Chris Kelm has joined Watchfire as vice president of on premise sales.

DANVILLE, Ill., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Watchfire, a leading manufacturer of LED signs, digital billboards, and video displays, announced that Chris Kelm has joined the company as vice president of on premise sales.

For nearly a century, Watchfire has built its business on trusted relationships with the sign companies that bring its products to local businesses and communities. Leading the on premise division carries a responsibility to uphold that trust while helping partners pursue new opportunities. Kelm brings a background in supporting distribution premises, developing on premise, and aligning commercial operations around partner success.

“Chris brings deep expertise in dealer channel strategy, with a strong foundation in leadership and sales operations,” said Steve Harriott, president and CEO of Watchfire. “His background aligns well with Watchfire’s values, and he will further strengthen our relationships with our sign company customers.”

Kelm most recently served as vice president of Foodservice Sales at The Vollrath Company, where he led a 60-person sales organization and oversaw distribution strategy across multiple markets. Previously, he spent more than 15 years at Johnson Controls in roles spanning finance, corporate strategy, commercial operations, and sales management. His responsibilities included directing the commercial functions and business transformation efforts for a $1.6 billion product business and leading the global channel strategy and commercial operations supporting approximately 2,000 sellers across 10 business units.

“Joining Watchfire is an incredible opportunity,” Kelm said. “The company has built a remarkable reputation as an industry leader with premier products that set the standard, and we’re backed by the best dealer partners in the business. But what really drew me in is the culture. It’s focused, mission-driven, and powered by people who are eager to win. I’m excited to be part of this winning team.”

Kelm succeeds Dave Warns, who is stepping back after 14 years with Watchfire. Warns helped build the company’s on premise sales organization and has been a tireless advocate for its dealers and customers. Watchfire recognizes his leadership, dedication, and the strong foundation he leaves for the team’s continued success.

Kelm holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and information technology from Northern Michigan University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

About Watchfire

Watchfire designs and engineers the best-looking, most durable outdoor LED signs, indoor displays, digital billboards, and video scoreboards, helping businesses and organizations communicate effectively, increase visibility, and drive growth. Headquartered in Danville, Ill., Watchfire has manufactured electric signs for more than 90 years and LED signs since 1998, using meticulously sourced components from around the world. Watchfire has more than 70,000 LED signs in operation worldwide and more digital billboard customers in the U.S. than any other brand. For more information, visit watchfire.com or follow Watchfire on LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Christine Roe, Watchfire, 1 610.241.2170, christine@teamclarus.com, https://www.watchfire.com/

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SOURCE Watchfire

Fishman PR earns the top spot in the Public Relations category of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Annual Top Franchise Suppliers ranking, based on direct franchisor feedbackChicago-based national PR & marketing agency also scores high marks in Worldcom Public Relations Group’s international peer reviewAfter 35 years, Fishman PR continues to evolve its services across franchise PR, content marketing, digital, SEO, GEO, influencer relations, and crisis communications

CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently celebrating 35 years of helping franchise brands grow, Fishman Public Relations (“Fishman PR”), a leading national franchise PR and content marketing/digital agency, has once again claimed the No. 1 spot in the Public Relations category on Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Top Franchise Suppliers ranking, which highlights the top-ranked service providers to the franchise industry across 13 categories. The ranking is featured in the September/October issue of Entrepreneur magazine and on Entrepreneur.com.

This marks the ninth consecutive year Fishman PR has achieved No. 1 franchise PR firm spot in Entrepreneur’s Top Franchise Suppliers ranking, which is based on an annual survey of franchisors, from emerging brands to some of the oldest in the industry. This year, more than 1,000 franchise brands participated, reporting to Entrepreneur which suppliers they and their franchisees work with and rating their satisfaction with those suppliers’ services in the areas of quality, cost, and value. Each supplier received a score based on the survey results, and the top-scoring suppliers are ranked within their respective categories.

“Being recognized as the top franchise PR agency for nine years running is something we never take for granted,” said Sherri Fishman, founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Fishman PR. “Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to work with brands that lean in, believe in our people and process, and know the power of a well-told story.” Fishman PR CEO Brad Fishman says the firm’s formula is simple: “Everything goes back to two things – doing great work and building meaningful relationships.”

Since its founding in 1991, Fishman PR has been at the forefront of helping franchisors share their stories, sell franchises, and attract customers. Today, the agency continues to set high standards for the industry, delivering bold, integrated campaigns that combine:

Franchise opportunity PR and consumer brand awareness through strategic media outreach and storytelling at the national and local levelsCustomized Grand Opening PR packages for franchiseesContent marketing, SEO, and GEO that fuels franchise development lead generation and keeps brands visible in AI-driven searches (AI Visibility Management)Digital marketing, paid media, and influencer strategies to reach relevant audiencesCrisis communications and PR campaigns that protect and strengthen brands’ reputations at every stage

“The strength of a franchise system often comes down to the partners standing behind it,” says Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur magazine’s editor in chief. “That’s why we survey more than 1,000 franchisors to find out which suppliers they trust most. This is a critical business decision, and every franchise should get it right.”

In addition to the Entrepreneur ranking honor, Fishman PR this year also successfully passed the rigorous peer review process by the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations firms, with 110 offices employing some 2,000 across 45 countries and six continents. The peer review evaluation recognized Fishman PR’s excellence in service delivery, client satisfaction, business and agency management operations, with strong marks across the three categories assessed on strategic approach, client satisfaction, and Worldcom partner performance.

“As a PR firm, we work hard every day to help our clients achieve third-party validation for their brands and franchise opportunities. That’s why receiving high scores from franchisors in the Entrepreneur ranking, as well as from our PR industry peers in Worldcom, is especially meaningful,” said Debra Vilchis, President & COO of Fishman PR.

That sentiment was echoed by the agency’s Chief Growth Officer, Zack Fishman. “Being regularly evaluated by clients and peers holds us accountable, and pushes the entire PR profession forward,” he said.

To view Fishman PR in the Top Franchise Suppliers list, pick up the September/October issue of Entrepreneur magazine, on newsstands September 22nd, or visit https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/top-franchise-suppliers  

About Fishman Public Relations
Founded in 1991, Fishman Public Relations is the premier national franchise PR agency offering best-in-class media relations, content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, GEO, influencer relations and crisis communications for franchise brands. For 35 years, the specialty agency has helped hundreds of franchise systems grow through effective franchise lead generation and brand awareness campaigns. This latest recognition from Entrepreneur reinforces Fishman PR’s long-standing position as the best franchise public relations firm, trusted by franchisors nationwide to drive growth through powerful storytelling and strategic innovation. To learn more about franchise PR agency services, please visit www.fishmanpr.com.

FAQs

What is Worldcom Public Relations Group?
Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s largest partnership of independently-owned public relations firms, with more 110 offices employing some 2,000 across 45 countries and six continents. Member agencies collaborate on international client work, share best practices, exchange referrals, and participate in professional development opportunities.

What is Fishman Public Relations?
Fishman Public Relations (Fishman PR) is a national public relations and content marketing agency headquartered in Chicago with more than 35 years of experience helping franchise brands grow through strategic communications.

What services does Fishman PR provide?
Fishman PR offers best-in-class franchise PR, content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, GEO/AI Visibility Management, influencer relations, local PR campaigns, and crisis communications.

What makes Fishman PR unique within Worldcom?
Fishman PR is Worldcom’s exclusive agency partner specializing in franchise public relations and franchise development communications. This allows franchise brands to work with a firm that combines deep industry expertise with access to trusted communications partners around the world.

What other accolades has Fishman PR earned?
Fishman PR has been ranked the No. 1 Public Relations Agency in Franchising by Entrepreneur for nine consecutive years. The firm’s leadership has also been recognized by the International Franchise Association for outstanding contributions to the franchising industry.

Media Contact: Paige Stark, Fishman Public Relations, pstark@fishmanpr.com

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SOURCE Fishman Public Relations, Inc.

$450 million debt financing led by J.P. Morgan, Capital One and Citi comprises a $400 million term loan and $50 million revolving credit facility.Revamped Bird platform builds on giving AI agents access to the outer world in a regulated compliance-focused Agentic Harness to send messages, make calls, and manage email directly, as Bird accelerates its push into the US.Bird generated $165 million EBITDA in 2025 following extensive automation across the business.

NEW YORK and AMSTERDAM, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AI communications infrastructure company Bird.com has completed a $450 million debt financing, led by J.P. Morgan, and unveiled a revamped Agentic Harness platform that now lets AI agents send messages, place calls, manage email, and even get their own eSIM phone plan on Bird’s network without custom integration.

The platform forms part of Bird’s broader repositioning to serve the growing agent economy as the company accelerates its push into the US.

This follows a two-year period during which the company continued to grow, generated $165 million EBITDA in 2025 and extensively automated its operations.

Bird’s headcount has fallen from more than 1,000 at its peak to 120 today, driven by extensive automation across the business rather than a retreat from the market. The automation drive has resulted in higher productivity and lower prices for customers, with some channels costing 90% less than competitors.

Robert Vis, founder and CEO of Bird.com, said:

“This is the direction the global economy is heading in, and we as a company have demonstrated how automation can work. We didn’t automate to cut headcount, we did it to become more productive, and the headcount came down as a result.”

“Half the apps on your phone rely on our infrastructure, and yet we’re running this business at a fraction of the size we used to be. You can’t do that unless you’re automated in a way that would have sounded crazy a few years ago.”

The $450 million financing comprises a $400 million term loan and $50 million revolving credit facility. It is structured as a dividend recapitalization, providing liquidity to Bird’s existing shareholders, including current and former employees with equity in the company. The financing involved seven banks, including J.P. Morgan, Capital One and Citi.

Shikha Goyal-Allain, Managing Director and Market Executive, Innovation Economy, Commercial Banking at J.P. Morgan, said:

“We’re seeing significant growth in agentic AI, and we expect that to keep accelerating as agents transact and communicate on people’s behalf. Bird has built a business combining scale, a lean operating model and sustained profitability. Leading this financing reflects our confidence in Bird’s fundamentals and in Robert’s track record of running a highly efficient, profitable business as it takes on its next chapter.”

Bird’s revamped platform includes a new layer — its Agentic Harness — specifically designed for AI agents to use Bird’s products via the technical protocols they rely on to connect to software, with full access to create, update and manage information across Bird’s systems on their own, so no human needs to log in. Operational mechanics that previously had to be handled manually by developers, including how message delivery differs by country and how to reach an inbox differently depending on the provider, can now be executed without a human in the loop. Agents’ ability to manage the Harness end-to-end is a significant differentiator versus competitors such as Twilio where agents’ access is more limited. Further, the platform connects to multiple major AI models rather than a single one, giving Bird’s customers enormous flexibility.

Robert Vis added:

“The world is filling up with AI agents. They can reason, plan and decide. But an agent that can’t send the email, fire the text or pick up the phone never actually achieves anything. We’ve built the layer that lets AI take actions in the real world. With Bird, every app or web application can communicate through ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor, making the agent economy work.”

Notes to editors

J.P. Morgan led the financing as joint lead arranger, joint bookrunner and administrative agent, with Capital One and Citi as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Flagstar and Huntington are also in the lender syndicate.

About Bird.com

Bird.com is an AI communications infrastructure company founded in 2011 by Robert Vis. It is the messaging infrastructure of the modern internet, moving trillions of messages a year. It offers one API for email, SMS, WhatsApp, voice and RCS, built so that developers and AI agents can reach the world in a few lines of code. It is trusted by enterprises across 150+ countries and is dual-headquartered in New York and Amsterdam. Learn more at bird.com.

SOURCE Bird.com