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KCC Companies Accelerates Direct-to-Market Growth, Opens Channel Partner Conversations Across North America

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Employee-owned Kentucky manufacturer cites surge of inbound interest across its integrated portfolio of commercial outdoor air systems, roof curbs and adapters, and adjacent HVAC infrastructure; expansion follows Simpsonville campus investment and partnership in next-generation thermal energy storage.

JEFFERSONTOWN, Ky., June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KCC Companies, the 100 percent employee-owned manufacturer entering its 50th year, today announced an accelerated expansion of direct commercial engagement across its integrated portfolio of commercial HVAC equipment, dehumidification and energy recovery systems, and roofing infrastructure products. The company cited a sharp increase in inbound interest from specifying engineers, mechanical contractors, and channel partners, and confirmed it is actively building out an independent partner network across North America to meet the demand.

“For 50 years, KCC has built a reputation in the specifying community for engineering depth, manufacturing precision, and the kind of accountability that comes with being employee-owned,” said Joel Strieter, President of KCC Manufacturing. “We are entering our next chapter with the conviction that our partners, and the engineers writing the specifications, want to work directly with the company that designs, tests, and builds these systems. The level of interest we are seeing this month tells us the market is ready.”

KCC Manufacturing’s commercial air management portfolio includes AHRI 920–compliant dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) delivering up to 100 percent conditioned outdoor air with the ability to maintain supply dewpoints down to 43°F, at all ambient conditions. Part-load performance is where the specification is won: the integrated seasonal moisture removal efficiency (ISMRE2) ratings that drive ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC compliance are measured across the part-load curve, and KCC’s DOAS units were proactively engineered to exceed those benchmarks. The company manufactures DX, chilled-water, and air- and water-source heat pump configurations specified into K-12 and higher education, healthcare, laboratories, data centers, multi-family residential, hospitality, and high-performance commercial buildings, alongside dehumidification and energy recovery equipment engineered for controlled environment agriculture and specialized industrial applications.

The company’s roofing infrastructure division is one of North America’s leading manufacturers of metal and conventional roof curbs, curb adapters, and roofing accessory products including stainless-steel gutters, skylights, smoke vents, roof hatches, and walkways. The division has supplied national HVAC equipment manufacturers and metal building systems leaders for nearly four decades and was awarded the Butler Lifetime Partner Award by Butler Manufacturing in 2019, the first such recognition Butler had ever issued. Together, KCC’s air management and roofing infrastructure businesses give specifying engineers, contractors, and building owners access to a single, vertically integrated source: the equipment that conditions the air, and the structural curb that anchors it to the roof.

The expansion follows a series of public investments in capability and innovation. KCC is currently on track to open a $100 million, 80-acre campus that includes a dedicated research and development operation supporting next-generation product development and 360,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Simpsonville, Kentucky. In April 2026, KCC Manufacturing announced a $2 million strategic investment in Rebound Technologies, deepening a preferred manufacturing partnership for Rebound’s IcePoint® thermal energy storage system, a technology designed to decouple cooling production from cooling demand for data centers, food processing, and district cooling applications.

“Inbound interest from across the commercial buildings market has been extraordinary,” said Cole Fisher, Vice President of Sales for KCC Manufacturing. “Specifying engineers, mechanical contractors, and rep firms are reaching out to learn how to work with us directly. We are actively in conversations with prospective representatives and distribution partners in markets across the United States and Canada, and the window to be part of this next chapter is open right now.”

KCC’s technical credibility is anchored in active leadership across the industry’s principal standards bodies. More than twenty KCC engineers participate in ASHRAE technical committees governing dedicated outdoor air systems, energy recovery, indoor air quality, and the method-of-test standards that underpin AHRI certification. Among them, Kevin Muldoon, Director of Research & Development at KCC, started and chaired ASHRAE’s Multidisciplinary Task Group for Controlled Environment Agriculture and was Vice-Chair of ASHRAE SSPC 198, the method of test underpinning AHRI 920 certification for DX-DOAS equipment. Muldoon was also a voting member of AHRI’s Applied Sector Leadership Council overseeing the DX-DOAS rating program. He currently serves on 3 Society level committees at ASHRAE: Handbook, Technical Activities Committee (Section 9 and MTG Section Head, and Region VII CTTC RVC. Within AHRI, Kevin currently chairs the DX-DOAS Certification Task Force. Other ASHRAE involvement includes: 90.1 Consultant and Vice Chair TC 8.10.

KCC will be sharing further details on its expanded commercial program with the engineering, contracting, and distribution community in the months ahead, including planned engagement around the 2027 AHR Expo and ASHRAE Winter Conference in Chicago this January. Rep firms, distributors, mechanical contractors, and specifying engineers interested in opening a direct conversation with KCC are invited to contact the Sales team at partner@kccmfg.com or 502-694-3449.

About KCC Companies: KCC Companies is a 100 percent employee-owned company founded March 1977 by current CEO, Al Fiorini, and headquartered in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. With more than 1,000 employees and approximately 800,000 square feet of manufacturing space across four facilities in Jeffersontown and Simpsonville, KCC offers a vertically integrated portfolio for the commercial buildings market: dedicated outdoor air systems and air handling equipment, roof curbs, curb adapters, and roofing accessory dehumidification and energy recovery solutions for controlled environment agriculture and specialized industrial applications. KCC has been an ESOP since 2008 and is ranked #13 among Louisville’s largest private companies. Learn more at kccmfg.com.

Media Contact:
Becky McClellan
KCC Companies
beckym@kccmfg.com• 502.493.5768

Curran Ethridge
Circuitry Media
curran@circuitrymedia.com 706.495.4100

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AstroRad Vest Worn by Astronauts Aboard International Space Station to Go on Display at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

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The historic exhibition follows landmark radiation protection findings from NASA’s Artemis I mission, whose AstroRad vest is separately displayed at Kennedy Space Center.

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — StemRad, a developer of advanced radiation protection technology, shared that one of its AstroRad radiation protection vests, flown aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and worn by five space travelers, will go on display in the At Home in Space gallery at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The vest was worn by four female American astronauts and an Israeli private astronaut during everyday activities aboard the ISS, including work and sleep. These in-orbit evaluations provided valuable experience with the practicality and comfort of wearable radiation protection during extended space missions.

The Smithsonian exhibition follows the recent publication of landmark scientific findings in Science Advances from NASA’s Artemis I mission. The research demonstrated AstroRad’s ability to dramatically reduce radiation exposure during potentially cancer-inducing solar radiation storms: for the August 1972 storm, which occurred between Apollo 16 and 17, a 60% reduction in dose was demonstrated (roughly 1,200 chest X-rays). This provided important evidence for protecting astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars.

The AstroRad vest that traveled around the Moon aboard Artemis I is separately on display at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Together, the two exhibits trace AstroRad’s journey from operational evaluations aboard the ISS to radiation protection research beyond Earth’s magnetic field.

“Having AstroRad displayed at the Smithsonian is a tremendous honor and a proud milestone for our team,” said Dr. Oren Milstein, CEO and Co-Founder of StemRad. “Knowing that a technology we developed to help protect astronauts is now being recognized as part of the history of space exploration is incredibly rewarding. With AstroRad also on display at Kennedy Space Center following the groundbreaking Artemis I mission, we hope these exhibits will inspire future generations to tackle the challenges of human space exploration.”

“The AstroRad vest helps tell two stories in the new At Home in Space exhibit,” said Dr. Jennifer Levasseur, Museum Curator, and the lead curator for the gallery. “Importantly, the vest represents efforts to protect astronauts from the significant concern of increased radiation exposure on long duration spaceflights. It’s also an example of how technology demonstrations on the ISS will inform future human deep space exploration.” AstroRad was developed by StemRad in collaboration with Lockheed Martin to address one of the principal challenges of human space exploration: exposure to harmful ionizing radiation. The ISS operational evaluations, the Artemis I scientific results, and the Smithsonian and Kennedy Space Center exhibitions collectively highlight the growing role of wearable radiation protection in the future of human spaceflight.

About StemRad

StemRad is an American-Israeli company specializing in personal radiation protection technologies. Its solutions are designed to protect critical organs and tissues from harmful ionizing radiation while preserving mobility and operational effectiveness. StemRad develops radiation protection solutions for space exploration, emergency response, and defense applications.

Media Contact
StemRad
Tamar Cohen
+1-813-291-2303
425954@email4pr.com
www.stemrad.com

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Three Products Featuring TCL CSOT Displays Named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026

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SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — TCL’s flagship X11L SQD-Mini LED TV, the XTEINK X4 Pro Pocket eReader and the Framework Laptop 13 Pro have been named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 list. All three products feature displays supplied by TCL CSOT.

TCL X11L: Advancing Large-Screen Picture Quality

As the only Chinese TV selected in the consumer electronics category of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, the TCL X11L features the TCL CSOT WHVA 2.0 Ultra Panel, delivering a native contrast ratio of 7,000:1 and 100% BT.2020 color space coverage. Its display technology combines the TCL CSOT Ultra Color Filter with 20,736 Precise Dimming Zones and 10,000-nit peak HDR brightness. Powered by SQD-Mini LED technology, which delivers an industry-leading color gamut, the X11L captures subtle variations in light, further advancing large-screen picture quality.

In its Best Inventions of 2026 coverage, TIME noted that “those who manufacture TVs are constantly seeking new ways to one-up their competitors, either through unique design or unmatchable image quality.” The TCL X11L, the publication stated, “promises the latter with an LED panel that employs ‘super quantum dot’ technology, designed with the capacity to emit light at more specific nanometer wavelengths than previously available tech. The resulting image is extremely color accurate but also impressively bright.”

XTEINK X4 Pro: Bringing Reading to Your Pocket

The XTEINK X4 Pro features a 4.3-inch E Ink display that uses reflective imaging technology and emits no blue light, delivering a paper-like reading experience designed to reduce eye fatigue during extended use. Its capacitive touchscreen and adjustable warm-and-cool front lighting help provide comfortable reading conditions throughout the day and night.

TIME wrote, “While the most popular e-readers are smaller than a hardcover, many are still a bit too large for true grab-and-go convenience. XTEINK filled the gap with its X3 and X4 e-readers.” Beyond its compact size, the XTEINK X4 Pro further enhances the reading experience with an upgraded, higher-capacity battery, making pocket-sized reading convenient at any time of day or night.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro: A Repairable, Upgradeable Laptop

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro combines a modular, repairable design with a custom 13.5-inch 2.8K touchscreen supplied by TCL CSOT. The display module measures 2.0 mm thick on the device side and 2.1 mm on the PCB side, with a weight of only 180 g, supporting the laptop’s modular architecture. The updated model also features a 74 Wh battery and a haptic trackpad, while its modular design allows users to replace or upgrade components and customize their configuration, from memory and keyboard options to ports.

TIME recognized the laptop for making high-performance computing more repairable and user-customizable. The newly updated Framework Laptop 13 Pro is more “like a bicycle,” says Framework CEO Nirav Patel. “Every part is easy to replace.” With an included screwdriver and components designed for replacement and upgrades, the laptop enables users to repair and personalize their devices themselves, and help extend product lifespan. By putting repair and customization in users’ hands, the Framework Laptop 13 Pro offers a more flexible and sustainable approach to personal computing.

The inclusion of all three products in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 highlights not only the strength of each product, but also TCL CSOT’s end-to-end capabilities from technology R&D to industry collaboration. Looking ahead, TCL CSOT will continue to advance multiple display technology pathways and collaborate with industry partners to expand applications across diverse scenarios, bringing high-quality, slim, eye-care and environmentally friendly display solutions to more users.

SOURCE TCL CSOT

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Bybit Brings Its New Financial Platform Vision to Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026

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LISBON, Portugal, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bybit, the New Financial Platform trusted by more than 80 million users worldwide, announced its participation in Hong Kong FinTech Week (HKFTW) 2026, Asia’s premier fintech summit bringing together global financial leaders, regulators, and innovators at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 2 to 6, 2026.

Bybit’s senior leadership will take the stage during the two-day main conference, joining more than 1,000 global speakers and 45,000 participants from over 120 economies at one of the year’s most anticipated events for changemakers in financial services and innovation.

Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, will deliver a fireside chat on the Main Stage on November 3 titled “Bridging the Divide: The Next Chapter of TradFi & Crypto Convergence.” The session will explore how AI-driven platform innovation, institutional-grade infrastructure and asset tokenization are reshaping the boundary between traditional financial markets and the digital asset ecosystem.

Sean Ballard, Head of Derivatives and Institutional Business at Bybit, will join a panel discussion titled “The Future of Trading: Next-Generation Market Infrastructure and Liquidity” alongside executives from Panthertrade, Gravity Team and BitGo on November 3. The panel will examine how AI-driven execution models, tokenized market access, and synchronized liquidity pools are converging to create more resilient, capital-efficient and accessible trading infrastructure for professional market participants.

Themed “Fintech Nexus: Bridging the World, Building the Future”, HKFTW 2026 is organized around three strategic engines: Finance+, AI+, and Go Global, reflecting the city’s role as a super-connector between capital, innovation and international markets. The event features 10 dedicated forums, including the Digital Assets and Web3 Forum and the AI in Finance Forum, with keynote speakers from leading global financial institutions and regulators.

Bybit is not licensed by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and its services are not available to the public in Hong Kong.

About Bybit

Bybit is The New Financial Platform.

We believe every person should have access to every financial opportunity on earth. That’s why we’re building the first intelligent platform that connects anyone, anywhere to the world’s finance.

Trusted by more than 80 million users worldwide, Bybit brings together investing, trading, payments, and wealth-building in a single secure and intelligent ecosystem. Through the combination of AI-powered technology, deep global liquidity, robust security, and transparent operations, Bybit makes global finance more accessible, efficient, and empowering for everyone.

Built for everyone. Powered by intelligence. Open to the world.

Learn more at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com
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