Market Newsdesk

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Circle Media Labs Inc., the #1 comprehensive screen time management solution, announced its new Focus Time feature. With Focus Time, parents finally have an easy way to minimize online distractions and keep kids on task during online learning and homework.

COVID-19 has caused screen time to skyrocket, with nearly half of American children spending more than six hours a day in front of a screen (a 500% increase since before COVID). In particular, the majority of students across the country are still participating in some form of distance learning, further increasing screen time and complicating parents’ desire to achieve balance between time online and off.

“At Circle, our goal is to make screen time management as easy as possible, and we believe the Focus Time feature gives parents and kids the tools they need to succeed,” said Anne Bryan, Circle Chief Executive Officer. “After hearing about our customers’ struggles to be both parent and teacher while trying to work remotely, we built this new essential tool. We’re proud to make parents’ lives easier while they support distance learning.”

Focus Time, which was released as a beta feature, makes it easy for parents running the Circle App on an iOS mobile device to specify designated “school hours,” during which children can only access websites, online tools and apps that they need for schoolwork, while blocking everything else.

When using Circle Home Plus hardware along with the Circle iOS App, Focus Time can be applied to any Internet-connected device within a home network, including school-issued Chromebooks, other laptops and desktops, and any iOS or Android mobile device.The Focus Time feature includes a default list of recommended school-related apps, websites, and categories, which parents can customize based on their child’s specific needs. During Focus Time, children can access everything on the Focus Time list with no time constraints.

“My child is in the last year of school,” said one Circle user. “He requires access to one or more platforms for schoolwork, yet I would like to block other platforms in case of distractions.”

“I wish I could pause certain apps without pausing all access,” said another Circle user. “My daughter needs to use the Internet to do her homework, so I’d like to be able to use Circle to cut off her access to social media while she’s doing her schoolwork.”

Circle’s features, including content filters, time limits, and the ability to Pause the Internet^®, set device Bedtimes and block specific apps, have already served as helpful tools for parents during shelter-in-place. By managing all Wi-Fi devices inside and mobile devices outside the home on any network, Circle offers a comprehensive solution to common screen time woes. The Circle website includes resources for parents and caregivers including advice from experts, a space to learn from other parents’ experiences, and a blog with timely tips about topics like screen time during social distancing.

About Circle Media Labs Inc.

Circle, with offices in Portland, Ore. and Cypress, Calif, is committed to its mission to make families’ lives better, online and off. We envision a world where families find balance, set healthy limits, build good habits, and get the best out of their digital experiences. Follow Circle on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Contact: Circle PR

Molly Antos

T: (847) 848-2090

Email: [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a95e5065-8f83-4dff-b483-56cb84e8c492.

MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, pledges over $130,000 in Side-by-Side (SxS) and ATV bLU cRU championship racing bonuses for the 2021 season. Yamaha’s bLU cRU program offers championship contingencies ranging from $500 ShopYamaha.com gift cards to receiving a new YFZ450R, and even increased payouts of up to $15,000 for qualified and eligible racers competing in select series with a 2019 or newer YXZ1000R, YXZ1000R SS (Sport Shift), or YFZ450R.

To kick off the 2021 race season, Yamaha is offering $10,000 in potential bonuses at the King of the Hammers (KOH) UTV race on February 4 in Johnson Valley, California. The top-finishing YXZ in the UTV class will earn $5,000, plus an additional $5,000 with a first-place overall win. The ULTRA4 Racing Series’ KOH competition is infamous for its punishing desert course through some of the roughest and most challenging rock and boulder sections of any timed event. Yamaha’s factory-supported race team competing alongside other YXZ bLU cRU challengers at this year’s KOH is Greaves Motorsports, comprised of the championship-winning drivers Johnny Greaves and CJ Greaves, along with BH Motorsports’ Brock Heger.

In the Championship Off-Road Tour, CJ Greaves will defend his Pro Stock UTV class title in his Greaves Motorsports / Yamaha / Monster Energy / Maxxis YXZ1000R at the legendary Crandon International Raceway, ERX Motor Park, Dirt City Motorplex, Langlade County Fair, and Bark River International Raceway tracks. New to the Championship Off-Road Tour for 2021, Brock Heger will challenge Greaves in the Pro Stock UTV class in his BH Motorsports / Yamaha / Weller Racing / Maxxis YXZ1000R while also competing in select Best-in-the-Desert events. Rodney VanEperen will compete in the Pro Mod UTV class with his Powersports 1 / Beyond Redline YXZ1000R, while also providing trackside support to all YXZ drivers in the series via Powersports 1. Yamaha is also expanding bLU cRU support in this series with the addition of payouts to eligible YXZ racers in the Sportsman and Pro-Am classes, finishing the season as follows:

For 2021, Yamaha continues support in the SxS Sports “King of the Elements” series, an exhilarating multi-discipline series that tests drivers across three courses – dirt oval, short course, and ice and snow. Qualified bLU cRU racers in the Pro Production, Pro Mod, or Sportsman classes finishing the series on the podium will be eligible for the following payouts:

On the ATV circuit, Yamaha will offer payout and prize opportunities – including the chance to win a brand new YFZ450R – to eligible participants competing in select classes in either the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) or American Motorcycle Association (AMA) ATV Motocross (ATV MX) series.

Continuing a historic run in the GNCC series, longtime Yamaha factory-supported racing veteran, Walker Fowler, will defend his sixth-straight XC1 Pro ATV championship on his WFR / GBC / Fly Racing YFZ450R. An increased $15,000 bLU cRU racing bonus will be awarded to the 2021 XC1 Pro ATV champion, with additional contingencies offered to qualified YFZ450R racers finishing the season in the following GNCC classes:

Heading up the ATV MX’s AMA Pro class for Yamaha is the second all-time winning, seven-time champion, Chad Wienen, on his Wienen Motorsports / SSI / Fly Racing YFZ450R. Wienen looks to defend his title and capture the increased $15,000 championship bonus. Additional overall points contingencies for 2021 ATV MX classes are as follows:

Full bLU cRU national championship bonuses for 2021 include:

Racers can register online at YamahabLUcRU.com and apply for the bLU cRU benefits. Once approved, racers will receive a reloadable Yamaha bLU cRU debit card and $45 credit on their bLUcRUswag.com account for bLU cRU apparel. These racers will be eligible to receive championship bonuses paid directly to their bLU cRU debit card.

Every Yamaha SxS and full-size ATV is proudly Assembled in the USA at Yamaha’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, for worldwide distribution.

For more information on the bLU cRU program, including all guidelines and requirements for ATV and SxS racing, visit YamahabLUcRU.com. To view the entire Proven Off-Road ATV and SxS lineup and learn more, visit YamahaOutdoors.com. Connect with Yamaha on social media via @YamahaOutdoors or search any of the following hashtags on all platforms: #Yamaha #YamahaRacing #REALizeYourPodium #REALizeYourAdventure #ProvenOffRoad #bLUcRU #AssembledInUSA #YXZ1000R #YFZ450R

About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) and Robotic Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, Yamalube products, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.

YMUS has a corporate office in California, two corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida) and Kracor Systems (Wisconsin), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).

ATVs over 90cc are recommended for use only by riders 16 years and older.

SxS Vehicles are recommended for use only by licensed drivers 16 years and older.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Scott Newby – ATV & SxS Sr. Communications Specialist
Yamaha Motor Corp., USA
770-420-6078
[email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3ac0da1-955f-42af-81df-969559e7492e

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/43b87f0e-f3a5-4eb9-ae90-4e4fc7989aec

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14dd1d17-9ade-46d7-9cc0-78567d99a384

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6e0d400d-96fb-4620-906d-3cbe26a28a41

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1818f152-8490-4ba2-b351-3669a5aacf73

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/191db1aa-48c5-42f8-aecd-c04906e26a37

Malvern, Pennsylvania (USA), Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rajant Corporation, the Kinetic Mesh® wireless network provider, has received Lean Six Sigma certification for eight of its Morehead-based employees following an 11-month process. Process phases, which support Rajant’s culture of continuous improvement in engineering and manufacturing, included a February 2020 operational assessment, five days of Green Belt classroom training, and three days of Kaizen training. The goal of receiving Lean Six Sigma certification is to eliminate waste and optimize efficiency in all of Rajant’s Morehead, Kentucky business facets while maximizing the value to customers of its products with the lowest possible investment. 

Rajant partnered with the Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA) to assist them through all phases of Lean Six Sigma certification. AKA’s Scott Broughton (Center Director), Bill Rouse (Client Services Manager), and Bertram Wells (Sr. Continuous Improvement Specialist) served to introduce Rajant staffers to a myriad of Lean Six Sigma analytical tools and, under Mr. Wells’ instruction, were trained how to properly select and use the tools in identifying and correcting operational gaps. The eight-team members were assigned individual projects that were required to ultimately prove each project’s realized savings, projected savings, or cost avoidance. Projects were successfully completed and final, executive approval granted by Rajant’s Malvern, Pennsylvania-based Brad Feick, Senior Hardware Director. Total savings stemming from the projects was about $40K.

According to Mr. Wells, “It was a pleasure to instruct Rajant’s eight employees. This effort was championed locally by Dave Keeton, Manufacturing Manager for Rajant. Green Belt Recipients are Rajant’s Austin Clark, Dave Keeton, Jon Lacy, Ryan Lacy, David Mays, Travis Miller, Travis Pettit, and Zach Wagner. In the five days spent with the Rajant team members who participated in AKA’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training and certification program, I was impressed. Their commitment to making decisions based on verifiable data and statistical methods they learned during the training should directly impact Rajant’s future success by motivating its employees, improving customer satisfaction, and clearly focusing on measurable and quantifiable financial returns.”

Rajant Systems Engineer Austin Clark shared, “The Six Sigma Green Belt course gave me an invaluable new set of tools and critical thinking methods to use in the way I approach my everyday tasks. It allows me to view problems from multiple angles, ensuring I explore every solution to find the best possible one. Now, continual improvement is applied to everything I do. Work product outcomes are of higher quality and the timeline for completion improved. Six Sigma strengthened my leadership and ability to work as a team to solve a common goal. I am grateful for the skills retained from becoming a Certified Green Belt in Six Sigma as they will help throughout my career.”

Adds fellow Rajant Systems Engineer Travis Miller, “Certified Master Black Belt Six Sigma teacher, Bertram Wells, always made a point that it is up to me to strive for improvement and innovation constantly. Lean Six Sigma has retrained my brain into thinking more like a leader. I now analyze the entire process and how each piece of a project fits together for a more successful result. Already I have seen an increase in the quality of work and products that I am creating, and this is a life-long professional and personal windfall.”

Into 2021, four of these eight Rajant employees will go on to Black Belt Six Sigma certification with the goal of even more significant operational savings in mind.

####

About Rajant Corporation

Rajant Corporation is the exclusive provider of private wireless networks powered by the patented Kinetic Mesh® network, BreadCrumb® wireless nodes, and InstaMesh® networking software. With Rajant, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput, and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 60 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, oil & gas, petrochemical plants, municipalities, and agriculture. Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania with additional facilities and offices in Arizona and Kentucky. For more information, visit Rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Attachment

• IMG_6088

Naples, FL, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sandcastle Community Management, an Associa® company, announces the recent promotion of Tina Swanson to director of operations. 

Ms. Swanson began working in the property management industry in 2013, and within seven months of entering the industry, she earned her community association manager (CAM) license and began managing her first property. Ms. Swanson joined the Sandcastle team as a senior community association manager, maintaining a portfolio of properties, training new portfolio managers, and overseeing a team of dedicated employees that provided excellent customer service. In addition to her community management experience, Ms. Swanson possesses over eight years of experience in banking operations management. As the new director of operations, she will focus on the branch’s day-to-day operations, client growth, and employee training and retention.

“Tina has been an instrumental part of Sandcastle Community Management’s success since she joined the Sandcastle team,” stated John Tague, regional vice president for Associa. “Tina has always demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the clients we serve and the team members she manages, so there is no doubt that she will continue to exceed expectations in her new role as the director of operations. We are excited to see Tina increase her responsibilities as our branch continues to expand our client outreach.” 

“Tina has truly led by example as natural leader within our management team, quickly earning everyone’s respect.  Her stellar work performance and background make her a great choice to lead our operations team and looking forward to her continuing to drive our management service standards” said Damian Schaeffer, Sandcastle Management president.   

Ms. Swanson holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree from Paine College.  

With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

Stay Connected: 

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa

Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa

Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LRN Corporation, a global ethics and compliance education and technology company, has achieved ISO/IEC 27001: 2013 certification, the only internationally recognized information security standard that is certifiable.

LRN provides hundreds of organizations, including some of the world’s largest corporations, with training in ethics and compliance and other functions via a vast SaaS-based technology platform that includes hundreds of courses and other products. As part of the process, clients and partners share significant amounts of data and information. To ensure that the information is guarded in alignment with the tightest standards, LRN pursued ISO/IEC 27001: 2013 standard implementation and certification.

“Considering the depth of our relationships with our partners, the emerging privacy-related regulations like GDPR and CCPA and the current environment in which many workplaces are highly distributed because of the pandemic, we’re taking steps to affirm that our partners’ data is as secure as possible and that our systems and people are held to the highest information security standards in industry,” said Pravin Baviskar, Leader of Information Security at LRN. “Pursuing ISO/IEC 27001 certification is one of the ways we reinforce that commitment.”

The certification scope includes technology (software development), network operations, corporate IT, client/partner support, information security, quality assurance, content production custom, content production library, people & culture and physical security & administration.

LRN pioneered the ethics and compliance space and is recognized globally for its thought leadership in the space. It recently won seven Telly Awards for several of its workplace education and training videos, including ones on sensitive workplace issues like sexual harassment prevention, reporting misconduct and data protection and privacy. LRN and its partners’ insights into ethics and compliance can be found in the firm’s highly ranked podcast, Principled.

About ISO/IEC 27001

ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (ISO 27001) is an international standard that helps organizations manage the security of their information assets. It provides a management framework for implementing an ISMS (information security management system) to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all corporate data (such as financial information, intellectual property, employee details or information managed by third parties). It was published in 2013 by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and belongs to the ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards. Certification is achieved through an accredited certification body.

About LRN

LRN’s mission is to inspire principled performance. Since 1994, LRN has helped over 25 million people at more than 700 companies worldwide simultaneously navigate complex legal and regulatory environments and make ethical decisions, and has also helped hundreds of companies foster ethical, responsible, and inclusive cultures. LRN’s combination of practical tools, education, and strategic advice helps companies translate their values into concrete corporate practices and leadership behaviors that create sustainable competitive advantage. In partnership with LRN, companies need not choose between living principles and maximizing profits, or between enhancing reputation and growing revenue: all are a product of principled performance. As a global company, LRN works with organizations in more than 100 countries.

For additional information on LRN, visit www.LRN.com.

Media contact:
Michael-Jon Romano
[email protected]
+1 (212) 255-8386

COLUMBIA, Md., Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA) has elected Cherée H. Johnson as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, with responsibility for all legal matters worldwide, including management of Grace’s legal department. As Corporate Secretary, Johnson is also responsible for corporate governance and matters relating to the Board of Directors. She also serves as Grace’s Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer. Johnson succeeds Mark A. Shelnitz who retired from Grace on December 31, 2020.

Johnson joins Grace from McCormick & Co., Inc., where she served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Corporate Secretary and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel. Prior to joining McCormick, Johnson was Deputy General Counsel at The Kraft Heinz Company.

“Cherée is a results-oriented business leader. Her deep legal knowledge and broad experience make her an exceptional addition to our leadership team,” said Hudson La Force, Grace President and Chief Executive Officer.

Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering with Honors at Florida A&M University and her Juris Doctor at University of Minnesota Law School. She has been a member of several boards, including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Advisory Board, and is a member of the American Bar Association and USPTO Patent Bar.

About Grace

Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading global specialty chemical company. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customers around the world. With approximately 4,000 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 60 countries. More information about Grace is available at grace.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This document contains, and our other public communications may contain, forward-looking statements, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such statements generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “will,” “expects,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,” “continues,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding future: financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; capital and other expenditures; impact of COVID-19 on our business; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology; benefits from cost reduction initiatives; succession planning; and markets for securities. For these statements, we claim the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from our projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: risks related to foreign operations, especially in areas of active conflicts and in emerging regions; the costs and availability of raw materials, energy and transportation; the effectiveness of our research and development and growth investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and businesses; developments affecting our outstanding indebtedness; developments affecting our pension obligations; legacy matters (including product, environmental, and other legacy liabilities) relating to past activities of Grace; our legal and environmental proceedings; environmental compliance costs (including existing and potential laws and regulations pertaining to climate change); the inability to establish or maintain certain business relationships; the inability to hire or retain key personnel; natural disasters such as storms and floods; fires and force majeure events; the economics of our customers’ industries, including the petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and plastics industries, and shifting consumer preferences; public health and safety concerns, including pandemics and quarantines; changes in tax laws and regulations; international trade disputes, tariffs, and sanctions; the potential effects of cyberattacks; and those additional factors set forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are readily available on the internet at www.sec.gov. Our reported results should not be considered as an indication of our future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our projections and forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates those projections and statements are made. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to our projections and forward-looking statements, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the dates those projections and statements are made.

Media Relations

Caitlin Leopold
T +1 410.531.8870
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/332d715c-13d2-4e56-aee0-7726c4290161