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Free Fly Apparel Chooses Centric PLM to Fuel Growth and Efficiency Gains

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Sportswear company replaces legacy PLM with Centric to automate season to season transitions and reduce manual work processes

CAMPBELL, Calif., Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Centric Software® is pleased to announce that Free Fly Apparel has selected Centric PLM™ to drive go-to-market innovation and value creation. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source, buy, make, price, allocate, sell and replenish products such as fashion, outdoor, luxury, footwear, outdoor, home and related goods like cosmetics & personal care as well as multi-category retail to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.  

The efficiencies in Centric PLM will allow us to capture any adjustments made to the current season and ensure they are carried over to future seasons.

Free Fly Apparel was founded in 2011 and is based in Charleston, South Carolina. A family-owned business, the idea was born while Tanner Sutton was working as a fly-fishing guide and wanted a comfortable, natural, performance shirt. After years of research, the right fabric for the first product—a lightweight hoodie—was found. It is a bamboo blend that ticked all the boxes. Today, the line includes clothing for men, women and children and covers fly-fishing, surfing, sun protection and outdoor casual. Free Fly products are sold through 600+ outdoor specialty and sporting goods stores, as well as its e-comm site.

Head of Product at Free Fly, Chris Preston manages the entire product creation process including design, development, product management and inventory management. The company is going through strategic expansion, says Preston.

This is good news for the company but was pushing the limits of their legacy PLM. Says Preston, “Going from season to season in our former system required a lot of manual data entry. It’s busywork that eats up bandwidth and we need to alleviate that.”

Free Fly had already begun evaluating Centric PLM when Preston was hired. As the executive sponsor for PLM at a previous company, he was completely onboard. “We like the connectivity into other business systems like ERP’s, design platforms and 3D functionality. Centric PLM’s reporting function will provide us with invaluable insights from the data we input, giving us the ability to analyze line architecture, assortments buy plans and more, ultimately enhancing our strategic decision-making process.”

A big reason for renewing Free Fly’s tech is to streamline seasonal transitions in light of the pace of the company’s growth. Preston shares that in a recent meeting, they reviewed multiple seasonal assortments in one marathon session. He says, “The efficiencies in Centric PLM will allow us to capture any adjustments made to the current season and ensure they are carried over to future seasons. It’s the ‘puts and takes’ that come with growth, requiring a system that automates and tracks changes from season to season.”

Preston also highlights the need for a solid data management foundation, “We want information to flow seamlessly from season to season and be able to access data easily as well as quickly inform our buying, planning or merchandising teams. Right now, all that work is manual and through discussions. We will use Centric to get to a foundational point and then build out from there.”

Sustainability is another area of focus. Preston notes, “We don’t have a virtual landing place for all the fibers and fabrics in our material library right now. To be able to go into Centric PLM and see all the styles that are utilizing a recycled fabric, for example, is key.”

President of Centric Software, Fabrice Canonge says, “We are honored that Free Fly Apparel has selected us as their digital foundation technology. We eagerly anticipate the efficiencies that Free Fly will gain in data management, automation and season-to-season transition and look forward to partnering with them long into the future.”

Learn more about Centric Software

See Centric AI-Powered Solutions in action at NRF 2025, Booth #6257

Request a demo

Free Fly Apparel (freeflyapparel.com)

Free Fly Apparel is a Charleston-based performance clothing company specializing in unique bamboo material blends. Before launching in 2011, we spent over two years of research and development to come up with the softest performance fabrics imaginable. Our design philosophy is anchored in fun and adventure while superior design and craftsmanship remains our focus. Whether you’re on the water, exploring the mountains or hitting the gym, we’re confident this will quickly become your favorite shirt. Free Fly’s products are sold throughout 600+ specialty stores (domestic and international) and they are also available through our website at http://www.freeflyapparel.com.

Media Contact

Aurore Evee, Centric Software, +16479155377, aurore.evee@centricsoftware.com, www.centricsoftware.com

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SOURCE Centric Software

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Howard Hughes Holdings Set to Join S&P SmallCap 600

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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HHH) will replace Arcosa Inc. (NYSE: ACA) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Wednesday, October 28. S&P 500 constituent CRH plc (NYSE: CRH) has acquired Arcosa in a deal that closed today, October 23.

Following is a summary of the changes that will take place prior to the open of trading on the effective date:

Effective Date

Index Name  

Action

Company Name

Ticker

GICS Sector

October 28, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Addition

Howard Hughes Holdings

HHH

Real Estate

October 28, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

Arcosa

ACA

Industrials

ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES

S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.

S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

S&P Dow Jones Indices
index_services@spglobal.com

Media Inquiries
spdji.comms@spglobal.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/howard-hughes-holdings-set-to-join-sp-smallcap-600-302918511.html

SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices

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Chelsea FC announces multi-year sleeve partnership with Sokin, the business payments and FX platform

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Chelsea FC name fast-growing fintech platform as Principal Partner

LONDON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chelsea Football Club has today announced a multi-year partnership with Sokin, the embedded finance and payments company used by businesses worldwide. Sokin will be named a Principal Partner and Official Business Payments and FX Partner of Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Women.

As a Principal Partner, Sokin will be represented on the sleeves of the Chelsea FC men’s, women’s and academy home, away, and third kits from the 2026/27 season.

The partnership brings together two ambitious London-headquartered organisations with worldwide reach – a club with millions of fans across the world and a fintech platform through which businesses move more than $11 billion a year. A club of Chelsea’s scale works in many currencies every day, with partners, competitions and supporters around the world, and needs a financial partner built to handle that.

Sokin gives finance teams business payments, multi-currency accounts, foreign exchange, checkout and treasury in one place, so they spend less time juggling banks and providers and keep more of what they move.

As Official Business Payments and FX Partner, Sokin will simplify how Chelsea FC sends, receives and manages money in the currencies the club operates in.

The Sokin logo will feature on the sleeve of the Chelsea shirt for the first time [when the men’s team host Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 24th October.]

Jason Gannon, President at Chelsea FC said:

“At Chelsea, we seek to partner with organisations that share our ambition and innovative mindset. Sokin’s expertise in business payments, and their focus on making both simpler for the businesses they serve, makes them a natural fit for the Club. We are pleased to welcome Sokin to the Chelsea family and look forward to working together in the years ahead.”

Vroon Modgill, CEO and founder at Sokin said:

“Chelsea plays on the biggest stage in world football, and its business runs in dozens of currencies. Sokin was built for that with regulated, multi-currency payments and foreign exchange for organisations that operate internationally. We’re proud to be the platform behind the business payments and FX of one of the most iconic teams in football. Sokin’s platform serves businesses in more than 170 countries. We’re thrilled to be partners for the season ahead. An organisation as sophisticated as Chelsea doesn’t leave its finances to chance.”

About Sokin

Sokin is the financial layer global business runs on. Businesses can transact, convert and hold money in 70+ currencies across 170+ countries. Some businesses use Sokin to manage global finance in-house. Others build it into their products to power financial experiences for their customers. Businesses move more than $9 billion a year on licenses Sokin holds in 36+ countries and infrastructure Sokin owns. Founded in 2019, Sokin has raised over $100 million from investors including Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Prysm Capital.

About Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Football Club is one of the biggest, most successful football clubs globally and our men’s team are reigning world champions, having won the four-yearly FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. Our women’s team, Chelsea Women, are also multiple trophy winners.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea is London’s most central football club, based at the iconic 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium. Nicknamed the Blues, the club lifted the Champions League for the first time in 2012 and domestically has won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup eight times, the Football League Cup five times and the Football League Championship once, in 1955.

The Chelsea Women’s team have enjoyed a huge amount of success and in 2025 won the FA Women’s Super League for a sixth consecutive year and the eighth time overall. The Women’s FA Cup has been won on six occasions. We have also captured the FA Women’s League Cup four times as well as reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in 2021. In two seasons, 2020/21 and 2024/25, a domestic treble of trophies was secured.

The Chelsea Foundation boasts one of the most extensive community initiatives in sport, helping to improve the lives of children and young people all over the world.

Media Contacts:

Taina Biggs
taina.biggs@sokin.com 

Nerissa Chesterfield
nerissa.chesterfield@chelseafc.com 

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Amy Johnson Appointed President of GDIT

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RESTON, Va., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) announced today that Amy Johnson has been appointed as president of GDIT, effective November 3.

Johnson is a 27-year veteran of General Dynamics Mission Systems, where she held increasingly senior roles in engineering, engineering management and business leadership across cybersecurity, defense electronics, space and intelligence systems, most recently as vice president and general manager for Space, Cyber and Intelligence. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and computer systems engineering. 

“Amy has a proven track record of leading teams to solve complex and highly technical challenges for our customers,” said Phebe Novakovic, CEO of General Dynamics. “I am confident that her dynamic leadership, operational rigor and deep commitment to our values and culture will deliver value to our customers, employees and shareholders.”

GDIT delivers digital modernization, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software development solutions to the U.S. federal government, defense, intelligence agencies and other customers. It is a business unit of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 120,000 people worldwide and generated $52.6 billion in revenue in 2025. More information is available at gd.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amy-johnson-appointed-president-of-gdit-302918411.html

SOURCE General Dynamics

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