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World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (#WLSL2024) Kicks Off First Day of Summer with Global Event Teaching Kids and Parents How to Be Water Aware

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More Than 600 Waterparks, Swim Schools and Pools in 19 Countries Taught an Estimated 43,000 Kids Vital Swim and Water Safety Skills to Combat Increased Drowning Risk Following the Pandemic

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 15th Annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, coordinated by the World Waterpark Association, brought together thousands of water safety advocates on six continents to send a united message on the first day of summer: Swimming Lessons Save Lives.

Drowning, the single leading cause of death for kids ages 1-4, is on the rise in the U.S. for the first time in decades and making swimming lessons more accessible can save lives, according to a new study from the U.S. C.D.C. released last month. In early June, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s annual report on drowning and submersion echoed those findings, showing fatal drownings for children under the age of 15 increased by 12 percent in 2021 compared to 2020. Lack of access to pools, delayed swimming lessons, significant growth in the number of backyard pools and spas and changes in how people recreate around water are all contributing factors.

“The recent increase in drowning rates makes our mission more urgent than ever,” said Rick Root, president of the World Waterpark Association. “We want parents to understand that formal swimming lessons and an understanding of basic water safety principles are paramount for their child’s safety.”

Aquatic facilities, including waterparks, swim schools, local community pools, and even beachfronts, participated providing free swimming and water safety lessons to more than 43,000 kids during the one-day event.  The lessons took place in 19 different countries, including Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Qatar, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.

“Today is the first day of summer, and we’re kicking it off with the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson right here at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon,” said Tajiana Ancora-Brown, director of external affairs for Walt Disney World, who hosted this year’s single largest WLSL event. “We invited seven different non-profits from throughout central Florida and we have 1,000 students participating with us this morning. We want to expose as many kids as we can to these life-saving skills.”

Ryan Murphy, an ambassador for Goldfish Swim Schools who qualified for his third Olympic team by sweeping the Backstroke events at the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials last week, is a passionate learn-to-swim advocate. “Simply enrolling your child in formalized swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88%,” said Murphy. “It helps mitigate risk. Having kids take part in the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson at Goldfish Swim Schools all around the country is a great way to introduce them to swimming and the importance of water safety.”

“Within the lessons, we work on various safety skills,” said Kirsten Conrad, general manager of the Kansas City Goldfish Swim Schools. “We talk about things like being safe around the pool, what you should do when you see someone in trouble in the water, why it’s important to have lifeguards around, and all of those pieces so that kids are aware of water safety beyond the walls here at Goldfish.”

“Swimming is a skill that every person should have,” said parent Duwayne Moore, whose son Brian participated in the event. “All kids should know how to swim, period.”

About: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL.org) is a global drowning prevention event designed to raise awareness about the risks associated with water and the critical importance of teaching kids to swim. Launched by the World Waterpark Association (waterparks.org) in 2010, the WLSL program is celebrating its 15th Anniversary, having served more than 400,000 participants in 54 countries through its team of Host Locations.

WLSL b-roll/soundbites available at: https://bit.ly/3xiWnix

Contact: Beth Root
Email: 379509@email4pr.com
Phone: 913-544-5734

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SOURCE World’s Largest Swimming Lesson

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Yon Raz-Fridman Joins Intrinsic Labs as Co-Founder and Partner

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Most AI companies are selling software. Intrinsic is deploying AI workers into the core operations of mid-market companies – and just brought in a serial tech entrepreneur to help the firm scale across the Heartland.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Intrinsic Labs today announced that Yon Raz-Fridman has joined the firm as a Co-Founder and Partner.

Raz-Fridman has spent nearly two decades building across software, hardware, and platform businesses. Early in his career, he served as Chief of Staff to the President of Keter Group, a $1 billion-plus global consumer products manufacturer. He went on to co-found Kano, the award-winning educational computing company, and later founded Supersocial, the immersive gaming studio acquired by Super League Enterprises in 2025. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Convergence Council.

He joins Intrinsic at a moment when mid-market companies are moving from AI experimentation to deployment. Intrinsic works with operators in logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets to deploy AI workers into the workflows that run the business – increasing throughput, reducing manual work, and expanding capacity without adding headcount.

The firm has built its reputation on practical deployments tied to real operating metrics. In one engagement with a national real estate brokerage, Intrinsic’s AI Accounting Agents reached 97% invoice coding accuracy, automated 90% of the AP workflow, and fully removed FTEs from the review flow.

“Yon understands what it takes to build and scale in the real world,” said Jon Slemp, Managing Partner at Intrinsic Labs. “Our clients aren’t buying flashy agents, they’re buying outcomes and reliable labor. They need agentic systems that take work off their teams, perform reliably, and produce measurable gains in throughput and capacity. That’s what we build.”

As Co-Founder, Raz-Fridman will oversee Intrinsic’s expansion – designing the channel relationships, institutional partnerships, and market positioning that take the firm from a proven Ohio model to the defining AI workforce platform for America’s industrial middle market.

“The companies that win over the next decade will be the ones that figure out how to staff AI into their operations and manage it like a workforce. Intrinsic is doing that work now, inside real businesses, tied to real outputs. The Heartland is exactly the right place to prove this model, and Intrinsic is exactly the right team to do it.” — Yon Raz-Fridman

About Intrinsic Labs LLC
Intrinsic Labs helps mid-market companies deploy AI workers into the workflows that run their business. The firm focuses on logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets, where manual work, fragmented systems, and labor constraints create clear opportunities for leverage. Intrinsic works with clients to put AI workers into production, tie them to operating KPIs, and help teams scale output without scaling headcount. https://www.intrinsic-labs.ai/  

About Team Yon LLC
Team Yon LLC is a management company founded by Yon Raz-Fridman that incubates new ventures, provides executive leadership, and makes strategic investments at the intersection of emerging technology and human advancement. Through Team Yon LLC, Raz-Fridman partners with founders and operators across healthcare, AI, and frontier technology – including his role as co-founder and Partner at Intrinsic Labs. https://teamyon.org

Media Contact:hello@intrinsic-labs.ai

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Wipfli to complete CompliancePoint transaction and add associates, expanding capabilities

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MILWAUKEE, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wipfli, a top 25 national advisory and accounting firm, announced today it has entered into an agreement with CompliancePoint Inc., a provider of risk management services focused on information security, data privacy and regulatory compliance. 2 partners and 52 associates will join the firm as a result of the transaction.

Based in Duluth, Georgia, CompliancePoint brings specialization across cybersecurity, privacy and compliance, serving clients across a wide variety of industries. The addition strengthens Wipfli’s risk management offerings and expands its ability to help organizations navigate regulatory scrutiny, evolving cybersecurity threats and complex data protection requirements.

“Organizations today are under more pressure than ever to protect sensitive information and operate responsibly in an evolving regulatory environment,” said Kurt Gresens, CEO at Wipfli Advisory, LLC. “The team at CompliancePoint brings specialized experience and a strong, people-first approach that enhances how we support clients navigating today’s risk landscape.”

CompliancePoint has built its reputation on helping organizations manage risk across the full data lifecycle, with a holistic approach that recognizes how privacy, security and compliance intersect. The combined professional teams from CompliancePoint and Wipfli will deliver expanded, integrated advisory solutions designed to help clients proactively manage risk while supporting long-term growth and operational resilience.

“Wipfli shares our commitment to practical, client-focused solutions and long-term relationships,” said Greg Sparrow, CompliancePoint president. “Together, we’re expanding the resources available to our clients while continuing to deliver the specialized experience and trusted relationships they rely on.”

The addition of the CompliancePoint team also supports Wipfli’s continued investment in talent and innovation. CompliancePoint associates will join a national firm that emphasizes collaboration, professional development and meaningful client impact, while maintaining the specialized focus that has defined their work.

The transaction is expected to become effective on May 1st, 2026

About Wipfli

Wipfli is a leading national advisory and accounting firm with nearly 100 years of experience serving ambitious middle-market organizations. We understand our clients’ unique challenges and help them succeed on their terms through assurance, tax, advisory, outsourcing and technology services. With 3,000+ associates and global alliances, we combine national capabilities with local relationships. Wipfli operates under an alternative practice structure: Wipfli LLP, a licensed CPA firm, provides attest services, while Wipfli Advisory LLC, a non-CPA firm, delivers business advisory and non-attest services. Learn more at wipfli.com or contact Alicia O’Connell at alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com.

Media Contact

Alicia O’Connell
Wipfli
alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com

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Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Date of First Quarter 2026 Results Presentation

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Presentation and Q&A session scheduled for post-market on Thursday, May 7, 2026

BOSTON, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DNA, “Ginkgo”) today announced that it plans to host a presentation and Q&A session reviewing business performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, on Thursday, May 7, 2026, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The presentation details and webcast link will be available on Ginkgo’s investor relations website at https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com, and a replay will be made available.

To ask a question ahead of the presentation, please submit them to @Ginkgo on X (hashtag #GinkgoResults) or by sending an e-mail to investors@ginkgobioworks.com.

About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. The company offers autonomous laboratories that replace manual laboratory work with robotics in the lab, greatly improving the productivity of scientists. Ginkgo’s in-house autonomous lab is also available as a “cloud lab” through our Datapoints and Solutions contract research services. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:

INVESTOR CONTACT:

investors@ginkgobioworks.com 

MEDIA CONTACT:

press@ginkgobioworks.com

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