Market Newsdesk

August 29, 2023 9:07 am

Cover Genius Welcomes David Rudow as Chief Financial Officer to Drive Next Stage of Growth

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cover Genius, the leading insurtech for embedded protection, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Rudow as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). This strategic decision comes as the company enters its next stage of growth to solidify its position as a global leader in the insurtech industry.

Rudow brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in financial management to the role, with more than 18 years of experience in senior financial positions for private equity and venture-backed companies. Previously, he served as CFO of the cloud-based technology company, nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO), where he led one of the largest US day-one tech IPO “pops” in decades, a successful secondary offering, and facilitated the 2021 acquisition of SimpleNexus, a deal valued at $1.2 billion.

“With David’s proven ability to optimize financial operations, enhance profitability and implement robust financial controls, we are excited to have him join the team as we head toward the next chapter in our continued growth,” said Angus McDonald, CEO and Co-founder of Cover Genius. “His strategic mindset and deep understanding of the industry will contribute significantly to our overall financial performance and further position us for success as the chosen insurtech for the world’s largest digital brands. ”

As CFO, Rudow will oversee all financial operations and strategies to support the company’s expansion plans. This includes managing financial planning, executing financial reporting, and optimizing resource allocation to fuel growth and profitability. His insights and leadership will play a pivotal role in guiding Cover Genius toward achieving its long-term financial objectives.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Cover Genius team and look forward to helping the company achieve its financial goals,” said Rudow. “I was immediately drawn to the staggering $7 trillion market opportunity within insurtech, and look forward to working hand-in-hand with the executive team to capitalize on strategic growth opportunities that drive financial success and help the company achieve its long-term goals.”

Rudow holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Cover Genius also extends its appreciation to Gavin Dennis, the outgoing CFO, for his dedicated leadership and significant contribution to the company. Throughout his tenure, he has played an integral role in the company’s achievements and impressive growth, leading the expansion and development of the finance function since early 2020. He has also been instrumental in securing growth capital and overseeing acquisitions. As Dennis prepares to embark on his next venture, he will be working closely with his successor, Rudow, to facilitate a seamless transition.

About Cover Genius

Cover Genius
is the insurtech for embedded protection. Through XCover, our global distribution platform for any insurance or other type of protection, we protect the global customers of the world’s largest digital companies including Booking Holdings, owner of Priceline and Booking.com, Intuit, Uber, Hopper, Ryanair, Turkish Airlines, Descartes ShipRush, Zip and SeatGeek. We’re also available at Amazon, Flipkart, eBay, Wayfair, and SE Asia’s largest company, Shopee.

Together with our partners, we co-create solutions to embed tailored, optimized protection that’s licensed or authorized in over 60 countries and all 50 US States.

In addition, we provide customers with a seamless, end-to-end experience via XCover.com. XCover.com handles customers’ needs – from the initial sale through to administration and claims, resulting in an industry-leading post claims NPS of +65. Its award-winning service design has shown to reduce support tickets by 7x.^‡

Media Contact
Shelley Petri
Senior B2B Marketing Communications Manager
[email protected]

^‡
The score includes any type of claim and claim outcome across our partner network except for those partners with less than 30 claims and those not assessed by Cover Genius.
Inquiry statistics are derived from an internal analysis of 1,355 random XCover support inquiries from December 2022, of which 1,258 (93%) had not activated their XCover account and 97 (7%) had.

August 29, 2023 9:05 am

Global Payments Releases 2023 Global Responsibility Report

Global Payments Releases 2023 Global Responsibility Report

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Global Payments (NYSE: GPN), a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions, today announced the release of its 2023 Global Responsibility Report. The report highlights the company’s initiatives and achievements across its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) – or Global Responsibility – focus areas since the beginning of 2022 and commitment to its team members, customers and communities.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829730272/en/

“At Global Payments we are committed to redefining success with a continuous improvement mindset and by constantly striving to do better as an organization. This includes driving positive change across our four Global Responsibility pillars of Culture & Values, Environmental Sustainability, Community Impact and Corporate Responsibility,” said Cameron Bready, president and chief executive officer. “I am immensely proud of the many successes delivered by our team members in support of our customers, our communities, and each other highlighted in the 2023 Global Responsibility Report. Together, we are having a meaningful impact that benefits all of our stakeholders.”

The comprehensive report details key initiatives across the company’s ESG pillars, including:

Culture & Values highlights progress on workforce diversity objectives, career development opportunities and other initiatives that have contributed to the lowest attrition rates in five years.
Environmental Sustainability enhancements include disclosure of scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the first time to increase transparency regarding Global Payments’ impact on the environment, expanded details on the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in order to achieve net zero GHG emissions prior to 2040, and an update on the progress of its Enterprise Data Center Initiative to modernize and migrate workloads into world class efficient cloud environments.
Community Impact spotlights Global Payments’ efforts to integrate corporate citizenship into every aspect of the business. This includes Worldwide Days of Service events, efforts to support team members and communities during Hurricane Ian and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and the company’s four philanthropic pillars – Financial Literacy and Economic Inclusion, Education, Health & Wellness and Social Equity – which guide giving and support initiatives, while also ensuring maximum impact.
Corporate Responsibility shares the board’s deliberate approach to corporate governance, including enhancement of the board’s diversity principles and the commitment to add at least one additional female director by the next annual shareholder meeting. It also provides enhanced disclosures of the company’s Generative AI policies, fraud prevention efforts, and privacy program.

The 2023 Global Responsibility Report is aligned with the SASB and Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) frameworks. The report also highlights the company’s commitment to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In July, Global Payments submitted a 2023 CDP Climate Change Questionnaire. The CDP questionnaire, the company’s U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEO-1 report, and other resources are available in the ESG portion of the investor relations section of its website at https://investors.globalpayments.com/esg.

About Global Payments Inc.

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) is a leading payments technology company delivering innovative software and services to our customers globally. Our technologies, services and team member expertise allow us to provide a broad range of solutions that enable our customers to operate their businesses more efficiently across a variety of channels around the world. Headquartered in Georgia with approximately 27,000 team members worldwide, Global Payments is a Fortune 500® company and a member of the S&P 500 with worldwide reach spanning over 170 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. For more information, visit globalpayments.com and follow Global Payments on Twitter (@globalpayinc), LinkedIn and Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829730272/en/

Investor Contact:

Winnie Smith 770.829.8478

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Emily Edmonds 770.829.8755

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America Georgia

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Software Banking Professional Services Fintech Data Management Sustainability Payments Electronic Commerce Technology Environment Finance Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

MEDIA:

Logo

August 29, 2023 9:03 am

Limoneira Capitalizes on Water Fallowing Conservation Program with Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District and the United States Bureau of Reclamation

Limoneira Capitalizes on Water Fallowing Conservation Program with Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District and the United States Bureau of Reclamation

Fallowing Program will Compensate the Company for Diverting Water Back to the Colorado River

SANTA PAULA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Limoneira Company (the “Company” or “Limoneira”) (Nasdaq: LMNR), a diversified citrus growing, packing, selling and marketing company with related agribusiness activities and real estate development operations, today announced that it has entered into an initial fallowing program with Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District (“YMIDD”) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (“BOR”) and will commit to fallow owned land through, at least, calendar 2025.

The Company expects to receive approximately $1.32 million annually, paid in quarterly installments, for fallowing 581 acres out of its 1,300 acres of farmland in Yuma, Arizona. YMIDD will refrain from diverting Colorado River water that otherwise would have been used to irrigate fallowed lands so that the saved water may be retained in Lake Mead as Colorado River System Conservation Water, increasing the supply and elevation of Lake Mead and helping to avoid water shortages in Arizona and the lower basin.

Harold Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer of Limoneira, stated, “Even after the recent non-strategic asset sales, we continue to manage approximately 11,100 acres of land with approximately 21,000-acre feet of owned water, usage and pumping rights. We are finding great monetization opportunities for our water assets by either fallowing acreage, leasing pumping rights or selling the water rights for significant appreciation over our investments. We believe this water monetization in Yuma, Arizona is just the beginning of additional future opportunities for our abundant water assets.”

Mr. Edwards continued, “We spent many years of striving to improve our stewardship of water on all of our properties and this has enabled us to reduce our usage and increase our available water for future monetization opportunities.”

About Limoneira Company

Limoneira Company, a 130-year-old international agribusiness headquartered in Santa Paula, California, has grown to become one of the premier integrated agribusinesses in the world. Limoneira (lē moñ âra) is a dedicated sustainability company with 11,100 acres of rich agricultural lands, real estate properties, and water rights in California, Arizona, Chile and Argentina. The Company is a leading producer of lemons, avocados, and other crops that are enjoyed throughout the world. For more about Limoneira Company, please visit www.limoneira.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are based on Limoneira’s current expectations about future events and can be identified by terms such as “expect,” “may,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should be,” “will be,” “is likely to,” “strive to,” and similar expressions referring to future periods.

Limoneira believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable but cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, Limoneira cautions you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause future outcomes to differ materially from those foreseen in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: success in executing the Company’s business plans and strategies and managing the risks involved in the foregoing; additional impacts from the current COVID-19 pandemic, changes in laws, regulations, rules, quotas, tariffs and import laws; weather conditions that affect production, transportation, storage, import and export of fresh product; increased pressure from crop disease, insects and other pests; disruption of water supplies or changes in water allocations; disruption in the global supply chain; pricing and supply of raw materials and products; market responses to industry volume pressures; pricing and supply of energy; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; availability of financing for land development activities; political changes and economic crises; international conflict; acts of terrorism; labor disruptions, strikes or work stoppages; loss of important intellectual property rights; inability to pay debt obligations; inability to engage in certain transactions due to restrictive covenants in debt instruments; government restrictions on land use; and market and pricing risks due to concentrated ownership of stock. Other risks and uncertainties include those that are described in Limoneira’s SEC filings that are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Limoneira undertakes no obligation to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this press release, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829315641/en/

Investors

John Mills

Managing Partner

ICR 646-277-1254

KEYWORDS: California Colorado United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Other Natural Resources Utilities Environment Agriculture Natural Resources Energy Climate Change

MEDIA:

August 29, 2023 9:02 am

August Job Growth Among Small Businesses Unchanged from July

August Job Growth Among Small Businesses Unchanged from July

Hourly earnings growth is below four percent for the second-straight month

ROCHESTER, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
According to the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch, the national Small Business Jobs Index — which measures the rate of small business job growth in the U.S. — is essentially flat at 99.10, a decrease of 0.04% in August. Meanwhile, an hourly earnings growth rate of 3.98% among U.S. small businesses is unchanged in August from July and below four percent for the second consecutive month.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829186123/en/

From July to August, the national Small Business Jobs Index is essentially flat while hourly earnings growth nationally is below four percent for the second-straight month. (Graphic: Business Wire)

“The Small Business Jobs Index moderated for the fifth consecutive month and the flattening of earnings growth both align with a stabilizing U.S. labor market,” said James Diffley, chief regional economist, S&P Global Market Intelligence.

“Our data indicates America’s small businesses are adding workers at a sustained and modest rate,” said John Gibson, Paychex president and CEO. “Regarding hourly earnings, last month we reported a growth rate below four percent for the first time since 2021. Seeing that trend continue this month is an encouraging sign that wages are normalizing along with overall inflation.”

In further detail, the August report shows:

The pace of small business job growth has changed over the past year from 99.94 in August 2022 to 99.10 in August 2023.
Despite slowing for the sixth consecutive month, North Carolina is once again the top-ranked state for small business job growth (100.69), overtaking Texas (100.46).
Houston’s jobs index (102.06) ranks first among metros in August and is more than a point higher than second-ranked Miami (100.82).
Hourly earnings growth was unchanged at 3.98% in August, though one-month annualized growth increased to 4.71%.
Weekly hours worked growth has slowed in recent months and is down 0.45% year-over-year.
At 99.71, the South leads regional small business job growth for the 17^th consecutive month despite slowing each month since February 2023.
Only four states have increased their pace of job growth from a year ago, with Wisconsin leading the way, gaining 1.77% from last August to 99.53.
At its 2023 peak, Washington leads states in hourly earnings growth (4.87%). However, weekly hours worked growth in Washington continues to rank last among states and has been negative for the past two years.
While the lowest performing sector among industries, Manufacturing (97.24) showed the most significant gains in August (0.21%).

Paychex solutions reach 1 in 12 American private-sector employees, making the Small Business Employment Watch an industry benchmark. Drawing from the payroll data of approximately 350,000 Paychex clients with fewer than 50 employees, the monthly report offers analysis of national employment and wage trends, as well as examines regional, state, metro, and industry sector activity.

The complete results for August 2023, including interactive charts detailing all data, are available at www.paychex.com/watch. Highlights are available below.

August 2023 Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch

National Jobs Index

The national small business jobs index moderated 0.04% to 99.10 in August, its fifth consecutive decrease.
The pace of small business job growth (99.10) has slowed 0.84% from a year ago (99.94).
Demonstrating moderate small business job growth, the national index has stayed between 99 and 100 for the past year.

National Wage Report

Hourly earnings growth is unchanged in August (3.98%), though one-month annualized growth is now at 4.71%.
Weekly hours worked growth has slowed considerably in recent months and is down 0.45% YoY.
One-month annualized weekly hours worked growth has lost an average of 2.04% during each of the past six months.

Regional Jobs Index

At 99.71, the South leads regional small business job growth for the 17^th consecutive month, despite slowing each month since February 2023.
The West (98.89) is unchanged in August as the region continues to report slow but steady job gains.
The Northeast remains the weakest region for small business job growth at 98.59 but is the only region to improve in August (0.06%).

Regional Wage Report

At 4.32%, the West leads regional hourly earnings growth for the third straight month and is the only region with growth above four percent.
The South began 2023 with hourly earnings growth above five percent (5.01%) but has decelerated consistently over the past eight months, dropping below four percent in August (3.99%).
Weekly hours worked growth has slowed in all four regions over the past year, with recent months indicating further deceleration.

State Jobs Index

Despite its small business job growth rate slowing for the sixth consecutive month, North Carolina is once again the top-ranked state (100.69), overtaking Texas (100.46).
At 98.17, New York ranks last among states for the third month, having slowed 2.18% from a year ago (100.35).
Only four states have improved their rate of job growth from a year ago. Among them, Wisconsin is leading the way as the state’s small business job growth accelerated 1.77% from August 2022 to 99.53 this month.

State Wage Report

Now at its strongest level in 2023 so far, Washington leads states in hourly earnings growth (4.87%). However, weekly hours worked growth in Washington continues to rank last among states and has been negative throughout past two years.
North Carolina (0.06%) is the only state with positive weekly hours worked growth in August.
With the number of hours worked dropping across nearly all states, Texas (4.20%), Arizona (4.06%), and Wisconsin (4.02%) are the only three states with weekly earnings growth above four percent.
Indiana (2.69%) is the only state with hourly earnings growth below three percent in August.

Metropolitan Jobs Index

Houston’s jobs index (102.06) ranks first among metros in August and is more than a full point higher than second-ranked Miami (100.82).
Tampa (98.57) and Dallas’ (98.55) indices are both down 1.15% from July, the worst one-month change rate among metros.
At 97.03, Denver is down 3.65% from last year and is more than a point lower than the next weakest metro in August.

Metropolitan Wage Report

California metros San Diego (5.13%) and Riverside (5.06%) lead the pack in hourly earnings growth for August.
San Francisco ranks last among metros in both hourly earnings growth (2.69%) and weekly earnings growth (1.89%).
Miami (0.26%) is the only metro with positive weekly hours worked growth.

Industry Jobs Index

Despite having the highest index among sectors in August (100.99), Other Services’ job growth rate slowed more than any other industry’s from July to August (-0.33%).
Manufacturing (97.27), the lowest performer among sectors, has the most significant growth in its pace (0.21%).
Education and Health Services continues to report strong small business job gains, at 100.61 in August with an average of 100.69 throughout 2023.
Leisure and Hospitality (99.31) reported its first gain since February – a modest 0.07% increase.

Industry Wage Report

Construction ranks first for weekly hours worked growth (0.05%), the only sector with a positive growth rate. Construction also ranks second among sectors for hourly earnings (4.44%) as well as weekly earnings growth (4.09%) in August.
Leisure and Hospitality (4.83%) tops sectors for hourly earnings growth in August, maintaining its two-and-a-half-year streak occupying one of the top two spots among sectors.
Other Services ranks last among sectors for both earnings measures as well as hours worked growth.

For more information about the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch, visit www.paychex.com/watch and sign up to receive monthly Employment Watch alerts.

*Information regarding the professions included in the industry data can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

About the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch

The Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch is released each month by Paychex, Inc., a leading provider of payroll, human resource, insurance, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses, and S&P Global Market Intelligence, a Division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which merged with IHS Markit in 2022 and is a provider of information services and solutions to global markets. Focused exclusively on small business, the monthly report offers analysis of national employment and wage trends, as well as examines regional, state, metro, and industry sector activity. Drawing from the payroll data of approximately 350,000 Paychex clients, this powerful tool delivers real-time insights into the small business trends driving the U.S. economy.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) is an industry-leading HCM company delivering a full suite of technology and advisory services in human resources, employee benefit solutions, insurance, and payroll. The company serves approximately 740,000 customers in the U.S. and Europe and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. The more than 16,000 people at Paychex are committed to helping businesses succeed and building thriving communities where they work and live. To learn more, visit paychex.com and stay connected on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About S&P Global Market Intelligence

At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we understand the importance of accurate, deep and insightful information. Our team of experts delivers unrivaled insights and leading data and technology solutions, partnering with customers to expand their perspective, operate with confidence, and make decisions with conviction.

S&P Global Market Intelligence is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world’s leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829186123/en/

Media

Chris Muller

Paychex, Inc.

585-338-4346

[email protected]

@Paychex

Amanda Oey

S&P Global Market Intelligence

+1 332-323-2312

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America New York

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Professional Services Small Business Insurance Human Resources Finance Banking

MEDIA:

Logo

Photo

From July to August, the national Small Business Jobs Index is essentially flat while hourly earnings growth nationally is below four percent for the second-straight month. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Photo

The pace of small business job growth has changed over the past year from 99.94 in August 2022 to 99.10 in August 2023. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Photo

Hourly earnings growth was unchanged at 3.98% in August, though one-month annualized growth increased to 4.71%. (Graphic: Business Wire)

August 29, 2023 8:58 am

CrowdStrike to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference

CrowdStrike to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRWD) today announced that it is scheduled to present at the following investor conference:

Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference

Location: San Francisco

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Presentation Time: 10:10 a.m. PDT

The presentation will be webcast live and archived on CrowdStrike’s investor relations website at ir.crowdstrike.com.

About CrowdStrike Holdings

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. is a global cybersecurity leader that provides cloud-delivered protection of endpoints, cloud workloads, identity and data.

Powered by the CrowdStrike Security Cloud and advanced artificial intelligence, the CrowdStrike Falcon® platform delivers better outcomes to customers through rapid and scalable deployment, superior protection and performance, reduced complexity and immediate time-to-value.

CrowdStrike Falcon leverages a single lightweight-agent architecture with integrated cloud modules spanning multiple security markets, including corporate workload security, managed security services, security and vulnerability management, IT operations management, threat intelligence services, identity protection and log management.

For more information, please visit: ir.crowdstrike.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829890893/en/

Investor Relations Contact

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc.

Maria Riley

[email protected]

669-721-0742

KEYWORDS: United States North America Texas

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Data Management Security Technology Software Networks Artificial Intelligence

MEDIA:

Logo

August 29, 2023 8:54 am

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Now Open in Albany

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Now Open in Albany

Renowned Fine Dining Steak House Debuts Fifth Location in New York

ALBANY, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ruth’s Chris Steak House, famous for its unmatched dining experience and steaks served on 500-degree sizzling plates, today announced its newest location is open for business in Albany, New York at 1 Metro Park Road.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829360259/en/

Ruth’s Chris Steak House announced its newest location in Albany, which is now open for business. It is located at 1 Metro Park Road and brings an unmatched dining experience to the area with its 8,572 square-foot location. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Albany Ruth’s Chris restaurant brings an extraordinary dining experience unlike anything else in New York’s capital city with its 8,572 square-foot location featuring the finest steaks, the best service and a level of hospitality that has made Ruth’s Chris one of the most revered names in steak since Ruth Fertel opened the first restaurant in 1965. The new space features one main dining room, a luxurious bar and bar-lounge, patio with ample seating, as well as two private dining rooms that can accommodate celebrating a special milestone, entertaining clients, or simply enjoying a night out with friends and family. The space is elegantly appointed and thoughtfully designed to provide a comfortably elegant, warm, and welcoming dining experience for every guest.

“We’ve had the absolute pleasure of serving the community of New York for many years, and are fortunate to make our one-of-a-kind meals available to even more guests in the area,” said William Nicholson, general manager for the Albany Ruth’s Chris. “Ruth’s Chris delivers the ultimate, most hospitable dining experiences in Albany with perfect steaks, warm hospitality and good times that never stop rolling. We look forward to welcoming guests into our restaurant and showcasing the highest quality food, beverages, and service in a warm and inviting atmosphere.”

With more than 150 restaurants around the globe, Ruth’s Chris has been in business since 1965. As part of the pre-opening celebration for its newest restaurant, Ruth’s Chris hosted a special VIP dinner with community leaders, business owners and Ruth’s Chris executives where 100% of the proceeds from the evening were donated to Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

“The Albany location is our fifth in the state of New York, representing an exciting expansion in the region that further entrenches us in this area’s fine dining scene,” said Cheryl Henry, President of Ruth’s Chris Steak House. “We’re thrilled to continue to serve this community and look forward to more expansion opportunities in the future.”

At Ruth’s Chris, the last bite is just as good as the first. The company’s perfected broiling method and seasoning techniques ensure each cut of USDA Prime beef arrives cooked to perfection and sizzling on a 500-degree plate – just the way Ruth’s Chris founder Ruth Fertel liked it. Representing the highest-quality beef, these cuts are well marbled and hand-selected for thickness and tenderness. Ruth only served her guests the finest, and that’s why Ruth’s Chris serves custom-aged USDA Prime beef.

While Ruth’s Chris’ USDA Prime steaks and their signature sizzle may have put the restaurant on the map, guests can also enjoy fresh seafood, scratch-made side dishes and desserts, craft cocktails and choice wines, all served with the sort of hospitality that would make its namesake proud.

Ruth’s Chris Albany also offers its unbeatable Happy Hour, which includes mouthwatering food and full-size appetizers, hand-crafted cocktails and wine starting at only $9 from 4:00p.m. – 6:00p.m. every Sunday through Friday.

For more information and hours of operation, or to make a reservation, please visit https://ruthschris.com/albany or call (518) 444-3690.

About Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Ruth’s Chris Steak House was founded by Ruth Fertel 58 years ago in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ruth had a recipe for everything – from how to prepare her signature sizzling steaks to how to treat her guests. This timeless formula is a testament to how one neighborhood eatery has become the largest collection of upscale steak houses in the world, with more than 150 restaurant locations around the globe. Ruth’s Chris remains true to its heritage, helping guests make their best memories on 500-degree sizzling plates.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House. This is how it’s done.

For more information, visit RuthsChris.com, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829360259/en/

Media:

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America New York

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Retail Restaurant/Bar Food/Beverage

MEDIA:

Logo

Photo

Ruth’s Chris Steak House announced its newest location in Albany, which is now open for business. The new space features one main dining room, a luxurious bar and bar-lounge, patio with ample seating, as well as two private dining rooms that can accommodate celebrating a special milestone, entertaining clients, or simply enjoying a night out with friends and family. The space is elegantly appointed and thoughtfully designed to provide a comfortably elegant, warm, and welcoming dining experience for every guest. (Photo: Business Wire)

Photo

As part of the pre-opening celebration for the newest location in Albany, Ruth’s Chris hosted a special dinner with community leaders, business owners and Ruth’s Chris executives to raise money for Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Pictured are Ruth’s Chris Steak House Albany’s General Manager William Nicholson and Regional Vice President Gerry Murphy alongside Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York’s Director of Marketing & Communications Bethany Stiles. (Photo: Business Wire)

August 29, 2023 8:51 am

XPEL Announces Appointment of John North to Board of Directors

XPEL Announces Appointment of John North to Board of Directors

North adds significant automotive and financial experience to XPEL Board

SAN ANTONIO, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
XPEL, Inc. (Nasdaq: XPEL), a global provider of protective films and coatings, announced today the appointment of John North to its Board of Directors.

Mr. North has a deep knowledge of the automotive industry with proven experience in global retail operations, finance, acquisitions and integrations. Mr. North currently serves as CEO of Lazydays (NASDAQ: LAZY), a $1.3 billion leader in the RV industry providing sales, service, and ownership experiences. He previously served as CFO of global auto reseller Copart, Avis Budget Group and Lithia Motors, America’s largest automotive retail group.

While at Lithia Motors, Mr. North helped successfully manage the company’s financial transformation as Lithia grew from $2.1 billion in revenue in 2010 to ~$12.0 billion in 2018. During that period, Lithia integrated over 100 acquisitions ranging from single-point locations to top 10 US dealer groups.

Ryan Pape, President and Chief Executive Officer of XPEL stated, “We are pleased to add John to XPEL’s Board of Directors. His financial acumen and deep understanding of the automotive retail business adds even more real-world experience to our board, and I look forward to working with John as we continue to grow our organization.”

John North commented, “I’m thrilled to join the XPEL board and to be affiliated with the leader in the automotive protective film industry. I’m very familiar with their product offerings, and they truly lead in product innovation, customer service and dealer support. I look forward to contributing my experience and expertise to help the Company continue to drive outstanding performance for its customers and its shareholders.”

This appointment is effective immediately.

About XPEL, Inc.

XPEL is a leading provider of protective films and coatings, including automotive paint protection film, surface protection film, automotive and architectural window films, and ceramic coatings. With a global footprint, a network of trained installers and proprietary DAP software, XPEL is dedicated to exceeding customer expectations by providing high-quality products, leading customer service, expert technical support and world-class training. XPEL, Inc. is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “XPEL”.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230829309168/en/

For more information, contact:

XPEL Investor Relations:

John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau

IMS Investor Relations

Phone: (203) 972-9200

Email: [email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America Texas

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Chemicals/Plastics Automotive General Automotive Automotive Manufacturing Other Automotive Manufacturing

MEDIA:

August 29, 2023 8:48 am

The Hartford Enhances Employee Benefits For Small Businesses Through New Relationship With Beam Benefits

The Hartford Enhances Employee Benefits For Small Businesses Through New Relationship With Beam Benefits

The Hartford integrates Beam Benefits dental and vision plans with its group income protection and life insurance benefits

HARTFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Hartford, a leading provider of employee benefits and small business insurance, is enhancing its benefit options for small businesses with dental and vision plans through a new relationship with Beam Benefits. Brokers can integrate dental and vision benefits with The Hartford’s group income protection (also known as disability) and life insurance to develop competitive benefits packages for small employers with fewer than 100 employees.

“We are making it easier for smaller employers who may not have the support of human resource departments to access the highest quality employee benefits in one place,” said Karen Raftery, Head of Priority Business for Group Benefits at The Hartford. “The Hartford is dedicated to helping our broker partners design comprehensive benefit packages that help small business owners care for their employees and attract and retain talent in this competitive market.”

Brokers can quote the dental and vision plans alongside a broad range of The Hartford’s industry-leading group and supplemental health benefits through The Hartford’s online quoting platform, RTQi. Key features include:

A choice of four dental and six vision plans;
Fast quotes, with most completed in under 10 minutes;
Implementation and enrollments completed within five business days or less through the online portal; and
Access to the Beam Perks™ program that offers incentives for consistent dental habits with a rewards program for members.

In addition to offering Beam’s dental and vision plans to The Hartford’s customers, Beam has added The Hartford’s group income protection benefits to its suite of products. Beam Disability provided by The Hartford will be available for quoting in early September in five states, with additional states to follow.

“We’re thrilled to team up with The Hartford to provide their industry-leading income protection product to our rapidly growing client base,” said Alex Frommeyer, Beam’s co-founder and CEO. “Collaborating to bring brokers exceptional products in innovative ways delivers on our mission to modernize employee benefits for small businesses across the country with a focus on customer experience.”

Brokers can learn more about The Hartford’s dental and vision offerings provided by Beam Benefits during a webinar on Sept. 6 from 1-2 p.m. ET. Raftery, Frommeyer, and Chris Nordstrom, national sales director for small business in Group Benefits at The Hartford, will discuss the changing benefits landscape and highlight the features of the dental and vision benefits. Click here to register for the webinar.

About The Hartford

The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at https://www.thehartford.com.

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG) operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. For additional details, please read The Hartford’s legal notice.

About Beam Benefits

Beam Benefits is a digitally-led employee benefits company that offers dental, vision, life, disability, and supplemental health coverage. The company simplifies and modernizes the $100+ billion ancillary benefits industry through its intuitive online platform, self-service tools, and thoughtful coverage for improved overall wellness. Its Beam Perks program offers incentives to members and rewards them for healthy behaviors. Beam is available in 44 states across the U.S. Learn more at beambenefits.com.

HIG-E

Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued.

From time to time, The Hartford may use its website and/or social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, to disseminate material company information. Financial and other important information regarding The Hartford is routinely accessible through and posted on our website at https://ir.thehartford.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about The Hartford when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Email Alerts” section at https://ir.thehartford.com.

The Hartford’s subsidiaries include Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the policy. Policies underwritten by the underwriting company listed above detail exclusions, limitations, reduction of benefits and terms under which the policies may be continued in force or discontinued.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230828324043/en/

Media:

Michelle Symington

860-547-5385

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Connecticut United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Insurance Human Resources Optical Health Small Business Professional Services Health Insurance Dental

MEDIA:

Logo

August 29, 2023 8:46 am

OceanPal Inc. Becomes Strategic Partner In Two 6,600dwt Methanol-Ready Chemical Tanker Newbuildings

ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OceanPal Inc. (NASDAQ: OP) (the “Company”), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of vessels, announced that the Company today agreed to become a strategic partner and invest in a Norwegian entity, RFSea Infrastructure II AS, that will construct, at Wuhu Shipyard Co., Ltd. (China), under two separate newbuilding contracts, two 6,600 dwt methanol-ready, stainless steel chemical tankers with expected deliveries during the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, respectively. The transaction remains subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The Company is partnering with a private London-based alternative investment and commercial management firm focusing on the maritime industry and other partners and investors. Fearnley Securities AS acted as the project arranger.

Robert Perri, CEO of OceanPal Inc., stated, “We are pleased to invest in these state of the art, methanol-ready chemical tankers, in a chemical tanker market where we believe the fundamentals will improve in the next several years. In addition, this investment will improve our environmental footprint, as these newbuildings are expected to be 20-25% more fuel efficient than conventional chemical tankers.”

About the Company

OceanPal Inc. is a global provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership of vessels. The Company’s vessels currently transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain and other materials along worldwide shipping routes and it is expected that the Company’s vessels will be primarily employed on short term time and voyage charters following the completion of their current employments.

Forward Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements.

The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe,” “anticipate,” “intends,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “potential,” “may,” “should,” “expect,” “pending” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, Company management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Company’s records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Company’s control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Company’s view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Company’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Company’s vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, including risks associated with the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Corporate Contact:
Margarita Veniou
Chief Corporate Development & Governance Officer
and Secretary
Telephone: +30-210-9485-360
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.oceanpal.com
Twitter: @OceanPal_Inc

Investor and Media Relations:
Edward Nebb
Comm-Counsellors, LLC
Telephone: + 1-203-972-8350
Email: [email protected]

August 29, 2023 8:45 am

Certara Simcyp™ Group Awarded Two New Grants from US FDA

Programs focus on use of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling for demonstrating virtual bioequivalence and predicting drug absorption of topical formulations

PRINCETON, N.J., Aug. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Certara (Nasdaq: CERT), a global leader in biosimulation, today announced that the Simcyp group has been awarded two new grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand its predictive models for assessing drug virtual bioequivalence (VBE) and to create a formulation toolbox for topically applied drugs. These capabilities will help enable safer, faster and more cost-effective product development of both complex generics and novel drugs.

“We are proud to collaborate with the FDA in developing innovative model-informed approaches for accelerating drug development of complex generic and innovator drugs,” said Rob Aspbury, President of Certara, Scientific Software. “The Simcyp Simulator has already proved its ability to replace clinical studies in both VBE and dermal absorption. These new grants will further demonstrate the predictive performance and reliability of biosimulation for improving patient health.”

Virtual Bioequivalence

Bioequivalence (BE) studies, which are used to show that the rate and extent of absorption of the investigational product are not significantly different from those of the comparable reference drug product, can be costly and time-consuming. VBE trial simulations, using mechanistic PBPK modeling, address this challenge by simulating realistic virtual cohorts of patients to reduce and or replace clinical trials. This grant will support increased automation of this process by developing verified workflows and multiple case studies to increase wider adoption of VBE by industry and regulators.

Dermal Formulation Modeling

Dermal PBPK modeling has been applied to the development of topical formulations by predicting drug absorption into the skin in virtual populations. Topical products undergo changes immediately upon application due to formulation metamorphosis, which may alter the critical characteristics of the formulations. This grant will support the development and verification of a reliable and robust dermal PBPK model enhanced with the specialized dermal formulation toolbox to aid decision-making and result in lower risk, more efficient and cost-effective development of generic drug products providing benefits to patients.

Learn more about how Certara supports virtual bioequivalence here.

About Certara

Certara accelerates medicines using biosimulation software, technology and services to transform traditional drug discovery and development. Its clients include more than 2,300 biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and regulatory agencies across 70 countries. Learn more at Certara.com.

Certara Contact:

Sheila Rocchio
[email protected]

Media Contact:

Ariane Lovell
Finn Partners
[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:

David Deuchler
Gilmartin Group
[email protected]