Category: Business

Aeon Nexus, Hexagon, Niche Technology, PublicSonar and Word Systems iRecord join Evidencentral Marketplace, which connects agencies to digital transformation solutions to improve incident response and automate investigations

HOBOKEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #NICE—NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) today announced that five technology partners have joined the fast-growing Evidencentral Marketplace, the first, open digital evidence management ecosystem created to accelerate digital transformation of emergency communication centers, law enforcement and criminal justice. NICE’s Evidencentral Marketplace connects agencies to an ecosystem of solutions designed to work with the NICE Evidencentral platform, helping them improve their incident response and operational intelligence, automate investigations, accelerate charging decisions, and reduce discovery backlogs. The new partners joining the Evidencentral Marketplace are Aeon Nexus, Hexagon, Niche Technology, PublicSonar and Word Systems iRecord.

As the amount of data grows, the proprietary and siloed nature of this data makes it difficult for 911 centers, police departments, prosecutors, courts and defense to leverage it to its fullest potential. Building on NICE’s suite of solutions (NICE Inform, NICE Investigate and NICE Justice), the Evidencentral platform solves this problem by breaking down data silos and applying analytics and workflow automation to critical processes, from the time calls arrive at the emergency communication center until cases are successfully investigated and prosecuted.

“We’re excited to welcome these five technology partners, each a leader in their respective fields, to the Evidencentral Marketplace,” said Chris Wooten, Executive Vice President, NICE. “Through our technology partnerships, Evidencentral is helping agencies around the globe ensure safer communities by improving incident response, investigations and justice outcomes. For example, by integrating to Records Management Systems we’re helping police investigators accelerate case building, and develop new leads and lines of inquiry to solve cases faster. Additionally, our deep integrations into Computer Aided Dispatch systems are enabling 911 center leaders to gain new operational insights, improve their quality of service to first responders and citizens, and get more time back in their day to coach 911 telecommunicators. Finally, our seamless integration to Case Management Systems is helping prosecutor’s offices streamline their intake of digital evidence and eliminate time-wasting manual processes so they can focus on prosecuting cases.”

Evidencentral Partner Highlights

• Aeon Nexus: Aeon Nexus is a United States based Microsoft Gold Partner providing CJIS compliant records and case management solutions for Public Safety and Justice organizations leveraging multiple state and federal contract vehicles. The Aeon Nexus solutions portfolio includes JusticeNexus Legal Case Management, which services courts, district attorneys’ and public defenders’ offices by improving efficiency and increasing productivity and collaboration, while providing segregated access to adult, juvenile, criminal and civil case information, as well as administrative law for all case parties, from intake through disposition.
• Hexagon: Hexagon public safety solutions protect 1 in 9 people worldwide. Their industry-leading solutions, including HxGN OnCall^® Dispatch, HxGN OnCall Records and HxGN OnCall Analytics, connect organizations with the mission-critical data necessary to make better, timelier and more informed decisions.
• Niche Technology: NicheRMS365 is a cloud engineered, mobile-first platform that sets the standard for Police RMS worldwide, serving 162,000 sworn officers. The responsive NicheRMS365 UI provides a consistent, intuitive user experience on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop devices, so agencies can simply train once and use anywhere – on any device. It’s a highly configurable RMS platform.
• PublicSonar: PublicSonar is a provider of social media intelligence solutions that use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to help public safety agencies derive valuable real-time insights from huge amounts of publicly available data so they can respond fast and stay informed during emerging risks and incidents.
• Word Systems: Powered by NICE Investigate, Word Systems’ iRecord Cloud solution enables agencies to securely store interview room recordings in the cloud and share those recordings digitally to more quickly address public health concerns and accelerate investigations. Founded in 1977, Word Systems specializes in the development and service of critical audio and video recording solutions.

For more information on Evidencentral or any of our Evidencentral solutions (NICE Inform, NICE Investigate and NICE Justice), click here to visit the NICE website. Technology companies wishing to join the Evidencentral Marketplace can learn more and inquire at www.Evidencentral.com.

About NICE Public Safety

With over 3,000 customers and 30 years’ experience, NICE delivers end-to-end digital transformation, improved collaboration, efficiency and cost savings to all types of public safety and criminal justice agencies, from emergency communications centers and police departments to prosecutors and courts. Our Evidencentral platform (which includes NICE Inform, NICE Investigate and NICE Justice) features an ecosystem of integrated technologies that bring data together to improve incident response, accelerate investigations, streamline evidence sharing and disclosure, and keep communities and citizens safer.

About NICE

With NICE (Nasdaq: NICE), it’s never been easier for organizations of all sizes around the globe to create extraordinary customer experiences while meeting key business metrics. Featuring the world’s #1 cloud native customer experience platform, CXone, NICE is a worldwide leader in AI-powered contact center software. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, partner with NICE to transform – and elevate – every customer interaction. www.nice.com.

Trademark Note: NICE and the NICE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NICE Ltd. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NICE’s marks, please see: www.nice.com/nice-trademarks.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, including the statements by Mr. Wooten, are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of NICE Ltd. (the “Company”). In some cases, such forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “project,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those described herein, including but not limited to the impact of changes in economic and business conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; successful execution of the Company’s growth strategy; success and growth of the Company’s cloud Software-as-a-Service business; changes in technology and market requirements; decline in demand for the Company’s products; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; difficulties or delays in absorbing and integrating acquired operations, products, technologies and personnel; loss of market share; an inability to maintain certain marketing and distribution arrangements; the Company’s dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners;, cyber security attacks or other security breaches against the Company; the effect of newly enacted or modified laws, regulation or standards on the Company and our products and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the company, refer to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, except as required by law.

Contacts

Corporate Media

Christopher Irwin-Dudek, +1 201 561 4442, ET

chris.irwin-dudek@nice.com

Investors

Marty Cohen, +1 551 256 5354, ET

ir@nice.com

Omri Arens, +972 3 763 0127, CET

ir@nice.com

KENILWORTH, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — $MRK #MRK–Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that Leslie A. Brun, its independent lead director, has resigned from its Board of Directors, effective August 19, 2021. Mr. Brun is stepping down due to his decision to become chairman and chief executive officer of Ariel Alternatives, LLC, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments, LLC, a private equity initiative being created to help scale minority-owned businesses to serve as tier 1 suppliers to Fortune 500 companies. Merck is currently evaluating making an investment with Ariel Alternatives.

“Les has been an invaluable member of Merck’s board for many years and we have benefitted greatly from his leadership, wise counsel and friendship,” said Rob Davis, chief executive officer and president, Merck. “While we will miss him, we recognize the importance of the task Les is undertaking at Ariel Alternatives, and we wish him great success.”

 

The company intends to name a new independent lead director in the near future.

 

About Merck

For 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

 

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

 

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

 

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

Contacts

Media Contacts:

Patrick Ryan

(973) 275-7075

Melissa Moody

(215) 407-3536

Investor Contacts:

Peter Dannenbaum

(908) 740-1037

Raychel Kruper

(908) 740-2107

OLDWICK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #insurance—AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb” (Good) from “bbb-” (Good) of Nazareth Mutual Insurance Company (Nazareth) (Nazareth, PA). The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to positive from stable while the outlook of the FSR is stable.

The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Nazareth’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The upgrades of the FSR and Long-Term ICR reflect Nazareth’s improved ERM assessment, driven by a developed risk management framework and expanded risk management capabilities, which are appropriately commensurate with the risk profile of the business. The potential for unfavorable impact on capital strength due to tail-risk exposure events has been mitigated significantly in recent years, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR) at the 1-in-500-year severity level.

The positive outlook on the Long-Term ICR reflects Nazareth’s strengthened balance sheet, supported by key metrics of financial strength over the past five years. Improved operating performance has powered robust policyholders’ surplus growth over the past few years, which in turn has moved important quantitative metrics such as underwriting leverage, liquidity measures and cash flows in a favorable direction.

The limited business profile assessment is driven largely by Nazareth’s geographic concentration in Pennsylvania, which exposes results to frequent and severe weather-related events, as well as potential judicial, economic or regulatory challenges.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Christopher Jackson
Financial Analyst
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5721
christopher.jackson@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Kenneth Tappen
Senior Financial Analyst
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5248
kenneth.tappen@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

HAWTHORNE, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — CCOM Group, Inc. (“CCOM”) (OTC Pink: “CCOM,” “CCOMP”), announces its PPP loans have been forgiven.

In April 2020, the Company, through its subsidiaries, Universal Supply Group, Inc., The RAL Supply Group, Inc. and S&A Supply, Inc, received funding from the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP Loan”) in the amounts of $1,415,256, $650,000 and $220,000, respectively, or $2,285,256 in total. The Company has been notified by KeyBank National Association that it has received 100% loan forgiveness from the SBA. The forgiveness will be recognized as a gain on debt extinguishment.

 

About CCOM Group, Inc.

CCOM Group, Inc. (“CCOM”) distributes heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment (HVAC), parts and accessories, whole-house generators, climate control systems, and plumbing and electrical fixtures and supplies, primarily in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and portions of eastern Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Vermont through its subsidiaries: Universal Supply Group, Inc., www.usginc.com, The RAL Supply Group, Inc., www.ralsupply.com, and S&A Supply, Inc., www.sasupplyinc.com. CCOM is headquartered in New Jersey, and, with its affiliates, operates out of 15 locations in its geographic trading area. For more information on CCOM’s operations, products and/or services, please visit www.ccom-group.com.

Contacts

Peter D. Gasiewicz, Chief Executive Officer
William Salek, Chief Financial Officer

(973) 427-8224

New Contract with Potential Value of $1.5 Million Expands the Company’s Market Penetration in New Jersey

• Timing improvements will be made for key corridors to improve safety and mobility throughout the four-county region in New Jersey including Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties.
• Deal accelerates the geographic expansion of Iteris’ specialized consulting services in New Jersey, a critical East Coast sub-corridor that serves as a key link in the nation’s transportation system.

 

SANTA ANA, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — $ITI #IoT—Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) with a potential value of $1.5 million, representing continued demand for Iteris’ specialized consulting services in a key geographic market.

The traffic signal timing program, which includes the option to renew for up to five years, includes signal timing improvements for key corridors throughout the four counties of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer in New Jersey, with the goal of improving safety and mobility for the region’s traveling public and freight operators.

New Jersey’s transportation system is a critical East Coast sub-corridor that serves as a key link for moving both people and freight throughout the country. According to TRIP, a national transportation research group, the state’s motorists travel 78.2 billion miles annually.

In support of the DVRPC’s Transportation Improvement Program, and its wider goal of ensuring the efficient transportation of people and goods, Iteris will identify innovative approaches and cost-effective traffic signal retiming techniques to: pre-evaluate corridors throughout the four counties, analyze signal timings, recommend improvements, implement timing revisions, refine timing adjustments, analyze equity and report on performance throughout the program. By reducing delays and stops on key corridors for passenger vehicles and heavy vehicles, the DVRPC’s regional signal timing program will help to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, which in turn will contribute to environmental and air quality improvements.

“We are proud to be selected by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to support this important smart mobility infrastructure project in the state of New Jersey, which is a critical link in the nation’s transportation system,” said Jeff Gerken, regional vice president, Consulting Solutions at Iteris. “This traffic signal timing program represents the continued expansion of Iteris’ specialized consulting services in the Eastern U.S., and will ultimately help to increase safety and mobility for the region’s traveling public and freight operators, while also improving air quality and reducing fuel consumption.”

In April 2021, Iteris was awarded a sub-contract agreement by Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) University for a multi-year, multi-phase program to support the design and implementation of the Middlesex County – Smart Mobility Testing Ground (MC-SMTG) in the northern New Jersey region, as part of a collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Iteris has designed, deployed or equipped over one third of all signalized intersections in the United States, supporting local and state transportation agencies with advanced detection sensors, and traffic signal design, timing and synchronization services.

About Iteris, Inc.

Iteris is the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management – the foundation for a new era of mobility. We apply cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, advisory services and managed services to achieve safe, efficient and sustainable mobility. Our end-to-end solutions monitor, visualize and optimize mobility infrastructure around the world to help ensure that roads are safe, travel is efficient, and communities thrive. Visit www.iteris.com for more information, and join the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Iteris Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon our current expectations and the information available to us at this time. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “can,” and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our consulting solutions services and statements about the impacts and value of the awarded contract. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Important factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, our ability to successfully perform the services cost effectively; agency budgetary constraints; utilization needs of the agency for the services subject to the contract (e.g., seasonality); performance timing and cancellation of task orders; and the potential impact of product and service offerings from competitors. Further information on Iteris, Inc., including additional risk factors that may affect our forward-looking statements, is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and our other SEC filings that are available through the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).

Contacts

Iteris Contact
David Sadeghi

Tel: (949) 270-9523

Email: dsadeghi@iteris.com

Investor Relations
MKR Investor Relations, Inc.

Todd Kehrli

Tel: (213) 277-5550

Email: iti@mkr-group.com

OLDWICK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — The prolonged low interest rate environment has allowed publicly traded life/annuity (L/A) insurers to strengthen their balance sheets by replacing higher-cost debt with often significantly lower-cost alternatives, according to a new AM Best special report.

The Best’s Special Report, titled, “Publicly Traded L/A Insurers Reduced Leverage, Improved Liquidity in 2020,” states that the aggregate unadjusted total debt-to-capital ratio for the 16 publicly traded L/A insurers followed for this report has declined since 2011, to 24.1% at year-end 2020. Total debt outstanding decreased by approximately $8 billion (or 8.1%) to $91.4 billion at year-end 2020.

In 2020, the financial leverage of a significant portion of the publicly traded companies declined to its lowest unadjusted level of the last 10 years. The overall decline in debt-to-capital ratios can be attributed to the industry’s record-high capitalization, which enhances the ability to use earnings for debt servicing as well as regular dividend payments. Given the current interest rate environment and some uncertain views of the U.S. economy, many of the larger companies continue to de-leverage (the primary reason for the decline in debt). Prudential Financial reduced its total debt obligations by $6.3 billion in 2020, the largest dollar decrease of all the companies.

With uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 pandemic, many insurers turned to the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) to tap into funds to bolster liquidity to prepare for a worst-case scenario. The aggregate borrowing for the L/A insurers grew year over year by approximately 18% in 2020, to $97.3 billion. Even though aggregate borrowing has increased steadily since 2014, it has been outpaced by collateral pledged, causing the borrow-to-collateral percentage to decline over the period.

Management’s track record of share repurchases and shareholder dividends is also considered in AM Best’s evaluation of operating leverage and expected coverage ratios. Given the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 in 2020, many companies paused their share repurchase programs and cut back on dividends to prepare financially for the worst. For the publicly traded companies, the aggregate capital returned to shareholders declined by 41% to $11.7 billion.

To access the full copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=311750.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Brian Keleher

Financial Analyst
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5586
brian.keleher@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com