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DPO Launches $200 Million AI Data Center Development in Partnership with Billerud

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NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Digital Power Optimization, Inc. (“DPO”), a developer and operator of power-dense data centers, today announced it has secured land and a firm power supply to develop a $200 million high-performance computing facility in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. This state-of-the-art project will enable up to 20 megawatts of AI computing.

DPO:  At the Intersection of Energy and AI Computing

DPO is working in partnership with Billerud subsidiary Consolidated Water Power Company (“CWPCo”), a regulated utility operating 32 megawatts of renewable hydroelectric generation assets within its electrical distribution system. Through its relationship with CWPCo, DPO has secured a definitive land lease extending for up to fifty years, interconnection rights to an existing and energized substation, and access to a firm power supply.

“With our definitive agreements with CWPCo now finalized, we’re thrilled to launch the development of this cutting-edge facility,” said Andrew Webber, DPO’s CEO. “The shortage of high-density rack space is going to be a sustained trend well into the 2030s, and our strategy of leveraging underutilized land, infrastructure, and power, creates a win-win solution for all stakeholders. Speed-to-energization is critical in today’s market, and by forming relationships with forward-thinking power partners like CWPCo, and designing to what is immediately actionable, facilities like this can be brought online several years ahead of hyperscale projects.”

“This collaboration offers a unique opportunity for CWPCo and the broader community,” added CWPCo Director Martin Burkhardt. “We’re creating value by utilizing our existing resources more efficiently, and showcasing how innovative partnerships can unlock new possibilities. This development strengthens our sustainability by generating new revenue, diversifies our customer portfolio, and sets a strong example for other ambitious ventures.”

DPO has engaged Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering to provide consulting and engineering support, and is currently working with the City of Wisconsin Rapids and various state agencies to finalize construction plans and building permits prior to groundbreaking and vertical construction. The project’s pre-development phase has been funded by an investor consortium led by Salutem Capital (“Salutem”), a privately-held New York family office.

“The AI revolution is driving unprecedented demand for high-performance computing infrastructure,” said Justin and Cameron Adelipour, Managing Partners at Salutem. “This agreement highlights DPO’s ability to execute and deliver the critical infrastructure necessary for the next wave of AI innovation. Our investment illustrates our full confidence in DPO’s vision and their ability to address the evolving needs of the digital infrastructure ecosystem.”

DPO expects the project to reach energization in 2026.

About Digital Power Optimization

Digital Power Optimization is a leading developer and operator of data centers for power-dense computing. DPO partners with utilities and IPPs to locate data centers on-site at power generation facilities to directly utilize renewable energy for the operation of HPC/AI and Proof-of-Work computing. DPO is privately held. For more information, please visit DigitalPowerOptimization.com.

About Billerud

Billerud makes high performance packaging materials for a low carbon society. We are a global leader in paper and packaging materials made from cellulose fibers, and we are passionately committed to sustainability, quality and customer value. We serve customers in more than 100 countries through nine production units in Sweden, USA, and Finland, and around 5,800 employees in over 19 countries. Billerud is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.billerud.com

About Consolidated Water Power Company

The Consolidated Water Power Company is a regulated utility founded in 1894 and headquartered in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.  CWPCo owns and operates five dams on the Wisconsin River and maintains a long history of safely and reliably serving electrical load to the forest products industry in Wisconsin Rapids, Biron, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

About Salutem Capital

Salutem Capital is a family office backing ambitious and transformative entrepreneurs. We invest in technologies with the power to shape a better future for humanity, focusing on space technology, artificial intelligence, alternative energies, cryptocurrency, and robotics. We take a long-term, concentrated approach, partnering with founders who have the potential to scale their companies and drive meaningful impact over decades.

Press Contact:
Veronica Welch
VEW Media
ronnie@vewpr.com
508-643-8000

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SOURCE Digital Power Optimization

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Achieve named to Az Business Magazine’s ’10 Best Places for Women to Work in Arizona’ for 2026

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Recognition highlights the company’s commitment to creating opportunities for women to grow and lead

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Achieve, the leader in digital personal finance, has been named among the 2026 10 Best Places for Women to Work in Arizona by Az Business Magazine. The annual recognition highlights organizations that create supportive environments where women can thrive professionally, advance into leadership roles and build meaningful careers.

The honor reflects Achieve’s ongoing investment in workplace programs that support employee growth, flexibility, leadership development and career advancement. Women serve in leadership roles across the organization and play a critical role in shaping the company’s culture, products and long-term success.

“Creating an environment where women can grow, lead and build rewarding careers is central to who we are as a company,” said Achieve Senior Vice President of Human Resources Heather Marcom. “We’re honored to be recognized among Arizona’s top workplaces for women and remain committed to fostering a culture where employees feel supported, valued and empowered to do their best work.”

Achieve maintains a major corporate presence in the Phoenix area, where hundreds of employees contribute to the company’s mission of helping people move from struggling to thriving financially. The company supports employees through leadership development opportunities, employee resource groups, mentorship and learning programs designed to help team members reach their professional goals.

The recognition adds to a growing list of workplace honors for Achieve. Earlier this year, the company was named among the Top 3 Best Workplaces for LGBTQ+ Employees by BestCompaniesAZ and was also recognized by AZ Big Media as one of Arizona’s Most Admired Companies.

“Strong organizations are built by diverse perspectives and inclusive leadership,” said Marcom. “We’re proud of the talented women across Achieve who help drive our business forward every day and grateful for the impact they make on our employees, customers and communities.”

The 10 Best Places for Women to Work in Arizona list is determined through a public voting process conducted by AZ Big Media and published in Az Business magazine.

About Achieve

Achieve, THE digital personal finance company, helps everyday people get on, and stay on, the path to a better financial future. Achieve pairs proprietary data and analytics with personalized support to offer personal loanshome equity loans, debt relief and debt consolidation, along with financial tips and education and free mobile apps: Achieve MoLO® (Money Left Over) and Achieve GOOD™ (Get Out Of Debt). Achieve is frequently recognized for providing top-rated customer experience and satisfaction by both consumers and leading personal finance review platforms and has 2,200 dedicated teammates across the country, with hubs in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

Achieve refers to the global organization and may denote one or more affiliates of Achieve Company, including Achieve.com, Equal Housing Opportunity (NMLS ID #138464); Achieve Home Loans, Equal Housing Opportunity (NMLS ID #1810501); Achieve Personal Loans (NMLS ID #227977); Freedom Debt Relief (NMLS ID # 1248929); and Freedom Financial Asset Management (CRD #170229).

Contacts

Austin Kilgore
akilgore@achieve.com
214-908-5097

Elina Tarkazikis
etarkazikis@achieve.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/achieve-named-to-az-business-magazines-10-best-places-for-women-to-work-in-arizona-for-2026-302833720.html

SOURCE Achieve

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National Press Club Statement on the withdrawal of subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists

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WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. released the following statement:

“The Justice Department’s decision to withdraw subpoenas targeting journalists at The New York Times is a welcome and necessary step to protect the public’s constitutional right to an independent press.

These subpoenas should never have been issued in the first place. Compelling journalists to reveal confidential sources sends a chilling message to those who seek to inform the public and threatens the very foundation of press freedom.

Every American should understand what is at stake when the government turns its investigative powers on journalists. It is not routine. It is an extraordinary intrusion that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment and your right to information about your government.

The greatest danger was not the subpoenas themselves, but the message they sent: That sources could be exposed, that whistleblowers should remain silent, and that the American people might know less about the actions of their own government.

A strong democracy depends on a press that can report freely, hold power to account, and inform the public without intimidation.

We urge continued vigilance to ensure that journalists can do their jobs without interference and that protections for source confidentiality are upheld consistently.”

About the National Press Club

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world’s leading professional organization for journalists and a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

Contact: Beth Francesco, Executive Director of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, media@press.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-press-club-statement-on-the-withdrawal-of-subpoenas-targeting-new-york-times-journalists-302833722.html

SOURCE National Press Club

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NCC Launches NCC Connect™ to Put Credit, Fraud, and Compliance Inside the CRM Dealers Already Use

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A powerful new solution that embeds credit access, fraud detection, and compliance directly into the dealership’s existing CRM — removing the system-switching that slows deals and exposes dealers to risk.

AUSTIN, Texas, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — NCC, a leading provider of credit and compliance solutions for automotive dealerships, today announced the launch of NCC Connect™, a powerful platform that runs credit, fraud, and compliance from inside the CRM a dealership already uses — without friction or duplicate entry.

“Dealers don’t need another system to log into,” said Brian Skutta, President and CEO of NCC. “They need the tools they already have to work better together. NCC Connect puts credit, fraud detection, and compliance right where the team already works — inside the CRM they use every day.”

“Dealers don’t need another system to log into,” said Brian Skutta, President and CEO of NCC. “They need the tools they already have to work better together. NCC Connect puts credit, fraud detection, and compliance right where the team already works — inside the CRM they use every day.”

As deals grow more complex and fraud more sophisticated, dealers are juggling more disconnected systems than ever — the CRM, the credit system, the compliance tools — switching between them on every transaction. Each switch breaks momentum, invites a skipped step, and slows the path to funding. NCC Connect meets this moment with a single, seamless solution that keeps the full credit, fraud, and compliance engine right where the team already works.

Why NCC Connect Matters Right Now

Dealers lose time and margin switching between the CRM, credit, and compliance systems on every dealAuto lending fraud continues to climb, with industry fraud exposure reaching a record $10.4 billion in 2025, according to Point Predictive’s 2026 Auto Lending Fraud Trends ReportState compliance is tightening, with laws like California’s SB 766 (CARS Act) taking effect October 1, 2026Every disconnected step is another chance for an error, a delay, or a deal that stalls before funding

These pressures are forcing dealers to consolidate, and NCC Connect delivers the edge.

Product Highlights:

Inside the CRM — Soft-pull and hard credit access from all three major bureaus — Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax — without leaving the workflowFraud & Identity Built In — Identity verification and synthetic fraud detection delivered within the credit pull, flagging Red Flag conditions before the deal moves to fundingCompliance on Autopilot — FCRA and FTC controls with automatic, audit-ready documentation stored in the deal record99.99% Uptime — The industry’s highest, so the platform is there when a deal is on the desk

NCC Connect runs soft-pull pre-qualifications and hard credit pulls from any bureau or score model without leaving the CRM, while customer data stays inside the existing CRM structure. Every credit, fraud, and compliance result is captured on the deal record — giving dealers a single, audit-ready source of truth and a faster, cleaner path to funding.

NCC Connect extends the same powerful, credit-first engine behind NCC’s Complete Credit™ platform into the CRM where dealers already work. For dealers, that means more approvals, stronger fraud protection, and faster funding, without changing how the team works.

Learn more about NCC Connect at https://nccdirect.com/ncc-connect/

About NCC:

With offices in Austin, TX, Bettendorf, IA, and Las Vegas, NV, NCC has been a trusted partner in credit-driven retailing for automotive dealerships for nearly three decades. We combine a powerful credit and compliance engine with a fully integrated Desking platform to drive maximum profitability. Our focus on innovation, user-friendly products, and dependable systems — supported by a dedicated account management team — has solidified our reputation as a leader in the industry. www.nccdirect.com

Media Contact

Holly Smith, NCC, 1 8285732722, hsmith@nccdirect.com, https://nccdirect.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/ncc-launches-ncc-connect-to-put-credit-fraud-and-compliance-inside-the-crm-dealers-already-use-302832007.html

SOURCE NCC

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