Connect with us

Technology

Inc. Names Carbonate to Its 2025 List of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in the Midwest

Published

on

The hospitality-focused creative agency debuts at #45 on the prestigious ranking

CINCINNATI, April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Carbonate, a boutique creative agency that builds, reinvigorates, and grows brands and hospitality concepts, is thrilled to announce that it has ranked #45 on the 2025 Inc. Regionals: Midwest list—the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest that have demonstrated significant success in their respective industries.

“To be recognized by Inc. for our growth only five years later is a meaningful milestone, and a testament to the incredible clients who’ve trusted us to help shape their future,” says Candace MacDonald, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Carbonate.

Five Years, Over 100 Brands

Founded as an independent agency in early 2020, Carbonate emerged from the consulting division of award-winning San Francisco-based hospitality marketing firm, af&co.—just before the pandemic delivered a seismic shift to the industry.

“We launched Carbonate during one of the most uncertain times for the hospitality industry, when everything was being reimagined,” says Candace MacDonald, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Carbonate. “That experience sharpened our focus on smart strategy and bold creativity, helping brands to rethink, refresh, and reemerge stronger. To be recognized by Inc. for our growth only five years later is a meaningful milestone, and a testament to the incredible clients who’ve trusted us to help shape their future.”

A creative agency at the intersection of strategy, design, and communications Carbonate has partnered with over 100 clients over the past five years—ranging from international corporations, to emerging small businesses—delivering strategic brand transformations across the U.S., with select projects in Europe. Carbonate’s portfolio spans multi-concept restaurant groups, independent restaurants and bars, global QSR chains, hotels, tourism, wine and spirits, coffee, food retail, and hospitality tech. The agency has designed and launched over 26 brand identities—developing entirely new concepts, and refreshing legacy brands to match evolving markets.

Beyond branding, the company specializes in creating comprehensive, integrated brand communication campaigns, using strategic website design, organic and paid social media, influencer partnerships, and email marketing to drive engagement and conversions, and strengthen brand equity.

Industry Insights That Lead the Conversation

Carbonate has also gained notoriety for its industry insights, working with brands to spot and apply emerging trends, and contributing to publications including Nation’s Restaurant News, Forbes, and Better Homes & Gardens.

Building on the success of its highly regarded Hospitality Trends Report—published in partnership with af&co. for the past 17 years, and featured in The New York Times—Carbonate continues to shape industry dialogue with its latest trends-focused initiative, Insight Out. Designed as a timely resource for marketing and operations leaders, Insight Out is a weekly publication that delivers actionable insights on key hospitality and branding trends, emerging social media movements, and broader cultural shifts impacting the industry.

“Over the years, we’ve built a reputation for being ahead of the curve, but what really sets us apart is knowing what to do with the trends we spot,” says Andrew Freeman, Founder of af&co. and Co-Founder of Carbonate. “We don’t just report on where the industry is heading—we help brands turn that knowledge into action, relevance, and revenue.”

With deep roots in strategy, design, and hospitality marketing, Carbonate remains at the forefront of industry innovation, equipping brands with the insights and tools needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.

About Carbonate

Carbonate is a creative agency that builds, reinvigorates, and grows brands and hospitality concepts. Specializing in food, beverage, restaurants, hotels, and hospitality tech/B2B, Carbonate’s services include brand strategy, identity development, trend insights, design, and integrated brand communications. Prior to launching as an independent company, Carbonate was a division of San Francisco-based af&co. Together af&co. and Carbonate produce an annual Hospitality Trends Report, with insights consistently cited by outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, and more. Carbonate also produces Insight Out, a weekly insights publication dedicated to emerging hospitality & branding trends. Carbonate was ranked #45 on the 2025 Inc. Regionals: Midwest list—the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest. Follow along @carbonategroup.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Media Contact

Rachel Green, Carbonate, 1 9143104712, rachel@carbonategroup.com, http://www.carbonategroup.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/inc-names-carbonate-to-its-2025-list-of-the-fastest-growing-private-companies-in-the-midwest-302416670.html

SOURCE Carbonate

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Saramonic WiTalk9 X: Modular-Designed, Lightweight Wireless Intercom System Redefines Team Communication

Published

on

By

NEW YORK, April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Saramonic, a leading brand in audio solutions, announced a 9-Person Modular Full-Duplex Wireless Intercom System WiTalk9 X and the WiTalk9 Base. WiTalk9 X builds upon the success of the WiTalk9 with a focus on lightweight comfort and modular adaptability, introducing unprecedented flexibility and scalability of modern production teams from small to large.

Industry-First Modular Design for Maximum Flexibility

The Saramonic WiTalk9 X sets a new standard for adaptability in wireless intercom systems. Its industry-first modular construction allows users to switch between single-ear, dual-ear, or helmet-ready models, accommodating the diverse needs of different crew roles.

Weighing just 172 grams (6 oz) with battery in its single ear configuration, the WiTalk9 X delivers all-day comfort for demanding production environments. The IPX4-rated, lightweight design allows professionals who wear headsets for extended periods during long shoots or live events to focus on their work.

Intelligible Voice Communication: Saramonic ClearTalk™2.0 Technology and AI Noise Cancellation

Saramonic ClearTalk™2.0 combines the dual-microphone array and Saramonic AI Noise Cancellation. The cardioid main microphone focuses on the speaker’s voice, and the omnidirectional secondary mic collects the noise as samples for Saramonic AI Noise cancellation to separate the vocal and noise, ensuring clear and stable voice communication.

Saramonic AI Noise Cancellation is trained by over 700,000 noise samples across 20,000+ hours. Compared to traditional environmental noise cancellation that only handles ambient sounds, it identifies and separates noise in real-time to keep voice clear and stable within team communication, even when multiple crews speak at once in a complex environment.

Efficient Team Work with Dual-Antenna Design and Saramonic WiTalk Wireless Intercom Ecosystem

The WiTalk9 X features both internal and external antennas to continuously monitor signal quality and select the stronger signal. It operates on the 1.9 GHz DECT Technology and offers up to 12 hours battery life with a spare rechargeable lithium battery for quick replacement, enables teams to stay connected within 1,300 ft (400m) – ideal for events, film shoots, and live performances.

Saramonic WiTalk9 X supports a 9-person system without a hub, and can be easily scaled up to 64 users via WiTalk Base, enabling group cascading and remote collaboration with an industry-leading range of up to 700 meters.

Pricing and Availability

The Saramonic WiTalk9 X is available through official stores. For detailed pricing and configuration options, please contact your local Saramonic representative or visit www.saramonic.com.

Contact: marketing@saramonic.com 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2959888/9x__________1_1.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/saramonic-witalk9-x-modular-designed-lightweight-wireless-intercom-system-redefines-team-communication-302746569.html

Continue Reading

Technology

Siemon Releases 2026 ESG Report and Progress Update Report

Published

on

By

WATERTOWN, Conn., April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Siemon Company, a global leader in high‑performance network infrastructure solutions for data centers and smart buildings, is proud to announce the release of its 2026 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, showcasing accelerated climate action, third‑party‑verified performance, and continued leadership in transparent, responsible business practices. The report highlights Siemon’s strongest ESG results to date, including early achievement of science‑based climate targets, expanded renewable energy adoption, increased product transparency, and a people‑first culture that supports accountability, equity, and long‑term value creation.

Sustainability is not a side initiative; it’s embedded in how we operate, how we innovate, and how we lead. This year’s report reflects disciplined execution across our Sustainable Development Goals, our value chain, and our workforce.

Key Highlights from the 2026 ESG Report:

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Achieved a 69% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from a 2021 baseline, surpassing the company’s 2031 SBTi‑validated target four years ahead of schedule.Reduced Scope 3 emissions intensity by 23.1%, while maintaining essentially flat absolute emissions despite business growth.

Energy, Water & Waste

Increased renewable energy usage to 90% of global operations, achieving Scope 2 carbon neutrality at major U.S. and China facilities.Reduced water usage by 30%, exceeding the company’s long‑term reduction goal.Delivered a 17.1% absolute reduction in waste, supported by expanded recycling and sustainable packaging initiatives.

Product Transparency & Customer Enablement

Expanded Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) coverage to 41% of sales and Health Product Declaration (HPD) coverage to 49% of sales, supporting green building and material health requirements to a screening threshold of 100 ppm.Launched an online compliance portal providing on‑demand regulatory and standards assurance for 99% of finished goods, including RoHS, REACH, PFAS, and conflict minerals.

People & Social Impact

Certified™ by Great Place To Work® in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, with 90.4% of employees globally affirming Siemon as a great place to work.We have made a commitment to ensure that 100% of our employees are paid at or above the living wage. Contributed 2,600+ volunteer hours and over $160,000 in charitable giving, supporting education, community, and conservation initiatives worldwide.

Governance & Transparency

Advanced alignment with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), completing a third‑party‑reviewed Double Materiality Assessment and Limited Assurance Audit.Maintained 100% employee training on the Company Code of Conduct, aligned with the UN Global Compact and Responsible Business Alliance principles.

“Sustainability is not a side initiative; it’s embedded in how we operate, how we innovate, and how we lead. This year’s report reflects disciplined execution across our Sustainable Development Goals, our value chain, and our workforce. We’re focused on delivering measurable progress today while building the systems and governance needed for the future.”

– John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Siemon

In a unique effort to bridge corporate reporting with tangible action, Siemon has integrated an interactive giving component into the digital publication. Within the executive summary and each primary pillar – Environmental, Social, and Governance -readers will find a dedicated link to unlock a corporate donation. This initiative empowers stakeholders to personally direct Siemon to fund toward one of five global non-profit partners: Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, One Tree Planted, or Oceana.

The full 2026 ESG Report is available for download at www.siemon.com/esg.

About Siemon

Siemon is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance connectivity solutions for data centers and smart buildings. We empower our customers to connect faster, scale smarter and deploy with confidence. Founded in 1903, our legacy of customer-driven innovation, engineering excellence, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability has made us the benchmark for quality and reliability. We deliver precision-built copper, fiber and high-speed connectivity solutions that perform at scale, with the flexibility, speed, and support our customers rely on. With operations in over 100 countries, Siemon has one of the industry’s broadest solution portfolios and is the trusted partner behind the networks that connect the world. Find out more at www.siemon.com.

Media Contact

Brian Baum, Siemon, 1 8609454200, brian_baum@siemon.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/siemon-releases-2026-esg-report-and-progress-update-report-302746314.html

SOURCE Siemon

Continue Reading

Technology

Quickplay’s Triple Play of New Customers, Products and Partnerships Set to Dominate NAB 2026

Published

on

By

LAS VEGAS, April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — (2026 NAB Show) – Quickplay, the Content to Value Operating System, today unveiled a broad array of company news including: an AI-enriched solution that identifies social signals and trending topics, and connects them to relevant content within minutes; transformative customer deployments; and powerful industry research and partnerships.

Debuting at NAB, Social Signals is a new technology within Quickplay AI Studio that identifies trending cultural moments and matches them with high-value content assets to automatically generate social-ready clips and posts. By combining external trend data with performance insights from owned channels, Social Signals enables content teams to move from insight to publishing in minutes, rather than days.

Social Signals is a key part of Quickplay’s AI Studio Solution, which includes metadata enrichment, moment detection, smart verticalization and multi-platform publishing. Its Smart Verticalizer uses multimodal AI and action tracking to intelligently reframe video –preserving key visual elements such as faces, gameplay and on-screen graphics – to maintain broadcast-quality standards across short-form formats. The company has also partnered with Visible Things, the creator-driven platform to deploy the first implementation of Social Signals across the Visible Things infrastructure.

Quickplay further announced it has gone live with Gray Media (NYSE: GTN)’s new streaming experience, which included consolidating 1,300 digital touchpoint, including 163 websites, 326 mobile apps and 815 CTV apps onto a single data-driven platform powered by Quickplay and Google Cloud (NASDAQ: GOOGL). The system now manages 269 live channels and 123 FAST channels across Amazon Prime Video, Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU), Samsung TV Plus, Vizio and Fire TV, delivering hyper-local content to 37% of U.S. TV households.

Quickplay also announced the cloud-native transformation of Television New Zealand’s streaming platform, TVNZ+. Completed in 12 months, Quickplay replaced a fragmented ecosystem of six+ vendors across UI/UX, content management, video processing, advertising and analytics with a single, unified platform. The team at TVNZ also named Amazon Web Services (NASDAQ: AMZN) as its preferred cloud platform for the transformation, further increasing efficiencies and lowering costs by consolidating onto a single cloud vendor. The technology overhaul will drive unprecedented innovation and efficiency for TVNZ, New Zealand’s state-owned broadcaster, which reaches over two million New Zealanders daily.

“Broadcasters don’t need another point solution. They need an AI-enabled operating system that turns content into measurable outcomes,” said Paul Pastor, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Quickplay. “At NAB, we’re showing how to bring cultural moments, content catalogs and distribution workflows together to create engaging and revenue opportunities in real time.”

In partnership with Caretta Research, Quickplay will also release new research, “The Broadcaster Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” highlighting a critical bottleneck in the industry: North American broadcasters spend approximately 75% of their time on technical workflows, leaving only 25% for content creation. The report outlines how automated workflows and unified operations can help broadcasters meet the growing demand for short-form video while maintaining editorial quality and accelerating monetization.

Additionally, Quickplay has joined NAB PILOT, a coalition of innovators, educators and advocates dedicated to advancing broadcast technologies and cultivating new media opportunities. As a part of this group, Quickplay is expanding its collaboration with broadcasters to redefine how value is derived from content.

Quickplay at NAB 2026:

Paul Pastor, Jordan Bartow, and Peter Tanner of Quickplay, and Albert Lai of Google Cloud will be on a panel: An Audience of One: How Gray Media + Google Cloud + Quickplay are Using AI and Cloud OTT to Personalize Local News, Enable User-Generated Content, Engage Younger Viewers, and Unlock New Revenue for Broadcasters. Central Hall Stage, Monday, April 20 at 4:15p PTAt the NAB Streaming Summit TVNZ’s Chief Digital Officer, Rob Hutchinson, will present “How TVNZ+ Built a Co-Viewing Product” on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:30 AM PT.Live Demonstrations: See Quickplay technology in action at AWS, GCP, TwelveLabs and the Encore. To book a meeting, email hello@quickplay.com

About Quickplay:
Quickplay is the Content to Value Operating System for media and entertainment, connecting every stage of the content lifecycle, from creation to monetization. By applying intelligence where it drives measurable impact, Quickplay enables broadcasters, sports operators, streamers, and creators to turn their catalogs into revenue. Quickplay powers 2.5 billion streaming minutes per month, with 5 billion ad impressions served and 99.999% streaming uptime. 

Quickplay was founded by four innovators with deep media and entertainment technology experience from AT&T, McKinsey and Company, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Headquartered in Toronto, the company has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chennai, and throughout Europe. For more information, visit quickplay.com.

Media Contact:
Breakaway Communications for Quickplay
quickplaypr@breakawaycom.com
+1 917-731-5734

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quickplays-triple-play-of-new-customers-products-and-partnerships-set-to-dominate-nab-2026-302746637.html

SOURCE Quickplay

Continue Reading

Trending