Category Archives: Business

Press Releases from the Business World. Announcements, Product releases, Appointments.

Education Technology Leader Dr. Diana Oblinger Joins Signal Vine’s Board of Directors


Dr. Diana Oblinger joins Signal Vine's Board of Directors

Dr. Diana Oblinger, an education technology leader with more than 40 years of experience in higher education, joins Signal Vine’s Board of Directors

Signal Vine is excited to add Dr. Oblinger and her expertise, knowledge and understanding of how technology can be positioned to empower higher ed institutions to the team.

Signal Vine, the leading provider of blended SMS communication to students across the education industry, announced today that Dr. Diana Oblinger has been appointed to its Board of Directors.

Dr. Oblinger is an edtech industry expert with deep experience using technology to address higher education’s challenges and opportunities. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Ellucian, the leading global provider for higher education software and services. She is also President Emeritus of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association of 2,300 colleges, universities and educational organizations whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. During her 12 years at EDUCAUSE, she led initiatives on student success, college completion, analytics and learning technologies as well as expanding the organization’s international reach.

Prior to her work at EDUCAUSE, Dr. Oblinger held various leadership positions in technology at the University of North Carolina, Microsoft and IBM. She has also held faculty positions at Michigan State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Brian Kathman, CEO of Signal Vine, shares his excitement following the appointment.

“Signal Vine is excited to add Dr. Oblinger and her expertise, knowledge and understanding of how technology can be positioned to empower higher ed institutions to the team,” said Kathman. “Signal Vine has relied on Dr. Oblinger’s extensive knowledge in the past to facilitate discussions about the important relationship between technology and higher ed leaders. I’m looking forward to continuing our work together.”

Dr. Oblinger notes what she hopes to accomplish as a member of Signal Vine’s Board of Directors.

“I am honored to serve on Signal Vine’s Board of Directors, as the company’s mission is one I have shared throughout my career: to use technology to empower students so they can be more successful,” said Dr. Oblinger. “Signal Vine’s AI-powered technology can help higher ed institutions keep students on track and engaged with personalized, timely communications at scale. I’m thrilled to continue to support this important mission as part of Signal Vine’s team.”

Signal Vine is the leading higher education AI messaging platform transforming how higher education institutions reach, support and engage students throughout their academic life cycles. With more than 50 million student interactions, Signal Vine’s Blended Messaging® personalizes engagement using AI, workflow automation and one-to-one messaging to keep students on the path to success. Signal Vine has been improving enrollment and retention outcomes with a proactive approach across the entire campus and student life cycle.

To learn more, visit signalvine.com or view a demo: signalvine.com/text-messaging-platform.

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Walt Ramsey Joins Alchemy Advisory Board


Walt Ramsey Joins Alchemy Advisory Board

“I am excited to once again work with Tim Li and have an opportunity to interact with the team at Alchemy. ” said Walt Ramsey. “As the fintech market continues to mature, there is an ever-increasing need for more complex platform to manage financial products across the credit lifecycle”

Alchemy Technologies (“Alchemy”) a leading FinTech infrastructure development company based in American Fork, Utah welcomes Walt Ramsey to its Advisory Board.

Walt Ramsey previous served as the Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Lending, LLC, a New York based personal financing company where he grew the portfolio from less than $70 million to over $120 million in 6 months.

Prior to Liberty Lending, Walt Ramsey served as the Chief Risk Officer at Elevate, a tech-enabled online financial services company based in Forth Worth, Texas. He also served Elevate’s predecessor Think Finance as its Chief Risk Officer.

Walt Ramsey held various senior leadership as well as executive position at JPMorgan Chase, Lloyds Bank, Experian, GE Consumer Finance, Associates (Acquired by Citigroup) as well as First USA Bank.

“I’ve had the absolutely pleasure working with Walt at JPMorgan Chase and Think Finance,” said Timothy Li, CEO of Alchemy. “Walt’s experience and vision has helped me throughout my career and his leadership will guide Alchemy to the next level.”

Graduated from North Carolina State University, Walt received his Masters Degree in Economics, Statistics and ABD in Economics. He also holds a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from the College of Charleston.

“I am excited to once again work with Tim Li and have an opportunity to interact with the team at Alchemy,” said Walt Ramsey. “As the fintech market continues to mature, there is an ever-increasing need for more complex platform to manage financial products across the credit lifecycle.”

About Alchemy Technologies.

https://www.trustalchemy.com/

Alchemy Technology Inc. is industry-first fintech infrastructure company offering out of the box technology, algorithms and servicing to launch financial products for Banks, Specialty Financing Companies, Point of Sale Financing and FinTech startups alike. Our low cost leasing solution reduces barrier to entry and bring tremendous value both in our software and our industry know how. Our end-to-end infrastructure offering includes end user experience, merchant experience, loan origination system, decision engine, loan management system, payment gateways, and secondary market access. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Why Is Recommended To Buy Full Coverage Car Insurance


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“Getting full coverage ads extra protection and it is recommended for valuable cars. Get car insurance quotes and compare prices for multiple full-coverage offers”, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-autoinsurance.org has released a new blog post that explains the main benefits of purchasing full car insurance coverage.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org/why-get-full-coverage-car-insurance/

Full coverage means buying extra coverage, beyond the mandatory levels required by each state. Many drivers are not convinced that full coverage is beneficial since this will drastically increase the costs. In order to get better coverage, at acceptable prices, it is recommended to shop around, using car insurance quotes. Get free quotes from http://compare-autoinsurance.org.


  • Extend the basic level of protection. Generally, full coverage includes 3 policies: liability (more than the minimum required), comprehensive and collision coverage. Despite the name, full coverage does not cover everything. But it will cover more scenarios in which the company will reimburse the policyholder.
  • Full coverage ensures that the policyholder will always be reimbursed for damage to his car. It is important to remember that liability coverage is designed to cover the victims of an accident when the policyholder is the guilty driver. In this scenario. without collision or comprehensive coverage, the policyholder will have to pay for repairs from his own budget. Full coverage also pays for totaled cars. It is important to know that companies use Actual Cash Value when solving claims.
  • Uninsured motorist coverage is a really recommended policy. Let’s assume that a person gets into an accident with someone who’s uninsured and the accident is their fault. Often, that person won’t get coverage for property damage or medical fees. Unless that person has Uninsured Motorist coverage. This policy is highly recommended in states and areas with high unemployment rates. Consider analyzing the economic climate when purchasing car insurance.
  • Roadside assistance is a low-cost service with multiple benefits. Roadside assistance is usually cheap to get and will help the driver in many situations. Roadside assistance includes towing, delivering fuel or a spare tire. Read carefully the terms of the contract before signing in. Not everything is covered. Also, drivers are charged for extra miles than the limits added in the contract.

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.

For more information, please visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org/

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Bernard Guerrero Joins MaxDecisions, Inc. as Vice President of Decisions Sciences


Bernard Guerrero Joins MaxDecisions, Inc. as Vice President of Decisions Sciences

Bernard Guerrero Joins MaxDecisions, Inc. as Vice President of Decisions Sciences

I am excited to start a new chapter at MaxDecisions, helping to expand its product offerings and market share as well as working with the current customer base to provide additional services, further enhancing their profitability.

MaxDecisions, Inc. (“MaxDecisions”) a leading fintech A.I. and machine learning analytics company based in Plano, Texas welcomes Bernard Guerrero as Vice President of Decision Sciences to further expand analytical products and offerings.

MaxDecisions, an industry leading analytical company leveraging the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence software has helped hundreds of specialty financing companies, banks as well as fintech startups with their marketing, underwriting and portfolio management analytics.

“As we strengthen our customer base and enhance our custom analytical product offerings, we are bringing industry veteran to help us deliver mission critical applications to help our clients from marketing to collections with our deep industry experience,” said Timothy Li, Founder, MaxDecisions. “I have known Bernard for over a decade and he’s dedication to the financial industry as well as his business acumen in the analytical sphere is bar none. We are excited to have such as talented individual to join our management team to further our vision of delivering world class analytics to clients worldwide.”

MaxDecisions was founded four years ago with a singular vision of lowering the barrier to entry with high end analytical offerings that drives marketing, underwriting and risk-based pricing tools for large and small financial institutions alike. We’ve found success over the past four years offering personalized services to help lenders to make better critical decisions.

MaxDecisions turnkey direct mail service has helped numerous specialty financing company to achieve the right balance between response, conversion and default rates. In addition, MaxDecisions’ underwriting models have been implemented by many point of sale fintech startups to help to launch and achieve profitability in a short amount of time.

“I am excited to start a new chapter at MaxDecisions, helping to expand its product offerings and market share as well as working with the current customer base to provide additional services, further enhancing their profitability.” said Bernard Guerrero. “My goal is to deliver even more value to our existing customers, as well as expand MaxDecisions’ coverage into new verticals in the near future.”

Bernard Guerrero previous served as Senior Vice President of Risk Management at RumbleOn as well as BorrowWorks. Bernard also served as the Chief Risk Officer at Balance Credit. Prior to Balance Credit, he was the Direct of Risk Management at Bonfire Capital as well as the Direct of Decision Sciences at ThinkFinance.

Bernard graduated with an MBA in Finance and Economics from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business as well as receiving a BA degree in Physics from Rutgers University in Newark New Jersey.

About MaxDecisions, Inc.

https://www.maxdecision.com/

MaxDecisions, Inc. is industry leading analytics company leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligent algorithms to deliver unparalleled results in direct mail marketing, credit risk modeling as well as risk-based pricing and portfolio management algorithms. Our mission is to remove the barrier of entry for financial institutions large or small to access best in class analytics that delivers results. With over 20 data scientists, mathematicians and statisticians, we strive to deliver best in class analytical models to clients world wide. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Karen Lockhart Appointed Chief Operating Officer of In-Flight Crew Connections


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In-Flight Crew Connections has hired Karen Lockhart as their Chief Operating Officer. Lockhart was most recently a Business Consultant who worked closely with the IFCC team to optimize processes and implement strategic initiatives. Moving forward she will continue to collaborate on the strategic direction of the organization, and then bring the vision to life in the business.

“I’m thrilled for Karen to join our team as the Chief Operating Officer. Her experience, proven track record, and synergy with the team here at IFCC will help us achieve our growth goals and continued organizational success,” says IFCC’s CEO Jennifer Guthrie.

Lockhart has an extensive history of proven management skills and planning practices. She brings with her a successful history of simplifying and standardizing business processes in all functional areas, achieving efficient work practices, and greater profitability. At In-Flight Crew Connections Lockhart will direct all departments by supporting the managers and motivating the team to “make our missions possible.”

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Velox Clearing LLC Appoints Michael Higgins as Chief Executive Officer


velox-clearing-michael-higgins-new-ceo-clearing-firm-anaheim

CEO, Velox Clearing

The clearing sector is ripe for innovation, and I’m thrilled to be joining an outstanding team that is at the forefront of this movement.

Velox Clearing, LLC (“Velox”), a technology-forward clearing firm, today announced the appointment of brokerage industry veteran Michael Higgins as its Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Higgins brings three decades of financial services leadership experience to Velox, most recently serving as Head of Operations at LPL Financial (“LPL”). In this position, he oversaw all areas of the firm’s operations while mitigating risk, increasing efficiency, and working to continuously improve the client experience. At LPL, he was also Senior Vice President of Operational Risk Management, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of a risk culture and mitigation methodology throughout the firm’s operational and service organizations. His career to date also encompasses senior-level positions at AXA Equitable, Bank of New York, Pershing, and Charles Schwab.

“The clearing sector is ripe for innovation, and I’m thrilled to be joining an outstanding team that is at the forefront of this movement,” said Higgins. “My industry experience to date has instilled a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities our clients face, and I look forward to helping Velox and its clients successfully navigate a rapidly evolving landscape to achieve growth.”

In his new role, Mr. Higgins will leverage his broad expertise in brokerage operations, product development, sales, and risk mitigation to drive strategic direction and support Velox’s business development initiatives.

Mr. Higgins earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from St. John’s University; he also holds FINRA Series 4, 7, 8, 24, 53, 63 and 65 licenses.

David Herron, former CEO of the Chicago Stock Exchange, and a member of Velox’s board of directors, added: “We are delighted to welcome an executive of Michael’s caliber to the Velox team. Under his expert leadership, we are confident that Velox will continue to deliver exceptional value and differentiated service to clients.”

Southern California-based Velox, which publicly launched operations in 2019, offers securities clearing, settlement, custody, margin lending, stock loan, and prime brokerage solutions to small- to mid-sized broker-dealers, registered investment advisers (RIAs), hedge funds, and automated (black box) traders. The firm introduces superior efficiency and speed to the back-office, supporting its customers’ business operations by combining modern, responsive technology with high-touch service, competitive pricing, and rigorous risk management controls.

About Velox Clearing

Headquartered in Anaheim, CA, Velox Clearing LLC is a technology-forward correspondent clearing firm, prime broker, and RIA custodian. Combining deep expertise, exceptional client service, and cutting-edge technology, Velox empowers its clients to focus on controlling costs, acquiring new business, and leveraging their market presence.

Velox is registered with the SEC, is a member of FINRA and the NYSE, and is a member of DTCC/NSCC and SIPC. For more information, visit http://www.velox-global.com.

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Farm Credit Announces February Patronage Distribution to Members


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“We are proud to be able to return our profits to our members again this month,” says Tom Truitt, CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit. “Our patronage program is a unique benefit of Farm Credit’s cooperative structure that sets us apart from other lenders.”

MidAtlantic Farm Credit announced an extra patronage distribution of nearly $10 million in cash to its members this month.

“We are proud to be able to return our profits to our members again this month,” says Tom Truitt, CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit. “Our patronage program is a unique benefit of Farm Credit’s cooperative structure that sets us apart from other lenders.”

MidAtlantic Farm Credit is a part of the national Farm Credit System. Their territory covers portions of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Farm Credit is a member-owned cooperative, comprised of associations that are able to share a portion of their annual profits with their member-borrowers. Each association determines its total income and expenses at the close of each fiscal year. Once all expenses are deducted, the net income remaining can be distributed in accordance with the association’s bylaws.

Historically, MidAtlantic Farm Credit has returned patronage twice a year – once in April, which is determined upon the cooperative’s net income and borrower’s usage from the year prior, and again in December, which is based off of the cooperative’s net income and borrower’s usage from previous years. “This additional patronage distribution goes directly to our members, their families, and the communities we serve,” adds Truitt.

In 2019, the MidAtlantic Farm Credit distributed over $40 million in cash to its member-borrowers. To learn more about Farm Credit’s patronage program, please visit mafc.com/about/patronage.

About MidAtlantic Farm Credit

MidAtlantic Farm Credit is an agricultural lending cooperative owned by its member‐borrowers. It provides farm loans for land, equipment, livestock and production; crop insurance; and rural home mortgages. The co-op has over approximately 11,700 members and over $2.8 billion in loans outstanding. MidAtlantic has branches serving Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It is part of the national Farm Credit System, a network of financial cooperatives established in 1916 to provide a dependable source of credit to farmers and rural America.

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Open Lending Adds Record 77 New Auto Lenders in 2019


Open Lending, a provider of a unique auto lending enablement platform with default insurance, signed 77 new lenders to its Lenders Protection program in 2019.

“We are extremely excited about the unprecedented number of lenders who signed agreements to partner with Open Lending in 2019,” Open Lending CEO John Flynn said in a statement. “The auto lending market continues to see extreme competition and we believe our platform enables auto lenders to provide expanded offerings that allow them to be more competitive without unduly increasing their risk.”

Notable auto lenders include, the $8.3 Billion Alaska USA, $9.1 Billion VyStar Credit Union, $4.8 Billion Idaho Central Credit Union, as well as 2 captive auto finance companies.

Open Lending uses various alternative data sources and proprietary underwriting to determine the appropriate risks for borrowers who don’t have a prime credit profile. The fully automated system then calculates an interest rate inclusive of the cost of a default insurance policy that helps mitigate the loss in the event the consumer defaults.

“Lenders Protection helps auto lenders say ‘yes’ to more loans,” Flynn added. “It helps lenders earn more from loans that they might otherwise deny and build stronger relationships while providing a credit enhancement offsetting additional risk”

ABOUT OPEN LENDING, LLC

Open Lending, LLC works exclusively with automotive lenders by providing loan analytics, risk-based pricing, risk modeling and automated decision technology. Based in Austin, Texas, the company serves more than 400 financial institutions nationwide. Through its proprietary technology, the Lenders Protection Program, financial institutions leverage powerful tools and customized analytics to underwrite direct and indirect loan approval decisions in seconds. Lenders are empowered to increase near and non-prime automotive loan volumes and yields with the protection of A-rated insurance carriers, preventing additional risk to their loan portfolio. Founded in 2000, Lenders Protection, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Open Lending, LLC.

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The Family Firm Institute (FFI) announces graduates of the Global Education Network (GEN) Certificate Programs in Family Business and Family Wealth Advising


The FFI Global Education Network https://www.ffigen.org/ curriculum has been developed by The Family Firm Institute, Inc. and is the gold standard educational program for advisors and consultants working with families in business and families of wealth.

The Family Firm Institute, Inc. has recently granted certificates in Family Business Advising (CFBA), Family Wealth Advising (CFWA), Dual Certificates (CFBA and CFWA), and Advanced Certificates in Family Business and Family Wealth Advising (ACFBA and ACFWA) to a distinguished group of professionals in the family enterprise field.

The FFI Global Education Network https://www.ffigen.org/ curriculum has been developed by The Family Firm Institute, Inc. and is the gold standard educational program for advisors and consultants working with families in business and families of wealth. The program benefits both family business advisors and their clients by establishing and providing objective and research-based professional standards for advisors to family-owned enterprises and families of wealth.

The following students received Certificates in Family Business Advising (CFBA), Family Wealth Advising (CFWA), Dual Certificates (CFBA and CFWA), and Advanced Certificates in Family Business and Family Wealth Advising (ACFBA and ACFWA) in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Certificate in Family Business Advising (CFBA)

Sana Ansari

Ernst & Young Middle East

Dubai, UAE

Mathilde Berry

PwC German

Hamburg, Germany

Jean Gabriel Guerrero-Dib

Universidad de Monterrey

Monterrey, Mexico

Marcel Revin Irawan

PwC Indonesia

Jakarta

Bernardo J. Jaime López

Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey

Monterrey, México

Jürgen Kreindl

PwC Österreich GmbH

Wien, Austria

Alexandre Passos

Ernst & Young

Recife, Brazil

Certificate in Family Wealth Advising (CFWA)

Abdallah Baassiri

Ernst & Young Middle East

Dubai, UAE

Maethee Chandavimol

BAY-MUFG

Bangkok, Thailand

Shilpa C. Mirchandani

City National Bank

Beverly Hills, CA

Dual Certificates

Laura Chen

Guangdong Silver Age Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd.

Guangdong, China

Ginni Galicinao

Wells Fargo Private Bank

Denver, CO

Bob Kohli

Dubai, UAE

Natalia NG

Deloitte Private

Jakarta, Indonesia

Valerie Remoquillo-Jenni

Independent family business consultant

Zürich, Switzerland

Johannes Rettig

PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH

Essen, Germany

Alexandra Rodriguez-Spaethe

Pictet Group

Geneva, Switzerland

Tea Ai Lian

Deloitte & Touche,

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Anita Van Gils

Maastricht University and Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands

Advanced Certificates

Joy Chufan Chen

EY Private Client Services

Hong Kong

Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising (ACFBA)

Bob Kohli

Dubai, UAE

Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising (ACFBA)

Advanced Certificate in Family Wealth Advising (ACFWA)

Asin Nurani

Dubai, UAE

Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising (ACFBA)

Advanced Certificate in Family Wealth Advising (ACFWA)

About the Family Firm Institute https://www.ffi.org/ (FFI)

FFI’s mission is to be the global network of thought leaders in the field of family enterprise. We provide research-based learning and relevant tools for advisers, consultants, academics, and family enterprise members to drive success. Over 1900 family enterprise professionals, educators, researchers, as well as family enterprise members from more than 90 countries across the globe, belong to FFI. Together they create the oldest and most prestigious multidisciplinary professional association for family enterprise in the world. Information on FFI’s Global Education Network (GEN) online education program can be found on https://www.ffigen.org, and editions of its weekly online journal FFI Practitioner can be found at https://www.ffipractitioner.org.

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Upic Solutions Acquires United Way Software Provider Cascade Data Solutions


Upic Solutions - Non-Profit Technology - Serving United Ways

Upic Solutions

“This acquisition furthers our strategy of serving as a trusted partner, helping to accelerate the path of United Way’s mission and vision through state-of-the-art technology,” stated J.R. Howard, Chief Executive Officer, Upic Solutions.

Upic Solutions, the leading technology shared services provider for United Ways, has acquired Cascade Data Solutions, a software firm also servicing United Ways. The acquisition brings non-profit and United Way expertise along with United Way customers together under one company.

“This acquisition furthers our strategy of serving as a trusted partner, helping to accelerate the path of United Way’s mission and vision through state-of-the-art technology. The combined organizations serve 50% of the United Way market,” stated J.R. Howard, Chief Executive Officer, Upic Solutions.

Upic Solutions enables United Ways access to affordable technology platforms such as Upic Connect built on Salesforce®, which increase donor engagement and provide insight into campaign data. The acquisition brings modern technology to smaller United Ways, providing them with easy access to online giving platforms, processing services, donor journeys, and shared services.

“All employees at Cascade Data Solutions will remain on board and we are starting the process of integrating the team’s non-profit technology expertise to best serve our combined United Way customers,” explained Howard.

“Cascade’s technology expertise and our deep understanding of how United Ways operate creates a great deal of synergy between the companies,” noted Don Bayne, CEO, Cascade Data Solutions.

About Upic Solutions

Upic Solutions helps to optimize United Way operations by increasing donor engagement and community impact as a shared service provider. Upic Connect is a powerful donor relationship management system that provides insight into both individual donors and giving campaigns. Additional services include hosting, pledge processing, integration services, online giving and application support. Upic Solutions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. For more information visit upicsolutions.org.

About Cascade Data Solutions

Cascade Data Solutions is a software development firm focusing on cost-effective software solutions for non-profits. Located in Albany, Oregon, Cascade’s two main solutions include Donation Tracker and Donation Director which help United Ways across the U.S. maximize fundraising success. For more information visit cascadeds.com.

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