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First Federal Bank Announces Agreement to Sell Third Party Origination Division to Mortgage Forward, a CUSO in the Great Lakes Credit Union Family of Companies

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LAKE CITY, Fla. and CHICAGO, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — First Federal Bank, headquartered in Florida, and Mortgage Forward, in Illinois, jointly announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement for Mortgage Forward to acquire First Federal’s Third-Party Origination (TPO) division, including QRL Financial.

The TPO division will augment Mortgage Forward’s long-term strategy to expand its national mortgage lending platform and strengthen support for clients seeking competitive, borrower-focused mortgage solutions. Through the acquisition, the division will have additional resources to continue and expand support for new and existing clients.

“We are pleased that this agreement allows our talented and dedicated team supporting TPO clients and institutions to continue to flourish,” said John Medina, President and CEO of First Federal Bank. “First Federal’s 2026 strategic plan emphasizes efficiency and execution which includes a strong commitment to the retail mortgage market. This agreement allows us to hone our focus.”

With the acquisition of the TPO group, Mortgage Forward will better serve TPO clients by offering additional technology and expanded products. Mortgage Forward will continue to invest in digital solutions coupled with CUSO expertise.

“This acquisition strengthens Mortgage Forward’s commitment to delivering innovative mortgage options for TPO clients. We are excited to welcome the talented First Federal Bank team and build on their strong foundation for future growth,” said Chip Adkins, President of Mortgage Forward.

With growth-oriented leadership, the company and its new division will continue to be recognized as best-in-class in the industry.

“This acquisition aligns with our vision for Mortgage Forward and our commitment to supporting credit unions and all mortgage partners nationwide. Together, we will expand our capabilities while maintaining the service and relationships our partners value,” says Michael Abraham, Chief Strategy Officer of Great Lakes Credit Union.

The parties anticipate this transaction to close in the third quarter of 2026.

About First Federal Bank & QRL Financial Services

First Federal Bank, headquartered in Lake City, FL, is a leading financial institution committed to serving the needs of its customers and communities. With banking locations across the southeast, First Federal Bank is a community-owned bank that provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking solutions, services, and loans. QRL Financial Services provides mortgage solutions to financial institutions nationwide, out of Madison, WI. With over $4.4 billion in assets, First Federal’s family of brands has a steadfast focus on innovation and customer satisfaction. The bank has been consistently recognized with an “Excellent” rating from BauerFinancial, Inc. for over 20 years. Newsweek named First Federal the “Best Regional Bank” for 2024, 2025, and 2026. To learn more, visit www.ffbf.com.

Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

About Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU) 

Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Northern Illinois, Great Lakes Credit Union is banking for a greater good. As a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $1.4 billion in assets, GLCU is proud to serve more than 105,000 members in Chicagoland and surrounding areas, and to give back to its members and communities through education, volunteerism, and partnerships. Learn more at www.glcu.org

About Mortgage Forward

Mortgage Forward, LLC is a credit union service organization in the Great Lakes Credit Union Family of Companies specializing in nationwide mortgage solutions. The organization helps credit unions, financial institutions, and originators expand mortgage offerings, strengthen operational efficiency, and deliver exceptional experiences across the full lending lifecycle. Learn more at www.mortgagefwd.com.

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SOURCE First Federal Bank

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ADR International Launches the World’s First GenAI Virtual Tutor for Procurement Powered by CodeBaby

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AI-powered procurement learning platform combines 40 years of ADR expertise with conversational AI to redefine procurement capability development.

MILWAUKEE, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ADR International, a global procurement capability development and consulting organization with more than 40 years of expertise, today announced the launch of Sophie, a GenAI Virtual Tutor trained exclusively on ADR’s proprietary procurement methodologies, consulting frameworks, and real-world procurement knowledge.

Powered by CodeBaby’s Geppetto conversational AI platform, Sophie delivers interactive procurement coaching designed specifically for procurement and sourcing professionals, moving beyond traditional eLearning into intelligent, AI-guided learning and performance support.

Unlike conventional eLearning platforms that rely on static modules and one-way content delivery, Sophie creates an interactive learning environment where procurement professionals can ask questions, explore scenarios, reinforce learning concepts, and receive guided coaching tailored to their specific needs.

“Sophie represents a major shift in procurement capability development,” said Robin Jackson, CEO of ADR International. “This is not generic AI. Sophie is trained specifically on ADR’s procurement methodologies and decades of consulting expertise to deliver highly focused, practical procurement coaching. Organizations like Singtel and Wienerberger are already choosing ADR because of Sophie.”

ADR’s procurement training solutions have been used by leading organizations worldwide across industries including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, construction, technology, and financial services. Sophie is already being adopted by global organizations to modernize procurement learning, accelerate onboarding, and support ongoing workforce development.

Sophie also supports AI-driven role-play and guided procurement simulations, helping professionals practice negotiations, stakeholder management, sourcing conversations, and change initiatives using ADR’s proven consulting methodologies.

The launch also marks ADR’s expanded U.S. market presence through its strategic collaboration with Milwaukee-based conversational AI company CodeBaby.

“ADR’s procurement expertise gives Sophie a level of domain intelligence generic AI platforms cannot replicate,” said Norrie Daroga, CEO of CodeBaby. “Together, we’ve created a conversational AI experience designed specifically for procurement learning and performance support.”

ADR plans continued expansion of Sophie’s capabilities, including multilingual support, advanced procurement simulations, and broader supply chain learning applications.

To learn more or request a live demonstration of Sophie, visit:
www.adr-international.com

About ADR International
ADR International is a global procurement capability development and consulting organization with more than 40 years of experience helping organizations improve procurement performance, sourcing capability, and supply chain effectiveness. ADR provides procurement training, consulting, eLearning, and capability development solutions to organizations worldwide. Learn more: www.adr-international.com

About CodeBaby
CodeBaby provides a scalable conversational AI platform, Geppetto™, that enables organizations to build and deploy real-time, character-based AI experiences for customer engagement, workforce training, and interactive learning applications. Designed for natural interaction at enterprise scale, Geppetto enables unlimited simultaneous conversations through approachable, easy-to-deploy AI characters without the complexity and cost associated with hyper-realistic digital human technologies. CodeBaby’s solutions are used by leading global enterprises across hospitality, entertainment, healthcare, education, and consumer brand environments. Learn more at www.codebaby.com.

For media inquiries, demo requests, or interviews, contact:

Media Contacts:

ADR
Robin Jackson
Robin.Jackson@adr-international.com

CodeBaby
Bill Grindle
bgrindle@codebaby.com
614-554-3985

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/adr-international-launches-the-worlds-first-genai-virtual-tutor-for-procurement-powered-by-codebaby-302792818.html

SOURCE ADR Inrernational

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Isos Technology Celebrates 21 Years of Solving Enterprise Business Challenges

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Milestone reflects more than two decades of helping organizations streamline, optimize, and modernize the way they work

TEMPE, Ariz., June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Isos Technology, a leading provider of Atlassian, cloud, and enterprise technology solutions, celebrates 21 years in business today, marking more than two decades of helping organizations solve complex technology and business challenges.

“A huge thank you to all of our clients and partners for trusting us with their toughest challenges from the very beginning, and sticking with us along our journey to the top of the Atlassian ecosystem.”

Founded in 2005, Isos Technology began as a consulting firm focused on enterprise software development and custom solutions. Since then, the company has grown into the top Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner in North America, supporting commercial and public sector clients across a wide variety of industries including financial services, healthcare and life sciences, gaming, media and entertainment, and the U.S. federal government.

Over the years, Isos has helped thousands of organizations transform how they work to drive impactful business outcomes. Isos solutions combine Atlassian technology, industry expertise, and operational best practices to drive results for technology and business teams, including IT, DevOps, HR, and Marketing. That work involves helping clients with service management (ITSM and ESM), cloud upgrades, AI adoption, enterprise strategy and planning, support, and training.

“Turning 21 as a company is a huge accomplishment. I’m so proud of what we’ve built and all the people who contributed to our success,” said Thad West, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Isos Technology. “A huge thank you to all of our clients and partners for trusting us with their toughest challenges from the very beginning, and sticking with us along our journey to the top of the Atlassian ecosystem. The whole Isos team is focused on the continued work ahead, and I look forward to celebrating the next 21 years.”

“This milestone is so much more than a number,” said Ron Thompson Jr, President of Isos Technology. “It’s all about the trust Isos has earned and the responsibility that comes with it. Whether we’re planning a large-scale ServiceNow to JSM migration, implementing agentic workflows for product development, or bringing structure and governance to complex environments, we’re committed to helping clients get the most value from their Atlassian investment and providing five-star client experiences.”

About Isos Technology

Isos Technology partners with organizations to streamline, optimize, and modernize the way they work. As an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, our solutions combine Atlassian technology, industry expertise, and operational best practices to drive impactful business outcomes for clients. Clients trust our experience in service management, cloud upgrades, enterprise strategy and planning, AI adoption, and support services to create lasting value. Founded in 2005, Isos has helped thousands of commercial and public sector clients transform how they work and unlock the full potential of their organization. For more information, visit isostech.com.

Media Contact

Erin Philips, Isos Technology, 1 (480) 366-5784, erin.philips@isostech.com, isostech.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/isos-technology-celebrates-21-years-of-solving-enterprise-business-challenges-302792183.html

SOURCE Isos Technology

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WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY RECEIVES $10 MILLION FROM SHARKNINJA CHAIRMAN

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CJ Xuning Wang Unveils Vision for National Network of School Makerspaces During Western Reserve Academy Bicentennial

HUDSON, Ohio, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the world grapples with how to prepare students for a future shaped by artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and rapidly changing technologies, global business leader and inventor CJ Xuning Wang believes schools need a new model for learning.

Today, during the Bicentennial Celebration Weekend of Western Reserve Academy (WRA), Wang will unveil the next phase of this vision.

The entrepreneur, philanthropist and Chairman of SharkNinja is celebrating a second $5 million investment in WRA’s innovation ecosystem, bringing The CJ Wang Family Foundation’s total support for innovation and entrepreneurship at the school to $10 million. The gift will support a 16,000-square-foot expansion of the school’s makerspace and innovation facilities and serves as the first step in a broader aspiration: creating a model that can inspire similar innovation centers at schools across the United States

“Western Reserve Academy is not the finish line,” Wang said. “It is the beginning. The results here are clear, that students learn best when they are given the freedom to create, build, experiment and solve real problems.”

The expanded facility at WRA, known as the Wang Makerspace, will serve as the centerpiece of WRA’s new Center for Arts, Innovation and Humanity. The project reflects WRA and Wang’s shared belief that future-ready education must combine technological fluency with creativity, ethics, communication and human-centered thinking.

Wang’s vision is deeply informed by his own career as an engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. As founder of the home appliance company Joyoung, Wang invented the world’s first automatic soy milk maker and built one of China’s most successful consumer brands. Today he serves as Chairman and Refounder of SharkNinja, whose products are used by millions of households around the world.

His original gift established WRA’s Wang Innovation Center in 2017, a facility that transformed teaching and learning on campus and became one of the school’s defining educational spaces. Students use the makerspace to engage in robotics, engineering, digital fabrication, entrepreneurship, design thinking and emerging technologies. The center has become a model for interdisciplinary learning and is frequently cited by prospective families as a defining feature of the WRA experience.

Today’s groundbreaking also celebrates two additional $1 million gifts that will establish the Hannah Han Artificial Intelligence Lab and the Jeanne Donovan Fisher Theater, as well as the support of the EE Ford Foundation for developing a center for Food Innovation, Service and Sustainability. Together these reinforce WRA’s belief that technology and humanity should advance together.

“Our Bicentennial is not simply about honoring 200 years of history,” said Suzanne Walker Buck, Head of School. “It is about imagining the next century of education. CJ Wang’s vision challenges all of us to think bigger about how schools can cultivate innovators, creators and leaders. His investment in WRA is helping build a model that reaches far beyond our campus.”

The groundbreaking will immediately follow another major Bicentennial milestone: the dedication of an official historical marker from the Ohio History Connection honoring Frederick Douglass and his landmark 1854 commencement address at Western Reserve College.

Together, the two ceremonies reflect the dual themes of WRA’s Bicentennial year: honoring the pursuit of truth that shaped its past while investing in the innovation that will define its future.

Founded in 1826, Western Reserve Academy is Ohio’s oldest boarding school and is celebrating its Bicentennial throughout 2026. The June 5 events follow a sold-out Bicentennial concert, Light and Truth, performed by The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Music Center. Learn more at WRA.net.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/western-reserve-academy-receives-10-million-from-sharkninja-chairman-302792836.html

SOURCE Western Reserve Academy

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