Category Archives: Business

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

Business: Insurance

Successful health care entrepreneur, Kyle Rolfing, joins Wellbeats’ Board of Directors

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Successful health care entrepreneur, Kyle Rolfing, joins Wellbeats’ Board of Directors

Kyle’s experience gives him an intimate understanding of all phases of innovation for consumer-driven health care and workplace well-being and will help Wellbeats capitalize on our business momentum as we expand our fitness brand to workplaces across the country.


ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (PRWEB)

Wellbeats announced today that Minnesota entrepreneur Kyle Rolfing will join the company’s Board of Directors effective immediately. Rolfing has an extensive history of innovation in health care, including co-founding Definity Health, RedBrick Health, and most recently, Bright Health – companies that revolutionized consumer-directed health care and workplace well-being.

According to Jason Von Bank, president and CEO of Wellbeats, Rolfing will contribute valuable guidance as an expert in workplace well-being, consumer-centric health care technology adoption, and startup growth.

“Virtual fitness has seen rapid adoption and we feel the industry is at a pivotal point in its growth,” said Von Bank. “Kyle’s experience gives him an intimate understanding of all phases of innovation for consumer-driven health care and workplace well-being and will help Wellbeats capitalize on our business momentum as we expand our fitness brand to workplaces across the country.”

Wellbeats is a content and software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that develops and hosts on-demand, virtual fitness content for corporate and individual users. The company currently offers more than 500 classes and 29 channels in categories like cycling, running, yoga, high-intensity-interval training, stretching, and pre-natal fitness. Wellbeats content also includes office breaks employees can complete at their workspaces, mindfulness, and content to prepare young athletes for competitive sports.

Wellbeats’ innovation in fitness aligns perfectly with Rolfing’s history as an entrepreneur. When Rolfing co-founded Definity Health in 1999, he created a unique new space in health benefits, establishing the company as a premiere brand in consumer-driven health care before selling the company to UnitedHealthcare. In 2006, Rolfing co-founded RedBrick Health, which changed the face of employer-financed health care by applying technologies that promoted broad-based consumer health engagement to improve employee health behaviors and lower costs.

Rolfing has continued this legacy of success as the co-founder and former president of Bright Health, a consumer-focused insurance and technology company. Since its launch three years ago, Bright Health has raised more than $1 billion dollars in capital and gained “unicorn” status in a competitive category.

Rolfing earned a Masters in Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and is an Aspen Institute of Health Innovators Fellow. He is a frequent speaker at national health care industry conferences and academic institutions and serves as board member and advisor to several health care startups.

“I am excited to join the Wellbeats Board of Directors and to be part of the innovative work they are doing to create fitness that fits people at all ages and stages of life,” said Rolfing. “In order to create meaningful change, you have to be driven by a passion to make life better for people, and that’s exactly what I see in the team at Wellbeats. Their on-demand, virtual fitness solution is already improving workplace fitness for employers and I look forward to being part of their future success.”

Wellbeats offers more than 500 on-demand fitness classes that can be licensed by employers for employees and their families. It can also be made available as a benefit through select health plans or individual consumers can subscribe for a monthly fee through the Apple App Store. Visit http://www.Wellbeats.com to learn more about on-demand, virtual fitness for commercial or individual use.

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For more information:

Barbara Tabor, APR (651) 230-9192 / Barbara@taborpr.com / @taborpr

About Wellbeats

Based in St. Louis Park, MN, Wellbeats is a leading provider of on-demand fitness classes for use in workplaces of all sizes, on college or university campuses, multi-family housing, the U.S. military, and fitness and health clubs. Wellbeats makes fitness easy, accessible and affordable for everyone. More than 500 workout classes are available via kiosks, an online portal or via Android and iOS apps. To learn more, visit http://www.wellbeats.com or check out a sampling of the company’s fitness classes during a Facebook Live session or follow on LinkedIn.

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Business: Executives

eClinical Solutions Expands Leadership Team, elluminate & Enhanced Clinical Data Strategy Services

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“We are delighted to welcome Rob to the eClinical Solutions leadership team,” said Raj Indupuri, CEO of eCS. “His in-depth knowledge and experience in clinical research as a client and end-user of platforms like elluminate will help to accelerate the execution of the elluminate product roadmap.”


MANSFIELD, Mass. (PRWEB)

eClinical Solutions LLC, a leading global provider of cloud-based enterprise software and software-driven clinical data services, today announced the appointment of Robert Musterer as the company’s Vice President of Product Management as part of its expansion due to increased demand for the elluminate®️ Clinical Data Hub and technology enabled services. The increase in data sources and the accelerated pace of innovation in the life sciences industry have made formal data strategies, a centralized data hub, data management workbenches and improved analytics more vital than ever in bringing new therapies to market faster. These issues continue to be pressing concerns for life sciences companies. As noted in a recent report by Gartner, Life Science CIOs: Embrace Next-Generation Data and Analytics Platforms to Manage Clinical Data Challenges*, “according to Gartner’s 2019 CIO Survey, 46% of life science CIOs state that BI/data analytics capabilities will receive the largest amount of new or additional investments.”

Highlighted in the Gartner report as an example vendor of an analytics workbench, eClinical Solutions and its powerful elluminate®️ platform are driving improved insight and control over clinical data. The addition of Rob Musterer, a clinical systems expert with over 25 years of experience in clinical programming, biostatistics and data management in large pharmaceutical companies including Bayer Healthcare and Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, helps to strengthen the customer and end-user knowledge of the eCS product strategy function.

“We are delighted to welcome Rob to the eClinical Solutions leadership team,” said Raj Indupuri, CEO of eCS. “His in-depth knowledge and experience in clinical research as a client and end-user of platforms like elluminate will help to accelerate the execution of the elluminate product roadmap.”

Rob most recently served as the President of ER Squared, a consultancy helping life sciences companies of all sizes to establish successful data strategies and to identify the best fit technology infrastructure and implementation processes. “I worked with numerous clients across the industry and consistently heard about their challenges managing and accessing more sources and types of external data and finding better ways to conduct automated and comprehensive data review. I joined eCS as the elluminate platform meets these needs and more. It also presents a unique opportunity to automate currently manual processes like data mapping and data review with AI/ML capabilities resulting in dramatic time, cost, and quality improvements in clinical development.”

Additionally, eCS has doubled their Boston-area headquarters with almost 12,000 square feet of new office space. In the last three years, the company has grown significantly year-over-year and expects to aggressively hire new team members in the U.S. in 2020. eClinical Solutions also recently expanded into the European market adding new team members in the U.K.

*Gartner, Life Science CIOs: Embrace Next-Generation Data and Analytics Platforms to Manage Clinical Data Challenges, Jeff Smith, 22 October 2019

About eClinical Solutions LLC

eClinical Solutions is a leading global provider of cloud-based enterprise software and software-driven clinical data services. The elluminate platform provides life sciences companies with greater control of their clinical trial data. elluminate software and data driven services have been used by more than 100 life sciences companies. For more information, visit http://www.eclinicalsol.com.

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Business: Insurance

Cheap Auto Insurance Tips 2020

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“Drivers can obtain cheaper car insurance rates easily. All they have to do, is to follow several money-saving methods”, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.


LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents how drivers can obtain cheaper car insurance rates.

For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/how-to-make-car-insurance-rates-cheaper/.

Everyone wants to pay lower car insurance premiums. However, in recent years, the insurance costs have been on the rise and the tendency is expected to continue throughout the entire 2020.

To lower the costs of car insurance, drivers should follow the next tips:


  • Set high deductible levels for comprehensive and collision coverage. To obtain cheaper car insurance, drivers can agree to pay more money from their budget If they have to make a claim. Policyholders should put away the money necessary for filing a claim.

  • Drive less and ask for a low-mileage discount. If a policyholder doesn’t drive his car too often, he might be eligible for a low mileage discount that typically ranges from 15% to 20%.

  • Combine multiple policies on the same contract. Policyholders can easily bundle their car insurance with their homeowner’s insurance. In some cases, a policyholder can save as much as 20% simply by bundling multiple policies into one.

  • Make the car safer by installing safety and anti-theft devices. Many insurance companies offer generous discounts for drivers that make their cars safer. Safety devices like a rearview camera, GPS tracking system, immobilizers, airbags, blind-spot detectors, various anti-theft devices will make the car safer. The value of the discounts varies depending on the type of device installed.

  • Keep a clean driving record. A driver with no traffic tickets and no accidents for a number of years is eligible for a safe driver discount. Most insurance companies will lower premium rates after three years of clean driving, while other insurers will wait even five years to provide this discount. Usually, this discount will lower insurance rates by 10%-20%.

  • Consider usage-based programs. Many insurance companies offer this type of program. Usually, a small telematics device is installed inside the driver’s vehicle. This device will send driving habits data back to the insurer. Drivers with good driving habits are rewarded with large discounts

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

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.

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Business: Executives

Ethica ups its game in the SD-WAN Space

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Ethica – SD-WAN for the SMB Market

“Ethica is listening to what our channel is saying, ensuring that our roadmap is in-line with their needs. We want to be the best vendor choice our channel ever makes.”


TORONTO (PRWEB)

Toronto-based Ethica Channel Enablement Inc. (Ethica) today announced that is has hired Alan Zimmermann to lead the company into 2020 and beyond.

Ethica, a start-up making waves in the SD-WAN space with its focus on enabling the myriad small- and medium-sized service providers and end-customers, made the decision as it began to take its software, CloudAccess, to market at the end of 2019.

“Our focus has always been to find the most efficient, robust, and simple way to bring our product to market,” explains founder Cameron Couch. “In order to build and sustain a lean operating model, we needed someone with an Operations pedigree, experience in the space, and a critical eye to come in and look at where we are. Alan has the skills and experience to help us execute with precision, build the company to scale faster, and prioritize the decisions needed to have the most positive impact on our channel and customers. Alan has been Chair of our Board since we started the company and was our guy to take the company to the next level from the get-go.”

Zimmermann, an accomplished ICT service delivery executive with extensive experience leading teams in Network & Security Operations and Quality Management Systems, is recognized for being results oriented and decisive, translating strategy into tangible actions and then leading disciplined execution with significant bottom line improvement. Alan was previously Vice-President at a competitive SD-WAN provider in Canada, where he ran Operations and started to hone his skills in this space. By managing through the challenges that many SD-WAN service providers originally faced when scaling their delivery model, he was able to bring a vision of achieving scale through automation and simplicity – and has quickly applied that vision into Ethica’s operations.

Ethica is a part of what some are calling the second-wave of SD-WAN, a movement by a few vendors to deliver SD-WAN features to customers that are largely being overlooked by the incumbents. Since its popularization in mid-2015, SD-WAN has become the competitive WAN solution for distributed enterprises but has largely failed to find a home with Small and Medium Businesses. Ethica plans to change that – providing SD-WAN features like network resilience, smarter use of available bandwidth, and greater insight into WAN traffic realities at a significantly more palatable price point.

“We have the app for that,” states Zimmermann, who’s been leading the team since November of 2019. “Until now, SD-WAN was, like all new products and services, reserved for the wealthiest of large business customers. The automation, user-friendly GUI, and streamlining of the feature-set gives Ethica an advantage over the existing players in the space. If you want to operate at scale, you’ve got to have a clear value proposition, a product that is easy to sell, an ability to collect and leverage operational data, and no barriers to entry. Ethica is determined and well positioned to support tens of thousands of sites by having thought through the customer journey and mapped where it can provide value along each step of the way.”

Each team-member at Ethica averages 10 years’ experience with SD-WAN – having learned how to acquire and enable channel partners to deploy SD-WAN with as minimal touch as possible and provide value beyond just the technology itself. It’s what makes Ethica a unique player in the space.

“We want to be the best vendor choice our channel partners will ever make,” continues Zimmermann. “And our team is listening to what our channel is saying, ensuring that our roadmap is in-line with their needs, that our price-point maximizes their profitability, and that we’re helping them run better businesses.”

Ethica is currently working with service providers across North America to validate its product and associated processes and plans to launch to a wider audience in the coming weeks. Interested service providers should contact Ethica directly.

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Business: Insurance

Car Insurance Basics 2020 – What Are High-Risk Drivers

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News Image

“You should do anything you can in order to avoid being labeled as a high-risk driver. High-risk drivers pay huge amounts of money in order to get coverage”, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.


LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains what reasons car insurance companies consider some drivers as high-risk.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/what-are-high-risk-drivers/

Drivers should avoid being classified as high-risk by insurance companies. The premiums paid by high-risk drivers can be very high, and especially for those who are required to carry full coverage. Usually, persons who are more likely to cause accidents are considered high-risk.

High-risk drivers are classified as such for the following reasons:


  • A history of committing major traffic violations. Drivers who are involved in at-fault accidents or they are caught driving while being intoxicated are very likely to be considered high-risk by the insurance providers.

  • Drivers who have both tickets and at-fault accidents. One traffic violation is enough for a driver to be considered at a higher risk than someone with none. Some insurers offer special options that will forgive one or a few tickets and accidents. Drivers that are filing claims are more likely to be considered high-risk. In some cases, the insurance rates will go up even if a driver completes a claim for a no-fault accident. All of these unpleasant premium increases can be avoided by drivers if they purchase accident forgiveness.

  • Drivers who buy insurance for the first time. Drivers who just purchased their insurance are considered high-risk. To get rid of this label, new drivers need to be continuously insured for at least six months.

  • Policyholders with a bad credit score. One of the most important factors used by the insurers in order to determine the driver’s insurance premiums is the credit score. Drivers with a really poor credit score are considered high-risk by the insurance providers.

  • Teen drivers. The statistics show that teen drivers are more likely to be involved in car accidents. For this reason, insurance carriers classify teen drivers as high-risk.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

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.

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Business: Executives

National Women’s Business Council Issues Policy Recommendations on Investment in Women-Owned Businesses

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National Women’s Business Council

“Female founders continue to face endemic barriers in accessing capital to start and grow their businesses,” said NWBC Chair Liz Sara. “Data indicate that female founders received only 2.2% or just $2.9 billion of the total $130 billion of 2018 venture capital dollars.”


WASHINGTON (PRWEB)

In its new Annual Report, the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) has issued policy recommendations on angel investment tax credits with the aim to improve access to capital through incentives for new investments in women-owned firms.

The NWBC submitted its 2019 Annual Report to the President, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the House Committee on Small Business, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

This report recaps NWBC’s 31st year and provides the findings, conclusions, and policy recommendations of the Council. NWBC Chair Liz Sara, now in her second year at the helm, has concentrated its efforts on three important initiatives: improving access to capital for female founders, encouraging more women to start and grow companies in STEM-related fields, and removing obstacles for women business owners in rural areas.

The recommendations include a federal angel investment tax credit to broaden the pool of investors as well as a first employee tax credit to businesses hiring their first employee. The Council also supports reforms SBA program requirements that would allow participating firms to accept more venture capital and equity investments.

“Female founders continue to face endemic barriers in accessing capital to start and grow their businesses,” said NWBC Chair Liz Sara. “Data indicate that female founders received only 2.2% or just $2.9 billion of the total $130 billion of 2018 venture capital dollars.”

In addition, 21% of angel-funded companies have a woman CEO. Despite the breakneck pace in which women entrepreneurs are currently starting businesses, women owned-firms still only contribute 4% to overall business revenues—a figure that has not budged in about two decades.

Angel investor tax credits at the state level offer a promising model that may be tailored and duplicated at the federal level. The Council’s recommendations aim at spurring investments in women-owned enterprises, including new market entrants in the STEM fields.

To that end, the Building Blocks of STEM Act was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on December 24, 2019. Sponsored by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the bill instructs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to more equitably allocate funding for research with a focus on early childhood education. The legislation also directs the NSF to support research on factors that discourage or encourage girls to engage in STEM activities, including computer science.

The National Women’s Business Council is encouraged by the passage of this legislation and will continue to identify pipeline barriers for women entrepreneurs in the STEM fields.

“Just four days prior to the passage of this bill, NWBC released its 2019 Annual Report, which provides policy recommendations in three key areas of importance to female founders including women in STEM. The passage of this bill is very encouraging and both NWBC and its staff remain resolute in working to advance policies that provide greater insight and support for female engagement in STEM,” said Nina Roque, Executive Director, National Women’s Business Council.

About the National Women’s Business Council

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a non-partisan federal advisory committee created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. To learn more, please visit: http://www.NWBC.gov

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Business: Insurance

Utilant Acquires IMTI Systems, Furthering its Leadership in the Loss Control Market

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Utilant Acquires IMTI

Utilant is very excited about the IMTI acquisition and the related industry experience, customer base, technology, and data that it brings to the future of our company, said Pat Davis, CEO at Utilant.


BUFFALO, N.Y. (PRWEB)

Utilant, the provider of the P&C insurance industry’s premier loss control survey management SaaS platform, through an asset acquisition, has acquired IMTI Systems. IMTI has been a long-standing pioneer in loss control technology solutions with a history of supporting many of the top P&C insurance companies as customers over the years. The acquisition was announced today by Utilant’s management team in Buffalo, NY and the official acquisition date was December 31, 2019.

As one of the fastest-growing global InsurTech software companies today, Utilant continues to expand its market share with this acquisition, further establishing itself as the leading loss control provider and as the insurance industry’s preferred “hub” connecting insurance core systems, vendor survey companies, and InsurTech companies to help reduce losses and improve the performance of their customers.

“IMTI has played a critical role driving innovation in loss control survey management and automation for the insurance industry,“ said Douglas Falkenburg, President and CEO of IMTI Systems. “Leading in this industry since 1979 and serving our customers well has been a personal privilege and great accomplishment for our company. Along with the rest of the IMTI team, I look forward to joining Utilant and continuing to develop and push innovation into the loss control market.“

With the acquisition of IMTI, Utilant has put in place an extensive plan to seamlessly service IMTI’s customer base, allowing for IMTI customers to receive excellent customer experience and support.

“Utilant is very excited about the IMTI acquisition and the related industry experience, customer base, technology, and data that it brings to the future of our company,“ said Pat Davis, CEO at Utilant. “IMTI Systems has written the book on loss control, and we are thrilled that they can continue their legacy in the market within Utilant and jointly invest in the industry’s future with our combined loss control knowledge and expertise.”

The combined market share of the joined companies includes an expanding global footprint with an international presence in the UK and an increased depth of expertise in Jurisdictional Objects, Equipment Breakdown, and Premium Audit.

About Utilant and Loss Control 360

Utilant’s Loss Control 360 is the “best-in-class” Loss Control Survey Management Platform for P&C insurance and survey/risk engineering companies, establishing its position as the hub for connecting insurance carrier core systems, vendor survey firms, and InsurTechs to comprehensively transform the global insurance industry workflow. The solution supports Commercial, Personal, and Specialty lines, and is deployed via a SaaS model. Utilant’s Loss Control 360 platform is used by leading Insurers and top vendor survey companies around the world. The Loss Control 360 platform helps Insurers to survey and score risks for an efficient underwriting process across all lines of commercial and residential business. A typical implementation provides positive ROI within the first year. For more information visit http://www.losscontrol360.com.

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Business: Executives

Dave DeWalt Joins Cybereason as Vice Chairman of its Advisory Board

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Dave DeWalt, Vice Chairman, Advisory Board, Cybereason

“I am thrilled Dave is joining our Advisory Board as Vice Chairman at a time when Cybereason is growing rapidly and expanding its market share. Dave’s experience in scaling security companies will be instrumental in taking us to the next level,” said Lior Div, CEO and Co-founder, Cybereason.


BOSTON (PRWEB)

Cybereason, creators of the leading Cyber Defense Platform, today announced that Dave DeWalt has joined the company as Vice Chairman of its Advisory Board. In his role, he will be a strategic advisor and help accelerate Cybereason’s go-to-market strategy.

“Dave is a trailblazer in the cybersecurity industry and I am thrilled he is joining our Advisory Board as Vice Chairman at a time when Cybereason is growing rapidly and expanding its market share in the endpoint protection platform market. Dave’s experience in scaling security companies will be instrumental in taking Cybereason to the next level,” said Lior Div, CEO and Co-founder, Cybereason.

Dave is a veteran CEO, advisor, and investor who has led companies, from startups to the Fortune 500, on transformational journeys of success. He’s the former CEO of FireEye and of McAfee with more than 25 years of experience in cybersecurity.

Today, he works on boards and advises multiple companies. DeWalt has spoken at the World Economic Forum on the issue of cybersecurity and given keynote speeches at several technology industry conferences.

“Cybereason is driving a massive transformation of how sophisticated cyberthreats are prevented in the EPP market, a multi billion dollar industry and I am thrilled to be joining the company’s Advisory Board as Vice Chairman. I have admired Cybereason from afar and believe that their unique approach to enterprise cyber solutions is the best in the market,” said DeWalt.

“Cybereason proved many times that it has the right people, technology, services, and experience to stop sophisticated attackers, be it criminals or nation state backed adversaries across multiple verticals, industries, and regions. Adding Dave as an advisor to the company enhances our expertise even more to further serve our customers,” added Lior Div.

About Cybereason

Cybereason, creators of the leading Cyber Defense Platform, gives the advantage back to the defender through a completely new approach to cybersecurity. Cybereason offers endpoint prevention, detection and response and active monitoring. The solution delivers multi-layered endpoint prevention by leveraging signature and signatureless techniques to prevent known and unknown threats in conjunction with behavioral and deception techniques to prevent ransomware and fileless attacks. Cybereason is privately held and is headquartered in Boston, with offices in London, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Asia-Pacific and continental Europe.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

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Media Contact:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

(929) 259-3261

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Business: Executives

Catherine Downey, CEO and Founder of CATMEDIA, honored as one of 2020 “Enterprising Women” of the Year

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Catherine Downey Enterprising Women of the Year 2020

Catherine Downey is recognized as one of Enterprising Women Magazine’s “Enterprising Women of the Year 2020”

The recipients of the 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards represent an amazing group of women entrepreneurs from across the United States and as far away as Japan, India, Turkey, Kenya and the UAE.


ATLANTA (PRWEB)

The Enterprising Women of the Year Awards is widely considered one of the most prestigious recognition programs for women business owners. To win, nominees must demonstrate that they have fast-growth businesses, mentor or actively support other women and girls involved in entrepreneurship, and stand out as leaders in their communities. Many of the honorees also serve as leaders of the key organizations that support the growth of women’s entrepreneurship.

CATMEDIA founder and CEO, Catherine Downey, is one of two awardees recognized from the state of Georgia. Award winners were recognized in categories based on the annual sales revenues of their businesses. Downey and her company were in the category for sales over $10 million and less than $25 million. She and other honorees will be recognized at the 18th Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration & Conference, to be held from Sunday, March 29 to Tuesday, March 31 at the Wyndham Grand in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

CATMEDIA, a full service creative and marketing agency based in Tucker, GA, and it’s founder have been recognized as leaders among government service contractors. Catherine Downey has also been recognized through multiple awards and honors as a leader who has made significant strides in their careers, are making a difference in their communities, blazing the trail for others, and leaving an indelible mark on the Atlanta business community. Also recognized as by Atlanta Magazine as one of the city’s “500 Most Powerful Leaders” in 2019, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Women Who Mean Business”, and the 2016 “Small Business Person of the Year”.

The 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration & Conference will bring together dynamic women business owners from North America and around the world for two-and-a-half days of top-notch workshops, networking opportunities, corporate sponsor exhibits, and awards presentations. The celebration will shine the spotlight on honorees, with award presentations at the Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Gala Dinner. During the annual “Hall of Fame Luncheon,” one woman entrepreneur and one nonprofit leader will be inducted into the Enterprising Women Hall of Fame.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Enterprising Women magazine under the leadership of Monica Smiley, Publisher/CEO, 20 past recipients of Enterprising Women of the Year Award will be honored with the Enterprising Women “Top 20 in 2020 Award” and recognized at a special reception held in their honor.

The event is open to 2020 award honorees, alumni (previous) award winners, corporate supporters, members of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board, VIPs in the women’s business community, readers of Enterprising Women magazine, and members of the many partner organizations affiliated with Enterprising Women.

“The recipients of the 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards represent an amazing group of women entrepreneurs from across the United States and as far away as Japan, India, Turkey, Kenya and the UAE,” said Monica Smiley, publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women. “We are so proud to recognize their accomplishments as CEOs of fast-growth companies, community leaders, and role models and mentors to other women and girls. We look forward to shining the spotlight on them at our 18th annual awards event in March.”

About Sponsors and Supporters of the ‘Enterprising Women’ awards: Partner organizations represented on the Enterprising Women Advisory Board and supporting the 2020 event include:


  • The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO)

  • National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)

  • Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)

  • Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)

  • National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC)

  • Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW)

  • The Global Initiative for Women’s Entrepreneurship Research

  • Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC)

  • Quantum Leaps

  • Springboard Enterprise

  • National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses (NAWRB)

  • Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC)/Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (WE)

  • Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global

  • Women’s Leadership Exchange

  • The International Alliance for Women (TIAW)

  • Asian Women in Business (AWIB)

  • eWomenNetwork (EWN)

  • Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC)

ABOUT CATMEDIA:

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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Business: Insurance

Vermont’s captive insurance industry releases 2019 licensing figures

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MONTPELIER, Vermont (PRWEB)

The State of Vermont licensed 22 new captive insurance companies in 2019, according to data released by the Vermont Department of Economic Development. The new licenses were made up of 14 pure captives, four sponsored captives, two risk retention groups (RRGs), one special purpose financial insurer and one industrial insured captive. Following a year of continued growth, Vermont is now home to 585 captives, consisting of 559 active and 26 dormant captive insurance companies.

“It’s great to see another strong year of growth for Vermont’s captive insurance industry,” said Governor Scott. “Captive insurance plays an important role in our efforts to grow the economy and make our state more affordable and we remain committed to Vermont’s gold standard reputation as a captive domicile.”

The new captives were licensed in healthcare, real estate, manufacturing, insurance, transportation, technology, construction and professional services. New and notable companies include Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, KPMG LLP, University of Vermont Health Network Inc., Stamford Health, RELX Inc., and Fortive Corporation. Six of Vermont’s 22 new captives were redomestications from other jurisdictions—including New York (3), Bermuda (2) and Switzerland (1).

“Vermont’s 2019 licensing activity in many ways reflected the changing insurance environment,” said Ian Davis, Director of Financial Services. “We licensed nine new captives in the fourth quarter alone and, given the hardening market, we expect the momentum to continue on into 2020.”

“As we have seen over the last few years, there continues to be growing interest in sponsored captive programs from small and mid-sized companies,” said Dave Provost, Deputy Commissioner of Captive Insurance. “When you factor in the four new sponsored captives, Vermont is now home to 37 cell facilities housing well over 200 cells, and the concept is only becoming more popular.”

“Sponsored companies provide an efficient alternative solution for many businesses,” added Sandy Bigglestone, Director of Captive Insurance. “Additionally, it is very common for one cell owner to move from a sponsored company to its own pure captive insurance company, demonstrating that protected cells can offer space to incubate the owner’s need to have greater control over its insurance operations.”

“Vermont’s world-class regulatory framework and service provider network continues to be key determinants in attracting new business to the state,” said Rich Smith, President of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA). “The stability, knowledge and experience of Vermont’s captive industry is simply unmatched.”

Vermont has licensed a total of 1,159 captive insurance companies since 1981 and remains, by far, the largest U.S. domicile for captive insurance and third largest in the world. With an active pipeline of prospective new captive insurance companies already underway for 2020, the state expects continued growth in the coming year.

Captive insurance is a regulated form of self-insurance that has existed since the 1960s and has been a part of the Vermont insurance industry since 1981 when Vermont passed the Special Insurer Act. Captive insurance companies are formed by companies or groups of companies as a form of alternative insurance to better manage their own risk. Captives are commonly used for corporate lines of insurance such as property, general liability, products liability, or professional liability.

For more information on Vermont’s captive insurance industry, visit http://www.vermontcaptive.com, call Ian Davis at 802-828-5232 or email ian.davis@vermont.gov.

The Department of Economic Development operates within the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, whose mission is to help Vermonters improve their quality of life and build strong communities.

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