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MarketFinance in pole position as it raises £280m and is approved for Recovery Loan Scheme lending

Stockwood Strategy

Fintech business lender MarketFinance has today announced a £280m debt and equity fundraise and its accreditation under the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS). This comes after MarketFinance became one of the first fintechs to be accredited under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), having lent £250m to companies across the UK. Launched by the British Business Bank in April 2021, the Recovery Loan Scheme supports access to finance for UK businesses as they recover and grow following the pandemic. Funding from the Scheme can be used for any legitimate business purpose including managing cashflow, investment in new equipment and preparing for future growth. It is designed to appeal to businesses that can afford to take out additional finance for these purposes. MarketFinance is ready to lend immediately with its debt and equity funding. The debt financing has been provided from a large global investment firm alongside Italy’s largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. The equity investment was led by Black River Ventures (previous investments include Marqeta, Upgrade, Coursera and Digital Ocean) with participation from existing investor, Barclays Bank PLC. Alongside this, the launch of MarketFinance Flex Loans today will aim to help nearly one million SMEs in the UK solve their short-term funding gaps up to £100,000. Viola Credit has provided MarketFinance with £20m to launch the Flex Loans product. Similar to a credit card or overdraft, businesses will have a pre-agreed limit of up to £100,000 which they can withdraw at once or in smaller amounts. Flexible repayment options enable the businesses to spread their repayments over 3 - 12 months based on their working capital needs. It is a solution to support a variety of one-off and ongoing funding requirements such as purchasing inventory, clearing outstanding invoices, upfront supplier payments, investment into sales and marketing, or expanding the team. Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance, commented: “This funding and our accreditation as a Recovery Loan Scheme lender is testament to the brilliant work everyone at MarketFinance has done to serve UK businesses during a difficult period. Adapting to the increased demand from businesses looking for finance online instead of through traditional avenues also drove our profitability this year, which has continued into H2 2021”. From today, businesses can immediately apply* for an RLS loan from MarketFinance between £50k and £250k repayable over 4, 5 or 6 years. Repayments in the first six months of the term will only consist of interest charges, an additional support measure as businesses gear themselves for a full reopening of the economy. Anil Stocker aded: “Businesses have been resilient and managed to hold their nerve during one of the most difficult periods in recent history. We were there to help with the CBILS and will do the same with the RLS by offering a simple application process, quick decisions and sending funds to businesses immediately. Our fundraise puts us in pole position to do this. We played a key role during CBILS, as one of the first fintech lenders, to help get funds to businesses quickly when they found their applications were delayed and or denied by others. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with businesses and help navigate them through to the full reopening of the economy and beyond”. As a native fintech, the MarketFinance platform is designed to receive, process and manage large volumes of businesses applying for finance using the platform. From simple online application forms, enhanced credit risk models to exceptional one-to-one customer support, MarketFinance will get RLS funds to businesses in need, quickly. “We aim to quickly lend to businesses around the UK. We anticipate demand for RLS to come from companies that will need capital to scale operations ahead of the full reopening of the economy. Manufacturers, wholesalers, public services businesses and a range of others will need the funds to ramp up supplies and build pipelines as business returns to normal” added Anil Stocker. Ends *Minimum eligibility criteria for RLS business loans through MarketFinance: Limited Company or Limited Liability Partnership Trading for more than 3 years, has a turnover of more than £200,000 Company sells goods and/or services to consumers and/or other businesses About MarketFinance MarketFinance is a business finance company with offices in London and Manchester. The online platform enables businesses to access a range of flexible finance solutions - quickly and easily. This smart technology is backed by help from real people so business owners can save time and focus on growing their business. Since 2011, MarketFinance has cumulatively advanced over £2.6 billion to companies across a range of sizes and sectors, providing working capital and finance for everything from paying staff and suppliers to launching new products or services and accelerating growth. MarketFinance is backed by Barclays Bank PLC, Mouro Capital, European venture capital fund Northzone (invested in Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot), and private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett). About the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) The Recovery Loan Scheme is managed by the British Business Bank on behalf of, and with the financial backing of, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. British Business Bank plc is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. It is not authorised or regulated by the PRA or the FCA. Contact Details MarketFinance Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://marketfinance.com/

September 21, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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WIN Adopts New Corporate Name, Centerboard – The Logistics Industry's Neutral Technology Platform

Centerboard

Leading logistics technology platform, Web Integrated Network (WIN), today announced it will be adopting a new corporate brand name, Centerboard, to best reflect its overall mission of giving shippers control over their supply chain using the growing slate of neutral, shipper-centric transportation and supply chain management technology solutions it is developing. A truly neutral solution, Centerboard empowers the shipper to utilize its own contract carrier relationships – as well as accessing any carrier/broker in the spot market. There is more than $1 billion in freight value running through the platform. The company also unveiled a range of new features for its core platform, now known as WIN, by Centerboard. Centerboard, which will continue to operate as a ​​ standalone entity from its former parent company, Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corporation, is focused on providing shippers with solutions that are easy to use, customizable and designed for integration, while being more affordable than other options. Centerboard’s proprietary technologies provide supply chain stakeholders access to real-time data, providing unprecedented transparency and efficiency and helping shippers move goods in the fastest, most cost-effective and sustainable manner. Unlike older legacy systems, the company’s product development approach leverages modern, nimble, modular architecture, enabling Centerboard to offer shippers of all sizes the advantage of continuous improvement with the latest technology. Centerboard’s philosophy and modular approach enables supply chain participants the ability to integrate and upgrade while minimizing development costs. Centerboard’s leadership team consists of Glenn Riggs, President; Lindsey Shellman, Chief Commercial Officer; and Xavier Amella, Chief Technology Officer. The company was founded in 2017 and the cost-effective, cloud-based solutions it created like WIN, by Centerboard have helped companies of all sizes save time and money, resulting in increased profits. “Dairyland Trading Co. is a satisfied customer of WIN. Last year alone the WIN software contributed to our 27 percent year over year growth,” said Jerry Haines, Owner and Manager at Dairyland Trading Co. LLC. “We are looking forward to using the expanded features of the WIN, by Centerboard offering to increase our efficiencies as we continue to meet the shifting demands of shipping our goods.” Centerboard enables shippers to transact with quality carriers as well as successfully and easily integrate with legacy and emerging technology. Along with a new vision for the industry, the rollout comes with new platform features like advanced shipment notifications which sends notifications on all order tracking messages, helping to improve costs, accuracy and flexibility. Additionally, a new spot quote carrier setup feature helps to increase efficiencies. “Working with Centerboard allows us to provide our customers with seamless, easy access to key transportation management features right within our system,” said John Walker, Logistics Product Manager at Encompass Technologies, a comprehensive cloud-based ERP for the beverage and food industry. “Centerboard’s technology architecture is designed to be flexible, modular, and agile, which allows our team to upgrade to the latest technology, saving our team and customers time and money.” “The rollout of Centerboard’s solutions, including our ability to offer both standard and custom integrations, allows us to solve key issues facing the shipping and logistics industry. For the first time, shippers are able to take command of their supply chain and to access the features they need most,” said Glenn Riggs, President of Centerboard. “Supply chain is the lifeblood of business, but it’s complex, fragmented and often difficult to find answers to inform good decision making. Centerboard changes that with simplicity, easy integration capabilities and affordability.” To learn more about Centerboard and the new solutions offered through WIN, by Centerboard, visit www.centerboard.com. About Centerboard Centerboard is a neutral, shipper-centric transportation and supply chain management platform supplying shippers with access to a wide range of affordable features needed to take control of operations. Centerboard unlocks business opportunities for shippers, carriers and supply chain stakeholders, through leveraging real-time data. Centerboard is out to make the supply chain more sustainable and efficient to ensure less waste and significant carbon reduction with every trip. Contact Details Kite Hill PR for Centerboard Kite Hill PR centerboard@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.centerboard.com/

September 20, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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The Royal Seal of Approval: Alaka’i’s hydrogen-powered advanced air mobility vehicle Skai is on a mission to decarbonize travel

Alaka’i Technologies

20 SEPTEMBER 2021 – Alaka’i Technologies, developer of the world’s first hydrogen-powered air mobility vehicle, today announces it is being featured in the official History of Parliament Trust ‘300 Years of Leadership and Innovation’ commemorative publication, which will be launched at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday, 22 September 2021. Alaka’i was nominated and selected by the Board of Trustees, including members from both Houses of Parliament and distinguished academics. The award recognizes Alaka’i’s commitment to decarbonizing travel with its groundbreaking Skai eVTOL vehicle (electric vertical take-off and landing) that is setting a new standard for zero-emission air travel. Offering a sleek design and premium passenger experience, a radically simple fault-tolerant system with redundant levels of safety and reliability, an airframe-parachute, and hydrogen as its fuel source, Skai is poised to be the safest, cleanest and most versatile air mobility solution in the world. A key part of Skai’s innovation – and the reason the company was selected for this honor – is the use of clean, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells for its power source. The majority of emerging electric air mobility vehicles rely on lithium-ion batteries. Besides their associated environmental impact, batteries are heavier and have far less energy density than hydrogen fuel cells resulting in short vehicle flight-time and range. Skai’s fuel cells have a significantly longer lifecycle and enable the vehicle to cruise at speeds of 100mph (160km/h) with a range of around 400 miles (645km) depending on the payload. The fundamental Skai advantage is the use of hydrogen, making it a zero-carbon, zero-pollutant solution that emits only heat and water. The result is simple, safe, reliable and clean air travel. While Skai can operate from traditional hydrogen sources, it is also the killer app for the fast-evolving green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is made from electrolyzing water using hydroelectric, wind, solar, tidal or other forms of renewable energy. As more and more green hydrogen sources come online, Skai is the first eVTOL capable of having a zero-carbon chain from hydrogen generation to flight. “The design realizes our core vision of transforming transportation and providing safe, affordable travel for all,” said Brian Morrison, inventor, co-founder and director of Alaka’i Technologies. “Skai offers practical, real-world solutions to everything from relieving traffic congestion to delivering cargo or supplies during natural disasters and transporting patients to hospitals. Our goal is the democratization of flight, to make flight as natural a part of the human experience as riding or taking a taxi.” Skai was co-designed by Designworks, the design innovation studio of the BMW Group, to leverage its creative expertise to help shape a world-class vehicle focused on the customer experience. “It is an honor to be part of this recognition and celebration of innovation,” said Holger Hampf, president of Designworks. “Our mission is to continuously revolutionize mobility systems including improved means of protecting the environment and the world we live in.” The History of Parliament Trust – one of the most respected and authoritative research projects in British history – produced its commemorative publication in partnership with leading publisher St James’s House. Written by an editorial team of distinguished academics and award-winning authors, this beautifully designed, fully illustrated, 600+ page hardback publication is being launched to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the appointment of Britain’s first prime minister, Robert Walpole, in 1721, and in the year of Her Majesty The Queen’s 95th birthday. For more information about Skai, visit www.skai.co. About Alaka'i Alaka’i Technologies – the name comes from the Hawaiian language, meaning to be the source or leader – is an emerging air mobility design and manufacturing company, headquartered in Stow MA. Founded by Brian Morrison in 2007, Alaka'i Technologies assembled a distinguished team with decades of aerospace development, production, management and airspace integration experience (NASA, Raytheon, Beech Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas, Hughes, DayJet, SATSAir, Metro Aviation, Delta Airlines) and FAA certification experience. Working together since the 1990 on industry-defining projects such as the NASA AGATE and SATS Programs, they also built and flew the world first-ever Fly-By-Light aircraft. Today, the Alaka'i team has over 35 US and numerous foreign patents stretching back to 2013, and is engineering proprietary, progressive air mobility solutions to offer point-to-any point transportation solutions that are clean, simple, safe, and accessible for everyone. Ultimately, transforming transportation through hydrogen-powered mobility. About Designworks Designworks, a BMW Group Company is both the innovation studio for the BMW Group and a global creative consultancy. The teams in the studios in Los Angeles, Munich and Shanghai work at the intersection of design, technology and innovation to unlock brand potentials and foster business growth for companies worldwide. Designworks leverages the power of BMW Group culture of innovation and cutting-edge design to advance the goals of its many external clients, including John Deere, Brunswick, Siemens, Corsair, Boeing and Singapore Airlines, whilst bringing outside perspectives and impulses to the BMW Group. www.bmwgroupdesignworks.com Contact Details Racepoint Global Tara Kadioglu +1 617-624-3239 Alakai@racepointglobal.com MUSTARD PR Dan Walsh +44 7827 816971 dan@mustardpr.com Company Website https://alakai.com/

September 20, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Foresight CEO Letter to Shareholders

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd.

Dear Shareholders, When we founded Foresight in 2015, we anticipated that autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles would one day become the dominant modes of transportation on the world’s roads and railways. The development of these technologies is now reaching a crucial tipping point, as advances in 5G connectivity and edge computing will lead to groundbreaking achievements for autonomous vehicles. We believe that autonomous and semi-autonomous modes of transportation will be ubiquitous within the next five years. Our Innovation Foresight’s solutions ensure that specific autonomous and semi-autonomous modes of transportation — including automobiles, trains, and drones — have the ability to detect and classify any prospective dangers on the path ahead. These systems help to ensure safe passage not only for the vehicle itself, but also for those in the area surrounding the vehicle. As autonomous and semi-autonomous modes of transportation become part of our everyday lives, their adoption will depend on public trust in their safety and reliability. I believe Foresight’s solutions are an essential component in delivering that trust. Our Sales Cycle Just as the public is still coming to understand the potential value of autonomous transportation, the world’s leading manufacturers are still studying the many components and technologies which will comprise the autonomous vehicles of the future. In our current sales cycle, we are demonstrating to those vehicle manufacturers that Foresight’s QuadSight ® vision system represents the gold standard for stereo vision systems in the autonomous and semi-autonomous markets. As the need for advanced technological solutions becomes more and more imperative, these decisions are not taken lightly by vehicle manufacturers, and the process of demonstrating the superiority of our technology will take place as the market continues to evolve over the next months and years. The ongoing results inspire our confidence and indicate to us that we are getting closer to wider adoption and are well positioned to address the market's needs. We continue to generate interest from vehicle manufacturers in the United States, China, Europe and Asia, that order our prototype system for evaluation and testing. Additionally, the satisfying progress with Elbit Systems, our partner in the defense market, demonstrates that the promise of our technology extends beyond passenger vehicles to include the massive markets for defense and industrial vehicles. Most vehicle manufacturers are currently evaluating and choosing the technologies that will be used in their new vehicles. The next step will be mass production of such technologies. Based on the competitive advantages of our product, we are confident that Foresight will play a vital role in the mass production of many leading mobility solutions. Our visible-light and thermal infrared cameras can be mounted anywhere on a vehicle, with auto-calibration allowing unparalleled modularity for vehicle designers and manufacturers. This key innovation enables our solution to cover longer distances with higher accuracy, reducing the time needed for an autonomous vehicle to process and react to a potentially dangerous situation. Our thermal infrared cameras, provided by global leader FLIR Systems (acquired by Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY, market cap: $19.7B), allow our vision system to operate seamlessly in harsh weather and lighting conditions. We believe that Foresight’s QuadSight vision system is essential for manufacturers who aim to design the safest autonomous transport experience, and we are confident that this will lead to future commercial agreements and rapid growth. Latest Achievements During the last quarter, Foresight saw multiple promising developments that we believe point to a bright future: In August, Foresight successfully completed the first milestone of a paid proof-of-concept (POC) project with a leading European vehicle manufacturer We also began a POC project with a Chinese vehicle manufacturer We added a significant new vertical, announcing a POC project to integrate Foresight’s technology in the autonomous drones of Wonder Robotics We received notice of U.S. patent allowance for an all-weather and lighting conditions vision system Eye-Net Mobile, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foresight, announced pilot projects with several multinational Japanese companies A pilot project with V-tron, an innovative Dutch company focusing on safety measures for European vehicles, was also announced for Eye-Net Mobile Going Forward Our main goals are to establish a worldwide network of partners and increase awareness about our solutions. We are extremely pleased with our accomplishments to date and our ability to reach key industry players in the market with our attractive offering. We have received positive feedback from our partners that is being used to enrich our knowledge center and contribute to our future developments, allowing us to offer our customers a unique solution. It is important to note that Foresight’s long-term potential is also appreciated by other stakeholders. We have recently seen institutional investors take new positions in Foresight in the open market, demonstrating that other experts are connecting the superiority of our technology with the impressive market opportunity. Foresight’s management team is extremely excited about the near future for our company, and we expect to create exceptional value for shareholders as the world transitions to autonomous and semi-autonomous transportation and the mobility world continues to evolve and require innovation and vision. I thank you for your support and I look forward to sharing more exciting developments in the near future. Sincerely, Haim Siboni CEO & Chairman, Foresight Autonomous Holdings Forward-Looking Statements This letter to shareholders contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other Federal securities laws. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, Foresight is using forward-looking statements in this letter to shareholders when it discusses its outlook on the future of autonomous and semi-autonomous modes of transportation, that the ongoing results of communications with vehicle manufacturers inspire confidence and indicate that we are getting closer to wider adoption and are well positioned to address the market's needs, its confidence that it will play a vital role in the mass production of many leading mobility solutions, that its QuadSight vision system is essential for manufacturers who aim to design the safest autonomous transport experience, and its confidence that this will lead to future commercial agreements and rapid growth and that it expects to create exceptional value for shareholders as the world transitions to autonomous and semi-autonomous transportation. Because such statements deal with future events and are based on Foresight’s current expectations, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties and actual results, performance or achievements of Foresight could differ materially from those described in or implied by the statements in this letter to shareholders. The forward-looking statements contained or implied in this letter to shareholders are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Foresight’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 30, 2021, and in any subsequent filings with the SEC. Except as otherwise required by law, Foresight undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this letter to shareholders. About Foresight Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: FRSX) is a technology company developing smart multi-spectral vision software solutions and cellular-based applications. Through the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Foresight Automotive Ltd. and Eye-Net Mobile Ltd., Foresight develops both “in-line-of-sight” vision systems and “beyond-line-of-sight” accident-prevention solutions. Foresight’s vision solutions include modules of automatic calibration, sensor fusion and dense 3D point cloud that can be applied to diverse markets such as automotive, defense, autonomous vehicles and heavy industrial equipment. Eye-Net Mobile’s cellular-based solution suite provides real-time pre-collision alerts to enhance road safety and situational awareness for all road users in the urban mobility environment by incorporating cutting-edge AI technology and advanced analytics. For more information about Foresight and its wholly owned subsidiary, Foresight Automotive, visit www.foresightauto.com, follow @ForesightAuto1 on Twitter, or join Foresight Automotive on LinkedIn. Contact Details Investor Relations contact: Miri Segal-Scharia, CEO, MS-IR LLC +1 917-607-8654 msegal@ms-ir.com Company Website https://www.foresightauto.com/

September 20, 2021 08:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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OKY and SUZUKI Guatemala form Strategic Alliance

OKY

OKY, a cross-border e-commerce fintech platform, and Suzuki Guatemala have announced the formation of a strategic alliance for the Guatemalan marketplace. Suzuki Guatemala, one of the country’s leading companies, will now be selling their products through OKY’s innovative platform. The addition of Suzuki to the OKY network of over 100 leading brands enables immigrants in the United States to purchase Suzuki motorcycles in Guatemala through a variety of payment options, including cash, credit card, or direct transfer from a banking account. In addition, this partnership allows OKY users in the U.S. to give their loved ones increased mobility which opens new opportunities for economic advancement. The alliance came into effect on July 16, 2021. To use the service, the user must download the application and create an account. Then, they can make a purchase directly through the application or go to one of the 1,380 points of sale in more than 250 cities in the United States and add funds with cash. Once the recipient in Guatemala has received their digital voucher, they can present it to a salesperson at their nearest Suzuki branch and choose from more than 30 motorcycle models Suzuki Guatemala offers. The entire process is safe and immediate. “As immigrants, we understand what the needs of the region are, the challenges they face, and the type of support that is required from family or friends who are currently in the United States,” said Víctor Unda CEO of OKY. “Through this alliance, Guatemalans abroad will be able to offer their loved one’s access to one of the most popular and important motorcycle brands in Guatemala. This collaboration between OKY and Suzuki is unique. We will be able to observe the positive impact of the application of technology as a tool to promote inclusion and provide a better quality of life for all,” he added. Beyond providing them access to an effective, safe, and less expensive method of transportation, the alliance between OKY and Suzuki Guatemala allows immigrants in the United States to offer an indispensable work tool to their parents, children, or friends. In turn, this will enable them to continue the path toward financial independence. OKY is the only fintech platform designed to give immigrant communities the ability to digitize cash and engage in cross-border e-commerce activities. Through OKY, users can send funds directly to family members in their home country to make purchases at participating retailers such as Suzuki. By removing these barriers, a motorcycle company like Suzuki can now sell products to Guatemalans in the United States who do not have access to traditional financial tools, making it a unique alliance for immigrants and their families in the region. This alliance not only adds a leading global brand to OKY’s network but also aligns itself with the mission of providing immigrants in the United States with a greater number of resources that contribute to closing the geographic divide with more appropriate and equitable financial solutions. Through OKY, users can continue to participate and contribute in a meaningful way to the lives of those they had to leave. “Suzuki is one of the most popular motorcycle brands in Guatemala, and we are committed to the progress and economic development of the communities we serve. We are proud to be a part of the OKY network,” said Ing. Balmory Leck, Suzuki Sales Manager in Guatemala. “The work and dedication of the immigrant community in the United States is admirable and we are confident that, together with OKY, we can continue to support and have a positive impact on the economic development and growth of their home countries,” he added. ABOUT OKY OKY was launched in the summer of 2020 for immigrants and by immigrants, with the vision of helping underserved communities achieve financial equity and overcome common financial barriers through the use of technology. OKY achieves this by enabling users to make e-commerce transactions without the support of financial institutions, which often impede the immigrant community from attaining financial stability. Today, OKY users across the United States and other countries have access to a marketplace that connects the Central American region including retail service providers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and some offerings for México. For more information, please visit the company’s website, https://okyapp.com/en/ ABOUT SUZUKI SUZUKI, with more than 50 years in the Guatemalan market, currently being the leader of Motorcycles in Guatemala. It has the largest stock of Parts and Accessories in Central America. Its mission is to be a comprehensive and productive organization for Guatemalans, sell motorcycles and high-quality products with the best support, generating business opportunities through a network of employees, trade agents, and satisfied customers. Contact Details Julio Ligorria julio@balserapr.com Company Website https://okyapp.com/en/

September 15, 2021 01:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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HOWES INDUCTS TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING INTO ITS HALL OF FAME

Howes

Today, the Howes Hall of Fame announced Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) as its first inductee to the class of 2021. A grassroots organization working tirelessly alongside truckers since 2009, TAT has taken a true stand against this appalling practice. TAT’s mission is to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking, bus, and energy industries to combat human trafficking. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that exists whenever people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Though illegal, human trafficking is a growing criminal enterprise made up of individuals, groups, and even wide-spread trafficking networks. A worldwide operation, there are hundreds of thousands of victims that can be found in the US alone. Men, women, and children are all at risk for becoming victims. But sex trafficking victims are often female, many of whom are trafficked as children, with a disproportionate number consisting of women and girls of color. These people are prostituted out on the streets, in private homes, restaurants, motels, and truck stops. Acknowledging that truckers are the eyes and ears of our nation’s highways, Truckers Against Trafficking has been turning truckers into a trained and vigilant arm that can recognize the evils of human trafficking hiding in plain sight. They have developed a certification program to provide participants with the tools to recognize the signs of trafficking and safely report it via an anonymous hotline. This training can and has changed the fate of victims desperately in need. The hotline, operated by the nonprofit Polaris, is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it enables witnesses to report these crimes quickly, often right as they’re happening. This form of early intervention has put truckers in a unique position to close loopholes to traffickers seeking to exploit our transportation system for their personal gain. Having educated over 1.2 million truckers, TAT also works to build coalitions between managers of truck stops/travel plazas and the law enforcement that investigate trafficking cases on their lots. “We are truly honored and inspired by our induction into the Howes Hall of Fame,” said TAT Executive Director, Kendis Paris. “With more and more truckers getting involved each day, we genuinely appreciate the recognition by Howes as it shines a light that will serve to draw in even more drivers, growing our network of eyes and ears even further, in pursuit of our goal to eradicate human trafficking.” Truckers Against Trafficking has made becoming part of the solution a simple and easy process. For more information on how to get involved and become TAT certified, visit https://education.truckersagainsttrafficking.org/. “We are in awe of the incredible work being done by Truckers Against Trafficking and are truly honored to induct them into our Howes Hall of Fame,” commented Erika Howes, VP of Business Development at Howes Products. “With around 3,000 hotline calls having been made and over 1,300 victims having been identified so far, it is easy to see the real impact Truckers Against Trafficking is making. We invite everyone in the trucking and related industries to take action, get certified, and become an everyday hero.” The Howes Hall of Fame serves as a platform for Howes to acknowledge and thank all the great work that has, and does, go into the trucking and agricultural industries. With the goal of recognizing unique achievements across a broad spectrum of categories, the Hall provides a showcase that will live on for generations. The Howes Hall of Fame officially launched in 2020 as part of the Howes Family’s celebration of 100 years in business. It can be viewed now at www.howesproducts.com/HOF. ABOUT HOWES For over a century, Howes has been developing the highest quality additives and lubricants for a wide array of vehicles and equipment. Howes is committed to providing superior products that clean, protect, and always perform. Proven to work, and containing absolutely no alcohol or harmful solvents, Howes products are guaranteed to keep you moving. For over 100 years, Howes products continue to be Tested. Trusted. Guaranteed. ABOUT TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING Truckers Against Trafficking is a 501c3 organization working to build the largest mobile army of transportation professionals dedicated to discovering and disrupting human trafficking networks. Contact Details Brodeur Partners Dean Carney +1 646-746-5607 dcarney@brodeur.com Company Website https://www.howesproducts.com/

September 15, 2021 10:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON AIRPORT GETS ‘STATE OF THE ART’ COVID PCR TESTING LABORATORY

Test Assurance Group (TAG), Salutaris People, Source BioScience and Liverpool John Lennon Airport

TEST ASSURANCE GROUP (TAG) AND SALUTARIS PEOPLE PARTNERS WITH SOURCE BIOSCIENCE TO PROVIDE 3 HOUR RAPID PCR TESTING SERVICES FOR JOHN LENNON AIRPORT AIRLINE PASSENGERS ON SITE LAB WILL ERADICATE ‘UNCLEARS’ & ‘LOST TEST’ RESULTS Leading British healthcare and testing company Salutaris People - which operates the rapid PCR testing services for airline passengers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, in partnership with Test Assurance Group Ltd (TAG(Official Covid-19 testing partner to Liverpool John Lennon Airport)- has today unveiled a brand new COVID testing laboratory at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The state-of-the-art facility is in partnership with Source BioScience - a leading international provider of laboratory services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, clinical, life science research and biopharma industries - and Salutaris People in partnership with Test Assurance Group Ltd (TAG) are providing COVID and PCR testing at Liverpool John Lennon airport. The new laboratory has been designed to perform 500 tests per day but can easily be increased in scale to facilitate 1000 tests and beyond if required. Source BioScience are Accredited to ISO 15189: 2012 standards and is also a DHSC listed provider of COVID-19 testing. The service provided by TAG, Salutaris People,and Source BioScience enables airline passengers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and those flying from other UK airports with a Rapid Fit to Fly testing service with a turnaround time of 3 hours, alongside a Standard 24 hour Fit to Fly testing service. Samples are also collected on site at Liverpool and processed at Source BioScience’s main laboratory in Nottingham enabling Day 2, Day 8, Test to Release and a diagnostic PCR COVID testing service for customers. Cliff Kirby Board Director of Test Assurance Group said: "We are incredibly proud to be working in partnership with Liverpool John Lennon Airport to support their testing needs. As a business located in the Liverpool City Region it is very important to TAG to ensure the service offered is best in class. Throughout the course of 2021 we have put the passenger first whenever there has been a change in legislation or entry requirements for travel has changed. In line with this it is brilliant for all concerned that Source BioScience have dedicated a facility to support the vision laid out between TAG and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. As we all start to accept and learn to live with COVID-19 we hope that our approach will make a real difference to those passengers who choose to fly from Liverpool John Lennon Airport." Ben Paglia MD of Akea Life, the clinical testing partner to Salutaris People said; “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Source BioScience to provide brand new state of the art facilities on site at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and to offer our customers the best-in-class when it comes to rapid PCR testing services. For airline passengers using Liverpool John Lennon airport, or any other UK airport for that matter, they can book a test with confidence, knowing their COVID test will be administered by trained healthcare staff and then processed on site within our laboratory, with results back in 3 hours or 24 hours depending on the service chosen. We offer a seamless and simple user journey experience for the customer, making this part of the travel process as simple and painless as possible from a trusted healthcare provider. More importantly with our lab facilities on site this eradicates test results going missing in the postal system and the huge amount of ‘Unclear’ test results that have originated from self-administered test kits provided by major airlines and travel operators as part of their testing regimes. This has caused a huge amount of disruption with passengers paying twice for testing kits and a huge amount of disruption to air travel and holiday plans. ‘Unclears’ and ‘lost test results’ continue to pose a major issue to airline passengers.” Salutaris People are committed to providing the best possible testing services to its customers from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to make the testing experience seamless, simple and easy to use. It has made a substantial investment into the onsite laboratory facilities at Liverpool John Lennon airport as European and International air travel strives to return to full flight schedules. Commenting on the new facilities at Liverpool John Lennon airport, Commercial Director Lucy O’Shaughnessy, said; “We are delighted to be the first airport in the UK to have such a unique facility and service. Liverpool John Lennon Airport can now provide our valued airline passengers with a state-of-the-art COVID testing facility on site here at the airport as we start to resume our flight schedules and have more passengers flying again. The airport continually strives to offer the best possible service for our customers at all times. Working in partnership with Test Assurance Group (TAG) / Salutaris People and Source BioScience enables us to offer a convenient and efficient PCR testing service operated by trusted healthcare providers.” Liverpool John Lennon Airport is one of the few airports in the UK to have such a dedicated facility. It is operated by four laboratory staff including a shift supervisor and has 8 PCR analysers on site, a Bio Molecular Systems liquid handler and a thermal cycler to offer a rapid real-time qualitative PCR method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Nick Bills Healthcare Director for Source BioScience said; “Source BioScience have worked together with EMS Mobile Healthcare to design and build a state-of-the-art mobile COVID testing laboratory for Salutaris People at Liverpool Airport. This laboratory will allow Salutaris People to offer the best-in-class testing services to airline passengers flying from Liverpool John Lennon airport. Source BioScience is a leading international provider of laboratory services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, clinical, life science research and biopharma industries and our focus is on improving patient diagnosis, management and care.” Both Test Assurance Group and Salutaris People are DHSC listed COVID-19 test providers. Salutaris People also offer a testing suite at Wilmslow which is minutes from Manchester Airport. The TAG / Salutaris partnership nables them to offer their service to all passengers flying from either Liverpool John Lennon Airport or Manchester Airport, as well as airline passengers who live in Liverpool, North Wales, Manchester and Cheshire who may be flying from other UK airports to their holiday destinations. For more information on Salutaris People and to book a test, visit: www.salutarispeople.com For more information on Test Assurance Group and book a test visit: www.testassurancegroup.com/bookatest For more information on Salutaris airport testing, visit: www.salutarispeople.com/airport-testing/ For more information on Source BioScience please contact https://www.sourcebioscience.com ENDS For further information on Salutaris People, Akea Life, Test Assurance Group and Source BioScience Please contact Gerard Franklin - Head Of PR & Communications M: 07791 039636 e: gerard@i5media.co.uk NOTES TO EDITORS TEST ASSURANCE GROUP (TAG) TAG was formed at the end of Q1 2020 to address the inevitable need to provide end to end testing solutions supporting the national effort to help navigate a route through the COVid-19 pandemic. TAG take the view that the post pandemic World will be quite different to that of early 2020. To that end TAG take a very different approach and make best use of process and technology to build and deliver end to end testing solutions that deliver efficiencies to the market and enable an easier transition to a post COVID-19 market. The Core team at TAG bring with them over 200 years of business experience across all sectors from medical, legal, group ownership, and technology. However, TAG are very much a business that believe in partnership and work closely with the team at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Salutaris People. Outside of the partnership with Liverpool John Lennon Airport TAG are working with a range of community partners to bring forward Covid-19 testing solutions to the market to support a much wider community footprint. www.testassurancegroup.com SALUTARIS PEOPLE Salutaris People was formed in 2020 by healthcare entrepreneurs and disruptors Ross Tomkins CEO (Therapy Direct, Normedica) and Ben Paglia CEO (Akea Life) who wanted to combine their innovative healthcare businesses to develop a trusted healthcare brand. Its purpose was to fight the Coronavirus pandemic and become a trusted provider of Covid related medical services. Ross Tompkins and Ben Paglia decided to combine their expertise from three well established medical businesses with 30 years of healthcare experience to form the Salutaris subsidiary. The company provides a range of medical services including, PCR Covid 19 testing for businesses, private individuals and outbound airline passengers. It also supplies rapid antigen and rapid antibody testing for UK businesses and remote telemedicine services for business and the general public. Salutaris People is also one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of high-grade PPE, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to private businesses, primary care trusts, the public sector and Governments. It draws upon on the extensive background and expertise in medical services and healthcare derived from these companies www.salutarispeople.com AKEA LIFE – Clinical Testing Partner To Salutaris People AKEA LIFE is a CQC registered 5-star private GP medical business, providing the UK’s first fully private concierge medical service of private doctors, health care professionals and nurses. The practice also retains a Covid 19 Consultant Virologist to advise on all Covid 19 related matters. Its clients have ranged from football clubs such as Liverpool Football club, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, IAC Automotive, Lift Financial and Bentley Manchester. It has also provided private Covid 19 testing for several TV and film companies including a number of Hollywood actors filming on location in the UK https://akealife.co.uk AKEA LIFE - Consultant Virologist - Dr Brendan Payne Dr Brendan Payne is an honorary consultant physician in infectious diseases at the Royal Victoria Infirmary - Newcastle Upon Tyne. Dr Brendan Payne holds CCTs in both infectious diseases and virology and works jointly across both departments at the Newcastle Hospitals. He has particular interests in viral infections, especially in immunocompromised hosts, and is also the medical lead for the regional Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) service. Dr Payne is an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Newcastle University, where he is a Principal Investigator in the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research. His main research interests are focussed on HIV and ageing. He is also involved in clinical and diagnostic research studies for the Newcastle Hospitals. These include clinical trials in HIV, and more recently COVID-19. He is senior tutor for medical students intercalating into the MRes programme. Special interests • Complex HIV (particularly neurological, metabolic complications, and anti-retroviral resistance) • Infection in the non-HIV immunocompromised patient • Viral infectious diseases • Diagnostics of viral infections • Chronic fatigue syndrome • Clinical research SOURCE BIOSCIENCE Source BioScience is a leading international provider of laboratory services to clients in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, clinical, life science research and biopharma industries and our focus is on improving patient diagnosis, management and care. Source BioScience are Accredited to ISO 15189: 2012 standards and also one a DHSC listed provider of COVID-19 testing. Professor William L. Irving, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Virology is part of the Source BioScience Scientific Advisory Board, see full profile here https://www.sourcebioscience.com/scientific-advisory-board/professor-william-l-irving/ Proud winners of the Medilink Midlands Business Awards 2021 ‘Delivery Innovation In To Health and Care’ Source BioScience services include: Healthcare Diagnostics – histopathology and clinical diagnostic services for the NHS and private healthcare providers across the UK and Ireland. Genomics – Sanger and Next Generation sequencing services for pharmaceutical and biotech industries, academia, CRO and other research groups in the UK, Europe and the US Stability Storage – controlled environmental storage and shelf life testing services and stability storage equipment for pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, contract manufacturers and analytical testing companies in the UK, Europe and the US Infectious Disease Testing – since May 2020, COVID-19 Antigen RT-PCR testing services to the NHS, private healthcare providers and private industry. More details can be found here: www.sourcebioscience.com MEDIA NOTICE Ben Paglia MD Akea Life & Cliff Kirby Test Assurance Group are available for media interviews B Roll footage shot at Liverpool John Lennon Airport Interviews and footage of the laboratory Source BioScience laboratory images interior /exterior and company logos Are all available to download here from WE TRANSFER https://we.tl/t-8gYR96awZA Contact Details Gerard Franklin +44 7791 039636 gerard@i5media.co.uk Company Website https://testassurancegroup.com/

September 15, 2021 03:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Article thumbnail News Release

The 2021 American Thoracic Society Virtual Event

Convey Services

In 2021 the American Thoracic Society hosted their annual conference as a virtual event. The ATS Virtual Conference provided both attendees and exhibitors with a virtual experience that would closely replicate the in-person environment. The ATS International Conference attracts pulmonary, critical care, and sleep professionals, from those in the earliest stages of their careers to those whose research or strides in clinical care has gained them international recognition. Each year, nearly 14,000 of these professionals choose to attend, present, and learn about the latest advances, meet with colleagues from around the world, and create new collaborations and connections. It is truly where today’s science meets tomorrow’s care. Download the case study for free at: Case Study in Virtual & Hybrid Events for Medical Organizations — The story of ATS 2021. “The MCI Group was tapped to be the event management company for the ATS virtual event, said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency that creates human-centric touchpoints to unleash the power of people to deliver innovation and growth. Cloud Conventions was selected as the virtual technology platform to manage the ATS virtual event. Our solutions is a sophisticated enterprise platform that manages everything needed to execute a flawless virtual event, tradeshow or conference.” ATS Virtual Conference Goal The virtual conference was designed around three main elements to meet the goal: • Presentations & Sessions • CME/MOC Education • The Industry Solution Center for sponsors Attendees at the ATS Virtual Conference engaged through networking events featuring experts from the medical industry, attendee-to-exhibitor real-time chat, online discussion forums and “ Community™ ” featuring searchable attendee directories, profile cards for each attendee and instant messaging between attendees. The live portion of the virtual conference was held over a five-day period, and on-demand content was made available for ninety days. Click here to download: Case Study in Virtual & Hybrid Events for Medical Organizations — The story of ATS 2021 About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 04:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Creates DIY Playbook for Managing & Delivering Virtual Events

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a new Do-it-Yourself (DIY) eBook for associations, nonprofits, and businesses designed to reduce cost and increase efficiency with a self-managed program to create and deliver a virtual conference or trade event. It’s all outlined in “The DIY Virtual and Hybrid Event — Case Study,” available for free to download. Cloud Conventions is a sophisticated event management platform that redefines the attendee and exhibitor experience focused on delivering virtual and hybrid events for associations and business. “Most organizations with live events that were scheduled in 2020 and 2021 have now had the experience of staging those events virtually,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “Even though live events are returning, maintaining a virtual event option will be vital to your event strategy, even after all of the challenges of COVID have passed. To simplify and demystify the process, we created a DIY program for meeting planners that have gotten comfortable with virtual events but want to maximize their effectiveness, while managing more of the elements themselves to reduce cost and maintain more control.” The cost and effort to add virtual options to complement a live event or as a stand-alone event has been overwhelming for many organizations with limited staff or a tight budget. Cloud Conventions’ DIY Virtual Events offer a low-cost subscription to the event management platform and a step-by-step playbook to simplify planning, execution, and management. The DIY event program shows you on how to create a content and session strategy, a virtual exhibit option for sponsors, expanded attendee engagement strategies and a way to automate onboarding attendees and manage the platform. A DIY platform comes configured and organized, making it easy to brand and add other elements without technical expertise or programming. “We generated two of our own virtual events before we began delivering virtual events to clients,” added Bradfield. “We took the lessons we gained from our events and coupled them with what we learned from executing hundreds of events for other customers. We created an eBook that outlines 9 key steps for executing a successful DIY virtual event. In this eBook, we relate those steps to how we delivered Cloud Conventions 2021, a virtual trade event for the telecommunications and cloud sales channel in May 2021.” The Cloud Conventions technology platform is designed with the non-technical user in mind with self-help and user tips built into administrative routines. The platform comes with templates for email communication, virtual exhibitor booths, session and content posts, directories and pages. Customers can take advantage of built-in Zoom or BlueJeans by Verizon conferencing capabilities to broadcast video sessions and keynotes. Event planners can also use their own preferred video accounts such as Teams, GoToMeeting or GlobalMeet. Analytics and reporting are automated to give the event organizer and exhibitors a detailed view of all attendee engagement. Click here to download: The DIY Virtual and Hybrid Event — Case Study About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 14, 2021 03:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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