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Smart HVAC systems change the way homeowners use energy

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C & C Heating & Air Conditioning explains how technology enhances comfort and optimizes home energy use

DETROIT, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Michigan homeowners are no strangers to the region’s severe “whiplash weather,” where record 60-degree warmth can plunge into heavy snow and freezing temperatures within 24 hours. Managing these rapid temperature swings can strain both home comfort and monthly budgets. To help residents adapt, the experts at C & C Heating & Air Conditioning are highlighting how smart HVAC technology simplifies year-round climate control while lowering utility bills.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), heating and cooling account for 52% of total home energy consumption, making it the single largest household energy expense.

“Today’s smart HVAC systems go far beyond remote temperature control,” said Dayna Hottle, general manager of C & C Heating & Air Conditioning. “They learn daily household habits, monitor local weather changes and adjust performance in real time to optimize efficiency.”

The core elements and benefits of a smart HVAC system include:

Smart Thermostats: Wi-Fi-enabled devices that use sensors, automation and remote access to customize temperature, humidity and airflow.

High-Efficiency Equipment: Advanced outdoor heat pumps or air conditioners paired with indoor gas furnaces or air handlers.

Zoned Climate Control: An optional enhancement that creates independent temperature zones throughout the house for maximum comfort.

Tailored Convenience: Homeowners can adjust settings from anywhere using smartphones or voice assistants.

Lower Utility Costs: Automation features like geofencing and smart scheduling eliminate energy waste when the home is empty.

Proactive Maintenance: Automated alerts remind homeowners to change filters or schedule professional tune-ups, extending equipment life.

“We are seeing a massive shift in how people interact with their living spaces,” Hottle said. “Homeowners no longer have to choose between comfort and conservation. Smart HVAC systems do the heavy lifting, protecting both the environment and the consumer’s wallet.”

For more information about smart HVAC systems or to schedule HVAC maintenance, call (586) 439-3319 or visit https://candcheat.com/.

About C & C Heating & Air Conditioning
C & C Heating & Air Conditioning is a Detroit-area heating and cooling company with more than seven decades of expertise installing and servicing all makes and models of heating and cooling equipment. Their technicians are highly trained and qualified and undergo annual background checks, random drug testing, extensive technical and customer service training and are North American Technician Excellence (NATE) certified. Services include HVAC maintenance and repair, duct cleaning, whole-home air filtration systems, indoor air quality systems and comprehensive maintenance agreements. For more information, call (586) 439-3319 or visit https://candcheat.com/.

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SOURCE C & C Heating & Air Conditioning

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HiLo Finance Brings Benzinga News Into Its AI-Powered Investing Community

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Benzinga News plugs real-time market headlines directly into HiLo’s mentor rooms, chats, and AI-driven trade insights

DETROIT, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Benzinga, a leading provider of real-time financial news and market intelligence, today announced that HiLo Finance has added Benzinga News to its investing app, putting real-time headlines inside the same feed where HiLo’s traders already chat, follow mentors, and get AI-driven insights on the market.

HiLo is built around the idea that markets move on conversation. The app pairs live price data with community chat rooms, trading mentors with verifiable performance records, and AI-generated insight that narrates what is happening on the tape in plain English. Benzinga News slots into that experience as the missing piece: the headline behind the move that traders are already debating in real time.

For a platform built around live discussion, timing matters. A trader watching a ticker spike in a HiLo room can now see the Benzinga headline driving it without switching apps or hunting down the source. That immediacy is central to how HiLo wants its community to operate, reacting to news as it breaks rather than piecing it together after the fact.

Benzinga News tracks the events that move markets throughout the trading day, including earnings, analyst upgrades and downgrades, M&A activity, macroeconomic data, regulatory developments, and corporate announcements. HiLo joins a growing list of trading and investing platforms that rely on the feed to keep users current.

The addition also reinforces what HiLo’s AI insight engine is built to do. Instead of only flagging that volume or price has shifted, the app can now tie that shift back to the Benzinga headline that explains it, giving traders and the mentors they follow a clearer starting point for the conversation.

“HiLo’s whole app is built around traders talking to each other while the market is moving, so the news needs to be right there with them, not in a separate tab,” said Emily Goldvekht, Account Manager at Benzinga. “That’s what this integration gives their community.”

“At HiLo, we’re building a new home for retail traders and mentors, a place to connect, share ideas, and stay on top of the markets. Partnering with Benzinga allows us to bring high-quality financial news and market data directly into the HiLo experience, helping our users stay informed and better understand what’s happening in the markets,” said Chanikya Mandapati, Founder & CEO of HiLo.

It is also a signal of where social trading apps are headed more broadly. As platforms compete to keep traders inside a single app rather than toggling between news sites, charting tools, and chat threads, reliable news data is becoming as core to the product as the community itself.

For HiLo, the integration is another step toward the app’s core premise: that the fastest way to understand a market move is to see the headline, hear what other traders think about it, and discuss it, all without leaving the conversation.

About Benzinga

Benzinga is a leading financial media and data technology company that empowers investors with high-quality, real-time market intelligence. Through its news platform, APIs, and data products, Benzinga provides traders, financial institutions, and fintech platforms with the insights they need to make smarter investment decisions. From breaking news and analyst ratings to corporate events and alternative datasets, Benzinga’s tools help market participants stay ahead of the information that drives price movement.

To learn more, visit www.benzinga.com/apis/.

About HiLo Finance

HiLo is a market-focused platform built for retail traders and trading mentors. Traders can join groups, follow mentors, and access real-time market context and AI-powered insights, while mentors can share market insights and trade ideas, build an audience, and monetize their expertise—all within one platform.

To learn more, visit https://www.hilo.finance/.

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SOURCE Benzinga

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Secur-Serv Expands Managed Services Portfolio to Address Growing Demand for AI Management

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New Managed Intelligence Services portfolio extends Secur-Serv’s technology and cybersecurity expertise into AI governance, operations, and performance management.

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Secur-Serv, a nationwide managed IT and cybersecurity services provider, has launched Managed Intelligence Services, expanding its role in helping businesses manage one of their fastest-growing technology investments: artificial intelligence. The new service line brings together AI strategy, implementation, and ongoing management, giving customers the expertise to scale adoption, protect sensitive data and tie spending to business results.

The expansion responds to growing demand from Secur-Serv customers, particularly financial institutions, and mid-market businesses, for more comprehensive AI support. Building on its established managed services and cybersecurity operations, Secur-Serv will work alongside customers beyond initial deployment, taking an active role in managing AI usage, costs, security, and performance as their needs evolve.

“AI is changing the economics of technology and how businesses compete,” said Cathy Pickoski, CEO of Secur-Serv. “The next competitive advantage won’t come from adoption alone, but from the ability to manage AI securely, economically, and at scale in ways that create value. Managed Intelligence Services reflects where the market is heading and the discipline organizations need to confidently manage AI as a business capability.”

Extending the Managed Services into AI Operations

Secur-Serv’s Managed Intelligence portfolio combines business strategy, technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, and ongoing management through four services:

AI Assessment: Identifies how AI is being used across the business, where it could deliver value, and what risks need attention.AI Strategy & Roadmap: Establishes a plan for AI investments, including business priorities, use cases, governance, and deployment.AI Foundations: Addresses gaps in identity management, data access, and security that could put AI initiatives at risk.Managed AI: Takes an active role in managing AI adoption, security, spending, and performance as business and technology evolve.

Each service addresses distinct operational needs, allowing organizations to engage at any stage of AI adoption.

Managed AI Establishes Ongoing Operational Accountability

At the core of the service expansion is Secur-Serv’s Managed AI service.

Operating within the customer’s organization alongside business leaders, internal IT teams, and existing service providers to oversee AI operations. The service integrates recurring governance and security reviews, licensing optimization, adoption support, and performance measurement to keep AI investments aligned with business objectives.

 “Businesses are moving quickly to adopt AI, but few have the resources to manage what comes after deployment,” said Billy Turner, Senior Vice President, Managed Services at Secur-Serv. “Managed Intelligence Services remove the burden of businesses managing AI themselves and gives customers a dedicated team working alongside them, with oversight of AI usage, and clear governance as new tools enter the business.”

Building on Established Market Expertise

Secur-Serv already manages critical technology and security operations for financial institutions and mid-market businesses nationwide. Its banking and credit union customers operate under strict regulatory requirements, while growing businesses want more from their technology investments without adding staff or overhead.

Managed Intelligence Services builds on that experience, bringing AI into the work Secur-Serv already does to support customers’ technology operations.

“AI will change how businesses compete, but adoption alone won’t determine who succeeds,” said Pickoski. “The advantage will belong to organizations that can turn AI into sustained business performance without compromising security or control. That’s the responsibility Secur-Serv is stepping forward to help our customers manage.”

Learn more about Secur-Serv’s Managed Intelligence Services at secur-serv.com.

About Secur-Serv

 Secur-Serv manages and secures the technology that runs the business, from IT infrastructure and devices to cybersecurity and AI. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Secur-Serv delivers Managed IT, Cybersecurity, Managed Intelligence Services, Managed Device, and Managed Print services nationwide, supported by more than 2,000 field service technicians and a 24/7 Network Operations Center. Learn more at secur-serv.com.

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CHOWNOW EXPANDS ITS PLATFORM TO HELP INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS KEEP MORE OF WHAT THEY EARN

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New Ordering, Marketing, and Operations Tools to Help Restaurants Thrive in an Industry Built on Razor-Thin Margins

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Independent restaurants are working harder than ever to attract diners and grow revenue, but too often, the customer relationship and a meaningful share of the revenue end up with third-party platforms instead. ChowNow, the restaurant growth platform, recently announced updates across its three product suites, Ordering, Marketing, and Operations, designed to put restaurants back in control of their orders, their data, and their diners.

Over 400,000 independent restaurants in the U.S. are already running on razor-thin margins as food, labor, and operational costs rise. According to the National Restaurant Association, wholesale food prices are up 35% since February 2020, and a third of operators said their business was not profitable in the first half of 2026. Third-party delivery platforms compound the problem, charging as much as 25 to 30% per order.

“Every guest a restaurant serves and every order it fulfills is value that the restaurant has earned,” said Kanika Soni, CEO of ChowNow. “Our goal is to make sure restaurants can capture more of that value directly and build a real relationship with their customers along the way. ChowNow gives restaurants the technology, data, and tools to do exactly that: attract diners, turn them into repeat guest, and grow revenue on their own terms.”

ChowNow’s update strengthens all three suites, bringing online ordering, catering, QR code ordering, and marketing together into a single operating system that helps restaurants scale their direct revenue and deepen guest relationships, while running their business with less complexity along the way.

What’s new:

Marketing Suite – now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation, so campaigns run themselves once they’re set up. Restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand and reach a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists, giving them full control over when and how they reach diners.Catering – gives restaurants a direct, branded online ordering experience for high-ticket orders, with dedicated menus, flexible scheduling, and streamlined order management, all while capturing the customer data that comes with it for future marketing. A restaurant running 10 catering orders a month at a $360 average order value could save more than $4,300 a year with ChowNow’s catering rate versus a 15% marketplace commission.QR Code Ordering – for dine-in guests speeds up ordering and payment while capturing valuable diner data restaurants can use to drive targeted marketing and repeat visits. ChowNow data shows restaurants using QR code ordering see a 9% average increase in check size. 

Restaurants powered by ChowNow are already seeing results. Since sending its first campaign in May 2026, DJ’s Pizza has generated 542 orders and more than $32,700 in direct sales from its ChowNow email and SMS campaigns. And since adding ChowNow Catering in late 2025, Real Mediterranean Kitchen has generated over $80,000 across more than 130 catering orders, demonstrating how restaurants can use direct digital tools to expand beyond individual takeout orders and capture larger ticket demand.

The update also lays the groundwork for ChowNow’s next generation of AI-powered restaurant tools, launching in Q4 2026.

For more information on ChowNow, please visit www.chownow.com.

About ChowNow
Trusted by more than 15,000 restaurants nationwide, ChowNow is the restaurant growth platform, offered in three packages, Launch, Grow, and Elevate, that helps independent restaurants attract diners, grow revenue, and own their customer relationships. ChowNow gives restaurants the technology and tools to capture more value from every order and every guest. Since 2011, ChowNow has helped independent restaurants save $1.36 billion in commission fees, an average of $16,000 per restaurant per year compared to third-party marketplaces.

Media Contact: 
Tracy Rubin        
JCUTLER media group     
tracy@jcmg.com      

 

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SOURCE ChowNow

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