Core Brands Supports Gary Sinise Foundation's "R.I.S.E Outreach Program" Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment

Core Brands, a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTK), today announced that it is supporting the Gary Sinise Foundation by providing a range of audio, control, and power management solutions to be installed in five homes being built in 2014 for returning wounded military service members. According to Core Brands Vice President of Products & Marketing Joe Roberts, the commitment to provide solutions to each home stems from the company’s desire to support returning American military personnel who have made extreme sacrifices for their country.
 
“All of us who enjoy the benefits of freedom have an obligation to give back to those who have sacrificed so much to preserve those freedoms,” Roberts said today. “We think the work being done by the Gary Sinise Foundation to help wounded heroes live independently in the communities they call home is nothing short of extraordinary. We are honored to help in any way we can.”
 
Joel Berrettini of IT and Media Solutions, an Elite level dealer of ELAN Home Systems, initiated the relationship between Core Brands and the Gary Sinise Foundation.  His involvement with the Foundation began on September 11, 2012, when he saw Megyn Kelly on Fox News run a story on a Smart Home built by the Gary Sinise Foundation. “Here was a way that I could give back and have a direct impact on the quality of life for our Veterans,” said Berrettini. “There is a desire to give back and with the lifetime of skill sets acquired, I was all in.  I called Core Brands and they didn’t hesitate and gave me their commitment. As a result, five veterans are going to be able to live independently in their new smart homes.”
 
“Home is more than a house. It’s literally where we take comfort from the world,” said Judy Otter, Executive Director of the Gary Sinise Foundation. “When Joel Berrettini first contacted us, it was clear that he had a heart for our military.  He was extremely motivated to assist us, in any way that he could, and has been extremely generous with his time and resources.  The contribution being made by Core Brands will help to put 21st century smart home technology at the fingertips of some of the bravest Americans to have ever answered the nation’s call to serve.”
 
The experiences of war leave an indelible impact on servicemen and servicewomen. Upon their return to civilian life, the physical, emotional and psychological challenges they and their families face are often very difficult. As citizens, supporting our defenders is a responsibility each of us must carry – and the Gary Sinise Foundation is committed to ensuring that the sacrifices of our brave men and women are never forgotten.

More Than 375 Live Event Professionals Turn Out For Industry-First Webinar On Live Event Safety

A record-setting 377 live event professionals turned to their computer screens yesterday afternoon to participate in the industry’s first Webinar focused on promoting Live Event Safety. Sponsored by Take1 Insurance, in conjunction with the Event Safety Alliance, the event was hosted by New Bay Media’s Rental & Staging News. The Webinar is now available for all to access at this web site.
 
“We are thrilled with the turnout for this critically important first step in making event safety a first priority for producers of live events, the owner/operators of venues where live events are held, and the municipalities that host them, along with all live event service firms who work these shows every day” explained Scott Carroll, Executive Vice President & Program Director of Take1 Insurance. “More than 820 professionals registered for the Webinar and 377 of these pre-registrants actually participated in the event. These are great numbers for a free Webinar and the questions posted afterward revealed significant interest in this topic.”
 
According to Carroll, the timing of the Webinar comes as the Event Safety Alliance prepares to introduce the industry’s first comprehensive Event Safety Guide. “The availability of this Guide is going to have a permanent impact on the way the insurance industry approaches coverage in the future. Insurance providers, like Take1 Insurance, are going to ask if clients know about the Event Safety Alliance, are aware of the Event Safety Guide, and use the Event Safety Guide to prepare an Event Safety Plan,” Carroll asserted. He advised everyone involved in producing live events to ‘underwrite the underwriter.’ “All carriers in the live event space are not alike. If your carrier doesn’t value what you do in terms of safety precautions, then maybe you should consider finding a carrier who does.”
 
According to Jim Digby, Executive Director of the Event Safety Alliance, “We’re all in this together — event producers, venue owner/operators, municipalities, promoters, and first responders. We all have a legal as well as a moral obligation to make live event safety our very first priority when it comes to producing and staging a live event. The Event Safety Alliance was formed to make this goal a reality so that we no longer have to witness the tragedies that have occurred over the last number of years in Toronto, Rhode Island, Indiana, and Brazil. Together, we can make the production of live events infinitely safer for everyone involved.”
 
According to Digby, the ESA Event Safety Guide will soon be available for purchase on Apple iTunes, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble as well as directly from the Event Safety Alliance website.
 
According to Carroll, Take1 Insurance, together with the Event Safety Alliance, will be hosting a series of follow up, subject-specific Live Event Safety Webinars in 2014.
 
The Event Safety Alliance was founded in 2011 by Jim Digby, a 30+ year veteran of the entertainment industry. He is the founder of Collaborative Endeavour Group (CEG), providing international touring strategies and complete production solutions for the live entertainment industry. He currently serves as Director of Touring and Production for the multi-million selling artists Linkin Park, and has previously worked with artists as diverse as The Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi and Marilyn Manson. A long-time advocate for event safety and ethical touring models, he is a three-time recipient of Tourlink’s “Production Manager of the year” award, as well as the Parnelli’s “Production Manager of the Year” award for 2012.

Kansas Pre K-12 School Leads Educational Technology Initiative With Apple® iPads and Trident Cases

In Oxford, Kansas, teachers and administrators of Oxford Unified School District (USD) 358 utilize tablets and apps to prepare students for a progressively digital world. In order to protect their investment in delicate technology, IT teacher Mandi Schneider turned to Trident Case®’s Kraken A.M.S series, the toughest line of stylish and protective mobile and tablet cases.
 
“We are proud to be included in Oxford USD 358’s project,” said Erin Luzzi, Trident Vice President of Marketing. “Trident will continue to provide the most protective and rugged cases, designed to prevent tablet damage in classroom wear-and-tear scenarios.”
 
In Schneider’s 11th grade IT classroom, students use iPads with advanced applications to create original digital content. Aurasma, a free app that simulates augmented reality, allows developers – or in this case, students – to use advanced image and pattern recognition to blend real world photos with interactive media such as videos and 3D animation.

“We’re preparing them for what’s out there,” Schneider said of her lessons. “Tablets are everywhere. Our students are getting a head start with complex applications used in the real world, especially in college. They are way ahead of the rest.”
 
Tablet use is not limited to Schneider’s technology classroom, however. Oxford USD 358 uses iPad 2s and iPad 4s in every kind of classroom, with interactive lesson plans in business, broadcasting, English, science, math, and foreign languages. In one of the Spanish classes, for example, students were asked to come up with one word that represents foreign language learning, and compiled a fifty second video featuring tablets as a method of expression.

The school is also using high tech solutions for more basic functions, such as QR code labels outside each classroom that allow visitors to quickly download contact and class information. The QR code labels also correspond directly with the Aurasma application for students. A YouTube video made by students shows how the name plates work: parents can simply scan the code with their mobile devices, and retrieve information about the class. Now, parent-teacher conferences and hallway navigation are instantly made simpler.
 
As technology becomes more integrated within the educational community, administrators like those of Oxford USD 358 must ensure that their delicate devices are protected. Trident Case provides sustainability for long-term initiatives like Oxford USD 358’s iPad integration project, because it offers the utmost protection and security for tablet devices.
 
“I've been extremely happy with the Trident team,” said District Technology Director Brad Schneider.  “After ten weeks of school, there has not been one damaged iPad.”  
 
The students are pleased with Trident’s performance as well. IT student Danielle Payne said that Trident cases are “durable and easy to handle,” while Grace Selenke described them as “hefty.” Kelsey Ledbetter said that she is reassured that her iPad will not break as easily. “It's a bonus that they are come in our school colors,” she added.
 

Schneider is urging other schools to choose Trident. “I would recommend Trident Case to other schools looking to invest in technology,” Mandi Schneider said. “We presented the iPads with Kraken A.M.S. cases to other schools in the district, and recommended that they purchase them to protect their investment.”
 
Trident Case® offers six series of protective carrying solutions providing one, two, or three layers of protection: Kraken A.M.S. Series, Aegis Series, Cyclops Series, Perseus A.M.S. Series, Electra Series, and Apollo Series. All Trident cases use bio-enhanced, plastic based products that are recyclable, compostable, and degradable. Trident cases are manufactured in the USA.

Niles Lets Homeowners Bring Home Theater Quality Audio To The Outdoors

When homeowners are gearing up for spring next year and looking at how to spruce up their outdoor entertaining spaces and landscapes, making sure they have music to accompany their parties should be at the top of the list. Luckily, high performance outdoor speakers like the Niles® RS Pro Rock and Planter Speakers and GS Garden Speakers are staking new ground and delivering superior quality and volume that ensures a summer of backyard fun!

Engineered with a focus on durability, and designed to deliver an audiophile-quality performance in any outdoor setting, the RSPro Series is the next generation of high fidelity outdoor speakers. Featuring a new NoFade™ Protective Finish and four-layer fiberglass weave, the Pro Series speakers are built in a case strong enough to stand up to anything that mother nature can deliver, so they can withstand rain, blizzards, heat waves and humid days with ease.

Available in two models, the Niles Planter Speakers are designed to seamlessly blend into any outdoor décor. The PB6Si Pro rectangular box shape, and the PS6Si Pro circular planter are both available in two colors, terracotta and weathered concrete.

Constructed with UV-stabilized ABS plastic, the same material used to build whitewater canoes and golf club heads, the Niles GS4 Loudspeaker looks just like a garden light and ensures years of trouble-free performance that can withstand just about any climate or weather condition.

Outdoor audio needs to be able to reach far and wide, and not just directly in front of the speakers. That’s why these Niles speakers are specifically designed with wide dispersion characteristics, which create “indoor quality” audio experiences that sound just as good playing classical overtures as they do pounding out today’s top 40 hits.

To drive home the power of every drum hit and bass line, the Niles GSS10 10” In-Ground Subwoofer pumps out loud, theater-quality bass. And it does this without taking up a big footprint in the yard, thanks to its ingenious design that allows the sub to be planted in the ground, with only a mushroom-like port tube sticking out of the surface. Constructed from industrial strength PVC, the GSS10 will provide years of listening pleasure when installed properly.

All GS Garden Speakers are backed by Niles’ Limited Lifetime Warranty. For more information on Niles’ GS Garden Speakers, please visit http://www.nilesaudio.com.

Advanced Education Expands Operations To Montréal To Support Québec Customers

Underscoring its commitment to provide educational technology solutions to schools throughout Canada, Advanced Education today announced the opening of a new office in Montréal to support Québec educational customers. The new office will be called Éducation avancée, and will feature a new website, www.education-avancee.com, to support customers by offering premiere integrated technology solutions in French.

“We are eager to expand to Québec and support local customers who seek the services and benefits of Advanced Education,” said Advanced Co-President David Weatherhead. “We look forward to serving more Canadians and increasing our presence in the marketplace.”

The expansion paved the way for the appointment of Salématou Olivier, a new sales team member for Éducation avancée. Olivier is the first French-speaking salesperson hired for the new office, and she will certainly not be the last.

“We know that Salématou Olivier will be a tremendous asset to the Advanced Education team,” said Mark McPherson, Vice President of Advanced. “With that being said, we are aggressively searching for new members to join our team in Montréal.”

Advanced Education, a division of Advanced Inc., is at the forefront of the educational revolution by introducing and supporting the integration of interactive technology into classrooms throughout Canada. The company assists with any type of integration solution from a single projector or SMART Board to BYOD technology plans for an entire school district. Advanced Education is much more than a technology provider. Their team of education consultants also works directly with teachers, school districts, colleges, and universities to develop and deliver relevant, curriculum based professional development sessions for educators.