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Energy Corps Announces Four-Year, $4 Million Partnership with Mercuria, Immediately Funding Five Energy Projects

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PITTSBURGH and GENEVA, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Energy Corps, a U.S.-based nonprofit accelerating global access to affordable, reliable energy, today announced a four-year, large-scale partnership with Mercuria Energy Group, one of the world’s leading independent energy and commodity groups. The partnership will fund locally-led projects that expand energy access and strengthen the systems needed for those projects to endure and scale.

Mercuria connects markets and advances the energy transition by combining capital, market knowledge, and operational expertise. Its commitment provides Energy Corps with four years of stable funding to expand its grantmaking, learn from projects in varied settings, and share evidence about what helps modern energy systems grow. The partnership also brings Mercuria’s technical expertise, global network, and commitment to community engagement to Energy Corps’ locally-led, energy-agnostic approach.

In 2026, Mercuria’s support will enable Energy Corps to fund five projects serving communities in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Panama, and Zambia.

“Mercuria’s business is keeping energy flowing to the markets that depend on it and providing the capital solutions that help them grow. This long-term partnership with Energy Corps brings that same expertise and capital to locally-led projects designed to expand reliable energy access and the economic opportunity it enables,” said Brian Falik, Chief Investment Officer at Mercuria. “We look forward to learning from these projects and working together to enable these important initiatives to reach greater scale.”

“Energy Corps’ mission is achievable because great companies choose to lead with both expertise and heart,” said Toby Rice, founder of Energy Corps. “Organizations with a deep sense of purpose make possible everything we do, and we’re proud to welcome Mercuria as a partner.”

The five grants support an off-grid fishing community in Bangladesh, line workers building and maintaining the electric grid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indigenous communities in Panama, and two projects in Zambia focused on investment readiness and clean water. Each project responds to the needs and conditions of the community it serves.

“Our grantees are tackling key barriers to truly sustainable energy access: worker safety, productive use, reliable power, and investment readiness,” said Tisha Schuller, Head of Energy Corps. “Mercuria’s support gives us a strong runway to test these approaches, measure results, and help the most successful models scale.”

Five New Energy Access Grants

Supporting fishing livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh

Fishing is the primary livelihood along Bangladesh’s coast, but the economy is constrained by the isolated location of remote islands and the absence of reliable and affordable electricity. Dwip Unnayan Songstha (Island Development Association), with technical support from Pathway2050, will build a solar-powered community center including cold storage, ice making, a fish-drying facility, and space for grading and quality control, while providing power to nearby businesses and households through a local tariff model. Paired with training and microfinance for women and vulnerable groups, the project aims to cut post-harvest losses, improve quality and market access, and raise incomes for fishing families.

Building systems to protect line workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

As electrification expands across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so do the risks facing the line workers who build and maintain power infrastructure. NRECA International, the international arm of America’s electric cooperatives, will work with local partners to strengthen electrical safety practices through targeted training and practical tools tailored to local needs. The effort will help reduce accidents, build local capacity, and create a foundation for stronger safety practices.

Bringing reliable solar power to Indigenous communities in Panama

Many Indigenous communities in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in Panama don’t have access to the electrical grid. To bring this essential service to households, acciona.org in Panama will install home-based photovoltaic systems to provide a reliable power supply for lighting, as well as for communication, health care, education, and work-related needs. The project will enable agricultural processing for the local cooperative and provide internet access for the local community center to support education and commercial priorities.

Preparing distributed energy projects for investment in Zambia

Distributed energy can reach underserved communities faster than traditional grid extension, but promising projects often stall before they are ready for investment. RMI will work with Zambian energy sector partners and utilities to prepare up to two distributed energy resource projects for financing and implementation. Through customer studies, system design, financial modeling, and investor preparation, RMI aims to bring the projects to a bankable, implementation-ready stage and develop a replicable framework for scaling distributed energy investment in Zambia.

Providing solar-powered clean water in Kaude Village, Zambia

In rural communities in Zambia, thousands of people rely on unsafe water sources that put them at risk of waterborne diseases and don’t meet needs for cooking, washing, and growing food. Innovation: Africa will install a solar-powered water system in Kaude Village, Zambia, to bring safe water to taps throughout the community. The proven model provides community skills training and remote monitoring, supporting long-term operation. This initiative builds on Energy Corps’ initial investment in Innovation: Africa’s project in Chakumba, Zambia, where more than 3,000 community members gained access to safe water and no longer needed to make a daily 10-kilometer trip to an unsafe water source.

Mobilizing the Energy Sector

“Our partnerships with Mercuria and our grantees reflect our conviction that expanding access to modern energy requires the energy sector’s capital, expertise, and sustained engagement,” said Tisha Schuller. “Energy Corps brings the industry’s resources together with evidence-backed philanthropy, governments, and local leaders to accelerate progress.”

Energy Corps invites energy companies, philanthropists, policymakers, global development institutions, and local leaders to share this announcement with their networks and collaborate on practical pathways from energy poverty to energy prosperity. Industry leaders interested in becoming funding partners may contact giving@energycorps.com to arrange a conversation.

Learn more about Energy Corps’ approach and grantees at energycorps.com.

Media Contact: Eliza Keller; 857-209-4180
Media inquiries: 425960@email4pr.com
Funding partnerships: giving@energycorps.com

About Energy Corps
Energy Corps is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization accelerating global access to affordable, reliable energy. Guided by three catalytic pathways—unlocking policy and regulatory bottlenecks, attracting large-scale finance, and creating virtuous demand cycles—and its long-term 50-50-50 ambition of 50 megawatt-hours of reliable energy per person per year, $50,000 GDP per capita globally, and 50 years to maximize modern energy access, Energy Corps works with partners worldwide to test, learn, and share what enables modern energy to drive opportunity and prosperity. www.energycorps.com.

About Mercuria Energy Group
Mercuria Energy Group is one of the world’s largest independent energy and commodities groups. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland, Mercuria operates globally across the energy value chain, including crude oil and refined products, natural gas and LNG, power, renewable energy, metals, and carbon markets. The company is recognized for its strong focus on risk management, compliance, and operational excellence, as well as its investment in energy solutions that support global energy security and the energy transition. Mercuria supports communities connected to its business through projects focused on health, education, equality, livelihoods, and resilience. www.mercuria.com.

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TI celebrates 70 years of innovation in Europe alongside leading customers to engineer next-generation systems

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 Companies including ABB Robotics, Porsche, Schneider Electric and Husqvarna Group are working with TI to enable advancements in how the world moves, lives and works

News highlights:

TI is celebrating 70 years of operations in Europe, underscoring its commitment to helping customers across the continent and around the world solve their most complex engineering challenges.From early automotive electronics to today’s AI-driven infrastructure, TI has supported seven decades of technological advancement across Europe’s key industries.Through partnerships with key European companies, TI is shaping the future of mobility, automation and sustainable energy management.

MUNICH, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Texas Instruments (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) is celebrating 70 years of operations in Europe, demonstrating its long history of semiconductor innovation, research and development, manufacturing and customer partnership in the region. This milestone is a key part of TI’s near 100-year legacy of driving the technological advancements that power the modern world. The anniversary coincides with TI’s participation at electronica 2026, November 10-13, in Munich, Germany.

“Our 70-year commitment to Europe is a significant part of our story, but it is also a reflection of TI’s passion – creating a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors,” said Robert Berghoff, president of TI EMEA. “Our focus remains on empowering engineers in Europe and around the world as they navigate the transition toward more autonomous, AI-driven and intelligent systems. Whether through our local engineering or our global manufacturing scale, we are dedicated to providing reliable, high-performance semiconductors that help our customers solve their most complex design challenges.”

Innovating what’s next in intelligent systems
With the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of more than 80,000 analog and embedded processing semiconductors, TI enables efficient power management, precise sensing, seamless connectivity and AI processing at the edge. Globally, TI helps more than 100,000 customers, including leading companies in Europe, accelerate innovation across key markets, from industrial automation systems that increase productivity to safer, more advanced vehicles.

Transforming industrial automation with ABB Robotics
As ABB Robotics advances the next generation of Autonomous Versatile Robotics (AVR™), physical AI is enabling robots to perceive, reason and act in increasingly dynamic industrial environments. Achieving this requires innovation across the technology stack, from sensing and computing to control and power management. TI semiconductor technology helps support the performance, efficiency and real-time control requirements of intelligent robotic systems. Technologies including real-time control microcontrollers, sensing solutions and motor-control components play an important role in enabling increasingly autonomous, adaptive and connected automation solutions.

“The transition toward physical AI and with it autonomous versatile robotics depends on advances across the entire technology ecosystem,” said Johan Ernlund, Global R&D Manager – Platform, ABB Robotics. “TI’s leadership in real-time processing, sensing and motor control provides important building blocks for the next generation of industrial automation. Together, we are helping create robotic systems that can operate safely, intelligently and efficiently in increasingly complex environments.”­­

Architecting next-generation vehicles with Porsche 
As the automotive industry shifts toward vehicles that are more intelligent and immersive, the need for advanced, efficient semiconductor solutions has never been more critical. In partnership with Porsche, TI is enabling a new era of automotive excellence through industry-leading audio and gallium nitride (GaN) technologies.

“Bringing next-generation vehicle experiences to our customers means that we are not just adopting technology, but actively driving it forward,” said Lars Heuken, Strategic Semiconductor Management, Porsche. “By working with TI to integrate GaN technology, we can achieve more efficient and compact designs without compromising on performance. This collaboration also allows us to define the next step in high-end audio performance, ensuring an exceptional experience inside the cabin.”

Powering AI from grid to gate with Schneider Electric
As AI infrastructure and sustainable energy drive unprecedented power demands, TI is partnering with Schneider Electric to solve critical design challenges and enable the next generation of AI data centers. By combining TI’s semiconductor innovations – including advanced power conversion, improved energy efficiency and scalable infrastructure – with Schneider Electric’s power management expertise, the two companies are enabling higher power density in increasingly compact footprints.

“At Schneider Electric, we’re focused on building a more sustainable and resilient future,” said Ard Verboon, Chief Procurement Officer, Schneider Electric. “As an enabler of the energy transition, we’re constantly seeking the high-efficiency power solutions that today’s critical design challenges demand. TI’s technologies provide the building blocks for systems that require resilience and efficiency, from energy management systems to industrial automation.”

Accelerating innovation in intelligent outdoor systems with Husqvarna Group 
As consumers demand greater convenience and reduced maintenance through more autonomous and connected outdoor products, engineers must accelerate the transition from concept to implementation at unprecedented speeds. TI and Husqvarna Group have been collaborating to bring next-generation products to market, from smart watering solutions to robot lawn mowers. By leveraging TI’s advanced development tools, Husqvarna Group engineers can optimize every stage of the development cycle, allowing them to focus on high-value innovation: building the smart, connected solutions that set new standards for precision and ease of use.

TI at electronica 2026
At electronica 2026, TI will showcase how its analog and embedded processing products are helping innovate what’s next in intelligent systems. Demonstrations include the latest advancements in automation, automotive, sustainable energy and more. Visit ti.com/electronica for more information.

About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN) is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures and sells analog and embedded processing chips for markets such as industrial, automotive, data center, personal electronics and communications equipment. At our core, we have a passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. This passion is alive today as each generation of innovation builds upon the last to make our technology more reliable, more affordable and lower power, making it possible for semiconductors to go into electronics everywhere. Learn more at TI.com.

Trademarks
All registered trademarks and other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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New Businessolver Research Finds CEOs and CHROs Expect Empathy to Cost Them Authority

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Data shows 59% of CEOs and 51% of CHROs expect their decisions to be challenged when they lead with empathy

DENVER, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The two executives most responsible for shaping workplace culture expect to pay a price for leading with empathy. In new Businessolver research, 59% of CEOs and 51% of CHROs (or Chief People Officers) say their decisions will be challenged if they lead with empathy. Yet 99% of CEOs and 88% of CHROs believe empathy contributes to business results.

The findings come from Part 2 of Businessolver’s 2026 State of Workplace Empathy C-Suite Special Report, “Inside America’s C-suite: What happens when executives don’t feel safe?” The study of 1,000 employees and 300 C-suite executives, including CEOs, CFOs, CIOs/CTOs, and CHROs/CPOs, is part of the company’s 11th annual study on empathy at work.

Executives name the CEO as the leader with the most influence over a culture of empathy. But 43% of CEOs fear they will lose respect if they demonstrate empathy at work, and 61% say empathy is hard to demonstrate consistently in their day-to-day work.

“Executives have overwhelmingly accepted the business case for empathy, but data shows many still don’t feel safe acting on it,” said Marcy Klipfel, chief engagement officer at Businessolver. “It’s a shocking trend that so many chief people leaders feel constrained in their ability to lead with the empathy employees need. When the CEO and CHRO brace for pushback every time they lead with empathy, that tension impacts how decisions are made. And ultimately, employees feel it long before it shows up in turnover or declining productivity.”

The report also surfaced patterns that complicate how boards and HR leaders think about culture at the top:

Empathy feels riskiest where it’s needed most. 78% of executives in toxic cultures fear losing respect for showing empathy, compared with 14% in non-toxic cultures, a 64-point gap.Executives and employees disagree about who sets the tone for empathy. Just 2% of executives say non-manager employees have the most impact on workplace empathy, compared with 32% of employees.Millennial executives report the most friction putting empathy into practice. 34% say empathy gets in the way of their personal business goals, more than twice the rate of Gen X executives (16%).Employees are 1.7X more likely than executives to report a mental health issue in the past year (55% vs. 33%). Among those affected, 54% of employees report depression, compared with 12% of executives.

The report details how each C-suite role experiences coworker intimidation and mental health strain differently. Taken together, Businessolver’s C-suite reports suggest business performance can look strong even as trust and psychological safety erode below the surface.

Download the full report at https://businessolver.com/resources/2026-state-of-workplace-empathy-c-suite-special-report-p2/

About Businessolver
Since 1998, Businessolver has delivered market-changing benefits technology that empowers empathetic service supported by an intrinsic responsiveness to client needs. The company creates client programs that maximize benefits program investment, minimize risk exposure, and engage employees with easy-to-use solutions and communication tools to assist them in making wise and cost-efficient benefits selections. Founded by HR professionals, Businessolver’s unwavering service-oriented culture and secure SaaS platform provide measurable success in its mission to provide complete client delight.

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Buchanan & Edwards Wins Seven-Year Prime Contract to Support Critical National Security Missions

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New Award Expands BE’s Systems Integration and Technical Advisory Support for Critical National Security Missions

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Buchanan & Edwards (BE) announced today that it has been awarded a seven-year, Cost Plus Fixed Fee Level of Effort prime contract to provide systems integration, engineering, technical, and operational expertise in support of critical national security missions.

This award demonstrates the value BE brings at the intersection of technology, mission, and people.

Under the award, BE will provide highly skilled Systems Integrators (SI) and Systems Engineering Technical Advisor (SETA) professionals supporting complex mission requirements in the Chantilly, Virginia area. The work will span systems integration and interoperability, requirements development, technical analysis, program planning, risk identification and mitigation, technology assessment, and coordination across mission stakeholders.

“This is an important win for BE and a reflection of the trust our team has built through a deep understanding of our customers and their missions,” said Tara Davey, Mission Sector President at BE. “The work requires experienced professionals who can bring together technical expertise, sound analysis, and strong collaboration to help our customer navigate complex challenges and move critical mission priorities forward.”

Skilled personnel will work alongside government stakeholders to help coordinate technical activities, evaluate requirements and emerging technologies, identify and mitigate risks, and provide actionable recommendations that support informed decision-making.

“This award demonstrates the value BE brings at the intersection of technology, mission, and people,” said Chris Bellios, CEO of BE. “Winning a new seven-year prime contract is a significant milestone for our organization and reinforces the strength of our long-term growth strategy. It gives our teams the opportunity to bring the right expertise to the table, work alongside our customer, and deliver meaningful impact across missions of national importance.”

The award will create opportunities for cleared Systems Integrators, Systems Engineering and Technical Advisor professionals, engineers, analysts, and other technical specialists supporting missions in the Chantilly area.

Interested candidates can explore current opportunities at https://teambe.us/careers

About BE

Since 1998, BE has safeguarded the security and prosperity of the American people as a trusted partner to the defense, intelligence, law enforcement, and citizen services communities. We deliver unmatched technical and operational capabilities that drive mission success in today’s complex landscape. With a future-focused approach and an unwavering commitment to our clients, we design and implement solutions that strengthen, secure, and advance critical missions.

For additional information, please visit our websites at www.teambe.us

Media Contact: Scott King, sking@teambe.us

Media Contact

Scott King, Buchanan & Edwards (BE), 1 703-535-5511, sking@teambe.us, www.teambe.us

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