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DirectLink Completes Service Area-Wide Fiber Expansion, Announces Fiber Fest Celebrations in Canby and Mt. Angel

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DirectLink – a member-owned telecommunications co-op serving the communities of Canby and Mt. Angel in Oregon’s Willamette Valley since 1904 – has completed its service area-wide fiber network expansion, bringing fiber internet access to homes and businesses throughout its serving territory. The milestone will be celebrated with Fiber Fest community events in Canby and Mt. Angel on September 2, 2026.

CANBY, Ore., Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — DirectLink has reached a historic milestone with the completion of its service area-wide fiber expansion, making fiber internet available to homes and businesses throughout its cooperative service territory. To celebrate the achievement, DirectLink will host Fiber Fest community celebrations on September 2, 2026, in both Canby and Mt. Angel.

“As a member-owned co-op, we’ve always believed in investing for the long term. This achievement is the result of years of planning, substantial capital investment, and the unwavering commitment of our employees, board members, construction partners, and cooperative members.” – President Paul Hauer

The milestone represents the culmination of nearly two decades of investment in advanced broadband infrastructure. Since beginning its fiber deployment initiative in 2008, DirectLink has steadily expanded fiber connectivity across its service area, transforming the region into one of Oregon’s most connected communities.

Fiber-to-the-premises technology provides the speed, reliability, and capacity needed to support everything from remote work and telehealth to online learning, video streaming, smart home technology, and cloud-based business applications. By extending fiber availability throughout its service area, DirectLink has created a strong foundation for the communities’ future connectivity needs.

“Completing our fiber network across the entire service area is one of the most significant accomplishments in DirectLink’s history,” said Paul Hauer, President of DirectLink. “As a member-owned cooperative, we’ve always believed in investing for the long term. This achievement is the result of years of planning, substantial capital investment, and the unwavering commitment of our employees, board members, construction partners, and cooperative members. Together, we’ve built a communications network that will serve our communities for generations.”

The completed expansion marks the latest chapter in DirectLink’s long-standing leadership in broadband innovation. In 2014, the company became one of Oregon’s first Gigabit communities, introducing internet speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second to local residents and businesses. Just one year later, DirectLink – known as Canby Telcom at the time – earned the prestigious North American Gimme Fiber Award from the Fiber to the Home Council and was selected as the only U.S. host for the international Gimme Fiber Day celebration, showcasing the Canby community as an example of next-generation connectivity.

“Many communities across the country are still working toward widespread fiber access,” said Derrick Mottern, Chief Operations Officer at DirectLink. “Completing this expansion ensures that residents and businesses throughout our service area have access to the same advanced broadband capability, regardless of location. That consistency is especially important in a cooperative service area, where every member deserves access to reliable, high-quality connectivity.”

Today, DirectLink offers fiber internet speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second, with whole-home managed WiFi included with every residential internet speed tier. The cooperative also provides Outdoor WiFi solutions to extend connectivity beyond the home. For local businesses, DirectLink delivers fiber internet, hosted PBX phone systems, managed network solutions, and other technology services that power hundreds of organizations throughout the Canby and Mt. Angel areas.

The completion of the network was made possible through close collaboration among DirectLink’s internal teams and several key construction and engineering partners. North Sky Communications, JSI, and Mountain West played essential roles in network design, construction, and connecting addresses to fiber.

“Projects of this scale require strong partnerships and a shared commitment to excellence,” said Eric Kehler, Director of Plant and Field Operations at DirectLink. “We’re incredibly grateful for the work of North Sky Communications, JSI, and Mountain West, alongside our own talented employees. Together, we’ve spent years planning routes, placing fiber, completing installations, and connecting homes and businesses across our service area. This accomplishment reflects the dedication of everyone who helped make service area-wide fiber availability possible.”

In addition to delivering faster internet speeds, the fiber network strengthens the economic vitality of the communities DirectLink serves. Reliable broadband has become essential infrastructure for attracting employers, supporting entrepreneurs, enabling remote work opportunities, advancing education, and improving access to healthcare and public services. With universal fiber availability now complete, DirectLink’s service area is well-positioned to support future growth and innovation.

To commemorate the milestone, DirectLink will host Fiber Fest celebrations on September 2, 2026, in both Canby and Mt. Angel. The events will recognize the successful completion of the fiber project while bringing together cooperative members and neighbors, community leaders, business partners, and employees to celebrate the future of connectivity in the region.

“Fiber Fest is about more than a network project,” Hauer added. “It’s about celebrating what a community-owned cooperative can achieve when it remains focused on serving its members. This network was built for the communities we serve, and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone with everyone who helped make it possible.”

More information about the Fiber Fest Celebration can be found at www.directlink.coop/fiberfest.

About DirectLink

DirectLink is a member-owned telecommunications cooperative that has served the Canby and Mt. Angel areas of Oregon since 1904. The co-op provides internet, WiFi, and voice services to residents and organizations with a focus on local service, innovation, and community investment. DirectLink is committed to delivering reliable communications services that enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the communities it serves.

Press Contact Information:

DirectLink

Conner Williams

conner.williams@cbsoregon.com

503-266-8275

www.directlink.coop

© 2026 DirectLink. All rights reserved. DirectLink and the DirectLink logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Canby Telephone Association dba DirectLink. All other product, font, and company names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact

Conner Williams, DirectLink, 1 503-266-8275, conner.williams@cbsoregon.com, www.directlink.coop

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SOURCE DirectLink

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The Apex Institute Reveals What Hiring Managers Actually Want in Cloud and AI Infrastructure Roles

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Job seekers spend most of their energy guessing what employers want. The people actually doing the hiring say the answer is simpler than most candidates think.

BOWIE, Md., Aug. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hiring managers filling cloud and AI infrastructure roles decide on four things: whether they trust you with a system that costs money when it breaks, whether you can explain a technical problem in plain language, whether you can point to real work you did, and how you behave when you do not know an answer. Skill only gets you past the first filter.

Most career advice is written from one side of the table. How to write a resume, how to answer interview questions, how to follow up. Almost none of it comes from the people actually deciding who gets hired.

That is the more useful conversation, says Tayo Lusi, founder of The Apex Institute. His training program tracks hiring patterns across cloud and infrastructure roles closely, and he says most candidates optimize for the wrong thing.

“Job seekers think hiring managers are looking for the smartest person in the room,” Tayo said. “Most of the time, they are looking for the person they trust the least to cause a problem at two in the morning.”

What do hiring managers actually decide on?

Four things, in roughly this order.

Trust. Would they hand you a system that costs real money and real downtime if it breaks.Communication. Can you explain a technical problem to someone who is not technical.Proof of real work. Can you point at something you built and say what problem it solved.Handling uncertainty. What you do when you hit something you do not know.

Does the most technically skilled candidate win?

Rarely. Skill is the entry fee, not the deciding factor.

Technical skill gets you through the first filter. It proves you can do the work at a baseline. Past that point the skill gap between finalists shrinks, and something else decides it.

That something else is trust. Hiring managers are not only asking whether you can build something. They are asking whether they want you paged at midnight when it goes down. If you want to know what to learn and in what order before any of this matters, the free Cloud Engineering Career Path Roadmap lays out the sequence.

Why does clear communication matter so much?

Because cloud and AI infrastructure roles are never isolated. You explain technical problems to non technical people, write documentation other engineers rely on, and stay calm describing what went wrong during an outage.

Candidates who can only speak in technical language raise a quiet red flag. Hiring managers read it as risk. If you cannot explain a problem clearly in an interview, they wonder how you will explain a production issue at 3 a.m. to a team already under pressure.

What counts as proof of real work?

A resume full of tool names says almost nothing. Everyone lists the same platforms and certifications. What separates candidates is pointing at something they built and explaining the problem it solved.

“A project with a clear before and after is worth more than five certifications,” Tayo said. “I have sat across from candidates who could not explain why the thing they built mattered. That is a bigger problem than not knowing enough tools.”

This is the common blind spot for graduates of traditional coding and IT programs. They finish with a list of completed lessons and no story about impact. Hiring managers notice that gap immediately.

Get the free Cloud Project Portfolio Blueprint and build the one project a hiring manager will actually ask about.

How should you handle not knowing an answer?

Say so, then explain how you would find out. That answer beats a confident guess almost every time.

Nobody walks in knowing a company’s specific systems, and hiring managers expect gaps. They are watching how you respond when you hit one. Someone who guesses confidently and gets it wrong is a bigger risk than someone honest about the gap, because in infrastructure work false confidence under pressure does more damage than missing knowledge.

Why are cloud and AI infrastructure roles harder to fill right now?

Because spending on this area is rising while hiring slows elsewhere. Roles sit open longer here than almost any other category in tech. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued growth across computer and information technology occupations through the decade, with demand concentrated near infrastructure and security.

That pressure does not lower the bar on trust and communication. It raises it, because a bad infrastructure hire is more expensive to unwind than almost any other role. And when you do reach the offer, the free Tech Salary Negotiation Scripts and the free Cloud Engineering Salary Benchmark cover what the role is worth and how to ask for it.

Can these qualities be taught?

That is the bet The Apex Institute is built on. Most programs teach the technical skill and leave the rest to the candidate. Here, communication, documented proof of work and how you handle uncertainty are part of the curriculum rather than an afterthought.

Students have reported more than $11 million in combined job offers across 41 people. Individual results vary and are not typical.

“We are not just trying to teach people cloud infrastructure,” Tayo said. “We are trying to teach people to think like the person on the other side of the interview table, because that is who decides whether they get hired.”

The longer term goal is bigger than any one cohort. The company aims to impact millions of lives globally, including future nonprofit initiatives in developing countries teaching foundational cloud and tech skills. The qualities hiring managers trust are not tied to a country or a background. They can be built anywhere.

How do you become the candidate they hire?

Stop trying to be the smartest person in the room. Be the one they trust with cloud and AI infrastructure roles at two in the morning.

Get the free Cloud Project Portfolio Blueprint and build proof instead of another certificate.

Book your free career strategy call and get an honest read on how you would interview today.

About The Apex Institute

The Apex Institute is an IT career training company that trains working professionals in cloud engineering, DevOps and AI infrastructure, helping them move into the roles employers are struggling to fill as AI adoption accelerates. Students have reported more than $11 million in job offers to date. Individual results vary and are not typical. Learn more at apexedu.io.

Media Contact
Tayo Lusi
contact@apexedu.io

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-apex-institute-reveals-what-hiring-managers-actually-want-in-cloud-and-ai-infrastructure-roles-302857740.html

SOURCE The Apex Institute

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Avidian Wealth Solutions Surpasses $6 Billion in Assets Under Management (as of date)

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The $6 billion milestone underscores more than two decades of growth for the independent, fiduciary-led firm.

HOUSTON, Aug. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Avidian Wealth Solutions, an independent SEC-registered investment advisor firm serving families throughout Texas and across the United States, has grown its total assets under management to more than $6 billion. The milestone continues a multi-year growth trajectory for the firm, which surpassed $4 billion in AUM in 2023.

“We remain focused on the same mission that has guided us from the start: helping the families we serve better consolidate and coordinate their financial lives and plan for their financial futures,” says Avidian CEO Luke Patterson.

Avidian’s growth over the past several years reflects an expanding footprint and a broadening suite of services, including financial planning, investment management, private fund opportunities, risk management, and endowment/foundation services, all delivered through a family office-style model. The firm has continued to add planners and CPAs to its team as it has grown.

“This milestone reflects the dedication of our team and the trust our clients place in us,” says Avidian CEO Luke Patterson. “We remain focused on the same mission that has guided us from the start: helping the families we serve better consolidate and coordinate their financial lives and plan for their financial futures.”

Moving forward, Avidian will stay committed to its service-driven approach, continuing to invest in its team and its offerings on behalf of the individuals and families it serves.

ABOUT AVIDIAN WEALTH SOLUTIONS

Avidian Wealth Solutions is a team of independent fiduciaries who are committed to meeting the unique needs and challenges of our clients. With a comprehensive and evolving suite of services including but not limited to financial planning, investment management, and insurance solutions, we strive to minimize risk through all aspects of our business, by understanding trends and planning strategically — while consistently maintaining our core values of trust, credibility, and transparency. For more information, visit Avidianwealth.com

For more information, please contact Justin King at 281-822-8802 or email justinking@avidianwealth.com.

Media Contact

Justin King, Avidian Wealth Solutions, 1 281-822-8802, justinking@avidianwealth.com, https://avidianwealth.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/avidian-wealth-solutions-surpasses-6-billion-in-assets-under-management-as-of-date-302857576.html

SOURCE Avidian Wealth Solutions

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What If Your Selfie Became a Game? DREAMOSIS Turns You and Anything You Own Into a Collectible World

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DREAMOSIS is a new kind of mobile game where your selfie, everyday objects and real-world places become the building blocks of your own evolving collectible universe.

LONDON, Aug. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Take a selfie. Photograph anything around you. DREAMOSIS turns the combination into something that has never existed before — a unique digital Relic born from you and your world.

London-based Novifolium Ltd has launched DREAMOSIS, a mobile game built around a provocative idea:

What if the main character wasn’t designed by a game studio — because it was you?

Instead of entering somebody else’s predetermined universe, DREAMOSIS asks players to bring their own reality into the game.

Your face. Your possessions. The places you visit.

They become ingredients.

Take a selfie. Pick an object. See what you become.

The core experience starts with something almost everyone already does: taking a selfie.

Players combine a selfie + a photograph of virtually any object + a Dreamdrop discovered within DREAMOSIS.

Then the unexpected happens.

Those ingredients are transformed into a unique digital Relic that becomes part of the player’s collection.

A pair of sunglasses. A coffee cup. A souvenir found halfway around the world. Even something sitting forgotten on your desk.

If you can photograph it, it can become part of your DREAMOSIS world.

Because the ingredients come from the player, two people can play DREAMOSIS and emerge with radically different collections.

Dreamdrops hide parallel versions of the real world

Behind the selfie experience sits another layer: Dreamdrops.

Dreamdrops are collectible discoveries tied to parallel, imagined versions of real locations. Cities become explorable constellations of familiar landmarks, hidden places and unexpected curiosities — each reinterpreted through the DREAMOSIS universe.

A player exploring London, for example, might encounter Dreamdrops connected to places ranging from the British Museum and Highgate Cemetery to Little Venice, Portobello Road and the Barbican Conservatory — alongside more obscure locations waiting to be uncovered.

Some are visible. Others exist only as rumours until discovered.

But finding them is only the beginning.

The Dreamdrop becomes an ingredient. The player provides the selfie and the object. DREAMOSIS turns all three into something personal.

So a discovery associated with a real place can ultimately become a Relic that could belong to only one player.

This isn’t a game world. It’s your world, dreaming.

Traditional games create a universe and ask millions of people to enter it.

DREAMOSIS reverses that relationship.

It takes your face, your objects and echoes of places that actually exist and lets them collide inside a parallel collectible universe.

A journey can leave behind more than photographs.

A random possession can acquire another identity.

And a selfie can become the beginning of something that has never existed before.

The universe has already escaped the screen

DREAMOSIS doesn’t end as an app.

DREAMO — Novifolium’s physical collectible character series — was successfully backed on Kickstarter, demonstrating early interest in bringing the wider universe into physical form.

The relationship works in both directions: DREAMOSIS pulls people, objects and locations into its digital universe, while DREAMO brings characters from that creative world back into physical reality.

Together, the projects point toward a broader ambition:

A world that can move between person, place, screen and shelf.

What if the next entertainment universe is built from its audience?

Generative technology is changing how games, characters and digital worlds can be created.

DREAMOSIS asks a different question:

What happens when the player’s own face, possessions and experiences become the raw material?

Millions of players don’t have to experience exactly the same universe.

They can create millions of different ones.

One selfie. One object. One Dreamdrop. What will you become?

DREAMOSIS — The game doesn’t just give you a world. It dreams yours.

About DREAMOSIS

DREAMOSIS is a mobile interactive entertainment experience developed by Novifolium Ltd. Players combine selfies and photographs of real-world objects with collectible Dreamdrops connected to parallel interpretations of real locations, creating unique digital Relics and personal collections.

About DREAMO

DREAMO is Novifolium’s physical collectible character series. The project was successfully backed through Kickstarter and forms the physical collectible layer of the wider DREAMOSIS universe.

About Novifolium

Novifolium Ltd (Company No. 16788696) is a London-based company developing original entertainment, digital experiences and collectible intellectual property.

DREAMOSIS is available now on iOS and Android:
dreamosis.com/app

Media enquiries:
Novifolium Ltd — hello@novifolium.com

Press Contact: Augustine, https://www.novifolium.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/what-if-your-selfie-became-a-game-dreamosis-turns-you-and-anything-you-own-into-a-collectible-world-302857713.html

SOURCE Novifolium Ltd

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