Market Newsdesk

Upwork Achieves and Commits to Carbon Neutrality

New carbon emissions report details success of distributed workforce model in reducing emissions contributing to global climate change

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Upwork (NASDAQ: UPWK), the world’s largest work marketplace, today released its first-ever carbon emissions report, revealing the company reached carbon neutrality for the first time in 2019 and declaring its commitment to remain carbon neutral going forward. In addition, Upwork announced its plans to further lower emissions in the future, reflecting the company’s focus on being a responsible steward of the environment.

The report provides a clear picture of how Upwork’s business model of enabling remote work positively impacts the environment. Upwork’s own distributed approach to its workforce—including its pre-pandemic embrace of a hybrid model of employees and independent talent working from 800 cities worldwide—was an outsized contributor to its achieving carbon neutrality. For years Upwork has empowered team members to work remotely, which in 2019 reduced travel in a personal vehicle by over one million miles. That same year, 73% of Upwork’s workforce had no commute time at all. In 2020, the company adopted a fully remote-first work model, through which working remotely will be the default for nearly every team member moving forward, avoiding future greenhouse gas emissions.

Other key factors that contributed to Upwork’s reduced carbon footprint include its participation in renewable energy programs to power specific offices, and its use of Amazon Web Services facilities instead of on-site servers, which results in operational and equipment efficiencies. Additionally, Upwork purchased high-quality renewable energy credits as well as carbon offsets from Native Energy’s UN REDD in the Yaeda Valley project, which helps prevent deforestation in Tanzania.

“At Upwork, it is our belief that being a successful business is not enough, we must also be an accountable one,” said Hayden Brown, President and CEO of Upwork. “For us, this means both building a work marketplace and committing to values and initiatives as a company that are intrinsically climate-friendly. Remote work is a powerful force for growth in the economy, and this report demonstrates its benefits for the environment as well.”

As the work marketplace pioneer and an early accelerator of the global shift to remote work, Upwork builds tools to help businesses and independent professionals connect and unlock their true potential.

“The Upwork marketplace enables businesses of all sizes—including our own—to build deep relationships with independent talent across geographic distances without requiring frequent commutes or in-person meetings,” said Brown. “We hope more businesses consider the environmental benefits as yet another advantage of remote work.”

The Upwork 2019 Carbon Emissions Report can be found in full here.

About Upwork

Upwork is the world’s largest work marketplace, connecting millions of businesses with independent talent around the globe. We serve everyone from one-person startups to 30% of the Fortune 100 with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and freelancers to work together in new ways that unlock their potential. Our talent community earned over $2 billion on Upwork in 2019 across more than 8,000 skills, including website & app development, creative & design, customer support, finance & accounting, consulting, and operations. Learn more at www.upwork.com and join us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005199/en/

Elisabeth Copper

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: California United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Other Professional Services Professional Services Human Resources Environment

MEDIA:

Logo

BTS Named a Top 20 Assessment and Evaluation Company for Third Year in a Row

SAN FRANCISCO & STOCKHOLM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BTS Group AB, a leading global strategy implementation firm, was recently named a Top 20 Assessment and Evaluation Company by Training Industry for the third year in a row.

With decades of experience in the assessment and industrial/organizational psychology space, BTS is best known for virtual assessment centers for talent selection and development. BTS’s virtual assessments leverage live virtual role-plays, telephone calls, and email inbox activities, which provide participants with interactive experiences that represent on-the-job requirements. BTS assessments are digitally-enabled, highly contextual, grounded in scientific research, and provide psychological and psychometric rigor in delivery, process, and evaluation. BTS assessments can be administered onsite or remotely, providing effective assessments from anywhere in the world. 2020 innovations to BTS assessments include gamification and the inclusion of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Selection to the 2020 Training Industry Top 20™ Assessment and Evaluation Companies List was based on:

• Diversity of assessment capabilities.
• Quality and innovation of evaluation techniques.
• Company size and growth potential.
• Quality and number of clients/users.
• Awards, recognition and competitive differentiation.

“The companies on this year’s Top 20 Assessment and Evaluation Companies List partner with organizations to deliver top assessment and evaluation tools that create actionable insights for employees and the business,” said Ken Taylor, president of Training Industry, Inc. “These companies are developing new and innovative products that adapt to the changing workplace environment through digital delivery, generating engaging assessment experiences through tools such as simulations, gamification and personalization.”

“We are honored to be named one of Training Industry’s Top 20 Assessments and Evaluation Companies for the third year in a row,” said David Bernal, Head of BTS Assessments. “In the future, we are excited to continue developing new technologies that advance our assessment capabilities.”

BTS Group AB

BTS is a global professional services firm that partners with clients to enable strategy execution. We provide the skills, tools, and knowledge so people understand how their daily work impacts business results. We are experts in behavior change, care deeply about delivering results, and inspire people do the best work of their lives. It’s strategy made personal.

To learn more, click here.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005191/en/

Rick Cheatham

CMO

[email protected]

+1 (512) 897 9594

KEYWORDS: California Europe Sweden United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Professional Services Human Resources Data Management

MEDIA:

Posted on December 17, 2020 9:03 am

AMN Healthcare Named as One of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2021

AMN Healthcare Named as One of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2021

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
For its dedication to addressing social issues and supporting people and communities locally, nationally and globally, AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AMN) has been named one of the country’s most responsible companies by Newsweek and Statista for the second year in a row.

The America’s Most Responsible Companies 2021 ranking reflects AMN’s commitment and action to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the company and community, while proactively engaging in a wide range of important causes through investment and team member participation. AMN also places a high priority on transparency and ethical practices in corporate governance.

“Being a responsible corporate citizen in our society is an important part of our purpose and culture at AMN Healthcare, so we are thrilled that our efforts are both impactful and recognized,” said AMN Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Susan Salka. “It’s especially humbling to know we’ve received this high ranking two years in a row in part based on a survey of thousands of people about how they perceive AMN’s social responsibility. You can count on AMN to continue to do more to make a positive difference.”

The list of 400 top performing companies in corporate social responsibility in the United States is developed by Newsweek, a premier news magazine, and Statista, which develops and publishes worldwide established industry rankings and company listings, through a rigorous process that analyzes social, environmental, and corporate governance key performance indicators for thousands of companies. The selection process also includes a survey of over 7,500 U.S. residents asking for their perception of each company’s corporate social responsibility activities.

About AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in total talent solutions for healthcare organizations across the nation. The Company provides access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes. AMN total talent solutions include managed services programs, clinical and interim healthcare leaders, temporary staffing, executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, language interpretation services, revenue cycle solutions, credentialing and other services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, schools and many other healthcare settings. AMN Healthcare is committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. Our commitment to the inclusion of many different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives enables our innovation and leadership in the healthcare services industry. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com. 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005158/en/

Media Contact  

Jim Gogek 

Corporate Communications

AMN Healthcare  

(858) 350-3209  

[email protected]

Investor Contact 

Randle Reece 

Director, Investor Relations 

AMN Healthcare 

(866) 861-3229 

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America Texas

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Men General Health Consumer Hospitals Teens Public Relations/Investor Relations Children Nursing Women Communications Seniors AIDS Health

MEDIA:

Logo

Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend

ADDISON, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNTY), the parent company of Guaranty Bank & Trust, N.A., yesterday announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.20 per share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on January 13, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 28, 2020.

About Guaranty Bancshares

Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that conducts commercial banking activities through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Guaranty Bank & Trust, N.A. As one of the oldest regional community banks in Texas, Guaranty Bank & Trust provides its customers with a full array of relationship-driven commercial and consumer banking products and services, as well as mortgage, trust, and wealth management services. Guaranty Bank & Trust has 31 banking locations across 24 Texas communities located within the East Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth, greater Houston and Central Texas regions of the state. As of September 30, 2020, Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. had total assets of $2.7 billion, total loans of $1.9 billion and total deposits of $2.2 billion. Visit gnty.com for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005150/en/

Cappy Payne

Senior Executive Vice President & CFO

Guaranty Bancshares, Inc.

(888) 572-9881

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America Texas

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Banking Professional Services Finance

MEDIA:

Logo

Victory Capital Appoints Nikhil Sudan President, Direct Investor Business

SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Victory Capital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCTR) (“Victory Capital” or the “Company”) today announced that it has named Nikhil Sudan to the newly created position of President, Direct Investor Business.

Sudan, 44, will join Victory Capital from McKinsey & Company, where he is a Partner located in the company’s New York office, and a leader of McKinsey’s wealth and asset management practice. In that role, he has served global asset managers, wealth managers, hedge funds, and private equity managers on a range of strategies for growth, distribution, client experience, digital and analytics, and mergers and acquisitions.

“Launching our Direct Investor Business has been a significant achievement for Victory Capital,” said David Brown, Chairman and CEO. “As we continue to invest and allocate resources to realize this growth opportunity, we are thrilled to welcome Nikhil and look forward to him leading this important business. We have worked with Nikhil and gotten to know him well over the past year, and he has already been instrumental in transforming our use of data and advanced analytics.”

Sudan will start in his new role in January 2021 and will be based in Victory Capital’s San Antonio headquarters. He will also become a member of the Company’s Executive Committee.

Sudan commented, “I’m eager to join Victory Capital, a fast-growing company with talented people dedicated to their clients. I like and respect David Brown and the leadership team, who have created a culture of entrepreneurship, teamwork and ownership. They have an impressive track record of strategic vision, execution, and integrity. I know we will collaborate well together to grow the Direct Investor Business.

“Working with firms across the world has shown me that tomorrow’s most successful asset managers are moving beyond solely manufacturing products to delivering distinctive experiences for the investors who rely on those products to achieve their life goals. Victory Capital is ideally positioned with its direct investor base, and this is an exciting time as we embark together on this latest evolution of the Company’s business model and growth strategy.”

Previously, Sudan was Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Ada Investments, where he managed the hedge fund’s business functions. Prior to that, he was at Bridgewater Associates, where he led strategic multi-year transformations in technology and operations. Sudan earned an M.B.A. with distinction from INSEAD and a B.Sc. summa cum laude from Union College.

About Victory Capital

Victory Capital is a diversified global asset management firm with $142.5 billion in assets under management as of November 30, 2020. The Company operates a next-generation business model combining boutique investment qualities with the benefits of a fully integrated, centralized operating and distribution platform.

Victory Capital provides specialized investment strategies to institutions, intermediaries, retirement platforms and individual investors. With nine autonomous Investment Franchises and a Solutions Platform, Victory Capital offers a wide array of investment styles and investment vehicles including actively managed mutual funds, separately managed accounts, active ETFs, multi-asset class strategies, custom-designed solutions and a 529 College Savings Plan.

For more information, please visit www.vcm.com or follow us: Twitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005130/en/

Investors:

Matthew Dennis, CFA

Chief of Staff

Director, Investor Relations

216-898-2412

[email protected]

Media:

Tricia Ross

310-622-8226

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Texas New York United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Professional Services Other Professional Services Finance Consulting Banking Accounting

MEDIA:

Logo

UScellular Launches 5G Indoor High-Speed Internet Router from Inseego

CHICAGO & SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
UScellular (NYSE: USM) continues to expand its 5G device offering for consumers and businesses and today launched its first 5G High-Speed Internet indoor router, the Inseego (Nasdaq: INSG) Wavemaker™ FG2000 5G indoor router. This fixed wireless solution provides fast broadband internet access on UScellular’s 600 MHz 5G network to homes and businesses and can provide high-speed connectivity for multiple Wi-Fi enabled devices including laptops, tablets, televisions, smartphones and gaming systems.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005617/en/

The Wavemaker FG2000 5G indoor router is available at uscellular.com and in stores now for $14.98 per month for 36 months ($539.99 MSRP), and UScellular has several High-Speed Internet plans to choose from, starting at $50 per month with no activation fees or overage charges.

“It’s never been more important to have in-home or in-business internet that delivers the speed and reliability you need to stay connected,” said Kyle Bedtelyon, director of the device and accessory portfolio at UScellular. “Our High-Speed Internet service with the Inseego Wavemaker 5G indoor router is designed to be a superior alternative internet option for people who may have slow speeds, high costs or inconsistent service with their current provider. We want to ensure everyone can have fast, dependable service and connect with colleagues, teachers, healthcare professionals and loved ones no matter where they live or run their business.”

Say goodbye to cable! Cut the cord for good with the Inseego Wavemaker 5G indoor router

The Wavemaker FG2000 5G indoor router provides easy plug-and-play installation and in addition to 5G, delivers robust Wi-Fi 6 and ethernet connectivity to meet any home or business need.

Inseego’s enterprise-grade security safeguards data with advanced encryption, hacker prevention and password protection and provides a secure connection to help enable e-learning, remote working, telehealth applications and many other connectivity needs. It’s also an ideal option for enterprise customers who need a reliable failover Internet solution.

Easy to use and manage, the Wavemaker FG2000 offers best-in-class connectivity. It lets users easily control their router settings with the convenient Inseego mobile smartphone app, which makes it easy to find the best location in their environment for optimal performance.

“We’re excited to deliver the first 5G indoor router for UScellular, offering their customers next-generation speed and connectivity for home and business broadband, especially in underserved and rural communities,” said Ashish Sharma, president of IoT & Mobile Solutions at Inseego. “Building on our reputation as the gold standard in 5G technology, we’re proud to be their trusted partner once again in bringing fast, secure network experiences to their customers.”

UScellular’s 5G network currently covers certain areas of California, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information about UScellular’s 5G network, devices and coverage map, please go to uscellular.com/5G.

5G not available in all areas. Visit uscellular.com/coverage-map for coverage details.

About UScellular

UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier is building a stronger network with the latest 5G technology and offers a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. It is ranked #1 in the North Central Region in the J.D. Power 2020 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study – Volume 2. To learn more about UScellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with UScellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

About Inseego Corp.

Inseego Corp. (Nasdaq: INSG) is an industry leader in smart device-to-cloud solutions that extend the 5G network edge, enabling broader 5G coverage, multi-gigabit data speeds, low latency and strong security to deliver highly reliable internet access. Our innovative mobile broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA) solutions incorporate the most advanced technologies (including 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6 and others) into a wide range of products that provide robust connectivity indoors, outdoors and in the harshest industrial environments. Designed and developed in the USA, Inseego products and SaaS solutions build on the company’s patented technologies to provide the highest quality wireless connectivity for service providers, enterprises, and government entities worldwide. www.inseego.com. #Putting5GtoWork.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005617/en/

Katie Frey

773-317-0002

[email protected]

Anette Gaven

858-812-8040

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: California Illinois United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Consumer Electronics Technology Mobile/Wireless Telecommunications Networks Internet

MEDIA:

Logo

Photo

The new Inseego Wavemaker 5G indoor router is now available at UScellular. (Photo: Business Wire)

OneSpan Announces Participation in 23rd Annual Needham Virtual Growth Conference

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
OneSpan (NASDAQ: OSPN), the global leader in securing remote banking transactions, today announced that Scott Clements, CEO, and Joe Maxa, Vice President of Investor Relations, will participate in the 23rd Annual Needham Virtual Growth Conference, taking place January 11-15, 2021.

OneSpan is scheduled to present on Wednesday, January 13 at 4:15 p.m. ET. Management will also be available for one on one meetings. A link for the live webcast, as well as a replay of the archived webcast, can be found on the investor relations section of OneSpan’s website at investors.onespan.com.

About OneSpan

OneSpan helps protect the world from digital fraud by establishing trust in people’s identities, the devices they use and the transactions they carry out. We do this by making digital banking accessible, secure, easy and valuable. OneSpan’s Trusted Identity platform and security solutions significantly reduce digital transaction fraud and enable regulatory compliance for more than 10,000 customers, including over half of the top 100 global banks. Whether through automating agreements, detecting fraud or securing financial transactions, OneSpan helps reduce costs and accelerate customer acquisition while improving the user experience. Learn more at OneSpan.com.

Copyright^© 2020 OneSpan North America Inc., all rights reserved. OneSpan™ is a registered or unregistered trademark of OneSpan North America Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005614/en/

Investor contact:

Joe Maxa

Vice President of Investor Relations

+1-312-766-4009

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Illinois United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Software Internet Banking Data Management Professional Services Technology Mobile/Wireless Security

MEDIA:

Posted on December 17, 2020 9:03 am

Notice of Lead Plaintiff Deadline for Shareholders in the Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. Class Action Lawsuit

Notice of Lead Plaintiff Deadline for Shareholders in the Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. Class Action Lawsuit

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the Eastern District of New York on behalf of purchasers of Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KNDI) securities between March 15, 2019 and November 27, 2020, inclusive (the “Class Period”). The case is captioned Valdés v. Kandi Technologies Group, Inc.,No. 20-cv-06042, and is assigned to Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall. The Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit charges Kandi Technologies and certain of its executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased Kandi Technologies securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery of the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit or have questions concerning your rights regarding the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit, please provide your information here or contact counsel, Jennifer Caringal of Robbins Geller, at 800/449-4900 or 619/231-1058 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Lead plaintiff motions for the Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit must be filed with the court no later than February 9, 2021.

Headquartered in the People’s Republic of China, Kandi Technologies, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes electric vehicle (“EV”) products and parts and off-road vehicles in China and internationally.

The Kandi Technologies class action lawsuit alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Kandi Technologies artificially inflated its reported revenues through undisclosed related-party transactions or otherwise had relationships with key customers that indicated those customers did not have an arm’s-length relationship with Kandi Technologies; (ii) the majority of Kandi Technologies’ sales in the past year had been to undisclosed related parties and/or parties with such a close relationship and history with Kandi Technologies that it cast doubt on the arm’s-length nature of their relationship; (iii) all the foregoing, once revealed, was foreseeably likely to cast doubt on the validity of Kandi Technologies’ reported revenues and, in turn, have a foreseeable negative impact on Kandi Technologies’ reputation and valuation; and (iv) as a result, Kandi Technologies’ public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On November 30, 2020, Hindenburg Research published a report entitled “Kandi: How This China-Based NASDAQ-Listed Company Used Fake Sales, EV Hype to Nab $160 Million From U.S. Investors.” Citing “extensive on-the-ground inspection at Kandi [Technologies’] factories and customer locations in China, interviews with over a dozen former employees and business partners, and review of numerous litigation documents and international public records,” Hindenburg asserted that almost 64% of Kandi Technologies’ sales over the year had been to undisclosed related parties. Hindenburg also alleged that “[Kandi Technologies] ha[d] consistently booked revenue it cannot collect, a classic hallmark of fake revenue.” On this news, Kandi Technologies’ stock price fell more than 28%, damaging investors.

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world’s leading law firms representing investors in securities class action litigation. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller has obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history. For seven consecutive years, ISS Securities Class Action Services has ranked the Firm in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report as one of the top law firms in the world in both amount recovered for shareholders and total number of class action settlements. Robbins Geller attorneys have helped shape the securities laws and have recovered tens of billions of dollars on behalf of aggrieved victims. Beyond securing financial recoveries for defrauded investors, Robbins Geller also specializes in implementing corporate governance reforms, helping to improve the financial markets for investors worldwide. Robbins Geller attorneys are consistently recognized by courts, professional organizations, and the media as leading lawyers in the industry. Please visit http://www.rgrdlaw.com for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201217005086/en/

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Jennifer Caringal, 800-449-4900

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: California United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Legal Professional Services

MEDIA:

Logo