Universal Life Church Symbol

The suit alleges that this official has unconstitutionally utilized her position to block ordained ministers of ULCM from exercising their religious right to legally solemnize a wedding ceremony.

SEATTLE (PRWEB)
August 27, 2019

On August 26, 2019, the Universal Life Church Ministries (ULCM) filed a lawsuit against the Register of Deeds for Cleveland County, North Carolina. The suit alleges that this official has unconstitutionally utilized her position to block ordained ministers of ULCM from exercising their religious right to legally solemnize a wedding ceremony.

The Church claims to have ordained more than 20 million ministers, and wedding announcements across the country frequently indicate that the ceremony was performed by a minister of the ULCM. The Universal Life Church Ministries has long been a vocal advocate for marriage equality, and in many locations its ministers are the only option for those couples seeking a religious wedding ceremony in their area that comports with their values.

The Universal Life Church Ministries has thousands of active ministers and members across the State of North Carolina, and has vowed to work tirelessly to secure and restore the Constitutional and Spiritual rights of these individuals. This suit (Case No. 1:19-cv-00249), which is before the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina – Asheville Division, asks the Court for a judgment declaring that the refusal to recognize the validity of marriages performed by ULCM ministers is unconstitutional in addition to a permanent injunction preventing any actions that would deter or prevent any ULCM minister from officiating over a legal wedding ceremony.

At its founding, the ULCM committed itself to ensuring that all those who feel so-called could become ordained as ministers to marry, bury, and otherwise minister to any who may feel drawn to their personal message – often based on the faith traditions of yesteryear as society continues to integrate and evolve. As attendance in the pews at more traditional churches across the country continues to decline, ULCM has stated that its membership rolls continue to grow exponentially – even declaring themselves “the future of faith.”

The beliefs of the Universal Life Church Ministries derive from its overarching mantra: “We are all Children of the Same Universe.” ULCM states that its members and ministers abide only by two guiding tenets: 1. Do that which is right, and 2. All may freely practice their faith as they see fit, so long as in the course of doing so they don’t infringe on the freedom of any other to do the same.

The Church has previously pledged that it intends to vigorously defend the religious freedoms – guaranteed by the Constitution – of its ministers and members around the country in a national effort marshaled by the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine. The Universal Life Church Ministries continues to urge any ULCM members or ministers who have encountered a government official behaving in a manner that appears intolerant of their faith to contact the Church.

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Every public school in the Florida Panhandle will be equipped with a Let’s Talk Interactive telehealth portal in time for 2019-2020 school year.

“By deploying our Telehealth Kiosks and Portals at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, these schools and communities now have the ability to receive mental, acute and emergency care on any device with a cellular or internet connection…”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB)
August 20, 2019

State of Florida invests in transformative technology toward improving childhood mental health

Let’s Talk Interactive, Inc., a leading provider of customizable telehealth solutions, alongside the Department of Children & Family Services (DCF) and the State of Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Hope for Healing initiative, unveiled 63 Telehealth Kiosks and 63 Telehealth iPads Portals in six counties last week. Every public school in the Florida Panhandle will be equipped with a portal in time to start the 2019-2020 academic year. The customized Telehealth Kiosks and Telemedicine Software Portals will enable more than 35,000 school-aged children to access much-needed care for those affected by life stressors, primarily the trauma and devastation caused by Hurricane Michael in late 2018.

The Telehealth Portals will be available to students within Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Franklin, Jackson, and Liberty Counties via insurance, Medicaid and Medicare and grants available through Big Bend Community Based Care (BBCBC). Throughout the school year, providers in the hurricane-affected area will be able to offer counseling services through the Let’s Talk Interactive online platform. Students within these six Florida counties can now access psychiatric care through the Telehealth Portals during the school day. The parent or legal guardian can be part of the innovative video sessions through the HIPPA-compliant platform from work or home to maximize the time they are able to devote to their children’s wellness.

Hurricane Michael was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States and the first storm of its magnitude to do so in the Northeast Gulf Coast. After making landfall near Mexico Beach on the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2018, the Category 4 storm caused massive destruction. The region is still devastated nearly one year later and those impacted are some of the youngest in the state.

“More than 15 million school-aged children suffer from psychiatric illness across the United States,” said Arthur Cooksey, Founder, Let’s Talk Interactive, Inc. “First Lady DeSantis and the State of Florida are spearheading a cutting edge initiative to tackle one of the nation’s leading crises – mental illness. Our goal is to break the stigma and provide unparalleled access to quality healthcare to anyone who needs it – especially for the next generation.”

In June 2019, Let’s Talk Interactive was tasked by BBCBC to install the 63 custom Telehealth Kiosks and iPad Portals by the start of the school year – a record 42 day turnaround time. “We are an experienced team and were able to move mountains with our partners here in the U.S. to combat the crisis facing not only the Panhandle, but also our country as a whole,” remarked Cooksey.

“Providing better access to Medical and Mental Health Care is a crisis and top priority for our nation. Since 2001, Let’s Talk Interactive and our partners have been at the forefront of this initiative,” noted Josh Botbol, President, Let’s Talk Interactive. “BBCBC, DCF and First Lady DeSantis’ Hope for Healing Initiative had a vision to improve healthcare and make it more accessible in their schools. We are excited to be able to help them bring that vision to life. By deploying our Telehealth Kiosks and Portals at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, these schools and communities now have the ability to receive mental, acute and emergency care on any device with a cellular or internet connection – putting real time healthcare at every citizen’s fingertips instantaneously.”

“We are focused on what will make a difference in the lives of these young, vulnerable children. I too am so grateful that today we can talk about the impact of tele-health and tele-mental health in the lives of children and their families,” added Mary Mayhew, Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration, State of Florida at a press conference held Thursday, August 8, 2019. “And we know that we have a healthcare workforce shortage in this state and that is acutely felt in mental health. This is going to be a pilot to understand what more can we do around this state […] this is going to change not only the lives of children and families in this area of the state, but it holds promise for so many throughout the state.”

Let’s Talk Interactive plans to track the success of the initiative within the Panhandle throughout the school year, measuring the number of students who participate and are partnered with local providers. This data will be monitored by BBCBC’s Program Director Dr. George Baston and reported back to the State of Florida to highlight the impact the technology will have throughout the year.

For more information about Let’s Talk Interactive and its work in Florida schools, visit http://www.letstalkinteractive.com.

About Let’s Talk Interactive, Inc.

Let’s Talk Interactive, Inc. is a complete end-to-end Telehealth solutions provider, arming medical and behavioral health professionals with cutting-edge Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) video conferencing software, kiosks and medical carts, network solutions, virtual clinics, and safe and secure online video conferencing capabilities while giving those in need instant access to care through its innovative technology platform. The company’s telemedicine solutions enable providers to offer care at any time, from any location in the world and patients to directly connect to a licensed medical professional in real time.

For more information about Let’s Talk Interactive, please visit their website at https://letstalkinteractive.com.

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Giving back to the community is extremely important to the Little Steps team, and the profits from this event go toward a very worthy cause.

GLENVIEW, Ill. (PRWEB)
September 09, 2019

Little Steps Pediatric Therapy has announced it will sponsor the 2019 OLPHun Run 5k in Glenview, Illinois on Sunday, October 6. The annual walk/run through the Swainwood neighborhood raises money for Sister Paulanne’s Needy Family Fund, which is operated by the Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Catholic Parish and supports families in Glenview and the Chicagoland area.

The 5k will begin at 8 a.m. at Glenview’s Jackman Park. Runners will precede walkers, and those will strollers will start after the runners and walkers. Anyone arriving after 8:10 a.m. might be asked to move to the sidewalks when the roads are reopened to traffic. Runners will be electronically timed, while walkers will not.

Little Steps also sponsored the OLPHun Run 5k in 2017 and 2018. For the second year in a row, the pediatric therapy provider will also be the sole sponsor for kids’ t-shirts for the event.

“We’re thrilled to sponsor the OLPHun Run 5k again this year,” said Jaime Passaglia, founder of Little Steps. “Giving back to the community is extremely important to the Little Steps team, and the profits from this event go toward a very worthy cause.”

Little Steps Pediatric Therapy focuses on delivering comprehensive and compassionate pediatric care to help improve the lives of children of all ages. The company’s team of pediatric professionals provide physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavior therapy.

To learn more about the OLPHun Run 5k and/or register to participate, please visit the OLPHun Run website. Registration costs $25 for runners and $20 for walkers before Saturday, October 5 at 11:59 p.m. After October 5 at 11:59 p.m. and before 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, October 6 (when registration closes), the cost will be $30 for both runners and walkers.    

About Little Steps

Little Steps Pediatric Therapy is a privately-owned company composed of pediatric professionals focused on delivering physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavior therapy to children of all ages in the Chicago area. Our team is determined to provide comprehensive and educational care to change the lives of children one step at a time. To learn more, visit littlestepspt.com.

For more information contact:

Kaley Rosinski

847-707-6744

info@littlestepspt.com

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GRM Information Management will exhibit at the 2019 AHIMA conference.

“GRM’s proven solutions meet the information challenges facing healthcare companies head-on, delivering savings and efficiency while simultaneously mitigating risk through enhanced compliance,” says Bob Hudson, GRM Regional Sales Director for the Midwest.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (PRWEB)
September 11, 2019

GRM Information Management, a leading provider of enterprise content management, will exhibit at the 2019 AHIMA Health Data and Information Conference in Chicago, Illinois September 14 to 18.

AHIMA conference attendees are encouraged to stop by booth #505 to learn more about GRM’s healthcare information management solutions.

Built around their robust, cloud-based content services platform (CSP), GRM’s digital solutions address even the most complex information management challenges facing healthcare companies today. This includes patient records and chart management, revenue cycle management, EMR decommissioning, human resources content management, the consolidation of multiple billing and accounts receivable systems, and improving efficiency by automating workflows.

Specifically, GRM’s Chart Acquisition Platform and Legacy Data Management Solution address difficult data management issues currently plaguing many healthcare companies by integrating with existing systems and providing substantial time and cost savings.

The Chart Acquisition Platform has multiple applications, such as ensuring continued access during EMR downtime, creating a Longitudinal Patient Record that provides a holistic view of a patient’s health, and streamlining the patient chart acquisition and verification process. By optimizing the patient chart acquisition and verification process, GRM can reduce Timely Filing Denials by as much as 70% and cut companies’ Days Sales Outstanding by up to 65%.

GRM’s Legacy Data Management Solution consolidates multiple EMR systems under a single platform and seamlessly connects to go-forward EMRs, providing efficient patient records management. Decommissioning legacy EMR systems delivers significant savings by eliminating the licensing and maintenance costs associated with maintaining multiple systems.

“As the healthcare industry continues to evolve through consolidation, the information management challenges facing healthcare companies grow ever more complex,” says Bob Hudson, GRM Regional Sales Director for the Midwest. “GRM’s proven solutions meet these challenges head-on, delivering savings and efficiency while simultaneously mitigating risk through enhanced compliance.”

About GRM

GRM Information Management is a leading provider of information management systems. GRM’s robust, cloud-based content services platform serves as the centerpiece of the digital solutions that GRM provides its clients. Serving a diverse base of industries such as healthcare, government, legal, finance and human resources, GRM delivers its clients services such as digital conversion, advanced data capture solutions, document management systems, workflow automation, legacy data archiving, compliance and governance, business process management and advanced analytics capabilities, as well as a full suite of document storage, scanning and physical records management services.

GRM maintains offices in 15 major metros across the U.S., including Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey/New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. GRM also has facilities in Lima, Peru; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Bogota, Colombia. For more information, visit GRM Information Management.

Press Contact:

Mike Aaron

GRM Information Management

Phone: 201-798-7100 x637

maaron@grmdocument.com

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“Although considered high-risk, senior drivers still have ways to lower car insurance costs”, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
September 11, 2019

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents professional tips which can be used by drivers who seek cheap car insurance for seniors.

For more info and free quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/top-tips-for-the-elderly-to-get-better-car-insurance/

After the age of 70, drivers begin to be considered high-risk. The statistical data presented by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows an increase of accident frequency for elderly drivers. As a result, insurers place seniors in the high-risk category. Drivers who seek better coverage should follow the next tips:

• 
      Apply for low-mileage discount. Retired people who do not have to commute to work drive less than the average driver. They should apply for low mileage discounts that will drastically reduce the costs.
•     Graduate refresher/defensive driving courses. They will give the driver the chance to recap the theoretical knowledge and practice his driving skills. Classes are cheap and will provide valuable discounts after graduation.
•     Install anti-theft devices. Besides deterring thieves, these devices will help the car owner qualify for discounts. Ask the insurer for which types of devices will they grant a discount.
•     Use a cheaper car. A new model can be quite expensive to insure. Instead, drivers should choose a 4-5 years old model which also has some safety devices installed. These devices may even qualify the driver for a discount.
•     Pay-in-full. It might be difficult for an elderly person to pay a large amount of cash, but paying the car insurance policy at once has its benefits. The policyholder can get a 5 percent to 10 percent discount that occurs from eliminating monthly interest charges and administration fees.
•     Use online car insurance quotes. They will help the drivers compare rates and decide whether they should keep the same provider or switch to a company with better rates. Get multiple quotes, for free, from brokerage websites.

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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Liftr Cloud Regions Map explores regional cloud service provider availability.

“We have assembled highly insightful and accurate data-driven tools to address research reports, forecasting and recommendations across the cloud services and infrastructure landscape,” says Tab Schadt, Founder of Liftr Insights.

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB)
September 10, 2019

Now searchable are types and brands of IaaS and bare metal compute accelerators – GPUs, FPGAs, TPUs, and others as they deploy through the top four cloud providers’ public cloud infrastructure.

Backed by software automation, the Liftr Cloud Regions Map is updated every month, as cloud providers announce new data centers, cloud infrastructure, and component offerings across the globe, making technology investment decisions easier.

In addition, Liftr has addressed compliance obstacles making it easier for regulated financial services companies to consume our value-added data. More information on Liftr Insights’ compliance policy can be viewed in our FAQ.

• 
  Make Informed Business Investments

The Liftr Cloud Regions Map’s new features help investors make informed decisions about cloud service provider provisioning by locating accelerator classes and brands across the globe.

“We have assembled highly insightful and accurate data-driven tools to address research reports, forecasting and recommendations across the cloud services and infrastructure landscape,” says Tab Schadt, Founder of Liftr Insights.

“These tools provide a competitive advantage for assessing and implementing investment strategies concerning public cloud companies and related infrastructure components,” Schadt continued.

The new accelerator class addition shows the classes of hardware technology used to accelerate compute performance across processor-based and disaggregated instance types:

• GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is used to accelerate graphics and highly parallel matrix math calculations similar to those used in graphics. Fortunately, deep learning matrix math was a good match. NVIDIA dominates this category.
• FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) can be programmed at a hardware level to optimize performance for specific algorithms that are not well suited to GPUs or general-purpose processors or to tune deep learning and machine learning algorithms that can take advantage of mixed reduced precision calculations. Intel and Xilinx are major suppliers of FPGAs into cloud deployments.
• MOE (Math Offload Engine) is designed to accelerate broad classes of math calculations, much like a GPU but with the graphics bits stripped out. This class includes Google’s Cloud TPU instance types, which are very good at general forms of matrix math useful for deep learning and machine learning.
• CNA (Custom Neural Accelerator) is designed for an optimal acceleration of specific classes of deep learning (DL) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. This class will include AWS’s in-house Inferentia inferencing processor, which AWS has publicly stated it will deploy later this year.

The new accelerator brands feature shows the specific brands of accelerators offered by the tracked cloud service providers across the globe.

These new Liftr Cloud Regions Map accelerator features are derived from the Liftr Cloud Components Tracker™, which provides much more detailed information about accelerator instance types, configurations, and pricing.

This information is critical for cloud and semiconductor investors and their portfolios. For example, when a cloud provider announces a new region of operation, it’s pivotal that an investor has an up-to-date competitive picture of the chips and capabilities deployed into the new region.

Similarly, when a semiconductor vendor announces a new cloud chip or board-level product, investors can research which cloud provider has deployed it and if the deployment is broad or focused. That real-time knowledge is a strategic asset in determining cloud and chip vendor competitiveness.

• Valuable Insights from the Liftr Cloud Components Tracker

The Liftr Cloud Components Tracker monthly report identifies configurations, pricing, and components of all Infrastructure as a Service and bare metal compute instances being deployed by tracked cloud service providers, region by region around the entire world. Reports are sent to customers within three weeks of the end of every month.

With the Liftr Cloud Components Tracker’s monthly delivery cadence, technology investors and cloud stakeholders are able to make more strategic and efficient business decisions rather than relying on obsolete data from survey-based research providers that are delivered almost two months after the end of each quarter.

Liftr Insights is able to do this with its modern DevOps-based data collection that researches cloud technologies, cloud services, cloud industry trends and internet-attached infrastructure. Liftr Insights delivers automated real-time insights, analysis and hard data about specific cloud service providers and the cloud industry overall to enterprise IT, the cloud ecosystem and investors.

Visit LiftrInsights.com or email Contact(at)LiftrInsights(dot)com for more details.

For sales inquiries, contact Sales(at)LiftrInsights(dot)com.

Liftr and the Liftr logo are registered service marks of Liftr Insights. The following are trademarks and/or service marks of Liftr Insights: Liftr Insights, Liftr Cloud Insights, Liftr Cloud Components Tracker, and Liftr Cloud Regions Map.

DoubleHorn is a registered service mark of DoubleHorn. The DoubleHorn logo is a service mark of DoubleHorn.

The following are registered intellectual property marks, trademarks, or service marks of their respective companies, along with related icons and logos:

Alibaba Group Holding Limited: “Alibaba“, “Aliyun”

AWS: “AWS”, “Amazon Web Services”

Microsoft: “Azure”

Google: “Cloud TPU”, “Google Cloud”, “Google Cloud Platform”, “GCP”

NVIDIA: “NVIDIA”

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Blaine Fitzgerald, CFO of Spartan Bioscience

I’ve known Spartan since the early days and I predict they will be Canada’s next great business success story. With Russ and Blaine’s help, I think Spartan will accomplish its goal of bringing the power of DNA testing to everyone. – Harley Finkelstein, COO of Shopify

OTTAWA, Canada (PRWEB)
September 05, 2019

Spartan Bioscience, the leader in on-demand DNA testing, today announced that Blaine Fitzgerald, former Vice President of Finance for Shopify, has been named Chief Financial Officer.

Spartan has also named former Shopify CFO Russ Jones and healthcare venture capitalist Joel Finlayson as strategic advisors. Additionally, Spartan has hired Steve Edgett as Executive Vice President to lead international business development and strategic initiatives.

“I am excited to welcome Blaine and Steve to our senior leadership team, and Russ and Joel to our strategic advisory board,” said Paul Lem, M.D., CEO of Spartan Bioscience. “Their extensive expertise in high tech and healthcare will play a key role in Spartan’s next phase of growth.”

In a statement, Shopify Chief Operating Officer Harley Finkelstein congratulated Spartan and his former executives.

I’ve known Spartan since the early days and I predict they will be Canada’s next great business success story,” said Mr. Finkelstein. “With Russ and Blaine’s help, I think Spartan will accomplish its goal of bringing the power of DNA testing to everyone.”

For more information, please visit http://www.spartanbio.com.

About Blaine Fitzgerald (Chief Financial Officer)

Mr. Fitzgerald joins Spartan from e-commerce giant Shopify where he was Vice President of Finance. Mr. Fitzgerald helped Shopify raise more than $1.7B USD and was instrumental in Shopify’s 2015 IPO. Additionally, he helped scale Shopify to more than $1B USD in revenue and over 4000 employees. Previously, he held senior roles at Curtiss-Wright, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Mr. Fitzgerald is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Economics from Simon Fraser University.

About Russ Jones (Strategic Advisor)

Mr. Jones is the former Chief Financial Officer of Shopify. Previously, Mr. Jones was based in Silicon Valley where he was Chief Financial Officer for BDNA Corporation and Xambala Incorporated. He has also held senior financial roles with Mitel Corporation, Newbridge Networks, and Watchfire. Mr. Jones is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Carleton University.

About Joel Finlayson (Strategic Advisor)

Mr. Finlayson is a Partner at iGan Partners, Canada’s largest healthcare technology fund. He was a career consultant at Monitor Group, and then PwC where he was a Partner & Healthcare Practice Leader in the Middle East. He subsequently led a healthcare development company focused on the Middle East & Africa. Joel is an active investor in healthcare diagnostics and data analytics technologies and sits on the Boards of: the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada International (RCI); SOMA Detect; and MedChart. He holds a Bachelor of Politics & Economics from Dalhousie, an MBA from the University of Cambridge, and has completed healthcare programs at INSEAD and UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

About Steve Edgett (Executive Vice President)

Mr. Edgett joins Spartan from a military surveillance technology company called Nautics Group, where he was CEO and President. Mr. Edgett has more than 15 years of experience in strategic planning and international business development around the world, including locations such as the Middle East and KSA. He has founded and held senior leadership roles in several high-technology companies, including Restrata, Knowmadics, and EMS Technologies. Mr. Edgett holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

About Spartan Bioscience

Spartan Bioscience is the leader in on-demand DNA testing.(1) The Spartan Cube, the world’s smallest DNA analyzer, enables unprecedented portability and convenience in applications such as infectious disease, precision medicine, pharmacogenetics, and environmental testing.

References

1. Roberts JD et al. (2012). Lancet. 379:1705–11.

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Ahipoki introduces new vegan and gluten free option, Ahimi

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (PRWEB)
September 11, 2019

Ahipoki is excited to announce a new vegan and gluten free alternative to tuna, Ahimi. This plant-based poke bowl option appeals to vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and poke bowl fans alike. Ahimi is made of five simple ingredients including tomatoes, water, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. With its meaty texture similar to tuna, Ahipoki customers will now have a vegan option when building their own custom poke bowls, salads and even tacos.

Ahimi is served in a house made sauce with hint of sweet onion, garlic, ginger and umami flavors. The new alternative to seafood has a broad appeal, not just vegetarians but flexitarians and those seeking alternative poke options while maintain a healthy lifestyle.

With twenty-five total restaurants throughout California and Arizona, Ahipoki is the largest corporately owned poke chain in America.

More information can be found at http://www.ahipoki.com

About Ahipoki:

The Ahipoki concept was born out of the desire of a restaurant group wanting to bring a much needed health-conscious California inspired seafood restaurant with a south pacific flair to its customers. Health-conscious poke bowl lovers can sit down and relax in a laid-back atmosphere all while enjoying the fusion of Japanese and Hawaiian flavors coupled with a fresh fish experience normally found outside of a quick-serve restaurant.

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