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SXSW EDU® Announces Winners of the 2025 Launch Startup Competition and Student Impact Challenge

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AUSTIN, Texas, March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — South by Southwest EDU® Conference & Festival is thrilled to announce the winners of its 2025 Launch Startup Competition and Student Impact Challenge. They were announced at the Launch Spotlight and the Student Impact Ice Cream Social, respectively. Constant Contact was presented with the Launch Startup Competition Grand Prize Award, and Spark was named the Student Impact Challenge winner.

For 14 years, the Launch Startup Competition has provided a forum for early-stage startups to pitch emerging ideas, products, and services to a cohort of industry leaders, early adopters, investors, and educators. During this year’s event, presented by the Walton Family Foundation, participants were given the chance to showcase their ideas in front of a panel of distinguished judges, including Amelia Kelly, CTO of SoapBox Labs, John Gamba, Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, Katie Fang, CEO of SchooLinks, and Missy Testerman, 2024 National Teacher of the Year.

After hearing from the 7 finalists, the judges awarded Constant Contact, based in Austin, TX with the Grand-Prize Launch Award for its focus on helping students become college and career-ready through their near-peer mentorship model. The following awards were also announced as part of the Launch Startup Competition:

Impact Award: This honor, recognizing the potential to impact student learning based on the science of learning, was given to Making Space, based in Los Angeles, CA for its work to create new and improved pathways to employment and career advancement, ensuring Disabled professionals have equitable access to meaningful careers.Community Choice Award: This award, which acknowledges the finalist that received the most votes from the audience during SXSW EDU, was presented to Bili, based in Houston, TX, which empowers families and educators with tools that make bilingualism a natural and exciting part of kids’ lives and help them maintain a strong connection to their heritage languages and cultures.

“This award is a powerful recognition of the impact we’re making—connecting hundreds of thousands of students with mentors who help them see and shape their futures,” said Sophie Smith and Leah Guesman, co-founders of Constant Contact. “What excites us most is the hope and ambition we see in our high school and undergraduate students every day. Winning this competition validates that same hope among educators, investors, and the broader community, reinforcing the bright future ahead.”

“This is a pivotal moment in education where we must do good while doing well. Supporting entrepreneurs in building strong business fundamentals—from early stage to sustainability, scalability, and ultimately exit—is critical,” said John Gamba, Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, who served as a judge in the competition.

In addition, SXSW EDU proudly awarded the Student Impact Challenge, presented by The Allstate Foundation, to Spark, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as this year’s winner. Spark promises to revolutionize support for autistic children by offering personalized therapy supplements, a wealth of resources, and interactive tools designed to empower caregivers. In addition Swype AI and Household Appliances Innovation Powered by Solar were recognized as the first and second runner-ups respectively.

This year, the Student Impact Challenge expands from its previous year to focus on how students can solve pressing social, economic, and environmental problems facing the world today. The winner was chosen by judges Kate Nack, Vice President, The Allstate Foundation and Social Impact, Juanita Soranno, Head of Impact at Cengage Group, Rohit Srinivasan, Founder of Trashbots and former winner of the Student Startup Competition, and Tiana Day, Founder and Executive Director of Youth Advocates for Change.

“I’m so excited and honored to receive this incredible award,” said Nandana Menon, founder of Spark. “Winning the Student Impact Challenge will lead me to so many more opportunities to help children all along the way. This is really going to set up Spark for more success.”

To learn more about the competition programming at SXSW EDU, visit https://www.sxswedu.com/competitions/.

About SXSW EDU:

The SXSW EDU® Conference & Festival is a reflection of the world’s most critical social issues as seen through the lens of education. This year’s event will bring together the learner, the practitioner, the entrepreneur, and the visionary to share their groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build reimagined paths forward. As a community of diverse people who are united around a like-minded vision for the future, SXSW EDU serves as a place for attendees to renew their purpose in practice from both a personal and professional perspective. It is a place to reinforce the core principles of teaching and learning as well as an opportunity to express your creativity and passion for education. Join the passionate and innovative community at SXSW EDU, March 3-6, 2025.

For more information, please visit sxswedu.com. 

Contact:
Liz Stein
SXSW EDU Press & Publicity
press@sxswedu.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sxsw-edu-announces-winners-of-the-2025-launch-startup-competition-and-student-impact-challenge-302393777.html

SOURCE SXSW EDU

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FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION APPOINTS DAVID S. SCHULZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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July 21, 2026

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LANCASTER, Pa., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT) (“Fulton”) today announced the appointment of David S. Schulz as a member of its board of directors (the “Board”) for a term commencing September 14, 2026 and expiring at Fulton’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders.

“We’re excited to welcome Dave to Fulton’s board of directors,” said Curt Myers, Fulton Chairman, CEO, and President. “Dave brings extensive financial leadership experience gained through more than a decade of service with publicly traded companies. His expertise in finance, strategic planning, risk, and mergers and acquisitions will provide valuable perspective as we continue to execute our growth strategy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers and communities.”

With the addition of Schulz, Fulton’s Board will have 11 members, and he will serve on the Audit and Risk committees. Schulz has also been appointed to the board of directors of Fulton’s banking subsidiary, Fulton Bank, N.A.

Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco International, Inc. (“Wesco”) from 2016 to June 2020, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco from June 2020 to February 2026 and as Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO of Wesco from February 2026 until his retirement on May 31, 2026. 

Prior to joining Wesco, Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. and was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and Vice President of Finance of the Armstrong Building Products division.

Before joining Armstrong World Industries in 2011, he held various financial leadership roles with Procter & Gamble and The J.M. Smucker Company. He was also an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2025, Schulz joined the board of Sterling Infrastructure, Inc., and he was appointed as chair of the audit committee in 2026. He also serves on the company’s compensation and talent development committee.

ABOUT FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Fulton, a $34 billion Lancaster, Pa.-based financial holding company, has more than 3,400 employees and operates more than 215 financial centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia through Fulton Bank, N.A. Additional information on Fulton can be found at https://investor.fultonbank.com.

Contact: Steve Trapnell
717-291-2739

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SOURCE Fulton Financial Corporation

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Octavio Marquez Elected to MSA Safety Board of Directors

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July 21, 2026

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PITTSBURGH, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of MSA Safety Inc. (NYSE: MSA), a global leader in the development of advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions, today announced that Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf, has been elected to the company’s Board of Directors. His election was part of the MSA Board’s regular succession plans.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to add Octavio to the MSA Board,” said Robert A. Bruggeworth, MSA chairman. “He brings a broad range of executive leadership experience, including strategy development, capital allocation, business transformation and serving international markets, which will serve MSA well.”

“Octavio’s perspectives will be an asset to me and our entire Executive Leadership Team,” said Steven C. Blanco, MSA president and CEO. “It is a pleasure to welcome Octavio to MSA, and I look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Marquez joined Diebold Nixdorf in 2014 and has held senior leadership roles across the company’s Global Banking organization and its Americas region, including as executive vice president of Global Banking and senior vice president of the Americas. Before joining Diebold Nixdorf, Mr. Marquez held leadership positions at Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and NCR.

Diebold Nixdorf automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, its integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of customers every day. Headquartered in North Canton, Ohio, Diebold Nixdorf employs approximately 20,000 employees globally, supporting more than 100 countries.

Mr. Marquez holds a degree in business and finance from Universidad Iberoamericana and has completed executive education programs at MIT Sloan, The Wharton School and The University of Texas at Austin.

About MSA Safety

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2025 revenues of $1.9 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, and employs a team of approximately 5,300 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit www.MSASafety.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/octavio-marquez-elected-to-msa-safety-board-of-directors-302831265.html

SOURCE MSA Safety

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BlueFolder Field Service Software Launches New AI-Powered Features to Transform How Teams Work

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July 21, 2026

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New AI capabilities instantly surface customer insights and transform technician notes into actionable summaries to help field service teams work faster, stay aligned, and deliver better service

AUBURN, Ala., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BlueFolder field service software recently announced the launch of two powerful new AI features: AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization. Together, these capabilities are designed to eliminate the time-consuming, manual work of reviewing fragmented customer records and lengthy technician notes—giving field service teams instant clarity to respond faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver exceptional service.

BlueFolder expands it’s field service and work order management suite with two exciting new AI field service features.

Built directly into the BlueFolder platform, both features leverage artificial intelligence to automatically compile and summarize complex, unstructured data into clear, easy-to-read overviews. The result: technicians, dispatchers, and managers always have the context they need, right when they need it.

AI-Powered Customer Summaries

As field service organizations grow, customer information becomes increasingly scattered across emails, service request logs, and communication histories. BlueFolder’s AI Customer Summary feature addresses this challenge head-on by consolidating those interactions into a single, actionable snapshot.

Instead of manually digging through multiple records before a service call or customer interaction, teams can now access a real-time summary highlighting key concerns, past service activity, and recent updates. The feature goes beyond basic summarization and surfaces critical business insights such as equipment past due for maintenance, approaching warranty expirations, and proactive revenue opportunities, empowering teams to recommend follow-ups or upgrades directly from the customer record.

Built-in traceability links each summary back to its original source communications, so users can validate insights with confidence, ensuring both speed and accuracy in every customer interaction.

AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization

In many service organizations, technicians log updates across multiple visits, often resulting in long, fragmented notes that are difficult to review at a glance. BlueFolder’s AI Field Notes Summarization feature solves this by automatically condensing multiple technician entries into a structured summary that highlights key milestones, actions taken, and next steps.

Rather than scrolling through pages of updates, managers and dispatchers can immediately understand job status and determine what needs to happen next, improving alignment between field and office teams, accelerating decision-making, and reducing miscommunication. The feature is especially valuable for complex or multi-day jobs, where clear continuity and smooth technician handoffs are critical to delivering consistent service. It’s another featuring making BlueFolder’s work order management software capabilities stronger every day.

“History is one of the most powerful tools a service team has — the problem is it’s usually buried. BlueFolder’s new AI features fix that. Your team walks into every interaction already knowing the customer, knowing the equipment, and exactly where things stand. That changes the entire experience,” says John Shaw, VP, Technology, Service Operations.

AI as a Core Part of the BlueFolder Platform

The launch of these two features reflects BlueFolder’s broader commitment to embedding AI throughout its field service management software as an integrated layer of intelligence that makes every workflow smarter. Rather than requiring teams to change how they work, BlueFolder’s AI capabilities are designed to surface the right information at the right moment automatically, within the tools that technicians, dispatchers, and managers already use every day.

“AI is transforming what’s possible in field service, and BlueFolder is answering that call. These features are the result of deep platform expertise and a clear vision for where the industry is headed. We’re embedding intelligence throughout the platform because we know it makes our customers more competitive, more efficient, and better positioned to grow,” says Stephen Myslicki, Group President of Field Services.

Availability

Both AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization are available now to BlueFolder customers as optional, easy-to-enable features within the platform. They are part of BlueFolder’s growing suite of AI-driven capabilities designed to help field service organizations operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.

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SOURCE BlueFolder

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