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ESG Leaders Recognized At 2025 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards

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SEAL Awards today announced the winners of the 2025 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards, honoring their leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable business practices. 2025 SEAL Sustainability Award honorees ranged from well-recognized brands (like ASUS, Chiquita, GE Aerospace, Hasbro, Procter & Gamble‘s Tide, and Salesforce) to high-growth start-ups and scale-ups.

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — SEAL Awards today announced the winners of the 2025 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards, honoring their leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable business practices.

“2025 represents our ninth (9) SEAL Business Sustainability Award event. This year’s ESG award recipients follow a 9-year trendline of greater impact materiality and deeper granularity. Across all industries and geographies, companies are going deep to generate sustainability improvements”

2025 SEAL Sustainability Award honorees ranged from well-recognized brands (like ASUS, Chiquita, GE Aerospace, Hasbro, Procter & Gamble‘s Tide, and Salesforce) to high-growth start-ups and scale-ups.

“2025 represents our ninth (9) SEAL Business Sustainability Award event. This year’s ESG award recipients follow a 9-year trendline of greater impact materiality and deeper granularity. Across all industries and geographies, companies are going deep and granular – into materials, chemistry, processes, R&D, supply chains, and more – to generate sustainability improvements,” commented Matt Harney, Chairperson and Founder of SEAL Awards

The event featured four distinct sustainability award categories:

SEAL ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE AWARD

This award honors specific environmental and sustainability initiatives.

The Environmental Initiative Award winners were:

Algoma Steel: Algoma’s Green Steel TransformationBritish Airways: Reducing our impact on the groundChef Works: Creating Sustainable Solutions in Culinary ApparelEcore International: Crafting a Greener Tomorrow: Ecore’s Dedication to Sustainable SolutionsEdifecs: Edifecs Sustainable Asset Lifecycle ManagementELKEM: Industrial symbiosis for Silicones value chain: Hydrochloric acid waste as recycled raw material for specialty silicones.Event Network: The Plastic S.T.O.P.S. InitiativeFastenal Company: Turning Plastic Wrap into Patio DecksFresh Del Monte Produce Inc.: Leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of fresh/fresh-cut fruit/vegetablesGates Corporation: Sustainability Initiative – Chain-to-BeltGenerate Capital: Advanced Hydroponic GreenhouseGE Vernova: GE Vernova’s 4R Circularity Framework and Product Stewardship ProgramGotham Greens: Putting Healthier Food on Plates and Helping the Planet by Reimagining Our Food SystemHangzhou EZVIZ Network Co., Ltd.: EZVIZ Green InitiativeHasbro, Inc.: Hasbro Toy Recycling ProgramLas Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium: Revolutionizing Sustainability in Sports: How Allegiant Stadium Powered the Super Bowl with 100% Renewable EnergyNew York State Office of Cannabis Management: PowerScore Initiative – Cannabis Energy, Water, and Waste Tracking and ReportingNjord: Njord by Maersk Tankers – a holistic energy-efficiency service for shipsPerch Energy: Community Solar Subscription ServicerPUBLIC WORKS AUTHORITY – ASHGHAL: Buildings Projects Department (BPD) 100% reuse & recycling of construction waste materialsSalesforce: Sustainable & Equitable AISAUDI ARAMCO – Jubail Producing Department (JPD): Circular and Sustainable Decarbonization, Biodiversity InitiativesSiemon: Sustainability Through Smart PackagingSLB: Lowering Emissions Through Our ‘Record, Reduce, Replace’ StrategySSA Marine: Advancing Zero-Emissions in Global Terminal OperationsTetra Pak: Approach to NatureTide: #TurntoCold with TideVertical Bridge: Vertical Bridge’s Path to Net Zero with Alternative Energy SolutionsWistron NeWeb Corporation: Driving Low-carbon Transformation Through Green DesignZurn Elkay Water Solutions: Cleaner, Safer and More Responsible Drinking Water Program

SEAL SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION AWARD
This award recognizes innovations that represent game-changing ideas that bring us to a more sustainable future.

The Sustainable Innovation Award winners were:

Blancco: Data erasure innovatively reclaims enterprise IT for reuseChiquita: Chiquita’s Groundbreaking Disease-Resistant BananasCyrusOne: Reducing Climate Impact with Computational Fluid DynamicsdoTERRA: Changing lives on both sides of the bottleDow: DOW™ RP 101 Trace SolutionEVERMOS: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs through Inclusive Digital PlatformsGE Aerospace: CFM International’s Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) programGuess Inc: GUESS AIRWASH™INTERFUZI INC.: Naturgy’s Mission – “Harnessing the power of nature to bring positive impact to the world.”Kidsy: Recommerce platform offering discounted, sustainable baby and kids productsMitigate Ltd: Turn your sustainability data into compliant ESRS reports — automaticallySPXFLOW Technology Danmark A/s: APV® Seamless Infusion VesselTapestry: X’s moonshot for the electric gridTide: The Future of Laundry: Introducing Tide evoZEVAC: ZD3™ technology eliminates compressor station GHG emissions

SEAL SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT AWARD

The SEAL Sustainable Product Award honors innovative and impactful products that are literally “purpose-built” for a sustainable future

The Sustainable Product Award winners were:

Beatbot: Beatbot iSkim UltraDow: DOWSIL™ TC-6040 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant to advance thermal management in high-performance electric vehiclesDow: DOWSIL™ 2102 Adhesive & DOWSIL™ 2110 AdhesiveDow: EcoSense™ 2470 SurfactantELKEM: Boosting Efficiency and Sustainability in Plastic Recycling with SILCOLAPSE™ EASY 10Essity: Tork Xpress® Compressed Multifold Hand TowelsGuess Inc: GUESS JEANS CollectionHangzhou EZVIZ Network Co., Ltd.: EZVIZ EP7 Smart Home Video Doorphone with Solar PanelHasbro, Inc.: Life in Reterra – A Community (Re)building Board GameHerman Miller: Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, with bamboo-based upholsteryICL Group: FruitMag™- Creating impact for a sustainable future!Jackery Inc: Jackery Solar Curved TileLattice Semiconductor: Lattice Nexus™ 2 FPGA PlatformREPREVE®, made by UNIFI, Inc.: ThermaLoop™ Insulation powered by REPREVE’s Textile Takeback process

SEAL SUSTAINABLE SERVICE AWARD

The SEAL Sustainable Service Award recognizes innovative services that set a new standard for sustainability.

The Sustainable Service Award winners were:

AiDASH: AiDASH Biodiversity Net Gain Management System™ Champions Biodiversity and SustainabilityASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.: ASUS A+ESG Carbon Data Management Platform: Data Empowerment – Agile, Precise Decision-Making & Value CreationDBS Bank: DBS LiveBetterDubai Electricity and Water Authority: Pioneering Sustainability Services at the DEWA Sustainability and Innovation CentreEdinburgh International Conference Centre: EICC – Delivering world-class sustainable events through our sustainability programme, Step ChangeEPAM Systems Inc.: MocniPomocni Mentoring AppFlock Freight: FlockDirect® – Transforming the freight industry by delivering Shared Truckload at scale.Jupiter Intelligence: ClimateScore Global quantifies the physical risks of climate change for businessesParis: Paris’ Servicios Circulares (Circular Services)SLB: Environmental Impact Reduction in Lithium ProductionWolters Kluwer: CCH Tagetik ESG & Sustainability for CSRD

The 2025 award entry fees were contributed to SEAL’s Environmental Journalism Award and Environmental Research Grant programs.

Selected Sustainability Award Winner Perspectives:

‘”We are proud and honoured to receive the SEAL Sustainable Product Award. It aligns very well with our commitment to innovation, sustainability and excellence. The APV® Seamless Infusion Vessel is a game-changer for UHT processing, setting new standards for efficiency and sustainability. By minimizing fouling and extending run times, it enables producers to gain up to 100 extra hours annually and reduce resource consumption significantly. With its innovative design and focus on operational excellence, it’s more than a solution—it’s a step forward for dairy, plant-based, and beverage producers worldwide.” — Pranav Say, Global Product Manager for UHT Systems, SPX FLOW

“We are very honored to receive the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards for our EZVIZ Green Initiative and smart video doorphone EP7 as it underlines the innovation and eco-friendly concept of our product and design and is another strong testament to our successful EZVIZ Green Initiative since 2023. The EP7 is an exemplary product where we achieve a satisfying balance between smart, high-performance appliances and solar-powered energy efficiency, while greatly reducing barriers and pain points through useful innovations. As a smart home technology company that helps millions of people build their ideal homes where dreams and aspirations live together, we believe that a shared, sustainable future should be driven by responsible technology and future-ready products that minimize environmental impact and bring joy to generations to come.” — Jingwen Cao, Board Secretary & Director of the ESG Committee, EZVIZ

“Winning the Sustainable Innovation Award from the SEAL Awards is a huge honor for us at Mitigate. It’s proof that our ESG Platform has found its perfect fit in the market—helping companies report on sustainability as easily, quickly, and effectively as they do with financial reporting. For us, it’s a win-win: we’re building a sustainable business while empowering companies to make sustainability reporting more accessible and impactful. Finally, sustainability experts have the tools they’ve been missing, giving them the same level of support as other business functions. This recognition motivates us to keep pushing forward and delivering solutions that make a difference”— Arvis Zeile, CEO, Mitigate Ltd.

“At Algoma Steel, we are honoured to receive the Environmental Initiatives Award for our Green Steel Transformation. This recognition underscores our unwavering commitment to building better lives and a greener future through sustainable steelmaking. Our Electric Arc Furnace transformation will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 70%, equivalent to 3 million tonnes annually. This achievement is a testament to the dedication, innovation, and teamwork of everyone at Algoma Steel as we collaborate to build a more sustainable future for our industry and community.” — Team at Algoma Steel

“Receiving the 2025 SEAL Environmental Initiatives Award in the Business Sustainability category highlights Chef Works’ steadfast dedication to sustainability and responsible business practices,” said Enrique Perez, Vice President of Global Supply Chain at Chef Works. “From diverting products from landfills to pioneering eco-friendly innovations, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact. This recognition is a testament to the collective efforts of our team and partners who share our vision of a sustainable future. We remain unwavering in our pursuit of solutions that protect the planet while driving meaningful change across the global supply chain.”

“We are deeply honored to receive the SEAL Awards 2025, a testament to our unwavering commitment to sustainability and our dedication to continuous investments in green innovation. At Beatbot, we believe innovation and responsibility go hand in hand, and we are dedicated to creating solutions that not only redefine pool care but also contribute to a more sustainable future. We sincerely thank the SEAL Awards panel for recognizing the Beatbot iSkim Ultra. Beyond robotic pool cleaners, Beatbot recently introduced the Amphibious RoboTurtle, showcasing our commitment to pushing the boundaries of sustainable innovation. Encouraged by this recognition, we will continue to explore new horizons on our sustainability journey, embracing bold innovations and transformative ideas along the way.” – York Guo, CMO of Beatbot

“We are deeply honored to receive the 2025 SEAL Business Sustainability Award,” said John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operations Officer at Siemon. “Having received this prestigious award for the second consecutive year demonstrates Siemon’s commitment to the UN Global Compact, whose 10 Principles help guide decisions and actions that minimize our environmental impacts, provide a great place to work for all our people, and be a valued part of our communities. This award is a reflection of our company culture, where our people are deeply engaged and committed to upholding ESG principles and values. It reinforces their dedication to environmental and social responsibility in everything we do.”

“The A+ ESG Data Management Platform is revolutionizing corporate sustainability in the era of carbon pricing. By integrating digitized data and scientific management with AI-driven insights, it empowers precise decision-making and effective carbon risk management. This platform drives the twin transformation of sustainability and digitalization, providing an optimal solution to today’s ESG challenges.” – Team at ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.

“Receiving the SEAL Sustainable Innovation Award is a testament to Naturgy’s unwavering commitment to sustainable development. Our mission—’Harnessing the power of nature to bring positive impact to the world’—is reflected in our innovative sustainable packaging solutions, redefining health supplement standards while reducing resource consumption and emissions. We are deeply honored by this recognition and will continue to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), inviting consumers to join us in creating a greener future.” — Kuo Yao-Wen ,CEO, INTERFUZI INC.

“At Evermos, we believe that true innovation goes beyond technology—it’s about creating opportunities that leave no one behind. Winning the SEAL Business Sustainability Award in Sustainable Innovation affirms our commitment to driving gender-inclusive digital entrepreneurship that empowers over 1,000,000 micro-entrepreneurs, 86% of whom are women. By addressing systemic barriers and equipping women with tools for success, we are fostering economic inclusivity and sustainability, ensuring that prosperity is shared across all layers of society.” — Iqbal Muslimin, Director, Evermos

“I am immensely proud of our team’s achievements in delivering impactful innovation with sustainability benefits, as recognized by receiving the 2025 ‘SEAL SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION AWARD’ for our new product – RP101: A Robust Fingerprint Tracing Solution for PET Recycling. With its unique performance, it can enable transparency and increase players’ confidence through a scientific measurement approach. This confidence will propagate, allowing genuine recycled products to capture their actual value, thus further driving investment in recycling. Brand owners will be able to meet their goals, reduce credibility risk for their commitment to sustainability, and maintain a strong driving force. With all these factors, the recycled PET industry can become a sustainable ecosystem that advances waste plastic recycling and reuse.” — Myra (Xuemei) Zhai, Director of APAC Customer Innovation Center, APAC R&D/TS&D Director of Dow

“We are thrilled and honored to receive the Sustainable Product Award from the SEAL Awards. EcoSenseTM 2470 surfactant is a testament to our continued dedication and unwavering belief in providing innovative sustainable solutions based on recycled carbon that have a transformative impact. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the SEAL Awards for recognizing our commitment to sustainability and innovation.” — Team at Dow

“Receiving the SEAL Business Sustainability Award for 2025 is a tremendous honour and a testament to the EICC’s unwavering commitment to sustainability. This recognition highlights our belief that business success and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. We are proud to foster an environment that inspires world-changing ideas, from hosting some of the UK’s largest sustainability conferences to collaborating closely with partners and stakeholders. Together, we remain at the forefront of creating a more sustainable future.” — Marshall Dallas, Chief Executive at Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)

Francesca Priora, Vice President, Climate & Nature, Tetra Pak comments: “We are honoured to accept this award from SEAL Awards for our Approach to Nature framework. This recognition highlights our commitment to reversing and halting nature loss by reducing the negative impacts of our value chain on nature and supporting landscape restoration. We are proud to collaborate with customers, suppliers and partners on our journey to restore ecosystems and improve water resilience. Approach to Nature is one of the ways we are working together to transform food systems to ensure a more secure, resilient and sustainable future for all.”

“It is a privilege to be recognized with the SEAL Environmental Initiative Award for our commitment to sustainability and our constant evolutionary efforts to continue on the path of a true circular economy,” said Shweta Srikanth, Chief Circularity Officer of Ecore. “Our company is one of the pioneering architects of circularity, and for more than 150 years Ecore has been transforming waste materials into high-performance products that touch people’s lives each day. Together with our eco-conscious customers, vendors and suppliers, we continue to move forward with new innovations in both our manufacturing processes and sustainability programs, like TRUcircularity™, to fulfill our mission of enhancing lives sustainably and eliminating rubber waste from the planet.”

“This is a thrilling moment for OCM. Recognition from the SEAL Awards demonstrates the agency’s commitment to sustainability and innovation in cannabis,” said the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. “Through the PowerScore initiative, OCM is addressing the critical gap in verifiable efficiency data, while empowering New York’s cannabis licensees with a resource to support sustainable operations.”

“We are honored to receive the SEAL 2025 Environmental Initiatives Award from the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards. Here at Edifecs, sustainability is not just an initiative; it’s a mindset, a commitment, and a responsibility that drives everything we do. Our hope is that if other organizations read and learn about the work Edifecs is doing around sustainability, they will understand that simple changes can have big outcomes, and the potential impact of other organizations making these changes could be huge. I believe that we are the stewards of the future and the only way to ensure the longevity of our planet is to prioritize sustainability,” said Ravi Soin, CISO, Edifecs

Tom Moran, British Airways‘ Director of Heathrow, said: “At British Airways, we are committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner and our focus isn’t just about reducing emissions in the air, but on the ground too. This major investment into our vehicles at Heathrow is our largest investment in more sustainable airport ground operations to date and is part of our wider environmental objective to minimise emissions from our airside ground operation. We’re proud of the work we are doing in this space and are excited to continue improving the running of our ground operations at Heathrow.”

Carrie Harris, British Airways’ Director of Sustainability said: “I am incredibly proud of this project, which has been driven by our Heathrow ground operations teams and encapsulates our BA Better World ethos of raising awareness of our strategy to all of our colleagues, and inspiring them to play a part in minimising our environmental impact where possible. Their energy, enthusiasm and innovative approach in bringing the project to life shows what can be achieved and this investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to making improvements across our business that will benefit both our customers and colleagues.

“It’s an honor for Perch to be recognized by SEAL Awards as a renewable energy innovator,” said Bruce Stewart, Perch Energy President and CEO. “As a community solar technology platform and servicer, we’re incredibly proud of the work we’re doing to make it easier for all energy customers to save money off their bills and support clean energy development, especially when rooftop solar isn’t an option. The recognition from SEAL is a strong testament to the impact community solar has in helping create a fair, just, and rapidly growing clean energy economy.”

“We are so proud that Tork Xpress® Compressed Multifold Hand Towels were recognized with the prestigious SEAL Sustainable Product Award,” said Matthew Urmanski, Vice President Sales and Marketing NA at Essity. “As the global leading brand in professional hygiene, and one of the world’s most sustainable companies, sustainability is embedded at the core of our business strategy to help customers provide hygiene solutions that lower carbon impact, reduce waste, and are easy to use for all.”

“Being recognized with the 2025 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards – Sustainable Product for ThermaLoop™ insulation is a great honor and a reflection of our dedication to creating sustainable solutions for the future,” said Eddie Ingle, CEO of UNIFI. “Polyester continues to be the most prevalent fiber worldwide, and we’re at a critical point for transformation in the industry. ThermaLoop™ Insulation, powered by REPREVE’s Textile Takeback process, is just one of the many products we have developed that enable brands to design with the full product lifecycle in mind, paving the way for a more circular economy. We are dedicated to providing high-performance solutions that minimize the use of virgin resources, reduce carbon emissions, and help brands meet their sustainability targets for 2030.”

“A sustainable power grid is not just clean but also reliable, resilient, and efficient. To plan, build and manage the grid of the future — which we need right now! — requires new technologies and tools to update and upgrade this 100-year-old machine that everyone relies on. Tapestry is bringing AI and other advanced tech to the challenge, offering new tools to grid operators to shape the grid we need and build a future of reliable, affordable electricity for all. Thank you to SEAL Awards for recognizing the importance of that goal and our work to achieve it. — Page Crahan, General Manager, X, the moonshot factory

“At Flock Freight, our goal is to fundamentally change the freight industry by building a future where shipping is both cost-efficient and sustainable. With our Shared Truckload service, FlockDirect®, we aim to fill empty truck space, eliminate the inefficiencies of the hub-and-spoke system, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This approach not only saves money for shippers and increases earnings for carriers but also creates a more sustainable supply chain. We are honored to receive the SEAL award, which recognizes our commitment to sustainability and innovation in shaping the future of freight.” — Oren Zaslansky, Founder & CEO of Flock Freight

“SSA Marine is honored to receive the 2025 SEAL Environmental Initiatives Award,” said Meghan Weinman, vice president of sustainability at SSA Marine. “This recognition highlights our team’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and innovation through the testing and deployment of hybrid and zero-emissions cargo handling equipment in commercial marine terminals.”

“Receiving the SEAL Business Sustainability Award is a remarkable honor for Chiquita and the entire Yelloway Partnership,” said Peter Stedman, Sustainability Director for Chiquita. “Yelloway One is the culmination of years of groundbreaking research and collaboration with KeyGene, MusaRadix, and Wageningen University, embodying our commitment to creating a more sustainable future for global banana production. This disease-resistant banana hybrid not only combats the devastating effects of TR4 and Black Sigatoka Disease but also exemplifies the power of innovation to drive positive change for farmers, consumers, and the environment. This recognition inspires us to continue our mission of fostering resilience, reducing carbon emissions, and safeguarding the beloved Cavendish banana for generations to come.”

ABOUT THE SEAL AWARDS

SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through our business sustainability awards & environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing our own environmental impact campaigns.

The SEAL Awards’ core pillars are:

Business Sustainability Awards – honors the most sustainable companies in the world, like Adidas, AMD, Cisco, and Tide

–Environmental Journalism Awards – representative past winners include journalists from Guardian, New York Times, and Grist

Impact Campaigns – representative campaigns include “#UpTheCup” and “Eco Rewards“Environmental Research Grants

https://sealawards.com

Media Contact

Arabella Solaybar, SEAL Awards, 5889574236, operations@sealawards.com, https://sealawards.com/ 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/esg-leaders-recognized-at-2025-seal-business-sustainability-awards-302361542.html

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Qued Partners with Don Hummer Trucking to Bring AI-Powered Smart Appointments to a Family Fleet Trusted for More Than 70 Years

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July 21, 2026

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Family-owned Iowa truckload carrier has confirmed more than 10,000 appointments through Qued, with email scheduling handled at a 98.8% success rate

BROADLANDS, Va., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Qued, a leader in developing sophisticated, automated appointment scheduling solutions for supply chain and logistics companies, today announced a strategic partnership with Don Hummer Trucking Corporation, a family-owned interstate truckload carrier trusted by some of the nation’s most recognizable brands. Don Hummer Trucking has deployed Qued’s Smart Appointments platform to automate appointment scheduling across its operations, taking manual booking work off the desks of the people who keep its trucks moving.

Every load delivered safely and on time carries the opportunity to earn our customer’s trust. Qued took a job that used to eat hours of our team’s day and quietly handles it in the background.

The numbers behind the announcement:

More than 10,000 appointments confirmed through Qued94.2% confirmation rate98.8% success rate on email-based scheduling

Qued’s platform selects the best appointment slots in real time, weighing ETAs, facility capacity, historical performance, and the specific requirements of each location. It connects directly to the transportation management system a carrier already runs, and it works on every channel a facility can require: web portals, email, and AI-powered voice calls. At Don Hummer Trucking, email scheduling has been the standout, with Qued handling email-based appointment requests at a 98.8% success rate.

“Don Hummer Trucking is the kind of company this industry is built on. The president holds a CDL and delivers loads. The family name rides on every trailer,” said Tom Curee, President of Qued. “When a three-generation fleet with that much on the line trusts Qued with its appointments, we take it seriously. Hummer’s confirmation numbers show what disciplined operators get when real automation goes to work on scheduling.”

“Every load delivered safely and on time carries the opportunity to earn our customer’s trust. Qued took a job that used to eat hours of our team’s day and quietly handles it in the background. Confirmations happen, trucks keep moving, and our people stay focused on drivers and customers,” said Jake Von Feldt, Vice President of Finance at Don Hummer Trucking.

Don Hummer Trucking joins a growing roster of asset-based carriers on Qued, from family fleets to some of the largest carriers in North America.

About Qued:

Qued is a cloud-based, AI-powered smart workflow automation platform transforming load appointment scheduling for brokers, 3PLs, and carriers. By automating the scheduling process, Qued eliminates manual work, simplifies multi-stop load appointments, and ensures seamless coordination across the supply chain, improving both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.qued.com or contact us at contact.us@qued.com.

About Don Hummer Trucking:

Don Hummer Trucking Corporation is a family-owned and operated, for-hire interstate truckload carrier headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with terminal operations in Homestead, Iowa. The Hummer name has been trusted in freight transportation for more than 70 years, and the company today serves many of the largest shippers in the country. For more information, visit www.donhummertrucking.com.

Media Contact

Adam Robinson, The Robinson Agency, 1 2148720780, adam@the-robinson-agency.com, The Robinson Agency 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/qued-partners-with-don-hummer-trucking-to-bring-ai-powered-smart-appointments-to-a-family-fleet-trusted-for-more-than-70-years-302830398.html

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Bank of America Enhances EricaAssist with Generative AI to Help Employees Resolve Client Needs Faster

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July 21, 2026

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New AI capabilities deliver relevant insights in seconds, helping employees provide more personalized client service in real-time

Key takeaways

More than 18,000 employees use EricaAssist as a human-assisted AI agent to help serve clients.
New Generative AI (Gen AI) capabilities deliver contextual guidance in under three seconds, helping resolve client needs faster and supporting decision making by customer service representatives.
EricaAssist reduces average call times by nearly one minute per interaction, improving efficiency and client experience.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bank of America (BofA) today announced enhancements to EricaAssist, its human assisted AI agent that supports employees during client conversations, delivering real time insights that help resolve client needs faster while keeping the employee at the center of the experience.

Used by more than 18,000 customer service representatives, EricaAssist works alongside employees during calls – summarizing and surfacing relevant guidance in real time – so employees can focus on listening to and understanding clients, explaining solutions, and building stronger relationships. The enhancements are making our human agents better and providing our customers with an improved and more efficient experience.

“EricaAssist reflects our high tech, high touch approach,” said Ashley Ross, Head of Consumer Client Experience and Business Transformation at Bank of America. “By combining human judgment with real time AI guidance, we’re helping employees navigate complex topics more easily and serve clients more effectively in the moments that matter most.”

Bank of America customer service representatives use generative AI capabilities within EricaAssist to summarize why a client is calling, pull together relevant information, and recommend next steps based on the employee’s role and the client’s relationship with the bank – all without interrupting the flow of the conversation.

“This technology helps our teammates deliver relevant insights in seconds, while operating with strong governance, transparency, and accountability,” said Tom Ellis, Chief Information Officer and Head of Consumer Technology at Bank of America.

Later this year, Bank of America plans to expand EricaAssist to support additional servicing scenarios and business lines.

Frequently asked questions

Question: Why enhance EricaAssist with GenAI capabilities?

Answer: Enhancing EricaAssist reflects the bank’s focus on continuously improving how employees access and deliver personalized guidance and resolve client needs faster.

Question: How do EricaAssist enhancements reflect Bank of America’s broader investments in technology?

Answer: Bank of America spends $14 billion annually on technology, of which more than $4 billion is allocated to new initiatives, including AI. These ongoing investments, combined with our high-tech, high-touch approach, continue to enhance our client experiences across all channels and to drive operational efficiencies across the company.

Question: Why blend AI with employee decision making?

Answer: Our responsible AI strategy ensures human oversight, transparency, and accountability for all outcomes. By leveraging AI at scale across our global operations, we are optimizing performance and improving client experiences. EricaAssist works alongside employees, supporting their decision-making and service. Employees ensure clients receive thoughtful guidance, with AI operating within established governance and oversight.

Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million clients with approximately 3,500 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 60 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. As the #1 small business lender in the United States (FDIC), Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries and/or jurisdictions. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.

Reporters may contact
Catherine Page, Bank of America
Phone: 1.704.519.7314
catherine.page@bofa.com

Don Vecchiarello, Bank of America
Phone: 1.980.387.4899
don.vecchiarello@bofa.com

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Sonilo and fal Launch Sound Effects 1.0 for Realistic Sound Effects from Video and Text

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41 minutes ago

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July 21, 2026

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Exclusive API co-launch brings Video-to-Sound Effects and Text-to-Sound Effects generation to developers through fal

SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sonilo, a generative audio company building video-native sound and music models, and fal, the generative media platform for developers and enterprises, today announced the launch of Sonilo Sound Effects 1.0, a new model that generates highly realistic sound effects from video or text.

With video input, Sound Effects 1.0 analyzes what is happening on screen and generates one finished audio track synced to the motion, timing and scene. With text input, developers and creators can describe a specific sound effect and generate it directly.

fal will serve as the model’s exclusive API launch partner during its initial launch period, providing developers with day zero access through fal’s production-ready infrastructure.

Sound Effects 1.0 is designed to address one of the most persistent gaps in AI video production: footage can look complete while still requiring significant manual work before it sounds complete.

When given a video, the model analyzes on-screen motion, scene context, environments, and timing before generating audio that follows what is happening on screen.

Instead of returning a collection of disconnected audio assets that still need to be placed and aligned one by one, Sound Effects 1.0 can produce a synchronized audio track that is ready to review, refine and add to the edit.

“Sound effects only work when they feel like they belong in the scene,” said Trista Hong, Co-Founder of Sonilo. “Sound Effects 1.0 was built around that complete problem: understanding the footage, generating realistic audio, and synchronizing it automatically. We’re excited to launch it together with fal and bring video-native sound into real production workflows.”

A Sound Model Built Around the Video

Traditional sound-design workflows typically begin outside the footage. Editors search sound libraries, preview multiple assets, place them on a timeline, align each effect to the appropriate frame, adjust levels and repeat the process across every action in the scene.

Sound Effects 1.0 begins with the video itself.

The model uses the footage as both a source of semantic information and the timing foundation for the generated audio. It determines what is happening in the scene, what sounds are appropriate for those events and when those sounds should occur.

This video-native approach is particularly useful for scenes containing multiple actions, transitions, impacts and environmental details. Rather than requiring creators to build the sound layer one asset at a time, the model can generate audio around the structure of the footage as a whole.

Sound Effects 1.0 supports video inputs of up to three minutes, making it suitable for short-form content, advertisements, gaming footage, product videos and longer narrative scenes.

Automatic Generation When Speed Matters, Prompt Control When Direction Matters

Sound Effects 1.0 supports two complementary generation workflows.

Video-to-Sound-Effects analyzes uploaded footage and generates sound effects matched to its visible actions, environments and timing.

Text-to-Sound-Effects generates specific standalone sounds from written descriptions, giving creators and developers direct control when they need a particular audio asset.

Prompts are optional in the video workflow. Users can allow the model to interpret footage automatically or provide a prompt requesting a particular sound, emphasis or creative direction.

The prompt helps shape what the model generates, while the video continues to determine when the sound should occur.

This gives users two practical modes of working: automatic sound generation when speed and coverage are the priority, and prompt-guided generation when a scene requires more precise creative control.

Bringing Video-Native Sound Generation to Developers through fal

The co-launch gives developers access to Sound Effects 1.0 through fal’s generative media infrastructure, allowing video-conditioned sound generation to be incorporated directly into products and production workflows.

Developers can use the model to build synchronized sound generation into:

AI video editors and generation platforms;Short-form and social video tools;Advertising and branded-content workflows;Game prototypes, gameplay videos and cinematics;Film and narrative-production pipelines; andMultimodal creator products that combine video, music and sound.

“We’re entering a new era where AI applications don’t just generate assets, they produce complete experiences,” said Tina Sang, Head of Marketing at fal. “Sound is fundamental to making those experiences believable. Sonilo Sound Effects 1.0 helps developers generate context-aware, synchronized audio that matches what’s happening on screen, and we’re very excited to bring it to fal, day zero.”

The integration is designed to let teams move from initial testing to product deployment without building and operating a separate model-serving stack. Developers can access the model through fal’s API and developer tooling while keeping sound generation inside the same environment as their broader generative media workflows.

Expanding the Sonilo and fal Partnership

The launch expands an existing relationship between Sonilo and fal.

Sonilo Music v1.1 is already available through fal, giving developers access to both Video-to-Music and Text-to-Music generation. Sound Effects 1.0 extends that integration from generated music into highly realistic, video-conditioned sound effects.

Using the same source footage, creators and developers can generate sound effects around visible actions and environments, then generate music informed by the video’s pacing, scene changes, mood and timing.

This creates a broader video-first audio workflow in which a single video can serve as the timing foundation for both sound design and music. Sound effects can follow what happens on screen, while music can follow the emotional and structural movement of the edit.

By connecting both layers around the source footage, Sonilo aims to reduce manual synchronization, repetitive asset placement and unnecessary switching between separate audio tools.

Built for Real Production Workflows

For AI video creators, Sound Effects 1.0 can add action cues, environmental details, movement and transitions to generated footage that otherwise arrives without usable audio.

For high-volume creators and gaming channels, the model can reduce repetitive timeline work across content requiring dense sound design, including impacts, interface sounds, room tone and movement.

For filmmakers and narrative teams, it can generate scene-level elements such as footsteps, doors, physical interactions and ambience directly from an edit.

For brands and advertising teams, it can produce precisely timed audio around product interactions, camera transitions, packaging moments and visual reveals.

For platforms and API products, it provides a way to add video-conditioned sound generation without requiring users to leave the product and assemble audio in a separate editing workflow.

About Sonilo

Sonilo builds video-native generative audio models for creators, developers and media platforms. Its technology generates music and sound effects directly from footage or text, helping teams bring audio into the video-creation workflow and reduce manual timeline work. Sonilo is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by B Capital.

Learn more at https://sonilo.com/.

About fal

fal is a generative media platform that provides developers with access to the world’s best generative image, video, and audio models through a unified API. Trusted by over 2.5 million developers and leading companies, fal offers the fastest inference engine for diffusion models, on-demand serverless GPUs, and dedicated compute clusters for frontier research. Learn more at fal.ai.

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SOURCE Sonilo

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