Events

San Francisco – September 24, 2026 -- Vouch Insurance has appointed Brandon Kaufman as Head of Claims, tasking the former EPIC claims executive with overseeing claims advocacy for the tech-focused broker's more than 6,000 clients.

Kaufman brings carrier-side and litigation experience to the role

Kaufman joins from EPIC, where he served as Vice President of Claims, advising clients on resolving complex, high-exposure claims and reducing loss ratios across risk management portfolios. He previously held in-house counsel roles at an ad tech startup and a mobility startup, building global insurance programs and managing litigation and claims. He also consulted at a global insurance brokerage on contractual insurance requirements and began his career on Capitol Hill as legal counsel on federal transportation issues. Kaufman holds a degree from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University.

Leesburg, Va. – September 24, 2026 -- The American Wood Council (AWC) has published the 2027 edition of the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (ANSI/AWC SDPWS-2027), adding two new construction systems for engineers designing in high-hazard wind and seismic zones. The standard has been approved as an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and will be referenced in the 2027 I-Codes.

Five-year technical process yields ANSI approval after 13 balloting rounds

The 2027 SDPWS resulted from five years of technical development and two years of balloting under ANSI's consensus-based process, including 13 rounds of balloting and a full public review period. SDPWS is typically updated every six years to keep pace with new research and align with other design references.

Fremont, Calif. – September 24, 2026 -- Leopard Imaging and Lumotive have unveiled Sirius Max, a solid-state 3D LiDAR camera module extending iToF depth sensing beyond 20 meters in both indoor and outdoor environments, targeting robotics, industrial automation and autonomous machine markets.

Sirius Max combines programmable beam-steering with 1MP depth resolution

The platform, designated LI-AR0234-AF0130-TX10-GMSL2-140H, integrates Lumotive's TX10 programmable beam-steering transmitter with the onsemi AF0130 depth sensor inside a compact GMSL2 camera module. Unlike conventional flood-illumination time-of-flight systems, Sirius Max uses directional beam steering to dynamically control illumination and scanning, improving optical efficiency, ambient light rejection and signal-to-noise ratio while eliminating moving mechanical parts.

Dallas – September 24, 2026 -- JLL's Capital Markets group has arranged $406 million in financing for Trammell Crow Center, a 1,226,825-square-foot trophy office tower in Dallas' Arts District, on behalf of owner Regent Properties, LLC.

Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley fund a five-year fixed-rate loan for the 50-story tower

The single-asset single-borrower (SASB) loan was secured through Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley. The JLL Capital Markets Debt Advisory team representing the borrower was led by Managing Director Greg Napper alongside Associates Jordan Buck and Rett Daugbjerg.

Trophy tower sits 92% leased to Goldman Sachs, Baker & Botts and Vinson & Elkins

Trammell Crow Center occupies a 2.2-acre site at the confluence of Dallas' most important districts. Tenants include Goldman Sachs, Baker & Botts LLP, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Orix and Prudential.

New York City – September 24, 2026 -- The Conference Board has been named one of the Best Places to Work in New York City by Crain's New York Business, marking the fourth consecutive year the global think tank has earned the distinction.

Crain's ranking relies on employee surveys and employer data

The recognition, compiled in partnership with independent research firm Best Companies Group, is based on employee surveys and employer questionnaires assessing company culture, leadership, advancement opportunities, and benefits.

Indiana, Pa. – September 24, 2026 -- S&T Bank, the wholly owned subsidiary of S&T Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: STBA), has won a Marketing Excellence Award from the American Bankers Association in the brand awareness category for its "S&T Bank Draft Headquarters" campaign.

Bank turned Pittsburgh's NFL Draft week into a three-day brand activation

The immersive marketing experience ran during Pittsburgh's NFL Draft week in April, combining customer engagement, strategic media partnerships and regional outreach to boost visibility for S&T's expanding footprint across Western Pennsylvania.

Draft-themed events with iHeartRadio generated a $50,000 donation

Ticket proceeds from draft-themed events hosted in partnership with iHeartRadio funded a $50,000 donation to Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, Inc.

Dallas – September 24, 2026 -- BuildFreedom.US, a federal workforce campaign funded by the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Policy, is expanding into Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin, the next phase of a national push to fill skilled-trades gaps in America's defense manufacturing base.

Program awards mikeroweWORKS Foundation a $10 million grant

BuildFreedom.US has granted $10 million to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to support its Work Ethic Scholarship Program, deepening a partnership with Mike Rowe, founder of the foundation and creator of Dirty Jobs. Rowe will continue backing the campaign through its next expansion phase.

Los Angeles – September 24, 2026 -- NO CAP! Soda Pop has become the No. 1 modern soda brand by both dollar sales and units sold at a national convenience retailer operating more than 2,000 stores, according to the retailer's latest 12-week SPINS data.

Brand overtakes Poppi and Olipop within six months of shelf entry

The ranking arrives less than six months after NO CAP! entered the chain, placing it ahead of modern soda rivals Poppi and Olipop at the retailer. NO CAP! also ranked No. 8 among all carbonated soft drink brands across the same network.

Co-founder cites capital disadvantage against larger rivals

"To become the No. 1 modern soda with this retail partner less than six months after hitting shelves is a huge moment for us," said Vinny Wilson, co-founder of NO CAP! Soda Pop. He noted the brand competed against companies with significantly more capital, distribution and years in the market.

Los Angeles – September 24, 2026 -- Stand8, a global technology consulting firm, has launched the Stand8 Model Gateway, a new enterprise AI service designed to reduce model spending and compress the path from proof of concept to production AI deployment into a 90-day sprint.

Gateway routes each AI task to the most cost-effective model without touching client data

The gateway is deployed inside the client's own cloud account on AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud, sitting between applications and the models they call. Stand8 designs and tunes the routing logic but does not sit in the data path itself. The system evaluates each task and routes it to the most appropriate option among leading closed models, open-source and open-weight models, or smaller fine-tuned models, while layering in caching, identity, policy, and audit controls.

Wilmington, Del. – September 24, 2026 -- Synteq has launched its largest single-site expansion to date, deploying a full-scale cloud and GPU compute facility in Chicago that extends the company's infrastructure into the Northern US Central region.

Chicago site runs Synteq's newest core platform end to end

The Chicago deployment combines high-density GPU compute for AI and machine learning workloads with virtualized cloud, bare metal servers, and block storage, all operated on Synteq's own network backbone, AS400304, and managed entirely by the Synteq team.

Miami Beach, Fla. – September 24, 2026 -- PickleRage, one of the largest indoor pickleball club franchises in the United States, is opening its first California location in Bakersfield and a third Florida club in Tampa, the company confirmed.

Bakersfield becomes PickleRage's entry point into California and the West Coast

The Bakersfield club will be the franchise's first in California, owned and operated by local franchisees Daniel Marlowe and Jon Knutson. CEO Rich Destasio called the move an important step in the brand's broader West Coast expansion strategy.

Nashville, Tenn. – September 24, 2026 -- The Bridgestone-supported BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team clinched the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) title on Sept. 20 at the Bol d'Or season finale at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, marking the sixth consecutive year a Bridgestone-equipped team has won the series and the seventh title overall for the tire maker.

Bridgestone-equipped teams claim all five top spots in final standings

All five top-ranked teams in the 2026 EWC final standings competed on Bridgestone BATTLAX tires, reinforcing the supplier's dominance in the world's premier endurance motorcycle racing series. Bridgestone served as the exclusive tire supplier for 19 EWC teams in the 2026 season.

Gainesville, Texas – September 24, 2026 -- More than 350 members of Teamsters Local 767 walked off the job at Safran Seats in Gainesville, Texas, launching an unfair labor practice strike after the aircraft-seat manufacturer refused to remove a mandatory overtime provision from its contract offer.

Workers rejected Safran's contract offer on September 18 over overtime clause

Local 767 members rejected the company's proposal on Sept. 18 specifically due to the mandatory overtime provision. The union returned to the bargaining table and warned Safran that any agreement retaining the clause would be voted down, leaving members with no option but to strike.

San Antonio – September 24, 2026 -- Oxford Economics has named Greater San Antonio one of North America's five "Cities to Watch," as the region posted $4.8 billion in capital investment and 7,098 announced jobs year-to-date in 2026, surpassing its annual economic development targets.

Oxford Economics cites labor growth and military presence in naming San Antonio a top North American metro

The Global Cities Index recognition points to the region's economic diversity, labor force growth, military footprint, higher education assets and expanding business base as key differentiators among North American metros.

greater:SATX has driven 20,900 jobs and $10.26 billion in investment since 2022

The regional economic development partnership, led by President & CEO Sarah Carabias Rush, has coordinated recruitment across manufacturing, aerospace, defense, cybersecurity, financial services and corporate operations since 2022.

New York City – September 24, 2026 -- NYU Langone Health has recruited three senior orthopedic surgeons -- Dr. Sabrina M. Strickland, Dr. F. Winston Gwathmey, and Dr. Andreas H. Gomoll -- to lead new specialty centers within its orthopedics division, currently ranked No. 2 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

NYU Langone builds out joint-preservation leadership with three senior hires

Dr. Strickland arrives from the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, where she practiced for more than two decades, to become the inaugural director of NYU Langone's new Center for Patellofemoral Disorders. Her clinical focus spans knee cartilage repair, patellar stabilization, ACL and meniscus surgery, and joint preservation; she also uses 3D-printed joint models to refine surgical techniques for patients with atypical bone structures, addressing a gap left by biomechanical research that relies primarily on cadaveric 'normal' joints.

Irving, Texas – – September 24, 2026 -- The Inner Circle has named Dr. Lee Campbell Drinkard, MD, FACP, a Pinnacle Lifetime Member for his career in hematology, oncology and palliative care.

Drinkard practices locum tenens across multiple states, treating malignant and benign tumors

Dr. Drinkard currently works as a locum tenens physician, traveling nationwide to consult on complex hematology and oncology cases, including both malignant and benign tumors. His practice also extends to hospice and palliative care for patients managing life-limiting illness.

Drinkard holds four board certifications spanning internal medicine to palliative care

He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, oncology, and hospice and palliative care. Drinkard is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the credential reflected in his FACP designation.

Woods Cross, Utah – September 24, 2026 -- Sky Quarry Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYQ) has restarted its Eagle Springs Refinery near Ely, Nevada, the only crude oil refinery in the state, after receiving an air permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

The restart follows the loss of two major West Coast refineries within roughly a year. Phillips 66 ended refining at its Los Angeles plant in late 2025 and Valero wound down refining at its Benicia site in early 2026; together the two facilities had accounted for about 17% of California's refining capacity and 11% of PADD 5 capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

New York – September 24, 2026 -- U.S. oil producers are replacing only 95 barrels of proved developed reserves for every 100 barrels extracted, according to a new white paper from alternative asset manager Kimmeridge, even as natural gas reserve replacement remains above 120%.

Capital efficiency erodes despite operational gains

The industry's three-year value-weighted recycle ratio dropped to 167% in 2025 from 184% in 2019, Kimmeridge found, despite higher revenue per barrel of oil equivalent and continued improvements in corporate costs and drilling efficiency. The report, titled "Shale's Golden Years, Part II: The Cost of Aging," follows the firm's 2024 publication that argued consolidation could offset an aging shale resource base.

Hamburg, Germany – September 24, 2026 -- Gastops has renewed its long-term agreement to supply MetalSCAN oil debris monitoring technology to Vestas Wind Systems A/S, extending a multi-year partnership across the turbine maker's platforms starting January 1, 2027.

Gastops extends turbine monitoring contract with world's leading wind manufacturer

The renewal, announced at WindEnergy Hamburg 2026, continues Gastops' role supplying MetalSCAN sensors for real-time detection of metallic wear within lubricated turbine systems. The technology supports condition-based maintenance strategies by flagging developing mechanical issues before they cause failures, reducing unplanned downtime risk for turbine operators.

Calgary – September 24, 2026 -- Friends of Science Society released a report by retired energy economist Robert Lyman, titled "Climate Monster - The Heavy Hand of Climate Regulation," arguing that Canada's net-zero policies rest on scenarios the climate modelling community formally retired in April 2026.

Ottawa's updated climate report reuses retired warming scenarios, group says

Environment and Climate Change Canada's "Canada's Changing Climate Report 2026" update prompted media claims that climate change is "irreversible." Friends of Science Society says the report continues to rely on the same implausible, high-emissions scenarios used in the 2019 version, which it argues triggered Canada's 2019 declaration of a climate emergency. The group had previously issued a rebuttal, "Climate Change Your Mind," challenging that earlier report's methodology.