Events

Chicago – September 17, 2026 -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) has been designated the Official Tooling Supplier of NASCAR, the company announced at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2026 in Chicago.

Kennametal unveils NASCAR designation at IMTS 2026 booth in Chicago

Dave Bersaglini, Kennametal Vice President and President of Metal Cutting, revealed the partnership at the company's Next Level Shop exhibit, Booth No. 431800, West Building Level 3, during IMTS 2026, running Sept. 14–19 at McCormick Place.

Toronto – September 17, 2026 -- Global Battery Materials Corp. (GBM) has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with South Korean battery manufacturer LiBEST to evaluate and potentially commercially supply natural graphite, coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG), and other anode materials sourced and processed entirely outside China.

LOI targets defence, AI infrastructure and EV supply chains

The agreement covers materials intended for energy storage, defence, AI infrastructure and electric vehicle applications, and is designed to support qualification pathways for GBM's anode materials across allied-government and defence-related supply chains. The LOI builds on a prior Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies that established a framework for battery materials testing, anode product development and participation in government programs.

Chantilly, Va. – September 17, 2026 -- OnTrac, a U.S. alternative parcel carrier network, has appointed Josh Dinneen as Strategic Advisor to lead evaluation of joint ventures, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships aimed at new customer value creation in ecommerce logistics.

Dinneen returns to OnTrac after serving as Chief Commercial Officer from October 2020 to January 2025

He brings more than 23 years of experience in ecommerce transportation and logistics, including nearly 18 years at LaserShip in commercial development, supply chain solutions, sales, operations, and network strategy.

OnTrac's delivery network reaches over 70% of the U.S. population across 35 states and Washington, D.C.

The company, which has operated for more than 65 years, positions its network as critical infrastructure for retailers and shippers seeking faster delivery times, seven-day operations, and lower costs.

Irvine, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- Reveel has launched Omnicarrier Decision Intelligence (ODI), an AI-native platform that lets shippers plan and manage multi-carrier networks at the package level in real time, eliminating reliance on blended averages or carrier-supplied numbers.

Most shippers operate blind on carrier costs, new data shows

According to Reveel's "State of Shipping 2026" report, 92% of shippers lack real-time visibility into carrier spend and performance, while 87% review carrier rates only during formal RFPs. That leaves surcharge interactions, dimensional weight thresholds, rebate triggers and volume tiers unexamined between negotiation cycles. Separately, 86% of shippers cannot model their own carrier networks, a gap Reveel says is critical as companies diversify away from single-carrier contracts.

Shanghai – September 17, 2026 -- MoleculeMind, an AI-native bioengineering infrastructure company, has had research on its reactive atomistic modeling platform QuantaMind published in Science Advances, demonstrating Density Functional Theory (DFT)-level accuracy in simulating 10,000-atom biomolecular systems over tens-of-nanosecond timescales.

QuantaMind becomes first platform to simulate a complete enzyme reaction cycle

The study shows QuantaMind enabling AI to observe the full atomic-scale process of proton transfer, bond breaking and formation, and complete enzyme catalytic cycles. In industrial deployments, the platform has been scaled further to model reactive systems comprising hundreds of thousands of atoms.

Allentown, Pennsylvania – September 17, 2026 -- Women in Science Demonstrating Outstanding Merits (WISDOM) will convene its third annual Connecting Our Talents: Women in STEM event on Oct. 8, 2026, at Lehigh University's Iacocca Conference Center, running from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Event pairs Lehigh Valley students with industry professionals to address AI's growing role in STEM careers

The gathering will bring together college students from across the Lehigh Valley with STEM industry professionals for networking and project showcases. A new format element this year requires each student presenter to spend one minute explaining how they incorporated artificial intelligence into their work, or explaining why they did not.

Pasadena, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- Inter-Con Security Systems Inc. generates over $1.5 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 40,000 people globally, the physical security and risk management firm confirmed during National Security Officer Appreciation Week.

Inter-Con highlights its scale as one of the largest physical security firms worldwide

The Pasadena, California-based company, now in its third generation of family management and ownership, positions its workforce across corporate campuses, healthcare facilities, critical infrastructure, transportation hubs, and public venues.

CEO Henry Hernandez publicly recognizes frontline security personnel

"Security officers are the everyday heroes who help make our world safer," said Henry Hernandez, President and CEO of Inter-Con Security. "We are deeply grateful for their professionalism and sacrifice every day."

Andover, Mass. – – September 17, 2026 -- ALKU, a specialized staffing firm, has launched ALKU Intelligence, a dedicated division offering end-to-end AI, data engineering, and advanced analytics delivery with an average time-to-value of under 90 days for enterprise clients.

Acquisition of rockITdata forms the backbone of the new division

The launch follows ALKU's acquisition of rockITdata earlier in September, formally folding the firm's AI and data engineering practice into the ALKU brand. Chris Ferrara, who joined ALKU through the deal, now leads ALKU Intelligence as Chief AI Officer.

San Francisco – September 17, 2026 -- Knak, the AI production layer for enterprise marketing, has launched Mobile Message Builder, bringing SMS and Rich Communication Services (RCS) production into the same environment enterprises already use for email and landing pages.

Enterprise campaigns keep missing deadlines over production bottlenecks

Knak's study of 333 enterprise marketers found that 85% missed at least one planned campaign launch last year due to production constraints, citing approvals, creative production and cross-team coordination as the leading causes. The company argues that while AI has made drafting content nearly free, the operational work of finishing, approving and shipping an on-brand asset has not kept pace.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 17, 2026 -- The global pipette calibration services market is projected to more than double to USD 834.8 million by 2031 from USD 383.2 million in 2026, a 16.9% compound annual growth rate, according to MarketsandMarkets.

North America controls half of global demand as regulatory pressure mounts

North America held a 50.6% share of the pipette calibration services market in 2025, underpinned by dense pharmaceutical and biotechnology infrastructure, federal biomedical research funding, and strict laboratory equipment qualification requirements. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eppendorf, and Sartorius operate significant service footprints across the region, supporting clinical labs, academic institutions, and drug manufacturers requiring traceable measurement accuracy.

Plano, Texas – September 17, 2026 -- Boeing and American Airlines have completed the first landing gear exchange for a 737 MAX aircraft, extending a decades-old spare-parts program to Boeing's newest single-aisle platform.

Boeing validates end-to-end gear swap process for the 737 MAX fleet

The exchange delivered a fully overhauled, Boeing-certified main and nose landing gear assembly with installation kits, excluding wheels, tires and brakes. The transaction tested the complete cycle -- technical overhaul, certification paperwork and delivery -- confirming the process can be applied consistently across the MAX fleet.

Plano, Texas – September 17, 2026 -- Ericsson and Nex-Tech Wireless have signed a four-year agreement to modernize approximately 85 percent of Nex-Tech Wireless' Radio Access Network across rural Kansas, deploying a cloud-native 5G Standalone Core and adding network hosting capabilities for other mobile operators.

Deal extends prior Ericsson-Nex-Tech partnership to cover RAN and Core

The agreement builds on an existing collaboration between the two companies and expands Nex-Tech Wireless' competitive position as a regional carrier serving more than 40 counties in central and western Kansas. The upgrade targets improved network performance, reliability, and continued subscriber growth in markets outside major metropolitan areas.

New York – September 17, 2026 -- A composite enterprise deploying Robin by Atera achieved $7.3 million in risk-adjusted benefits against $1.7 million in costs over three years, yielding a 321% return on investment and $5.5 million in net present value, according to a new Total Economic Impact study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Atera.

The study found payback occurred in less than six months, with Forrester interviewing four enterprise decision-makers and modeling their combined experiences into a single composite organization: a 2,500-employee enterprise generating $800 million in annual revenue with a 30-person Level 1/Level 2 service desk team.

Robin's autonomous ticket resolution rate climbs from 60% to 90% over three years

Forrester's model forecasts Robin autonomously resolving 60% of manual service desk tickets in Year 1, rising to 90% by Year 3 as system integrations matured and Robin's knowledge base expanded.

San Ramon, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- SnippetSentry has entered a partnership with Knox Systems to pursue Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Moderate Authorization, targeting federal agencies that need compliant capture of mobile messaging communications.

Federal agencies must archive mobile messages but lack purpose-built tools

Government agencies are legally required to preserve mobile communications for records retention, audits, investigations, litigation, and eDiscovery. Most existing compliance tools were designed for email and have not adapted to how federal employees now communicate via mobile apps.

Tavares, Fla. – September 17, 2026 -- A signed 1952 Topps baseball card collection assembled by Destiny Family Office Founder and CEO Tom Ruggie has been named the 2026 PSA Baseball Set of the Year, selected from more than 157,000 registered sets on the PSA Set Registry.

Ruggie has secured PSA-authenticated signatures on 406 of the 407 cards in the original 1952 Topps set

The set includes signed cards of Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and Yogi Berra. Card #342, featuring Al Benton, remains the sole missing signature after a pursuit Ruggie says has spanned five decades.

PSA presented Ruggie with a one-of-one canvas artwork embedding an authenticated Mickey Mantle cut autograph

The award was given at the 2026 PSA Set Registry Awards Dinner in Rosemont, Illinois, during the National Sports Collectors Convention. The piece was created by artist Murray Henderson.

New York – September 17, 2026 -- Northwind Group has originated a $219 million first mortgage construction loan for 100 Wall Street, a 29-story, 463,000-square-foot office building in Manhattan's Financial District, retiring existing debt and funding conversion of floors 2 through 11 into 168 residential rental apartments.

Conversion targets base floors while upper office space stays nearly full

Floors 15 through 29 will remain office space and are already more than 95% leased and cash-flowing, according to Northwind Group. The joint venture behind the project, formed by Lloyd Goldman's BLDG Management and David Werner Real Estate Investments, acquired the building in July 2024 and relocated office tenants from lower floors to the top of the tower to clear space for residential conversion.

Lake City, Colo. – September 17, 2026 -- Green Builder Media has launched COGNITION Smart Data Subscriber Portal, a decision intelligence platform built to help housing and building-products companies identify market opportunities before they become mainstream trends. The platform has already been adopted by Panasonic, Carrier, Mohawk Flooring, Weyerhaeuser, LP Building Solutions, Sekisui House, Beazer Homes, and Alair Homes.

Alameda – September 17, 2026 -- Alveo Technologies has signed a distribution agreement with Alliance Global (AGBL) to deploy its on-farm avian influenza diagnostic across Africa, Central Asia and select Eastern Mediterranean countries, as global bird flu outbreaks have infected at least 633 million domestic birds worldwide, including more than 208 million in the U.S. alone.

Alveo Sense Poultry gains distribution rights across three continents

Under the deal, AGBL secures rights to distribute Alveo's palm-sized molecular diagnostic platform to farmers, integrators and public health officials throughout Africa, Central Asia and portions of the Eastern Mediterranean region. AGBL operates as a biomedical distribution group with offices in more than 17 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. – September 17, 2026 -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Research Program has awarded funding for four quality improvement projects targeting metastatic prostate cancer (mPCA) care, backed by Pfizer Global Medical Grants (GMG).

Four institutions receive two-year grants to standardize mPCA treatment protocols

The selected projects, each set for completion within two years, will run at UT Southwestern Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Moffitt Cancer Center. Changchuan (Charles) Jiang, MD, at UT Southwestern will lead a biomarker action-loop initiative within a major U.S. safety-net cancer program. Paul Leger, MD, at Georgetown will implement multilevel interventions across the Medstar Health Network under the I-CARE PCA project.

San Jose, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- GS Microelectronics U.S., Inc. (GSME) has officially joined TSMC's Open Innovation Platform (OIP) Value Chain Alliance (VCA) as a North American member partner, expanding its role in delivering full-lifecycle ASIC services from IP development through advanced packaging and testing.

GSME expands ASIC services across the full IC value chain

The partnership integrates GSME's design enablement tools with the broader OIP Ecosystem, covering front-end architecture, back-end physical design, wafer manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly and testing under a single execution framework.