HAMILTON, Ontario, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manufacturing is essential to the Canadian economy, contributing approximately 10% of our GDP. Two of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers is ensuring that their workers have the right skills to support them as they take on new technologies and practices, and onboarding enough new workers to support sustained operations and growth. These challenges will be exacerbated as more of the existing workforce enters retirement. Introducing automation and other digital technologies has been proposed as a solution to address the skills gap, but it poses its own set of unique challenges. Canada’s Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS) contains data on the competencies required to work in 900 different occupations, providing the users with a standardized way to understand how competencies vary by level of proficiency across occupations. With the rapid adoption of technologies, can the OaSIS database support the future needs of the manufacturing sector? Also, is there alignment of skills and competencies across manufacturing subsectors? In one study conducted under NGen’s Future Ready program, funded in part by ESDC’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP), the cluster contracted 6 industry associations (APMA, BioTalent Canada, CMISA, DAIR, FPSC, and SIMSA) to engage their members to help generate a snapshot of the current skills and proficiencies of the Canadian manufacturing workforce, and how those skills and proficiencies are projected to evolve through 2040. In total, 157 Canadian manufacturers participated in this study. Projected skill levels for 2030 and 2040 indicate an emerging emphasis on digital literacy, cognitive skills, and soft skills, with the largest changes in projected proficiencies occurring in Digital Literacy, Problem Solving, and Creativity and Innovation. The results paint a picture of a digitally literate workforce that will require cognitive and soft skill enhancement to be effective in the digital work environment of the future. These findings suggest that manufacturing needs to understand and prepare for changes in competencies across all job functions. This will require a strategy of incorporating continuous upskilling and recruitment within and across the manufacturing sector. Another important finding was that there is a great deal of commonality across the various sectors of manufacturing and across regions, meaning that pan-Canadian, cross-sectoral solutions have the potential to drive tremendous economic impact. To read more about NGen’s workforce research initiatives, visit www.ngen.ca/futureready . Research Papers Decarbonization and its Impact on Canada's Manufacturing Workforce Digitizing Canada's Advanced Manufacturing Sector: Reshaping Jobs and Skills Technological Innovation and Workforce Diversity in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector The Manufacturing Workforce: Trends and Opportunities An Assessment of the Changing Skill Needs of the Canadian Manufacturing Workforce Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing: The Evolution of Technology and Jobs in the Sector Digitizing Canada's Manufacturing Sector Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit Advanced Manufacturing Skills Catalogue Best Practices for Newcomers Labour Market Intervention Programmes Quotes “We believe that our manufacturing workforce is a critical national asset and must be looked at through a pan-Canadian, cross-sectoral lens. Through our collaboration with six organizations supporting specific manufacturing sectors, we have identified common core competencies as well as common skills challenges facing Canada’s manufacturing sector which provides nearly ten percent of Canada’s GDP.” - Stewart Cramer, Chief Manufacturing Officer, NGen “As the lead skills training organization for Canada's food and beverage manufacturing industry, we know — as do businesses — that upskilling and continuous learning is fundamental to any successful workforce. Skills training values individuals and supports recruitment and retention." - Jennefer Griffith, Executive Director, Food Professing SKills Canada "Transitions aren’t only about innovation and technology. The companies that get it right are the ones that will bet on their current workforce with new skills, patience and direction. The jurisdictions that will lead in the new automotive will be the ones that partner with those companies and workers to chart their path." - Flavio Volpe, President, APMA “The Saskatchewan labour market is very competitive, and the manufacturing market has a difficult time competing with other booming, high productivity markets such as mining, energy and tech. The skill trend analysis we did in partnership with NGen underscores a dynamic shift in occupational competencies, highlighting the move from solely technical skills to a more broadly skilled and adaptable workforce across various sectors. Research of this kind is essential to our ability to build the workforce that we will need to compete and grow not only against our global competitors, but also in the fierce competition for talent in our home province of Saskatchewan. SIMSA greatly appreciates the support of and invaluable work by NGen!” - Eric Anderson, Executive Director, SIMSA About NGen NGen is the industry-led not-for-profit organization that leads Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing. Its mandate is to help build world-leading advanced manufacturing capabilities in Canada for the benefit of Canadians. NGen works to strengthen collaboration among its membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, technology companies, innovation centres, and researchers, and provides funding and business support to industry-led initiatives that aim to develop, apply, or scale-up transformative manufacturing solutions in Canada for commercialization in global markets. www.ngen.ca/membership . Media Contact Robbie MacLeod Robbie.macleod@ngen.ca 613-297-3578
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Jerry Yang didn’t speak English when he started school at L.A. Nelson Elementary. Now, as a Guyer High School sophomore, Yang is a budding teacher, and among 18 Denton ISD students qualified to advance to nationals from their work in Texas Association of Future Educators contests. Yang and his peers are also eligible for the Educators Rising National Conference. How did the high school student go from being a Mandarin speaker in an English as a second language program to a competitive aspiring teacher? Yang credits Denton ISD’s Teach Denton and how it channeled his enthusiasm for learning in elementary school. “I believe it’s because I was not a native speaker,” he said. “And I usually excel more, like faster than others. So then I helped others, and then it clicked for me at the same time.” Guyer High School sophomore Jerry Yang qualified for a national competition for future educators. Yang is a member of both Teach Denton, a Denton ISD program that offers training and development for students who want to be teachers, and his campus chapter of Texas Association of Future Educators. Yang said his ESL teacher nominated him for the program. “I was like ‘OK,’” he said. In elementary school classrooms across Denton ISD, teachers notice when some students help their classmates out. They might explain part of a small group activity, or help a friend stand in the right spot. They are eager to learn, too. Since the 2016-17 school year, teachers have tapped those students to join Teach Denton, a program that introduces students — some of them as young as prekindergarten — to teaching. Since its founding, Teach Denton has fed campus chapters of the Texas Association of Future Educators, a three-year education training program at LaGrone Academy that certifies students to work as classroom aides. Teach Denton is also a pathway to LaGrone’s teaching internship, a program that gives students professional development and student teaching experience ahead of college programs. Since the program was founded, 88 of Teach Denton’s alumni have returned to Denton ISD in full-time teaching positions. Denton ISD leaders are proud of that number, and officials from the Texas Education Agency have visited campuses to meet Teach Denton students and the school leaders who are shepherding them toward a career in the classroom or administrators’ offices. “We’re planting these seeds; we’re planting Christmas trees,” said Leah Zavala, the coordinator of Teach Denton. “We’re not going to have all of our vacancies and spots filled tomorrow. But this is that long-term goal. It’s building Rome, you know?” Leah Zavala, Denton ISD’s Teach Denton coordinator, speaks at a event for Teach Denton students in February. Zavala said the program has attracted attention from school districts across the country. The program grew out of a campus improvement plan, a sprawling project that the leaders of each campus complete regularly to align classrooms with everything from state standards to the needs of the regional and national labor market. Zavala said a deputy superintendent likened the initiative to planting trees that would bear fruit generations later. District leaders routinely consider the challenges that face public schools. Texas has been dealing with a teaching shortage for more than a decade, a situation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and political upheavals. Denton ISD has fared better than other Texas schools. It’s a destination district, and boasts an 81.8% teacher retention rate. But the program isn’t about filling vacancies, Zavala said. It’s about connecting students who excel in the classroom and who show leadership traits to a vocation that makes an impact on lives, and on a granular level. Texas public schools act on a 2019 mandate from state lawmakers to make sure students can graduate from high school ready for college, a career or the military. Denton ISD has the typical pathways for students to pursue those outcomes. LaGrone Academy, the district’s advanced technology complex, offers certifications in longstanding trades, such as cosmetology, nursing, auto mechanics and welding. The campus also has a menu of newer certification programs, such as commercial photography, animation, law and forensics. Zavala said the campus improvement plan process sparked conversations about teaching. Every teacher and administrator knows students who are clever, curious and willing to lead. “The questions came up: Why are we not marketing our profession?’” Zavala said. “We have the career-tech complex. We have law enforcement, we have health science. All of these were feeding into a profession. And education is feeding into that same profession, but there was this disconnect with students dropping off and not going into education [in their] postsecondary [education]. And so we started asking, ‘Why are we not doing this?’ “It was really just an idea from [a Denton ISD deputy superintendent] of, like, ‘Hey, why don’t we?’ And if we are in the business of education, why are we not marketing for education?” Zavala said elementary school students and even prekindergarten students who demonstrate empathy can be considered. The youngest students can take part in activities that develop empathy and positive interactions. When they get into kindergarten, Zavala said, they can start attending monthly Teach Denton meetings. Middle and high school students in the program can join their campus chapter of Texas Association of Future Educators. Student in the Teach Denton program at Denton ISD are set on education and career paths in teaching, with the ultimate goal of returning to Denton ISD for their careers. Among their peers and with their faculty advisers, those students drill down on teaching and focus on things like differentiation in education, which prepares them for a typical classroom and its varied students and abilities, to classroom management. Yang will compete in the Area 10 TAFE Conference at Texas Woman’s University over the weekend. The conference at TWU, hosted by the College of Professional Education and the Educator Preparation Program, includes students from Cooke, Denton, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise counties. Staci Scott, one of the two coordinators of the LaGrone Academy education internship program and campus TAFE chapter, is helping guide 85 students through the internship, which offers dual credit to students who plan to become certified teachers. The program, separate from Teach Denton, starts with five weeks of preparation, and then interns travel to Denton ISD campuses, where they do hands-on work and student teaching with younger students. “The more that I meet other teachers from other districts, I feel like our district is leading the way with this program,” Scott said. “So many districts want to get it going, but they’re not where we are.” Scott is in her third year sharing the helm of the internship, and she said she’s seeing some important things happen for the interns. “I think starting at an elementary level, keeping kids engaged and excited through their entire [school] career matters,” she said. “I think the fact that they are in classrooms actually teaching — it’s not for everyone, right? Teaching? I tell them, ‘This is such an opportunity for you to spend $75 to take this course and get to do what juniors in college do.’ “Because let’s be real, some people make it that far in college and then they do their student teaching and they’re like, ‘Oh, maybe this is not the route that I want to take.’ So the opportunity to be able to try it out and see is huge.” She also sees that the internship puts students in the classroom, a challenging place that is changing fast, early. By the time alumni are in collegiate teacher preparation programs, they’ve seen how students learn and interact. They’ve had a front-row seat to the challenges and the triumphs that students start experiencing the moment they start school. Scott said she sees room for growth in Teach Denton. “I think the earlier we can get kids in TAFE, and keep building that, we’ll be even better.” Students as young as pre-K can enter Denton ISD’s Teach Denton program. Many times, teachers notice certain characteristics, like helping others and a passion for learning, and recommend them for Teach Denton. An event in February honored the hundreds of Teach Denton students in the program. Yang is two years from graduation from Guyer High, but he’s already considering teacher preparation programs at the University of Texas and University of California. He’s also thinking of a career teaching high school biology and perhaps trying his hand as a public school administrator or college professor. And when he thinks of the future, he imagines teaching in a public school. Until then, Yang said, he’s going to mentor new TAFE students and continue competing while studying honors courses. As a Teach Denton student, Yang is already thinking about what the classroom will be like when he starts his career. “Our world is changing right now,” he said. “Technologies are more advanced, and new generations are coming up. We have to adapt to like the ever-changing present. I believe we should use resources, like AI, to help us, because that’s becoming a big thing. And I know ... teachers think that AI is cheating or something like that. But I think that in the future, AI is going to become like a useful resource.” Yang said both Teach Denton and TAFE have created a community for its members. Just like in team sports, Teach Denton students forge friendships. The students have built a support system for one another. And Yang said the skills students develop in Teach Denton don’t have to stay in classrooms. “I think a lot of people think that you’re in the program, you’re going to be kind of teacher and stuff, but I don’t think that I think that you’re in the program just to become a teacher,” Yang said. “You can do [work] in the program just to build your relationship with others, and basically strengthen your skills.” Zavala said Teach Denton has attracted attention from districts across the country. “Dr. [Robert] Stewart used to be our assistant superintendent of human resources, and he used to tell me all the time, ‘We’re going to take Teach Denton on the road, we’re going to take Teach Denton on the road!’” she said. “And we essentially have. We have gone to several different states in the U.S and talked about Teach Denton, and helped other education agencies in different states develop their grow your own program. Teach Denton is an exemplar for other districts.” Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.NEW YORK (AP) — The huge rally for U.S. stocks lost momentum on Thursday as Wall Street counted down to a big jobs report that’s coming on Friday. The crypto market had more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before pulling back. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from the all-time high it had set the day before, its 56th of the year so far, to shave a bit off what’s set to be one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248 points, or 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2% from its own record set the day before. Bitcoin powered above $100,000 for the first time the night before, after President-elect Donald Trump chose Paul Atkins, who's seen as a crypto advocate, as his nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. The cryptocurrency has climbed dramatically from less than $70,000 on Election Day, but it fell back as Thursday progressed toward $99,000, according to CoinDesk. Sharp swings for bitcoin are nothing new, and they took stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto world on a similar ride. After rising as much as 9% in early trading, MicroStrategy, a company that’s been raising cash just to buy bitcoin, swung to a loss of 4.8%. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global fell 3.1% after likewise erasing a big early gain. Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines helped lead the way following the latest bumps up to financial forecasts from carriers. American Airlines Group soared 16.8% after saying it’s making more in revenue during the last three months of 2024 than it expected, and it will likely make a bigger profit than it had earlier forecast. The airline also chose Citi to be its exclusive partner for credit cards that give miles in its loyalty program. That should help its cash coming in from co-branded credit card and other partners grow by about 10% annually. Southwest Airlines climbed 2% after saying it’s seeing stronger demand from leisure travelers than it expected. It also raised its forecast for revenue for the holiday traveling season. On the losing end of Wall Street was Synposys, which tumbled 12.4%. The supplier for the semiconductor industry reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also warned of “continued macro uncertainties” and gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell short of some analysts’ estimates. American Eagle Outfitters fell even more, 14.3%, after the retailer said it’s preparing for “potential choppiness” outside of peak selling periods. It was reminiscent of a warning from Foot Locker earlier in the week and raised more concerns about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain. Solid spending by U.S. consumers has been one of the main reasons the U.S. economy has avoided a recession that earlier seemed inevitable after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to crush inflation. But shoppers are now contending with still-high prices and a slowing job market . This week’s highlight for Wall Street will be Friday’s jobs report from the U.S. government, which will show how many people employers hired and fired last month. A report on Thursday said the number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remains at historically healthy levels. Expectations are high that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again when it meets in two weeks. The Fed began easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high in September, hoping to offer more support for the job market. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.17% from 4.18% late Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 11.38 points to 6,075.11. The Dow sank 248.33 to 44,765.71, and the Nasdaq composite lost 34.86 to 19,700.26. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mostly calm in Europe after far-right and left-wing lawmakers in France joined together to vote on a no-confidence motion that will force Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet to resign. The CAC 40 index in Paris added 0.4%. In South Korea, the Kospi fell 0.9% to compound its 1.4% decline from the day before. President Yoon Suk Yeol was facing possible impeachment after he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday night. He revoked the martial law declaration six hours later. Crude oil prices slipped after eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries decided to put off increasing oil production. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.
How to sustain service delivery in difficult times
Key Takeaways The holidays can be hectic, but one thing that always helps is a list. Even Santa Claus needs one — and I've heard he checks his twice! I have a holiday routine I follow every year to help me reflect on how my business performed over the past year and how it can improve in the next. These crucial tasks have helped me grow my business, PostcardMania , from nothing to over $100 million in annual revenue. The best part is that our revenue growth is accelerating, which is a big accomplishment for a 26-year-old business. Since 2020, our annual revenue averages 15% growth — three times better than the previous decade's average of 5% growth. This checklist will help guide you in the process of analyzing your results and preparing for the year ahead. Related: 4 Marketing Triggers You Need to Set Up Now to Supercharge Your New Year Review marketing metrics and focus on top-line (aka new sales) growth At the end of the year, take time to compile all of your results data — leads, sales, and where both are coming from. For me, I look at what's driving top-line growth (i.e., orders from new customers). A lot of coaches and consultants focus on bottom-line growth, but top-line is where I find the most useful information when it comes to marketing. What's driving sales? What brings in the best ROI? Once you know that, you can build in efficiencies down the line to improve profitability/bottom line, but getting that top line to grow is always my number one priority. For example, last year, we noticed that new orders were down. My beautiful VP of Sales, Ashlie, who has been with me for over 20 years, made an excellent observation and suggestion. She asked, "How about we increase the postcards?" Um, HELLO — I needed to practice what I preach!! We looked into it, and somehow, our outgoing postcard promotion had been cut from 205,000 weekly to 195,000. So, we increased our postcard outflow again (it's now at over 260,000), and new orders and revenue from first-time buyers is finally up. That increase is over $1 million in top-line growth year to date. As I write this, we still have four weeks left in the year. On top of that: We already know that half of those new clients will order more than once — and many will order for years and years to come. To me, this was huge! A "come to Jesus" moment — if we increase our postcard mailings, we increase our top line without fail. It's a little bit embarrassing because this is my mantra, and I missed it. What works for my business may not be what works for yours, but you have to put the work in to find that top-line growth driver. Once you know it, grow it like no one's business and build in efficiencies as you go. That has been the key to growing MY business. Look for year-over-year trends to make adjustments It's not just the current year's results you want to scrutinize. Compare the last five years to identify trends. If you don't have data that goes that far back, try to gather any information possible to obtain a bigger picture of what may have changed or stayed the same over a span of time. How have your marketing strategies evolved? I can tell you that at my business, PostcardMania, direct mail marketing continues to deliver massive results. We mail hundreds of thousands of postcards every week advertising our services like clockwork. But we've also tested other marketing strategies over time. For example, the majority of our social media ads were static images. Then, last year, we decided to launch a series of short video ads about our clients' successful marketing campaigns, and we witnessed a huge difference. As a result, our social media leads doubled, increasing by 105%! Since then, we've transitioned most of our ads on Facebook and Instagram to video instead of photos. What is your most significant marketing trend? It will be different for every business, but the crucial takeaway is that the more you market , the more your business will grow. That's a tried-and-true trend that will always stay the same. Related: What I Learned From Spending $5.9 Million on Marketing Last Year Analyze your sales funnel to discover opportunities for improvement Even if you have been relying on the same sales funnel for years to deliver customers, it's still beneficial to analyze its performance to see if there's room for improvement. Where do you normally witness prospects losing interest? Find the weaker spots in the communication channels and brainstorm strategies to draw them back in. Typically, an interested buyer will visit your website before making any final decisions. This is a key point where prospects will often fall out of your funnel — but you can do something about it. At PostcardMania, we use technology to match a website visitor's IP address with their physical address, then mail them a retargeted postcard within 24-48 hours following their website visit. The mailer sitting inside their house helps bring them back for a purchase. I also recommend creating a solid schedule of reminder ads, emails and phone calls to re-engage prospects who haven't converted yet. If you can automate these tactics to be responsive using your CRM , that's even more ideal. This will cut down on the workload on your end and create a more personalized experience for prospects. Win-win! Remember to work smarter, not necessarily harder. Track your competitors and compare for additional insights By now, you should have an idea of who your main competitors are. A well-thought-out marketing strategy includes an analysis of the competition and their marketing as well. What did your competitor offer this year? Was it better than the discounts or free items you advertised? Who did their ads appeal to in regards to audience? If you aren't sure, make sure to visit their websites and sign up for their newsletters or marketing promotions. I also suggest creating a Google alert for each competitor that will send any new mentions across the web right to your inbox. Take all of this information into account and detail any offers or messages that may have performed better than yours. Then, rally with your team to come up with even better strategies next year to get ahead of the competition. Just keep in mind that your business should maintain its unique mission and identity despite any changes in advertising and promotions. Ask your customers for feedback through surveys and reviews I can't preach this enough, but the only way you are going to get more positive reviews is by asking! The end of the year is the perfect time to send out an email or text message to customers and ask them to rate your products, services and customer service. By giving customers an opportunity to provide feedback, you not only increase your credibility online, but you also gain more information about what your customers love and don't like as much. My staff regularly takes time to ask happy clients for reviews. If someone's had a good experience, they're very likely to leave a review when asked! Once we put a process in place to do this, our five-star reviews skyrocketed. I'm B2B, and I noticed my competitors — even publicly traded competitors that are 10x our size — have far, far fewer good reviews than we do. Create a comprehensive plan for the new year You don't have to wait until the new year to make changes. As soon as you digest your business's results data, you can begin a new marketing strategy. The best time to make purchases is before the end of the year so that you can reinvest otherwise taxable profits back into your business and reduce your tax burden. Some purchases might even be eligible for tax credits ! If you are a B2B business like we are, go ahead and mail a letter to your prospects and customers and give them the great idea to pre-buy your product or service before the end of the year. Some of them inevitably will, and you'll see a boost in December when people are usually too preoccupied with the holidays to spend that taxable income. We do this every year, and December is often our biggest month of the year! Related: 3 Secrets to Finishing the Year Strong — Make These Smart Moves to Boost Your Revenue in the Final Quarter Celebrate your successes and acknowledge those who contributed The year shouldn't end before you acknowledge all of your wins! Even if this year wasn't your best, you can still celebrate any accomplishment . Include these victories in end-of-year events, or create a company email newsletter full of positive highlights. Make sure to give credit to anyone who contributed to the growth of your business. It will boost company morale and encourage the whole team to do even better in the coming year.Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record
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Home for the holidays? Show relatives you care with some tech supportHome Franchise Concepts' Leading Window Covering Brand Promotes and Expands Roles for Veteran Team Members to Drive Collaboration, Growth and Innovation IRVINE, Calif. , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Budget Blinds, a leader in window coverings, today announced significant changes to its executive leadership team, positioning the company for continued success and industry disruption. Effective immediately, the brand has promoted Tracy Christman to Chief Operating Officer; and expanded roles for Amy Campbell to Vice President of Marketing, Product Design & Strategy; and Nicholas (Nick) Petropoulos as Director of Information Technologies. As part of Home Franchise Concepts' family of brands, these executive changes reflect the leading franchise platform's commitment to setting industry standards and laying the groundwork for building exponential future growth opportunities. Home Franchise Concepts, a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, places an emphasis on strategic leadership development to continue positioning its brands as industry front-runners. Budget Blinds' restructuring aligns with its strategic vision to become the most revered brand in the window coverings industry, while pursuing its primary objectives of operational excellence and innovative customer experience. "We're on the verge of transformational changes that will redefine Budget Blinds' presence in the industry," said Heather Nykolaychuk , President of Budget Blinds. "Earlier this year, we introduced a new business model for our franchisees to enhance brand reinvestment and elevated our strategic planning process to incorporate input from key stakeholders, including our franchisees, fostering greater buy-in and alignment to our long-range plan. As such, with their combined experience and expertise, we are confident that as Tracy, Amy and Nick take on their new or expanding roles, they will ignite our bold new direction, benefiting our associates, franchisees, vendor partners and customers." Additional details on Budget Blinds' leaders and their expanded roles are outlined below: These organizational changes, coupled with the brand's proactive engagement of key stakeholders, position Budget Blinds for improved performance and sustainable growth. The brand is confident that this new structure will foster collaboration and drive innovation, ensuring Budget Blinds remains the leader in window coverings while Home Franchise Concepts continues to reinvest in the brand for future growth. Budget Blinds looks forward to providing enhanced franchisee support, more efficient operations and the development of products and services that truly resonate with our consumers. "We strive to be regarded with deep respect and admiration by all who work and partner with us, through championing high-standards of child-safety, product quality and exceptional experiences rooted in trust and brand reputation," continued Nykolaychuk. "We're excited for the bright future we have ahead, and look forward to the lasting impact Tracy, Amy and Nick will bestow on the Budget Blinds legacy." With Budget Blinds contributing to the success of Home Franchise Concepts, the parent company plans to execute even more innovative strategies and remain ambitious in implementing new tactics to generate additional awareness and support for its family of brands. With new shifts in leadership, Home Franchise Concepts is focused on ongoing operational and technology improvements and is dedicated to enhancing the support for its family of brands. To learn more about Home Franchise Concepts and franchise development opportunities, visit homefranchiseconcepts.com . For more information specific to Budget Blinds, please visit budgetblinds.com . About Budget Blinds Budget Blinds ® is the largest window covering franchise in North America, offering custom blinds, shutters, shades, drapery, and more for residential and commercial consumers in more than 10,000 communities in the U.S. and Canada. Budget Blinds' over 900 business owners, and 1,500 locations, have dressed more than 25 million windows since the brand's founding in 1992. Budget Blinds is part of the Home Franchise Concepts family of home improvement goods and services brands. About Home Franchise Concepts Home Franchise Concepts® , is one of the world's largest franchising systems in the home improvement goods and services space, among the world's largest franchise businesses and a recognized leader in franchisee-franchisor relationships. Home Franchise Concepts' brands including AdvantaClean® , Aussie Pet Mobile®, Bath Tune-Up® , Budget Blinds® , Concrete Craft® , Kitchen Tune-Up®, Lightspeed RestorationTM , PremierGarage® , The Tailored Closet®, and Two Maids® are supported by more than 2,600 franchise territories in the U.S., and Canada . For information on franchise opportunities, please visit http://homefranchiseconcepts.com/ . About JM Family Enterprises JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was founded by automotive legend, Jim Moran in 1968. It is a privately held company with more than $20 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates. Rooted in automotive and united in its strong culture and core values, JM Family is in the business of helping other businesses succeed. As a long-term partner, it is invested in its companies, associates and its communities. Driven by exceptional performance, current subsidiaries are in the automotive, financial services, franchising and specialty distribution industries. Its family of companies includes: Southeast Toyota Distributors , JM&A Group , World Omni Financial Corp. (dba Southeast Toyota Finance ), JM Lexus , Home Franchise Concepts ®, Futura Title & Escrow and Rollease Acmeda . Interact with JM Family on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn . Contact: Margo Williams mwilliams@fish-consulting.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/budget-blinds-announces-strategic-changes-to-executive-leadership-team-302324283.html SOURCE Home Franchise Concepts
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What is Cormark’s Forecast for Orla Mining FY2028 Earnings?Contributed by West Coast Soccer Media This month, the West Coast 2013 Terremoto teams added more medals and another trophy to the case. The Terremoto Black ‘13 PreNPL team combined with players from the Terremoto Gray and Green teams took second place at the prestigious San Mateo County Thanksgiving Classic this past weekend in Redwood City. The result was somewhat surprising because this combination team entered the competition not only playing 11 versus 11 for the first time, but also playing up a year in age group. “We wanted them to be able to get a head start and experience the 11 vs. 11 game they will play in next season,” said coach Jim Langford. “So, we combined players to be able to do that we had to play up in the older division despite the size difference and maturity of the older players. “We were really pleased with the results as the boys rose to the occasion and played with so much heart. They wanted to win another trophy we kept talking to them about.” Coach Curtis Aycock added: “After winning the NorCal State Cup the last two years in a row, increasing divisions as we went, then losing only on penalty kicks in the State Cup quarter-final this year, this was not only a great victory, but more than that, signs of good things to come for all of our teams next year!” In the State Cup quarterfinals, Terremoto bowed out in a penalty-kick heartbreaker, playing with no substitutes and key players unable to go due to injuries. In league play, the team still finished one win away from third place in the tough Pre-National Premier League (NPL) despite having had only one game with a full squad the entire season. Therefore, this tournament finish was as pleasing as it was exciting. After an intense 1-1 tie to the home San Mateo team, then a loss to the eventual champions, the team came back strong and improved the next day to win two crucial matches. In the first game on Sunday, the team battled back from a 1-1 tie to score twice more against a 1974 Newark team, with the quick and dangerous Amaziah Girron scoring first, assisted on a great through pass by Jaxon Horton. In the second half, Luke Achziger gave Terremoto the lead after some nice link up play in the buildup between Grayson Ryan, Brayden Aycock, and Itzae Poblano. With 15 minutes left, after the teams went back and forth, Girron scored his second to extend Terremoto’s lead at 3-1. The goal was assisted by Phoenix Faataualofa. However, Newark was not done. They gained momentum and scored once more with five minutes left to play but a strong defensive display from the back line marshaled by goalkeeper Ian Flores saw Terremoto hold on to the 3-2 lead for the win. In the final game, again the Terremoto team had to battle after the Ceres Rush team tied the game 2-2. Girron put his side in front after completing his hat-trick to secure the victory. He received good service from Achziger and Poblano throughout the game. The age group combination Terremoto team were very excited about their performance. The Terremoto Gray team for example had recently won the championship of the IR Academy Elk Grove Fall Cup. West Coast shows off talent at college showcases West Coast Soccer is looking to finish the 2024 season strong with multiple college showcase tournaments in a row to close out the year. West Coast recruitable age teams U15-U19 just came off solid performances in Davis for the NPL and ECNLR College Showcases, where West Coast’s 2007 and 2008 teams went undefeated to place both on top of the table for their respective leagues. The 2007 team was awarded a berth to the NPL National Finals – set to be held in Denver on July 7-11 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids of the MLS. The NPL Finals is the annual, coveted destination for all NPL participants. U-13 through U-19, boys and girls teams qualify through year-long competition within their respective member leagues. This will mark the second year in a row qualifying for West Coast’s 2007 girls Kryptonite team who got knocked out in a close 1-0 match in 2024 by the team that ultimately won the NPL national championship. “I’m extremely proud of our players and teams,” said Troy Dayak, the coach and West Coast soccer director. “The ‘07’s have consistently improved through hard work and dedication. Every player on the roster thrives for each other and the sport and we are excited to earn the opportunity to represent Northern California at Nationals again in 2025.” Dayak has a long pedigree in the sport having won four national championships as a player and another four titles as a youth coach. Dayak was recently honored and highlighted on the CALNORTH website for his commitment to the sport and being a CALNORTH HALL OF FAME inductee. Dayak just returned home from Southern California where he combined 2007-2010 players and placed them in the 2006/07 age group for the college showcase. The players had many college coaches recruiting on their sidelines over the three-day event. “It was really nice to see the college coaches on the sidelines for our games,” Dayak added. “Silverlakes has a beautiful complex with 24 soccer fields, so to have this many recruiters out there was great for our players.” There’s not much time for rest for the players as Dayak will be heading back down south with four West Coast Soccer teams to compete in the Girls Academy (GA) College Showcase on Dec. 5-9. The GA is the leading youth development platform for the best female soccer players in the United States. The selected GA club members and players must maintain an unrivaled standard of excellence in coaching, competition, and regional and national events throughout the year. Dayak and West Coast Soccer continue to set the standard in soccer for youth players in the area by offering programs from recreational to college recruitment and all levels of play. West Coast will even be putting a team together to travel to Switzerland for the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championships next summer. For more information you can go to westcoastsoccerclub.com . Contact Arion Armeniakos at aarmeniakos@tracypress.com , or call 209-830-4229.
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