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Renaissance Ranks #24 on Fast Company List of 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators

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2 years ago

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Company also recognized as a finalist on the Women Innovators and US lists, a further testament to its uniquely innovative culture

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Renaissance, a global leader in pre-K–12 education technology resources and insights, is pleased to announce its inclusion on Fast Company’s sixth annual list of 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators. This prestigious list recognizes organizations and businesses that demonstrate an inspiring commitment to encourage and develop innovation at all levels to best meet their customers’ needs.

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by Fast Company for our approach to creating impactful edtech solutions,” said Chris Bauleke, Chief Executive Officer at Renaissance. “We pride ourselves on our thoughtful approach to product innovation, supported by decades of data insights on student learning. Because of this, Renaissance has a unique company culture driven by innovation and a desire to empower educators and accelerate learning for all.”

Innovative new product: Renaissance Next

The strategic growth and integration strategy has culminated in the launch of a powerful new teacher experience: Renaissance Next. This integrated platform combines assessment, instruction, and practice to support teachers in adjusting to a wide range of student needs in real time. A team representing departments from across the company developed Renaissance Next in close coordination, with frequent teacher feedback.

“The ability to work through problems, tackle them together, and communicate so frequently with stakeholders adds exciting new facets to our jobs,” said Storey Sitwala, Senior Director of Product Management at Renaissance, who led the development of Renaissance Next.

Part of what makes Renaissance Next possible is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable the semantic search to find similarities across Renaissance offerings and locate the just-right resource for each student. This AI-enabled search function combines lessons and practice activities to supplement core instruction while operating on a secure, closed loop. It also illustrates how Renaissance engages with innovative new tech tools with a tempered approach that prioritizes security, with humans in the loop at every stage of the process.

A company culture that uniquely fosters innovation

Renaissance fosters innovation through programs and processes in every corner of the company, ensuring that new tools like AI are used responsibly and that employees have a safe and supportive environment to explore and train on the latest technology.

Efforts include:

The Renaissance AI Center of Excellence, which combines multiple departments to share new information on policy and ethics, as well as expand AI development, integration, and augmentation.The Shark Tank, an annual leadership-sponsored, company-wide innovation competition that invites employees to showcase new ideas.AI training, which gives employees opportunities to upskill in the responsible use of generative AI through events like “AI Palooza.”The Renaissance AI Governance team, a cross-functional team of privacy, information security, legal, and learning science leaders, including individuals who hold AI Governance Professional certifications by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).RAIign, an internal tool leveraging generative AI, which automatically maps assessment and instructional content to reading and math skills and state standards, for alignment experts to review.

Welcoming diverse perspectives to drive innovation

Renaissance also continues to build an inclusive workplace culture that empowers all employees to be innovative so that diverse voices and perspectives are reflected. For example, the company actively seeks employee input to shape its benefits packages. This approach has led to comprehensive support benefits, including a generous parental leave policy for both birth and non-birth parents, along with fertility support resources.

“At Renaissance, we believe in the power of diverse perspectives and the impact that is possible when all employees are included in the conversation,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Chief Marketing Officer at Renaissance and executive sponsor of the Women of Renaissance employee resource group (ERG). “Fostering positive employee experiences drives the creativity we need for cutting-edge innovation, so I am especially pleased by our position as a finalist on Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Women Innovators list.”

As a testament to its commitment to inclusivity, Fortune and the Great Place to Work Institute previously recognized the company as a 2023 Best Workplace for Women. 

The Fast Company 2024 Best Workplaces for Innovators list ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries. To earn recognition, companies must complete an application addressing questions about projects, investment, company-wide programs, and workplace culture. To see the complete list of honorees, go to fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/list.

About Renaissance

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

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Sesame Software Named Fastest to Implement and Best Estimated ROI in G2’s Fall 2026 Reports, Previews Sesame Software 7.0

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October 27, 2026

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Mid-market recognition from verified users caps a strong 2026 as the company announces the beta of its biggest platform release in years

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sesame Software, the Enterprise Data Management leader, today announced it has earned two mid-market badges in G2’s Fall 2026 reports, Fastest Implementation and Best Estimated ROI, based on verified user reviews. Heading into 2027, the company also previewed Sesame Software 7.0, its biggest platform release in years, with a beta opening this winter.

Recognized by G2 Users

The badges reflect what users say about Sesame Software: it’s up and running in minutes, needs no coding or data mapping, and pays for itself quickly. Teams use it to replicate data in near real time, build pipelines into warehouses like Snowflake, back up and archive records, and run verified migrations between systems.

“Customers don’t want a data project. They want their data where they need it, working as soon as possible,” said Joshua Demumbreum, Director of Product Operations, Sesame Software. “Hearing that back from users, in their own words, is a great way to close the year.”

Coming Soon: Sesame Software 7.0

What’s new in 7.0:

New interface: fewer clicks, easier navigation, clearer logs, and reporting on which records each job movesRebuilt engine: faster jobs, bigger data volumes and fewer failures, with data cleanup built into every jobRewritten connectors: simpler templates that behave the same across every connectorSimpler upkeep: Java 25 support, embedded Tomcat, and one-step upgrades

“After 30-plus years in enterprise data, 7.0 is our biggest step forward yet,” said Nathan Lugert, Senior Software Engineer, Sesame Software. “We can’t wait to get it into users’ hands.”

About Sesame Software

Sesame Software is the Enterprise Data Management leader, delivering data rapidly for enhanced reporting and analytics. Sesame Software’s data platform offers superior solutions for data warehousing, integration, as well as backup, and compliance to fit your business needs. Quickly connect to SaaS, on-premise, and cloud applications for accelerated insights. With over 30 years of expertise, Sesame Software helps businesses take back control of their data, access it from anywhere, ensure security and compliance, and unlock its power to grow.

Media Contact:
Kristen Besselsen, Director of Marketing
kristen.besselsen@sesamesoftware.com
www.sesamesoftware.com

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SOURCE Sesame Software

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RS earned three awards at the 2026 Moxa Global Distributor Summit

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27 minutes ago

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October 27, 2026

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The three awards recognize RS for demonstrable leadership in small to medium-sized business sales, energy sector sales, and regional sales.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RS, a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, earned three top awards at the 2026 Moxa Global Distributor Summit. Held in Nashville, Tennessee, September 8–11, this exclusive summit welcomed Moxa team members and partners from all over the world to “Collaborate to Lead” and discuss business and strategy updates, emerging industrial infrastructure trends, secure OT connectivity, and next-generation technologies like AI data centers and energy storage.

RS combines immediate access to Moxa products with deep technical expertise to solve complex operational challenges.

During the event, Moxa — a global leader in industrial networking, computing, and edge connectivity solutions — presented RS Americas with its:

2026 Top Global Sales Award for small to medium-sized businesses2026 Top Global Sales Award for energy businesses2026 Platinum Award for top sales in the Americas region

These awards recognize RS for outstanding sales achievements and exceptional partnership in three key market segments. Together, RS and Moxa deliver secure network deployments and reliable edge connectivity for industrial automation customers across the manufacturing, energy, and commercial sectors.

“Partnering with Moxa enables us to provide industrial customers with the high-performance networking technologies they need to advance their digital transformation and build resilient operations,” said Marie Dawson, Sr. Director of Strategic Supplier Engagement at RS. “Earning three top honors at the 2026 Moxa Global Distributor Summit validates our approach — combining immediate access to quality Moxa products with deep technical expertise to solve complex operational challenges and keep critical infrastructure running across industries.”

“RS continues to demonstrate outstanding leadership in advancing edge connectivity and network reliability across key industrial sectors,” said Mat Stewart, Vice President of Sales at Moxa. “We are proud to recognize the RS Americas team for their exceptional global and regional performance over the past year and look forward to building on this momentum together.”

To learn more about the RS portfolio of Moxa products and solutions, visit the embedded links.

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RS Moxa Awards PR.jpg

PR Image Caption:
The RS Americas team accepted three top sales performance awards at the 2026 Moxa Global Distributor Summit. Pictured from left to right: Moxa Americas Vice President of Sales Mat Stewart, RS Americas Product Director Chris Cole, RS Americas Eastern Regional Sales Manager John Allen, RS Americas Senior Director of Strategic Supplier Engagement Marie Dawson, RS Americas Supplier Manager Evie Hooper, RS Americas Category Manager Megan Shaw, Moxa Americas Director of Channel Sales Pat Sweeney, RS Americas Product Portfolio Manager Gary Guess, and Moxa Americas President Chad Chesney.

About RS
RS is a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, enabling them to operate efficiently and sustainably. We operate in 33 markets, stock over 875,000 industrial and specialist products, and list an additional five million relevant for our industrial customers, sourced from over 2,500 suppliers. This extensive range supports our customers across the industrial lifecycle of designing, building, and maintaining equipment and operations. We enhance their experience through a tailored service model, leveraging our efficient physical, digital, and process infrastructure sustainably. We combine a technically led and digitally enabled approach with an exceptional team of experts; ultimately, it’s our people that make the difference. Our purpose, making amazing happen for a better world, reflects our focus on delivering results for people, planet, and profit.

RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with stock ticker RS1, and in the year ended March 31, 2026, reported revenue of $3,871.07 million. For more information, please visit https://www.rsgroup.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter).

About RS in the Americas
In the Americas region, RS stocks more than 250,000 industrial and electronic products from more than 700 trusted suppliers. These solutions cover categories extending from automation and control equipment to interconnect, passive, active, and electromechanical components and include more than 90,000 high-quality, competitively priced RS PRO products. For more information, please visit https://us.rs-online.com or connect with us via social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Editorial Contact & Media Inquiries:
Laurie Tortorello, Director of People & Culture Communications, RS Americas
Laurie.Tortorello@rsgroup.com

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Union Home Mortgage Selected for USDA Rural Development Delegated Authority Pilot Program

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27 minutes ago

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October 27, 2026

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One of six lenders chosen nationwide to deliver an enhanced USDA loan experience for eligible rural borrowers

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Union Home Mortgage (UHM), a high-growth independent mortgage banking company with a world-class culture, announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to participate in the expanded Delegated Authority Lender Interactive Test Environment (LITE) Pilot Program for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, further strengthening the company’s ability to serve homebuyers in rural communities across the country. UHM is one of six lenders nationwide chosen to join the initiative, which begins on December 1, 2026.

The pilot program grants participating lenders greater authority in the loan approval and closing process, allowing qualified borrowers to move through the mortgage journey more efficiently while maintaining rigorous underwriting and compliance standards. By reducing pre-closing approval requirements from USDA, the program is designed to accelerate loan processing timelines and expand homeownership opportunities for eligible families in rural communities across the country.

“We are honored to partner with USDA Rural Development to help rural borrowers access more opportunities to achieve the dream of homeownership, which is one of the most powerful ways to build financial stability and strengthen communities,” said Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage. “Being selected for this pilot program reflects our commitment to providing world-class service and innovative solutions to our borrowers, and we thank USDA for entrusting us with this increased responsibility.”

Through the USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, eligible low- and moderate-income borrowers can access affordable financing options, including 100% financing for homes in qualifying rural areas. According to USDA Rural Development, homebuyers can buy existing, build new, or cover the cost of rehabilitating, improving, or relocating a home with a Single Family Housing loan guarantee. As a participant in the Delegated Authority LITE Pilot Program, UHM will be positioned to deliver these benefits with greater speed and efficiency while continuing to provide personalized guidance throughout the homebuying journey.

The selection further underscores UHM’s reputation as a trusted lending partner and aligns with the lender’s focus on responsible growth, operational excellence, and expanding access to affordable mortgage solutions in communities of all sizes.

For more information about Union Home Mortgage, visit www.uhm.com. For information about USDA Rural Development housing programs, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

About Union Home Mortgage
Union Home Mortgage Corp. (UHM) is a high-growth, full-service retail, wholesale, and consumer direct independent mortgage banking company with branches across the U.S. in 49 states + D.C. UHM is an in-house loan servicer offering world-class customer service through high touch communication & technology. A privately held family business, with a collaborative culture that stands out in the mortgage industry, UHM Partners (employees) are guided by a Code of Conduct that emphasizes respect, open communication, and accountability. All these principles translate to industry-leading customer retention and satisfaction. Some honors include being a Six-Year USA TODAY Top Workplace and a Twelve-Year Northeast Ohio Top Workplace. Learn more at www.uhm.com.

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SOURCE Union Home Mortgage

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