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Breaking Barriers, Inspiring, Action: Employ Prince George’s (EPG) Youth Services Continues to Tackle Prevalent Issues Faced by Prince Georges County Youth with Fourth Career Takeover Community Event

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LARGO, Md., May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Yesterday, on May 22, hundreds of youths and young adults from Prince George’s County gathered at the Southern Regional Technology & Recreation Complex for the Career Takeover: Level Up Your Future. The end-of-school-year career event is an initiative that aims to eliminate barriers for in-school youth, recent graduates, and job seekers by offering a diverse array of career opportunities and resources. 

Hosted by Prince George’s County’s own multi-talented, Autumn Joi Live, and energized by the latest sounds from celebrity DJ Little Bacon Bear, Career Takeover shattered the traditional job fair mold! With over 20 employers and resource partners, young residents were immersed in interactive displays, live demos, and hands-on activities designed to inspire and activate.

In collaboration with industry leaders and community organizations, the event also tackled real issues like mental health, PTSD, and educational setbacks—creating a space where opportunity meets support.

A highlight of the day was an address by District 8 County Council Member Edward Burroughs III, who offered words of encouragement as participants started on their career journeys.

Jennifer Ricks, Employ Prince George’s, Director, Youth Services at Employ Prince George’s, expressed gratitude, stating, “Our Youth Career Connections (YCC) and Knowledge Equals Youth Success (KEYS) team, along with career coaches, played a pivotal role in making this event impactful by providing support to the youth every step of the way.”

Among the attendees was Donnell Dorsey, a 19-year-old recent graduate from Oxon Hill High School, who attended in his graduation regalia an hour after receiving his diploma, eager to explore opportunities. Brittany Glover, Employ Prince George’s, Manager, Youth Services, commended Dorsey’s dedication, emphasizing, “We’re thrilled you joined us right after your graduation. Employers here are eager to hire individuals like you, and KEYS is dedicated to assisting youth aged 18-24 in achieving credentials, securing job placements, and enhancing career readiness.”  We applaud our YCC’s Street team for attending this week’s PGCPS graduations to get the word out about this event to graduation attendees.

Ricks, continued to express, “EPG is dedicated to breaking barriers for the Prince George’s County youth. It empowers them to lead the way in their personal journeys, providing essential support. With 50 career coaches for middle and high school students, we aim to prepare and empower youth for graduation and beyond, offering guidance and incentives to help young adults enhance their skills and knowledge. Our mission is to ensure that the youth of Prince George’s County are aware of the resources available to them, fostering a path to success.”

Employ Prince George’s Youth Services continues to make a significant impact on the youth and young adults in Prince George’s County through their fourth successful Career Takeover event. The increased community support, growing youth interest, and tangible evidence of positive outcomes reflect the dedication and effectiveness of EPG in addressing the challenges faced by the county’s youth.

For event footage, visit https://app.air.inc/a/brqCczGXc

The Youth Career Connections (YCC) program equips students from 6th grade through undergraduate studies with vital skills and knowledge to excel in their chosen career paths. By offering career readiness seminars covering resume building, interview techniques, workplace etiquette, and more, YCC ensures students are prepared for success. Participants also benefit from career exploration, soft skills development, real-world exposure, paid work experience, access to career fairs, and employment opportunities, all aimed at fostering their professional growth.

The Knowledge Equals Youth Success (KEYS) program empowers young adults aged 18-24 with essential resources for competitiveness in today’s job market. From skills assessments to career coaching, job readiness training, and supportive services like mentorship and career coaching, KEYS offers a comprehensive support system.

If you’re a graduating high school senior or a young adult seeking opportunities, explore what YCC and KEYS have to offer at pgccareers.com to kickstart your career journey today!

About Employ Prince George’s:

Employ Prince George’s (EPG) provides workforce intelligence and solutions for the job seeker and business. EPG’s mission is to contribute to the economic vitality of Prince George’s County by providing a demand-driven system that delivers qualified workers to business and provides job seekers with opportunities for careers in high-demand/high-growth industries.

For more information, please visit employpg.org.

About Prince George’s County American Job Center Community Network:

The Prince George’s County American Job Center Community Network is a collaborative network operated by Employ Prince George’s, connecting jobseekers to training and employment opportunities across Prince George’s County, Maryland. Leveraging the core principle of PARTNERSHIP, the network combines government funding with community resources to provide high-quality career services, education, and training to empower individuals in the county.

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SOURCE Employ Prince George’s

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Dutchie Launches Consumer AI featuring Voice AI, Agentic Commerce, Register Co-Pilot, and Consumer Pulse

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Voice AI on the phone, a Register Co-Pilot in-store, Agentic Commerce online, and Consumer Pulse across surveys & reviews, all built with the latest agentic AI tech into the core Dutchie platform.

BOSTON, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dutchie, the leading cannabis technology platform powering more than 6,500 dispensaries across North America with more than $100B in transactions processed, today announced Dutchie Consumer AI. Consumer AI is a new suite of four AI products extending Dutchie POS and E-commerce, designed to help cannabis retailers automate the routine, maximize basket size, own their reputation, and convert every touchpoint.

“Cannabis is reaching the same technology inflection point we’ve seen transform every major industry,” said Tim Barash, CEO of Dutchie. “Retailers are under growing pressure to improve profitability, run leaner businesses, and deliver more personalized consumer experiences, all while navigating one of the most complex regulatory environments. They need to be on the bleeding edge on this intense technology shift as consumers experience these tools in their daily lives. Our new Consumer AI suite is designed to remove operational burden, convert more interactions into revenue, and help teams make smarter decisions at scale.”

Dutchie Consumer AI is built directly into the workflows dispensaries already use every day, from inbound calls and e-commerce to checkout and reputation management. Every interaction runs on one customer identity, so the same customer can be supported across phone, online, in-store, and reviews, helping businesses capture more revenue, reduce operational friction, and better manage their brand presence.

The launch includes four integrated products:

Voice AI: Never miss a call or an order. An AI-powered phone receptionist that answers every call, helps customers place orders, confirm pickups, and check hours, directions, live inventory, and daily deals, or hands the call off to staff the moment a person is needed.
 Agentic Commerce: An agentic concierge for every online customer. It acts, it doesn’t just suggest. An AI shopping agent embedded into e-commerce and kiosk experiences that understands intent, builds the cart, and takes customers to checkout. It rebuilds a returning customer’s regular order in one tap from real order history, swaps out-of-stock items for the closest match, and helps new shoppers discover products through natural-language questions like “What’s your best indica for sleep under $40?”. Not a chat window in the bottom right of your screen – a true integrated experience that keeps the fun of shopping for cannabis products but helps you discover more, faster.
 Register Co-Pilot: Every budtender performs like your best one. Built directly into the Dutchie register, Co-Pilot gives every budtender real-time context, including purchase history, smart pairings, upsell recommendations, fast payments, and loyalty prompts, to help budtenders improve consistency, efficiency, and basket size at checkout.
 Consumer Pulse: Hear every customer, in surveys and reviews. A centralized dashboard that unifies first-party customer surveys from digital orders, receipts, and more with public reviews from across the web, surfacing AI-powered sentiment trends, top themes, and actionable alerts that help operators spot issues before they move their star rating, identify product trends, and respond faster to consumer feedback.

Dutchie Consumer AI comes at a pivotal moment for the cannabis industry, as federal rescheduling efforts and broader regulatory momentum begin reshaping how businesses think about long-term growth and operational strategy. As cannabis retail enters a more normalized and increasingly competitive phase, retailers are looking for integrated technology that can simplify day-to-day operations, improve retention, and support stronger margins.

“The future of cannabis retail isn’t about layering on more disconnected tools. It’s about building smarter functionality into the systems businesses already rely on,” said Chris Ostrowski, CTO of Dutchie. “We’re embedding AI into the places where retailers and consumers already engage, helping teams reduce manual work, uncover faster insights, and create more tailored shopping experiences in an increasingly competitive market.”

To learn more about Dutchie Consumer AI, visit dutchie.com/business/consumer-ai.

About Dutchie
Dutchie is the cannabis technology software platform enabling cannabis commerce, streamlining dispensary operations, and providing safe and easy access for consumers. Powering over 6,500 cannabis businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada, and facilitating over $100 billion in transactions, Dutchie is a complete cannabis operating system, providing solutions for point of sale, e-commerce, loyalty and marketing, seamless payments, and more. For additional information, please visit Dutchie.com

Media Contact
Martha N. Marshall
Trailblaze for Dutchie
dutchie@trailblaze.co

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Edible Arrangements® Unveils All-New Mobile App and Reimagined Edible Rewards™ Program

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The new mobile platform and updated loyalty program bring personalized gifting, exclusive perks and seamless repeat ordering together in one place

ATLANTA, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Edible Arrangements® (Edible), the innovative e-commerce retail hub and modern gifting destination under the Edible Brands® portfolio, today announced the launch of its redesigned mobile app and reimagined Edible Rewards™ program, introducing a more personalized, seamless and rewarding way for customers to celebrate every occasion.

Available on iOS and Android, the all-new Edible app was redesigned to make gifting easier and more intuitive from discovery to checkout. Featuring personalized tools like gift reminders, tailored recommendations, saved addresses and quick reorder functionality, the experience helps customers celebrate every meaningful moment while simplifying the gifting process from start to finish.

Alongside the app update, Edible is launching a new rewards program featuring four membership tiers that give customers access to more benefits the more they shop. Existing members’ points and rewards will automatically transfer into the new program experience. Customers can earn points on every order and redeem points for discounts, free treats and app-exclusive perks. The rewards program also includes welcome offers, birthday perks and personalized savings designed to make every gifting occasion more rewarding.

“People want gifting to feel easy, thoughtful and personalized – especially in a world where everyone is juggling so much,” said Somia Farid Silber, chief executive officer of Edible Brands. “With the new app and Edible Rewards program, we wanted to create an experience that helps customers remember important moments, discover the right gift faster and feel rewarded every time they come back to us. It’s all part of continuing to evolve the brand in ways that better fit how people celebrate today.”

Customers can download the Edible app and enroll in Edible Rewards to begin earning points, receive a welcome reward and unlock exclusive app-only offers and perks. To browse Edible’s full collection of gifting options and learn more about Edible Rewards, visit edible.com.

About Edible Brands®
Atlanta-based Edible Brands® acquires, develops and manages a world-class portfolio of consumer brands renowned in the hospitality and foodservice sectors. Edible Brands has skillfully integrated an innovative e-commerce platform with a robust network of locally owned stores worldwide to meet consumers where they are. Edible Brands’ growing portfolio includes Edible Arrangements®, edibles.com®, and Rōti® Modern Mediterranean. For more information, visit ediblebrands.com.

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Atom Computing and Phasecraft Announce Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Development of Next-Generation Materials

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BOULDER, Colo. and LONDON, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Atom Computing and quantum algorithms company Phasecraft today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore how application-focused algorithms can be used to benchmark progress toward utility-scale quantum computers.

Through this MOU, the companies will collaborate on accelerating the delivery and adoption of quantum solutions in key application areas, such as the development of materials for batteries and photovoltaics. Through adapting Phasecraft’s advanced algorithms and software to Atom Computing’s neutral-atom quantum computing hardware, the collaboration aims to accelerate the path towards useful applications in materials science and energy.

Atom Computing continues to lead the quantum computing industry through its pioneering work in neutral-atom quantum technology. The company recently demonstrated a breakthrough in quantum error correction using toric code and announced a $100 million Letter of Intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Atom Computing is also deploying the world’s first commercial quantum computer with logical qubits and performing in Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), where it is demonstrating its pathway to utility-scale quantum computing.

Phasecraft is the leading UK and US-based quantum algorithms company, developing advanced quantum algorithms to solve real-world problems in materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization. Its focus is on making quantum computing practical today by designing software that works with existing imperfect hardware, bridging the gap between current technology and future large-scale quantum systems.

“Unlocking the true commercial potential of quantum computing requires a tight synergy between breakthrough hardware and hardware-optimized software,” said Dr. Ben Bloom, CEO and Founder of Atom Computing. “By fine-tuning Phasecraft’s industry-leading algorithmic methods to our neutral-atom architecture, we can pave the way for a new generation of commercial applications in materials science and sustainable technology.”

“We are excited to collaborate with Atom Computing to advance quantum applications in material science,” said Prof. Ashley Montanaro, CEO and Co-Founder of Phasecraft. “Real-world quantum utility will come from combining advances in hardware with equally powerful advances in algorithms. By bringing together Atom’s scalable quantum computing platform and our hardware-adaptive algorithms, we can accelerate progress towards applications in energy storage, solar technology, and advanced materials.”

By aligning cutting-edge neutral-atom quantum computers with purpose-built quantum software, this collaboration represents a decisive step toward realizing quantum advantage in critical industries and accelerating innovation across the global energy and materials landscape.

About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is developing large-scale quantum computers to enable companies and researchers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Utilizing highly scalable arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms, the company has developed systems with over 1,200 qubits, featuring advanced capabilities towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. Atom Computing’s on-premises systems provide customers with new computational tools and logical qubit capabilities to address increasingly complex applications and to grow their quantum ecosystem. In 2025 Atom Computing sold its first commercial on-premises quantum computer to QuNorth, a Nordic quantum initiative funded by EIFO and Novo Nordisk Foundation. Learn more at atom-computing.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Phasecraft

Phasecraft is the quantum algorithms company whose mission is to accelerate the practical application of quantum computing by redesigning quantum algorithms for the imperfect quantum computers of today. Phasecraft was founded in 2019 by Toby Cubitt, Ashley Montanaro, and John Morton, expert quantum scientists who have spent decades leading top research teams at UCL and the University of Bristol. Phasecraft works in partnership with leading quantum hardware companies, including Google, IBM, Quantinuum, and QuEra, academic and industry leaders, to develop high-efficiency algorithms to move quantum computing from experimental demonstrations to useful applications. Learn more: www.phasecraft.io.

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SOURCE Atom Computing

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