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$275,000 Awarded at AI Hackathon to Drive Human Flourishing and Organizational Thriving

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Tech Innovators and Industry Leaders Collaborate on AI Solutions for Human Flourishing and Organizational Thriving

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Gloo, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting the faith ecosystem and releasing its collective might, successfully concluded its second annual AI & the Church Hackathon this past weekend in Boulder, Colorado. The event, designed to accelerate AI-driven solutions that promote human flourishing and organizational thriving for the “big C” Church, awarded the top-performing teams over $275,000 in cash prizes.

The Hackathon drew over 200 people from around the world, who spent the weekend building AI-based technologies to help tackle challenges in the faith community. A panel of judges reviewed submissions, including Gloo CEO Scott Beck, YouVersion CTO James Chung, CEO of France-based HelloBible, Eric Célérier, Scott Mosley, VP of Software for Right Now Media and Yvonne Carlson, CTO of Global Media Outreach.

“The AI & The Church Hackathon highlights the incredible potential of AI by transforming how organizations and communities thrive,” said Steele Billings, managing partner for Gloo Ventures & Gloo AI. “While many in the faith community may hesitate when it comes to adopting emerging technologies, this weekend showcased a bold vision for how AI can be harnessed to create meaningful change. The solutions developed here demonstrate that AI isn’t something to fear — it’s an opportunity to build tools that align with our values and positively impact the world.”

New AI Tools Announced

During the event, Gloo announced a new suite of AI tools starting with AI Data Engine for faith-based publishers and churches along with two new AI platforms currently in beta — Aspen AI and the Christian Aligned Large Language Model (CALLM). The tools are designed as invaluable resources for Christians and church leaders, offering tailored AI solutions to support ministry work and organizational needs.

Prizes ranging from $5,000$100,000 were awarded to projects including:

The Best Overall, Grand Prize Winner: Pastors.AI – Joe Suh, Tyler Weaver, Saeed Hassan, and Akbar Ali created a tool that harnesses AI to quickly translate and lip-sync video-based sermons into multiple languages, allowing churches to reach more people and offer services to additional communities.Best Tech: Servant – Ben Elmore, Nathanael Coffing, Patrick Taylor, Hyzer Taylor, Ian Ludwig, Jake Oswald, Ethan Woo, Joe Nicolette, Patrick Creehan, and Brad Linard from Servant, created InSight, an AI-powered data platform that creates hyper-rich felt-need profiles, helping champions shepherd their community with precision and care.Best Design: LifeGroup.AI – Ryan Laughlin, Eric Laughlin, Keaton Helm, and Noah Liska created a tool to defeat isolation and help users thrive socially; LifeGroup.ai helps you connect with people around you through friendship matching and personalized AI connection coaching for Biblical growth.Best Concept: Generosity – College students Ernesto Rivera and Yanni Kouloumbis created Generosity, a tool to help churches increase donations through initiative visibility, transparency, and donor alignment, using AI to provide insights into congregational needs.Best Storytelling: Team Waha – Josh Muller, Trent Cowden, and Jeff Peterson created TimeStampAudio.com, which generates timing data from any text and its corresponding audio in over 1,100 languages using AI.Challenge Category, First Place: SermonShots – Corey Alderon, Richard Abear, and Marvin Bentinganan created an AI tool for live translation of sermons, providing a simultaneous translation capability for audience members who prefer a different language from the live speaker.Challenge Category, Second Place – The Apologist Project. Jake Carlson, Christine Abernathy, Dylan Starnes, Joshua (Ramakrishna) Dhulipalla, Kari Murphy, Troy Michels, Sara Carlile, Dayna-Marie Pemberton, Garrett Grimmett, and Christopher Russo created a conversational AI that ministers to the Muslim community, in partnership with prominent Muslim-serving ministries and major Christian apologists that specialize in that area.Challenge Category, Third Place – AO Labs. Craig Bradley, Holly Bradley, Sujan Barman, Gabriel Souki, and Mazen Emad created The Church Bible, which is “A City-Wide Bible For Community Connection.”Challenge Category, Fourth Place: Atrium AI – Todd “TJ” Person and Ryan Fontenot created Atrium, an AI-powered platform that automates security and attendance tracking as well as enhancing church security with real-time insights, facial recognition, and proactive alerts for a safer, more engaged community.Challenge Category, Fifth Place: Biblica – Mike Brinker, Robertson Brinker, and Sean Boisen created ScriptureRecall, an app that helps users memorize scripture using AI.Challenge Category, Sixth Place: ACS Technologies – Chris Kehayias, Patrick Abernathy, Jason Wenell, and Trace Jackson created a web-based app designed to provide people who work with kids an easy-to-use tool for generating copyright-free, thematically relevant children’s coloring pages.Hacker’s Choice – Additional prizes were awarded to projects ranging from scripture apps for college student, using AI to aid in suicide prevention to an app designed to rehabilitate sexual addiction.Most Servant-Hearted Attendees – Allen Prell and Joshua PriceBest Shoes – Kari Murphy, Clear Creek Community Church

“This weekend has cast a vision for the future. We believe that God is not surprised by AI, and He wants to use it for His purposes,” said Scott Beck, CEO and co-founder of Gloo. “We couldn’t be more grateful for the creative solutions and community shared across all of the teams this year. Gloo is at its best when we connect the faith community and help release its collective might.”

Leaders from both the tech and faith communities also gathered as part of a working group to explore responsible AI use and to discuss current challenges facing faith leaders. Participants included Yvonne Carlson, CTO of Global Media Outreach, VP of Software and Experience at RightNow Media Scott Mosley; and Nicole Martin, CIO of Christianity Today, among others.

Gloo is the trusted platform that releases the collective might of the faith ecosystem. As a leading technology innovator, Gloo is a tech platform that connects ministry leaders to resources, people, data insights and funding so their people and communities flourish and their organizations thrive. Gloo is based in Boulder, Colorado.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/275-000-awarded-at-ai-hackathon-to-drive-human-flourishing-and-organizational-thriving-302249507.html

SOURCE Gloo

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Portland General Electric declares dividend

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PORTLAND, Ore., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The board of directors of Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.55125 per share.

The company’s dividend is evaluated based on capital requirements and financial performance. PGE targets a dividend payout ratio of 60 to 70% over the long term.

The quarterly dividend is payable on or before October 15, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 25, 2026.

About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to nearly 960,000 customers serving an area of approximately 2 million Oregonians. Since 1889, Portland General Electric (PGE) has been powering economies, delivering safe, affordable and reliable electricity while working to transform energy systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE continues to make progress towards emissions reduction targets, and customers have set the standard for prioritizing clean energy with the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the country. PGE is ranked a top ten utility in the 2025 Forrester U.S. Customer Experience Index. In 2025, PGE employees and retirees volunteered over 18,300 hours to more than 400 nonprofits organizations. Through the PGE Foundation, along with corporate contributions and the employee matching gift program, more than $5 million was directed to charitable organizations supporting economic growth and community resilience across our service area. For information: portlandgeneral.com/news.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about the future, involve risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. Future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements include statements, other than statements of historical or current fact, regarding the Company’s amount and timing of dividends payable as well as other statements containing words such as “committed to,” “targets,” or similar expressions.

There can be no assurance that future dividends will be declared. The declaration of future dividends is subject to approval of our board of directors and various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: our cash flow and cash needs; the timing or amount of dividends paid; the timing or outcome of various legal and regulatory actions; changes in the Company’s business strategy; increases in capital expenditures; changes in capital and credit market conditions, including volatility of equity markets as well as changes in PGE’s credit ratings and outlook on such credit ratings restrictions on the payment of dividends under existing or future financing arrangements; changes in tax laws relating to corporate dividends; deterioration in our financial condition or results, and those risks, uncertainties, and other factors identified from time-to-time in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov and on the Company’s website, investors.portlandgeneral.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other factors.

Media Contact:
Drew Hanson
Corporate Communications
Phone: 503-464-2067

Investor Contact:
Erin Schwartz
Investor Relations
Phone: 503-464-7751

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portland-general-electric-declares-dividend-302834503.html

SOURCE Portland General Company

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Care Career Announces Acquisition of MAS Medical Staffing, Completing Its First Acquisition Phase and Expanding Annual Revenue Beyond $150 Million, with a Path to Exceed a Quarter Billion by the End of 2026 Through Additional Acquisitions and Organic Growth

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WOODBRIDGE, N.J., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Care Career, a rapidly growing healthcare workforce technology organization, today announced the acquisition of MAS Medical Staffing, one of the Northeast’s leading healthcare workforce organizations. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition represents Care Career’s seventh strategic acquisition in the past 24 months, further strengthening the company’s position as one of the largest healthcare workforce organizations in the United States while accelerating its strategy to redefine the future of healthcare workforce management through artificial intelligence, enterprise technology, and workforce innovation.

MAS Medical Staffing has built an outstanding reputation for delivering high-quality workforce solutions through strong client relationships, exceptional clinician engagement, and deep regional expertise throughout the Northeastern United States. The acquisition significantly expands Care Career’s geographic footprint while broadening its access to healthcare professionals, client relationships, workforce data, and regional market intelligence.

Care Career is building a technology-enabled workforce ecosystem powered by its AI-powered workforce platform, where every acquisition contributes not only additional market presence, but also expanded data, enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities, digital innovation, and operational scale that continuously improve the experience for clients and clinicians alike. As the platform grows, every clinician engagement, client interaction, credential, placement, and workforce trend strengthens the intelligence of Career’s technology, creating a continuously improving ecosystem designed to deliver faster, smarter, and more effective workforce solutions.

The acquisition also brings MAS Medical Staffing’s MAESTRA® engagement technology, along with its client relationships and clinician network, directly onto Career’s AI-powered workforce platform. MAESTRA’s scheduling, credentialing, and communication capabilities will be integrated into Care Career’s existing technology stack, further enhancing clinician engagement across onboarding, scheduling, and career management while providing healthcare organizations with greater workforce visibility and operational efficiency.

“Our vision is to build the AI-powered infrastructure that modernizes healthcare workforce management,” said Siva Konatham, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Care Career. “Under my leadership, Care Career is focused on transforming a fragmented, labor-intensive industry into a data-driven, technology-enabled ecosystem that improves speed, efficiency, and workforce visibility for healthcare providers. Each acquisition strengthens our platform intelligence, expands our scale, and enhances our margin potential. By integrating advanced analytics, AI automation, and digital engagement tools, we are not just growing revenue—we are building a smarter, more scalable model positioned to lead the next era of healthcare workforce solutions.”

The combined organization will leverage expanded recruiting resources, centralized credentialing, advanced workforce analytics, AI-enabled automation, and digital engagement technologies—all powered by Care Career’s AI-powered workforce platform—to deliver broader recruiting capabilities, faster response times, enhanced workforce insights, and expanded national coverage. Clinicians will benefit from a seamless digital experience that simplifies every stage of their careers—from job discovery and credentialing to onboarding, scheduling, communication, and long-term career development.

With seven strategic acquisitions completed in less than two years, representing the first round of acquisitions now totaling more than $150 million in annual revenue, Care Career has rapidly expanded its national presence while executing a disciplined growth strategy focused on technology integration, operational excellence, and workforce innovation. The company has also signed additional Letters of Intent with other entities with expected close dates in the third quarter of 2026. Upon completion of these transactions, coupled with organic growth, Care Career expects consolidated annual revenue to exceed a quarter of a billion dollars by the end of 2026.

The addition of MAS Medical Staffing further strengthens the organization’s ability to serve healthcare systems, hospitals, long-term care providers, outpatient facilities, and other healthcare organizations across an increasingly diverse geographic footprint.

“The healthcare workforce industry is entering a new era where technology, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making will define the market leaders,” Konatham added. “Every acquisition we complete expands the intelligence of our AI-powered workforce platform, enhances the value we deliver to our clients, and creates more opportunities for clinicians. We believe the combination of exceptional people, innovative technology, and strategic scale positions Care Career to lead the next generation of healthcare workforce solutions.”

About Care Career

Care Career is a technology-enabled healthcare workforce solutions company dedicated to transforming how healthcare organizations recruit, engage, credential, deploy, and retain clinical talent. Powered by its proprietary AI-powered workforce platform and supported by advanced artificial intelligence, enterprise technology, and workforce analytics, Care Career is building an intelligent healthcare workforce ecosystem that connects providers and clinicians more efficiently while improving workforce performance, operational effectiveness, and patient care. Following seven strategic acquisitions over the past 24 months the first round of acquisitions totaling more than $150 million in annual revenue and with additional signed LOIs under contract expected to complete shortly, positioning the company to surpass a quarter of a billion dollars in consolidated annual revenue by the end of 2026, Care Career has become one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing healthcare workforce organizations, serving healthcare providers and clinicians across the United States.

About MAS Medical Staffing

MAS Medical Staffing is a premier healthcare workforce organization recognized for exceptional service, strong client partnerships, and a commitment to connecting healthcare professionals with rewarding career opportunities. With an established presence throughout the Northeastern United States, MAS Medical Staffing has earned a reputation for quality, responsiveness, and delivering workforce solutions that help healthcare providers meet their evolving workforce needs while supporting clinicians throughout every stage of their careers.

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SOURCE Care Career

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PointsKash Demonstrates How Businesses Can Build on Bitcoin Without Burdening the Blockchain

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As industry debate surrounding Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP-110) intensifies, PointsKash unveils an architecture designed to work regardless of the proposal’s outcome.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the global Bitcoin community debates Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 (BIP-110) and the future of data stored on the Bitcoin blockchain, PointsKash, Inc. today announced that its next-generation kiosk infrastructure was intentionally designed to operate efficiently under any outcome of the proposal.

Rather than storing operational data directly on the Bitcoin blockchain, PointsKash utilizes a layered architecture that combines Bitcoin‘s unmatched security with modern decentralized communications technology. Every transaction, machine event, system update, and operational record generated across the PointsKash network is cryptographically verified, securely maintained off-chain, and anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain through a single immutable cryptographic proof.

This approach allows thousands of operational events to be permanently verified while utilizing only a minimal amount of blockchain data.

As discussion surrounding BIP-110 has intensified across the digital asset industry, PointsKash believes the debate does not require choosing between innovation and responsible blockchain stewardship.

“The industry has been debating whether businesses can build meaningful applications on Bitcoin without unnecessarily consuming blockchain space,” said Michael Herron, Chief Executive Officer of PointsKash. “We believe we’ve demonstrated that the answer is yes. Bitcoin provides the world’s most trusted immutable timestamp and security layer, while higher-volume operational data belongs on technologies specifically designed to manage it. By combining both, we’ve built an architecture that is scalable, transparent, and future-ready regardless of how the BIP-110 discussion ultimately evolves.”

The company’s infrastructure assigns every kiosk its own unique cryptographic identity, allowing each machine to securely authenticate every transaction and operational event. Those records are then independently verifiable through cryptographic proofs while remaining resistant to alteration or manipulation—even by PointsKash itself.

According to the company, this architecture delivers several significant advantages:

Mathematically verifiable transaction records for regulators, banking partners, auditors, and enterprise customers.Improved network reliability, allowing kiosks to continue operating during temporary connectivity interruptions without losing transaction history.Enhanced cybersecurity, with every machine maintaining its own authenticated identity and secure communications.A scalable blockchain architecture that minimizes on-chain data while preserving complete auditability.

Bitcoin was created to provide trust, security, and permanence—not to become a storage system for every piece of application data,” Herron added. “Our philosophy has always been simple: use Bitcoin for what it does better than anyone else—creating immutable proof that records have never been altered—and leverage modern decentralized technologies for everything else. We believe that’s the future of enterprise blockchain infrastructure.”

PointsKash believes this architecture positions the company among a new generation of fintech innovators utilizing Bitcoin as a secure trust layer while developing scalable financial applications for enterprise deployment.

The technology also establishes the foundation for future blockchain-based financial products currently under development, including enhanced digital audit capabilities, verifiable financial records, enterprise licensing opportunities, and next-generation digital asset infrastructure.

As the Bitcoin ecosystem continues to mature, PointsKash believes its technology demonstrates that responsible innovation and blockchain scalability can successfully coexist—providing enterprise organizations with the confidence to build on Bitcoin without contributing unnecessary data to the network.

About PointsKash, Inc.

PointsKash, Inc. is a financial technology company developing an integrated ecosystem of AI-enabled self-service financial centers, digital banking, digital payment solutions, cryptocurrency services, loyalty rewards, enterprise merchant technologies, and mobile financial applications. Through proprietary software, Artificial Intelligence, and strategic partnerships, PointsKash is building innovative financial solutions designed to empower consumers, merchants, and enterprise organizations throughout North America.

For more information, visit www.pointskash.com.

Media Contact

PointsKash, Inc.
Investor Relations
info@pointskash.com
www.pointskash.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding anticipated technology integrations, Artificial Intelligence initiatives, product development, future commercialization plans, expected operational efficiencies, business strategy, and future growth. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, technology development timelines, integration efforts, financing, regulatory developments, market conditions, and other risks facing the Company. PointsKash undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

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SOURCE PointsKash Inc.

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