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New Scholarship Program from Daikin and the Astros Foundation Will Award $100,000 to College-Bound Seniors

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“Daikin’s Most Valuable STEAM Scholarship” applications officially open; kickstarts community programming from Daikin Park

HOUSTON, March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Step up to the plate, Houston area seniors! The Astros Foundation and Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. (Daikin) have announced an inaugural scholarship program, Daikin’s Most Valuable STEAM Scholarship, that will award ten Houston-area high school seniors each with a $10,000 scholarship. Applications open today, March 3, and close April 14, 2025.

Daikin’s Most Valuable STEAM Scholarship program will be hosted annually to recognize the role well-rounded curriculum plays in fostering innovative, creative and critical thinking skills. The scholarships will be awarded to ten graduating seniors determined by their excellence in STEAM education and their personal experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.

“The Astros Foundation is excited to team up with Daikin to invest in Houston’s future leaders as they pursue higher education,” said Emelda Douglas, Senior Vice President of Community Affairs for the Houston Astros and Executive Director of the Astros Foundation. “By supporting these talented students, we are empowering them to focus their passion and creativity to positively impact our community and beyond.”

Building an All-Star Team of Bright Young Minds

STEAM curriculum goes beyond traditional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programming by incorporating the arts. This includes fine arts, language arts, manual arts such as architecture and landscape design, physical arts, and liberal arts. Through STEAM learning, students are encouraged to think outside of the playing field and problem solve by using creativity and technical expertise cultivated through their high school and college careers.

Key requirements for applicants pursuing the scholarship include:

A 300-word essay on the importance of STEAM education and how it has contributed to personal growth, academic achievements and career aspirations.Graduating high school seniors in the class of 2025 that will be attending a higher education institution upon graduation and provide proof of acceptance.Permanent address in one of the following Texas counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller and Wharton.Complete application by deadline along with two adult letters of recommendation.

As a global leader in HVAC&R, Daikin understands the importance of driving innovation to develop sustainable technologies, and it is through initiatives like this where students can harness the skills needed to become the innovative leaders of their generation. In addition to developing career-driven skill sets through hands-on learning, STEAM students can also strengthen their soft skills like collaboration and communication that will only help further their professional acumen and make them MVPs.

“At Daikin, we believe in the unlimited potential of people and know student scholarships are crucial for fostering the next generation of innovative thinkers,” said Kristi Pittman, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Daikin. “We are proud to play a role in supporting our local youth through this inaugural scholarship program and look forward to seeing them score home runs in college and beyond.”

Those meeting the requirements and interested in applying for Daikin’s Most Valuable STEAM Scholarship can learn more at: https://www.mlb.com/astros/community/foundation/steam-scholarship 

About Daikin

Daikin Industries, Ltd. (DIL) is a Fortune 1,000 company with more than 98,162 employees worldwide and a leading indoor comfort solutions provider. Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. (DNA) is a subsidiary of DIL, providing Daikin, Goodman, Amana® and Quietflex brand products. DNA and its affiliates manufacture heating and cooling systems for residential, commercial and industrial use that are sold via independent HVAC contractors. DNA engineering and manufacturing is located at Daikin Texas Technology Park near Houston, TX.  For additional information, visit www.daikincomfort.com

Amana® is a registered trademark of Maytag Corporation or its related companies and is used under license. All rights reserved.

About Daikin Park

On January 1, 2025, the Houston Astros and Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. (Daikin) entered into a 15-year, exclusive naming-rights partnership that brands the home of the Astros as Daikin Park. The agreement runs through the 2039 season, and includes official naming rights, partnership benefits, and giving back to the Greater Houston community through educational programming and youth sports development in underserved communities. 

Overall, Daikin has invested more than $1 billion in the Houston area, including more than $500 million in building Daikin Texas Technology Park. Also, in August 2024, Daikin launched an initiative with the City of Houston to equip low-to-moderate income homes with advanced air conditioning and heating solutions, providing more comfort and energy efficiency for homeowners. Daikin is always looking for new ways to support their community and to create innovative technologies, with an unwavering commitment to making sustainable and responsible choices. For more information on Daikin Park, visit https://daikincomfort.com/about-daikin/daikin-park.

About Houston Astros and Astros Foundation

The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Established as the Houston Colt .45s, the Astros entered the National League as an expansion team in 1962. The current name, Houston Astros, reflecting Houston’s role as the host of the Johnson Space Center and space exploration, was adopted three years later, when they moved into the Astrodome. The Astros moved to their current home ballpark in downtown Houston in 2000. The Astros have had great success on the diamond, having won two World Series (2017 and 2022), five league pennants, and advanced to a record-setting seven-straight American League Championship Series, winning four of the last seven American League pennants.

A tenant of the organization is to give back to the greater Houston community, and that is done through the Astros Foundation, the official 501(c)(3) team charity of the Houston Astros. The foundation seeks to harness the passion of baseball fans to support youth baseball and softball programs, the recognition and honor of our nation’s military, childhood cancer awareness, domestic violence awareness and efforts to reduce homelessness. The cornerstone initiatives include the Community Leaders program, the Astros Youth Academy and the Astros RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) Program. For more information on the Astros Foundation, please visit www.astros.com/foundation.

Media Contact:
Bradlee Borgfeldt
713-627-2223
bborgfeldt@piercom.com 

 

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SOURCE Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc

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Trimble for Government Achieves ‘Initial Implementation’ Status for FedRAMP Class C (Moderate) Certification

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Milestone accelerates secure cloud adoption for federal, state and local entities managing infrastructure, spatial data and capital assets 

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trimble today announced that Trimble for Government is listed as ‘Initial Implementation’ status for Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP®) Class C (Moderate) certification and is now listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. In conjunction with seeking FedRAMP certification, Trimble is also pursuing GovRAMP authorization to support state, local and education (SLED) customers with reciprocal cybersecurity compliance standards.

This dual milestone marks a critical step forward in delivering a software as a service (SaaS) cloud environment built within a secure Government Community Cloud. Designed specifically for U.S. Federal Government departments, state and local agencies, and defense and civilian contractors, Trimble for Government provides a unified ecosystem for managing infrastructure, spatial data, capital projects, permitting and facility assets across their entire lifecycle.

Achieving FedRAMP Class C (Moderate) and GovRAMP alignment will enable public sector entities and Department of Defense (DoD) contractors to comply with stringent security mandates — including Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) alignment — while modernizing digital engineering and asset management.

“Federal, state and local agencies face the dual challenge of modernizing critical infrastructure while maintaining uncompromising cybersecurity standards,” said Mark Schwartz, group president, AECO at Trimble. “Achieving ‘Initial Assessment’ status reflects our commitment to delivering mission-critical spatial, capital project and asset management capabilities inside a secure, audit-ready cloud boundary across all levels of government.”

Integrated cloud solutions built for government operations

The in-scope environment brings together Trimble’s proven field execution, asset, project and permitting software into four modular packages designed to support specific public sector outcomes:

Trimble® Field Collaboration: Delivers field data services using foundational spatial database infrastructure and GIS integration to support high-security field operations, map assets, and enable seamless field-to-cloud workflows across Trimble’s core Field Systems portfolio.Trimble Project Management powered by Trimble ProjectSight® software: Connects design-to-build workflows in the field, providing precision data layout, project tracking, collaboration and quality assurance across construction projects.Trimble Asset Management powered by Trimble Unity™ Maintain software: Serves as a centralized facilities data core for federal, state, and local government agencies, military installations, and public infrastructure — such as public buildings, utilities, and transportation networks — to optimize maintenance and long-term capital planning.Trimble Permit Management powered by Trimble Unity Permit software: Streamlines end-to-end management of permitting, licensing, land use and infrastructure rights-of-way in a fully compliant cloud environment.

The unifying in-scope element across all four packages is the Trimble Connect® platform, providing collaboration and a common data environment (CDE) across the Trimble for Government platform.

With assessment processes underway, Trimble continues to advance toward full FedRAMP and GovRAMP authorizations to ensure public sector customers can innovate with confidence.

About Trimble
Trimble is a global technology company that connects the physical and digital worlds, transforming the ways work gets done. With relentless innovation in precise positioning, modeling and data analytics, Trimble enables essential industries including construction, geospatial and transportation. Whether it’s helping customers build and maintain infrastructure, design and construct buildings, optimize global supply chains or map the world, Trimble is at the forefront, driving productivity and progress. For more information about Trimble, visit: www.trimble.com.

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Trimble for Government Achieves ‘Initial Implementation’ Status for FedRAMP Class C (Moderate) Certification

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Milestone accelerates secure cloud adoption for federal, state and local entities managing infrastructure, spatial data and capital assets 

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trimble today announced that Trimble for Government is listed as ‘Initial Implementation’ status for Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP®) Class C (Moderate) certification and is now listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. In conjunction with seeking FedRAMP certification, Trimble is also pursuing GovRAMP authorization to support state, local and education (SLED) customers with reciprocal cybersecurity compliance standards.

This dual milestone marks a critical step forward in delivering a software as a service (SaaS) cloud environment built within a secure Government Community Cloud. Designed specifically for U.S. Federal Government departments, state and local agencies, and defense and civilian contractors, Trimble for Government provides a unified ecosystem for managing infrastructure, spatial data, capital projects, permitting and facility assets across their entire lifecycle.

Achieving FedRAMP Class C (Moderate) and GovRAMP alignment will enable public sector entities and Department of Defense (DoD) contractors to comply with stringent security mandates — including Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) alignment — while modernizing digital engineering and asset management.

“Federal, state and local agencies face the dual challenge of modernizing critical infrastructure while maintaining uncompromising cybersecurity standards,” said Mark Schwartz, group president, AECO at Trimble. “Achieving ‘Initial Assessment’ status reflects our commitment to delivering mission-critical spatial, capital project and asset management capabilities inside a secure, audit-ready cloud boundary across all levels of government.”

Integrated cloud solutions built for government operations

The in-scope environment brings together Trimble’s proven field execution, asset, project and permitting software into four modular packages designed to support specific public sector outcomes:

Trimble® Field Collaboration: Delivers field data services using foundational spatial database infrastructure and GIS integration to support high-security field operations, map assets, and enable seamless field-to-cloud workflows across Trimble’s core Field Systems portfolio.Trimble Project Management powered by Trimble ProjectSight® software: Connects design-to-build workflows in the field, providing precision data layout, project tracking, collaboration and quality assurance across construction projects.Trimble Asset Management powered by Trimble Unity™ Maintain software: Serves as a centralized facilities data core for federal, state, and local government agencies, military installations, and public infrastructure — such as public buildings, utilities, and transportation networks — to optimize maintenance and long-term capital planning.Trimble Permit Management powered by Trimble Unity Permit software: Streamlines end-to-end management of permitting, licensing, land use and infrastructure rights-of-way in a fully compliant cloud environment.

The unifying in-scope element across all four packages is the Trimble Connect® platform, providing collaboration and a common data environment (CDE) across the Trimble for Government platform.

With assessment processes underway, Trimble continues to advance toward full FedRAMP and GovRAMP authorizations to ensure public sector customers can innovate with confidence.

About Trimble
Trimble is a global technology company that connects the physical and digital worlds, transforming the ways work gets done. With relentless innovation in precise positioning, modeling and data analytics, Trimble enables essential industries including construction, geospatial and transportation. Whether it’s helping customers build and maintain infrastructure, design and construct buildings, optimize global supply chains or map the world, Trimble is at the forefront, driving productivity and progress. For more information about Trimble, visit: www.trimble.com.

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Delta Development Team and The Good Drone Company Awarded U.S. Army Contract for Aerial Blood Delivery

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TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Delta Development Team (DDT), a leader in prehospital blood storage and cold chain technology, and The Good Drone Company (GDC) have been awarded a U.S. Army contract to develop a drone-based blood delivery capability for the Army Blood Link (ABL) program.

The program is part of the broader Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP), which supplies blood products to U.S. military forces worldwide. Army Blood Link is designed to support battlefield medical logistics through rapid, temperature-controlled delivery of lifesaving blood products to the field, providing an additional resupply option when traditional ground transportation is unavailable, delayed, or unsafe. Under the contract, The Good Drone Company will provide two U.S.-built prototypes of its hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo drone, each designed to transport up to six units of blood, while DDT will provide the temperature-controlled storage capability through its Delta ICE 2L Smart Blood Cooler.

The companies are combining commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies to create a U.S.-sourced aerial blood delivery system capable of transporting blood directly to the point of need.

To meet ABL program requirements, DDT will supply six Delta ICE 2L Smart Blood Coolers, each designed to maintain two units of blood within the required temperature range for three hours of aerial delivery in high-humidity environments with ambient temperatures ranging from 15°F to 120°F. Built-in temperature monitoring and data recording, along with Bluetooth and cellular connectivity, support cold-chain oversight and blood accountability. The program extends DDT’s blood storage and monitoring capabilities into aerial delivery.

“Getting blood to the point of need is only part of the challenge. It must also remain within the required temperature range throughout the journey,” said Montgomery Leija, CEO of Delta Development Team. “This program brings DDT’s experience in blood storage and cold chain management into a new operational environment, taking the blood supply chain from the ground to the air.”

The prototype system is designed to deliver blood within 10 meters of a designated target during both day and night operations. It will feature a communications range of up to 30 miles and semi-autonomous waypoint navigation. It is intended for single-person operation with minimal training and is built on GDC’s existing commercial cargo drone technology to accelerate development and fielding while meeting U.S.-sourcing requirements.

“We have seen strong interest in middle-mile drones in emerging markets for some time, from both public and private sector customers spanning healthcare to third-party logistics,” said Jake Vander Ploeg, CEO of The Good Drone Company. “This program is a great example of how the military is adopting commercial technology like our cargo drones to quickly test new ideas in the field without starting a full aircraft development program.”

The collaboration combines GDC’s expertise in commercial drone platforms and aerial delivery with DDT’s temperature-controlled blood storage and transport capabilities to support:

Rapid resupply: Delivering blood when conventional ground transportation is unavailable or unsafe.Cold chain protection: Maintaining required blood temperatures during aerial transport.U.S.-sourced capability: Supporting domestic defense supply chain objectives.Accelerated development: Combining GDC’s existing commercial cargo drone technology with DDT’s established blood storage solutions.

The ABL effort addresses the challenge of delivering critical medical supplies in contested and austere environments. When terrain, damaged infrastructure, or tactical conditions prevent conventional resupply, aerial delivery combined with temperature-controlled storage can expand options for getting lifesaving blood products to service members when and where they are needed.

About Delta Development Team

Delta Development Team (DDT) is a U.S.-based medical technology company headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, specializing in blood storage, transport, monitoring, and logistics solutions for military and prehospital environments. DDT develops technology designed to keep blood available, traceable, and mission-ready from the blood bank to the point of injury. Its portfolio includes the APRU 6L, Delta ICE 2L, TBS 40L, and BloodCOMM® blood management platform.

Media Contact: info@deltadevteam.com | www.deltadevteam.com

About The Good Drone Company

The Good Drone Company (GDC) is an aerospace company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, that designs and builds autonomous hybrid VTOL cargo drones for middle-mile logistics. GDC’s aircraft take off and land vertically without a runway, carry up to 55 lb (25 kg) of payload, and fly more than 300 miles (500 km) at speeds up to 93 mph (150 km/h). GDC is deploying in Kenya to close the middle-mile transportation gap for public and private sector customers, working closely with its local partner ThatcherX and the Kenyan government to change how goods move around the country.

Media Contact: info@thegooddronecompany.com | www.thegooddronecompany.com

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SOURCE Delta Development Team

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