Connect with us

Technology

Cerity Partners Merges with Gilbert & Cook, Building on More Than 30 Years Serving Clients and Families in Iowa

Published

on

The merger brings together two relationship-driven wealth management firms with shared core values and a commitment to long-term client service.

CHICAGO and DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cerity Partners and Gilbert & Cook today announced their intention to merge, effective at the end of September. Cerity Partners is a leading independent wealth management and investment advisory firm with offices nationwide. Gilbert & Cook is a respected wealth management firm based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Through the merger, Gilbert & Cook will operate under the Cerity Partners name, enhancing access to an extensive suite of wealth management services, including financial planning, investment management, business owner advisory, multigenerational estate planning, private family office services, divorce financial planning, and private markets investing. This partnership marks Cerity Partners’ entry into the Iowa market and brings together two client-focused firms united by a shared commitment to personalized advice, deep relationships, and high-quality service.

Founded in 1993, Gilbert & Cook has earned national recognition serving individuals, families and business owners with an integrated, client-centered approach to financial planning, investment management and sophisticated wealth strategies. The firm will contribute approximately $2 billion in assets under management to Cerity Partners.

“This partnership represents an exciting milestone for both firms,” said Claire O’Keefe, Partner & Head of Partner Development at Cerity Partners. “Gilbert & Cook has built an outstanding reputation based on trust, expertise, and an unwavering dedication to their clients. By bringing our firms together, we are strengthening our ability to deliver deeply personalized, integrated wealth advice while expanding our reach into the Des Moines community. We’re thrilled to welcome our talented new partners and colleagues to Cerity Partners and look forward to the impact we will make together for many years to come.” 

“For more than 30 years, our mission has been centered on building relationships—with our clients, with one another, and with the community we are proud to call home—to help clients navigate life’s financial decisions through trusted and thoughtful guidance,” said Linda Cook, Founder & Managing Partner of Gilbert & Cook. “Joining Cerity Partners is a natural next step in that journey. At the heart of the decision to join Cerity Partners was a strong alignment in values and philosophy. This partnership allows us to preserve the values and personalized service our clients have always counted on while opening the door to expanded resources, specialized resources and experience, and new opportunities. We’re incredibly excited about the future and what this means for our clients, our team, and the broader community we serve.” 

Together, Cerity Partners and Gilbert & Cook will continue to deliver the high-touch, relationship-driven experience clients expect while providing access to an even broader range of capabilities designed to help individuals, families, and business owners achieve their financial goals with confidence. Expanded resources include financial planning, investment management, tax, estate planning, business owner advisory and private family office services.

Advisors
Houlihan Lokey is representing Gilbert & Cook in this combination, and Sissel Law is providing legal counsel. Lowenstein Sandler is providing legal counsel to Cerity Partners in this combination.

About Cerity Partners
Founded in 2009, Cerity Partners is a nationally recognized wealth management firm serving high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, and institutions with an extensive range of financial planning, investment, tax, and retirement solutions. Learn more at ceritypartners.com.

About Gilbert & Cook
Founded in 1993 and based in West Des Moines, Iowa, Gilbert & Cook is a wealth management firm dedicated to empowering clients to Live a Life of Abundance®. The firm provides financial planning, investment management, business owner consultation, generational estate planning, private family office services, divorce financial planning, and private markets investing to individuals, families, and business owners. Learn more at gilbertcook.com.

Media Contact
pro-ceritypartners@prosek.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cerity-partners-merges-with-gilbert–cook-building-on-more-than-30-years-serving-clients-and-families-in-iowa-302882705.html

SOURCE Cerity Partners

Continue Reading

Technology

Z Squared Inc. CEO David Halabu Discusses AI Data Center Strategy on Two Investor Podcasts

Published

on

By

Both Interviews Are Live Now and Available Through the Company’s Website and Major Podcast Platforms

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Z Squared Inc. (Nasdaq: ZSQR) (“Z Squared” or the “Company”), a computing infrastructure company expanding into AI infrastructure, today announced that David Halabu, Chief Executive Officer, was recently featured on two investor podcasts: The Wall Street Resource, hosted by Jeff Kone, and The Nano Cap Podcast, hosted by Will Tjernlund. Both interviews are live now.

Speaking with Jeff Kone on The Wall Street Resource, Mr. Halabu outlined how Z Squared acquires existing powered sites – former crypto mining and manufacturing facilities – and retrofits them for AI and high-performance computing use. He described the Company’s role as a triple-net landlord, positioned the Union County Campus in Arkansas as its flagship asset, and reiterated the two measures he has asked shareholders to hold the Company to over the next 12 to 18 months: megawatts under management and signed leases.

Speaking with Will Tjernlund on The Nano Cap Podcast, Mr. Halabu traced his background in trading and real estate and the Company’s path to the public markets, and detailed the criteria Z Squared applies to a prospective site – price, power and time to power, redundant fiber, water, and county and municipal support. He also addressed the expanding role of behind-the-meter generation as utility interconnection timelines lengthen, and why he expects land and power to remain scarce as AI compute demand grows.

“These conversations were a chance to be direct about what we are building and how it generates revenue,” said David Halabu, Chief Executive Officer of Z Squared. “We find power, deliver a shell an AI tenant can use, and grow the site behind it. Over the next 12 to 18 months, measure us on megawatts and leases.”

The full interviews can be found via the following links:

The Wall Street Resource (Jeff Kone): Here

The Nano Cap Podcast (Will Tjernlund): Here

Both interviews touched on the Company’s previously announced acquisition of Paradox Data, LLC and the Union County Campus it brought with it. Set out below are the questions investors have most frequently raised about that transaction.

What did Z Squared acquire?

Z Squared acquired 100% of the membership interests of Paradox Data, LLC, whose flagship asset is the Union County Campus in El Dorado, Arkansas. The transaction closed on an all-stock basis – no cash at closing and no debt financing.

How much power does the Union County Campus have today, and how does it scale?

The campus has an existing arrangement with Entergy Arkansas for energy service of up to 8.0 MW, plus an executed contract for adjacent land. On The Wall Street Resource, Mr. Halabu described roughly eight megawatts of total capacity and six megawatts of critical capacity available today. The development pathway targets up to 150 MW over time through a combination of utility power and on-site generation, added in phases as utility timelines and customer demand allow.

How does Z Squared expect to generate revenue from the campus?

Z Squared intends to operate as a triple-net landlord, not a compute provider: it expects to lease the land, the building and access to power to tenants – primarily “neocloud” and enterprise AI users – with power treated as a pass-through, and does not intend to buy or lease GPUs. Mr. Halabu said he is hopeful the first six to eight megawatts can be monetized in the early-to-mid 2027 timeframe, subject to the factors described under “Forward-Looking Statements” below.

About Z Squared Inc.

Z Squared Inc. is a computing infrastructure company operating advanced computing equipment and expanding into AI infrastructure. The Company’s strategy is built on three principles: lead with power by acquiring operating sites where power is already flowing; build for AI workloads by converting that capacity into AI-ready colocation where the customer brings the compute and runs what they need; and scale with discipline by deploying conversion capital site by site, against signed contracts and operational readiness. Z Squared’s common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ZSQR” in April 2026.

For more information, visit www.zsquaredinc.com

Investor Relations Contact: ZSQR@mzgroup.us 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negatives of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements made by management in the podcast interviews described above and statements regarding: the achievement of the development milestones at the Union County Campus and the issuance of the related preferred stock; the development of the Union County Campus, including the targeted capacity of up to 150 MW; the availability and expansion of utility power and on-site generation; the acquisition of adjacent land; the timing of tenant leasing and the monetization of initial capacity at the Union County Campus; and the Company’s strategy and planned expansion into AI infrastructure, data center development and power generation.

Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied, including, among others: the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; the risk that the development milestones are not achieved in whole or in part; risks related to the availability, cost and interruptible nature of electric power at the Union County Campus and the Company’s ability to secure additional utility power and on-site generation; risks related to the pending transfer of the utility account for the Union County Campus and the completion of related post-closing arrangements contemplated by the transaction agreements; risks related to permitting, construction, equipment procurement and the development of data center capacity; customer demand for AI-ready capacity; dilution resulting from the issuance and conversion of the preferred stock issued in the transaction; volatility in digital asset prices and the economics of the Company’s mining operations; and the other risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/z-squared-inc-ceo-david-halabu-discusses-ai-data-center-strategy-on-two-investor-podcasts-302882806.html

SOURCE Z Squared Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

Alibaba’s Amap and Singapore Tourism Board Launch Curated City Guides Featuring 104 Local Picks for Chinese Visitors

Published

on

By

SINGAPORE, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Amap, Alibaba’s location-based services platform, and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) jointly launched Singapore Street Stars, a set of ‘Fun in Every Way’ themed rankings designed to help Chinese visitors discover both iconic landmarks and lesser-known local gems.

Singapore Street Stars features seven themed rankings spanning 104 attractions, neighbourhoods and lifestyle places of interest across Singapore, giving participating restaurants, hotels and retailers direct visibility into the travel preferences of Chinese visitors.

“Singapore Street Stars rely on actual users’ preferences reflecting authentic recommendations,” said Andrew Phua, Chief Representative and Executive Director, Greater China, Singapore Tourism Board. “We hope that more Chinese travellers will use Street Stars to explore Singapore’s diverse travel products and discover experiences based on their passions.”

This launch marks the first international edition of Amap Street Stars developed in partnership with a national tourism board. It follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Amap and STB in Beijing on 2 June, covering travel discovery, trip planning and on-the-ground services for Chinese travellers before and during their visits.

The partnership comes as Amap sees rising demand for Singapore travel information during the summer. Platform data show that the average daily number of users searching for Singapore-related content during the 2026 summer travel season increased by 52.3% compared with June 2026. Searches for attractions rose by 91.2%, while queries related to shopping and dining climbed by 87.4% and 70.9%, respectively.

The seven themes cover Photo-Perfect Spots, Where Family Fun Begins, After-Dark Adventures, Next-Gen Crowd Favourites, Nature’s Reset, Curated Finds, and Local Life, Real Finds. Featured places of interest range from Gardens by the Bay, Merlion Park and Sentosa Island to Joo Chiat Road, Haji Lane, Maxwell Food Centre and Tiong Bahru Market. The rankings also provide local attractions, restaurants, hotels and retailers with an additional channel to reach prospective visitors from China.

Alongside the rankings, Amap is piloting Flying Street View at selected Singapore attractions. Using 360-degree panoramic imagery, travellers can preview places of interest and their surroundings while planning a trip. The initial locations include Merlion Park, Sentosa Island, Universal Studios Singapore, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Zoo and Jewel Changi Airport, as well as selected restaurants and hotels featured in the rankings.

Within Singapore, travellers can also search for places of interest in Chinese via the Amap app and book airport transfers, pre-arranged car services or on-demand rides through local operators. Built-in translation features facilitate communication with drivers, and the app supports commonly used Chinese mobile payment methods.

Amap plans to promote themed content and curated routes during peak Chinese travel seasons such as the ‘Golden Week’ holiday, helping participating Singapore businesses gain greater visibility as travellers build their itineraries.

Liu Li, General Manager of Amap’s Information Platform Business said, “We will continue to explore localised rankings and services suited to different countries and regions, meeting the diverse needs of Chinese travellers while giving distinctive local businesses more opportunities to reach Chinese users.”

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/alibabas-amap-and-singapore-tourism-board-launch-curated-city-guides-featuring-104-local-picks-for-chinese-visitors-302883286.html

SOURCE Amap

Continue Reading

Technology

Précis AI Wants Policy Wonks

Published

on

By

Opens Beta for Willard, the Policy-Native AI

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — To help address AI accuracy in policy work, Précis AI today opened a beta for Willard, a federal advocacy AI that provides direct, sourced answers drawn from verifiable public records.

As Washington debates how to rein in powerful AIs, another risk is loose in the policy process: AIs like Claude and ChatGPT do policy work and produce fluent, confident, footnoted answers that are sometimes simply wrong.

But AI is already reshaping policy work in Congress. POLITICO reported last month that the House Office of Legislative Counsel is being swamped by error-riddled AI-generated legislation. The former House legislative counsel warned that using error-prone AIs for statutory language creates “the highest risk at the apex of failure.”

And the numbers back that up. Stanford’s 2026 AI Index found hallucination rates ranging from 22% to 94% across 26 leading models on a new accuracy benchmark — with many of the most capable models near the top of that range. Suprmind’s August 2026 hallucination rate tracking shows the newest flagships from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google hallucinate more than 60% of the time they don’t know the answer to a query, while OpenAI’s latest model has inaccuracies more than 90% of the time.

“Hysterical speculation that AI will destroy humanity rules the airwaves, but the pressing problem is a confident, cited AI generation that’s just false,” said Précis AI CEO David Fuscus. “Willard is built to dramatically increase accuracy by directly accessing warehouses of government data.”

General-purpose AIs generate mainly from training data and web sources; they aren’t built to ground every answer in official government documents. Willard is grounded in the world’s largest database of AI-accessible federal documents and engineered to retrieve, cite, and ground every answer in these public records.

Beta testers gain early access, with a direct line to the product team to further customize Willard for policy. “Getting in early isn’t about access. It’s about shaping how the AI works,” continued Fuscus.

Qualified professionals can sign up at precisai.com/Willard.

About Précis AI

Précis AI builds industry-specific AI tools. Précis Public Relations has users in 14 countries. Willard is a policy-focused AI designed to help, analyze and act on federal information for more accurate work. Details at PrecisAI.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/precis-ai-wants-policy-wonks-302883297.html

SOURCE Précis AI

Continue Reading

Trending