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Buybacks have gotten a bad rap from both Republicans and Democrats. But stocks would be trading at a massive discount without them.Marketsread more
Fiat Chrysler and France's Renault could soon partner up to take on the sweeping changes to the global auto industry, according to a report in the Financial Times. The...Autosread more
Microsoft shares have gained 133% since November 2015, outperforming a tech "basket of unicorns" over that stretch.Technologyread more
The president's state visit comes amid tensions with carmaker Toyota over potential auto tariffs. Trump has repeatedly threatened Japanese and European carmakers with tariffs.Traderead more
The IRS is about to release a new draft of Form W-4, which will more closely reflect the changes stemming from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. For workers, that means they'll need...Personal Financeread more
When commercial real estate investor Manny Khoshbin spent $2.2 million on the fastest production car in the world, he had no idea it would very quickly also become the...Autosread more
The Mega Millions jackpot has spilled over $400 million. It would be the ninth largest winning since the game began in 2002.Personal Financeread more
Trump was speaking at a meeting of Japanese business leaders in Tokyo during his state visit to Japan on Saturday.Marketsread more
The biggest U.S. gasoline price surge in years is running out of steam just in time for the start of the summer driving season.Energyread more
The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since 2009. But several states, and even some companies, have since taken matters into their own hands to pay employees a...Workread more
Stocks rose on Friday, but notched weekly losses as investors worried the U.S.-China trade war is hurting economic growth.US Marketsread more
Facebook reported revenue growth of nearly 32 percent in the U.S. and Canada compared to last year, bringing in $8.43 billion in its fourth quarter 2018 compared to $6.39 billion during the same period in 2017.
Its number of users in the region increased only slightly, however, suggesting that Facebook continues to find upside in squeezing more ad revenue out of its existing user base.
Daily active users in the region grew less than 1 percent, from 184 million in Q4 2017 to 186 million in Q4 2018, and monthly active users had a similarly tiny jump from 239 million in Q4 2017 to 242 million during the final quarter of 2018.
Facebook saw similar trends in Europe, which is a similarly saturated market: revenue grew 27 percent, while monthly active users grew only 1 percent and daily active users were flat.
The numbers indicate that advertisers continue to find growing value despite Facebook's public relations crises and increasing government scrutiny in both regions, and may give investors a reason to believe the stock can regain even more value.


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Huntsman-Rockwood TiO2 deal clears US antitrust barrier
15:57 PM | December 20, 2013 | Vincent Valk
Huntsman's $1.33-billion acquisition of Rockwood's titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments business has cleared the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) waiting period under US antitrust law. The antitrust review for the...
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chemweek.com is the one stop platform for chemical news, data and analysis across all industry sectors and geographies.

domain: news


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Gov. Kay Ivey has announced the winners of the 2019 Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards.
The awards, announced Wednesday, recognize companies that fuel Alabama’s export business, which sends innovative designs and products worldwide.
“Our winners this year range in size from the small business to the large corporation and also hail from different parts of Alabama,” Ivey said. “They each represent the type of company that makes us strong as a state. We also see a concentration of firms in the aerospace and automotive industries, which underscores the importance of these industries to our economy.”
The 2019 winners of the Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards are:
- Aerostar: The Mobile-based company provides component maintenance on civilian aircraft, with a customer base that covers Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Established in 2011 with two employees and a 6,000-square-foot facility, Aerostar has grown to 35 employees and more than 25,000 square feet, with space to grow its workforce to 60. The company is targeting Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific Rim to capitalize on projected air traffic growth in those regions.
- GKN Aerospace–Alabama: The Tallassee facility is part of GKN Aerospace, a global first-tier supplier of airframe and engine structures, components, assemblies and engineering services to aircraft prime contractors. More than 800 employees produce composite aerostructures for major aerospace industry partners, including Bell Helicopter Textron, Sikorsky, HondaJet, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and GE Aviation.
- Help Lightning: The Birmingham company delivers patented, mobile-augmented reality and virtual interactive presence technologies. Through Help Lightning’s services, experts in the technical, health care, manufacturing and service fields can show a resolution, not just describe it. The company is reimagining how businesses, customers and employees give and receive help.
- Polyvance: Rainsville’s Polyvance repairs damaged plastic automotive bumpers and also provides a range of related products. In 2006, the company was the first in the industry to commercialize nitrogen plastic welding for the repair of thermoplastic parts, and the technology is now a recognized standard for the sector. Export sales have long been a priority for Polyvance, accounting for about 10 percent of total sales, with expansions under way in both Latin America and Asia.
- Port of Huntsville: Known officially as the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority, the Port of Huntsville incorporates Huntsville International Airport, International Intermodal Center and Jetplex Industrial Park. It is an inland port facility and has the only scheduled international cargo flights in the state, with roundtrip cargo flights to Europe and Mexico, inbound flights from China and outbound flights to Brazil. HSV ranks 18th among continental U.S. airports in international air cargo volume. The International Intermodal Center ships and receives ocean containers, by rail, to and from both East and West Coast seaports.
- RMCI Inc.: RMCI of Huntsville designed and created a system that is installed on aircraft to detect emerging faults and prevent mechanical failure. This health and usage monitoring system has the ability to track the mechanical health of the aircraft, and the company has experience analyzing data from more than 3,000 helicopters. RMCI aggressively pursues global markets with travel to Colombia, New Zealand, Morocco, Spain, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands and Malaysia.
- Trinity Highway Products: This company has been leading the way for innovation in crash cushion impact protection for highway and work zone safety since 1969. It first began operations in California in 1969, but the manufacturing plant was relocated to Pell City in 1985. The Alabama plant manufactures and ships proprietary products to all 50 states and 70 countries. Trinity’s international business is directed by sales offices in the U.S., Colombia, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom. With a network of distributors spanning over 70 countries, Trinity’s footprint reaches markets in every corner of the world.
- Zorn Molds Inc.: This Trafford company designs and manufactures several types of high-quality CNC machined molds and parts, including fishing lure molds, soft plastic molds, blister pack molds, investment casting molds, Styrofoam molds and general CNC machined parts. The business, which started more than 25 years ago serving the fishing lure industry, has diversified to grow into other sectors.
Export values topped $21 billion last year. Shipments reached 191 countries, according to data from the Alabama Department of Commerce earlier this month.
The total came during a year marked by global trade tensions, but it is still just 2 percent shy of the record $21.8 billion in exports set in 2017.
“We are proud to recognize this year’s Governor’s Trade Excellence Award winners,” said Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield. “Their success comes as a result of the hard work and ingenuity of our businesspeople, as well as the commitment and cooperation that exist among our federal, state and local entities that work together to help Alabama companies increase their exports.
Canfield said the companies are on the cutting edge in their industries, both in the U.S. and globally.
Hilda Lockhart, director of the International Trade Office at the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the Trade Excellence Award honorees have shown a commitment to be the best in their field.
“The eight companies range from large to small, but the common theme is the growth they have shown by selling abroad, the tenacity to stay innovative and the agility to incorporate whatever changes are necessary to deliver a first-class product to the buyer,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart said the department is especially pleased to recognize the Port of Huntsville this year.
“Without this first-class, multi-modal transportation operation, many of Alabama’s products would not be shipped from our state,” Lockhart said. “This facility is certainly a critical part of our state’s international infrastructure.”
Business Council of Alabama Small Business Exchange on APT tonight
The Business Council of Alabama (BCA) will present the Small Business Exchange on Alabama Public Television (APT) tonight, Thursday, April 9. This event is designed to help small businesses applying for federal stimulus funding under the new CARES Act.
In partnership with APT, BCA will bring together experts in business, banking, accounting, and law to answer phone calls from Alabama business owners and employers as they grapple with the impact of the coronavirus on the state’s economy. New federal loans are now available for small businesses, but funding is limited in some cases and quick action is required.
The Small Business Exchange program airs tonight on APT from 7-8 p.m. BCA experts will be available to answer questions from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. tonight. In addition, experts will be available for consultation from 9.a.m. to noon tomorrow, Friday, April 10.
To ask a question or consult with our BCA experts during these times, the phone number is 1-833-BCA4BIZ (1-833-222-4249).
Manufacture Alabama launches “Ask the Experts” webinar
Ask the Experts: Employment Law Questions Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic is a new webinar being offered by Manufacture Alabama.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, disrupting the lives of everyone around our state, country, and the globe, employers are left with many questions and Manufacture Alabama wants to answer them.
Manufacture Alabama is the only trade association in the state dedicated exclusively to the competitive, legislative, regulatory, and operational interests and needs of manufacturers and their partner industries and businesses.
Manufacture Alabama has enlisted some of the top labor and employment attorneys in Alabama to bring you the first installment of a web series, ‘Ask the Experts.’ In the first installment, their experts will be answering your questions about implementing the new CARES Act Leave guidelines, and best practices for what to do if you have an employee test positive for COVID-19.
The attorneys will also be covering questions whether they are questions related to OSHA standards, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act or the impact of the CARES Act, or anything else labor or employment-related.
Manufacture Alabama also wants to hear stories of the changes manufacturers have experienced in the workplace as a result of the pandemic, and how businesses have changed day to day operations.
Send your questions and responses regarding these topics to [email protected] and stay tuned.
The webinar will be published Tuesday, April 14.
Ainsworth unveils website for small businesses seeking information during pandemic
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth unveiled a new web page Monday designed to provide small business owners with a one-stop information hub during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and forced economic shutdown.
The website is www.atlasalabama.gov.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is already providing small business owners with unprecedented challenges and frustrations, so they should not have to struggle to find the information necessary to survive in the current economic climate,” Ainsworth said. “As new small business programs are announced and revised health orders go into effect, the website will be updated in order to provide the most timely and accurate information possible.”
The website was created by the Alabama Small Business Commission, which Ainsworth chairs. The site provides information related to Small Business Administration loans and assistance, unemployment claims, tax relief programs, and other timely initiatives.
The website is intended to help small businesses remain in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines and protocols. The website also provides links to every state, county, and municipal health order currently being enforced in Alabama.
The Legislature placed the Alabama Small Business Commission under the authority of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office in 2019.
The 22-member commission is tasked with formulating “policies encouraging innovation of small businesses in the state” and advising the Department of Commerce in promoting small businesses within Alabama.
On March 12, the rapidly spreading coronavirus strain, SARS-CoV-2, led President Donald J. Trump (R) to order a forced economic shutdown on March 12. Those original orders have subsequently been strengthened by Gov. Kay Ivey (R), culminating in a statewide shelter in place order on Friday.
Realizing that with most of their businesses shut down through at least April 30, Congress passed and the President signed the CARES Act, which provides low interest loans to hundreds of thousands of struggling small businesses. If the businesses use the money to make payroll and to pay other business overhead costs the loans will be forgiven.
Currently, there are 2,113 Alabamians with confirmed cases of COVID-19. 64 Alabamians have died and 271 are currently in the hospital. 20 Alabamians have recovered from their illness and been cleared by their doctors. The global pandemic has infected more than 1,441,589 people globally and killed 82,933, including 7,380 people just on Tuesday (1,970 of them were Americans). Gov. Ivey’s shelter in place order is in effect through April 30, but that is likely to be extended.
Businesses applying for aid can receive proof of existence from secretary of state’s office
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said Monday that federal resources have been made available to support businesses during the coronavirus pandemic to assist with tax relief, employee protection and benefits, loans and grants, and many other challenges that business owners may encounter during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Merrill’s office explained that in order to be eligible for this federal aid, some corporations and businesses may be required to prove their existence as part of their application. Certificates of Existence can be obtained through visiting the Alabama Secretary of State’s website.
Business owners can apply online to receive their Certificate of Existence electronically for immediate processing. The non-subscriber fee is $28 and will allow a user to download their copy for up to 15 days.
If you are completing the request for a Certificate of Existence by paper, you may access the application here.
The form must be typed and will not be accepted via email.
Once completed, mail the application, along with the $25 filing fee, to:
Secretary of State’s Business Services Division
P.O. Box 5616,
Montgomery, Alabama 36103
Those who apply online will not receive a mailed copy. Rather, a copy can be downloaded online and then printed out.
Certificates of Existence are only available for businesses who have previously filed for formation with the Secretary of State’s Office. If you have not yet filed, you are still able to do so through the Secretary of State’s website
This documentation may also be required to process loan applications by lending institutions, banks, credit unions, farm credit, or public accountants.
For questions or more information, contact the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division at (334) 242-7221 or (334) 242-5324.
Thousands of Alabama businesses have been forced to close by orders from the state as well as local health departments. Many businessmen and women are having to make the difficult decision on whether or not to continue to make payroll. The aid under the CARES Act is a lifeline to businesses that the federal government is offering during this unprecedented period of economic crisis.
The forced economic shutdown was deemed necessary by state and federal government authorities in consultation with public health experts in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus strain, SARS-CoV-2, that causes COVID-19. The COVID-19 global pandemic has already killed 12,857 Americans and 82,993 people globally. 1,050,077 people around the globe are still struggling through active cases of the illness, including 395,981 Americans.
Feds seizing needed supplies slowed state’s COVID-19 testing efforts
400 Alabama health care workers and 155 nursing home staff, residents positive for COVID-19
Mobile County jail inmates, officers test positive for COVID-19
Governor Ivey launches new COVID-19 search engine tool
Pardons and Paroles: Restarting parole hearings “under review” amid COVID-19 crisis
ER doctors in frontline battle against COVID-19 are facing pay cuts
ADOL begins paying federal $600 stimulus benefit
Business Council of Alabama Small Business Exchange on APT tonight
Over the last week, COVID-19 cases in Alabama increased faster than 40 other states
Montgomery’s Jackson Hospital near breaking point with COVID-19 patients, ER staff say
Lieutenant governor criticizes state’s lack of preparation, response to COVID-19
45 COVID-19 cases hospitalized at UAB, 18 on ventilators
Growth of Alabama COVID-19 cases looks a lot like Louisiana. That should worry us
State Superintendent Mackey addresses concerns about plans for public schools
Gov. Kay Ivey orders Alabama to stay at home as cases near 1,500
Governor prohibits evictions, foreclosures during COVID-19 outbreak
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Plastic bags are among the most commonly found garbage in Town creeks, roadsides and waterways. The bags are a large contributor to water pollution and litter in our community.
State legislation signed into law by Governor Brown on September 30, 2014 (SB 270) prohibits food stores (grocery stores, liquor stores and mini marts) and certain retailers (stores with gross sales of $2 million or greater that sell perishables and stores with at least 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space that have a pharmacy) from providing single-use carryout plastic bags to customers, effective July 1, 2015.
summer and fall 2014, the Town of Danville conducted outreach to businesses and
the public regarding a potential ban on plastic carryout bags. The Town received feedback through surveys,
social media, two study sessions, three public informational workshops and
three Town Council meetings.
help eliminate plastic litter and promote environmental sustainability, the
Town of Danville adopted an ordinance in December 2014 regarding Single-use Carryout
Plastic Bags. In an effort to allow
adequate time for retail businesses and public eating establishments to comply,
the ordinance takes effect in approximately 18 months, on July 1, 2016.
Effective July 1, 2016:
of the ordinances may result in an infraction the retail or public eating establishment
of $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second violation, and $500 for
the third and any additional violations.
Town of Danville’s ordinance preempts the state’s ban on single-use plastic
bags (SB 270).
The Town received a demonstration grant in 2011 to install trash capture devices. Sixty one devices were installed with this money that covered over 40% of the downtown area of Danville. Each device was custom fit to the drainage inlet and the devices include a bypass mechanism in the event of large storms. These devices require regular cleaning three times a year and in some cases more frequently if they get too full or clogged.
Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area must meet rigorous trash reduction requirements set by the California State Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) in 2009. The requirements include a goal to reduce trash in waterways by 70% in 2017 and 100% in 2022. Cities and Counties have all worked on reducing trash in our communities by a variety of ways. In Danville, to-date 61 trash capture devices were installed in storm drains downtown, new trash/recycling cans were placed throughout the downtown area and several on-land clean-ups to pick up trash were conducted. It will become increasingly challenging for cities to reach the 70% and 100% reduction thresholds. The California State RWQCB has recently reported that cities that adopt comprehensive plastic bag bans would receive up to a 7% trash reduction credit that would count towards the 100% trash reduction requirement, although this has not been verified in light of the enactment of SB 270. This option would be more affordable than other means, such as installation of trash capture devices that are expensive to install and require on-going maintenance costs as well. An ordinance that only encourages the elimination of plastic bags would not qualify as a comprehensive plastic bag restriction.
The Town of Danville ordinance takes affect beginning on July 1, 2016.
The Town of Danville's ordinance affects approximately 119 retailers and 73 public eating establishments starting July 1, 2016.
SB 270 primarily targets food stores (grocery stores, liquor stores and mini-marts) and retailers of a certain size (stores with gross sales of $2 million or more and stores with at least 10,000 square feet of retail space that have a pharmacy). Danville’s ordinance implements a ban on plastic bags to all retailers, as well as public eating establishments. This proposal is being considered as a way to have all businesses be affected equally and plastic carryout bags prohibited across the board in the Town of Danville.
Senate Bill No. 270, also known as SB 270, was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 30, 2014. It prohibits food stores and retailers of a certain classification from providing plastic carryout bags to customers, beginning July 1, 2015 for retailers of a certain size and July 1, 2016 for all grocery stores and minimarts. The new law allows cities to enact a local ordinance in place of SB 270, if the ordinance is adopted before January 1, 2015.
Because the Danville Town Council adopted its own ordinance before January 1, 2015, SB 270 will not affect any retailers in Danville. The entire text of SB 270 can be found here: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB270
Bag means any bag, including a Plastic Bag, provided at the check stand,
register, point of sale or other point of departure for the purpose of
food, merchandise, or other goods out of a Retail Establishment or a
Eating Establishment. Carryout Bags do not include Produce Bags or
Plastic Bag means any
bag made predominantly of plastic derived from either
ethylene derived from natural gas, or a biologically-based source,
corn or other plant sources. The term “Plastic Bag” includes compostable
biodegradable bags but does not include Reusable Bags, Recycled Paper
Bags, Produce Bags, or Product Bags.
The Shop Danville bags given out to residents qualify as reusable based on the definition of the Town of Danville's ordinance.
Danville's ordinance would closely resemble the defining language in the City of Walnut Creek and other Contra Costa cities’ ordinances, requiring that reusable bags meet the following requirements:
The Town of Danville’s ordinance is silent on the issue, neither requiring nor prohibiting retailers from charging customers for the use of paper bags.
The mandatory charge for paper bags found in SB 270 and some other local ordinances is designed to help the retailers recoup some of the cost for the recycled paper bags and also to encourage customers to bring their own reusable shopping bag to the store. After listening to feedback from small retailers and customers, the Town Council determined that many retailers in Danville already provide paper bags to customers and would be adversely impacted by being forced to charge a fee. The Town also believes there are other, more effective means of encouraging the use of reusable shopping bags.
An analysis from Southern California indicated that recycled content paper bags purchased by large grocers (e.g., Ralphs, Vons) ranged from $0.05 to $0.15 per bag. While some small retailers and boutiques in Danville have reported to spend up to $1.50 per bag on higher quality bags with handles made of twine, others have found paper bags to be more affordable than plastic. Carryout plastic bags cost grocery stores between $0.005 to $0.010 per bag, and up to $0.05 per bag for smaller orders (smaller businesses).
In an effort to promote the use of reusable bags in Danville retail establishments, the Town is distributing 10,000 reusable shopping bags free of charge to local residents. These bags will be distributed through the Danville Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and other special events. The reusable bags are part of an economic development effort and feature the Shop Danville brand, reminding residents to shop locally.
Once the ordinance takes effect, if complaints are received about a business, courtesy notices would be sent to the merchant before any fines were issued. Given the Town’s limited staffing resources on code enforcement (only half of a full-time staff person), other higher-priority quality-of-life issues would be addressed before efforts are spent enforcing the single-use plastic bag ordinance. No additional staffing resources would be spent on enforcement.
Danville Town Office510 La Gonda WayDanville, CA 94526 Diane FriedmannAdministrative AssistantT (925) 314-3378F (925) 838-0548E-mail email@example.com
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Plastic Bag Ban Ordinance - Approved Dec. 2014


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Saban Brands has announced it plans to work with merchandising partners to reintroduce the hit Popples franchise from the ’80s to a new generation of fans.
Merchandise planned for fall 2013 based on Popples characters from the popular ’80s television series include apparel, accessories, mobile and tablet apps, and plush while new Popples characters and additional products for spring 2014 include publishing, stationery, party goods, and crafting.
The Popples TV series made its US debut in 1985 and a successful toy line was launched the following year that generated more than US$444 million in retail sales worldwide.
Original Popples plush toy creatures from Mattel could transform from fluffy balls to furry friends and back again.
A previous relaunch of the American Greetings Properties’ Popples brand occurred in 2007 in the US and Europe through Playmates Toys.


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The Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on 30 June, mentioned that the one nation one rataion card will be implemented soon and this will enable the poor and migrant workers to get foodgrains irrespective of the state they are from and the state they work in. Earlier Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the rapid implementation of scheme of ration card portability under “One Nation One Ration Card” for migrant workers to help the families get food grains with ease in any-state in India irrespective of the place to which their ration card belongs to. This announcement was made in the second tranche of the 20 Lakh Crore Financial Stimulus to boost the economy and help the citizens amid COVID-19 Pandemic. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution released a press release on pib.gov.in on the Implementation of ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ Scheme on 20 March 2020
The following is the content of the press release:
“Under PDS reforms, a scheme on “Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS)” is being implemented w.e.f. April 2018 in all States/UTs. The main objective of the scheme is to introduce nation-wide portability of ration card holders under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), through ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ system. This system enables the migratory ration card holders to lift their entitled food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice in the country by using their existing/same ration card issued in their home States/ UTs after biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices installed at the FPSs. So far, the facility of inter-State/national portability under One Nation One Ration Card plan has been made functional in 12 States. Further, integration of remaining States/ UTs depends on their readiness to implement the same.”
One Nation One Ration Card
The One Nation One Ration Card will provide access to foodgrain to migrant families irrespective of where are are – whichever state or UT they are in – can avail ration. Finance Minister said that the scheme has been already rolled out 83% so far and they aim to get it to 100% by March 2021.
- Bank eBook Plus Pack (12 Months)
- Bank Maha Pack Subscription (12 Months)
— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020
This scheme will help people access ration under Public Distribution System (PDS) from any fair price shop in the country. govt has also announced 2 months of free additional ration will be provided to migrants, including those who do not have any official ration card. Estimated amount of Rs 3,500 crore will be spent on the same as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore mega economic relief package.
What is a Ration Card?
Ration Card is a document or a card issued by the state government (under the Public Distribution System) to help families in purchase of essential commodities from fair price shops.
Distinctive or separate rations cards are provided to people in different categories- Above Poverty Line, Below Poverty Line and Antyodaya families and conduct periodical review and checking of Ration Cards.


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Google the owner of the highly successful video website YouTube is rumoured to be introducing a paid subscription model to the service for specialist channels, most likely to include news corporations and individual channels that make a living from producing their original content such as the Guild.
At the moment the money is coming from ad revenue and the users have voiced how annoying it is to sit through a thirty second ads before they can watch the content they want to. The Financial Times is speculating that Google could release the rumoured service as early as this week, but this is unlikely the paid channels will start at as little as $1.99 per month; for something that you could get for free before hand I can see why users think it’s a rip off.
It’s in the Code literally
Earlier this year YouTube’s vice president Robert Kyncl said that the subscription model would be incredibly important to open up other areas of revenue for content creators, instead of solely relying on ad revenue. There is evidence that a subscription model is coming, the evidence lies within the code of YouTube’s Android app there are snippets that refer to the feature.
YouTube has already trialled renting movies on their service which didn’t seem to take off in the way they’d hoped, add a subscription model to the service would compete with the service offered by Netflix. Especially if more and more creators offer original content, the only thing that would hinder YouTube in taking on Netflix is the lack of full length shows and movies that are on the site legally.
First Paid YouTube Subscriptions and then Music Subscriptions
Google has also been rumoured in the launch of a new music subscription service that would stream to your device or allow unlimited download for a fixed monthly price. This seems to be Google making a full frontal attack on the industry to try and take a slice of the action, Google have allegedly signed a deal with Warner Music Group which is one of the biggest players in the music industry today. Details on the deal have not been disclosed but we can guess that the deal allows Google access to their entire back catalogue of music.
Google has an already built-in audience, this includes everyone that has an Android device and uses the Play store; so they’d be silly not to try and capitalize themselves. Google might receive some stiff competition with Spotify expanding their service into predicting what the user would like to listen to with out any user input and Apple is rumoured to be coming out with a streaming service of their own. It really will come down to a clash of the titans to see who will come out on top in this fiercely competitive industry.
Source – TheVerge


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Kontiki African Restaurant, the first African restaurant to open in Central Arkansas, is coming to Little Rock. Three weeks ago, the restaurant closed the doors on its location in Alexander and announced a move, but didn’t disclose the location. We’ve now learned Kontiki’s landing spot is The Village Shopping Center at University and Asher, the same shopping center as Mr. Chen’s Authentic Chinese Cooking. The restaurant is set to open in 2–3 weeks. Kontiki owner Christian Domingo says his focus right now is on getting the new space ready.
“It’s a good space, but there’s some work to do,” said Domingo. “It looks fine, but we’ve found things like a plastic water line that had to be replaced. It’s not too hard, but there is work like that we need to do first.”
Domingo opened Kontiki African Restaurant in the former Alexander County Café back in January. Domingo grew up and raised his family in Sierra Leone, but immigrated to the United States in 2001 as a refugee from his country’s civil war. More than 50,000 people died in the war, but the Domingo family won the lottery to come to America and settle in Little Rock.
Kontiki opened to positive reviews and good business, but had to adjust hours and the menu to allow the restaurant’s largest customer base in Little Rock to make it in. Alexander is too far for most to make it in for lunch, so Kontiki switched to serving dinner during the week. With the move, Domingo hopes to be able to establish normal lunch and dinner hours while reaching even more customers.
“The customers, I can already see that here,” said Domingo. “Most people don’t really know us, but when you move and people see people coming in and out, you’re going to get more people trying it. We’re expecting to get a lot more people.”
Kontiki serves authentic Sierra Leone cuisine, based primarily on fish, rice, spices, and leafy greens cooked in palm oil. The Jollof Rice with tomatoes, red bell peppers and West African spices, has been the most popular dish thus far. Domingo is looking to expand the menu at the new location to include more West African delicacies. He is also looking to hire a couple of line cooks for the restaurant (he will provide training in Sierra Leone cooking).
Look for Kontiki African Restaurant to open in The Village Shopping Center by late August. We will keep you posted on the restaurant’s opening day and any new menu items you can find there.


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The Netherlands is event partner of Web Summit 2016. Europe’s “largest technology marketplace” is held for the first time in Lisbon from 7-10 November.
To make it easier for attending Dutch startups and entrepreneurs to navigate this enormous event, StartupDelta has teamed up with DutchBasecamp, NathanAzopardi, Venture Café, Handelsroute and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Lisbon to organise a Pre-Web Summit meetup on October 13 at 5pm in Venture Café, Rotterdam.
The event will be part of the spectacular opening celebration of Venture Café and CIC in Rotterdam. Guests include Startup Envoy Prince Constantijn van Oranje and Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb. All Web Summit ticket owners, speakers, exhibitors, volunteers and anyone considering going to the Web Summit in Lisbon are welcome.
Are you interested in joining? Sign up to secure your spot now!
Program Pre-Web Summit meetup
hosted by Katja Berkhout, Executive Director Venture Café:
17:00 Registration, info tables and drinks
18:00 Opening by Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy StartupDelta
Panel discussion by Web Summit experts
Bart van de Kooij & Olivier van Oord – Minibrew
Pieter Heersink – TicTag
Judith van Summeren – Nationale Nederlanden
Jorge Sáez Gómez – Connecterra
Q&A [email protected] Summit
Isabel Brouwer – DutchBasecamp
Leonie Timmermans – NL Embassy Lisbon/StartupDelta
Sandra Brandenburg – Handelsroute Web Summit Mission
18:45 – 22:00 Opening celebration Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and Venture Café
19:30 – 21:00 Web Summit turbo breakouts (20 mins) with preview of highlights by experts
The speakers will share their Web Summit experiences and will talk about the NL networking opportunities offered at this year's Web Summit. These include a daily morning briefing by a Dutch tech icon at the Holland Corner, a pitch event on 9 November at the ambassador's residence in Lisbon, a startup/trade mission hosted by Handelsroute, and VIP meetups hosted by Startup Envoy Constantijn van Oranje.


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Earlier this month, Keke Palmer attended the New York Film Critics Awards earlier this month in high fashion maternity style! With styling by wardrobe wizards Micah McDonald and Wayman Deon, the mama-to-be wore a silver sequins Michael Kors Collection Gown that further enhanced her already luminous glow!
Keke’s maternity fashion is in full bloom ever since her surprise pregnancy announcement on SNL about a month ago. We’re living to see how she’ll continue to express her epic sense of style as the months go by!
What do you think?
Main Image: Getty


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Netflix released details on how it handles mobile data streaming, and claims that its policy to cap speeds is in the interest of its subscribers.
The content provider notes that mobile networks have a bad habit of charging unreasonable amounts of cash for clients who overstretch beyond their data plan. As a reminder, streaming an HD movie can gulp up to 6 GB in one go, and Netflix admitted to throttling video speeds on AT&T and Verizon.
The company explained in a blog post that people who make use of mobile devices to enjoy video content are at a dilemma.
"We believe restrictive data caps are bad for consumers," Netflix's Anne Marie Squeo says. She notes that the standard bit rate for mobile streaming will be of 600 kilobytes per second, tops.
The restriction aims to achieve "a balance that ensures a good streaming experience," while also helping users stay within their mobile data plans.
Netflix seems to forget that there are exceptions to this rule - U.S. carriers Sprint and T-Mobile are exempt from this capping.
A report from the Wall Street Journal shows why: "Historically those two companies have had more consumer-friendly policies." This simply means that Netflix will abstain from its own capping policy for customers of T-Mobile and Sprint, as the two companies cracked down on data overage in a lighter manner than their rivals.
Having the full information, a few questions arise, especially regarding net neutrality.
In a nutshell, the idea behind the concept of net neutrality is that every website and app was created equal. This implies that both mobile and broadband providers should treat everyone with equity, without practicing different levels of access for various services.
Netflix, however, is a content provider and not a data plan carrier, which gives it free choice on how it decides to craft its policies. The ironic aspect is that the company has a history of advocating for Internet equality, and the latest development tends to place it at an odd angle with its former standpoint.
In spite of the decision's rational side, it is a surprise that Netflix chose to unveil it now. From the reaction of major carriers, the company's action was both unexpected and uncalled for.
Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs at AT&T, points out that his company is "outraged" by the fact that Netflix unilaterally decided to throttle video streaming for their AT&T customers. Cicconi underlines that Netflix did not request consent before enforcing its policy.
To summarize: Netflix will permit users to cut back on video quality so they can stream additional video content. Those who opted for unlimited or hefty data plans can use them to get premium quality on their mobile devices, as well.
Offline-access advocates might not find this to be the best solution to their demands, but putting more choices in the hands of customers to make the call about the quality of their streaming experiences should be a positive signal, nevertheless.
Last week, T-Mobile's CEO John Legere posted a video claiming that his mobile network brings higher-quality video streams than rivals from AT&T and Verizon, which predictably enraged the two data carriers.


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Verity, a FinTech which works to assist youthful folks earn, save and spend responsibly, has rolled out a brand new household banking and monetary literacy app for the Center East and North Africa (MENA) area, in accordance with a Monday (Sept. 19) press launch.
The app will embrace Visa pay as you go playing cards, with mother and father controlling the general account and youngsters managing a profile inside that account. Verity co-founder Dina Shoman stated 69% of transactions within the MENA area will seemingly be cashless by 2023, so it’s essential for folks to show youngsters early.
Mother and father will have the ability to high up their digital wallets from their financial institution accounts, setting an quantity for each person within the household by way of scheduled month-to-month or weekly allowances or one-off transfers. Children will even get the choice to “earn” cash by finishing varied chores and duties their mother and father arrange, per the discharge.
After they’ve acquired their funds, youngsters will have the ability to resolve how a lot will go towards varied private or household financial savings targets, charity or their spending funds. The providing is being developed in partnership with NymCard, a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) supplier.
Verity co-founder Omar Al Sharif stated the app is particularly for households within the area, noting that there’s an “extremely various” viewers within the area.
“Whereas it’s been nice to see plenty of monetary establishments start their transition in direction of youth banking, which stays an underserved section, we’re proud to be the primary fintech to launch a really complete product that’s prepared for our group to obtain and begin utilizing instantly,” Al Sharif stated.
There have been different providers tailor-made to introduce youngsters to banking and finance, together with one from London-based GoHenry, which supplies Visa debit playing cards and training alternatives for kids aged six to 18.
PYMNTS wrote that GoHenry has lately acquired Pixpay, which operates an analogous service, and the deal will assist GoHenry develop its providers in Europe.
Pixpay was based in 2019 and has turn into a forerunner in teen banking in France and Spain. GoHenry additionally had a $40 million fundraising spherical in 2020, which it has been utilizing to develop its work within the U.Ok. and likewise enter the U.S.
For all PYMNTS EMEA protection, subscribe to the day by day EMEA Publication.
We’re at all times looking out for alternatives to accomplice with innovators and disruptors.


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Update: Samsung has denied all reports that it's planning to pull out of PC making, describing them as entirely "groundless".
There'll be dancing in the streets at this news, no doubt.
Original story continues below:
Just a week after unveiling its new Ativ One 5 Style all-in-one, Samsung has decided to depart the desktop PC business citing the changing computing market and the rapid decline in sales of traditional machines.
In another nail in the coffin of the PC industry, Samsung said it was exiting to focus on profitable sectors like its smartphone, tablet and laptop business.
The Korea Times brought word from a Samsung official, who said the time was right reallocate company resources to money-making ventures.
The official said: "Tablets, all-in-one and hybrid PCs are Samsung's current focus. Samsung is speeding up its restructuring of its PC business via product realignment toward profitable variants."
Innovative new designs
Another unnamed company employee pointed out how the market for the conventional desktop PC is getting is shrinking at an alarming rate.
The official added: "Demand for conventional desktop PCs is going down. We will allocate our resources to popular connected and portable devices."
Despite only launching a desktop PC last week Samsung, has been cooking up alternatives for a while.


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Public markets clearly don't like companies that plan to lose billions of dollars per year. But can the bet pay off?
Lyft Goes Public: What the Next Wave of Tech IPOs Means
Let's label 2019 as the Yearnicorn - or the year when Silicon Valley's latest crop of billion-dollar companies goes public. What does that mean exactly for the ride-sharing industry?
Should Merchants Accept Bitcoin & Cryptocurrencies for E-Commerce Payments?
The hype around bitcoin and cryptocurrencies is impossible to ignore. But aside from being a spectacularly speculative investment opportunity, should merchants take it serious as a payment method?
Digital News Weekly Roundup: March 8th
Spotify floats, Instagram's hidden features, the new definition of "millenial," overlooking small data in the quest for big data, and where do you end and your smartphone begin? Dig in now!


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Trend followed by majority of Ontario dairy farms, farmer says
THEDFORD — At Stewardson Dairy in Thedford, co-owner Jeff Stewardson estimates that a female beef-dairy calf fetches $100 more than a Holstein bull calf. The difference rises to $200 for a beef-dairy bull calf, over a Holstein bull calf.
About 15 % of births at the family farm, where they milk about 270 cows, are Black Angus-Holstein crosses, according to Stewardson. “We only do it with older cows, anything we don’t want replacements from,” he said of the beef-breeding program. They’ve been employing the technique for about five years.
“Sometimes … you want to keep the cow around for another lactation or two. It’s certainly a good option,” he said.
Angus semen is most popular for cross-breeding because of demonstrated easier births for the Holstein mothers.
The resulting crossbred calves are shipped out every two weeks, he said. A Norwich buyer picks them up when they’re still very young, once they’ve hit approximately 100 lb., and finishes them off to 1,400 lb. “We have enough that it’s worthwhile for them to pick them up, but not enough for us to efficiently finish them ourselves to market weight,” he explained.
Raising animals for meat, however, is not foreign to the operation. Stewardson says they do finish Holstein bull calves exclusively for the veal market — to a weight of about 750 lb. — in a specially set up bank barn for that purpose.
Sexed semen technology has empowered Ontario’s dairy farmers to produce adequate replacement dairy heifer calves with fewer births (by greatly cutting the odds of having bull calves). In turn, that frees up lower-producing cows to be artificially bred to beef bulls.
Beyond the extra revenue yielded from the sale of a beef-dairy crossbred cattle, OMAFRA touts potential savings of $50,000 to $60,000 annually at a 100-head milking operation when the strategy is also used to reduce the number of replacement heifers raised on the farm at any given time. Typically, a farm will have as many heifers on hand — in various stages of development — as milking cows. But when the herd is bred to sexed semen from dairy bulls, only the best cows are used to produce dairy heifer calves, making it possible to cut the number of heifer calves at the operation. Each heifer calf costs between $2,000 to $2,500 in space, feed and labour before it matures into a milk cow over a period of at least two years.
Stewardson said he believes the majority of Ontario farms are taking advantage of the opportunity to produce beef-dairy crosses at this point.
That’s the case at Maple Shadows Farms in Stratford, where “10 per cent or less” of births are beef-dairy crosses, said co-owner Joe Van Nes, who does not use sexed semen. “You’re always hoping for a beef bull cross. They start off pretty small and plain-looking, but in a couple weeks they look pretty nice.”
Breeding dairy cattle to beef bulls has been a growing trend for several years and industry estimates suggest that while more than 99 % of Holstein cows were once bred to Holstein bulls, that number has dropped to 89 %.
The Indian River Cattle Company beef breeder Billy Elmhirst observed that dairy cattle also offer the innate advantage of higher fertility rates. They get pregnant more easily than their full-blooded beef sisters, he said, which makes the Holstein cow an even more valuable surrogate for beef production.
Dairy farmer Jeff Stewardson said he doesn’t see the new trend pushing down beef prices.
“I think there’s enough demand for beef out there that it hasn’t skewed the market.”
“That animal is going to exist either way, so what it’s done is just change the quality of what animal is going to market,” Steward said. “So instead of a forage-raised Holstein heifer going to market as beef, now it’s an Angus-cross going to market as beef. There’s still the same number of animals going, it’s just now a better quality of animal going.”
Stewardson agreed the pendulum could swing back to more dairy-calf production as prices fluctuate.
Eastern Ontario dairy farmer Steven Velthuis suggested that’s already happening. Some dairy producers with up to 30 % of their pregnancies to beef crosses will cut back to 15 or 20 %. “We need more animals making more milk right now,” explained Velthuis, who produces beef animals from his dairy cows — though he’s taken the process to another technological level: He uses some of his dairy herd as surrogates to carry purebred Wagyu and Angus embryos to term.
Eastern Ontario dairy farmer Eric Patenaude has also taken the production of beef-dairy animals in a different direction. His family farm — Ferme Gillette — bought a slaughterhouse to process the 150 Angus-Holstein hybrids the farm raises to market weight each year.
Ironically, it was the advent of sexed semen that reduced sales of genetics from the respected Ferme Gillette dairy herd. That prompted Patenaude to plunge into hybrid beef as an alternative source of revenue.
Patenaude said their beef — branded under the Gillette name — has proven “extremely popular” in his local community. “We’ve had a few restaurants come on board with our products, and we’re also working on a few different projects to move more beef in the future,” he said.


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Next-gen starts next issue, apparently
Update: Writing on Twitter, Official PlayStation Magazine has clarified that its July issue teaser is not necessarily indicative of an impending PlayStation 5 reveal event. "There will be PS5 games coverage in the issue on sale July," it said, "but this is not a reference to a Sony event." Of course, this does...
Starved of next-gen news? The latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK is leading with a PlayStation 5 preview special – and Godfall is the cover star. Available on newsagent stands right now, the blowout promises information on all PS5 games confirmed and rumoured to date, including Watch Dogs Legion and Dying L
OXM and ONM now gone
If magazines were a battle royale, then Official PlayStation Magazine would be feasting on roast chicken for its tea. Official Xbox Magazine sadly shut last week, meaning that OPM is the last remaining licensed publication in UK newsagents. There was a time when shelves were filled with gaming mags, but now only EDGE, Retro...


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Sigma-Aldrich rolls out search engine for scientists
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Sigma-Aldrich Corp. on Monday launched of new search engine on its website that gives researchers access to peer-reviewed articles and abstract information.
The new search tool is powered by solutions provider Pubget and gives scientists instant access to the full text of millions of peer-reviewed papers without requiring a login.
“We understand the value of validated products and data for use in research,” said Amanda Halford, Sigma-Aldrich’s vice president of academic research. “Whether seeking inspiration, investigating how other scientists or laboratories performed experiments, validating the performance or utility of a product or finding supporting papers for experiments, these enhancements streamline the scientific search process and can help the research community find better information.”
Sigma-Aldrich (NYSE: SIAL), led by President and CEO Rakesh Sachdev, announced first-quarter financial results last month and reported net income of $122 million, up 4 percent from $117 million in 2012.
Net sales for the quarter were also up, with the company’s three business segments — Research, Applied and SAFC Commercial markets — reporting sales of $675 million in the first quarter, up nearly 2 percent from net sales of $665 million in the first quarter of 2012.
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Walmart Is Getting Rid of This, Effective Immediately
The world's largest retailer is dropping one thing from its stores.
Even as the world's largest retailer, COVID-19 has posed some serious challenges for Walmart and how they serve their customers. The earlier days of the pandemic saw limited opening hours and new safety precautions, while the most recent Omicron surge brought about a wave of temporary closings due to staffing shortages and cleaning schedules. Now, Walmart has announced it's making yet another significant change to its stores by getting rid of a few of its pandemic-related changes. Read on to see what the megaretailer is dropping, effective immediately.
Walmart is getting rid of its mask mandate for vaccinated employees where allowed.
According to a memo sent to staff on Feb. 11, Walmart has said it would be dropping its mask mandate for employees. "Effective immediately, fully vaccinated associates will not be required to wear masks while working in any Walmart or Sam's Club facility, unless required by a state or local mandate or ordinance," the company wrote, according to Axios.
The company says it defines "fully vaccinated" as having received the two initial doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single required dose of Johnson & Johnson. However, the policy change stipulated that unvaccinated employees will still be required to wear masks until further notice, as well as employees who work in "clinical care settings" such as pharmacies. The company also added that "we support and respect an individual's choice to continue wearing one," The Washington Post reports.
The company also announced it was getting rid of its COVID-19 sick pay policy.
But the ending mask mandate isn't the only policy change that will affect the company's 1.6 million employees across the U.S. In the same memo, Walmart also announced that it would no longer offer COVID-related paid sick leave for workers beginning next month, except for where local laws required it, The Wall Street Journal reported. The policy previously allowed for extra paid time off for employees who became infected by or exposed to COVID-19 on top of their existing paid sick days.
In addition, the company also announced that it would begin phasing out its daily health screenings for employees in most areas, except California, New York, and Virginia, where such tests are still required by local law.
Parts of the U.S. are seeing COVID cases drop, while others are still struggling.
The change to the company's policy comes as states such as New York, Connecticut, and California announced plans to remove indoor mask mandates put back in place in response to the recent Omicron surge. During an appearance on CBS' Face the Nation on Feb. 13, Scott Gottlieb, MD, former commissioner of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), discussed why the recent changes were so controversial or difficult to make.
"There's still parts of the country that have a lot of omicron infection—not every part of the country is through this wave of the epidemic," he said. "Clearly, the Northeast is [and] the mid-Atlantic, where cases are 20 cases per hundred thousand people per day. But when you look at states like Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, they're at about 100 cases, or Mississippi, there are about 100 cases per hundred thousand people per day. That's a pretty dense epidemic."
Gottlieb explained how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had been having difficulty setting a national policy given how localized outbreaks could be, but that things could soon change. "I think what you're going to see the CDC do, though, is come out with guidance that's more specific to communities. That's based on what the local prevalence is, and that's probably where they should have been all along. I think they're going to make that adaptation because there clearly are parts of the country where prevalence is low enough now and heading in a positive direction if they can start lifting this mitigation."
Other companies have also recently dropped their mask requirements for vaccinated employees.
Walmart isn't the only major retailer to announce a change to its COVID-19 policy for workers. In a memo on Feb. 10, Amazon also announced that it would be dropping its mask mandate for vaccinated employees, CNN reported. And as of March 18, only fully vaccinated employees in the U.S. will still be eligible for paid sick leave related to COVID-19.
"There has been a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases across the country over the past weeks," the company wrote in the internal communication. "Along with increasing vaccination rates across the country, this is a positive sign we can return to the path to normal operations."


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Shoppers may well have noticed the cost of their food purchases has risen recently. After a long period of benign food price inflation, prices are on the way up, and it's largely down to wheat. Drought in some parts of the world and floods in others have blighted wheat harvests, even as global demand has soared with increased consumption from developing countries and its use in the manufacture of biofuels. While it adds up to only a small amount extra on the cost of a loaf of bread for
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Trademarking your products is an essential component to building and protecting your brand, and there are few hotter burgeoning products coming to market these days than those involving the multifaceted applications of CDB. However, because the federal government still lists CBD’s source plant—Cannabis sativa L.—as a controlled substance, trademarking your CBD products takes some maneuvering.
While many states have passed full marijuana legalization laws, and the 2014 Farm Bill included a limited exception for the cultivation of industrial hemp through state university agricultural research programs, in practice we have found that nearly all trademark applications for CBD products—even those strictly adhering to state regulations and/or engineered under federal programs—are initially rejected. The good news is that there are ways to work around these initial rejections and successfully trademark your CBD product. You can also “anchor” your CBD product in other ways and protect your brand while your CBD-related trademark is pending.
Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill is looking extremely promising for the CBD industry. The feds are finally catching on to the huge market for hemp-derived products and the opportunities it presents for the U.S. economy. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell introduced a provision legalizing industrial hemp that passed overwhelmingly (86-11) in the senate’s version of the bill. Legalization of industrial hemp has rare widespread bipartisan support—even in traditionally conservative states whose formerly tobacco-based agriculture economies could utilize the benefits of a new hemp industry.
Unfortunately the deadline for passing the 2018 bill before the expiration of the 2014 bill just passed (due to house/senate disputes over other measures), and we are now in extension limbo. In the meantime, while we wait for our elected officials to do their jobs, we can help you navigate the world of CBD trademarking.


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The beginning of a new year brings with it an opportunity, coinciding with this week’s CES 2024, to take a look at the trends, as well as the new and emerging technologies, which will shape the air transport industry over the next 12 months and beyond. This year, our list features 12 trends that will play a crucial role in improving passenger experiences and enhancing business performance. We explore everything from robotics, automation and Artificial Intelligence to biometrics and digital identity, sustainability and Urban Air Mobility.
Robotics and automation
A continuing and overriding trend this year and beyond will be increasing implementation of robotics and automation, using technology to streamline operations and offset rising labour costs. There has been a big acceleration of robotics and automation on the ramp and there is now quite an advancement in personal assistant robots, as evidenced by their prevalence at CES 2024. We were particularly impressed by Samsung’s Ballie personal assistant robot, which is equipped with an onboard projector and enhanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. FTE has been talking to a number of industry stakeholders and robotics companies and we see some developments in this space, and potential for personal assistant robots to be used for a VIP touch in lounges and to greet passengers at check-in, for example. Emirates is already utilising Sara is an innovative portable robotic check-in system, who can match faces with scanned passports, check-in passengers, and guide them to the bag drop area, at its City Check‑in and Travel Store.
Autonomous technology is also being used to future-proof operations. Schiphol Group, for example, has plans to achieve a fully autonomous airside operation by 2050, while Avinor’s EU-funded autonomous baggage transport project has a big focus on robotics. As part of this, it has formed an innovation partnership with Vanderlande to explore ways of fully automating the last mile of the baggage handling process. Avinor and Vanderlande are both members of FTE’s Baggage Innovation Working Group, for which automation is a key focus area in 2024.
FTE firmly believes that the best innovation is always collaborative innovation, and during the inaugural Aviation & Robotics Summit last year, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and International Airlines Group (IAG) launched an innovation partnership that will explore exciting new solutions with the robotics and tech community. This will see IAG – one of the world’s largest airline groups with brands including Aer Lingus and Iberia in addition to British Airways – leverage PIT’s xBridge Innovation Center, building on a shared vision to drive the aviation industry forward by developing technological solutions to safety, customer experience and operational efficiency challenges for both airlines and airports.
Meanwhile, autonomous robots are increasingly prevalent at airports for the delivery of retail and food & beverage. ADR Ventures, the new Corporate Venture Capital arm of Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – last year made its initial venture investment with Ottonomy, a deep tech startup providing contactless deliveries using fully autonomous robots. In North America, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and PIT, through its xBridge Innovation Center, are also among those having implemented autonomous robots.
The vast potential of this trend was explored in detail in the FTE Robotics & Autonomous Vehicles Symposium at FTE Global 2023, with insights from the likes of PIT, IAG, Royal Schiphol Group, and nlmtd. Robotics and automation will undoubtedly remain a key area to watch in 2024.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was undoubtedly the hottest topic at CES 2024, with AI seemingly integrated into almost every new technology solution. So, we definitely see AI and Machine Learning (ML) as a key trend once again. AI is a core theme of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub in 2024, and the FTE AI Symposium at FTE Global 2023 explored the potential of AI in aviation 5, 10, and 20 years from now, with some fascinating insights that can be viewed in this video.
We’re approaching an era of pervasive AI, in which these technologies transform our everyday lives in potentially unpredictable ways, including in commercial aviation. These transformations will impact the passenger experience, as well as airline and airport operations.
We are particularly impressed by the capabilities of Generative AI and Large Language Model (LLM) platforms such as ChatGPT, which experienced a spectacular rise in 2023. While it remains early days in terms of identifying use cases beyond chatbots and virtual assistants, we are excited about the possible applications in aviation and how it might be utilised. As we reported in this article last year, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport sees a lot of potential for its use in the aviation space – its exploratory efforts including using ChatGPT to create the framework for an Aviation Technology Master Plan. Generative AI also has the potential to enhance CX with more personalisation and IBM recently highlighted several potential use cases, including creating digital twins, planning and optimising airports, and supporting predictive maintenance. In its recent ‘Meet the Megatrends’ report, SITA highlighted that: “With the arrival of Generative AI in 2023, the technology has surged to the top of airport and airline agendas, with 97% of airlines planning a program to develop the technology.”
Meanwhile, in its ‘2023 IT Insights’ SITA indicates that 86% of airlines are collaborating with innovation partners to make advancements in AI, ML, and computer vision. “39% of these have already been implemented, while another 47% confirmed plans by the end of 2026. Looking at airports, 16% of airports already use AI and ML for improved decision-making, with another 51% confirming plans to implement such solutions by the end of 2026.”
Among the myriad examples of the implementation of AI, Etihad Airways recently became one of the first airlines to use the technology to enhance safety management systems; airBaltic is using AI to drive business efficiency; Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is enhancing the passenger experience and operational efficiency with AI and ML powered solutions; Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Pangiam are commencing the next-stage trials of Project DARTMOUTH, using AI to enhance inspection of carry-on bags; and International Airlines Group has AI firmly at the top of its innovation agenda, which will we report on in more detail in the coming weeks.
Digital displays reinvented
Among the coolest tech on show at CES 2024 was the impressive advancements in digital displays. This use of space is clearly what the future will look like, whether it’s Las Vegas’ new Sphere or ‘The Wonderfall’ – a 14m-tall digital display at the heart of Changi’s refreshed T2 departure hall. There are clear operational benefits too, from guiding travellers through security to creating a more effective, exciting retail environment.
A new trend this year is transparent displays. LG has already made transparent OLED screens for business and its newest OLED T model is designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding room when not in use. Samsung also unveiled its Transparent MICRO LED display at CES 2024, which is anticipated to have commercial applications in the near future and make “the line between content and reality virtually indistinguishable”.
Biometrics and digital identity
Biometrics has become a perennial fixture in our annual trends report. As this interview explains, it is the total enabler of a true seamless passenger experience, so there is clearly a business case for biometrics.
The post-pandemic preference for contactless technologies has only served to accelerate biometric adoption and its acceptance by travellers. IATA’s 2023 Global Passenger Survey indicates that: “Confidence in biometric identification is on the rise. In the last 12 months, 46% of passengers used biometrics at the airport, up from 34% in 2022. Furthermore, 75% of passengers prefer using biometric data over traditional passports and boarding passes.”
Implementation of biometric and digital identity technology continues at pace globally. ANA Aeroportos de Portugal and Vision-Box recently partnered to launch the “Biometric Experience by VINCI Airports” at Lisbon Airport, with plans to expand the project to four additional Portuguese airports. The many projects we have recently reported on include Fraport enabling all airlines at Frankfurt Airport to jointly use face biometrics as identification from check-in to boarding, becoming the first airport in Europe to offer biometric touchpoints to all airline passengers; Delta Air Lines expanding its Digital ID program to Los Angeles International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and JFK International Airport for a touchless airport experience; Airports Company South Africa deploying IDEMIA’s Passenger Flow Facilitation solution in nine South African airports for an end-to-end solution; Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport adopting SITA’s biometric-enabled SITA Smart Path to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection in fulfilling biometric passenger screening on exit from the U.S.; and Alaska Airlines partnering with CLEAR to provide a friction-free and predictable travel experience with CLEAR Plus.
The vast potential that new digital identity approaches leveraging biometrics can deliver to the sector was explored in detail in the Biometrics & Digital Identity Summit at FTE Global 2023, with insights from the likes of Miami International Airport, United Airlines, Fraport, and NEC. Watch the full video here. Biometrics and digital identity will undoubtedly remain a key area to watch in 2024.
Travellers increasingly expect end-to-end personalisation at every step of their journey.
Lufthansa took personalisation to a new level last year with the launch of Allegris – its new long-haul travel experience. At its heart, it is about individualising travel and doing so in a way that is simple for customers. The individuality comes in passengers’ ability to create their own travel experience according to their personal needs, with choices in seats, meals and other elements of the journey. Indeed, the Lufthansa Allegris offer features seven kinds of seat. Allegris has been introduced on the Boeing 787-9, while the Airbus A350-900 will be the first to introduce the new First Class in early 2024. In this exclusive interview, Dr. Björn Becker, Head of Program Future Intercont Experience, Lufthansa Group, explained: “We believe that premium is about tailoring your product offer to the needs of your customers and delivering the opportunity to customise their trip based on their personal preferences.”
Los Angeles World Airports, meanwhile, has brought a new level of personalisation to digital retail and F&B ordering at LAX in partnership with Airport Dimensions, Servy, and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.
Cathay Pacific’s forthcoming new business class Aria Suite is all generating some buzz in terms of personalisation.
These are just a few examples in a trend we expect to grow exponentially in 2024 and beyond.
Urban Air Mobility
We feel Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is a trend set to accelerate rapidly in 2024. It was a hot topic at this week’s CES 2024 with Hyundai notably among those showcasing a new Supernal electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) concept. Meanwhile, momentum is being driven by several airlines and airports around the world. The Lufthansa Group and Lilium have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore a strategic partnership on eVTOL aircraft operation in Europe; flynas and Eve Air Mobility are exploring the future of eVTOL aircraft operations in Saudi Arabia, aiming to launch in Riyadh and Jeddah in 2026; and Delta Air Lines and All Nippon Airways have both signed agreements with Joby Aviation, with plans to start commercial eVTOL flights in 2025.
Significant investments are being made by some of the biggest airports too. Groupe ADP plans to conduct experimental eVTOL flights from Pontoise Vertiport during the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Overair, meanwhile, are exploring the future of vertiport development and eVTOL aircraft operations within the DFW Metroplex.
While there are developments globally, the U.S. will be the epicentre of where UAM really happens and we expect real progress to come out of the U.S. in the years to come.
The Future Mobility & Customer Journey conference at FTE Global 2023 offered extensive insights into the future mobility landscape, demonstrating the major growth opportunity that exists. Indeed, according to SITA’s recent ‘Meet the Megatrends’ report: “Airlines show increased interest in UAM, with 32% confirming major programs and R&D in UAM services and infrastructure. 33% of airlines invest in VTOL integration technologies for airline operations. UAM services and infrastructure are taking off for airports, with 32% confirming major programs and R&D on this front.”
Collaboration with startups
Last year, collaboration with startups was firmly back on the agenda after inevitably taking a back seat during the pandemic. It remains a challenging environment for some startups to raise funds and it is an important moment for the industry to support them.
Many progressive airlines and airports are increasingly collaborating with high potential startups and scaleups. Indeed, the exponential growth of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub demonstrates this – International Airlines Group and Greater Orlando Aviation Authority are among the latest Corporate Partners to join, while we now have almost 450 approved startup members – and we expect the trend to further accelerate in 2024 and beyond.
Aeroporti di Roma will soon launch its third ‘Call for Ideas’ from startups as part of its “Runway to the Future” acceleration programme. This follows the launch last year of ADR Ventures – a new initiative to finance the development of projects in areas with high innovation potential, operating from the Innovation Hub at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Pegasus Airlines also recently announced it is establishing a Technology Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley – a key part of which will be evaluating collaboration opportunities with startups.
A common theme throughout the majority of innovation projects taking place across air transport is sustainability, which remains a key priority with the global industry’s commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Net zero will be reached through a combination of initiatives, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels, new aircraft technology, more efficient operations and infrastructure, and the development of new zero-emissions energy sources such as electric and hydrogen power.
Virgin Atlantic’s historic flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK last November using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) marked the culmination of “a year of radical collaboration to demonstrate the capability of SAF”.
Air New Zealand took significant steps in its Mission Next Gen Aircraft programme last year, announcing in December that BETA’s ALIA will be the launch aircraft. The battery-powered all-electric aircraft is expected to join Air New Zealand’s fleet in 2026. “Decarbonising aviation isn’t easy, and we have a lot of work to do,” said Greg Foran, Chief Executive Officer, Air New Zealand. “We need to accelerate the pace of change in the technology, infrastructure, operations and regulation. While this aircraft will add to, not replace our existing fleet, it is a catalyst for that change.”
Significant developments also include Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s new, electric Central Utility Plant (eCUP) that will provide sustainably powered heating and cooling capacity, and Pittsburgh International Airport’s first-of-its-kind microgrid powering the entire facility with natural gas and solar energy.
Another interesting initiative is the ‘Hydrogen Hub at Airports’ network. Hamburg Airport became the latest member in December 2023, joining Airbus and airports including Paris CDG and Singapore Changi. “Handling aircraft with hydrogen power will become as commonplace as refuelling them with kerosene is today,” said Nicole Dreyer-Langlet, responsible for research and technology within the Executive Board of Airbus Germany. “We are doing our bit to make this happen, but we depend on seamless cooperation with the airport specialists.”
Indeed, it is ultimately only through such collective, industry-wide efforts that net zero will be achieved.
Private Networks and Internet of Things
Private wireless remains one of the hottest opportunities for air transport stakeholders – a foundational core enabling technology that provides the connectivity needed for an “internet of everything” to support anything from autonomous vehicles on the ramp through to optimised operations at the gate for airlines, and that is just the beginning of the possibilities.
The technology was explored at FTE Global 2023 in the successful “Symposium on establishing and leveraging Private Networks at the airport”, featuring Metropolitan Airports Commission, Barich Inc, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Boingo Wireless, and Citymesh.
Last year, DFW announced a partnership with AT&T to deploy a private 5G network to meet the rising demand for Internet of Things (IoT) uses cases and the digitisation of airport operations. Meanwhile, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), in collaboration with Boingo Wireless, last year deployed a private network at Newark Liberty International Airport’s new Terminal A. Robert Galvin, Chief Technology Officer, PANYNJ, explained that this “fulfils passenger demand for fast, seamless connectivity, while also providing a robust connectivity backbone to support digital airport operations. Newark Terminal A is utilising a combination of leading wireless technologies to create a tech-forward experience for travellers and airport employees.”
Brussels and Frankfurt airports are also among those to innovate with private 5G networks.
A technology trends report wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, IoT is what can tie together a number of technologies and help to create a simpler and more seamless end-to-end travel experience. It looks more likely than ever that in the future all “things” will be connected – from airport assets to IFE systems and sensors integrated into seating – providing the industry with a constant stream of data which, if used correctly, could deliver new levels of operational efficiency and enable personalisation like never before.
Airlines’ journey to becoming fully-fledged digital retailers
Progressive airlines are transitioning away from legacy approaches, navigating the tech landscape on their journey to becoming fully-fledged digital retailers. It is a trend we expect to accelerate in 2024. As Eric Leopold, Founder & Managing Director, Threedot and FTE Ancillary & Retailing Content Director, explains in this interview: “Most airlines just wait and see, focusing on applications rather than the underlying technologies. Leading airlines pay attention to new technologies and their impact on the business. For example, how to engage next-gen customers who interact in the metaverse, or how to make loyalty inter-operable using NFTs, or how to reduce payment costs using crypto rails.”
Icelandic low-cost airline PLAY is doing just that with progressive, customer-centric solutions designed to both enhance the passenger experience and increase ancillary revenue. This includes selecting MOST to provide it with onboard retailing and payment solutions. “We are exploring new technologies in combination with clever usage – AI-driven in the near future – of customer data to expand the product/service offering to our customers,” Georg Haraldsson, Chief Information Officer, PLAY, explains in this interview.
Startup low-cost airline Bonza launched operations last year and is similarly digitally-native, describing itself as “effectively a digital marketplace with wings”. “Our collective ambition from the get-go was to be an e-commerce company of choice – in a nutshell, an all-encompassing travel retail brand that happens to operate aircraft,” said Manish Raniga, CEO of Airline Investments, 777 Partners (owner of Bonza). “Our travel technology teams work in collaboration with Bonza to build the digital platform focused on connecting partners as a central design goal and travel retailing over time. We’re at the beginning of that journey, but naturally will retail the right products, at the right time, merchandised in a relevant way.”
Finnair and Amadeus are also collaborating with the aim of transforming airline retailing, bringing personalisation and real-time insights. “Better retailing capabilities including dynamic pricing, upselling, cross-selling, bundling and unbundling also support our target of boosting revenues and improving profitability,” said Antti Kleemola, Chief Information Officer, Finnair.
Metaverse, Augmented Reality and Extended Reality
The metaverse – essentially an immersive virtual reality experience where people can interact with digital objects and digital representations of themselves and others – remained a hot topic at CES 2024. While realising the full potential of the metaverse is some way away, there are clearly opportunities to be utilised in the near-term and we feel it deserves a spot on our trends list.
Progressive airlines and airports are already exploring opportunities and use-cases. Lufthansa’s launch of its new Allegris long-haul travel experience last year was perhaps the most impressive use of the metaverse FTE has seen. The airline teamed-up with Meta Reality Labs to leverage the metaverse with Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR), blending the physical and digital by utilising Lufthansa’s new metaverse event location in the launch. Lufthansa plans to further develop its metaverse space into a virtual product world, where it can showcase its products, to both customers and colleagues, in an immersive way. “Mixed Reality is one of the coolest and most powerful tools I have seen for a long time,” said Dr. Björn Becker, Head of Program Future Intercont Experience, Lufthansa Group. “You can compare it with a hologram that appears in your space and that you can interact with – either single seats or even the whole cabin in full scale. It’s an immersive experience you can use for marketing purposes, but also training and even cabin development, replacing wooden mock-ups.”
Changi Airport Group (CAG) – a Headline Partner of FTE APEX Asia Expo – entered the metaverse last year following the unveiling of ChangiVerse, with the aim of revolutionising the online airport experience. “With our customers becoming more digitally savvy and interacting in the digital space, ChangiVerse is about engaging our customers and serving them better through innovation and experimentation, in line with our belief of customers being at the heart of everything we do,” said Ms Hung Jean, Group Senior Vice President of CAG’s Enterprise Digital Ecosystem & Business Division.
An exciting development in the XR space is Emirates’ collaboration with Amazon Web Services, developing an immersive Extended Reality (iXR) platform and capability for cabin crew, new joiners, and the wider industry partner community. Powered by spatial computing and Artificial Intelligence, it features 3D virtual hubs, virtual training, gamified environments and simulated experiences, creating a seamless and innovative onboarding experience.
Accessibility and making travel more accessible for all remains an important trend and one that we will be exploring in-depth in the FTE Accessibility Symposium at FTE Global 2024.
Alaska Airlines makes considerable effort to ensure its kiosks, mobile app and website are accessible, while Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) has launched a new accessibility programme – SEA Access – and in its current upgrade programme is committed to “more accessible options from curb to gate”.
Vienna Airport and Austrian Airlines are also implementing measures to make their services more accessible for all travellers. Now, passengers who are blind or have low vision can be guided through the airport utilising the Aira App. Meanwhile, as part of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower programme, passengers with invisible disabilities can call attention to their needs by wearing a lanyard, badge or bracelet in the Sunflower design.
A number of progressive airlines and airports are also exploring robotics in the accessibility space. One example is United’s collaboration with WHILL, with the aim of making airport terminal transport more accessible using autonomous personal mobility devices. International Airlines Group is also among those trialling autonomous personal mobility devices with its airport partners.


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Sony has rolled out a new PlayStation update today, and while it has added voice commands to the PS5, it also seems to be causing problems with the platform’s online services.
Today’s PlayStation system update adds features to the PS4 and PS5 that were shown off during a system beta test this past February. Namely, users will be able to create closed parties on both consoles. The PS5 exclusively gets numerous changes to its Game Base and Trophy Cards UI, with the former being split into three menus for Friends, Parties, and Messages. The biggest change coming for
In the blog post detailing today’s PlayStation update, Sony also announced that Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) compatibility will be added to the PS5 “in the months ahead.” VRR, simply put, is a technique that effectively eliminates effects like screen tearing that are caused by a monitor’s refresh rate differing from the rate at which frames are being sent from an external device. For example, playing a game that jumps between 45 frames per second and 60 fps on a TV displaying images at a refresh rate of 60Hz results in screen tearing. VRR addresses that problem by automatically syncing the refresh rate of the display to whatever device is outputting frames, in this case, a
According to Sony, PS5 games that have already launched will need a patch to support VRR, while future releases on the console “may include VRR support at launch.” The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles have supported VRR since launch.
While that’s all exciting, the latest update for the PS4 and PS5 seems to have thrown a wrench into PlayStation’s online services. On Twitter, users are reporting that their PS+ subscriptions aren’t being verified, locking them out of online portions of games, including Elden Ring‘s multiplayer. According to PlayStation’s status page game streaming, PlayStation Now, and the PlayStation Store have all been affected.
- PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is stepping down, with successor yet to be named
- Will Starfield come to PS5?
- Baldur’s Gate 3: PS5 release dates, file size, preorder, and early access
- Sony’s cloud handheld, the PlayStation Portal, will only stream certain games
- PlayStation 5 Slim: All rumors and speculation


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Whole Foods Co-Op Expansion in Progress
Construction Set to Start in June
Whole Food Co-Op is set to have shovels in the ground by June.
The new location is off of Grand Avenue across from Denfeld High School.
Representatives say the store is expected to be finished in February of 2016.
Equipment decisions have pushed back their start and end dates.


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Missouri Tech & Science
Associated Bank announces leadership changes
01 01 1970
"Patrick has been instrumental in the advancement of Associated's internal audit program, helping to ensure continuous, objective review of the company's business processes," said Philip B. Flynn, Associated president and CEO. "Through his commitment to Associated Veterans Network, Patrick has also helped progress our Veteran recruitment efforts and build a network of support for our military colleagues, their families and community members."
In anticipation of Derpinghaus' retirement and succession, the company also announced that Matthew Braeger has accepted the position of executive vice president and deputy chief audit executive effective October 24, 2017. He will continue to report to Derpinghaus.
Braeger joined Associated in 2013 as senior vice president and audit director. He has more than 17 years' of audit experience, primarily in banking...
Aspen Institute Competition Prompts MBA Students To Innovate For The Good Of Business And Society
01 01 1970
NEW YORK, May 3, 2017 -- Eighteen MBA students â€“ selected from close to 1,000 worldwide â€“ have won a share of nearly $35,000 in scholarship money by tackling a real-life business challenge at the intersection of corporate profitability and positive social and environmental impact.Â
Through the Aspen Institute's Business & Society International MBA Case Competition, along with lead partner BNY Mellon, students representing 25 top business schools analyzed a brand new case study, authored by the Yale School of Management, about the IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC). Founded in 2007, IBM CSC had become the largest pro bono consulting program in the world sending nearly 500 IBM employees each year to consult with organizations in countries all over the globe.
Prizes were awarded at a breakfast event attended by 160 guests on Friday, April 28th at the Yale Club of New York City. Guests heard from the winning team, celebrated the...
Arsenal Announces Sale of Accella Performance Materials to Carlisle Companies
01 01 1970
Accella offers a broad range of polyurethane products and solutions across many markets and applications globally. The company, headquartered in Maryland Heights, Missouri, has annualized revenue of approximately $430 million and operates out of 10 manufacturing facilities and seven R&D laboratories in the U.S., Germany, and China.
Roy Seroussi, a Principal at Arsenal, said, "Since our initial investment in 2012, Accella's revenue and EBITDA increased by 7x and 8x, respectively, through a focused organic growth strategy and nine strategic acquisitions. The company has become a market leader in several rapidly growing end markets, such as spray foam insulation, as well as roofing solutions and polyurethane truck bed liners."
John Televantos, a Partner at Arsenal, added, "Arsenal's investment in Accella stemmed from our extensive experience...
Antennas Direct Releases New and Advanced ClearStream MAX HDTV...
01 01 1970
Antennas Direct ClearStream 4MAX
Weâ€™re not only rescuing cord cutters from unreliable cable services, but weâ€™re producing the best high definition television antenna for our consumer to receive TV programming for free and without the struggle and stress of assembly and installation
St. Louis, Missouri May 03, 2017
For over 14 years, Antennas Direct has been a leader in reinventing the over-the-air television viewing experience. This month, the company continues the tradition with the release of their latest range of indoor and outdoor TV antennas, the ClearStream 1MAXâ„¢, ClearStream 2MAXâ„¢ and ClearStream 4MAXâ„¢. The MAX series of TV antennas feature little to no assembly, and have scientifically out-performed the competition for reliable long range TV reception.
â€œJust when we thought we couldnâ€™t get any better, our trusted scientists and cord cutting...
Anoop Nanda Named President of Virginia Transformer Corp.
01 01 1970
Anoop Nanda, president, Virginia Transformer Corp.
With his added leadership, we will be well-positioned to increase our competitiveness while driving the next phase of our growth.
ROANOKE, Va. May 12, 2017
Anoop Nanda, a leader in growing global manufacturers, has been named president of Virginia Transformer Corp., the nation’s second-largest provider of custom-engineered power electrical transformers.
The appointment of Nanda as president completes a six-month nationwide search conducted by the board of directors as part of the company’s executive management succession plan. Long-time leader Prabhat Jain will continue to serve as CEO.
“I am excited to welcome Anoop to our team,” Jain said. “He comes to us with a proven track record of adapting to new business environments and driving above-market performance. With his added leadership, we will be well-positioned to increase our competitiveness while driving the next phase of our growth.”
Ameren Missouri Proposes Plan for Solar Panels at Lambert Airport
01 01 1970
ST. LOUIS, May 3, 2017 --Â Ameren Missouri is taking off on a forward-thinking plan to increase the amount of solar energy available to customers. Today, the company announced plans for a new solar generation facility to be built at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Energy produced there would be available for its customers through the Community Solar Program.
"What better way to showcase that we're a progressive region committed to finding innovative solutions to energy generation than by placing a large solar field at the airport," said Mike Mueller, vice president of economic and technology development at Ameren. "Ameren Missouri continues to lead the way by investing in more clean energy delivered reliably and affordably to our customers."
Customer ChoiceThe plan calls for Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), to build up to a one megawatt facility at Lambert. Once the plan is approved by city officials and state regulators, Ameren...
Ameren Missouri Plans Major Expansion of Wind, Solar Generation to Serve Customers
01 01 1970
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 25, 2017 () -- Ameren Missouri announced today a forward-thinking plan to dramatically increase the amount of wind and solar generation to provide cost-effective and sustainable energy for its customers.
Alcami Announces Grand Opening of St. Louis, Missouri Facility in Cortex Innovation Community
01 01 1970
Alcami's centrally located new St. Louis campus is easily accessible for both domestic and international business partners. The site offers a variety of essential technologies for development and testing. It boasts a significant laboratory expansion as well as a range of new capabilities, including a low humidity room used to test and handle hygroscopic materials; isolator technology that will serve as an upgrade from traditional sterility capabilities; Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipment designed to assist clients in their transitions from USP wet chemistry heavy metal requirements; a photosensitive materials handling lab to protect light-sensitive materials and more.
"We are delighted to expand our laboratory capabilities in St. Louis and are proud to call the Cortex Innovation Community our new home," said Dr. Stephan Kutzer, CEO, President and Chairman of Alcami Corporation. "The successful...
Aiya America Matcha Products Now Available at Select Whole Foods...
01 01 1970
Aiya's Matcha Now Available in Select Whole Foods Market Stores
Our mission is to share the goodness of Matcha through global education of its tradition, history, and health benefits. We are excited to have Whole Foods Market as a platform to spread that messaging to a greater audience.
Torrance, CA April 21, 2017
Acquiring high quality Matcha products are now easier than ever! Aiya America, the worldâ€™s largest producer of premium Matcha green tea for 129 years, recently announced that an assortment of their Matcha products are now available at select Whole Foods Market stores, the worldâ€™s leading natural and organic foods grocery chain.
The Matcha products can be found in the tea section of over 100 Whole Foods Market locations in both the Midwest and Southern Pacific regions. The Midwest region, which includes stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, carries Aiyaâ€™s...
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