Award Recognition

Wilmington – – October 16, 2026 -- Vantaca, an AI-first software company built for community association management, ranked No. 40 in the small and medium company category of the 2026 Fortune Best Workplaces in Technology list, with 94% of its team members calling it a great place to work.

Ranking draws on survey responses from nearly 144,000 technology employees

Great Place To Work compiled the list from confidential survey responses at Great Place To Work Certified companies in the technology industry. Those responses came from nearly 144,000 employees, drawn from a pool of more than 1.3 million U.S. employee responses. Companies with 10 to 999 employees competed in the small and medium category, while companies with 1,000 or more employees were considered for the large category.

Downers Grove – October 16, 2026 -- Midwest grocer Fresh Thyme Market has placed five employees on Progressive Grocer's 2026 GenNext list, which recognizes emerging leaders in the grocery industry.

Honorees span category management, store operations and IT

The five honorees are Joe Sanchez, Deli Category Manager; Zachary Robbins, Store Director in Newport, Kentucky; Bri Chin, Natural Living Category Manager; Jared Anderson, Vegetable Category Manager; and Manny Perez, IT Network & Systems Infrastructure Manager.

Three of the five hold merchandising roles across deli, natural living and vegetables. The remaining two cover store-level leadership and technology infrastructure.

Chennai – October 16, 2026 -- Zifo has been named a Gamechanger in Healthcare & Pharma in the enterprise segment at the Nasscom AI Gamechangers Awards 2026, for an AI service accelerator that speeds up master data creation for laboratory information management systems (LIMS).

Zifo's accelerator targets manual master data preparation in LIMS projects

Master data is foundational to configuring and implementing a LIMS. The source information is often scattered across PDFs, specifications, procedures and spreadsheets. Finding it, checking it and converting it into structured master data objects takes significant manual effort. The work must also meet the consistency, traceability and auditability that regulated environments expect.

SAN ANTONIO – October 16, 2026 -- Frost & Sullivan has awarded Netradyne its 2026 Global Product Leadership Recognition in commercial vehicle video telematics, citing a platform that analyzes 100% of drive time with up to 99% AI alert accuracy.

The analyst firm scored the company on strategy effectiveness and strategy execution, and said Netradyne performed strongly on both. Frost & Sullivan credited its product innovation, operational efficiency, customer acquisition and consolidated telematics offering.

Netradyne bundles video safety, GPS, fuel and compliance tools into one subscription

The platform combines AI-powered video safety, real-time edge AI analytics, automated driver coaching and performance analytics. It also covers GPS tracking, fuel analysis, maintenance insights and hours of service compliance. Fleets get these functions through a single device, interface and subscription model, with modular hardware and software.

Sumner County – October 16, 2026 -- The Sumner County Sheriff's Office took first place in the 2026 Versaterm Innovation Awards for a school resource officer (SRO) data program that turns daily SRO interactions into county-wide safety trend analysis.

Program converts daily SRO records into trend data across county schools

The program uses technology and data collected during everyday SRO interactions to identify safety trends across Sumner County schools. According to WSMV4's report, the division tracks incidents, follow-ups and pattern data over time.

That record gives administrators and deputies a clearer view of where and when issues tend to arise. It replaces reliance on individual officer memory or informal notes.

Los Angeles – October 16, 2026 -- TIME has named von Holzhausen's Liquidplant®, a plant-based alternative to petroleum plastics, to its 2026 list of Best Inventions, which features 300 innovations. The company is building a manufacturing facility in Georgia to scale production.

Liquidplant® is built as a drop-in material for existing manufacturing lines

Liquidplant® starts as a plant-based polymer pellet produced through patented green chemistry. Manufacturers can convert it into different forms using existing processes, so it needs no new tooling or production methods.

The material targets conventional performance plastics, including EVA, TPU, PEBA, polyethylene and silicone. Applications range from footwear and wearable technology to injection-molded components.

Sacramento – October 16, 2026 -- Calkin Public Affairs, which has grown to 13 public affairs strategists in less than two years, received two awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) California Capital Chapter.

Calkin Public Affairs named Influential Agency of the Year after growing to 13 strategists

The firm grew from founder Kelly Calkin and a team of three to 13 strategists. The expansion widened its reach across California and let it take on both government and private sector clients. Its practices span water, energy, environmental policy and transportation.

The award recognizes an agency that elevates the communications profession and sets a benchmark for excellence.

New York – October 16, 2026 -- Wine Enthusiast has named Sicily its 2026 International Wine Region of the Year at the 27th Annual Wine Star Awards, which honor individuals, companies and regions in the wine and beverage industry.

Consortium president calls the award a platform for Sicilian wine abroad

Alessio Planeta, President of the Consorzio di Tutela vini DOC Sicilia, called the recognition a "tremendous honor" and an opportunity to keep promoting the identity and quality of Sicilian wine internationally.

Sicily's native grape portfolio exceeds 70 varieties

The island grows more than 70 indigenous varieties, including Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Nero d'Avola, Frappato and Nerello Mascalese. Styles range from saline coastal whites to volcanic reds. Etna is the island's most internationally recognized territory, while Vittoria, Marsala, Noto and Pantelleria also produce wine.

Québec City – October 15, 2026 -- Congebec's Mascouche facility, a freezer of more than nine million cubic feet, was named one of three finalists for the BRCGS Certificated Site of the Year Award for the Americas at the 2026 BRCGS Awards in Nashville.

Mascouche holds three straight AA ratings and two audits with zero non-conformities

The site achieved a BRCGS AA rating in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Auditors recorded zero non-conformities in both the 2024 and 2026 audits. Congebec's Boucherville and Godin facilities have also earned BRCGS AA ratings with zero non-conformities. The company holds BRCGS and SQF certification, with dual certification at select sites.

Congebec did not win the top award. CEO Nicholas-P Pedneault said the result confirms Mascouche is "operating among the best facilities in our industry."

Shanghai – October 15, 2026 -- WuXi XDC (2268.HK) has won "Best CDMO" at the 2026 World ADC Awards for the fourth consecutive year and "Best CRO" for the second, making it the only contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) to take both titles two years running.

WuXi XDC reports record 51 new iCMC projects in first half of 2026

According to the company's 2026 interim results, WuXi XDC had more than 810 global clients as of June 30, 2026. Fifteen of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies by revenue are among its partners. The company has helped clients submit more than 160 IND applications and now holds 328 iCMC projects. The 51 signed in the first half of 2026 are a record.

Headcount exceeds 3,600, and more than 50% of employees hold a master's degree or higher.