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Allegheny College Officially Opens ALIC @ Bessemer, its Branch Campus Created to Build the Regional Manufacturing Workforce

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Governor Josh Shapiro and manufacturing executives joined to recognize this workforce partnership with higher ed, government and regional industry

MEADVILLE, Pa., April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Allegheny College launched its branch campus ALIC @ Bessemer, a transformative initiative driving workforce development and education in western Pennsylvania. Governor Josh Shapiro, leaders of regional manufacturing companies, Allegheny College President Ron Cole, faculty, staff and students participated in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch and celebrate this collaboration between government, industry and education to foster innovation in the businesses of today and tomorrow, building a more skilled and competitive workforce and shape the future of manufacturing growth.

Allegheny College launched ALIC @ Bessemer to transform workforce education with Governor Shapiro & business leaders

Building upon Allegheny’s rich, 210-year tradition of academic excellence, ALIC @ Bessemer integrates traditional liberal arts education focused on the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary learning with practical workforce training for high-demand sectors for adult learners. Located on Bessemer Street in the heart of Meadville, Pennsylvania, Allegheny Lab for Innovation and Creativity (ALIC) @ Bessemer is a branch campus of Allegheny College.

In his remarks from the podium, Allegheny College President Ron Cole, Ph.D. said: “We know that western Pennsylvania has a long, proud tradition of manufacturing. And we also know the challenges that face this region: a changing economy, declining population with an aging workforce, and the urgent need to upskill for industry in the 21st century. We created ALIC @ Bessemer to respond to those challenges with bold action. This isn’t just a branch campus of Allegheny College, it’s a platform for transformation. We are reimagining what higher education can be when it’s rooted in community needs and aligned with regional opportunity.”

ALIC @ Bessemer is a significant win for Crawford County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a region with deep industrial roots and a growing need for skilled workers, Crawford County stands to benefit from ALIC’s role in helping to prepare the next generation of workforce-ready professionals. ALIC @ Bessemer will fuel economic development, strengthen the local job market, and attract new business investment. This campus not only expands opportunities for students pursuing workforce-ready education, but it also creates new avenues for collaboration between faculty, staff, and the broader community.

“Across the state, regional businesses can partner with higher education institutions to solve problems and develop new ventures. At the same time, liberal arts institutions can think about their programs and who they are serving to determine which areas of expertise they can offer to their region and new ways to deliver it. It’s building relationships with partners that will forge the ideal path to build stronger connections between higher education and economic development in our Commonwealth,” explains Cole.

Governor Josh Shapiro toured ALIC @ Bessemer with student guides. The features he learned about included:

Technical Training Facility – incumbent workers, recent high school graduates, and underemployed individuals will learn high-tech, advanced manufacturing processes and operations.Incubator and Accelerator – Low-cost office space and technology and equipment is available for individuals – students and community members – to start businesses.Applied Research Laboratories – Allegheny College’s undergraduate students will work alongside industry partners on applied research opportunities. They will deploy the theoretical knowledge gained through their rigorous Allegheny College education to real-world applications defined by our industry partners.Shared Use – ALIC @ Bessemer equipment will be available for our industry partners for rental by blocks of time, alleviating internal capacity issues and allowing them access to high-end machinery that might otherwise be out of reach.

“ALIC at Bessemer will open more doors of opportunity for students, for the Meadville community, and for businesses and industries here in northwestern Pennsylvania,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “There are many paths to success and prosperity in this Commonwealth. We need to respect each of those paths equally – and invest in all of them. We’re showing that respect in my Administration – by ensuring skills and experience are valued in hiring, increasing investment in apprenticeships and vo-tech by more than 50% over the past two years, and enrolling more than 14,000 new apprentices in fields like welding, manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation. Every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed – and I applaud President Cole and Allegheny College for their work to open up more doors of opportunity for Pennsylvanians right here in Meadville.”

Byron Rich, assistant provost of academic innovation at Allegheny College, shared, “ALIC blends the state of the industry with the state of the art emerging technology, evolving processes, and future-forward skill sets.”

The accreditation of Allegheny College ALIC @ Bessemer demonstrates Pennsylvania’s commitment to innovative higher education solutions that support economic growth and workforce resilience. It signals to the manufacturing industry that rural Pennsylvania is dedicated to equipping its workforce with the skills needed to thrive in the global marketplace.

“While 1 in 10 people in our nation work in manufacturing, that number in Crawford County is 1 in 4,” said Cody Passilla, Business & Development Manager, Pennco Tool & Die, a third-generation leader at his family-owned manufacturing business in Meadville, PA. “We plan to work with ALIC in many ways, starting with sending our employees to them for a variety of training, whether that being basic machining training, software training, or even more advanced training on equipment.”

Representatives from local manufacturing companies, including Moon Tool & Die Co., Kuhn Tool & Die Co., and Pennco Tool & Die, participated in the festivities/program. National Tool and Manufacturing Association’s (NTMA) Tami Adams and NTMA National Chair, Bonnie Kuhn of Kuhn Tool and Die Co. were also in attendance.

“I believe that the recent accreditation of ALIC @ Bessemer is a statement about the future of higher education and its role in strengthening the economic future of communities,” Cole concluded.

ABOUT ALIC @ BESSEMER

The Allegheny Lab for Innovation and Creativity (ALIC) is a multidisciplinary resource that empowers students, faculty and staff to explore and apply digital fabrication and design tools through hands-on, cross-disciplinary learning. ALIC @ Bessemer is an extension of this mission, bringing Allegheny College’s innovation-driven approach beyond campus and into the heart of Meadville. Designed to mirror real-world manufacturing environments, ALIC @ Bessemer equips the regional workforce with cutting-edge skills in emerging technologies and business operations. 

ABOUT ALLEGHENY COLLEGE

Allegheny College, founded in 1815, is one of the nation’s most historic and innovative four-year colleges with the distinct requirement of completing a major and minor in different academic areas. This multidisciplinary learning celebrates students’ unusual combinations of interests and provides creative, independent thinkers with a path for educational depth and intellectual growth, preparing them for a successful launch after graduation and possibly for careers that may not yet exist. Located in western Pennsylvania, 1.5 hours equidistant from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, Allegheny College is one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives” and recently ranked #4 by The Princeton Review in its Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact. In its 2025 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny College as one of the country’s top 100 national liberal arts colleges, with special distinctions including one of the top 10 best for senior capstone experience and one of the top 25 best for undergraduate research and creative activities.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Ivy Cohen
Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications
(646) 894-0030 or ivy@ivycohen.com

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SOURCE Allegheny College

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KarbunWise Introduces Fast, Cost-Effective LCA Platform for the LEED v5 Era at Greenbuild 2026 in New York

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NEW YORK  , Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As global property developers, architects, and manufacturers face rigorous new green building standards and cross-border carbon scrutiny, KarbunWise, an enterprise climate technology and advisory firm, announced its formal participation in the Greenbuild International Conference + Expo 2026 in New York City.

Exhibiting under this year’s Greenbuild theme, “Invest for Impact,” KarbunWise has launched a modern, cost-effective software to enable real estate developers, AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) firms, and industrial manufacturers to automate complex Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) with verifiable, audit-grade accuracy.

With the rollout of LEED v5, Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessments (WBLCA) and embodied carbon tracking have evolved from optional bonus credits into non-negotiable prerequisites. This is likely to scale the adoption of LCAs, and KarbunWise offers an alternative to legacy incumbent players that are expensive and not customer-centric. KarbunWise’s product translates Building Information Modeling (BIM) data and factory-floor inputs directly into submission-ready WBLCA models (aligned with MRp2 and MRc2 credits).

Representing KarbunWise at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center were the founders, Arjun Vijayaragavan and Divya Sukumar. “For years, carbon accounting and life cycle assessments were treated as passive, check-the-box exercises. Today, with LEED v5 mandating embodied carbon baselines and global supply chains enforcing strict transparency, carbon data has become commercial infrastructure. Bringing our platform to North America at Greenbuild marks a pivotal step in our mission to make sustainability data as trusted and audit-ready as financial data for 10,000 enterprises worldwide.” said Arjun Vijayaragavan, Founder & CEO of KarbunWise.

To accelerate adoption across US project teams, KarbunWise also announced a major Greenbuild show initiative: free first-year platform access for qualifying architecture firms, consultants, and developers visiting Booth #1044 during expo, backed by continuous 24/7 technical support from certified LCA practitioners.

Already trusted by more than 100 organisations across the UK, Middle East, and India, including listed conglomerates, leading bedding manufacturers, and global infrastructure contractors, KarbunWise’s platform connects over 200,000 verified LCA datapoints across international databases, including USLCI, Ecoinvent, and ÖKOBAUDAT.

About KarbunWise:

Founded in 2023, KarbunWise is an enterprise climate technology and advisory firm building the trust layer for global sustainability. The company combines an integrated, cloud-based software platform with deep consulting expertise to transform complex carbon and ESG data into audit-ready proof for regulators, enterprise buyers, and investors.

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team@karbunwise.com 

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Curios Launches Video-on-Demand Tools for Filmmakers as Vimeo On Demand Shuts Down

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The direct-to-fan marketplace gives independent filmmakers a new home to sell films, series, and memberships, with help migrating from Vimeo

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Curios, the direct-to-fan entertainment marketplace, has launched a full set of video-on-demand tools for independent filmmakers and video creators. The launch gives creators affected by the closure of Vimeo On Demand a new place to sell their work directly to audiences, keep their sales revenue, and hold on to the customer relationships they have spent years building.

Vimeo is phasing out its On Demand service in stages. New uploads were blocked on August 22, 2026, and new purchases and subscriptions stopped on September 21, 2026. Final seller payouts were processed on September 24, and the platform will shut down completely on November 20, 2026. On that date, all Vimeo On Demand storefronts and purchase pages go offline, and viewers lose access to the films and series they previously bought or rented.

For filmmakers, the impact is immediate. Sales have already stopped, so every week without a new storefront means lost revenue. And with Vimeo only allowing sellers to export buyers who opted in to updates, many creators risk losing touch with a large part of their audience.

“Every time a platform shuts down, creators get a painful reminder that they never really owned their audience,” said Grant Powell, founder of Curios. “Filmmakers on Vimeo On Demand did everything right, and they’re still losing their storefront. We launched Curios so that can’t happen. You sell directly, you keep your revenue, and every buyer’s contact details are yours to keep, whatever happens next.”

A complete home for independent film

Curios gives filmmakers flexible ways to sell, including full support for TVOD and SVOD, with possible plans for AVOD in the future. Creators can sell titles to own permanently (Electronic sell-through / EST), for one-time rental (Download-to-rent / DTR), offer pay-per-view (PPV) access for events and premieres, and run subscription memberships covering an entire catalog, a single series, or selected titles.

Pre-orders, timed releases, and limited quantities help build excitement around a launch. Bundles and deluxe editions, automated upsells and cross-sells, coupons, and an affiliate program help filmmakers grow each sale and reach new audiences. Free claims let creators give away trailers, extras, or short films in exchange for viewers’ email addresses.

Filmmakers decide whether each title is streaming-only or downloadable. Buyers watch in the Curios mobile app, where films and series sit alongside ebooks, audiobooks, and music. To help creators get started, Curios has also published pricing guidance for film, suggesting typical ranges of $9.99 to $29.99 for titles sold to own.

Better economics and full access to buyers

Curios takes no commission on sales, so creators keep their full sale price. They pay for platform access through a Curios subscription, with a free plan available and no credit card required to sign up. As merchant of record, Curios collects and files sales tax and VAT worldwide, removing a major administrative burden for independent creators.

Filmmakers on Curios receive the contact details of every buyer, along with sales, traffic, and viewing analytics, so they can see how audiences engage with their work and market future releases directly.

Moving from Vimeo On Demand in three steps

Curios has published an automatic importer, and a step-by-step migration guide for Vimeo On Demand sellers. Filmmakers simply connect with Vimeo account to Curios, then Curios automatically migrates their original files, trailers, extras, and artwork directly from Vimeo. Finally, they replace their old Vimeo On Demand links with a single Curios link and let their fans know where to find them.

Curios will also import a filmmaker’s existing Vimeo buyers who opted in to updates. Imported customers will find the films they already own waiting in their Curios library, ready to watch, so viewers who were about to lose access can keep enjoying the work they paid for. Customer lists from other platforms can be imported as well.

Curios is continuing to expand its video tools, with caption and subtitle uploads, region restrictions, country-specific pricing, and smart TV apps currently in development.

Filmmakers can create a free account and read the full migration guide at studio.curios.com.

About Curios

Curios is a direct-to-fan entertainment and content marketplace helping creators publish, promote, sell, and distribute their work directly to audiences. Built for authors, musicians, filmmakers, comedians, and creators of all kinds, Curios supports digital and physical formats in one place.

Creators keep 100% of every sale, retain full ownership of their work, and get direct access to customer data. As merchant of record, Curios handles sales tax, along with customer support, content delivery, fraud disputes, and fast payouts, giving creators the infrastructure to sell direct without having to build it themselves.

Media Contact

Grant Powell, Curios, Inc, 1 3102952129, support@curios.com, https://www.curios.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/curios-launches-video-on-demand-tools-for-filmmakers-as-vimeo-on-demand-shuts-down-302917739.html

SOURCE Curios, Inc

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Violet PR Wins Five PRSA-NJ Awards for Campaigns Driving Economic Growth and Innovation

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Award-winning media relations initiatives generated hundreds of news stories for clients

MONTCLAIR, N.J., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Violet PR, a national public relations agency specializing in economic development and place branding, has earned five awards from the Public Relations Society of America’s New Jersey Chapter (PRSA-NJ). Together, the campaigns generated more than 425 earned media placements in national, international, regional and niche outlets.

The winning programs ranged from launching a major fitness facility and promoting the growing film industry in New Jersey to showcasing Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal, navigating international trade uncertainty in Topeka, Kan., and positioning the Brooklyn Navy Yard as an innovation hub.

“These awards reflect the range of challenges our team helps clients navigate – including building support for emerging industries and elevating major infrastructure investments,” said April Mason, CEO and founder of Violet PR. “Whether we’re promoting a new airport terminal or helping a community navigate international trade uncertainty, our job is to uncover the stories that matter, connect them with influential audiences and deliver results that support our clients’ broader goals.”

For the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), Violet PR’s “Hollywood East: New Jersey Takes Center Stage” campaign earned PRSA-NJ recognition in the “Community Relations” category. Working with the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission and NJEDA, the agency helped build support for the state’s expanding film and television industry by highlighting its economic impact, career opportunities and benefits for local businesses and communities. Over 10 months, the campaign generated 38 earned media placements and more than 336 million impressions.

Violet PR also earned an “Events” award for “Building More Than Muscle: Launching a New Jersey Success Story,” developed for Iron Culture’s new flagship gym in West Orange, N.J. The campaign promoted the grand opening of the $10 million fitness facility, bringing together elected officials, business leaders and community members while generating 45 earned media placements.

The Montclair, N.J.-headquartered agency also won a “Media Relations” award for its campaign, “Brooklyn Navy Yard: From Shipyard to Innovation Engine,” which spotlighted the historic waterfront campus’s transformation into a hub for advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship and innovation. The campaign generated 85 earned media placements, reaching an audience of 662 million.

The agency’s national work was recognized as well. The “Ready for Takeoff: Commemorating Pittsburgh’s New Airport Opening (2025)” campaign for Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) earned an award in the “Public Affairs” category. Violet PR executed a strategic communications campaign surrounding the opening of PIT’s new terminal, securing more than 200 earned media placements across national news, business, travel and aviation outlets, with a combined audience reach exceeding 525 million.

In Topeka, Kan., Violet PR’s “The U.S. City Bridging Borders: How Topeka Tackled Tariffs” campaign was recognized in the “PR on a Shoestring Budget” category. As rising U.S.-Canada tariffs threatened up to 20% of local jobs, the agency transformed a complex international trade issue into a compelling story about the economic ties between Kansas and Canada. With a budget of just $10,000 over two months, the campaign secured 57 media placements, with an estimated reach of 224 million.

“What makes these awards especially meaningful is that they recognize five very different campaigns, each requiring a tailored strategy, creative thinking and close collaboration with our clients,” said Christina Forrest, vice president, Violet PR. “We take pride in developing strategic campaigns that deliver meaningful results for our clients, and we’re grateful to PRSA-NJ for the honor.”

The PRSA-NJ Pyramid Awards recognize excellence in public relations and communications, honoring the strategy, creativity and impact of agencies and in-house teams across New Jersey and beyond.

Violet PR continues to earn national recognition for its growth and economic development industry expertise. The agency ranked No. 96 on O’Dwyer’s 2026 list of independent public relations firms following 22.6% year-over-year growth in 2025 and has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list for three consecutive years. Violet PR opened its second office in New York City this year.

About Violet PR

Violet PR is an award-winning public relations firm, recognized nationally as a top agency specializing in economic development, commercial real estate and place branding. The agency partners with cities, states, regions, developers, destinations and mission-driven organizations to build visibility through earned media, thought leadership, social media and strategic storytelling.

Founded in 2010, Violet PR helps clients attract investment, business growth, visitors and talent through earned media campaigns. For more information, visit www.violetpr.com.

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SOURCE Violet Public Relations

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