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Parts Town Unlimited Strengthens Home Division with Strategic Leadership Expansion

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Mark Bickenbach has been hired as Group President of Parts Town Home and Chris Dennison has been hired as Chief Operations Officer of Parts Town Home.

ADDISON, Ill., Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Parts Town Unlimited, the parent company of Encompass Supply Chain Solutions, a leader in the high-tech distribution of business-to-business OEM residential appliance parts and accessories, as well as business-to-consumer brands including PartSelect.com, eReplacementparts.com, Fix.com, GenuineReplacementParts.com and EasyApplianceParts.com, today announced the expansion of its Home division leadership team to drive accelerated growth and innovation. As part of this expansion, Mark Bickenbach has been hired as Group President of Parts Town Home and Chris Dennison has been hired as Chief Operations Officer of Parts Town Home. This adds to an already experienced, proven team, including Robert Coolidge, who has led the Encompass business for over 15 years.

Bickenbach joins Parts Town Home after holding leadership roles with several industry-leading e-commerce and retail organizations. His leadership of omnichannel initiatives ensured a seamless customer experience across all platforms. Bickenbach’s deep understanding of the residential space will support the expansion of Parts Town Home’s high-tech solutions and value proposition. As a strategic leader focused on growth, Bickenbach will play a crucial role in aligning the Parts Town Home division with the company’s broader vision for expansion.

Dennison brings a wealth of experience to Parts Town Home after previously leading supply chain functions, distribution and fulfillment, and inventory management across several companies. He will lead distribution center operations, optimize the supply chain, spearhead automation initiatives, and oversee the Parts Town Home division’s operational growth goals. Dennison will play a pivotal role in leveraging new technologies, including the implementation of a future-ready network and advanced distribution technologies.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mark and Chris to the Parts Town Home team,” said Steve Snower, Sixth Man (aka CEO), Parts Town Unlimited. “Their extensive experience and passion for innovation will drive our growth in the Home space. With their leadership, plus our existing, accomplished team, we are confident that we will meet our ambitious growth goals and enhance our value proposition in the marketplace. In doing so, we will be able to bring exceptional products and services to customers in a faster, smarter way.”

With the strategic addition of Bickenbach and Dennison, Parts Town Unlimited positions itself for significant growth in the distribution of home appliance parts, consumer electronic parts, HVAC parts, outdoor power equipment parts, and other critical replacement parts used in the home. Their skills in areas such as supply chain optimization, e-commerce, and high-tech product development will be instrumental in realizing Parts Town’s vision for supporting residential appliance and equipment needs and continuing to deliver exceptional value to its customers and stakeholders.

About Encompass Supply Chain Solutions

Formed in 1953, Encompass Supply Chain Solutions is one of the country’s largest suppliers of repair parts and accessories for products throughout the home. Encompass also offers complete parts supply chain management, 3PL, depot repair and reverse logistics services. In addition to consumers, Encompass supports an array of B2B customers, including manufacturers, multi-family property managers, warranty providers, service networks, independent dealers and retailers.

In 2022, Encompass was acquired by Parts Town Unlimited, the global market leader in foodservice equipment parts distribution, to expand its residential parts division.

For more information, please visit solutions.encompass.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About Parts Town Unlimited

Parts Town Unlimited is the parent company of over 45 unique brands worldwide which collectively serve as a global leader in the high-tech distribution of genuine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts for foodservice equipment, residential appliances, HVAC equipment and consumer electronics, as well as related products. Parts Town Unlimited is constantly working to create user-friendly parts identification tools, expand its high-tech distribution capabilities and foster forward-thinking innovations.

Guided by its core values of Safety, Integrity, Community, Passion, Courage, and Innovation, Parts Town Unlimited delivers infinite possibilities, unlimited potential, and boundless innovation with a focus on people and long-term partnerships. The company was recently recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. for the 16th consecutive year.

Media Contact

Adam Gasper, Parts Town, 1 9899284462, adam.gasper@finnpartners.com, https://www.partstown.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/parts-town-unlimited-strengthens-home-division-with-strategic-leadership-expansion-302336102.html

SOURCE Parts Town

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Draper Breaks Ground on New Microelectronics Building in Lowell

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LOWELL, Mass., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Draper held a groundbreaking ceremony today for a new microelectronics building in Lowell, Massachusetts. The building will house Draper’s Integrated Microelectronics Production & Advanced Chip Technology (IMPACT) Center.  

An integral part of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), the IMPACT Center will be a 111,000 square foot building with advanced microelectronic design, production, and packaging facilities to deliver cutting-edge technology to Draper’s customers. The Center will create more than 100 new highly skilled jobs, including technicians, advanced degree engineers, and business executives.

Construction is being supported, in part, by state and local funding in partnership with the city of Lowell to strengthen the defense ecosystem in the Commonwealth.

“Microelectronics are a critical component in nearly every system used to safeguard our nation’s interests. To ensure the integrity of these systems, we must build and maintain a domestic microelectronics supply chain – one that is free from foreign influence and disruption,” said Jerry M. Wohletz, Ph.D., Draper’s president and CEO. “The IMPACT Center will expand our onshore capacity to create and deploy the systems our nation depends on. At the same time, the IMPACT Center will drive the local economy by creating new jobs for Lowell residents and UMass Lowell graduates and strengthen Massachusetts’ position in the defense industrial base.”

“The groundbreaking of the IMPACT Center reflects the continued growth of LINC and UMass Lowell’s relationship with Draper,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “By bringing industry and academia together in close proximity, LINC creates an innovation ecosystem where researchers can exchange ideas, students can gain career-connected experiences, and companies can tap into the university’s resources and expertise. The IMPACT Center will deepen those connections, leading to innovations in microelectronics while helping develop the future workforce.”

“Today’s groundbreaking represents an exciting investment in Lowell’s future and strengthens our city’s growing innovation and technology economy,” said Lowell Mayor Erik Gitschier. “Draper’s new IMPACT Center will bring more skilled jobs, expand opportunities for our residents, and strengthen the partnership between the City of Lowell, UMass Lowell, and the Commonwealth. This project is another important step in positioning Lowell as a center for advanced manufacturing, research, and workforce development. On behalf of the City Council, we welcome this investment and look forward to the opportunities it will create for our Lowell community.”

Upon completion in 2029, the IMPACT Center will offer manufacturing services spanning design to field-ready systems that meet the specific needs of Draper’s customers. The Center will enable high-mix, low-volume production supporting domains ranging from microelectronics to advanced precision navigation and timing systems.

“Advanced chip packaging, which bundles multiple chips into a single assembly for placement onto a circuit board, is a critical part of building complex, high-performance systems,” said Colleen Anderson, Electronic Systems program director at Draper. “But only 3 percent of chip packaging is performed in the United States today. The IMPACT Center will help to fill this void by providing a reliable domestic source for some of the most sophisticated systems our country produces.”

The IMPACT Center will be located in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District and is part of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC). LINC is an innovation ecosystem that stretches from the UMass Lowell campus into downtown Lowell that drives research, workforce development and economic growth while creating opportunities for students, faculty, companies and the community. Draper is an anchor tenant in LINC and currently has a corporate campus established within the corridor.

Draper is pleased to be teaming with Wexford Science & Technology as the real estate developer for the project alongside GMH Communities and First Atlantic. In support of the development team is Shawmut Design and Construction and Burns & McDonnell.

Distinguished guests attending the ceremony included Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, U.S. Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan, University of Massachusetts Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, and Lowell Mayor Erik R. Gitschier. Draper President and CEO Jerry Wohletz hosted the event. He was joined by Chief Investment Officer and Senior Vice President of Development at Wexford Science & Technology, John Grady.

About Draper

Draper is a non-profit research, development, and manufacturing company that solves some of the nation’s most important challenges. With more than 2,800 employees working in collaboration across 12 locations, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers’ requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit www.draper.com. Follow Draper on Linked In and Instagram. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/draper-breaks-ground-on-new-microelectronics-building-in-lowell-302900385.html

SOURCE Draper Laboratory

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ExSign by Hosting Controller Now Supports Google Workspace for Centralized Email Signature Management

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Organizations using Google Workspace can now centrally manage professional and consistent email signatures with ExSign, extending its email signature management capabilities across leading business email platforms.

KINGSTON, ON, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Hosting Controller Inc. has expanded ExSign, its centralized email signature management solution, with support for Google Workspace. Organizations using Google Workspace can now centrally create, manage, and maintain professional email signatures across their users without relying on individual employees to configure or update signatures manually.

Organizations using Google Workspace can now centrally manage professional and consistent email signatures with ExSign, extending its email signature management capabilities across leading business email platforms.

As email remains a core business communication channel, maintaining consistent branding and accurate information across every employee email can become increasingly challenging as organizations grow. Individually managed signatures can result in inconsistent branding, outdated contact information, missing disclaimers, and missed opportunities to use everyday emails as a marketing channel.

“Google Workspace support marks an important expansion for ExSign and gives more organizations the ability to centrally manage one of the most visible elements of their everyday business communication,” says Babar Zaman, VP Business Development at Hosting Controller. “Whether the goal is stronger brand consistency, streamlined administration, compliance, or turning everyday emails into marketing opportunities, ExSign makes it easier to manage signatures across the organization.”

With ExSign for Google Workspace, IT administrators and marketing teams can centrally manage signature designs, contact information, branding elements, disclaimers, and promotional banners across the organization, helping reduce manual updates while keeping email communications professional and consistent.

With the addition of Google Workspace, ExSign now supports Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Exchange Server, extending centralized email signature management across cloud and on-premises email environments. Learn more at https://hostingcontroller.com/Email-Signature-Management/ExSign-for-Google-Workspace.html.

About Hosting Controller Inc.

Founded in 1999, Hosting Controller Inc. is a cloud automation software provider with customers in over 125 countries. Its comprehensive suite of products supports email signature management, Active Directory tools, hybrid cloud solutions, virtualization, and enterprise automation, helping businesses modernize their communications and infrastructure. For more information, visit https://www.hostingcontroller.com/.

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Media Contact

Babar Zaman, VP Business Development, Hosting Controller, 1 (647) 799-1000, hello@hostingcontroller.com, https://HostingController.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/exsign-by-hosting-controller-now-supports-google-workspace-for-centralized-email-signature-management-302898264.html

SOURCE Hosting Controller

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/C O R R E C T I O N — KNOWIDEA/

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In the news release, KNOWIDEA Launches VeriPIE to Reduce Decision Risk with Verified AI Predictions, issued Oct. 6, 2026 by KNOWIDEA over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that the original version contained incorrect information introduced by PR Newswire during transmission. The complete, corrected release follows:

KNOWIDEA Launches VeriPIE to Reduce Decision Risk with Verified AI Predictions

The Verified Predictive Intelligence Engine is available and in production at energy producers, financial institutions and manufacturers.

TORONTO, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KNOWIDEA launches VeriPIE, the Verified Predictive Intelligence Engine. VeriPIE connects to a company’s existing systems, predicts what happens next and what it is worth, and verifies every number in the recommendation.

VeriPIE is available today in the KNOWIDEA platform and in production with a Fortune 500 oil and gas producer, financial institution and industrial manufacturer.

Most companies decide using dashboards that describe the past, consulting reports that take eight to twelve weeks, or AI answers that are right most of the time. When a decision rests on a number no one can check, the risk sits with the executive’s intuition.

VeriPIE runs the same five steps on every question. It connects ERP, finance, operations and CRM data with external benchmarks, finds the drivers of the number in question, forecasts each option, weighs each prediction against the company’s risk tolerance, and delivers a recommendation with the judgments that need a human owner marked.

Each number traces to its source system, table, rows and dates. Claims that can be checked exactly are checked by code, not by another model. When evidence is missing, VeriPIE does not issue a verified recommendation and names the missing input.

“Every major decision is a prediction. The question is whether you can prove it before you bet the company on it. VeriPIE gives you the future with the work shown,” said Yatharth Sejpal, Co-founder and CEO of KNOWIDEA.

“Prediction without verification is a guess with better formatting. VeriPIE proves every part of a forecast that can be proven and names the part that cannot,” said Brian Zhengyu Li, Co-founder and CTO of KNOWIDEA.

VeriPIE sits on top of the ERP, data warehouse and BI tools a company already owns. To see it on your own data, bring one decision to a 30-minute session at knowidea.dev.

About KNOWIDEA
KNOWIDEA is a Toronto-based decision intelligence company. Learn more at knowidea.dev.

Media contact: Yatharth Sejpal, info@knowidea.dev

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/knowidea-launches-veripie-to-reduce-decision-risk-with-verified-ai-predictions-302900366.html

SOURCE KNOWIDEA

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