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CHOC Awarded $22.6 Million in State Funding to Build Affordable Housing in Coachella

Community Housing Opportunities Corporation

Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC), a non-profit affordable housing developer, has been awarded $22.6 million of financing to begin construction of the Coachella Valley Apartments, which will bring new affordable housing units to Coachella. The development, which has a total cost of $35.3 million, initially replaces 20 existing units and adds 36 new units on 2.97 acres at 84900 Bagdad Avenue in Coachella. The 56-unit project, which will include one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, is expected to break ground in December. CHOC’s efforts, along with the support of its funding partners, will ensure the property is no longer at risk of being converted to market-rate apartments and remains affordable to the families who need it most. It is the second affordable housing project CHOC has announced in the Coachella Valley this year. “CHOC has long focused on the housing needs of struggling families in the Coachella Valley and remained focused on this region even as the global pandemic presented unforeseen challenges,” said Vincent Nicholas, Vice President of Real Estate Development for CHOC. “This funding comes as part of a highly competitive process, and CHOC’s ability to provide a high-quality, high-impact solution to the growing housing shortage in desert communities has proven a worthwhile investment for Californians.” The award was announced by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC), which oversees federal and state low-income housing tax credit programs. Much of the project’s remaining costs are funded by a $5 million Joe Serna Farmworker Grant, a program that deploys funding to support housing for farmworkers and their families in rural areas. Additional project costs are supported by $1 million in Riverside County HOME Funds, a $3.8 million City of Coachella CFD loan and USDA Rural Development financing. “We have an obligation to build affordable housing. What pleases us is that it’s one thing to say we are for affordable housing, it’s another to get the funding necessary to make it happen. This award gets us closer to realizing our goal of constructing these much-needed units,” said Coachella Mayor Steve Hernandez. “We are grateful that our families will have access to additional affordable housing opportunities and excited to see state investments support this vital local project,” added California Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, who represents the 56th district where the project is located. “The affordable housing shortfall has placed a heavy burden on residents, leaving many families to choose between housing payments and other essentials such as food and healthcare. This CHOC project demonstrates what can be accomplished to help alleviate this crisis when we work together as Californians.” Designed by Maria Song, AIA, LEED & AP, principal with the Palm Springs-based architectural firm Interactive Design Corporation, the project shares many of the same design elements of the recently built Coachella Branch Library. Upon entering the property through two entrances that serve a two-way circular drive, the structures are designed in a Contemporary Spanish Colonial with Moorish details of smooth plaster siding, terra-cotta roofing, ceramic mosaics, tile-accented rounded arches, and decorative wrought iron. The architectural style and finishes will be seen throughout all residential buildings, the community building and landscape and are compatible with the character of the neighboring community. “This property will be a fusion of affordability and the design elements seen in the neighborhood and throughout the Coachella Valley. This project will create homes that are not only safe and stable for local families, but also sources of pride for the residents who live there,” said Joy Silver, CHOC Regional Director for Southern California. Funding for the Coachella Valley Apartments project was announced just weeks after the state awarded CHOC $21 million to build The Monarch Apartment Homes, a 60-unit affordable housing community located in Palm Springs. Both properties will begin construction this year and bring needed affordable housing to the Coachella Valley. Since its founding in 1984, CHOC has provided economically-integrated, affordable housing that has given pride to residents, stabilized families and improved local economies throughout California. About CHOC: Founded in 1984, the Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC) is a non-profit, affordable housing developer based in Fairfield, California with offices in Palm Springs, that creates and manages communities for individuals, families, seniors and those with special needs. CHOC believes that economically integrated, affordable housing is key to self-sufficiency and is achievable with enriching, supportive programs that give pride to residents, stabilize families and improve local economies. www.chochousing.org Contact Details The Hoyt Organization Cinnamon Thompson +1 310-933-6836 cthompson@hoytorg.com Company Website https://www.chochousing.org/

June 23, 2021 08:10 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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Comcast Business Helps Sabey Bring High-Speed Connectivity to Washington Area Data Centers and Offer Better IT Continuity

Comcast Washington

Comcast Business today announced it is investing in local Washington data centers in partnership with the Sabey Data Centers to bring better IT continuity and connectivity to businesses. Specifically, Comcast Business will integrate its connectivity into data centers located in Tukwila and Quincy, giving businesses a private connection to regional Sabey data centers. The collaboration will also help advance digital transformation initiatives and enable Washington state businesses to better support their employees working remotely. Most recently, Washington state has made a name for itself in the data center sector for hosting the digital assets of California-based enterprises. Thanks to these benefits, Washington is currently experiencing rapid growth across its data center market. Recognizing the benefits of hosting data in Washington state, Sabey Data Centers has brought to market a combined 2.2 million square feet of data center space throughout the state, and is providing tenants with access to reliable, price-stabilized affordable power via sustainable generation, superior connectivity and turnkey infrastructure deployment. As one of the largest privately-owned data center operators in the world, Sabey needs reliable, credible partners to help capitalize on the booming data center market in Washington. They have teamed up with Comcast Business for comprehensive solutions that support the broad connectivity initiatives data centers demand. “CIOs and IT decision makers are often challenged with managing connections to multiple data centers and cloud solutions, managing application performance as well as troubleshooting latency and throughput issues from their data center connections,” said John Ford, VP and General Manager, Sabey Data Centers, Seattle. “Comcast Business’ data center connectivity helps our customers simplify their workloads by providing direct access on a network that can be tied to a business’s physical location – this means great performance, reliability, and scalability, and ultimately greater network agility for businesses.” By integrating Comcast Business’ Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) system, Sabey Data Center customers will be able to take advantage of high network availability. Comcast Business has also built diverse 100 Gbps connections through separate network locations in its HFC system, so if there is an outage along one path, alternative paths are available for backup connectivity and support so Sabey customers can stay online. As part of the partnership, Comcast Business will also offer Sabey customers an “on-ramp” to popular cloud services like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud via the Comcast Business Direct-to-Cloud platform, which connects customers to the cloud without going through the Internet. “Comcast Business is focused on empowering businesses with a choice in hybrid IT solutions and massive Ethernet network reach,” said Scott Woodard, Director of Sales Engineering for Comcast Business’ WA Region. “Our goal is to connect data centers and cloud services to more than one million Ethernet-enabled buildings and businesses nationwide.” In addition, businesses already using Comcast Business Ethernet and IP services will have efficient and secure access to Sabey’s data centers. Plus, workers with Xfinity internet who need to remotely access information or upload files will be able to send their information through Comcast’s statewide network. “We’ve already seen that the demand for digital transformation has the power to completely revolutionize how a business operates,” said Rob Brenner, Vice President of Comcast Business for Comcast’s Washington Region. “As a provider of comprehensive technology solutions for businesses, we are thrilled to partner with the Sabey Data Centers to help local businesses in Washington transform their backend operations and modernize in anticipation of a data-driven future of work.” For more information, please visit http://business.comcast.com. About Comcast Business Comcast Business offers a suite of Connectivity, Communications, Networking, Cybersecurity, Wireless, and Managed Solutions to help organizations of different sizes prepare for what’s next. Powered by the nation’s largest Gig-speed broadband network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and one of the leading service providers to the Enterprise market. Comcast Business has been consistently recognized by industry analysts and associations as a leader and innovator, and one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, call 866-429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social. Contact Details Comcast Nick McDonald +1 425-977-5565 Nick_McDonald@Comcast.com FINN Partners Chloe Huard +13132094957 chloe.huard@finnpartners.com Company Website https://washington.comcast.com/

June 23, 2021 05:58 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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PCMA Announces Continued Nationwide Expansion with the Addition of South Carolina to our Lending Footprint

PCMA

PCMA, the pioneer and leading voice in Non-Bank Private Client Lending, announces the expansion of our Private Client services to the state of South Carolina - Company NMLS ID: 237710. The expansion of Private Client Lending into South Carolina highlights the remarkable growth of PCMA and the continued growth of the high-end housing growth in the South Carolina. The South Carolina housing market has stayed competitive one year after the pandemic with luxury homes selling in almost half the time of a year ago. In March 2020 high-end homes were on the market for 117 days; today those same homes are spending an average of only 62 days on the market. As luxury homes are on the market for a shorter period of time, the media listing price for luxury real estate is up with as the coastal markets are seeing the highest sales; including a 27.9% increase in Charleston, 47.9% in Hilton Head and 43.5% in Myrtle Beach. “South Carolina is well known for its beautiful beaches, award winning golf courses and warm southern hospitality; the perfect combination for high net-worth borrowers in search of a forever home or the perfect vacation home,” said John R. Lynch, CEO and Founder of PCMA Private Client. “Luxury home sales in the South Carolina market have been mirroring the national trend that has seen the high-end housing market unbridled; continuing to outpace last years record numbers for the state.” High-net-worth consumers have been driving force in luxury home sales during and post the health crisis. This distinguished buying class has spurred a surge of home sales in suburban and vacation-home markets and the trend does not appear to be slowing down any time soon. “The growth in the luxury realty space is being fueled by the Private Client community, a community that consists of business owners, high income professionals, real estate investors and asset rich retirees,” said Lynch. “The creation of our market leading products OMEGA, ZENITH and ULYSSE will meet the needs of the complex and sophisticated estates owners of South Carolina.” PCMA’s expansion into the South Carolina market comes on the heels of expansion in both Maryland and Montana. PCMA continues to experience an unprecedented growth of new loan originations since the start of 2021, increased loan amounts for high valued estates, and continued national expansion with Texas, North Carolina, and more to come online in the next 90 days. PCMA is the leading non-bank private client lending organization serving the needs of their high net worth clientele. PCMA offers qualified individuals and institutions bespoke lending solutions across all major residential asset classes. PCMA is a diversified financial enterprise offering private client solutions through a direct and indirect to consumer business model. PCMA strives to build trusting and enduring relationships by putting clients and professional partners at the center of all they do. PCMA is headquartered in Orange County, CA. Additional information is available at www.pcma.us.com Contact Details PCMA Private Client Lending Jason Jepson +1 949-394-7033 jason.jepson@pcma.us.com Company Website https://pcma.mortgage/

June 23, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Housebuilders Are Failing Disabled Homebuyers by Cutting Corners on Disabled Access

HouseScan

The latest research from new build snagging company, HouseScan, has found that not only is the number of new build homes being delivered to market with disabled access expected to fall throughout the next decade, but the ones that are being delivered are also unfit for purpose has housebuilders cut corners to maximise profits. There are approximately 14.1m people living with a disability across the UK, around 21% of the total population. It’s thought that around 7.9m of these are working adults who face a tougher financial task when it comes to saving for a property, as living with a disability comes at an additional cost of £583 on average each month compared to those living without. In addition to the tougher financial task, new build homebuyers with a disability also face a lower level of housing stock to choose from. Not only has Covid caused new build housing delivery to fall by 45% per year, but research shows that over the next decade (2020-2030), the proportion of those new build homes built to accessible standards is predicted to fall from 34.4% to 31.5%. This decline directly relates to accessible and adaptable homes (M4 Category 2) or wheelchair user dwellings (M4 Category 3). These homes provide additional features to the average new build including wider doors, stronger bathroom walls that can facilitate a grab-rail and greater circulation space for those in a wheelchair. The latest figures show that 180,140 new build homes were completed across the UK over the last year. This reduced level of disabled accessible homes means that just 56,744 would have been fit for disabled new build homebuyers, over 5,000 less than the level delivered prior to 2020. Over the course of a decade, a consistent rate of new build housing delivery would see over 1.8m homes delivered with just 567,441 of these fit for disabled homebuyers. With both property prices and stock availability making it harder for disabled homebuyers to climb the property ladder, it’s hardly surprising that the 2019/20 figures show that just 40.9% of disabled people owned their own home - the lowest level in the last seven years. However, HouseScan has also found that it isn’t just stock delivery that is failing disabled homebuyers, even the standard of homes reaching the market are unfit for purpose. Founder and Managing Director of HouseScan, Harry Yates, commented: “In this day and age, it’s just not acceptable that some housebuilders continue to cut corners, and quite frankly it’s appalling that they would allow such serious errors to occur where disabled access to a property is concerned. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that we’re seeing more and more of in our work at HouseScan. The repercussions from serious, technical issues are far greater than those from your more common, aesthetic snagging issues. In some cases, these issues are severe enough to cast concern on whether or not the house should have been signed off in the first place. Although we see many new homes that have been built to correct standards, the push for more new homes and the increasing amount of professional snagging inspections taking place means that we’re seeing more and more issues come to light, leaving home buyers uncertain and anxious about the quality of their homes. While John is leading the charge in highlighting this issue, we would urge anyone who thinks they’ve been let down on any aspect of their new build to make themselves heard so that the handful of housebuilders who chance their luck on the life savings of their customers are held to account and the overall standard of new homes in the UK can improve.” Case Study One such homebuyer to suffer from this and other housebuilder failings is John Gaskell, who bought a property from the development arm of Cambridge Housing Society Ltd, due to their claims of ethical housebuilding, which he soon found did not seem to extend to new-build homebuyers on his small development. A snagging survey of John’s house by HouseScan found multiple failings by the developer, failings that John is still campaigning to have put right with his Homebuyers Fightback campaign, which has received the backing of local MPs and the former chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group that investigated problems in the new-build sector. In addition to the 150 defects found in the property, John also discovered that the developer had cut corners where the disabled access to his home was concerned, rendering the property to not meet basic Part M disabled access building regulations. He was first alerted to the problem after HouseScan had inspected the problem. After the developer had pushed back on various areas of the report, despite there being clear violations of building regs, John instructed a registered expert witness to inspect the property, who reaffirmed the downstairs WC had not been built in accordance with disability access requirements. There is also a problem with an excessively steep pathway to the front door which would make it difficult for safe wheelchair entry. John said that after reading both the detailed reports, it became clear that the developer could not have properly understood what is needed to accommodate the basic needs of wheelchair users, despite the clear diagrams and details in the building regulations and NHBC standard. If the house had been built one brick wider or the limited space been appropriately configured, the problems would not have arisen. Mr Gaskell went on to say he was concerned that the CEO of a registered charity, which claims to support the disadvantaged and the disabled, who is also on the Board of the Cambridge Sub-regional Housing Board, had referred to the catalogue of problems in his new home as ‘ largely cosmetic or decorative’ in the local and national press. He has submitted the reports to the developer, along with an estimate for the cost of putting things right, but the CEO has not even replied. Ends Notes to Editors: Founder of HouseScan and BuildScan, Harry Yates, comes from a family background of construction and also holds a Construction Management degree. Having done the basics of the job for a number of years, Harry launched HouseScan four years ago, then started introducing his bespoke technology in 2020 to fulfil the snagging process properly. HouseScan is the new build snagging experts, using their knowledge, expertise and equipment to ensure your new home is as it was promised. HouseScan has been employed by thousands of customers buying new build homes from a wide range of different housebuilders. The HouseScan inspection and report is not only award-winning but more comprehensive than any of their competitors. HouseScan keeps up to date with all industry changes and regulations and they are also equipped with a range of equipment totalling over £4000 each. www.housescan.co.uk BuildScan is a multi-platform app that allows users to manage defects, snag lists, punch lists, surveys and project workflow in full synchronisation and with unlimited collaboration. Teams or individual users can manage entire projects through BuildScan, assigning and controlling tasks, workflow and much more for effective construction defect management. With BuildScan you can break your projects down into sites, plots and build stages for easy project management, log unlimited snags & defects straight into the BuildScan app, assign these defects as tasks to individuals & contractors within your team, manage and track progress throughout all stages of your project, create, manage & export snagging & inspection reports directly from the app BuildScan launched on the 3rd November 2020. www.buildscan.co Contact Press Enquiries James Lockett M: 07584 248960 T: 0207 856 0185 E: james@properganda.pr PropergandaPR Data Enquiries Alex Pericli M: 07979 262393 T: 0207 856 0185 E: alex @properganda.pr PropergandaPR Contact Details PropergandaPR James Lockett +44 20 7856 0185 james@properganda.pr PropergandaPR Alex Pericli +442078560185 alex@properganda.pr

June 22, 2021 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cyvatar Raises an Additional $9 Million in Series A Round

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced that it has raised $9 million as part of its Series A financing to help scale and serve its rapidly growing customer base and continue to drive the adoption of its innovative cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) model. Escalating cybersecurity breaches and the need to address vulnerabilities across systems, networks, and apps fuel the security services market, expected to reach $193 billion by 2028. Additionally, the growth in hybrid and remote workers coupled with unsecured and unpatched BYOD devices further underscores the need for on-demand cybersecurity resources that include human talent, proven processes, and best-of-breed technology delivered from a single intuitive platform. Cyvatar has grown more than 200% since its debut in October. ATX Venture Partners led the round with additional participation from existing customer CORTEC and longtime Cyvatar investor Bill Wood Ventures. Cyvatar closed a $3 million seed round late last year, bringing the total amount raised over the last eight months to $12 million. “We’ve seen fundraising explode in the security space, in part as a result of the raft of ransomware, email compromise, and phishing attacks that have made people more aware of the problem and increased the need to fix it quickly and effectively,” said Chris Shonk, partner at ATX Venture Partners. “Cyvatar is an exciting addition to our dynamic portfolio and a natural fit alongside our other rapidly growing organizations. No other company we evaluated solves the problems of cybersecurity like Cyvatar. With Cyvatar CSaaS, security becomes as effortless as turning on the lights. There’s no better value for customers.” Cyvatar CSaaS offers security in a box for organizations of any size and any level of cybersecurity expertise--already more than 150 platform members have started the security journey with Cyvatar. Its mature sales and marketing engine makes it easy for new members to join and offers ongoing education and support for existing customers to continuously remediate evolving threats, safeguard critical systems, and boost compliance scores. "I can tell you that after implementing just three Cyvatar solutions, our security confidence is a lot stronger than it was before and our company as a whole is far more secure,” said Brent Fanguy, vice president of technology at CORTEC. “We applaud Cyvatar for pricing by employee count because it’s so easy to calculate and fit into our budget -- no counting servers or workstations, which is a nightmare. Cyvatar has delivered consistent value from our security spend, and we look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with them.” Whether customers need to speed their sales cycles, remediate after a breach, prevent future incursions, or respond to a third-party risk assessment, Cyvatar helps them achieve superior business outcomes every day. Click HERE to get started free and learn more about how Cyvatar is making cybersecurity effortless for every business. About Cyvatar Cyvatar is committed to effortless cybersecurity for everyone. As the industry’s first subscription-based, cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) company, it’s our mission to transform the way the security industry builds, sells, and supports cyber solutions. We empower our members to achieve successful outcomes by providing expert advisors, proven technologies, and a strategic process roadmap to guarantee results that map to their business drivers. Our approach is rooted in proprietary ICARM (installation, configuration, assessment, remediation, maintenance) methodology that delivers smarter, measurable security solutions for superior compliance and cyber-attack protection faster and more efficiently, all at a fixed monthly price. And because we’re a subscription, members can cancel anytime. Cyvatar is a global organization with operations around the world. Begin your journey to security confidence at cyvatar.ai and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. About ATX Venture Partners ATX Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in the South-Central US. The firm’s seed and Series A investments focus on software-as-a-service, IoT, e-commerce, AI, frontier commercial technologies and mobile applications. ATX Venture Partners brings institutional-grade funding, process and rigor to early-stage venture capital investments, and is the partner to propel portfolio companies forward to larger growth capital. The firm was founded in 2014 and is based in Austin, Texas. Visit www.atxventurepartners.com, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Contact Details Cyvatar KC Higgins +1 303-434-8163 kc@cyvatar.ai ATX Ventures Meg Brigman +15127666462 meg@atxventurepartners.com Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

June 17, 2021 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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VTS Earns 2021 Great Place to Work Certification™

VTS

VTS, the commercial real estate industry’s leading leasing, marketing and asset management technology platform—is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place to Work® — the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention, and increased innovation—for 2021. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at VTS. This year, 95% of employees said it’s a great place to work which is 4 points higher than average U.S. companies. “We are thrilled to be Great Place to Work-Certified™, as VTS considers employee experience to be a top priority, ” said Nick Romito, Chief Executive Officer of VTS. “We’re incredibly proud to have a team of talented, hard-working, innovative, and passionate employees, who have made VTS the workplace it is today and furthermore this recognition possible. What makes VTS such a great place to work is the people — our diversity is something that has always been of the utmost importance to us, and that’s reflected in the strength of our workforce.” VTS prides itself on company culture and values, while understanding that its staff is deserving of the best the industry has to offer. Its competitive perks package includes generous leave policy for primary and secondary caregivers, unlimited paid time off, flexible work schedules, along with an annual stipend for continued education. In the Great Place to Work Certification™ process, 96% agree that VTS’ management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort—proving hard work and creativity rarely goes unnoticed at VTS. “Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily–it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that VTS is one of the best companies to work for in the country.” VTS continues to make significant investments to ensure it is recruiting the best people and providing them with a workplace and culture that they love coming to every single day to do their best work. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on work-life balance, VTS has reevaluated and upgraded its employee benefits and perks to assist in the transition to remote work, including providing a budget for setting up a work from home space; hosting group wellness, meditation, and workout sessions every week via Zoom conducted by qualified instructors; offering a coach focused on aiding employees through challenges related to COVID-19, careers, relationship and overall well-being; and much more. VTS is also deeply committed and has made significant investments in its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, fundamentally believing in the importance of, and responsibility to, create an environment that celebrates diverse ethnicities, experiences, and points of view. To that end, VTS has an employee-led Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and an annual Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan (SDIP) to raise the bar. According to Great Place to Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified Great Place To Work. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits, and have a fair chance at promotion. VTS continues to experience rapid growth, and is actively hiring within various roles throughout the organization. Visit vts.com/careers to learn more. About VTS VTS is commercial real estate’s leading leasing, marketing, and asset management platform where the industry comes to make deals happen and real-time data comes to life. The VTS Platform captures the largest first-party data source in the industry, which delivers real-time insights that fuel faster, more informed decision making and connections throughout the deal and asset lifecycle. VTS Data, the industry’s only forward-looking market dataset, and VTS Market and Marketplace, the industry’s first integrated online marketing solution, give landlords, brokers, and tenants unparalleled visibility into real-time market information and the direct connectivity to execute deals with greater speed and intelligence at every point in the planning, marketing, leasing, and asset management cycle. More than 60% of Class A commercial space in the US and 12B square feet of commercial real estate globally is managed on the VTS platform. Our user base includes over 45,000 CRE professionals including respected industry leaders like Blackstone, Brookfield Properties, LaSalle Investment Management, Hines, Boston Properties, Oxford Properties, JLL, and CBRE. To learn more about VTS, and to see our open roles, visit www.vts.com. About Great Place to Work Certification™ Great Place to Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified. About Great Place to Work® Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All™. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact Details Elise Szwajkowski +1 212-402-3495 eszwajkowski@marinopr.com Company Website https://www.vts.com/

June 16, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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NHS Test and Trace strengthen their cyber defences with Risk Ledger

Stockwood Strategy

NHS Test and Trace has selected British cyber security company Risk Ledger to manage cyber security risks in their supply chain as a proactive measure to mitigate the increasing risks the NHS and other critical national infrastructure organisations face from supply chain cyber-attacks. The Risk Ledger platform will give the UK government funded service all the tools they need to manage cyber security risks in their supply chain at speed for a low per-supplier cost - at least 60% cheaper than traditional solutions. Cyber security risks in the supply chain can include third parties failing to encrypt sensitive data when it is being transferred. NHS Test and Trace, established to track and help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in England, will take advantage of Risk Ledger's key innovation which is its secure 'social network' allowing organisations to connect and share risk data securely, quickly, and easily. This gives organisations like NHS Test and Trace unparalleled visibility of their supply chain and a comprehensive set of data to identify, measure and mitigate supply chain security risks at scale. Major supply chain cyber security breaches at Solarwinds and Microsoft in recent months have put the challenge of securing supply chains at the top of the agenda for organisations around the world. Minister for Digital Infrastructure, Matt Warman MP said: “The government is working tirelessly to secure the nation online and grow the UK's £8.9 billion cyber security industry as we build back better from the pandemic. We're helping SMEs develop innovative products and services and it's great to see Risk Ledger, one of the firms we've supported, win this contract to protect the Test and Trace system and support the national effort against coronavirus.” Risk Ledger's client base includes organisations like BAE AI, City of London Police, Telenor, Schroder's Personal Wealth and ASOS. Risk Ledger CEO and Co-Founder Haydn Brooks said: "NHS Test and Trace is essentially the biggest new start-up in the UK healthcare market so we are delighted they have chosen to take advantage of our ability to provide enhanced visibility of their supply chain risks. I am proud we will be part of the effort to secure this incredibly important supply chain. "Healthcare organisations and their supply chains handle lots of highly sensitive data and have a high rate of data breaches. We have already seen during the COVID-19 pandemic that bad actors are actively targeting supply chains to access data and cause disruption” added Haydn Brooks. Risk Ledger is a rising star of the UK's growing cyber security scene having won competitions run by the UK Government's National Cyber Security Centre, the tech industry body TechUK and most recently a winner in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport’s ‘Most Innovative UK Cyber SME of the Year’ competition in May. The company is also a member of the UK Government backed LORCA programme (London Office of Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement). About Risk Ledger Risk Ledger is a British company that manages cyber security risks in supply chains. Th process of supply chain security risk management ensures third parties who deliver critical services, have access to data, corporate networks, or any other status of business trust, maintain a good base level of cyber security controls to prevent bad actors using the third party as an attack vector. In 2019, Risk Ledger won the ‘Cyber Den’ competition at the 2019 CyberUK event run by the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). At the time, Ian Levy, Technical Director at the NCSC said: ‘Our mission is to make the UK the safest place to do business online. We run the Cyber Den competition with DCMS to identify and provide a springboard for the most promising cyber security start-ups in the UK. Risk Ledger beat some excellent competition at this year’s Cyber Den event because their platform approaches supply chain security in a novel way that could revolutionise the way organisations understand the cybersecurity of their supply chains which is at the root of so many security incidents.’ Notable achievements - Risk Ledger was a finalist in the 'Most Innovative New Technology Award' category at the 2021 Water Industry Awards. - In March 2021, Risk Ledger won the South Summit Industry 4.0 innovation competition. - In May 2021, Risk Ledger was announced as a runner up in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport’s ‘Most Innovative UK Cyber SME of the Year’ competition. Contact Details Risk Ledger Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://riskledger.com/

June 16, 2021 05:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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PCMA Continues its Nationwide Expansion with the Addition of Maryland to our Lending Footprint

PCMA

PCMA, the pioneer and leading voice in Non-Bank Private Client Lending, announces the expansion of our Private Client services to the state of Maryland - Company NMLS ID: 237710. The expansion of Private Client Lending into Maryland highlights the continued commitment of PCMA’s plan of providing expanded prime credit options and increased liquidity to high-capacity households around the country. Maryland’s housing market continued its strong sales pace in 2021 with March sales figures of 7,964 units sold, which outpaced the previous year’s sales of 7,148 by 11.4%. An indicator of how fast the market is moving, median days on market, dropped to just 7 days in March. “We have been watching the macro and socio-economics of Maryland for a couple years and now seemed like a great time to introduce our firm to this market. The high-end housing market in Maryland remains red hot, with no sign of slowing down anytime soon, “said John R. Lynch, CEO and Founder of PCMA. “All cash settlements in Maryland are accelerating. Over the past 2 years the increase in all cash purchases for investors and second-homebuyers climbed; highlighting the lack of true financing available to meet the needs of these esteemed borrowers,” said Lynch. “Our comprehensive Private Client Catalogue that includes OMEGA, ZENITH and ULYSSE provide the credit solutions the High Net-Worth residents of Maryland deserve.” PCMA’s expansion into the Maryland market comes on the heels of both internal and external growth of the company. PCMA continues to experience an unprecedented growth of new loan originations since the start of 2021, increased loan amounts for high valued estates, and continued national expansion with Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina to come online in the next 90 days. PCMA is the leading Non-Bank Private Client lending organization serving the needs of their mass affluent and high net worth clientele. PCMA offers qualified individuals and institutions bespoke lending solutions across all major residential asset classes. PCMA is a diversified financial enterprise offering private client solutions through a direct to consumer and distributed retail business model. PCMA strives to build trusting and enduring relationships by putting clients and professional partners at the center of all they do. PCMA is headquartered in Orange County, CA. Additional information is available at www.pcma.us.com Contact Details PCMA Private Client Lending Jason Jepson +1 949-394-7033 jason.jepson@pcma.us.com Company Website https://pcma.mortgage/

June 15, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Secta Finance innovates the £10b private school fees model, making affordable finance options for parents

Stockwood Strategy

Fintech business Secta Finance has launched today to transform how private school fees are paid. Families are spending circa £10b every year to pay school fees for over 620,000 children and over the years there has been no innovation on the termly bill payments. Secta Finance has set out to change this and become an enabler for many more families considering private schooling but feel it is currently unaffordable. In collaboration with a number of financial institutions, Secta Finance has created a range of flexible and highly competitive finance plans that enable parents (and would-be parents) to spread the cost of private school fees over many years in a simple affordable way. The Secta Flexiplan enables parents to use the equity in their home to secure a facility that allows parents to draw funds flexibly within the first 5 years. Parents only pay interest on the amount they actually drawdown. If they don’t need to draw funds there is no cost. Parents can decide how much they draw; their monthly repayment amounts (subject to a minimum) and the term they repay over (up to 30 years). Also, there are no early repayment fees if they choose to repay in full. Below is an example* of how a Secta Flexiplan could be used to finance 5 years of private education. This example is based on one child, annual school fees of £15,000 per year and with the Secta Flexiplan being repaid over a period of 10 or 20 years. However, the amount borrowed, the term over which it is repaid and the monthly repayments can be adjusted to suit individual circumstances and preferences. Secta Finance has made it quick and simple for parents to get indicative quotes from their online platform. Thereafter they can engage with a qualified advisor to discuss their options and tailor a plan to suit their needs. Joe Hill, founder and CEO of Secta Finance commented: “How parents pay for private school fees is no longer fit for purpose. They are still paying large lump sums, sometimes, with expensive and inflexible means using credit cards or unsecured loans, that simply is not sustainable. Secta has set out to challenge this approach with a fresh lens and a clear pathway for parents to handle this significant expense. We want to create manageable and affordable finance solutions for school fees, much like the financial products people consider when buying a house or a car.” Contrary to popular belief, private education is not confined to the wealthy, but many middle class parents place a very high value on it and want to provide the benefits of a private education for their children. However, the costs can be prohibitive, especially for families with more than one child. Annual average school fees are in excess of £15,000 for day schools and in excess of £30,000 for boarding schools. Factoring in additional costs, a private education can cost an average of £325,600 per child for day school and £469,700 for boarders starting their schooling in 2019. Unsurprisingly, many parents find this a struggle. Research completed by Killik and Co suggests that private day school fees have increased by 403% since 1990. “Many parents make significant sacrifices to give their children a private school education. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It makes sense to have a solution whereby parents can spread the cost over a longer period of time if they wish (up to 30 years), to reduce the strain on their finances, but still be able to give their children a private education,” added Joe Hill. There are more than 2,500 independent schools in the UK catering for approximately 620,000 pupils. This represents about 7% of all UK school children and 18% of pupils over aged 16 years and older. The estimated school fee market value is approximately £11 billion. Secta Finance is working closely with schools who are keen to offer meaningful finance options for their parents. The company is also collaborating with independent financial advisors who are seeking flexible, efficient options for their clients. Parents are also directly engaging with the online platform to find out more about the options available to them. Looking ahead Joe Hill added: “We are creating opportunities for parents, for schools and for children. By offering finance solutions which are affordable, simple to understand, we will create a sustainable path for better outcomes. Our strategic aim is to expand the opportunity of private education to many more families and enable a sustainable relationship for parents and schools through the products that we offer”. ENDS *This is an indicative quote and does not constitute an offer or advice. Interest rate and solution terms will depend on your circumstances and the amount of the loan. Before you make a loan application, we will carry out a full review to establish your needs and preferences and if you meet the criteria, we will give advice and make a recommendation to you. All loans are subject to status. Please note that our product calculators show an indicative rate only and may not be suitable for you. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with your repayments. About Secta Finance Our mission is to relieve the pressure of private school fees by providing innovative, affordable finance solutions to parents. In doing so, we bring the outstanding benefits of private education within the reach of many more families, everywhere. Secta Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Contact Details Secta Finance Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.sectafinance.co.uk/

June 15, 2021 04:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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