Category Archives: Business

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

VDart announces Mohamed Irfan Peeran as Managing Director, Mergers and Acquisitions


VDart announces Mohamed Irfan Peeran as Managing Director, Mergers and Acquisitions

Mohamed Irfan Peeran

Alpharetta, GA: VDart announces Mohamed Irfan Peeran as Managing Director, Mergers and Acquisitions.

VDart announces Mohamed Irfan Peeran as Managing Director, Mergers and Acquisitions.

VDart Inc., a Global Talent Management, Digital Transformation Services & Product provider, announced the hiring of Mohamed Irfan Peeran to their leadership team as Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions. In this newly created role, Peeran will lead all facets of M&A, including ecosystem strategy, ventures and acquisitions.

“VDart has delivered market-leading growth for the last several years. For us to continue our robust growth trajectory, we firmly believe our M&A strategy will play a key role. Our strategic objectives for M&A are, to deepen digital capabilities, penetrate emerging markets and create exceptional value to all our stakeholders. I am incredibly excited to have Irfan join our leadership team, and very confident his expertise will help us significantly to set the stage for the next phase of our growth. I look forward to working with Irfan and with our entire leadership team – as we continue to drive our purpose and execute our growth agenda,” said Sidd, President and Group CEO of VDart.

Peeran comes with 25+ years of diverse global experience in Strategic Engagements & Alliances, Transformation and Technology Consulting. Prior to joining VDart, he served the Principal Consultant at Peer Solutions Group, where he was engaged by its’ Automotive and Government customers to provide consulting services. In these engagements, he was instrumental in delivering large scale programs in Digital Transformation.

“Irfan is a strategic fit for us,” says Oliver Sam, Vice President – People Strategy & Transformation. “His deep domain expertise and successful entrepreneurial experience offer unique leadership skills for us. As our transformation journey continues, M&A will be a compelling reason for us to keep up with the pace of our growth story. We strongly believe, right leadership talent is a crucial driver for M&A success, and we are very excited with Irfan spearheading our M&A.”

“I am very excited to be at VDart and impressed with VDart’s organic and high-growth,” said Irfan. “VDart has established themselves in a short span of time as a strong contender in the Digital Transformation space by offering cutting edge solutions to its customers mainly in the fast-growing Mobility industry and have helped solve several critical business problems using Blockchain, IoT, AI, RPA and Cloud Technologies.”

About VDart:

VDart Inc. is a Global Talent Management, Digital Transformation Services & Product provider based out of Atlanta, Georgia. We lead digital transformation by designing and developing future-ready solutions using cutting-edge technologies, delivering an amazing experience, and creating better business value.

We power the next generation of mobility with our fleet management, digital key, in-vehicle infotainment and connected vehicle solutions. We have deep industry expertise and focus in the Automotive, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Energy & Utility, Healthcare and Technology and bring extensive experience collaborating with leading automotive OEMs, Tier1 suppliers and fleet owners to develop advanced mobility solutions to support the growing need for mobility-on-demand.

We specialize in IoT, Mobility solutions and Connected technologies and carry vast expertise in emerging and cutting edge technologies like Blockchain, IoT, UI/UX, AR/VR, Cloud, Machine Learning, AI, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Identify management, and Intelligent automation. We have deep industry expertise and focus in the Automotive, BFSI, Manufacturing, Energy & Utility, Healthcare and Technology.

We are solving complex technology problems and delivering long term value for our customers. We take immense pride in delivering cutting edge technology solutions, specialized talent, superior performance and seamless execution to meet challenging business needs of customers worldwide including USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, Japan, Australia & India.

Visit us at: http://www.vdart.com

Avishek Ganguly

VDart

(678) 685-8650

avishek.g@vdartdigital.com

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InsCipher Announces Orange Partnership with Vertafore


Surplus Lines Taxes

InsCipher’s CONNECT system now fully integrates with Vertafore AIM

InsCipher’s goal is to simplify surplus lines management for states and agencies. Working with Vertafore helps us achieve that goal

Today InsCipher, a Utah-based software company specializing in surplus lines filing management, announced it has joined Vertafore’s Orange Partner Program. The partnership kicks off with a Vertafore AIM™ integration. With the new integration, AIM users’ policy data will transfer directly into InsCipher’s Connect™ system, for easy surplus lines filing and reporting.

InsCipher currently has API batch-file capability to 13 states, including California, Texas, New York, and Florida. Several more states will be added in the coming months. InsCipher hosts the state surplus lines portals systems for both Utah (slaut.org) and Idaho, and Connect™ users are therefore linked to those states automatically.

“This partnership represents a milestone for InsCipher in bringing our one-of-a-kind-solution to the E&S sector,” stated Daniel Steadman, InsCipher’s Vice President. He continues: “Connect™ provides the E-file features that AIM users need while enhancing their surplus lines tax management as a whole.” Steadman notes that state E-filing is only one part of InsCipher’s functionality. “InsCipher’s goal is to simplify surplus lines management for states and agencies. Working with Vertafore helps us achieve that goal.”

Connect’s expanded capabilities include tools to automate surplus lines tax filing and reporting. As policies are uploaded from AIM into Connect™, the system automatically creates a filing and reporting task schedule based on policy data, taking into account each states’ specific requirements. Connect™ helps prepare filings for submission, with built-in surplus lines tax calculation and reconciliation tools. Furthermore, as a cloud-based system, Connect™ allows companies to centralize filing activities across multiple offices and sub-agencies.

Connect’s™ state rules, rates, dates, and requirements are kept up to date by InsCipher’s full-compliance team, who monitor changes at the state level and update the system accordingly.

“We partnered with InsCipher because we share a mutual goal of making Insurance management and reporting easier for everyone,” stated Doug Mohr, Vertafore’s vice president of industry relations & partnerships.“ The Connect™ platform is a strategic addition to our integrated tool offerings, which adds to our already impressive group of Vertafore Orange Partners. It was important for Vertafore to find a partner that provides a high level of convenience and dependability to our customers. We found that in InsCipher.”

Learn more about InsCipher by visiting: https://www.inscipher.com/vertafore-aim or by reaching out to their sales team at: info@inscipher.com

About Vertafore

For 50 years, Vertafore, the leader in modern insurance technology, has built and supported superior Insurtech solutions to connect every point of the distribution channel. Vertafore’s agency management, ratings, regulation, compliance, data and analytics, and connectivity products streamline workflows, improve efficiency and drive productivity for more North American insurance professionals than any other provider – including more than 20,000 agencies, over 1,000 carriers and 23 state governments. Through a continual focus on operational excellence, development of innovative solutions, and alignment with key industry partners, Vertafore is leading the way for customers of all sizes by delivering results that make a difference. For more information about Vertafore, visit http://www.vertafore.com.

©2020 Vertafore and the Vertafore logo are registered trademarks of Vertafore. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About InsCipher

InsCipher LLC seeks to combine the best of insurance compliance with insurance technology to decipher the complex world of surplus lines tax filings. InsCipher offers a variety of surplus lines products, from full-service surplus lines filing services to in-house management software. InsCipher is the official software provider for the Surplus Lines Association of Utah (slaut.org) and the Surplus Line Association of Idaho (SLA Idaho). For more information about InsCipher’s services, visit http://www.inscipher.com

For Inquiries Contact:

Jason Russon

Director of Sales and Marketing

InsCipher LLC

jrusson@inscipher.com

801.376.1232

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CallRevu Announces a New Vice President of Client Services, Jim Menard


Menard - VP of Client Services

Jim Menard

“We are excited to have Jim help us take our customer engagement to the next level. Jim is bold, innovative and champions partnership – all are core values to CallRevu,” said Anthony Giagnacovo, CEO of CallRevu.

CallRevu, the industry leader in automotive Conversation Intelligence featuring call data, tracking and advanced machine monitoring powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to help Dealers Connect, Communicate and Close deals, is pleased to announce that Jim Menard has joined as the new Vice President of Client Services. Menard will be focus on strengthening CallRevu’s relationships with dealers, supporting customer growth and elevating CallRevu’s brand across the automotive ecosystem.

“I am excited to join CallRevu, where I can apply my passion for helping dealers achieve greater success – helping them simplify the customer experience while strengthening their conversations with customers – CallRevu is a cornerstone in helping dealers achieve their goals,” said Jim Menard, Vice President of Client Services.

Menard has been working in the automotive industry for 23 years, having served as Senior Vice President of Sales, Service and Support for TrueCar and in other senior leadership roles at AutoTrader, vAuto and Search Optics. Menard brings proven experiences that result in better organizational effectiveness, employee retention and satisfaction along with higher sales, greater market penetration, and enhanced customer experience.

Menard comes to CallRevu from Dominion Dealer Solutions where he was the Vice President of Client Success, Operations and OEM Relationships where he focused on dealer and OEM relationships across the company’s software and digital marketing platforms. Jim is also a frequent keynote speaker for influential automotive groups, such as the National Automobile Dealers Association [NADA], National Independent Automobile Dealers Association [NIADA], and National Alliance of Buy Here, Pay Here Dealers [NABD].

“We are excited to have Jim on-board, and help us take our customer engagement to the next level — Jim knows the industry and has proven experience leading a Customer Services team to deliver unparalleled value and service. Jim is Bold, Innovative and champions Partnership – all are core values to CallRevu and made Jim an obvious choice,” said Anthony Giagnacovo, CEO of CallRevu.

About CallRevu

CallRevu, founded in 2008, helps thousands of automotive dealers in the U.S. cultivate the customers that make it into the showroom after having a great experience on the phone. CallRevu has monitored over 110 million calls and by providing local and toll-free numbers to place on all ads, we track, listen, summarize, alert, and report on dealership’s phone calls to monitor call performance. With the robust data we collect, we coach on how to enhance the caller’s experience and improve the bottom line of dealerships. Visit http://www.callrevu.com.

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Kors Engineering Welcomes Brian Gillespie as Chief Sales Officer


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We are confident that Brian can take the business forward at an even faster pace and magnify our on-going success

Kors Engineering, a premier service provider for manufacturing and industrial organizations, is proud to announce Brian Gillespie as its new Chief Sales Officer.

Brian Gillespie, Detroit-based veteran in the manufacturing sector, brings almost three decades of global leadership experience to the innovative Kors Engineering team. Prior to joining Kors, Gillespie held executive sales roles at DataProphet, Citrine Informatics, Sight Machine, Imaginestics, and Plex Systems. In his new role as Chief Sales Officer at Kors Engineering he is responsible for customer and partner development as well as developing market strategy to cement the company’s position as the premier integration solution partner for manufacturing companies.

“Brian is an ideal fit with Kors Engineering. Brian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our executive leadership team. We are really excited to have him drive our global customer and partner efforts,” said Tony Kaczmarek, CEO, Kors Engineering. “We are confident that Brian can take the business forward at an even faster pace and magnify our on-going success.”

“I’m delighted to join the superb staff at Kors Engineering and help drive its continued success serving industrial clients,” stated Kors CSO Brian Gillespie. “I have always been impressed with Kors’ technology, the caliber of its staff and their exemplary approach to customer service. I am eager to join this dynamic team and build on its impressive momentum in the industry.”

About Kors Engineering

Kors Engineering is a premier systems integrator and automation and controls provider for manufacturers and other industrial facilities. Kors Engineering delivers quantifiable results in cost reductions, time savings and process efficiencies. For more than 40 years Kors Engineering has executed projects to improve systems and business processes on the shop floor and throughout the entire enterprise. For more information, visit http://www.korsengineering.com.

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Yamaha Corporation of America Names Beck as VP, Integrated Marketing


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“[Randy] possesses exceptional skills when it comes to developing positioning and messaging that resonates with customers. We are excited that Randy is now onboard to help tell the Yamaha story,” said Matt Searfus, Corporate Vice President, Integrated Marketing.

Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) announced that Randy Beck has joined the company as Vice President, Integrated Marketing. He reports directly to Matt Searfus, Corporate Vice President, Integrated Marketing.

In his new role, Beck is responsible for managing and leading YCA’s key marketing departments, including Consumer Audio, Guitar, Keyboard, Percussion, Professional Audio, and Winds & Strings.

“Randy has played key roles in building marketing success for industry-leading brands,” said Searfus. “He possesses exceptional skills when it comes to developing positioning and messaging that resonates with customers. We are excited that Randy is now onboard to help tell the Yamaha story.”

Before joining Yamaha, Beck held the position of Vice President, Percussion at D’Addario & Co, where he led the global strategic direction for the company’s Percussion Business Unit. Prior to that, he held several key managerial roles at Nestle Purina Pet Care in St. Louis, Mo., and in 2017, was named director of marketing responsible for the Friskies, Kit & Kaboodle and Deli Cat brands, one of the largest business units in the company.

Beck also applied his brand managerial talent for five years at Campbell Soup Company in Camden, New Jersey, where he led brand strategy development and execution for Campbell’s Kitchen and Pace.

“My desire to make music, learn, listen and perform has been at my core for as long as I can remember,” said Beck. “As both a musician and a marketer, I am excited to build upon the Yamaha brand promise to create more musicians and develop closer emotional connections with our customers.”

Beck earned a BS in Finance and Banking from the University of Missouri, Columbia and an MBA with a concentration in Brand Management from Washington University in St. Louis.

He and his wife, Margie are relocating with their two children to Manhattan Beach, California.

For more information about Yamaha Corporation of America, visit usa.yamaha.com

-END-

About Yamaha

Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) is the largest subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of award-winning musical instruments, sound reinforcement, commercial installation and home entertainment products to the U.S. market. Products include: Yamaha acoustic, digital and hybrid pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio equipment, Steinberg recording products and NEXO commercial audio products, as well as AV receivers, amplifiers, MusicCast wireless multiroom audio systems, Blu-ray/CD players, earphones, headphones, home-theater-in-a-box systems, sound bars and its exclusive line of Digital Sound Projectors. YCA markets innovative, finely crafted technology and entertainment products and musical instruments targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, music, professional audio installation and consumer markets.

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Nomis Solutions Appoints Shelly Griffin to Lead Mortgage Banking Client Relations


Shelly Griffin brings experience in a broad range of mortgage banking functions that include auditing, quality control, credit review, team lead, and supervisory experience.

Shelly Griffin brings experience in a broad range of mortgage banking functions that include auditing, quality control, credit review, team lead, and supervisory experience.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have Shelly come on board at a time when mortgage companies are ramping up their adoption of technology and automation.

Nomis Solutions, an innovative fintech company focused on ensuring on-going value creation for the world’s smartest financial institutions, has appointed Shelly Griffin as sales director and client partner for the mortgage sector. In this role, Griffin will work closely with Nomis’ mortgage banking clients around the world to understand their business needs and shape the development of the company’s price optimization, price execution, and sales enablement products.

With a background that spans jumbo, non-conforming and direct endorsement (DE) underwriting, Griffin is fluent in all aspects of the mortgage industry. A consistent top sales performer, she brings 22 years of experience in a broad range of mortgage banking functions that include auditing, quality control, credit review, team lead, and supervisory experience. She is based near Charlotte, North Carolina, a major US banking hub.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have Shelly come on board at a time when mortgage companies are ramping up their adoption of technology and automation,” said Frank Rohde, CEO of Nomis. “Nomis is rapidly innovating our suite of products and services for back-office and front-line mortgage professionals, and Shelly will be crucial asset to ensure we understand their needs and stay ahead of the curve.”

Griffin joins Nomis from Deephaven Mortgage where, as the top sales volume and revenue-producing vice president of client development, she worked closely with C-suite, loan officers, underwriters, and processors to ensure their success with Deephaven’s products. Prior to that, Griffin managed the training and development of a large underwriting team at Wells Fargo, having previously led loan repurchasing for Goldman Sachs.

“Nomis has earned an excellent technical reputation in the industry by combining pricing science with front-line sales enablement. Nomis nSight is indisputably the industry’s premier tool to address the needs of both capital markets and pricing experts,” said Griffin. “I am looking forward to working alongside Nomis’ talented technical and product teams in our mission to help mortgage banks of all sizes transform their pricing capabilities and maximize their revenue potential.”

The Nomis Lending Platform empowers banks to implement a customer-centric approach to pricing and offers that connects their clients with the products and features they value most to increase origination, utilization, and retention. Banks use Nomis solutions to increase margin growth and market share in residential, unsecured, and auto lending.

To learn more about Nomis Lending Solutions, request a complimentary assessment.

About Nomis Solutions

Nomis is a fast-growing fintech and price optimization pioneer that is enabling the world’s smartest financial institutions to drive sustained, profitable growth through end-to-end customer-centric pricing capabilities. We do so through our market-leading, cloud-native Nomis Platform™ and team of experts, bringing together cutting-edge big data, machine learning, AI and mission-critical software with deep expertise in consumer behavior, pricing and the financial services industry. The Nomis Platform manages over $2.5 trillion in transaction volume, quotes a price every 60 milliseconds, empowers 14,000+ bankers, and generates nearly $800 million in value annually. To learn more, visit nomissolutions.com.

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AstroTurf Corporation Announces Jim Savoca as Vice President of Sales


Jim Savoca

Jim’s breadth of industry knowledge and the sales process specifically, is unparalleled in our industry

Synthetic turf industry veteran Jim Savoca has been named Vice President of Sales for AstroTurf Corporation. Jim moves into the role after previously serving as General Manager for AstroTurf’s Central Region of the United States.

Savoca brings nearly 40 years of successful sales and management experience to his position as Vice President of Sales where he will oversee AstroTurf’s sales team and will continue to build on the company’s legendary customer service model. Savoca attended Ohio State University where he played for the iconic Woody Hayes for four years. After graduation, he entered the artificial turf business and has worked in all aspects of the industry. Jim sold the conventional AstroTurf products, moved into the heavily infilled versions, and now spends his time promoting the most technologically advanced turf systems in the industry.

“Jim’s breadth of industry knowledge and the sales process specifically, is unparalleled in our industry,” says Rich Jordan, AstroTurf Corporation Executive Vice President. “We’re thrilled he will be guiding the best sales team in the business and imparting his straight-forward and enthusiastic approach to providing solutions to our customers’ sports surfacing needs.”

As Vice President of Sales, Jim is responsible for overseeing the management of AstroTurf’s sales efforts as well as helping plan the long-term goals and strategies for the company. Over the years, Jim has played a key role in the rapid growth of AstroTurf’s athletic field and sports venue business and his contribution to building the AstroTurf brand is widely known and respected.

About AstroTurf®

For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at http://www.astroturf.com.

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Waggl Commended for Putting People First During the COVID-19 Crisis


Logo for the 2020 Stevie Award

Waggl’s “Putting People First During the COVID-19 Crisis” initiative has earned a Bronze Stevie in the category of “Most Innovative Use of HR Technology During the Pandemic.”

“Putting people first is the number one principle that can help guide an organization through the ups and downs of turbulent times,” said Michael Papay, Co-founder and CEO, Waggl. “Inviting all employees to share their ideas results in a more deeply committed team and produces better outcomes.”

Waggl, the most powerful Employee Voice platform for strategic business and HR leaders, today announced that it is the recipient of a 2020 Stevie® Award for Great Employers. Waggl’s “Putting People First During the COVID-19 Crisis” initiative has earned a Bronze Stevie in the category of “Most Innovative Use of HR Technology During the Pandemic.”

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers are an international business awards competition that are open to all organizations worldwide. The awards recognize the world’s best companies to work for, and the HR teams, professionals, achievements, new products, and suppliers that help to create and drive great places to work.

“As we move through this global pandemic together with our customers, we become more aware every day of the need for organizations to hear the voices of all employees — not just the people in the Boardroom and the Executive Suite,” said Michael Papay, Co-founder and CEO, Waggl. “From what we’ve seen and experienced, putting people first is the number one principle that can help guide an organization through the ups and downs of turbulent times. Inviting all employees to share their ideas, and taking the time to genuinely and empathically understand their perspectives, results in a more deeply committed team and produces better outcomes for all types of organizations.”

Waggl is an agile engagement solution that crowdsources real-time insight from employees to drive faster action and alignment around critical business topics. With a unique approach that enables a shared real-time dialogue, Waggl rapidly surfaces and prioritizes insights, ideas, and information to help organizations maintain connection with their people. In the COVID-19 crisis, the abrupt transition to remote work interrupted the normal workflows of most organizations and presented steep challenges to keeping employees engaged and productive. In order to help support organizations during this transition, Waggl launched an initiative called “Putting People First During the COVID-19 Crisis.” The initiative consisted of three key components:

1. “Putting People First” Module. A new module with 3 pre-loaded question sets designed to help HR leaders sustain connection, guide organizational actions, and shape the future.

2. “Putting People First” Pulse. A collaborative offering that invited HR leaders to share insights and learnings with their peers about their organizations’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis, in order to surface best practices and help support wellbeing.

3. Free access. HR Leaders were invited to use Waggl’s Employee Voice platform to navigate the many challenges associated with the Pandemic, free of charge for 90 days. Waggl’s COVID-19 offering helped to keep people engaged, connected, and informed, filling a gap in the existing engagement toolset and paving the way for ongoing Employee Voice initiatives. Waggl’s inherent ability to facilitate agile, topical and localized engagement around issues people care deeply about made this solution particularly powerful and relevant during the Pandemic.

“The truth is that the COVID-19 crisis has forever changed the landscape of business and work,” said Alex Kinnebrew, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Growth Strategy, Waggl. In order to adapt to the future, we can’t go backward. Building a successful organization in the ‘new normal’ will require leaders to employ transparent communication, encourage authentic dialogue, and cultivate a sense of shared ownership.”

To learn more about Waggl, please visit https://www.waggl.com/.

About Waggl

For HR leaders who need to measure, and truly improve engagement, Waggl is an Employee Voice platform that crowdsources real-time insight to drive faster action and alignment around critical business topics. Inspired by the waggle dance honeybees do to communicate vital information, Waggl believes every voice matters. Unlike heavy surveys or basic pulse tools, Waggl is a dialogue-first approach to engagement that creates shared ownership through inclusive team-based action planning.

With a seasoned Executive Team and premiere customers including Freddie Mac, Paychex, Heineken, 3M, Mastercard, UCSF Medical Center, McGraw Hill, Taylor Morrison and Parsons, Waggl partners with leading enterprises to harness the collective intelligence of their people. For more information and an expanded customer list, please visit https://www.waggl.com.

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Missy Sherburne Appointed Chief of Growth and Strategic Partnerships for Learning Ally


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Missy has a deep understanding of the challenges in education and a passion for early learning and technology. With her leadership, we are on a path to double our impact, working with partners and investors who share a vision of reading for all.”

Learning Ally, a leading nonprofit with a mission to transform the lives of the 30 million U.S. students who struggle to read, has appointed Missy Sherburne as its Chief of Growth and Strategic Partnerships.

Ms. Sherburne will report to Andrew Friedman, CEO and work closely with the Leadership Team at Learning Ally to advance the organization’s growth goals. With an expanded emphasis on early literacy and professional learning, Sherburne’s work will focus on national initiatives, cultivating new partnerships and developing strategies with a goal to expand Learning Ally’s impact in new markets, build investment in neuroscience research and support the development of needed new platforms. In doing so, Learning Ally will ensure that more educators have the support they need to help students of all ages and more students have the ability to read, learn and succeed.

Sherburne, a former teacher and leader within Teach For America, and mother of a child with dyslexia, has extensive experience working with public schools and corporate partnerships to enhance the use of education technology to impact positive student outcomes. She is a founding executive of DonorsChoose, a crowdfunding platform spotlighted by Fast Company as one of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies. Her efforts helped to raise more than fifty million dollars with investors to purchase much-needed resources for public school classrooms. Sherburne also held a pivotal leadership role at Tinkergarten, an early childhood outdoor nature play and social impact startup to spearhead growth and expansion of revenue and B2B licensing models across the country.

“We are fortunate to have Missy on board,” said Andrew Friedman. “She has a deep understanding of the challenges in education and a passion for early learning and technology. With her leadership, we are on a path to double our impact, working with partners and investors who share a vision of reading for all.”

Learning Ally’s flagship product is the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution which serves struggling readers through schools and directly to households. It partners with renowned researchers at institutions like the University of California at San Francisco and MIT who develop groundbreaking solutions that allow for early identification of literacy challenges, as well as cognitive strengths and weaknesses of students. The organization also works with neuroscientists and educators to map student profiles to teaching best practices, and is recognized for its Spotlight on Dyslexia virtual conference which brings together educators, parents and dyslexia experts who advocate on behalf of students with learning disabilities. In 2018, the organization was honored with a Library of Congress Literacy Award for its outstanding achievements and innovative, research-based best practices to improve literacy worldwide.

Interested foundations, innovators and investors can contact Missy Sherburne at msherburne@learningally.org.

About Learning Ally

Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit education solutions organization dedicated to equipping educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 700,000 students and 135,000 educators across the US. The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution is our cornerstone award-winning reading accommodation used in approximately 19,000 schools to help students with reading deficits succeed. Composed of high quality, human-read audiobooks, and a suite of teacher resources to monitor and support student progress, it is designed to turn struggling readers into engaged learners.

For more information on Learning Ally, and the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution, visit http://www.learningally.org/educators or call 800-221-1098.

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Inc. Magazine Recognized International Citizens Group as One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America


International Citizens Group logo

It’s rewarding to be an industry-leading provider of Expatriate health insurance and to support the growing global trend of international mobility.

The Boston based global services firm, International Citizens Group, Inc. (InternationalCitizens.com), boosted by strong growth in its insurance brokerage division, International Citizens Insurance, announced today it is ranked No. 641 on Inc. Magazine’s annual Inc. 5000 list, the most respected ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The company reported a very impressive growth rate of 731.4% over the previous 3 years.

“We have made significant efforts at International Citizens Group (ICG) to become one of the best global insurance brokers that will sustain and serve customers for decades to come,” says President Joe Cronin. “As an organization that strives to see growth while providing excellent customer service, we are especially excited to be recognized by the Inc. 5000 this year.”

ICG was established to create, provide and market high-quality resources, tools, and advice for expatriates, global citizens, and international travelers. The team at ICG has a wealth of international experience, having all traveled the world extensively. This experience gives us a unique advantage in providing the best customer service to our clients as we understand the needs and wants of those traveling and living abroad.

International Citizens Insurance (http://www.InternationalInsurance.com) is owned and operated by ICG. Our mission is to educate consumers on the value of global medical, life, and travel insurance while providing a resource for them to research, compare and purchase plans for their relocation abroad or international trip. We offer expatriate insurance, corporate group plans, international health insurance, volunteer group insurance, travel insurance, insurance for international employees, and cover for anyone living abroad or traveling throughout the world.

“Our growth is a testament to our expert and dedicated team. This ranking is further validation that we have taken the right steps and solidified our position in the market,” said Cronin. “It’s rewarding to be an industry-leading provider of Expatriate health insurance and to support the growing global trend of international mobility. I want to specifically recognize Gregg Manning, our VP of Operations, and Andrew Blomberg, our Director of Sales, for their leadership and dedication during this period of rapid growth.”

As the entrepreneurial leader of several successful businesses, this is not Joe Cronin’s first time on the list. His previous company, Edvisors, made the Inc. 5000 list in 2012 and 2013 at No. 3,490 and 1,321, respectively. The elite group that International Citizens Group has now joined includes companies such as Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle, and Zappos.com.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About International Citizens Group, Inc.

International Citizens Group, Inc. provides expatriates and globally mobile citizens outside their home country access to resources and advice on moving, living, and working abroad. As a leading international insurance brokerage via InternationalInsurance.com, their goals are to educate consumers on the variety of plans available and to help them find the best option for their health, well-being, and peace of mind.

About Inc. Media

Founded in 1979, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. Inc. took home the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012.

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