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THE WILLOW, NAFTALI GROUP’S LATEST BOUTIQUE TOWER, LAUNCHES SALES IN GRAMERCY

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COOKFOX Architects and Rockwell Group-Designed Luxury Development Brings Timeless Interiors and Stylish Amenities to Historic New York City Neighborhood

NEW YORK, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On the heels of launching four new buildings in late 2024, including the record-breaking One Williamsburg Wharf, The Henry, 255 East 77th Street and Viceroy Fort Lauderdale, Naftali Group, a leading privately held global real estate development and investment firm based in New York, today announced the launch of sales at The Willow, a new luxury residential building in the heart of New York’s historic Gramercy neighborhood. Designed by the award-winning COOKFOX Architects, with amenities and residences by the world-renowned Rockwell Group, The Willow represents a modern interpretation of classic New York architecture, offering 69 exceptionally crafted residences and a curated suite of club-like amenities that seamlessly integrate with the historic charm of the Gramercy neighborhood.

“The demand for well-designed, meticulously planned residential buildings is strong, especially for our recently launched projects in New York City,” said Miki Naftali, Chairman and CEO of Naftali Group. “With this impressive momentum, we’re proud to introduce The Willow in New York City’s Gramercy neighborhood. This development reflects the area’s rich architectural history through its beautiful arched windows and modern interpretation of classic Downtown buildings, and it showcases our collaboration with the incredible COOKFOX Architects and Rockwell Group. With the expertise of a world-renowned design team, we’re excited to see The Willow become a landmark in this cherished New York neighborhood.”

Located at 201 East 23rd Street, two blocks northeast of the historic Gramercy Park, The Willow features a stunning exterior by COOXFOX Architects, the global architecture firm known for its critically acclaimed work in environmentally responsive and sustainable architecture and design. Rising 19 stories on the prominent corner of East 23rd Street, the boutique building’s striking hand-laid masonry façade is crafted from a custom red brick blend, cast stone, and sleek black metal accents, paying homage to the architectural fabric of the historic Gramercy neighborhood Thoughtful, eye-catching design elements, such as one-of-a-kind arched windows and private setback terraces and loggias, provide residents with indoor and outdoor lifestyle experiences, while the custom black metal railings and entrance doors set the stage for a distinctive and timeless quality.  

Complementing the building’s remarkable façade, COOKFOX thoughtfully designed the layouts of The Willow’s residences, emphasizing contemporary elegance and refined style that mirrors the surrounding neighborhood. The spacious layouts, serene color palette, and luxurious finishes by Rockwell Group create a welcoming atmosphere throughout, from the custom millwork in the kitchens to the spa-like bathrooms that evoke a sense of tranquility.

Ranging from one to four-bedroom residences, including four half-floor penthouses and one full-floor penthouse at the crown of the building, The Willow boasts gracious homes with elegant floor plans and interiors, seamlessly blending loft-style living with classical details. Each home features white oak flooring throughout all living spaces and bedrooms, with select residences, including the building’s penthouses, offering expansive private outdoor loggia and terrace spaces that invite seamless indoor-outdoor living with dynamic views of the iconic New York City skyline. The homes also include beautiful open kitchens with honed quartz countertops, Miele kitchen appliances, and custom-designed cabinetry, while the baths are finished with honed Ice Grey stone and Waterworks fixtures for a spa-like experience. Residents of The Willow are welcomed home through custom black entrance doors that open to a 24-hour attended lobby with a custom stone patterned floor and artisan-made reception desk clad in hand-glazed tile that leads into a landscaped open courtyard designed by Future Green, inviting natural light into the lobby and adjacent library. 

Representing a new generation of luxury Downtown Manhattan living, The Willow comprises an exclusive club-like collection of indoor-outdoor lifestyle amenities designed by Rockwell Group, the firm internationally recognized for its innovative and luxurious design approach and decades of work in the high-end residential and hospitality spaces around the world. Rockwell Group crafted the amenities at The Willow to feel like an extension of the home, offering an array of stylish, thoughtfully designed spaces for wellness, entertainment, and leisure. Residents will have access to a state-of-the-art fitness center, complete with a sauna, as well as a cinema and a speakeasy-inspired lounge known as the Mermaid Room. The building’s signature Hearth Room features a striking travertine block fireplace and serves as a cozy gathering space, while the Glamercy Room offers a curated music lounge outfitted with instruments and an extensive vinyl collection, as well as a professional recording studio. Additional amenities include a nautical-themed children’s playroom, a landscaped rooftop terrace with sweeping city views, a bike room, and storage available for residents to purchase. Two private cabanas on the building’s roof deck are also available for purchase. The landscaped central courtyard, visible from many residences and the building’s jewel box lobby, offers a rare and tranquil green space within the urban landscape.

“Following the success of Naftali Group’s other Manhattan projects, we are delighted to help bring The Willow to life in Gramercy,” said Alexa Lambert of Compass Development Marketing Group, the building’s exclusive sales and marketing agent. “We have already seen wonderful interest from buyers and brokers who recognize the exceptional quality and design this project offers as well as the opportunity to live in one of New York’s most iconic and fun neighborhoods.”

Perfectly located where the charm of Gramercy meets the vibrant energy of Flatiron and NoMad, The Willow is surrounded by the neighborhood’s picturesque tree-lined streets and buzzy neighborhood offerings. The Willow’s location also provides residents with proximity to many of Downtown Manhattan’s acclaimed cultural and lifestyle destinations, including fine dining, shopping, and green spaces like Madison Square Park, Union Square Park, and much more. Ample transportation options are also nearby, which ensures seamless connectivity to the rest of Manhattan and beyond.

One of the most active developers in New York City, Naftali Group has successfully launched and sold out three record-breaking luxury condominium projects in Manhattan since 2020 including The Benson at 1045 Madison Avenue, 200 East 83rd and The Bellemont at 1165 Madison Avenue, in addition to more than 37 total projects over the past three decades, including The Shepherd in Greenwich Village. Along with the forthcoming The Willow, the firm has several new development projects in the pipeline in Manhattan, including the recently launched The Henry on the Upper West Side and 255 East 77th Street on the Upper East Side, both designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the firm is developing Williamsburg Wharf, a 3.75-acre master-planned development along the Williamsburg Wharf, including the recently One Williamsburg Wharf, the project’s first condominium tower, and Two and Three Williamsburg Wharf, which recently launched leasing. In addition to Naftali Group’s active projects in New York City, the firm is developing over 3 million square feet of premier residential and mixed-use space in South Florida, including the recently launched JEM Private Residences in Miami and Viceroy Residences Fort Lauderdale.

Construction at The Willow is well underway, and completion is slated for Q3 of 2026. Pricing begins at $1,225,000 for a one-bedroom residence. Sales and marketing are being handled exclusively by Compass Development Marketing Group. For additional information or to schedule a private appointment, please visit www.thewillow-gramercy.com.

About Naftali Group
Naftali Group, a privately held global real estate development and investment firm based in New York City, has a prestigious track record, having led some of the most significant developments and landmark restorations. Founded and led by Miki Naftali, Naftali Group is highly specialized in identifying and acquiring undervalued properties in premier geographic areas with strong potential growth while maximizing the value of unique and irreplaceable assets. Naftali Group pursues strategic acquisitions and continuously grows its extensive portfolio of new development condominiums, income-producing, mixed-use properties and other assets. Through innovation and discipline, Naftali is recognized as a leading developer with a current and past portfolio comprised of more than 50 projects encompassing more than $15 billion in total value. One of the most active firms in New York City, Naftali Group has successfully launched and sold out three record-breaking luxury condo projects in Manhattan since 2020, including The Benson at 1045 Madison Avenue, 200 East 83rd and The Bellemont at 1165 Madison Avenue. The firm has several new development projects in the pipeline both in Manhattan and in Brooklyn, where the firm’s waterfront development Williamsburg Wharf is currently in progress and estimated to be completed with the first phase in 2025. In addition to active projects in New York City, Naftali Group is developing over 3 million square feet of premier residential and mixed-use space across two projects in South Florida, including JEM in Miami and Viceroy Residences Fort Lauderdale. Visit: https://naftaligroup.com/.

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SOURCE Naftali Group

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U.S. Quartz Workers: Strong Safeguard Remedies Needed to Save 100,000 American Manufacturing Jobs

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July 23, 2026

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WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Quartz Manufacturers Alliance for America (QMAA) released a powerful video featuring quartz manufacturing workers from across the country calling for free and fair trade policies to save 100,000 American jobs. QMAA, a coalition of leading U.S.-based quartz slab manufacturers, are calling for strong safeguard remedies after the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) found a huge flood of foreign imports had caused tremendous injury to the domestic quartz industry.

QMAA members are urging the Trump Administration to build on the ITC’s strong recommendation and address this major flood of quartz imports with a Tariff of 50% and a Reshoring Import Cap of 141 million square feet on imported quartz surface products. This will ensure a reshoring of the good-paying U.S. quartz manufacturing jobs stolen by companies who cheat U.S. trade law, distort competition and are decimating U.S. quartz manufacturing. Together, these trade remedies will provide the relief necessary to save the 100,000 jobs supported by the U.S. quartz industry.

The video features workers from LX Hausys, Guidoni USA and Cambria Company and is available here:
Save 100,000 American Quartz Jobs

Quotes from QMAA Quartz Manufacturing Workers
“This facility used to be a Husqvarna plant. Husqvarna closed down due to cheap foreign imports. There were over 1,000 people working here and all of a sudden…I’m worried I may see the same thing take place again.”
-Raymond Mack, Production Operator, Guidoni USA, Helena-McRae, GA

“Foreign countries, mainly China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, have been circumventing and cheating the American market. We believe in the industry. We believe in the American working power. We just want to level the playing field, make it fair for everyone and everyone will benefit.”
– Daniel Vas de Melo SA, Business Development Manager, Guidoni USA, McRae-Helena, GA

“In order for us to continue to compete, we need a strong Tariff and Import Cap on imported quartz surfaces. That will ensure we can play on an even playing field. That’s all we’re asking for. I would hate to see cheap, imported quartz have a negative impact on families such as mine and the other families that we employ here.”
– Mike Morici, Vice President – LX Hausys, Adairsville, GA

“The surge of foreign imports has shocked the U.S. economy, and the market for surfaces. It’s taken prices down to unsustainably low levels for any domestic supplier. The result of that is we’re not producing as much as we should, we can’t hire as many people as we would like to, and we can’t grow our business in the way that we and our peers in the U.S. want to grow.”
– Andrew Eich, President and Chief Operating Officer, Cambria

“As these foreign imports flood the market, we lose the ability to create and sustain jobs that ensure good paying conditions for manufacturing workers. There will be over 100,000 jobs that have the strong potential to go away.”
– Jack Sundry, SVP Core and Lexus – Cambria, Southern Minnesota

Background
In September 2025, QMAA filed a Global Safeguard petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 201 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974. The ITC’s thorough investigation found serious injury to the domestic industry caused by a massive import surge designed to undercut American businesses. Quartz imports have surged by 78.3% within the past five years, leading to a nearly 20% decline in domestic production, factory closures and major job reductions.

A final safeguard decision from the United States Trade Representative is expected by Aug. 1, 2026.

About the Quartz Manufacturing Alliance for America:
QMAA is a coalition of U.S.-based, American quartz slab manufacturing factories, united with other industry leaders to support and strengthen the American quartz industry. QMAA is committed to ensuring a free and fair, competitive marketplace born of free enterprise that provides the opportunity to compete on a level playing field for American quartz slab manufacturing factories and their valued workers. We also believe this effort will have a positive impact throughout the entire quartz surfacing industry, including to the strong benefit of American stone fabrication shops and upstream suppliers of quartz minerals and resin. Learn more at: https://www.qmaa.org/

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SOURCE Quartz Manufacturing Alliance of America

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Databricks and Microsoft expand partnership to help enterprises bring business context to enterprise AI

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July 23, 2026

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Databricks and Microsoft extend strategic partnership through the 2030s to scale enterprise AIDatabricks deepens its bet on Azure, growing its use of Azure Databricks to run its own core business operations and analytics, while both companies advance native integration across the Microsoft stack, including Databricks Genie and Microsoft 365Databricks increases its use of Microsoft Azure Cobalt to improve performance and efficiency

REDMOND, Wash. and SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Microsoft Corp. and Databricks on Wednesday announced an expansion of their decade-long strategic partnership, extending into the 2030s. Databricks will deepen its use of Azure Databricks to run core business operations and build its unified lakehouse, while leveraging Azure Cobalt, Microsoft’s next-generation Arm-based infrastructure, to improve performance and efficiency. Microsoft will also continue integrating Databricks Data and AI platform across its products, bringing capabilities like Genie, Databricks’ AI co-worker, directly into customer workflows. Together, the companies are helping enterprises build AI grounded in their own business context with the cost efficiency, control and choice needed to scale successfully.

Enterprises want AI that understands their customers, products, operations, metrics and business processes, all while running securely where work happens. Yet, most still struggle to connect AI to trusted business knowledge, govern models and agents consistently, and control costs. Microsoft and Databricks are helping customers close that gap: 

“For nearly a decade, Databricks and Microsoft have helped enterprises innovate with data and AI,” said Ali Ghodsi, Co‑Founder and CEO of Databricks. “Today, our partnership is stronger than ever. With Databricks Genie and Unity AI Gateway deeply integrated across Microsoft’s products, we’re helping enterprises unify their data and ground AI in business knowledge. This lets customers get the full benefits of agents and models while controlling costs and ensuring governance.”

“The next generation of AI will be defined by how effectively organizations turn their unique knowledge into intelligence,” said Judson Althoff, CEO, Microsoft Commercial Business. “Microsoft and Databricks are helping customers connect data, AI and business context to accelerate decision-making and drive measurable impact. With Databricks deepening its investment in Azure Databricks and Azure Cobalt-powered infrastructure, customers will benefit from greater performance, efficiency and scale for their most demanding workloads. Databricks’ decision to run its own core business operations on Azure Databricks also gives customers confidence in a platform proven at enterprise scale.”

Databricks runs core business operations on Azure Databricks 

As part of this latest deal, Databricks deepens its commitment to Azure, running its own core business operations and analytics on Azure Databricks, using the very platform it delivers to customers at scale.

Advancing performance with Azure Cobalt

Databricks will also expand its use of Azure Cobalt, Microsoft’s next-generation Arm-based infrastructure, to improve performance and efficiency for agentic and data-intensive workloads. Databricks currently uses Cobalt 100 and plans to adopt Cobalt 200, which delivers up to 50% better performance and includes memory encryption enabled by default.

Deep integrations for Databricks Genie and Unity AI Gateway with Microsoft product stack

By combining the Databricks Data + AI Platform with Azure’s global scale, customers can accelerate AI transformation while maintaining control and reliability. As a native Azure service, Azure Databricks makes its AI capabilities available directly within customers’ existing Microsoft environment, grounding and operating agents on enterprise data with Genie and Genie Ontology, and governing models, agents and cost through Unity AI Gateway. Deeply integrated across the Microsoft ecosystem spanning Microsoft Entra, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure security, Microsoft OneLake, Power BI, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Foundry, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, Teams and Copilot, these capabilities bring governed, real-time data and AI into business workflows, giving organizations the context, control, choice and cost efficiency needed to drive impact.

Continued investment is evident from our recent announcements with Databricks at Data + AI Summit in June.

Customer impact with Azure Databricks

The deepened collaboration strengthens support for joint customers running data, analytics and AI workloads on Azure Databricks, delivering improved performance, security, AI governance and enterprise readiness. Thousands of customers, including Banco Bradesco, the Cincinnati Reds, Electrolux, SMBC and Unilever, already use Azure Databricks to run critical workloads and scale AI with confidence.

Read more on the proven business value of the Databricks and Microsoft partnership on the Microsoft Azure blog.

About Databricks

Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including AT&T, Bayer, BMW Group, HSBC, T-Mobile, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

 

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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

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Harness and Kong Expand Strategic Partnership to Deliver Comprehensive API and AI Security

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44 minutes ago

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July 23, 2026

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Joint solution extends proven API gateway security to the AI era — with automated AI discovery and runtime AI protection

SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Harness, the AI Software Delivery Platform™ company, and Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, today announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to address the growing security challenges posed by AI-driven architectures, autonomous agents, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) deployments.

According to The State of AI-Native Application Security 2025 report, as enterprises race to deploy AI at scale, 62% have no visibility into where LLMs are in use across their environment, and 74% say AI sprawl will outpace API sprawl when it comes to risk — making embedded, infrastructure-level security more critical than ever. And companies are now deploying agents into their operations at an exponentially increasing rate, making it a necessity to protect the agents themselves and the systems interacting with those agents.

The two companies are extending their joint solution from Kong API Gateway to also include Kong AI Gateway, bringing Harness’s AI security intelligence directly into the AI infrastructure layer and enabling enterprises to discover, monitor, and protect every agent, AI asset, LLM-powered service, and MCP-connected workflow that traverses it.

A Proven Foundation: Harness and Kong API Gateway

Harness and Kong have been jointly trusted by enterprises to deliver best-in-class API security for years. The existing Harness and Kong API Gateway integration provides:

Comprehensive API traffic visibility and behavioral analysis across all Kong-managed servicesReal-time detection and blocking of API threats, including OWASP API Security Top 10 risks, credential stuffing attacks, and business logic abuseContinuous sensitive data tracking to identify PII exposure and regulatory riskZero-friction deployment alongside existing Kong configurations

This new offering of the AI Gateway solution applies the same level of security depth to AI infrastructure, ensuring that security teams are not left behind as their organizations adopt AI and agentic operations.

“Our partnership with Harness has given joint customers production-grade API security that works with the way they build, not against it,” said Ken Kim, Senior Vice President, Business Development at Kong Inc. “Extending to include Kong AI Gateway is a natural next step. The same enterprises are now moving AI into production through our gateway and need the same depth of visibility and control they’ve come to rely on for their APIs for all AI traffic types including LLM, MCP, and A2A. That’s exactly what this delivers and is crucial for organizations scaling in the agentic era.”

The New Frontier: Kong AI Gateway and Harness AI Security

As enterprises accelerate AI adoption, the attack surface has fundamentally shifted. AI agents, LLM-powered microservices, and MCP-enabled integrations introduce new vectors that traditional security tools were not designed to address. Unlike traditional software, AI agents are non-deterministic — the same agent can behave differently on consecutive runs, making it impossible to secure them the way you’d secure a static API. The new Harness and Kong AI Gateway integration directly tackles these challenges across two critical domains: AI discovery and AI protection.

AI Discovery
Harness automatically inventories every AI asset, API, MCP server, tool, prompt, and resource routed through Kong AI Gateway — providing security teams with a continuously updated catalog of their AI attack surface. No manual documentation. No blind spots.

AI Protection
Harness applies behavioral analysis and anomaly detection to AI traffic in real time, identifying prompt injection attacks, data exfiltration through AI responses, jailbreaking, malicious code in prompts, and other AI-specific threats. Enterprises gain the same depth of observability and protection for their agents and AI workloads that they already rely on for traditional APIs, with full prompt and response details available for incident investigation and inline policy enforcement through Kong AI Gateway.

“Shadow AI has become the defining security blind spot for enterprises today. Traditional tools were built for static code and predictable systems, not for adaptive AI models, agent-to-agent communication, and MCP-connected workflows that evolve continuously,” said Rahul Sood, GM of Application Security at Harness. “This integration of Harness AI Security with Kong puts security intelligence directly into the connectivity layer where AI traffic flows. Joint customers now have the visibility and control they need to move fast without losing sight of what’s happening across their AI infrastructure.”

Availability

The Harness and Kong API Gateway integration is generally available today for all joint customers. The Kong AI Gateway integration, including AI Discovery and AI Protection, is also generally available now. Joint customers can contact their account team or request a demo.

About Harness
Harness is the AI Software Delivery Platform™ company, enabling engineering teams to build, test, and deliver software faster and more securely. Powered by Harness AI and the Software Delivery Knowledge Graph, the platform brings intelligent automation to every stage of the software delivery lifecycle after code — removing toil and freeing developers from manual, repetitive work. Companies like United Airlines, Morningstar, and Choice Hotels use Harness to accelerate releases by up to 75%, cut cloud costs by 60%, and achieve 10x efficiency across DevOps. Based in San Francisco, Harness is backed by Goldman Sachs, Menlo Ventures, IVP, Unusual Ventures, and Citi Ventures.

About Kong

Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.

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SOURCE Harness

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