According to the 2016 Franchise Business Economic Outlook report, employment growth in the franchise sector will continue to outpace the growth of employment in all businesses economy-wide, as it has in each of the last six years. The franchise industry is set to grow by 1.7 percent in 2016 which added over 13,000 new franchise businesses, generating over $900 billion in economic output and 278,000 new jobs in 2015.
Kumon, the world’s largest education franchise, continues to flourish as it surpassed company milestones in 2015 with nearly 300,000 students enrolled in its math and reading programs nationwide.
“Many of our 1,500 franchise owners opened Kumon centers after experiencing first-hand how Kumon gave their own children an academic advantage that put them ahead of their peers,” says Larry Lambert, vice president of franchise recruitment at Kumon North America. “Kumon is helping thousands of aspiring small business owners transform their lives with a career that rewards them and changes the lives of youth every day.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7720256-kumon-franchise/
Messe Frankfurt is continuing to expand its presence in Russia with the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Comtrans and Autotrans by its Russian subsidiary Messe Frankfurt RUS. The remaining 50 percent will be assumed by ITE Expo OOO, the Russian subsidiary of the ITE Group. The new Joint Venture organizing company is ITEMF Expo AO.
Comtrans – which has had the status of International Commercial Vehicle Auto Show since 2011 – will present the latest models of modern motor trucks, buses, trailers and their parts from September 8-12 at Crocus Expo in Moscow.
To view the multimedia news release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7577851-messe-frankfurt-comtrans-2015/
Georgia Power today marked another year of safe construction and significant milestones at the Vogtle nuclear expansion site. The new units are currently scheduled to go into service in June 2019 (Unit 3) and June 2020 (Unit 4) and the remaining projected customer rate impact is approximately 2.5 percent, an average of less than 1 percent per year through completion.
In addition, the company’s recent completion of the settlement process between the project co-owners (Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities) and the project’s contractors (Westinghouse and CB&I) settles all claims previously in litigation with the contractors, reaffirms the current in-service dates, adds additional contractual protections and positions Westinghouse and its affiliates as the primary contractor over the project.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7464951-ga-power-project-vogtle/
AARP’s ‘Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers’ contest is underway. The contest encourages people of all ages to recognize and reward family caregivers in their lives in small but meaningful ways, especially during National Family Caregivers Month in November.
Many family caregivers spend 18 hours per week or more providing care like bathing, dressing, preparing meals, administering medications, driving to doctor visits, or paying bills. Sixty percent of caregivers are helping care for a loved one while holding down a job at the same time. ‘Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers’ might be something as simple as doing a caregiver’s grocery shopping, taking their dog for a walk, or even cutting the lawn.
“I’ve been a family caregiver my entire adult life and I know that unexpected kindness can go a long way for a caregiver,” says AARP Family and Caregiving Expert Amy Goyer, author of the new book Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving. “If you are not one of the 40 million caregivers in the U.S. now, you either have been a caregiver or will be one in the future.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7607231-aarp-caregivers/
Extremely painful and destructive, gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis with elevated serum uric acid (sUA) a root cause of the disease. Even with the growing incidence of gout, recent research from the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) found that just 16 percent of Americans overall know the target sUA number for gout (6 mg/dL or below) – and just 38 percent of people with gout had their sUA levels checked within the past six months, the timeframe recommended by the American College of Rheumatology. Additionally, the majority of gout sufferers don’t understand the importance of taking daily uric acid-lowering medications, with four in 10 incorrectly believing that they can stop taking medications when they aren’t experiencing flares.
Seeking to increase recognition of the severity of gout and need for routine sUA testing and management, GUAES hosted a professional roundtable discussion on October 3, 2015. The roundtable brought together several experts – rheumatologists, a family care physician, and representatives from the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the National Kidney Foundation and CreakyJoints – to explore how to more effectively educate about gout and improve access to public education and treatment.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7715851-guaes-gout-roundtable-discussion/
Nearly 12 million men in the U.S. suffer from symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate that can cause issues such as frequent and weak urinary streams and sleep deprivation from getting up repeatedly during the night to urinate. Since traditional BPH therapies such as daily medications and more invasive or surgical procedures often result in unwanted side effects and complications, more than 54 percent of men who would benefit from treating their BPH choose not to do anything1. With today’s national introduction of the FDA-cleared Rezūm® System, NxThera provides urologists and their patients suffering from symptomatic BPH with a new, safe and effective minimally-invasive, office-based treatment option which improves quality of life and preserves sexual function2 – one of the main reasons many men choose to forego medications or more invasive procedures.
“Men suffering from BPH are constantly evaluating the trade-offs between maintaining their current declined quality of life or treating their BPH symptoms and possibly incurring long term side effects,” said Dr. Kia Michel, M.D., a urologist at Comprehensive Urology in Los Angeles who recently performed the procedure as part of a nationally televised segment on prostate health. “Of all the minimally-invasive BPH treatments I’ve performed, Rezūm is the most effective and most versatile treatment available to patients – and the results have been excellent.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7933151-nxthera-rezum-therapy/
SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) has once again raised the bar by introducing the highest-power solar panels available today for the residential market. In the United States, the company has launched its Next Generation Technology home solar panel called A-Series, delivering 400 and 415 watts of power. In Europe and Australia, homeowners can also now order a 400-watt solar panel from SunPower called Maxeon® 3. Each is the first home solar panel to deliver more than 400 watts in its region and is designed to deliver 60 percent more energy in the same amount of roof space over the first 25 years compared to conventional solar.
“SunPower is introducing the world’s first 400-watt residential solar panels as most in the industry are just crossing the 300-watt threshold for home solar,” said Jeff Waters, CEO of the SunPower Technologies business unit. “Our record-breaking cell technology and innovative research and development efforts have enabled us to fit more power capacity on rooftops than we ever have before. Our growing panel portfolio is delivering unprecedented value across global markets that goes unmatched by any other residential solar technology currently available.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8252054-sunpower-a-series-next-gen-solar-panels/
The last year saw many achievements for Chengdu’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry. According to data from the Chengdu Municipal Statistics Bureau, Chengdu hosted 530 major exhibitions, conferences and forums in 2014, of which 214 were exhibitions, 45 more than a year earlier or a year-over-year (YOY) growth rate of 26.6 percent, and 113 were international conferences and forums, 8 more than a year earlier, or a YOY growth rate of 7.6 percent. The events took up 3.25 million square meters of space in the aggregate, a YOY growth rate of 8.0 percent, of which 49 were international in nature, occupying 1.74 million square meters, a YOY growth rate of 16.0 percent. Direct revenue derived from the industry for 2014 totaled 6.95 billion yuan, up 14.9 percent year-on-year while overall revenue (direct plus indirect) revenue reached 58.4 billion yuan, up 14.5 percent year-on-year.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7511651-chengdu-china-mice-industry/
Meredith Corporation, (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com) the leading media and marketing company serving 100 million American women and 72 percent of U.S. millennial women, today announced that Natalie Morales, TODAY show News Anchor and Third-Hour Co-Host; Erica Hill, NBC News’ Anchor and National Correspondent; and Carolyn Manno, NBC Olympics Host, will host and run the 2016 MORE/SHAPE Women’s Half-Marathon and kick off one of the largest women’s-only half-marathons in the country.
The race, held by Meredith’s SHAPE magazine in conjunction with the New York Road Runners (NYRR), will take place on Sunday, April 17, and draw 10,000 female runners and walkers of all ages, from around the world, to New York’s Central Park.
Morales and Hill are returning for the second year, after hosting the 2015 MORE/SHAPE Women’s Half-Marathon and completing the race in an impressive 1:38:59 and 2:06:52, respectively.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7788252-more-shape-womens-half-marathon-hosts/
Silence speaks volumes. A new survey reveals that young men and women continue to grapple with various forms of dating abuse including emotional, sexual, physical and digital abuse. Seventy three percent reported they are experiencing or have experienced emotional abuse while more than half of all respondents waited six months before seeking help. In partnership with loveisrespect, the 2014 Mary Kay Truth About Abuse Survey aimed to understand how long teens and young adults wait before they reach out for help and gauge what type of abuse is most prevalent among those who seek help.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7333451-mary-kay-foundation-truth-about-abuse/
The national preterm birth rate fell to 11.4 percent in 2013 – the lowest in 17 years -- meeting the federal Healthy People 2020 goal seven years early. Despite this progress, the U.S. still received a “C” on the 7th annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card because it fell short of the more-challenging 9.6 percent target set by the March of Dimes, the group said today.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/65164-march-of-dimes-march-for-babies-2014/
Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid (HEV) at the Chicago Auto Show. The Optima HEV enjoys the same full redesign – inside and out – as the conventional gas-powered model, the all-new fourth-generation Optima sedan, bringing with it a new hybrid powertrain that targets a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over the outgoing model. The enhanced HEV blends modern styling and a premium driving experience with an even more intense focus on efficiency and is being introduced under the Kia Motors EcoDynamics environmentally friendly sub-brand.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7731855-kia-2017-optima-hybrid-cas/
