Wreno’s end-to-end proptech solution aims to solve labor supply issues in home evaluation, renovation, and maintenance trades.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#PropTech—Wreno, a cutting-edge proptech platform that trains and connects workers and trade partners with institutional real estate companies, today announced that it has raised $5 million in seed funding led by Lerer Hippeau with participation from Fifth Wall, Owl Ventures, NFX, among others. The round’s angel participation also includes senior management from top single-family home institutions, as well as founders such as Vikas Choudhary from Porter and Alexey Dubov and Sam Ruben from Mighty Buildings. The company has raised a total of $6.1 million to date.

This investment will allow the company to continue to scale into new markets across the US, leverage new technologies, develop new service offerings for customers, and further enhance the platform’s existing machine learning capabilities.

Wreno was founded in 2021 by Charlotte Schell and Mark Barton, two former Zillow employees with extensive experience in business and real estate. Currently based in Arizona, the company works with some of the country’s largest institutional real estate companies across five states already, connecting them with skilled workers and trade partners to help maintain, repair, renovate, and evaluate tens of thousands of homes.

Currently, the US repair and maintenance workforce is declining at an unprecedented rate, despite the fact that by 2030 the top ten institutional homeowners alone are expected to spend $3.2 billion dollars a year on renovation, routine maintenance, and home evaluations. The shortage of the workforce has resulted in costly delays and unfulfilled projects, representing a significant pain point for institutional homeowners.

Wreno is addressing this underserved market by skilling new labor supply and leveraging machine learning along with end-to-end software solutions to provide faster and more accurate home evaluations and data collection at scale. The platform also optimizes fragmented local trade businesses to provide adjacent repair, maintenance, and renovation services.

“The average US home is 37 years old today. With an aging workforce, the labor supply in this industry shrunk by 38% since 2018. As a result, every 1 out of 3 jobs in home maintenance and management are getting delayed. It was clear to us that increasing utilization of existing workers and skilled trades is no longer enough,” says Wreno co-founder Charlotte Schell. “With a unique business model, we are opening previously inaccessible job opportunities to fresh labor supply, while also utilizing technology to allow more people to complete tasks that would normally be considered ‘skilled’ or ‘semi-skilled.’ We are the first technology company that tackles this societal issue from the root.”

“The rapidly-growing iBuyer, REIT, and proptech markets have been constrained by labor. Wreno’s end-to-end platform opens up labor supply for those companies while bringing efficiencies and improved customer experience to the market,” says Isabelle Phelps, Partner at Lerer Hippeau. “Wreno upskills gig workers and uses technology to provide faster and better estimations and services, pulling together the right mix of software and vendors to support repair and maintenance for businesses at scale.”

About Wreno

Wreno is an end-to-end home evaluation and maintenance service platform for iBuyers, REITs, and prop tech companies. Using the latest in ML and computer vision, Wreno upskills gig workers to provide faster and more accurate home estimations and data collection at scale, while also optimizing fragmented local trade businesses to provide much needed repair and maintenance services. Wreno’s full suite of technology also allows real estate companies to more efficiently recruit, onboard, train, and deploy their own internal home evaluation professionals and vendors at scale. www.wreno.io

About Lerer Hippeau

Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage venture capital fund based in New York City. The firm’s portfolio contains more than 350 leading consumer and enterprise companies, including Guideline, MIRROR, Blockdaemon, K Health, Allbirds, ZenBusiness, and Thrive, among others. The Lerer Hippeau team is made up of experienced operators who invest early and stay in founders’ corners forever. https://www.lererhippeau.com/

Contacts

Charlotte Schell

650.308.8083 | charlotte@wreno.io

RICHMOND, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fine Choice Foods, a market-leading producer of quality Asian-inspired foods, announced the opening of its second manufacturing facility, also located in Richmond, with a recent in-person celebration. The event included remarks from Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture and Food; Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Mayor of the City of Richmond, BC; and Jason Longden, CEO of Fine Choice Foods. The new facility will produce spring rolls equal to the length of more than 700 football fields on a weekly basis, creating more than 70 new jobs as part of the company’s continued growth.

“The local food system is a critical economic driver and we’re pleased to be able to support Fine Choice Food and the opportunities they are providing for the residents of British Columbia,” said Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture and Food. “By using 3.5 million lbs of locally grown vegetables each year, along with a number of other regionally sourced products, the company’s support for this community and its farmers benefits everyone as they continue to expand their presence in both Canada and the United States.”

The new facility, an existing warehouse transformed into a 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art CFIA federally approved food processing facility, signifies a meaningful financial investment in Fine Choice Foods’ infrastructure, immediately creating significant value for local farmers and suppliers as well as valuable jobs for British Columbians during a challenging economic environment.

“The impact of this expansion is tremendous and we’re extremely proud to support the growth of Fine Choice Foods,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Mayor of the City of Richmond. “The creation of more than 70 new jobs creates a significant economic impact in the region we believe will continue to grow, and we’re honored to be part of it.”

The event featured traditional Chinese lion dancing, a tour of the new facility, an official ribbon cutting, and samples of SUMM! products, including spring rolls, dumplings, and apple pie rolls.

“The opening of this new facility is an important milestone for Fine Choice Foods and critical to our continued success,” said Jason Longden, CEO of Fine Choice Foods. “We’re extremely proud of our growth over the past several decades and more importantly, proud to be able to honor the legacy of the Lui family and the SUMM! brand they created more than 30 years ago.”

About Fine Choice Foods

Located in Richmond, BC, Fine Choice Foods is a market-leading producer of quality Asian-inspired foods for the North American market. Founded by the Lui family in 1986, Fine Choice Foods specializes in spring rolls, gyoza dumplings, and the original apple pie roll under the SUMM! brand. Starting as a small store on Cambie Street in Vancouver employing three people, the company has grown to a staff of more than 350, serving consumers throughout Canada and parts of the United States from two state-of-the-art facilities. For more information, please visit www.SUMMFOODS.com.

Contacts

Jeremy Milner

BackBay Communications

(401) 862-9422

jeremy.milner@backbaycommunications.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Keltic Canada Development (Keltic) is proud to announce it will be breaking ground on its newest health-innovation project. Building off recent and successful landmark projects like The Paramount in Richmond, Keltic is proud to team-up with Masimo, a leading global medical innovator with a history of breakthroughs in healthcare technology. Together, they are excited to announce their plans for the new multi-level facility.

The project site, located at 220 Prior Street, is on the northwest corner of the future St. Paul’s Hospital site. Previously, the site was occupied by a warehouse built in 1945, which was owned by European Specialty’s Importer Ltd. between 1957 and 2017. Located on the shoreline of the eastern half of the false creek, this point of intersection has historical significance and is considered a buoy. This innovative project will be the first building in the Healthcare Precinct in the FLATS district. The property* is 100,000 square feet and will feature clinical research, product development, and retail spaces.

With a focus on developing solutions to the most challenging issues in healthcare, Masimo is the ideal fit for this project that will become a cornerstone of research and innovation in B.C. and Canada.

“We’re proud to see that our reputation as a leader in the life sciences sector has helped lead Masimo to expand their operations in B.C.,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “Our StrongerBC Economic Plan is focused on preparing British Columbians for the careers of the future – including the 170 good-paying jobs Masimo is announcing here today.”

“Our team is thrilled to finally be breaking ground. We are excited to work with Masimo and to be a part of such a positive project for the medical industry in Vancouver,” remarked Rachel Li Lei, Managing Director, CEO Keltic Canada Development. “We are committed to strengthening and providing Canadians with facilities that promote a healthy standard of living within their communities.”

For more information on Keltic, visit www.kelticdevelopment.com.

About Keltic Canada Development

Keltic is a Canadian-owned, diversified real estate development company, headquartered in Vancouver B.C. Their numerous projects include residential, industrial, and mixed-use developments. Keltic is supported by its solid financial strength and world-class management team, with a clear focus on long-term strategic growth in Greater Vancouver, B.C.

*Renderings of the 9-storey building are available upon request.

Contacts

Media
Max Jakubke

PUBLiSH Partners

778-772-7336

max@publishpartners.co

Bold, calming blue-green hue represents consumers’ desire for stability in uncertain world

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the outside world grapples with rising uncertainty, Canadians are yearning for increased serenity and stability inside their homes. This trend has spurred SICO™ paint brand by PPG to select Melt Water (6156-63) – a grounded, refreshing teal that combines the healing powers of water and nature with balance and tranquility – as its 2023 Colour of the Year.

Melt Water is a robust and refined bluish-greenish tone that intertwines bold blue and calming green to create a captivating colour symbolic of deep water. Its adaptable blue-jeweled hue sets a soothing, serene mood in spaces, while its emerald nuances evoke feelings of equilibrium. Paired together, these two undertones create an ultra-rich, uber-trendy colour that blends well with contemporary designs or adds a refined pop of colour to traditional decor.

“On the other side of the pandemic, people are looking for a mental reset and want to infuse their homes with invigorating colours that help give them a boost as well as refuge in today’s unpredictable world,” said Martin Fuchs, PPG senior marketing manager, Sico paint brand. “Melt Water accomplishes just that with its energizing yet grounding vibe. It’s symbolic of a newfound outlook and works exceptionally well in any space – both interior and exterior.”

To incorporate trending teal into the home, Sico paint brand offers these tips:

• Paint Melt Water on all four walls, paired with deeper-toned woods and off-white trim.
• For a more luxurious feel, Melt Water can go glam when accessorized with golden accents and bright white trim.
• Enjoy the understated elegance of a teal accent wall or serve up a statement by featuring Melt Water on kitchen cabinetry.
• Even the most modest spaces can benefit from the teal treatment. If short on square footage but big on style, use this rich hue as a bold contrast to a neutral palette, making a petite room feel plush.
• As an exterior, use a blue-green hue to punctuate a home’s personality, adding immediate curb appeal when featured on a front door.

Among the other popular 2023 colours unveiled by Sico paint brand are equally bold and soothing deep greenish-gray, forest green, muted terracotta and coppery brown hues. The brand’s Ancient Lava (6208-73), Boreal Forest (6167-83), Brown Tobacco (6189-52) and Faux Leather (6068-83) all pair beautifully with Melt Water.

All of Sico paint brand’s 2023 colours are one-coat paint colours available in recently introduced SICO PRESTIGE™ paint, which Fuchs described as one of the brand’s best paints ever. The breakthrough, ultra-resilient interior paint-plus-primer is designed to maximize colour and quality while minimizing the effort required to apply and maintain the paint. The palette is also available in one-coat protection Sico Super Premium Exterior paint.

To find Melt Water and the rest of the 2023 trends colours at a nearby store, visit sico.ca. Consumers can try out the new colours in advance on a photo of their own home by using Sico paint brand’s online Deco Colour Lab® and see the transformation in just a few clicks.

Since 1937, the Sico paint brand has provided Canadian do-it-yourself consumers with a complete line of high-quality interior and exterior paints. The brand is recognized as the market leader and can be found on the shelves of more than 1,300 retailers, including Rona, Lowe’s, Kent and other premium paint retailers.

PPG’s architectural coatings business in the U.S. and Canada is an industry leader in residential and commercial coatings, delivering the latest technologies and operational advancements through its strong portfolio of brands. It manufactures and sells interior and exterior paints, stains, caulks, repair products, adhesives and sealants for homeowners and professionals. Its distribution network includes more than 15,000 touchpoints through company-owned stores, independent dealer locations and major home improvement centers across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.ppgpaints.com.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD®

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for nearly 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 75 countries and reported net sales of $16.8 billion in 2021. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial, and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

The PPG Logo and We protect and beautify the world are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

Sico and Sico Prestige are trademarks of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.

CATEGORY Architectural Coatings Americas and Asia Pacific

Contacts

Kaitlyn Craig

PPG Architectural Coatings

1-412-377-7456

kcraig@ppg.com

Gail Bergman

GBPR

1-905-886-1340

gbergman@gailbergmanpr.com
www.sico.ca

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Westphalia Dev. Corp. (the “Corporation”) announced today its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022. The Corporation was formed in March 2012, for the development of a 310-acre Westphalia property located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, United States.

Development and Sales

The key development and sales activities of the Corporation in the second quarter ending June 30, 2022, were:

• The re-planning of the Westphalia Town Center to reduce the retail and office scope to obtain more residential units is underway led by the Corporation. Collaboration with elected officials is taking place along with a revision of the Conceptual Site Plan and Preliminary Plan of the subdivision that will also involve submitting a Detailed Site Plan for a retail and mixed-use portion of the development.

• Major infrastructure development is continuing including roads, storm water and sewer utilities leading into and through the Master Plan using tax increment financing (“TIF”) which is fully funded and scheduled to be complete by Q4 2022/Q1 2023.

• A planning effort has been initiated aimed at revising the Preliminary Plat and Conceptual Development Plan that will take place throughout the remainder of this year and into 2023, ahead of closing on pending sales transactions with the developer of the proposed last mile distribution buildings.

• The Corporation is continuing to engage in discussions with numerous prospective builders, retail brokers and developers regarding the purchase of fully engineered lots with the goal to adhere to the business plan modification. Final commitments will be deferred until the plan has been advanced through the regulatory process and is closer to approval.

• The Westphalia Town Center re-planning is in process to incorporate more residential units alongside retail space to accommodate growth in the area. A cohesive mixed-use plan for the retail core of the Master Plan is underway to complement the planned industrial space in the westernmost parcels. Engineering plans began in Q2 2022, ahead of application submittals to regulatory and County agencies that will begin in the Q3 2022.

Financial Results

• Operating expenses for this quarter remained consistent with Q1 2022.

• In January 2022, the Corporation secured a US$3.6 million operating expense loan from its lender, WWMN, LLC. After the end of the first quarter 2022, the senior loan, including the January 2022 operating expense advance, was re-negotiated with WWMN, LLC, for an aggregate loan amount of US$44.5 million with a maturity date of June 30, 2023, with the option to extend an additional year.

The Corporation’s financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022, are available under the Corporation’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Additional Information

The Corporation is managed by Walton Global Investments Ltd. (“Walton Global”) and the development of the project is managed by Walton Development & Management (USA), Inc., both of which are members of the Walton group of companies (“Walton”).

Walton Global is a privately-owned, leading land asset management and global real estate investment company that concentrates on the research, acquisition, administration, planning, and development of land. With more than 43 years of experience, Walton has a proven track record of administering land investment projects within the fastest growing metropolitan areas in North America. The company manages and administers US$3.6 billion in assets on behalf of its global investors located in 73 countries, builders and developers and industry partners. Walton has more than 91,000 acres of land under ownership, management and administration in the United States and Canada with business lines ranging from exit-focused pre-development land investments, land financing programs and build-to-rent. For more information visit walton.com.

# # #

This news release, required by Canadian laws, does not constitute an offer of securities, and is not for distribution or dissemination outside Canada. This news release contains forward looking information, and actual future results may differ from what is disclosed in this news release. Forward-looking information is based on the current expectations, estimates and projections of the Corporation at the time the statements are made. They involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which would cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Corporation’s actual results and performance in future periods to differ materially from the forward looking information contained in this news release include, among other things, the development of Westphalia Town Center, general economic and market factors, including interest rates, a decline in the real estate market, changes in government policies and regulations or in tax laws, changes in municipal planning strategies and whether certain development approvals are obtained and changes in the Canadian/U.S. dollar exchange rate, in addition to those factors discussed or referenced in documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available online at www.sedar.com.

Except as otherwise noted, all amounts are in Canadian dollars, and are based on unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three months ended June 30, 2022, and related notes, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards.

Contacts

MEDIA CONTACT:
Allison + Partners

waltonglobal@allisonpr.com

LADERA RANCH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop” or the “Company”), a self-managed and fully integrated self storage company, announced that it was recognized as the top 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year annualized total return performer among Lifecycle REITs in the summer 2022 issue of THE IPA/STANGER MONITOR™. SmartStop’s Class A share achieved a 1-year total return of approximately 51.3%, a 3-year annualized total return of approximately 18.3%, and a 5-year annualized total return of approximately 14.1%.

“We’ve worked diligently over the past 18 years to build and grow a premier brand and storage portfolio that not only provides quality service to our customers but also provides strong value to our stockholders,” said H. Michael Schwartz, Chairman and CEO of SmartStop. “Recognition by THE IPA/STANGER MONITOR validates our income and growth strategy, the remarkable achievements of our team, and the robustness of our platform. It is gratifying to, once again, be identified as a top performer in the Lifecycle REIT category.”

THE IPA/STANGER MONITOR is sponsored by the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (“IPA”) and authored and published by Robert A. Stanger & Co., Inc. (“Stanger”). THE IPA/STANGER MONITOR performance analysis tracks the total return of non-listed REITs, including 22 lifecycle REITs and 17 Net Asset Value (“NAV”) REITs with a combined market capitalization of over $114.4 billion. The information included in this press release is from THE IPA/STANGER MONITOR, Volume IV No. 3, released in summer 2022. For more information, visit https://rastanger.com/.

About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop):

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”) is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of approximately 450 self storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self storage programs. As of August 23, 2022, SmartStop has an owned or managed portfolio of 174 properties in 22 states and Ontario, Canada, comprising approximately 119,200 units and 13.5 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 19 operating self storage properties in the Greater Toronto Area, which total approximately 16,200 units and 1.6 million rentable square feet. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com.

Contacts

David Corak
VP of Corporate Finance

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc.

949-542-3331

IR@smartstop.com

Registration opens for Augmenta pilot program for electrical contractors and engineers to evaluate its automated design solution for the construction industry

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Augmenta, the company automating building design for the construction industry, today announced the Electrical Design Module, the first Generative Design solution for its Augmenta Construction Platform (ACP). The module addresses the needs of electrical contractors and engineers, enabling them to accelerate the time it takes to estimate and create fully constructible, code-compliant electrical raceway designs by automating the entire process.

While today’s shop drawings typically only model the main runs of an electrical distribution system, the Augmenta Construction Platform can create fully detailed designs for entire projects in hours instead of weeks or months. Using Generative Design, the Electrical Design Module for the ACP delivers accurate, National Electrical Code® (NEC) compliant, fully detailed 3D raceway designs, complete with a bill of materials. This not only reduces design time by up to 70%, it also eliminates double entry, and provides the ability to evaluate multiple design options against cost, construction time, and maintainability. The generated designs are more efficient, requiring up to 20% less material and labor than traditional designs. The Electrical Design Module also cuts the time required to estimate projects by up to 50%. These benefits enable engineers and contractors to make better use of their teams, letting them focus on higher value activities.

“The Electrical Design Module for our Augmenta Construction Platform is the first of several solutions we are developing to automate building design,” said Francesco Iorio, CEO and co-founder of Augmenta. “We’re tackling the toughest design challenges in the construction industry, and plan to also provide solutions for plumbing, mechanical, and structural engineers and contractors. Our ultimate goal is to deliver an integrated solution that eliminates the time consuming and error prone processes of designing systems, and sharing and coordinating those designs across trades.”

Using Generative Design and AI to solve one of the biggest design problems in construction

Today, the building design process is constrained by tools that act as little more than a digital drafting board. These tools make creating designs for electrical systems complex and time-consuming, often requiring several rounds of review, interpretation, and refinement. Each iteration takes time and money, making it impractical to explore alternative design options.

Until now, computational design and design automation have been used in the construction industry primarily for conceptual exploration by architects. For the first time, Augmenta is bringing the power of these techniques to all aspects of the design process. Using a novel combination of mathematical optimization and artificial intelligence to ensure designs are constructible and compliant, the ACP also leverages machine learning to continuously speed up the design process. This transformative approach enables the automated design of constructible buildings at a high level of detail, based on the requirements identified for a building and the applicable building codes.

The Electrical Design Module was developed in collaboration with Interstates, an innovative electrical contractor based in the U.S. “In a very short period of time, we saw how dramatically Augmenta’s approach to automated design can reduce the cost of the design process,” said Josh Gillespie, BIM/VDC Director at Interstates. “It enables us to decrease the risk of inaccurately scoping time and cost estimates while drastically reducing the time it takes to complete estimates for bids. This gives us additional time to present fully considered design alternatives, thus positioning our company as a strategic partner to our clients, which include general contractors, engineering firms, developers, and owners.”

Pilot program for electrical contracting or engineering firms

Augmenta is launching a pilot program for a limited number of electrical contracting or engineering firms to trial and evaluate the Electrical Design Module. Those interested can sign up to receive details at www.augmenta.ai/electrical.

About Augmenta

Founded by pioneers of Generative Design at Autodesk, Augmenta is a software company that is driving a new level of efficiency for the construction industry by automating building design. The company’s flagship Augmenta Construction Platform (ACP) significantly accelerates the time it takes to detail and estimate designs, eliminates costly redesign and rework, and reduces overall risk. It also ensures buildings are designed to be energy efficient, use sustainable materials, are safer to build, and contribute less waste to landfill during construction. Once available commercially, this innovative new cloud-based platform – which uses artificial intelligence, including machine learning and mathematical optimization – will enable contractors and engineers to create error-free, constructible, code-compliant designs of buildings and systems in hours instead of weeks. For additional information, visit augmenta.ai.

Contacts

Lisa Ballard

Boulevard Public Relations (for Augmenta)

lisa@boulevardpr.com

PALATKA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed LLC, will install recycling technology at its gypsum plant in Palatka, Florida, increasing the recycled content in its wallboard products manufactured in Palatka by 18,000 tons/year while also reducing the site’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2,260 tons/year.

The project represents a $1.1 Million investment from CertainTeed and comes as Saint-Gobain continues to roll out its new global Grow and Impact strategy, which includes reducing waste and increasing recycling efforts at its manufacturing sites.

Gypsum wallboard is made from a gypsum slurry that is poured and dries between two sheets of paper. Some scrap materials, consisting of gypsum and paper, are normally created every time a production line is started up or shut down, or when production equipment is changed to manufacture different sizes of wallboard.

The new recycling technology in Palatka will work by grinding the waste gypsum and waste paper down into fine particles, allowing the plant to capture and internally recycle the materials, which are sorted and then reintroduced to the production process at the plant.

Today, each wallboard produced at CertainTeed’s Palatka facility includes recycled content. The upgraded technology, which the company plans to take online later this year, will increase the amount of recycled material in wallboard manufactured in Palatka.

The new equipment is powered by electricity and replaces older equipment currently powered by diesel, lowering the plant’s Scope 1 Emissions from its operations. Additionally, by consuming more recycled gypsum, the plant is less reliant on feedstock that is shipped to Palatka from external sources, allowing the site to also reduce Scope 3 Emissions associated with transporting the feedstock.

The investment in Palatka follows similar investments that will increase the recycled content of wallboard made at CertainTeed’s gypsum plants in Silver Grove, Kentucky and Nashville, Arkansas.

“In Palatka and at all of our manufacturing sites in North America, our team will continue to aggressively pursue opportunities to maximize our company’s positive impact, for our customers and the communities where we operate, while minimizing our environmental footprint,” said Jay Bachmann, Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed Interior Products Group. “The new technology in Palatka will allow us to increase the recycled content in our products, reduce our carbon dioxide emissions at the plant, and strengthen our operations at a time of unprecedented consumer demand for gypsum wallboard in the southeastern United States.”

CertainTeed’s Palatka plant began operations in 2001 and sits on more than 100 acres of land in Putnam County. Today the plant is home to 150 employees and is one of the largest employers in Palatka, and also one of the largest gypsum plants in the southeastern United States. The plant is currently hiring for several roles in engineering and production. A complete listing of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including the CertainTeed site in Palatka, can be found on the company’s website.

The investment in recycling technology in Palatka follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:

• In July, Saint-Gobain announced the upgrade of key equipment at its Buchanan, New York gypsum plant, saving nearly 700,000 kWh of electricity per year and also reducing the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• In June, Saint-Gobain announced a $91 Million CAD investment in its gypsum plant in Montreal, creating the first zero-carbon manufacturing site for wallboard in North America and increasing the plant’s production capacity by 40%.
• In May, Saint-Gobain announced its newly installed recycling technology at its gypsum wallboard plant in Nashville, Arkansas would save 65,000 tons of material per year from landfill.
• In April, Saint-Gobain entered into a recycling partnership at its SageGlass electrochromic glass production site in Fairbault, Minnesota, saving 1,000 tons of material per year from landfill over the next five years.
• In March, Saint-Gobain North America announced it would install heat recovery technology at its CertainTeed gypsum manufacturing site in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by 10% and improve its energy efficiency.
• Also in March, Saint-Gobain announced that through its virtual Power Purchase Agreement with the Blooming Grove Wind Farm in McLean County, Illinois, and additional renewables contracting, the company received renewable energy certificates that effectively reduced approximately 33% of its CO2 emissions from electricity usage in 2021 in the United States and Canada.
• In February, the company invested $32 Million to upgrade equipment at its insulation plant in Chowchilla, California, reducing the facility’s carbon footprint by more than 4,000 metric tons per year.
• In January, Saint-Gobain North America donated a zero energy ready house in Canton, Ohio, made with more than 20 of its own products, to Habitat for Humanity.

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has helped shape the building products industry for more than 115 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm’s slogan “Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed,” inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is a leading North American brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, solar, fence, railing, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings. www.certainteed.com.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€44.2 billion in sales in 2021

167,000 employees, located in 76 countries

Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

For more details on Saint-Gobain, visit http://www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain.

Contacts

Media

David Rosen

Saint-Gobain

Corporate Communications

Media@saint-gobain.com

The company is modernizing the way building managers work with service vendors across all asset classes

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–VendorPM, a marketplace connecting building managers and service vendors, today announced that it has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Prudence with significant contribution from Bessemer Venture Partners, Navitas Capital and Alate Partners. Strategic investors in the round include Colliers and RXR alongside notable angels; Dick Costolo (Former CEO of Twitter), Mark Rose (Chair & CEO of Avison Young) and others.

This latest funding round follows VendorPM’s recent $6 million seed round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, and will enable the company to continue to reinvest in building out their world-class team and platform. In doing so, VendorPM will address the strong market demand as well as support their expansion into additional U.S. markets including Chicago, IL and Washington, DC. Additionally, the new funding round will enable VendorPM to build out new product offerings for both service vendors and property managers including new payment technology solutions to enable an increasingly frictionless workflow with a comprehensive platform experience from procurement to payment.

The VendorPM SaaS platform and marketplace supports over 5,000 buildings and close to 40,000 service vendors across major Canadian cities and a growing number of U.S. cities. Building managers use VendorPM for its modern, standardized approach to vendor management, sourcing, procurement and compliance. Regardless of asset class, VendorPM is the single most efficient way to obtain multiple bids across every building service and simplify the many steps that come before and after. As a result, leading property management firms across North America are evolving old school practices such as email and word of mouth, to using VendorPM to unlock standardized visibility and control into what has been a rather opaque workflow to date. Currently hosting 120+ leading commercial real estate organizations and property management groups including Colliers, Golub & Co, Avison Young, BentallGreenOak and more, VendorPM plans to aggressively expand their U.S. footprint, already having undergone a strong market entry into Chicago, Illinois.

“Our industry’s need for modernization has never been felt like this before. People are getting busier and their budgets are getting tighter. We can not expect different results if we don’t improve and innovate,” said CEO Emiel Bril. “That is why our industry is turning to VendorPM; to cut operating costs in a meaningful way while enabling their teams to buy-back precious time in an otherwise outdated workflow. This $20 million investment will ensure that as our users’ expectations increase, we continue to raise the bar, and set a new industry standard.”

“Property managers in North America alone spend over $400 billion to service their buildings each year and almost all of this spend is procured, managed and paid manually,” said Gavin Myers, Managing Partner of Prudence. “VendorPM is building the automation layer for this massive segment and we’re thrilled to partner with Emiel and the rest of the VendorPM team as they address this global opportunity.”

About VendorPM

VendorPM is a software-enabled marketplace that modernizes how property managers work with vendors through enhancing vendor management, sourcing, procurement & compliance. This one-of-a-kind two-sided marketplace allows property managers to connect with vendors to fulfill projects and contracts of all sizes and scopes while enabling vendors to effortlessly market their services. Today, VendorPM serves close to 40,000+ vendors, 120+ property management groups, and 5,000+ buildings across the US and Canada. Notable users include Colliers, Golub & Co., Avison Young, BentallGreenOak, and many more.

About Prudence

Prudence is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies leading the global transformation of the real estate sector. Prudence is an early investor in companies such as Casafari, Compass (COMP), CREXi, Evernest, Hemlane, Maxwell, Morty, Properly and Sundae. The firm is headquartered in New York City and has an office in London. Learn more at www.prudence.vc.

Contacts

Ethan Chamish

echamish@vendorpm.com

This integration marks the latest step forward in FCT’s mission to fuel growth and innovation across the real estate industry

OAKVILLE, Ontario–(BUSINESS WIRE)–FCT, the leading national service provider in real estate technology and title insurance, announced today an integration with Canadian Residential Appraisal Library (CRAL) ReportPro™ from ACI, a leading innovator in collateral valuation technologies.

This integration allows appraisers to directly populate appraisal forms with residential property information, capturing key data points in one click and reducing turnaround times by more than half in many instances.

“Our integration with ACI aligns with our commitment to provide our customers with intuitive, data-driven products and deliver the highest quality of service,” said Daniela DeTommaso, president of FCT. “By combining FCT’s industry leading technology with ACI’s robust data and innovative workflow solutions, we are one step closer to creating a seamless experience across the real estate lifecycle.”

“We are excited to partner with FCT in advancing the Canadian appraisal market through collaborative innovation,” said Jeremy Staudenmaier, managing senior director at ACI. “This initiative is a major step forward in modernizing the appraisal process, while maintaining the high standard of quality their customers have come to expect.”

About FCT

Based in Oakville, Ontario, FCT has over 1,000 employees across the country. FCT provides industry-leading title insurance, default solutions and other real estate-related products and services to approximately 450 lenders, 43,000 legal professionals and 5,000 recovery professionals, as well as real estate agents, mortgage brokers and builders, nationwide.

The Great Place to Work® Institute has named FCT one of Canada’s Top 50 Best Workplaces for eight consecutive years (2015-2022) and certified FCT as a Great Place to Work. The company was also recognized for the third consecutive year (2020-2022) on the list of Best Workplaces™ for Women. Earlier this year, FCT’s parent company, First American Financial Corporation, was named was named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For by Great Place to Work® and Fortune magazine for the seventh consecutive year.

For more information on FCT, please visit the company website at www.fct.ca.

About ACI

ACI specializes in creating innovative workflow solutions for real estate appraisers, appraisal management companies and financial institutions. Backed by analysis-driven tools and industry expertise, ACI’s cloud-based and enterprise software applications empower stakeholders with a streamlined approach to managing forms, rules and data, while operating with audit-ready transparency and compliance. Through visionary leadership and dedication to client service, ACI has served as a reliable and driving force in the valuation industry for nearly 40 years. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI is a member of the First American (NYSE: FAF) family of companies.

For more information, visit www.aciweb.com.

Contacts

Jacquie Alford

Communications Manager

905.483.4568

jaalford@fct.ca

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Adastra, a global leader in AI and machine learning, is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $1.1-million investment from SCALE AI to support a supply chain optimization platform project for their partner Taiga Building Products.

SCALE AI is Canada’s supercluster dedicated to strengthening the country’s leadership role in the fields of artificial intelligence and data science. This is the second project SCALE AI has funded for Adastra this year, after their investment of $1-million into developing a smart platform to optimize agricultural yield in April 2022.

”By using AI to enable data-driven decisions on these critical elements of Taiga’s supply chain there will be a direct impact to the consumer with available inventory, lower costs, and a wider variety of products,” says Darren Edery, CEO, Adastra. “One of Taiga’s retail customers will participate in the project and provide real-time data that will be integrated into Taiga’s ‘just-in-time’ inventory model to create tangible impact along the building materials supply chain.”

Adastra saw a need for the project due to the fragmented nature of the building materials supply chain. The overall goal of this initiative is to use data inputs that are readily available in disparate systems and use advanced AI techniques to solve three of the most pressing bottlenecks in the building materials supply chain: accurate demand forecasting, maximizing truck loads, and optimizing warehouse layouts.

“Taiga sees the use of technology, specifically machine learning/artificial intelligence technology at the retail level to be a meaningful advancement for our customers,” says Hanif Jessani, Director, IT, Taiga Building Products. “The promotion of these tools will increase revenue for our customers and improve the overall value chain in the LBM space.”

In 2021, Adastra was awarded a Microsoft Impact Award in artificial intelligence. These annual awards recognize Microsoft partners that have focused on bettering the lives of Canadians and demonstrated excellence in sales, marketing, skilling, innovation, and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Coupled with their two projects funded by SCALE AI, Adastra is quickly becoming a leader in helping organizations address complex supply chain issues with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Their proven solutions in the space have been unlocking value for organizations and their clients.

Contact us to find out how Adastra can help your organization on your AI/ML journey.

About Adastra

Adastra transforms businesses into digital leaders. Since 2000, Adastra has been helping global organizations accelerate innovation, improve operational excellence, and create unforgettable customer experiences, all with the power of their data. By providing industry-leading Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Digital, and Governance services and solutions, Adastra helps enterprises leverage data that they can manage and trust, connecting them to their customers – and their customers to the world. We have a proven track record of delivering enterprise-grade solutions to Fortune 1000 and SME organizations across all industries. More information can be found at www.adastracorp.com.

Contacts

Claire Elder, Corporate Communications, 1-647-308-8952

claire.elder@adastragrp.com

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–dataplor started in 2017 with a mission to map the local businesses of Mexico. Having rapidly expanded in the past year and on track to triple annual revenue, the company’s data now covers 100 countries and 150 million POIs.

For businesses looking to expand abroad, data on local commerce in developing markets uncovers untapped opportunity. Highly accurate and comprehensive POI data is helping the world’s largest companies inform site selection, increase efficiency, better target customers, and identify international markets ripe for new entrants.

dataplor plans to extend coverage to 150 countries by the end of 2022 to continue providing customers with accurate POI data in developing economies. While pursuing growth, the firm remains committed to maintaining accuracy across all of its locations.

dataplor has been able to grow in an industry with entrenched competitors because it goes several steps further than others to verify the accuracy of data abroad — in markets where the data peddled is often full of errors.

Expanding coverage and data accuracy across the globe

Since March 2022, dataplor has doubled its total count of POIs, and its coverage has increased from 10 countries in Q2 2021 to 100 countries today, spanning Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The world’s largest tech, CPG, and financial services companies rely on the data company to understand global markets.

The leading factor behind dataplor’s swift growth is its multi-step data collection and verification process. By working with local experts to vet geospatial data, the firm closes gaps in machine errors with boots-on-the-ground verification to ensure its numbers truly reflect local businesses, which are always changing. This dynamic accuracy gives dataplor’s intelligence an edge over rivals who have accurate information for developed economies like the US but haven’t done the legwork to understand poorly mapped business geographies in, say, India or Brazil.

Tracking places attributes such as storefronts, industry types, and business hours, dataplor paints a picture of hyperlocal economies to reveal broader trends. POI data can uncover holes in local brick-and-mortar economies, highlighting regions, for example, where retailers or CPGs can increase sales and marketing efforts. POI data also reveals which chains and brands are growing or receding in certain areas, informing site selection.

With data still scant in many nations, dataplor plans to expand further to provide its customers the information they need country by country. And the company will deploy not just AI and ML for data collection and verification but also local experts to ensure it maintains its precision with each additional market.

Tempering growth with conscientious upkeep

For a data intelligence firm dealing in local business information, keeping records up to date is a never-ending pursuit. From zip code changes to storefront closures, the work of maintaining accurate information in diverse markets continues.

As a sign of the company’s commitment to ensuring accuracy while pursuing growth, dataplor has increased its core team by 30%.

Dedicated to maintaining the infrastructure needed to ensure accuracy across locations old and new, dataplor is putting businesses on the map in international markets and lighting the way for companies looking to establish themselves abroad.

Contacts

dataplor

Geoffrey Michener

+1 202-643-6338

contact@dataplor.com