Product Launch

Pittsburgh – September 18, 2026 -- InventHelp has submitted a new patent-pending cigarette butt disposal invention, the 4-BUTTS, to its National Sales Office and made the design available for licensing or sale to manufacturers and marketers.

Device attaches to trash cans, poles, fences and trees to curb litter

The 4-BUTTS is designed to mount on multiple existing structures -- including trash cans, light poles, flag poles, fence posts and trees -- giving smokers a dedicated disposal point wherever they are. The design can also help secure a trash bag to a can, according to the filing.

New York – September 18, 2026 -- Kohler has returned as the official kitchen & bath and plumbing partner of the 2026 Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, joining 22 designers and architects transforming a historic Greenwich Village townhouse at 80 Washington Place.

Kohler fixtures anchor a six-level design showcase

The 1839 Georgian townhouse, spanning six levels with grand entertaining spaces, private terraces, a dedicated wellness level, and a rooftop deck overlooking Washington Square Park, opened to the public on September 16 and runs through October 13, 2026. Kohler products integrated into the residence include the Synthos workstation sink, Numi 2.0 Smart Toilet, Kohler x Remedy Place Ice Bath, Artifacts faucet collection, Occasion collection, Components collection, Memoirs collection, and a cast iron Porto Fino sink.

Pittsburgh – – September 18, 2026 -- Two inventors from Waldron, Ark., have developed the EASY-PULL PULLING EYE, a device designed to speed up horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operations by enabling pullback directly with an HDD hammerhead.

Device eliminates costly bore removal step in trenchless drilling

The tool removes the need to pull an entire bore out of the ground and swap heads before pulling back pipe, a step that currently consumes time and labor on trenchless drilling projects. By allowing pullback directly with the hammerhead while maintaining proper tension, the design targets a reduction in downtime during HDD operations.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- CCI Insurance, a Higginbotham Partner, has rebranded its proprietary CompCorrect platform as RiskCorrect and opened it as a standalone offering to companies outside its existing client base facing complex risk profiles and significant claims exposure.

Platform expands beyond workers' compensation origins since 2020 launch

Since launching in 2020, the technology has grown from a workers' compensation claims-management tool into a broader system linking incidents, safety activity, root-cause analysis, corrective action and underwriting strategy in a continuous risk cycle. Tobin Robeck, Higginbotham | CCI Managing Director and Regional Sales Director who co-founded the platform, said RiskCorrect now helps companies identify loss drivers, connect claims and incidents, and demonstrate that corrective changes are working.

Exton, Pa. – September 18, 2026 -- Kibow Biotech's redesigned website, KibowBiotech.com, has been named Best Science Website in the 2026 WebAward Competition, run by the Web Marketing Association across seven judging criteria including design, innovation, content and ease of use.

Kibow expands Renadyl distribution into Canada as part of global rollout

The company's flagship product, Renadyl®, a clinically studied probiotic dietary supplement built on gut-kidney axis research, is now sold worldwide, with an upcoming expansion into Canada marking the latest step in Kibow's international access strategy.

Kibow prepares Renaphil launch to extend kidney probiotic science to pets

The company is developing RenaphilTM, a kidney probiotic formulated specifically for cats and dogs, applying nearly 30 years of gut-kidney research to companion-animal health.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – September 18, 2026 -- Plug and Play Foundation (PNPF) has launched SMB Tech Connect, an accelerator funded by a Wells Fargo grant that will help 10 Bay Area small businesses assess technology needs and fund adoption. Applications for the pilot program are now open.

Ten small businesses will receive assessments, startup pilots and adoption grants

Each participating business begins with a technology and AI readiness assessment mapping operational gaps and repetitive processes. Results determine placement into one of two tracks: a Technology Pilot Track matching businesses with vetted startup solutions, or a Workshop Implementation Track offering hands-on sessions on AI and automation tools.

Hangzhou – September 18, 2026 -- Hangzhou Zhilianhui Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. has launched a direct-to-consumer website for AccuMEMS, its thermal imaging brand, giving technicians and small businesses a new sales channel that bypasses traditional distributor markups on professional-grade inspection hardware.

AccuMEMS targets the price gap between industrial and consumer thermal cameras

The company is positioning its product line between high-end professional thermal imaging systems, which offer high-resolution sensors and rugged designs but often exceed the budgets of independent contractors, and basic consumer-grade devices with limited measurement capability. AccuMEMS is betting that a segment of electricians, HVAC technicians, building inspectors, and automotive diagnosticians will pay for mid-tier accuracy without absorbing the cost structure of specialized lab equipment.

Chicago and Atlanta – September 18, 2026 -- West Monroe and Sitenna have formed a collaboration to help utilities cut manual data reconciliation across grid, network and infrastructure programs by combining consulting expertise with an infrastructure lifecycle management platform.

San Jose, Calif. – September 18, 2026 -- Platform9 has been named a Visionary in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Server Virtualization Platforms, a recognition tied to surging enterprise demand for alternatives to VMware.

Platform9 reports unprecedented growth as enterprises seek VMware alternatives

Madhura Maskasky, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Platform9, said the company has experienced unprecedented growth over the past year as organizations worldwide look for a more flexible and cost-effective alternative to VMware. That customer momentum has driven increased R&D investment and new product capabilities aimed at giving infrastructure teams a familiar virtualization experience alongside greater flexibility and clearer cost predictability.

Milwaukee – September 18, 2026 -- River1 Asset Management LLC launched the Rebuild America ETF (Cboe BZX: BUIL) on Sept. 16, 2026, an actively managed fund built to capture a multi-year infrastructure investment cycle in U.S. power, grid, construction and materials markets.

Utilities plan $1.4 trillion in grid spending through 2030

The Edison Electric Institute projects utilities will invest roughly $1.4 trillion in electricity infrastructure through 2030. The Electric Power Research Institute forecasts data centers could consume 9% to 17% of U.S. electricity by 2030, up from about 4% to 5% today, as reshoring and domestic manufacturing add further demand for power, materials and construction capacity.