Theme news

Tempe – September 11, 2026 -- Institute for Supply Management (ISM), the world's largest professional association for supply chain and procurement, has appointed Neal J. Couture, CAE, FASAE, as its next president and chief executive officer, effective October 1, 2026.

ISM Board completes global search to select next leader

The ISM Board of Directors selected Couture following a comprehensive global search to guide the organization's next phase of growth, member value and global professional impact. Stacey Taylor, MBA, Chair of the ISM Board of Directors, said Couture's track record of leadership, innovation and member engagement aligned closely with ISM's mission.

Bethesda, Md. – September 11, 2026 -- EPS Learning has secured SOC 2 Type II attestation for its EPS Connect platform following an independent audit by SC&H Attest Services, P.C., providing school and district partners formal assurance over student data protections.

Independent auditor validates security controls over a sustained period

The SOC 2 Type II review, based on the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria for security, examined the design and operating effectiveness of EPS Learning's controls over time rather than at a single point. Auditors assessed policies, procedures, risk management, incident response, disaster recovery processes, and information and communication systems tied to EPS Connect.

Orlando, Fla. – September 11, 2026 -- Backswing Ventures, an early-stage defense venture capital firm, is underwriting every investment in its portfolio for an independent 3-5x return rather than betting the fund on a single breakout winner.

Carta data shows unicorn payouts are stalling, not disappearing

Among 2017 and 2018 vintage venture funds old enough to have realized outcomes, fewer than 20% have returned even 1x DPI to limited partners, according to Carta's Q1 2026 fund-performance data. Backswing argues paper valuations do not pay LPs back; distributions do.

SpaceX illustrates the timeline problem at scale. Founded in 2002, the company did not deliver a liquid outcome to shareholders until its initial public offering closed in June 2026 -- 24 years later.

Englewood, Colo. – September 11, 2026 -- Stefano S. McGhee, a Massachusetts technology executive who most recently served as Senior Director of Technology Operations for Harvard Business Publishing, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Toastmasters International, taking on a one-year term following the organization's 2026 International Convention in Vancouver, held Aug. 19-22.

McGhee brings enterprise IT leadership experience to a 245,000-member global network

At Harvard Business Publishing, McGhee led a team of cloud engineers, architects, integration engineers and help desk technicians responsible for the availability and stability of critical applications, including Harvard Business Review. Toastmasters International, headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, operates more than 14,000 clubs in nearly 150 countries.

Locust Valley – September 11, 2026 -- TraderMade Systems Ltd, a foreign exchange market data provider, has agreed to supply real-time and historical FX data to EntangleX, part of the QuantumX Group of Two Hands Corporation (OTCID: TWOH), for testing artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing-based financial prediction models.

EntangleX will benchmark quantum-AI models against live FX market data

The initial programme centers on foreign exchange markets, where TraderMade's data depth and volume allow EntangleX to validate model performance and reliability against real-world trading conditions. EntangleX is examining whether AI and quantum computing techniques can detect patterns and market relationships in FX datasets that traditional analytical methods may miss.

Hartford – September 11, 2026 -- Shipman & Goodwin LLP has expanded into Dallas, Texas, adding restructuring partners Rachael L. Smiley and Megan F. Clontz to its Workout, Restructure and Bankruptcy Practice Group.

Firm Adds Dallas Office to Strengthen National Bankruptcy Practice

The move follows Shipman's recent expansion into Boston and gives the firm a physical presence in one of the busiest U.S. jurisdictions for bankruptcy filings. The Northeast-based full-service firm now operates offices throughout the region plus Dallas.

Austin, Texas – September 11, 2026 -- Humann, the Austin-based cardiovascular supplement maker behind SuperBeets, has formed a research partnership with the University of California, Davis and appointed Dr. Harold Schmitz, Ph.D., as Chair of its Science Advisory Board to lead the collaboration.

Schmitz brings Mars Inc. science leadership to cardiovascular nutrition research

Dr. Schmitz previously served as Chief Science Officer at Mars, Inc. and as Senior Scholar at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, with a background in nitric oxide research and food and nutrition innovation. In his new role, he will direct the partnership with UC Davis' Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH), which will design and run scientific studies, including clinical trials, examining how nutrition influences cardiovascular health across life stages in women and men.

Almaty – September 11, 2026 -- The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation has allocated 460 million tenge (approximately $1 million) to fund the gasification of private homes in Almaty, partnering with the city's Akimat to expand urban gas infrastructure.

Foundation and city sign memorandum to convert coal-heated homes to natural gas

Under a newly signed memorandum, the Almaty Akimat will inspect private residences, advise homeowners on connection procedures, and provide end-to-end support for the switch to natural gas heating. Qualified contractors will then carry out the required construction and installation work.

Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy said the city continues working specifically to connect private homes to the municipal gas network, noting that requirements vary case by case and that support from socially responsible businesses allows the initiative to scale.

Salt Lake City – September 11, 2026 -- A decade-long study by ARUP Laboratories found that 50% of pregnancies with atypical prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening results carried at least one clinically significant abnormality confirmed by follow-up testing, reshaping how providers should respond to inconclusive genetic screens.

ARUP analyzed over 200 atypical cfDNA cases spanning more than 10 years

Researchers reviewed more than 10 years of data and over 200 cases where atypical cfDNA screening results were followed by additional prenatal, postnatal, or maternal testing. The findings, published in Genetics in Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), represent what ARUP describes as the largest study of its kind on atypical cfDNA findings.

San Francisco – September 11, 2026 -- Arkestro has been identified as a Sample Vendor for Supplier Discovery in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Multienterprise Solutions, 2026, marking the company's continued presence in Gartner's procurement technology research.

Gartner defines Supplier Discovery as AI-driven identification of new supply sources

The Hype Cycle report categorizes Supplier Discovery as solutions that help organizations identify, assess and onboard new suppliers using extensive databases and graph technologies to match sourcing criteria against potential vendors. Gartner cites supply chain disruptions, capacity constraints, cost optimization pressure and innovation targets as the drivers pushing procurement teams to qualify alternative suppliers faster. The report also notes that Supplier Discovery is increasingly embedded within third-party risk management and source-to-pay platforms rather than standing alone as a distinct market.

Las Vegas – September 11, 2026 -- PROTEOR USA is publishing "Unleashed: Real Stories of Strength, Independence, and Community," a 20-story collection centered on individuals with limb loss and limb difference, marking an early step in a broader Community Impact strategy the prosthetics and orthotics maker plans to formalize by 2027.

PROTEOR debuts the book at AOPA's 2026 National Assembly

The title will be introduced at PROTEOR's booth 313 during the 2026 AOPA National Assembly in Las Vegas, with distribution also set through Amazon and BookBaby.

Las Vegas – September 11, 2026 -- Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SWX) has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, disclosing a 33.7% reduction in fleet and building-facility emissions against a 2015 baseline, exceeding its 20%-by-2025 target.

Emergency response and safety metrics improve across the network

The utility responded to 79.2% of emergencies within 30 minutes, a record for the Company. Its Total Recordable Incident Rate fell 17% year over year, while the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred rate dropped 37%. Excavation damages declined 7.7% since 2021, reducing the risk of natural gas releases.

Singapore – September 11, 2026 -- GeeLark has advanced its cloud phone infrastructure to let social media agencies and content teams run multiple Android environments remotely without adding physical devices, addressing a scaling problem that has grown alongside mobile-first platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois – September 11, 2026 -- Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is adding six single-serve cakes and cheesecakes to its Sweet Moments platform, expanding a line that already drives more than one-third of the company's fruit pie business.

Sweet Moments Cobblers now capture one-third of fruit pie sales

Launched last fall with three flavors -- Berry Bliss Crumble, Salted Caramel Peach and Orchard Apple Cinnamon -- the Sweet Moments Cobbler Cups now rank among the top dollar-velocity items in the frozen dessert category. The line is stocked in more than 5,000 U.S. stores, including Walmart, Albertsons, Publix, Wakefern and H-E-B, and each cup cooks in 60 seconds.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – September 11, 2026 -- Cresta, a customer experience AI platform, has signed former NFL running back and Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch as brand ambassador in a multi-year partnership.

Cresta commits to multi-year ad campaign featuring Marshawn Lynch

Lynch will appear in advertising, at industry events, and across additional marketing initiatives promoting Cresta's enterprise AI platform, starting with a new ad launched today that frames the company's technology as putting customer experience in "Beast Mode."

Lynch says Cresta targets the frustration of hold music and repeated calls

Lynch described his frustration with customer service delays: "My first career counted on me running through players who thought they could stop me... it feels like just more defenders in the way. Cresta's told me they're putting both out of business. So I said, sign me up, ASAP!"

Waging am See – September 11, 2026 -- German precious metals dealer pro aurum has planted its corporate logo across nearly eight hectares of farmland above the Waginger See, using roughly 16 million flowering plants and about 300,000 small-blossom sunflowers in a satellite-guided precision agriculture project developed with GEOXIP AG.

Logo spans 80,000 square meters, visible only from the air

The planted area, equivalent to roughly eleven football fields, forms a lettering reading "pro aurum" that stretches approximately 365 meters long and 50 meters high. The accompanying tagline, "Edelmetalle. Münzen. Barren." (Precious Metals. Coins. Bars.), extends around 300 meters. The full image is only legible from above.

Frankfurt – September 11, 2026 -- German students perform worse today than they did a quarter-century ago, despite the country spending above-average sums per pupil compared with international peers, according to the latest PISA assessment results.

Education inequality widens despite two decades of reform

The gap in educational outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged students has grown larger since the first PISA shock in 2001, reversing gains made in the years that followed. Performance had improved steadily through 2015 after policymakers overhauled curricula and teaching standards in response to that initial wake-up call.

High spending fails to translate into learning outcomes

Germany allocates more funding per student than the international average, yet results now trail behind comparable economies, raising questions about the efficiency of current educational spending and resource allocation within the school system.

Westwood, Mass. – September 11, 2026 -- Chase Corporation has committed $100,000 to a new partnership with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), funding scholarships, volunteerism, and STEM outreach programs across its global operations.

Chase directs $50,000 to SWE for scholarships and employee memberships

The engineered materials manufacturer's contribution to SWE includes funding for five $3,000 scholarships awarded in Chase Corporation's name to students pursuing engineering and technology fields. The agreement also grants Chase engineers access to SWE memberships, opening professional development, networking, mentorship, and workshop opportunities.

London – September 11, 2026 -- Vertice launched Ana, an autonomous AI negotiation agent for enterprise software procurement, after the system completed more than 4,000 live negotiations worth $500 million in spend, delivering average savings of 18% and cutting renewal cycles by 15 days.

Ana targets the software contracts procurement teams have no time to review

Vertice data shows one in seven software contracts auto-renews without oversight, rising to three in four contracts within tail spend, where vendor price uplifts and compliance changes typically go unchallenged. Ana runs unlimited simultaneous negotiations across a company's entire software stack, building scenario-specific strategies, modelling likely outcomes and drafting vendor correspondence in the customer's own voice.

Miami – September 11, 2026 -- Boats Group customer data shows a Mid-Atlantic brokerage generated 494% more boat detail page views after raising its average listing score by just 5%, as the marketplace operator pushes brokers and dealers to optimize inventory ahead of fall boat show season.

The company reports marketplace traffic climbs approximately 30% in the weeks surrounding major boat shows, as buyers research brands and compare models before and after visiting docks. Boats Group says listing quality during that window directly determines which sellers capture buyer attention.