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LEARNING RESOURCES, HAND2MIND ACHIEVE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE TOP WORKPLACES HONOR BY ‘CHICAGO TRIBUNE’

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Employee engagement and unique culture play a pivotal role in educational toy companies’ ongoing success and recognition

VERNON HILLS, Ill., Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sister companies Learning Resources and hand2mind have been recognized again as two of Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces for 2024, marking the fifth consecutive year each company has independently earned this special title and recognition, nominated purely by their own employees. Founded 40 years ago, Learning Resources is a trusted, family-owned manufacturer of educational toys, games and classroom products. Since 1965 hand2mind has been creating industry-leading supplemental curriculum and hands-on teaching tools that thousands of educators rely on in the classroom and parents have also grown to love.

These two sister companies continue to thrive thanks in large part to their loyal, dedicated team members who create award-winning educational resources and toys for children to use both at home and in the classroom. The teams at both companies have collectively strived to find new ways to help address the learning needs of children everywhere. From fine and gross motor skills development to social-emotional learning (SEL) and the Science of Reading, both Learning Resources and hand2mind provide an array of hands-on resources that bring learning to life. Philanthropy remains a top priority for the two mission-driven companies as year after year each has donated thousands of award-winning educational toys, resources, and more to underserved communities and schools. 

“Earning a Top Workplace Award for the fifth consecutive year is an outstanding accomplishment but one that honestly doesn’t surprise me. We truly have an amazing group of talented employees and committed leaders who genuinely care and live by our values each and every day. Through years of dedication and hard work we can all take credit for creating something very special here” said Sybil Worden, VP of Human Resources at Learning Resources and hand2mind. “This award simply helps us know we’re doing something right, and motivates us to keep going…our employees recognize it.”

Employees chose to speak up and leave comments throughout the survey that support the efforts of the organization as a whole, for example, “what motivates me is how we bring to life our core values, the impact we have on young children’s development, and all the great colleagues and management who make work fun,” and “I always recommend to friends and family that this is a great place to work because it is a truly mission-driven organization with great people and a ton of growth potential day in and day out.”

In the survey conducted on behalf of the Chicago Tribune, employees of Learning Resources and hand2mind were asked “why they love their job,” with responses such as: “growth and development aren’t just talked about, but they are truly supported in this organization,” and “our mission is ultra important, we are inspiring a love a learning in every child from every walk of life.” One employee noted, “I am encouraged to be entrepreneurial, creative, innovative in my day-to-day work. New ideas are always considered and we are encouraged to raise our hand with an idea,” and another employee stated, “because I come to work each and every day, and look forward to being among coworkers who have a similar mindset about creating an ultra high quality product to help children grow.”

When employees were asked “why they would recommend working here,” one employee stated “this place is a gem, and you have to work here to truly understand its uniqueness,” another said, “when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, I can honestly say I love coming in to work every day,” and “our HR team does an absolutely amazing job focusing on culture each and every day, and always thinking of the little extra things to make each and every one of us feel valued and appreciated.”

Employees also shared things like “working here I know that I have the potential for personal growth, and I have the ability to fulfill a strong purpose-based mission through my work.” Another employee said that “I feel appreciated and like my actual personal life is taken into consideration here, I’m not just a robot performing a task. People care about me and always make a point to say family first.”

Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplace awards are evaluated solely through employee feedback, nomination and assessment. Per the Chicago Tribune, “a top workplace is considered successful because its employees enjoy their work, embrace their mission and feel like valued teammates.”

“In an era where many companies experienced high turnover, we have been fortunate to have turnover at an all-time low. I think the team here knows we are a “People First” place to work, and invest heavily to promote personal growth and development. We owe much of our success to our team and are honored to have attracted so many great people who are committed to our mission,” said Rick Woldenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Learning Resources and hand2mind. “Winning this Top Workplace Award for the fifth year in a row is an amazing honor and testament to our mission, our company culture and our values as a family-owned business.”

ABOUT LEARNING RESOURCES:
We’re Learning Resources®, and learning is where we play. Trusted by parents and teachers since 1984, our award-winning educational toys help kids develop a lifelong love of learning while building essential school-ready skills—from ABCs and 123s to screen-free coding and STEM, we make learning fun at every age, stage, and skill level. Discover countless ways to learn through play with our award-winning, top-selling products including Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register, Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set and Toy of the Year winner Botley® the Coding Robot.

For more information, visit www.learningresources.com, or follow the brand on Twitter @LearningHandsOn, Facebook @LearningResources, and Instagram @learningresources.

ABOUT HAND2MIND:
At hand2mind, we believe children learn best by doing. For over 50 years, teachers and school administrators at thousands of schools and districts across the country have relied on our high-quality, hands-on materials to expand their core curriculum. Offering resources for math, science, STEM, and literacy, our mission is to support teachers, inspire students, engage parents, and champion learning by doing. For more information, please visit www.hand2mind.com or follow the brand on Facebook @hand2mindinc, and Instagram @hand2mindinc. 

Press Contact:
Nicole Curro
Nicole@carvecomms.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/learning-resources-hand2mind-achieve-fifth-consecutive-top-workplaces-honor-by-chicago-tribune-302308724.html

SOURCE Learning Resources

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Dingdong to Report Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results on November 12, 2026

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SHANGHAI, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dingdong (Cayman) Limited (“Dingdong” or the “Company”) (NYSE: DDL), a leading fresh grocery e-commerce company in China, with advanced supply chain capabilities, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026, before U.S. markets open on November 12, 2026.

About Dingdong (Cayman) Limited

Dingdong is the leading fresh grocery e-commerce company in mainland China, with sustainable long-term growth. The Company directly provides users and households with fresh groceries, prepared food, and other food products through delivering a convenient and excellent shopping experience supported by an extensive self-operated frontline fulfillment grid. Leveraging its deep insights into consumers’ evolving needs and its strong food innovation capabilities, Dingdong has successfully launched a series of private label products spanning a variety of food categories. Many of Dingdong’s private label products are produced at its own production plants, allowing it to more efficiently produce and offer safe and high-quality food products. Dingdong aims to be the first choice for fresh and food shopping.

For more information, please visit: https://ir.100.me.

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dingdong-to-report-third-quarter-2026-financial-results-on-november-12-2026-302935824.html

SOURCE Dingdong (Cayman) Limited

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Sanya hosts side event of the 7th Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance

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Report on Southeast Asian Youth Perceptions of Maritime Issues released

BEIJING, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A side event of the 7th Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance was held at China Media Group (CMG) Sanya Studio on November 8. More than 10 Chinese and international participants discussed how to put into practice the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), and how to communicate ideas about ocean conservation to audiences worldwide.

Experts at the event described the BBNJ Agreement, which entered into force in January this year, as a landmark victory for multilateralism in global ocean governance. They said it charts a course for all parties to work together to protect marine biodiversity.

Jiao Nianzhi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, described marine biodiversity as a toolbox for humanity, saying that protecting it means safeguarding humanity’s future. Aileen Tan, chairperson of the Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, said the BBNJ Agreement gives the ocean “breathing space” and stressed the need for scientists from different countries to work together on ocean conservation. She cited Malaysia-China cooperation in marine scientific research as a good example and expressed hope that China would play a greater leadership role. Ronán Long, director of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute at the World Maritime University in Sweden, said China’s strong data capabilities could help accelerate the implementation of the Agreement’s provisions on sharing non-monetary benefits arising from marine genetic resources.

Participants also highlighted China’s efforts and achievements in promoting maritime cooperation and advancing marine ecological restoration, among other areas. The side event was jointly hosted by CMG’s Chinese Language Programming Center, the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and other organizations.

During the symposium, CMG’s Chinese Language Programming Center and CMG Institute jointly released the Report on Southeast Asian Youth Perceptions of Maritime Issues. The report presents the concerns and expectations of young people in Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, regarding ocean-related issues.

The report finds that Southeast Asian youth have a positive outlook on maritime cooperation with China. Nearly 80 percent of respondents are willing to take part in China-ASEAN youth exchanges on ocean-related issues. The report also notes that Southeast Asian youth are concerned about broader issues of ocean governance and look to China to shoulder greater responsibilities and play a larger role in global ocean governance.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sanya-hosts-side-event-of-the-7th-symposium-on-global-maritime-cooperation-and-ocean-governance-302935814.html

SOURCE China Media Group (CMG)

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Why Brisbane Airport selected LG for its landmark digital infrastructure upgrade

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Australia’s third-largest airport now runs passenger information across 950 LG displays monitored centrally via LG SuperSign CMS

News summary

Brisbane Airport manages approximately 950 LG commercial displays from a single platform LG SuperSign CMS deployed on-premise to meet strict security and operational controls for critical infrastructureLG SuperSign CMS offers leadership, operations and ICT team remote visibility and control of entire display fleetLG’s embedded System-on-Chip allows real-time flight information (FIDS), gate information, wayfinding and operational messaging to be directly pushed to display screens without external media playersBrisbane Airport’s transition to LG’s SuperSign CMS has driven down operational costs significantlyDeployed in partnership with Australian integrator Programmed, this digital overhaul forms a key part of Brisbane Airport’s ongoing $5 billion Future BNE transformation

SYDNEY, Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics (LG) has partnered with Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), replacing a previously fragmented digital signage system with a modern network of approximately 950 LG commercial displays centrally managed by LG SuperSign CMS. Covering the domestic and international terminals, baggage handling areas, and car parks, these LG screens deliver real-time flight information displays (FIDS), gate information, passenger wayfinding, and operational communications reliably across a 24/7 environment.

As Australia’s third largest airport preparing for a forecast surge in passenger numbers ahead of the major event in 2032, Brisbane Airport needed to replace an increasingly unreliable, ageing network with a simplified, scalable solution that its lean ICT team could operate day-to-day.

“The reliability of the displays is essential. Without them working, people are lost — quite literally,” says Michael Kerr, Integrated Operations Manager at BAC.

To address these critical demands, LG worked alongside local integrator Programmed to deploy a centralised digital signage network driven by LG SuperSign CMS. The platform provides ICT and operations teams with comprehensive visibility across the entire display fleet remotely, replacing an otherwise manual process of physical, daily check-ups.

“LG SuperSign has been a game changer for my team. We just don’t have the arms and legs to go around and check those 950 screens on a daily basis. The monitoring capabilities really give us that eyes-on view of what’s across our infrastructure,” says Anthony Tully-Smith, ICT Applications Manager at BAC.

One system, diverse displays

BAC’s new estate involves a range of LG display solutions tailored to specific passenger zones. This includes:

43- and 49-inch LG commercial panelsLG Ultra Stretch displays in totemsLG 49XE-series high-brightness outdoor displays110-inch LG UM5K indoor screensA 136-inch LG LAPA-series All-in-One LED in international arrivals

With LG’s embedded System-on-Chip (SoC) platform and internal web page player, real-time flight information and content now play directly on the screens. This removes the need for external media players, simplifying the network architecture.

“We’ve taken what was a fragmented digital signage system, not very visible to management, now to an integrated modern solution with centralised management and health visibility,” says Graham Wands, Business Development Manager at Programmed. “LG SuperSign enables us to take a proactive stance and make sure that the FIDS and other signage are highly available and always visible to passengers.”

Built for critical infrastructure

As a privately owned critical infrastructure operator, BAC needed full control of its content. LG SuperSign CMS is deployed on-premise to meet the airport’s security and operational-control requirements. LG’s device hardening helps reduce the risk of unauthorised content, such as USB sideloading.

The project also supports the airport’s ESG goals; LG UH series screens carry Carbon Trust footprint-reduction certification, LG offers a free e-waste program, and power consumption can be monitored and optimised from LG SuperSign CMS.

“At an airport, a screen is only as useful as the information on it, and how quickly someone knows when it stops working. Brisbane Airport shows what happens when displays and management software are planned together as operational infrastructure, with a local integrator who knows the site. We’re grateful to Brisbane Airport and Programmed for the partnership, and we look forward to supporting the airport as it grows,” says Chris Wilson, Sales General Manager – Information Display at LG Electronics Australia.

Looking ahead

BAC sees LG as a long-term partner as it progresses its $5 billion Future BNE transformation, paving the way for the expansion of Terminal 3 and more LED and messaging capabilities ahead of the 2032 games. By transitioning from a fragmented legacy setup, BAC has unlocked a foundation built for long-term operational efficiency.

“For me, managing an ageing infrastructure before we moved to the new LG digital displays was costing us quite a lot from a maintenance and an ongoing perspective,” says Tully-Smith, “The move to the new LG SuperSign, but also the new LG screens, has driven down my operational cost significantly across the airport.”

This newfound efficiency has helped BAC focus on what’s most critical – passenger experience.

“It’s important for us to have a partner like LG. The innovation and the fresh thought that team brings has really helped me accelerate the digital experience across all of our terminals,” says Tully-Smith.

Read the full case study: LG Displays and SuperSign CMS power Brisbane Airport’s digital transformation

LG SuperSign CMS is purchased separately.

About LG Electronics
LG Electronics is focused on developing new innovations across information displays. We are committed to providing commercial electronic products that help businesses perform better. We offer a wide range of products, including information displays, digital signage for advertising, commercial system air conditioners, VRF systems and tailored solutions for different vertical markets.

About Brisbane Airport Corporation
Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), the operator of Brisbane Airport (BNE), is a private, unlisted Queensland company that proudly takes on the challenge of connecting Australia to the world. BAC’s passion and perseverance have cemented BNE as Queensland’s most important gateway, a leading hub for Australia, and an award-winning source of pride for its communities.

About Programmed
Programmed is a leading provider of Facility Management, Maintenance, and Staffing solutions across Australia and New Zealand. Programmed employs over 32,000 people every year across a broad range of industries and partners with more than 10,000 customers, small and large.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/why-brisbane-airport-selected-lg-for-its-landmark-digital-infrastructure-upgrade-302935816.html

SOURCE LG Electronics

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