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Minuteman Press Earns Entrepreneur Number 1 Rated Printing and Marketing Franchise and Franchise Business Review Top Franchise Rankings for 2021

Minuteman Press International Inc

Minuteman Press International is Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2021 #1 Rated Printing & Marketing Franchise Marking an Impressive 30 Years and 18 Years in a Row at Number 1 Franchise Business Review Has Named Minuteman Press to Their Top Franchises of 2021 Rankings Based Directly on Franchisee Feedback Minuteman Press International, the world’s leading design, marketing, and printing franchise, has been awarded the 2021 #1 printing and marketing franchise ranking by Entrepreneur Magazine. The Minuteman Press franchise team has now achieved this prestigious #1 rating for an impressive 30 years and 18 years in a row. Independent franchisee satisfaction firm Franchise Business Review has also named Minuteman Press International to their Top Franchises of 2021 listing based directly on comprehensive feedback and Minuteman Press franchise reviews from owners. In 2020, Minuteman Press reached an incredible milestone, celebrating 45 years in franchising. Thanks to a complete team effort and the leadership of Nick Titus, third-generation President of Minuteman Press International, Minuteman Press franchisees have been able to adapt and operate efficiently despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. “ Printing is an essential business and Minuteman Press owners provide critical, high-demand products and services to businesses and organizations to help them operate efficiently, market effectively, communicate with clients, and grow,” says Titus. He adds, “To once again receive top franchise rankings from Entrepreneur and Franchise Business Review is a testament to the dedication of our owners and the mutual commitment we have in helping them succeed.” Peter Castorena has owned his Minuteman Press franchise in Lancaster, CA for nearly 15 years. Already a member of the President’s Million-Dollar Circle for achieving yearly gross sales of at least $1 million, Peter has continued to grow his sales even during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says, “There is nothing more that Minuteman Press International could have done to support franchise owners like me during this unprecedented time. We really appreciate the leadership and communication shown by Nick Titus as well as the additional marketing resources and ongoing support we have received when we needed it most.” One of the marketing resources established by Minuteman Press to help support local businesses everywhere during the pandemic is Bounce Back USA. The free initiative provides free local business listings and free COVID-19 awareness and prevention posters. Bounce Back USA was featured in Forbes and has helped connect thousands of businesses in local communities to their consumers with the idea of supporting and shopping local. Titus says, “I am very proud of the work we’ve done with Bounce Back USA (and the Bounce Back programs in other countries we operate) as well as the various marketing campaigns and strategies we’ve quickly developed and made available to our franchisees. As a team, we are constantly striving to help our franchisees and their clients grow their businesses.” He continues, “As essential businesses, our franchises remain open and operating with safe ordering, pickup, and delivery options. For each of our locations, we continue to add more high-demand products and services and we have been doing this for a long time. Today, your local Minuteman Press franchise can provide virtually any type of custom printing and design, direct mail campaigns, large format printing (banners, posters, and signage), custom branded apparel, promotional items, and more.” Titus concludes, “As we move forward into 2021, I am optimistic that we will be able to continue the momentum that we’ve built together. I am thankful for the diversity of products and services that our owners can provide their customers. Already having longstanding relationships with vendors and suppliers enabled us to pivot easily during the pandemic and offer PPE products to our customers as well as other essential products. Our owners have been able to adjust to the needs of their clients throughout the pandemic, and moving forward I feel we will continue to stay strong and grow together.” For more information about #1 rated Minuteman Press printing franchise opportunities and to read Minuteman Press franchise reviews, visit https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. About Minuteman Press International Minuteman Press International is the number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. At Minuteman Press, We Are The Modern Printing Industry ™ providing high quality products and services that meet the needs of today's business professionals and go way beyond ink on paper. Today, our centers offer innovative branding solutions and produce custom designs, promotional products, branded apparel, direct mail marketing, large format printing (banners and posters), signs and graphics, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and access franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

January 25, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Report: State of American Business

YourUpdateTV

The pandemic has caused unprecedented economic disruption. In conjunction with the State of American Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released a new economic report on the outlook for and challenges facing key industries across the country. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/uTchoM1ZxrQ The Chamber has released its annual policy agenda, detailing the most important legislative and regulatory priorities for the American business community. It includes how business is ready to work with the new Biden Administration and the new Congress to rally for recovery as we continue to battle the pandemic. Neil Bradley, Exec VP and Chief Policy Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, conducted a nationwide media tour from Washington, DC in conjunction with D S Simon Media and YourUpdate TV to address results of a new economic report on the business outlook for recovery in 2021. During interviews with TV and radio stations across the country, Neil Bradley discussed: Results of the new economic report on the business outlook for recovery in 2021 What local businesses can do to rally for recovery post pandemic How business hopes to work with the Biden Administration to get things done on issues including infrastructure, immigration, and the workforce. The Chambers most important legislative and regulatory priorities to help local businesses recover. The latest on support available for local businesses About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

January 25, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Video

CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Engagement Agreement with itSM Solutions

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years, is excited to announce a partnership with itSM Solutions, a global consortium of academic, government and industry thought leaders working together to create training and technology solutions that enable enterprises to design, operationalize and automate a cybersecurity risk management program based on the best practice publications created by the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST), the International Standards Organization (ISO), the Center for Internet Security (CIS) and the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission. This unique partnership will extend efforts to identify and include proven capabilities within the CMMC COE Marketplace to improve cybersecurity protection and resilience for the global defense industrial base network of contractors, vendors, and suppliers. itSM has created an innovative, turnkey NIST 800-171 FastTrack Readiness Program that will provide DIB companies with an affordable, fixed price cybersecurity risk management solution that will deliver the cybersecurity risk management outcome expected by the Department of Defense. The FastTrack program will include accredited certification training, online mentoring from industry experts plus an online Integrated Risk Management (IRM) platform that will seamlessly integrate all cybersecurity and IT Risk and Compliance functions into a powerfully automated assessment and program management solution. The executed Engagement Agreement establishes a collaborative engagement between itSM Solutions and the CMMC COE to partner in the furthering of their respective and complementary missions and objectives regarding the adoption, use, and expansion of CMMC based cybersecurity practices, risk management, and compliance for the DIB contractor, vendor, and supplier community of providers creating a broader CMMC ecosystem globally to improve security and resilience. Specific actions will include: The co-development of CMMC advisory services, cyber training and education programs to accelerate CMMC certification, increase cyber adoption and improve cyber protection & resilience. Co-sponsor symposiums, training programs and podcasts leveraging their combined cyber and IT expertise. Host regular working groups, with other partners, to enable collaboration and communications. Source qualified CMMC/ cyber professionals to serve as advocates. Establish an independent Industry Cyber Security Advisory Council with peer organizations to advise and educate leaders across government and industry on the continued evolution and effectiveness of CMMC. “This is exciting opportunity for us”, said Mr. John Weiler, Chairman of the Board at CMMC Center of Excellence, “This new partnership will further help advance the goals and objectives for improving the supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD)”. “itSM Solutions is proud to partner with the CMMC COE on this very exciting initiative,” stated Mr. Rick Lemieux, Managing Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at itSM Solutions. “We look forward to collaborating with the COE on solutions that will not only get DIB companies ready for CMMC certification but also provide them with the skills and tools necessary to manage cybersecurity risk management as they would any other business function”. The CMMC-COE ( http://cmmc-coe.org ) and itSM Solutions partnership will focus on bringing together the many disparate cyber and national security communities of interest to reduce complexity, improve awareness, and accelerate industry effort to become more cyber resilient against the growing threats from nation states and criminal enterprises. The CMMC-COE establishes both a Market Place and Knowledge Clearinghouse that will include resources that support the overall effort, including white papers; tutorials; recorded webcasts; presentations; and more that will help reduce the cost and burden on small and medium size contractors already struggling from the impact of COVID. For more information on the CMMC COE, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 For more information on itSM Solutions, please visit https://www.itsmsolutions.com/ About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

January 25, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Juicy Juice Partners with Craft Expert Amber Kemp-Gerstel to Keep Kids Inspired At-Home

YourUpdateTV

As we enter a new year, there’s one thing that remains the same, parents will continue looking for ways to keep their kids engaged and inspired at-home. From DIY crafts to games and virtual activities, parents have tried it all and are still left seeking more. Which is why this winter, Juicy Juice, the iconic kids’ juice, has partnered with Disney+ Host and crafting extraordinaire Amber Kemp-Gerstel to help parents foster creativity at home with the launch of the Happy Artist Contest. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/TK9gldE88ZI Everyone has been indoors more than usual, so parents need to find things to keep kids occupied and inspired. Arts and crafts are a great way to keep both kids and parents busy. No matter how old your kids are, there’s a craft, DIY activity or art project for everyone. Kemp-Gerstel recommends giving your child a choice of 2-3 drawing or craft activities to keep them engaged and excited. She believes that creativity is an essential part of a child’s emotional and intellectual development and will helps them in all aspects in life as they grow. Embracing your child’s creativity also gives them the confidence they need to feel good about their “outside of the box” thinking. As a way to foster creativity among kids at home, Juicy Juice launched the Happy Artist Contest, a nationwide contest where kids have the chance for their art to be featured on Juicy Juice packs and win money for art supplies. To participate, parents can submit their child’s drawing of what makes them 100% happy, like a favorite activity, a beloved pet or an element of nature. Entering is easy - through February 28, parents can upload an image of their little one’s artwork using the template and instructions on JuicyJuice.com/HappyArtist. Four grand prize winners have the chance to see their artwork featured on Juicy Juice packs and receive a $500 gift card for art supplies. Ten first prize winners will receive a $200 gift card to upgrade their at-home art set up. For more information, visit JuicyJuice.com/HappyArtist About Amber Kemp-Gerstel: Amber Kemp-Gerstel is the founder and creative director of Damask Love a creative lifestyle blog all about doable DIY. She has been featured on Huffington Post,Buzzfeed, Apartment Therapy and in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Damask Love was named one of theTop 17 DIY Blogs by Domino Magazine and Top 10 DIY blogs by Better Homes and Garden's Magazine. Amber Kemp-Gerstel was a finalist in Season One of NBC’s Making It - a crafting competition show hosted by SNL’s Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. Amber has been featured on the cover of Parents Magazine and you can find Amber on Disney+ as the host of their new, original family crafting show Disney Family Sundays. You can also find Damask Love products at Office Depot and JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores or take a dive on the creative side with her newest venture YayDay Paper Company - a digital subscription service offering delightfully designed stationery, craft projects and planner goodies that you can print from home. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

January 19, 2021 02:30 PM Eastern Standard Time

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How To Create A Steady Retirement Paycheck That Withstands Any Stock Market Condition by Jennifer Lang Financial Services

Jennifer Lang Financial Services, LLC

Contact Details Jennifer Lang +1 877-487-8926 mail@jenniferlangfinancialservices.com Company Website https://www.jenniferlangfinancialservices.com

January 19, 2021 10:05 AM Eastern Standard Time

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CMMC Center of Excellence & CMMC COE EU Announce Memorandum of Understanding with Gerico Security SRL of Italy

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years, in collaboration with the UK’s Parava Security Solutions representing the CMMC-COE in Europe, is excited to announce a partnership with Gerico Security SRL through a Memorandum of Understanding to expand presence across Italy and Europe. This unique partnership represents an agreement to jointly drive education, awareness, and adoption of the CMMC standard and other cybersecurity measures to improve protection and resilience of the global supply chain that supports the Defense Industrial Base network of contractors, partners, vendors, and suppliers around the world. Through this bold collaboration, the parties will pursue initiatives that are mutually beneficial and deemed critical to the broad adoption and embrace of the CMMC, NIST standards, and cybersecurity best practices including: Sourcing of Senior qualified CMMC/Cyber professionals (both DoD and industry) serving as distinguished guest lecturers in selected events and seminars. Co-sponsorship of selected/approved webinars to gain a prospective on technology and business trends and giving insight to help propagate innovation that leads to crafting better industry proposals in response to DoD requirements. Co-Developing CMMC/Cyber Training and Education programs that will accelerate CMMC certification AND improved cyber protection and resilience “This is exciting opportunity for us”, said Mr. John Weiler, Chairman of the Board at CMMC Center of Excellence, “This new partnership will further help advance the goals and objectives for improving the supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD)”. “This is a great moment for the deployment of cyber security and CMMC for the European Defense Industry Base. said Andy Watkin-Child of Parava Security Solutions, who also leads the CMMC COE EU. Having Gerico as a Partner in Italy brings their unique cyber security skills to support companies within one of Europe’s Largest Defense Partners deploy CMMC and cyber Security”. “We are proud of the strategical and cultural relationship between our Countries within which this agreement can be considered to be a missing peace. In an era of asymmetric cyber warfare, cybersecurity is the primary defense tool of the western industrial systems and, we believe that the CMMMC model will be used within both the defense and civilian sectors”, said Mr. Giustino Fumagalli, CEO of Gerico Security. Gerico Security SRL is the CMMC’s reference point in Italy. Through the CMMC-COE and PARAVA agreement, Gerico is aimed at supporting the main defense parties on both sides of the Atlantic and is aimed at defining and achieving high levels of cybersecurity both on large and small Italian companies belonging to the DoD’s Defense Industrial Base. Gerico Security is an Italian center of excellence in advisory on information & cyber security, business continuity, internal and third-party audit and security inspection activities. Gerico supports private organizations in business process certifications through the provision of turn-key projects of Governance Risk & Compliance. For more information on the CMMC COE, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 For more information on the CMMC COE EU, please visit https://cmmc-eu.com/ For more information about Parava Security Solutions, please visit https://www.parava.org/ For further information about Gerico Security, please visit www.gerico-sec.it or send an email to info@gerico-sec.it About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

January 19, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Minuteman Press Franchise in Fairfield, CT Empowers Local Businesses to Grow Sales During COVID-19

Minuteman Press International Inc

“We are busier than ever and that is becoming true for those we serve. Everything is coming back and people are enthusiastic to move forward and grow.” Minuteman Press in Fairfield, CT is a locally owned design, marketing, and printing franchise that has remained open as an essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owners Cheryl Camarato and Susan Wybiral have worked hard for nearly ten years as business owners to get where they are today, and they weren’t going to let anything get in their way. Cheryl explains, “Over the last four years we took our sales to incredible heights. We have mentored businesses of all sizes and we are proud of our operations and business growth both before the pandemic and during it.” Cheryl continues, “The beginning of COVID-19 was a scary time for everyone, but we made fast moves to remain open and strengthen our clients’ connections so they could survive and eventually resume growth.” From her words to real world actions, her full staff was hard at work within weeks. A grateful community of entrepreneurs, graduates and families were well on their way developing new ways for keeping life and prosperity in Fairfield. “What I did was shut the door and worked,” Cheryl explains. A lot of people were very happy Minuteman Press in Fairfield was still working on their behalf while they were under unbelievable pressure. “We got an email that said, ‘Thank God you are still working!’ and it was from a large landscaping customer with 90 locations. We take care of design and print, advising on strategy for all of them. I’d say we do postcard mailings for them to the amount of 40,000 per week, give or take.” Cheryl’s reputation for meeting complex situations head-on empowers her capabilities as a problem-solver. “Challenging times are opportunities for us to utilize our full-range of technology. We help our clients by leveraging our products and services as well as the combined years of experience Susan and I have rerouting businesses into success stories, even against the odds.” They are unmatched when it comes to taking calculated risks and they share this talent with everyone who entrusts them with projects. As it turns out, Cheryl has an uncanny ability to come out on the winning side of tough decisions during a time when it’s difficult to calculate because facts are still developing. As the world opens back up, she and Susan are part of the reason the local economy is becoming revitalized. “We bought our center with skillsets perfectly matched to make it all work and developed a healthy relationship with our franchise family over the years, too.” She adds, “My wife and I went to our system-wide World Expo in Las Vegas and I met so many great people from headquarters as well as other franchise owners from around the world. We knew we would never have a slow time because our industry is filled with options that we can extend to our customers. We have recently added another large format machine, a heat press and have been printing floor graphics and doing vehicle wraps. So, while the holidays were bonkers around here with orders as might be expected, we are also busy right now. Our restaurants, small business owners, local government and non-profits are coming to us for help and we have them all covered. We do not have slow periods and we can see the good effects of our work in action all around the area.” Cheryl reduced spending immediately and used her innate and earned business intelligence to bolster her bottom line. She called and visited her customer base to check on their welfare and help them strategize. “We remained open and busy because print is an essential business, so we did a great deal of work for the town, including the parks department which needed health and safety signage without delay. Then, we were sensitive to local families hoping to celebrate graduations. So, we designed printed options like lawn signs and put them online, including Esty as a way to create a special tradition and help our area preserve this rite of passage.” The thoughtful designs were met with $15,000 worth of sign orders and happy families. “It was a strong sales month for us in the middle of lockdowns. We remained positive and somehow, we pulled it off. We took care of signage for between six and eight grammar schools, the same number of middle schools plus public works and the board of education. People really needed help preserving monumental moments and businesses needed help adjusting to unusual hours. Signage was in high-demand and our business never slowed down.” Cheryl is humble about her role as mentor, but her reputation for being there for clients grows even as she models how to handle emergencies. Susan is a production master and takes care of the latest technology their modern printing center houses. Cheryl says, “I am on the money end of our business and with that came the decision to diversify years ago. We made wise equipment decisions that allow us to take care of clients in-house the majority of the time and we never stop devising new ways to make real connections with target audiences. The response is a stronger, more enduring business no matter which industry our client represents.” Four years ago, Cheryl and Susan took an A-frame sign and cut it into the shape of a t-shirt, advertising customized apparel. “Within an hour people came in asking if we could print customized t-shirts. We knew we would work to make sure our clients’ options in marketing was not limited, so we provided things some people might not expect from a ‘print shop.’ During the COVID-19 challenge our efforts really paid off as we are able, for instance, to welcome our construction and landscaping customers into much more than they realized they could use to grow business.” Today there are still uncertainties but Cheryl keeps her finger on the pulse of each brand under her care. She has helped them all make swift adjustments. “We move and groove an go on to the next thing while a lot of other printers just print basics. For example, we have a ton of construction companies and when their owners come in, they come in asking for work orders. We then show them how we can letter their trucks and provide A-frame signs, branded facemasks and an entire marketing strategy to take them around hurdles reaching customers.” “Every time I provide a freshly printed, branded facemask as a sample, I get an order for up to several hundred,” she says. It is how Minuteman Press in Fairfield meets the reality of what her community faces and helps make it possible to keep buying and selling. She adds, “We move quickly and when people were working from home and under stress, we used our status as an essential business to create a bridge between their restricted activity and the message they need to keep in front of target audiences.” Her commitment is firm and her approach to sales is no-nonsense but Cheryl’s devotion to the success of every project entrusted to her staff at Minuteman Press in Fairfield is deeply personal. This is met with lasting gratitude as she concludes, “We are busier than ever and that is becoming true for those we serve. Everything is coming back and people are enthusiastic to move forward and grow.” For more information on Minuteman Press in Fairfield, CT, visit https://www.fairfield-ct.minutemanpress.com. To learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities, visit https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

January 18, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Memorandum of Understanding with Women in Cybersecurity Mid Atlantic

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years, is proud to announce a Memorandum of Understanding with the Women in Cybersecurity Mid Atlantic affiliate. This unique partnership will extend efforts to advance the goals and objectives for improving the cyber and supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD) global Defense Industrial Base (DIB) network of contractors, suppliers, and vendors. The executed MOU establishes a cooperative agreement between the Women in Cyber Security Mid Atlantic and CMMC COE to partner in the furthering of their respective and complementary missions and objectives regarding the adoption, use, and expansion of CMMC based cybersecurity practices for the DIB contractor community and the information and communication technology community creating a broader CMMC ecosystem to improve security and resilience. Specific actions will include: The co-development of CMMC advisory services, cyber training and education programs to accelerate CMMC certification, increase cyber adoption and improve cyber protection & resilience. Expand and drive diversity across the cybersecurity workforce Co-sponsor symposiums, training programs and podcasts leveraging their combined cyber and IT expertise. Host regular working groups, with other partners, to enable collaboration and communications. Establish an independent Industry Cyber Security Advisory Council with peer organizations to advise and educate leaders across government and industry on the continued evolution and effectiveness of CMMC Through this exciting partnership, the CMMC-COE ( www.cmmc-coe.org ) will also focus on bringing together the many disparate cyber and national security communities of interest to reduce complexity, improve awareness, and accelerate industry effort to become more cyber resilient against the growing threats from nation states and criminal enterprises. The CMMC-COE establishes both a Market Place and Knowledge Clearinghouse that will include resources that support the overall effort, including white papers; tutorials; recorded webcasts; presentations; and more that will help reduce the cost and burden on small/medium size contractors already struggling from the impact of COVID. The CMMC-COE partner network will be sharing a wide range of capabilities from member organizations, including; cyber standards frameworks, education, solution architectures, cyber mentoring, workforce, and other elements needed to scale to the demands of the entire DIB market place in the US and abroad (400,000+ contractors). “This is exciting opportunity for us”, said Mr. John Weiler, Chairman of the Board at CMMC Center of Excellence, “This new partnership will further help advance the goals and objectives for improving the supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD)”. “The WiCyS Mid-Atlantic is excited to team with the CMMC COE in efforts to enhance the overall security of the defense industrial base supply chain. This partnership clearly demonstrates the CMMC COE’s commitment to a diverse cybersecurity workforce, which is key to defending the nation’s cyber critical infrastructure. Creative and inclusive teaming is essential to the CMMC’s success!”, said Ms. Diane M Janosek, Founder and Senior Advisor, Women in Cybersecurity Mid-Atlantic. WiCyS is a non-profit membership organization with national reach that is dedicated to bringing together women in cybersecurity from academia, research and industry to share knowledge, experience, networking and mentoring. The initiative was created through an NSF grant (Award # 1303441 ) by Dr. Ambareen Siraj at Tennessee Tech University in 2012, and has grown into a wonderful alliance among academia, government and industry. WiCyS offers mentoring, learning, networking and career development to women at all stages of their cybersecurity careers. Whether you are a student just considering a career in cybersecurity or an experienced leader in the cybersecurity workforce, WiCyS provides tangible benefits and a supportive community. The Women in Cybersecurity Mid-Atlantic Affiliate (WiCyS MAA) is a regional affiliate that covers the geographic areas: South New Jersey, South-East Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, and Northern Virginia, and will continue to undertake activities to promote recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in cybersecurity. For more information on the CMMC COE, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 For more information on the Women in Cybersecurity Mid Atlantic, please visit https://www.wicysmidatlantic.org/ About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

January 14, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

International Payments Executive & Fintech Counsel Joins Chia Network Board of Directors ~ Chuck Stoops brings significant regulatory and corporate governance experience

Chia Network

Chia Network, Inc. ("Chia" or the "Company"), a state-of-the-art global open-source decentralized blockchain and smart transaction platform, today announced the appointment of Chuck Stoops to its board as a non-executive independent director. A seasoned executive, Mr. Stoops brings to Chia more than 20 years of experience in global financial services and technology organizations. Previously Mr. Stoops served as Chief Legal Officer of Rakuten Europe, including its European banking subsidiary; in various senior roles at PayPal, including Deputy CFO/Head of Tax in Silicon Valley and later EU Legal Counsel/Chief Data Protection Officer based in Europe. Additionally, Mr. Stoops served as Head of Finance International for Netflix; as a member of Skype’s senior finance leadership team prior to the company’s sale to Microsoft; and also as Associate General Counsel for Ask.com. Mr. Stoops has also served as a member of various corporate Boards of Directors for eBay, PayPal, BlackBerry (RIM) and others and has deep expertise in corporate governance, financial reporting and controls. At present, Mr. Stoops is developing a new challenger banking project in Luxembourg. He holds a BA from Washington and Jefferson College and two law degrees: an LL.M. from Georgetown Law School and a J.D. from Pepperdine. "We are delighted to welcome Mr. Stoops to Chia Network's Board of Directors," said Bram Cohen, Founder and CEO of the Company. "He brings a strong track record of business leadership, a customer-centric approach to decentralized technology, and a wealth of regulatory, security and data protection experience in the international payments industry. His expertise will be helpful as Chia launches its innovative enterprise-grade digital money platform. We look forward to benefiting from Mr. Stoops' insights and perspectives." "It is an honor to join the Board of Chia Network at this incredibly exciting time. As the Company prepares for its mainnet launch in Q1 2021, blockchain enabled cryptocurrency is gaining traction with a broader cross section of institutional investors,” said Mr. Stoops. "Since inception, the ‘early internet pioneers’ who founded Chia have already achieved significant milestones in terms of public node count currently estimated at over 1500, ranking Chia Network as a top 15 blockchain. I look forward to contributing my broad organizational experience with leading global disruptors to help Chia grow and further its mission. I am equally excited at the prospect of commercializing Chia’s technology and delivering long-term value to its shareholders." Mr. Stoops joins Bram Cohen and Gene Hoffman to become the third board member of Chia Network, whose board of directors and officers served as senior executives of BitTorrent, eMusic.com, Vindicia, PGP, Inc., Overstock.com, Razor Gaming, Skullcandy and other innovative companies. About Chia Network Chia Network, founded by Bram Cohen who invented the peer-to-peer BitTorrent protocol, is a state-of-the-art open-source decentralized blockchain and smart transaction platform. Using the first new secure Nakamoto consensus algorithm invented since Bitcoin, Chia Network aims to operate an eco-friendly, more secure and user-friendly payment system for cross border payments, issuing financial assets, lending, escrow payments, institutional custody, and distributed identity. Chia’s “Proof of Space and Proof of Time”-based blockchain reduces waste in “Proof of Work”-based blockchains. Built to run Chialisp, the company’s newly developed on-chain smart transaction programming language, Chia’s blockchain allows its users to build and execute smart contracts and enable peer-to-peer applications. Chia believes that “digital money” should be easier to use than cash, harder to lose, and nearly impossible to steal. The Company is funded by leading venture capitalists including Slow Ventures, a16z, Naval Ravikant, Galaxy Digital, Greylock, True Ventures, MetaStable, Stillmark, DCM, and others. The Company’s Advisors include Dr. Dan Boneh, Research Partner at a16z and Applied Cryptography Professor at Stanford University; and Dr. Krzysztof Pietrzak, Cryptography Professor of IST Austria; and Ms. Katie Haun, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Investor Relations Contact: Gretchen Lium. For more information, visit https://chia.net and connect with us on Twitter ( @chia_project ), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Contact Details Gretchen Lium +1 303-638-9185 gretchen@chia.net Company Website https://www.chia.net/

January 14, 2021 05:57 AM Eastern Standard Time

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