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Stephen Bennett, Demex Group’s Chief Scientist, to lead Industry Advisory Board for new Cooperative Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms

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Public-Private Partnership to Research Economic Challenges of Severe Convective Storms

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Severe thunderstorms, encompassing damaging winds, tornadoes, hail, and torrential rain, caused $42 billion in insured losses worldwide during the first half of 2024. In the United States, insured losses from severe convective storms have escalated by approximately 8% per year since 2008. (Swiss Re Institute). These events pose a wide range of challenges, including extensive property damage, loss of life, community disruption, increasing burdens on taxpayers, and rising insurance premiums driven by the surge in claims.

Public-Private Partnership to Research Economic Challenges of Severe Convective Storms

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are supporting an initiative to research, and find solutions to, the challenges being caused by severe convective storms. The Cooperative Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms (the Center) is being proposed by Northern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with key industry players. The initial meeting, held on September 12 and 13th, attracted more than 70 stakeholders, including representatives from some of the world’s largest insurers.

Stephen Bennett, Chief Scientist of Demex, a risk analytics and intelligence company offering reinsurance solutions for severe convective storms, will serve as interim lead of the Center’s Industry Advisory Board. Bennett is a renowned weather and climate scientist, who chairs the committee on climate-linked economics for the American Meteorological Society. At Demex, he is instrumental in developing the models that feed into its new parametric reinsurance solutions designed to protect insurers from an accumulation of severe convective storms losses.

The Center aims to understand the multifaceted impacts that convective storms impose on society and the economy. Through the partnership between universities and industry, the Center proposes to:

Conduct Comprehensive Research: Explore the meteorological, climatic, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects of convective storms, resulting in holistic insights into their dynamics, consequences, and potential for future change.Develop State-of-the-Art Methodologies: Assess the risks and exposure to convective storms, including their potential for property damage, casualties, disruptions to critical infrastructure, and insured losses.Collaborate for Actionable Strategies: Work with industry partners, governments, and local communities to translate research findings into actionable strategies that enhance preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities, ultimately bolstering societal resilience.Foster Technological Innovation: Leverage emerging technologies, such as advanced modeling, data analytics, and remote sensing, to create new forecasts, climate projections, and detection algorithms.Train Future Scientists and Educate the Public: Equip the next generation of scientists with the necessary skills to excel in the workforce and educate the public, policymakers, and stakeholders about the science behind convective storms and their impacts, fostering a culture of awareness, proactive planning, and collective responsibility.

By pursuing these objectives, the goal is to generate actionable research that empowers societies to minimize the adverse impacts of convective storms, fostering a safer and more resilient world for current and future generations.

“The economic importance of severe convective storms is clear,” said Center’s Director, Dr. Victor Gensini. “Since record keeping began in 1980, there have been more than 360 distinct billion-dollar weather and climate-related disasters. Of those, more than 50% were the result of severe convective storms. The increase of these events in recent decades has had a significant economic impact and has pushed severe convective storms to the forefront of concern in the insurance industry.”

Commenting on Bennett leading the Industry Advisory Board, Dr. Gensini added, “Steve is a leading figure in understanding the impacts of weather on the economy. He brings his expertise, along with know-how from Demex, who are at the forefront of creating new insurance solutions for severe convective storms.”

“We are encouraging executives who can contribute to our mission to bring their collective expertise to further research and create actionable strategies to meet the challenge of convective storms,” Dr. Gensini concluded.

“I’m excited to build an advisory board that will bring deep expertise and credibility to this critical, yet undervalued peril,” said Bennett. “Severe convective storms present a major challenge for many insurers and have serious consequences for homeowners. This highlights the urgency and importance of the Center’s mission – and is the area Demex and I have focused on researching for several years.”

He added, “Average annual losses from convective storms have risen by about 8% per year since 2008, with losses surpassing $40 billion in the first half of 2024 alone. As secondary perils continue to reshape the insurance landscape, it’s clear that stakeholders must prioritize strategies for research, preparedness, and loss mitigation.”

The Center is part of the National Science Foundation’s program for Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, which conduct breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies.

About CIRCS

The Cooperative Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms (CIRCS) is being created by Northern Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with key industry players. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are supporting this initiative to research, and find solutions to, the challenges being caused by severe convective storms.

The CIRCS is part of the National Science Foundation’s program for Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, which conduct breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies.

About Demex

Demex is an independent data and analytics company that partners with reinsurance brokers, insurers, and reinsurers to solve the rising challenge of frequent property losses from secondary perils. Demex models loss accumulation based on weather and claims data, informed by climate research, and provides parametric stop-loss solutions that meet the needs of insurers and reinsurers. Demex is a market-maker for a class of risk that is surpassing catastrophe losses – a cluster of losses from secondary perils that threatens not only insurers’ annual earnings but also the sustainability of their businesses.

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SOURCE The Demex Group

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Register a Birth, Live: Secure Identity Alliance Hosts OSIA Live Interoperability Demo at TRUSTECH Paris

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November 5, 2026

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Six identity technology providers will run a complete birth registration through the OSIA standard (ITU-T X.1281), with a different line-up of vendors each day, 1–3 December 2026

BRUSSELS, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Secure Identity Alliance (SIA) today announced the OSIA Live Interoperability Demo, which will run throughout TRUSTECH Paris, 1–3 December 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Six identity technology providers, DIGITECH, iDAKTO, IN Groupe, Mühlbauer, Thales and X Infotech, will connect their systems through OSIA, the international standard for interoperable identity management systems (ITU-T Recommendation X.1281). Together they will run a complete birth registration, from checking the parent’s identity to a birth certificate printed on a card and verified on the spot.

Join us at Trustech and drop in to get your birth certificate on the spot. Register free here!

The birth certificate is the first identity document a person receives, and the foundation for every credential that follows: national ID, passport, driving licence. Yet in many countries it is still a paper document that is easy to forge and hard to recover if lost. Modernizing means connecting many components, such as enrollment, biometrics, unique identification number generation and credential management systems and civil and population registries. These are often supplied by different vendors, and without a shared standard each connection is a costly custom integration that ties governments to a single supplier.

At the demo, visitors play the child whose birth is being registered. The parent’s identity is first obtained and checked, and the visitor gives their details and a live face capture. After data verification, the birth is registered and a unique identification number (UIN) is attributed to the visitor, playing the child. Visitors then receive their birth certificate on the spot: their data and portrait are printed on a card together with a visible digital seal (QR code). Finally, they present the QR code to a mobile app, which verifies their identity by collecting the data and portrait from the different OSIA-powered identity systems.

To protect privacy, visitors’ faces appear on screen and are stored only for the purpose of printing the birth certificate in the framework of the demo. No fingerprints are captured, and the child is fictional. All data is erased at the close of each day.

“Interoperability is often presented as a promise. At TRUSTECH, governments will see it work, from a child’s very first identity record to a credential that can be trusted anywhere,” said Debora Comparin, Chair of the OSIA Initiative. “Six independent companies that compete have built one seamless process together, and they swap places every day. That is what OSIA gives governments: the freedom to choose the best system building block for each step, without lock-in.”

The demo will also be presented on stage on Wednesday 2 December at 12:00 in the ID Conference Room.

Practical information
OSIA Live Demo Area, Alley D, between the Innovation Stage and the ID Conference Room, TRUSTECH Paris, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 1–3 December 2026. Open drop-in during show hours. On stage: Wednesday 2 December, 12:00, ID Conference Room. More information: www.osia.io #OSIALiveDemo

About the Secure Identity Alliance
The Secure Identity Alliance brings together leading global providers of identity technology. SIA leads OSIA, eSEC, ADIA and co-leads SIDI Hub. SIA is a supporting organization of the ITU Focus Group TIDA. www.secureidentityalliance.org 

About OSIA
OSIA is the international standard for interoperable identity management systems, published as ITU-T Recommendation X.1281. It defines open interfaces between the building blocks of identity systems, so governments can combine components from different suppliers and avoid vendor lock-in. www.osia.io

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/register-a-birth-live-secure-identity-alliance-hosts-osia-live-interoperability-demo-at-trustech-paris-302931206.html

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Omaha Steaks Nears 5 Million Corporate Gifts, Expands Business Gifting Program and Holiday Resources

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November 5, 2026

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 Businesses can send Omaha Steaks holiday gifts to employees, clients and customers using updated corporate gift certificates that are easier to redeem online, with support from dedicated gifting experts

Key Takeaways:

Holiday Gifting Support for Businesses of All Sizes: Omaha Steaks’ online planning resources and dedicated Business Gift Experts help businesses plan gifts for employees, clients and customers, from a small team thank you to a companywide holiday program.Corporate Gifts with No Minimum Order: Businesses can customize Omaha Steaks corporate gift certificates with refreshed designs and choose from updated gift selections for a range of budgets.Simple Online Gift Certificate Redemption: Recipients can redeem their Omaha Steaks corporate gift certificates online and choose their own gifts.

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Omaha Steaks has expanded its business gifting program and added online holiday planning resources to help companies recognize employees, thank clients and show appreciation to customers. Businesses of all sizes can order printed or digital gift certificates, with no minimum order.

With the updated Omaha Steaks Gift Certificate program, businesses can choose from gift collections at different price points to manage their budget. Recipients can redeem their certificates online through a simplified process and select their own gift from curated collections of premium steaks, seafood, family meals, and other gourmet foods.

Omaha Steaks provides businesses with a dedicated Business Gift Expert at no cost. The expert helps with gift planning, personalization and delivery coordination for orders ranging from a single employee appreciation gift to a companywide holiday gifting program.

Omaha Steaks expects to surpass 5 million corporate gifts sent since 2000 by the end of 2026. Since 2020, the company has delivered more than 1.1 million corporate gifts, and recipients chose nearly half (46%) of those gifts using an Omaha Steaks gift certificate. Recipients have redeemed more than 530,000 gift certificates over that period. More than 5,000 businesses have used Omaha Steaks for corporate gifting.

“A holiday gift is a chance to thank an employee for their hard work or show a client or customer how much you value their business,” said Matt Burdette, director of sales operations at Omaha Steaks. “We help businesses take care of the details, and our corporate gift certificates let recipients choose a meal they can share with family and friends.”

How Omaha Steaks Corporate Gift Certificates Work

Businesses choose a gift collection that fits their budget and send printed or digital Omaha Steaks corporate gift certificates. Recipients redeem their certificates online and choose a gift from the collection.

No need to collect home addresses. Businesses can email or hand out gift certificates without collecting recipients’ home addresses. Recipients enter their delivery address when they redeem their certificates online.Easier online browsing and streamlined redemption. Updated website navigation helps recipients browse the gift collection, choose their preferred gift, and redeem their certificate online.Modernized designs: Printed certificates, E-certificates and the online redemption site now share a consistent look.Refreshed gift selections: Recipients can choose from updated collections of premium steaks, seafood, family meals and other gourmet options, including vegetarian and dessert options to meet all matters of taste.

How to Order Omaha Steaks Corporate Gifts

Omaha Steaks has no minimum order for corporate gifts. Businesses can shop online or get help from a Business Gift Expert, depending on how many people they’re gifting and whether they need customization.

Fewer than 10 recipients: Shop business gifts online or work with a personal shopper to choose gifts.10 or more recipients or custom orders: A Business Gift Expert can help select gifts, personalize messages and coordinate delivery.Volume Pricing and Company Logos: Volume pricing is available for qualifying business orders. Company logo options may be available for qualifying orders of 50 or more gifts.

Businesses can select gifts themselves or send corporate gift certificates so recipients can choose their own gifts.

Omaha Steaks Corporate Holiday Gifting Resources

Omaha Steaks has also expanded its online resource hub and business gifting blog to help companies choose gifts for employees and clients, set a budget and plan delivery.

As part of the expansion, Omaha Steaks partnered with Lucy Lantis, an entrepreneur, Fulbright Scholar and organizational facilitator, on a series for The Block about employee recognition. In “A Gift Five Generations Can Agree On,” Lantis explores how food gifts can show appreciation to employees across generations by giving them a meal to share with family and friends.

“A thoughtful gift starts with considering the person receiving it,” Burdette said. “Our expanded resources help businesses approach those decisions with more confidence, whether they’re thanking a small team or coordinating gifts across an entire organization.”

For Christmas 2026, businesses should order mailed Omaha Steaks Choice Gift Certificates by Dec. 11 to help ensure delivery by Christmas. E-certificates can be ordered through Dec. 23. To explore options or place an order, visit the Omaha Steaks corporate gift certificate page.

To explore business gifting resources, visit business.omahasteaks.com/resources. For help planning a corporate gifting program, call 1-800-228-2480 to speak with an Omaha Steaks Business Gift Expert.

About Omaha Steaks®

Omaha Steaks, America’s Original Butcher, founded in 1917, is an Omaha, Nebraska-based, fifth-generation, family-owned company. Omaha Steaks markets and distributes a wide variety of the finest quality USDA-approved, grass-fed, grain-finished beef and other gourmet foods including seafood, pork, poultry, slow cooker and skillet meals, side dishes, appetizers and desserts. Today, Omaha Steaks is recognized as the nation’s largest direct response marketer of premium beef and gourmet foods, available to customers by calling 1-800-228-9055, online at www.OmahaSteaks.com or at retail stores nationwide.

For Omaha Steaks:
Kathleen Al-Marhoon, APR
kathleena@omahasteaks.com 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omaha-steaks-nears-5-million-corporate-gifts-expands-business-gifting-program-and-holiday-resources-302931209.html

SOURCE Omaha Steaks

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Thermador Taps Knifewear and Canadian Artist Paul Morstad for 110th Milestone Collaboration

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November 5, 2026

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Luxury appliance pioneer celebrates milestone anniversary with a limited-edition handcrafted chef’s knife featuring a distinctive blue handle inspired by Thermador’s signature brand colour Forged in Echizen, Japan by master bladesmith Ryusen Hamono, featuring an elite ATS-314 stainless steel blade with a swirling flame pattern and original artwork by Canadian artist Paul Morstad110th anniversary celebration honours Thermador’s legacy of engineering excellence and ongoing commitment to Canada’s culinary and design communities and cooking enthusiasts

TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2026 /CNW/ — Thermador, the iconic home appliances pioneer that shaped the modern luxury kitchen, is celebrating its 110th anniversary with an exclusive Canadian collaboration with Knifewear, the Calgary-based, chef-founded destination for Japanese kitchen knives. To mark the milestone, the two brands have co-created a limited-edition Japanese chef’s knife featuring a custom wood handle finished in a distinctive blue hue inspired by Thermador’s signature brand colour.

Since 1916, Thermador has redefined the modern luxury kitchen through a legacy of pioneering breakthroughs, from inventing the first built-in wall oven to revolutionizing cooktop engineering. As Thermador marks 110 years of culinary leadership, that legacy becomes a starting point for what comes next. The commemorative knife brings together craftsmanship, performance, and purposeful design, transforming a colour synonymous with the Thermador brand into a new expression for the culinary space.

“Celebrating 110 years is about honouring our legacy of innovation while inspiring what’s next in the kitchen,” said Ashley Audisho, Head of Marketing, Thermador Canada. “Our collaboration with Knifewear embodies ‘Thermador Blue’– an evolutionary design detail that ignited from the perfect flame on our gas cooktops and ranges –into a symbol of culinary craft and functional art.”

Masterful Japanese Metallurgy & Functional Art
Handcrafted by Ryusen Hamono in Echizen, Japan–a region with 700 years of blacksmithing heritage–the commemorative blade features an elite ATS-314 stainless steel core wrapped in a swirling flame pattern that mirrors Thermador’s culinary fire. The knife is finished with a custom wood handle in signature Thermador Blue, offering a balanced, ergonomic grip for precision prep work.

“Both Thermador and Knifewear are dedicated to bringing functional art into the kitchen,” said Kevin Kent, Founder and Owner of Knifewear. “Every design detail of this knife reflects that shared spirit–from the swirling flame pattern in the steel mirroring Thermador’s culinary fire, to the custom wood handle in Thermador Blue. Handcrafted by Ryusen Hamono, it’s a blade that bridges Japanese bladesmithing with Thermador’s legacy of performance.”

Just as Thermador meticulously engineers every detail of its appliances, every element of this collaboration has been thoughtfully curated. To complement the Japanese bladesmithing, Canadian visual artist Paul Morstad was commissioned to create original artwork for the presentation packaging to celebrate this milestone. By uniting master artisans across disciplines–from fine art to metallurgy–Morstad’s work bridges Canadian heritage and storytelling with the fluid lines of the Ryusen blade.

Reflecting the ultra-rare nature of this partnership, the commemorative release is limited to an exclusive run of just 50 collector’s units across Canada.

Investments Continue in Canadian Design and Culinary Innovation
More than a celebration of where Thermador has been, this milestone marks a bold look toward the future. Commemorating 110 years of leadership, the brand is deepening its presence in Canada with key anniversary investments, beginning with a comprehensive refresh of its flagship Experience & Design Centre in Toronto. Slated to reopen in early 2027, the revamped space will reinforce its role as a premier culinary hub for Canada’s architecture, design, and trade communities.

The debut of the reimagined Freedom® Columns portfolio further signals what’s ahead. Featuring more than a dozen built-in columns across fresh food, freezer and wine preservation, the collection brings together elevated interior design, next-generation cooling technology, thoughtful organization and intuitive innovation, all crafted to transform the everyday kitchen experience. Together with the limited-edition anniversary collaboration and enhanced showroom experience, this next generation of refrigeration builds on Thermador’s 110-year legacy of innovation while setting the stage for what’s next in the luxury kitchen.

For more info, visit www.thermador.ca and follow the brand on Instagram at @ThermadorHomeCanada to stay up-to-date on Thermador’s growing presence in Canada.

About Thermador
Since 1916, Thermador has pioneered breakthroughs that have shaped the modern kitchen – from the world’s first wall ovens and stainless-steel appliances, gas cooktops with the patented Star® Burner, the first full-surface induction appliance to the first modular built-in fresh food, freezer and wine preservation columns. Founded in Southern California, the brand’s rich history has shaped it into today’s luxury home appliance icon. 

The Masterpiece® collection inspires with contemporary design elements and industry leading technology, while the Professional collection delivers the ultimate in boldly designed, luxury smart appliances for restaurant-caliber performance at home. Thermador is part of Munich based BSH Home Appliances Group (a Bosch Group company), the largest manufacturer of home appliances in Europe and one of the leading companies in the sector worldwide. For more information, visit www.Thermador.ca or follow us on Facebook and Instagram at: www.facebook.com/ThermadorCanada and @ThermadorHomeCanada, respectively.

About Knifewear
Started with half a dozen knives and an old bicycle, Knifewear opened its first shop in Calgary in 2007. Today, the chef-owned Canadian success story has six stores across the country, which means they no longer have to sell knives out of a backpack behind restaurants. Japanese knives are functional art pieces. They’re made by hand with the hardest steel; they get sharper and stay sharp longer, making them safer and more fun to cook with. They last a lifetime; it’s not unusual to see them passed down to the next generation.

Knifewear is all about making it easier for folks to cook good food. They connect home cooks & professionals with the best Japanese craftsmanship. Often a mysterious world, the team of foodies and former chefs cut through the jargon and technical details to find you the very best knife for your kitchen.

Media Contact
Drydon Chow
Account Director, Group SJR
drydon.chow@groupsjr.com
416.407.2112

SOURCE Thermador

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