toxic mercury lighting in their homes, day care centers, schools, offices, hospitals, or shops when they don’t have to?” said Paul Burns, Executive Director of Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “LED alternatives are available, cost-effective, are mercury free and offer better quality light than fluorescents.” Experts say that in the majority of cases, efficient LED retrofit solutions are widely available and can save Vermont residents and businesses money by cutting electricity costs in half. A new study from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) found a typical school could see $24,000 in lifetime savings from transitioning to LEDs. Further, by 2040 Vermont could see savings of $167 million in reduced utility bills thanks to just over 1,000 gigawatt hours of saved electricity due to transitioning to LED four-foot tubes. “Based on our analysis of drop-in retrofit LED bulb prices in Vermont, we concluded that an LED bulb can pay for itself 5 times over in electricity bill savings over its lifespan,” said Brian Fadie of ASAP. “Clearly LED is the lowest cost option today.” In response to a consumer advocate petition last fall and a subsequent review, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources issued a determination in February that will end the sale of screw-based mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This restriction will begin on February 17, 2023, to allow Vermont retailers and distributors sufficient time to sell any existing inventories. “We applaud the leadership of Vermont’s legislators in setting phase-out dates for the most common fluorescent lighting technologies in state”, said Ana Maria Carreño, Director at CLASP. “There is no place for mercury in lighting today, especially when LED alternatives offer better performance, coupled with climate and environmental benefits”. Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing LEDs as the foremost lighting technology on the market today. On December 16, the European Union banned the sale of almost all mercury-containing fluorescent lamps by September 2023, and in March, 137 governments voted to phase out CFLs by 2025 through the Minamata Convention on Mercury. CLASP improves the energy and environmental performance of the appliances & equipment we use every day, accelerating our transition to a more sustainable world. Contact Details Vermont Public Interest Research Group Paul Burns +1 802-793-1985 paul@vpirg.org Mercury Policy Project Michael Bender +1 802-917-8222 mercurypolicy@aol.com ASAP Appliances Standards Awareness Project Brian Fadie +1 202-672-1387 bfadie@standardsasap.org Company Website http://www.clasp.ngo/

May 04, 2022 01:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Volatus Aerospace Expands Pipeline Inspection with Acquisition of Canadian Air National

Volatus Aerospace Corp.

Volatus Aerospace Corp. (TSXV: VOL) (OTCQB: VLTTF) ("Volatus" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the acquisition of Canadian Air National, a commercial aircraft operator specializing in contracted pipeline inspections for the oil and gas industry. Seth Moffat, President and CEO of Canadian Air National, will continue to lead the company. "The oil and gas sector has enormous growth potential as drone and AI-enhanced solutions are added to the mix of traditional crewed aircraft providing aerial patrol and inspections," says Luc Masse, Volatus Executive Vice President. "We are looking forward to supporting Seth and his team. They are a welcome addition to Volatus. Seth is a well-respected aviation professional who pilots for a major national airline in addition to being Vice Chair of the Flight Operations Specialist Group with the Royal Aeronautical Society." Seth Moffat stated: “I am exceptionally proud of the quality air operator that Canadian Air National has become, and recognize Volatus Aerospace as the right opportunity for future growth, development and technological advancement. The strength that Volatus brings to the company will significantly benefit our clients moving forward and ensure Canadian Air National remains part of the Canadian aviation landscape for years to come.” Canadian Air National is organized to conduct airborne inspections and patrols in Canada and the USA. Volatus intends to use this new capability to supplement and expand larger drone project opportunities. Wherever possible, Volatus will dronify operations to improve efficiencies. About Volatus Aerospace: Volatus Aerospace Corp. is a leading provider of integrated drone solutions throughout Canada, the United States, and Latin America. Operating a vast pilot network, Volatus serves commercial and defense markets with imaging and inspection, security and surveillance, equipment sales and support, training, and design, manufacturing, and R&D. Through its subsidiary Volatus Aviation, Volatus carries on the business of aircraft management, charter sales, and cargo services using piloted, remotely piloted, and autonomous aircraft. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement This news release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Corporation with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the foregoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass. Forward-looking information includes information regarding (i) the business plans and expectations of the Corporation; and (ii) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to the Corporation, including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Forward-looking information reflects the Corporation’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to it and on assumptions it believes to be not unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. In some instances, material factors or assumptions are discussed in this news release in connection with statements containing forward-looking information. Such material factors and assumptions include, but are not limited to: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Corporation; meeting the continued listing requirements of the TSXV; and anticipated and unanticipated costs and other factors referenced in this news release and the Circular, including, but not limited to, those set forth in the Circular under the caption “Risk Factors”. Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release and, other than as required by law, the Corporation disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Source: Volatus Aerospace Corp. TSXV: VOL Contact Details Rob Walker +1 514-447-7986 rob.walker@volatusaerospace.com Company Website https://volatusaerospace.com

May 04, 2022 07:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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IAPC Awards 2022 Democracy Medal to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and The People of Ukraine

International Association of Political Consultants

The International Association of Political Consultants ( IAPC) announced today that it is awarding the prestigious 2022 Democracy Medal to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on behalf of the Ukrainian people. The citation notes that this award is “in recognition of their crucial fight for democracy against the violent attack on their country by the authoritarian aggression of the Russian government”. The medal is awarded annually by members of the IAPC, which is the global professional body representing election consultants, strategists, and pollsters. This is the second Democracy Medal being awarded to a President of Ukraine. The first was in 2005 to Viktor Yushchenko. IAPC President Matt Klink said the timing of the medal’s awarding had been brought forward from late 2022, at the organization’s annual conference, to show the strongest possible support for the valiant defence of Ukraine and of democratic values by President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine. “President Zelenskyy has rallied world attention to the brutal assault on a sovereign democratic nation with a popularly elected government by a dictatorship that is determined to strike at democracy itself,” Klink said. “Through appearances at the United Nations, the European Union, the U.S. Congress, the British, Canadian, Australian and other Parliaments, Zelenskyy has urged democratic countries to support Ukraine’s democratically elected government’s effort to defend itself.” “The world has had a savage reminder of why democracy is something we must protect and cherish. Without it, nations revert to the rule of the gun rather than the will of the people,” Klink added. IAPC Democracy Award Committee Chairperson, Feyi Akindoyeni said, “This is the second year in a row that the Medal has been awarded to those standing up to the Putin autocracy. Last year we recognised the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny." “We hope through our award to draw attention to the heroism of Mr Zelenskyy and the millions of Ukrainian citizens who have mounted an extraordinary defence of their country and the principles of freedom and democracy,” Akindoyeni went on to say. Klink concluded by saying, “We join with all civilised nations in condemning the brute violence and illegality of the Russian state in prosecuting this unlawful and unprovoked invasion, noting this war is opposed by many Russian citizens. We condemn the alleged war crimes and urge their prosecution. We encourage further support by the global community of Ukraine’s stand against tyranny. We express our hope for a peaceful resolution that restores the sovereignty of Ukraine and respects its people’s right to live in a free and democratic country with a government of their own choosing.” Since 1982, IAPC has been a pioneer in awarding an organization or an individual who in the judgment of its membership has worked courageously to foster, promote and sustain the democratic process anywhere in the world through our Democracy Medal, the first international award of its kind. This is the 40th time since 1982 that the Medal has been awarded. Recipients have included individual politicians and leaders, political organizations, and political movements that have contributed to free elections through their leadership and commitment to democratic ideals. Past winners include Hong Kong Umbrella Movement founder Joshua Wong, the Women of Belarus, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, US Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Philippines President Corazon Aquino, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Established in 1968, The International Association of Political Consultants is committed to fostering democracy and the democratic process throughout the world. Members span a variety of political backgrounds and activities fostering the growing and diverse profession of political consulting as well as the practical aspects of democratic elections. Contact Details IAPC President Matt Klink +1 310-283-6267 matt@klinkcampaigns.com IAPC Vice-President Communications Marcel Wieder +1 416-907-2126 marcel@aurorastrategy.com Company Website https://www.iapc.org

May 03, 2022 11:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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