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Software, Technology

Output Factory Server for InDesign Streamlines File Naming Workflow

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Zevrix Solutions announces Output Factory Server 2.1.16, a feature update to company’s output automation solution for Adobe InDesign. The app automates printing and exporting from InDesign by processing files from hot folders. Output Factory offers layer versioning, preflighting, email notifications and more. With the new version, intermediate temporary names are not assigned to the output files anymore, which helps users streamline multiple workflows integration and eliminate system errors.

Toronto (ON), Canada — Zevrix Solutions today announces the release of Output Factory Server 2.1.16 a feature update to company’s output automation solution for Adobe InDesign. Output Factory Server automates InDesign production workflow by processing files from watched hot folders. The app offloads printing and exporting from InDesign to a central system leaving operator workstations free from the output process.

The new version abandons the approach in which output files were exported from InDesign with intermediate temporary names before being renamed to their final user-defined variable names. The exported files are now being created directly under their final names. This improvement helps users streamline their complex automation workflows where files created by Output Factory Server are being automatically picked up by other workflow components. The change also helps eliminate random system errors that could occur when renaming temporary files.

“Output Factory Server is an extremely useful utility for a busy production facility or advertising agency”, writes David Creamer in Layers magazine. “The setup process is simple and users experience is very straightforward. It can save lots of time – which equates to money.”

Output Factory Server is intended to run on a dedicated Mac station and can serve unlimited users via watched hot folders on a network. Users can create hot folders for different output targets such as hi-res PDF, color printing, EPUB files and so on. The app offers the following key features:

–Output InDesign files automatically from hot folders
-Supports print, PDF, PostScript, TIFF, EPUB and other formats
-Output to multiple formats from a single hot folder
–Automatic email notifications
-Layer versioning
-Run custom scripts
-Variable output file names
-Automatic preflighting
–PDF security presets for different workflows

Pricing and Availability:
Output Factory Server can be purchased from Zevrix web site for US$699.95, as well as from authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. The upgrade to version 2 is $350 for the licensed users of Output Factory Server 1.x and BatchOutput Server. Output Factory Server requires macOS 10.7-10.14 and Adobe InDesign CS5-CC 2019.

About Zevrix Solutions
Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite software, PDF workflows, graphic file diagnostics, file delivery and Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix is dedicated to help professionals increase their profits through automating everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com

Solutions for Adobe InDesign & the Graphics Industry

Business, Marketing, Technology

Smash Marketing Helps SAP with “Searching for Salaì” Online Campaign with Content that Grounds Podcast Fantasy

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Smash Marketing Adds Online Support to Innovative Marketing Campaign that Uses Dramatic Series on the Digital Renaissance to Promote the SAP Leonardo Platform.

Denver, USA — It’s challenging to gain the attention of busy business professionals, even when you have an intelligent enterprise technology that could revolutionize their business. That’s why SAP (NYSE: SAP) recently launched a nine-part fantasy podcast series, co-produced by Column Five Media. Searching for Salaì (http://searchingforsalai.com) is as an entertaining approach to educate executive listeners and entice them to learn more about SAP Leonardo®, SAP’s extensible, intelligent cloud computing environment. To tie the dramatic podcast back to real-world Leonardo applications, SAP engaged Smash Marketing to design and deploy the Searching for Salai website.

Searching for Salaì is a fictional tale about a time traveler who comes to the 21st century to learn about the digital renaissance. Claiming to be an apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci, the mysterious Salaì explores new ideas driving digital innovation, seeking the spiritual link between the science of Leonardo’s era and the technology of today. Taking its format from old-fashioned radio mysteries, Searching for Salaì is pure entertainment that invites the listener to ponder possibilities and seek their own path to embrace the Digital Renaissance, and learn more about SAP Leonardo including use cases through the website.

“This is a brilliant, innovative marketing campaign designed to engage professionals in a different way and invite them to explore new ideas,” said Leila Ahmed, co-founder of Smash Marketing. “The podcast captures the listener’s attention, but you still need to tie the idea of the Digital Renaissance to real-world applications. We designed the Searching for Salaì website as the bridge between the story and real-world applications.”

Although produced by SAP and Column Five, Searching for Salaì never mentions either company. It does, however, invite listeners to learn more about what they hear in the story at http://searchingforsalai.com. The website that supports the podcast includes reports in written and audio format developed by Futurum Research that profile SAP Leonardo use cases and customer successes in 15 separate industries. The website also includes blog entries and other content to complement the podcasts.

Subscribers have already shared positive reviews of the podcast series:

“Such a clever way to introduce people to digital transformation.”
“I’m kinda hooked. It’s probably because I’m a huge history geek; a fan of mystery stuff.”
“Da Vinci must have been awesome to be around.”
“I don’t really take the time to subscribe to podcasts; this one, however…I so look forward to the next episode!”

“We were seeking a way to humanize the SAP brand and tell a story that would connect with customers on a visceral level,” said Ginger Shimp, Senior Marketing Director at SAP. “We chose Smash Marketing to help us with the online strategy because we knew they could deliver a web experience that would support the emotional response while providing the connection to the SAP Leonardo platform.”

“We wanted to engage on a different level to dramatize how technology can impact people’s lives, without the buzzwords. Searching for Salaì is our way to stimulate new thinking about digital information and transformation with something new and unexpected that promotes real interest and conversation. We see this as a breakthrough in brand marketing,” added Jeff Janiszewski, Marketing Director at SAP.

The podcast medium has been around since the first Apple iPod, and Americans continue to consume more audio. According to Edison Research, Americans spend four hours a day listening to audio. Forty-four percent of Americans listen to podcasts (http://www.convinceandconvert.com/podcast-research/the-13-critical-podcast-statistics-of-2018), and 64 percent use their smartphone or tablet to listen on the go. One in four of those surveyed say they have listened to a podcast in the last month, and weekly listeners consume an average of five podcasts per week.

Searching for Salaì is available to subscribers through the website, through Apple iTunes, or from any outlet where listeners access their podcasts.

For more information about Searching for Salaì including a podcast archive, visit http://searchingforsalai.com, or see the preview (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3ZRUb1AKkpQMLiJIKNexNRw038JnZeaS).

SAP Leonardo powers the Intelligent Enterprise, with intelligent technologies, services, and expertise to optimize processes and resources. SAP Leonardo harnesses a design thinking methodology and SAP expertise to ignite innovation and help you rapidly adopt new capabilities and business models.

To learn more about SAP, visit http://www.sap.com/products/intelligent-enterprise.html.

To learn more about Column Five, visit http://www.columnfivemedia.com.

About Smash Marketing
Smash Marketing is a full-service marketing agency, developing and executing end-to-end programs that encompass building awareness, strategy and planning, content development, demand generation, and marketing and sales support. Co-founded by Leila Ahmed and Cristy Gonzalez, both experienced marketers having worked for Fortune 500 companies, Smash Marketing is the “Goldilocks Agency,” developing and delivering marketing solutions that are “just right” for their clients.

For more information, visit http://www.smashmarketing.com.

Media Contact:
Leila Ahmed
Smash Marketing, LLC
303-741-2020
leila@smashmarketing.com

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Software, Technology

LinkOptimizer for InDesign Fixes Issues with Umlauts in Image Names

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Zevrix Solutions announces LinkOptimizer 5.2.17, a maintenance update to company’s workflow automation tool for Adobe InDesign. LinkOptimizer lets users automatically scale and crop images to their InDesign dimensions at specified target resolution, convert image formats and colors, embed profiles and more. The new version fixes an error caused by processing of images with umlauts and other accented characters in their names, which could affect workflows in German and other European languages.

Toronto (ON), Canada — Zevrix Solutions today announces LinkOptimizer 5.2.17, a maintenance update to its image processing automation solution for Adobe InDesign. LinkOptimizer automates complex image manipulation tasks and helps users reduce the size of InDesign links, save prepress costs, and easily repurpose InDesign documents for web and mobile devices.

The new version fixes an error that prevented LinkOptimizer from properly processing images with umlauts and other accented characters in their names. This update will help simplify workflows of users who work with German, French and other European languages by eliminating the need to replace special characters in image names in order to optimize their InDesign jobs.

“Today LinkOptimizer batched a huge book project and another magazine project in minutes vs. hours. Now I can take the afternoon off and drink beer,” says Brian Donahue, owner of Bedesign studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Thanks for freeing up my afternoon, rather than doing production work.”

LinkOptimizer works automatically with Photoshop to eliminate the excess image data of InDesign links, convert image formats, and perform essential image adjustments. For example, with just a click of a button users can:

–Optimize batches of InDesign files and books
-Scale and crop images to match their dimensions in InDesign
-Convert RGB images to specific CMYK profile
-Change their resolution to 300 dpi
-Resave JPEGs as TIFF
-Run a Photoshop action on each image.

As a result users can save gigabytes of disk space and countless hours of optimizing images manually, accelerate document output, reduce job turnaround and cut costs through faster processing.

Pricing and Availability:
LinkOptimizer can be purchased from Zevrix website for US$259.95 (Lite version: $179.95) as well as from Adobe Exchange and authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. The update is free for LinkOptimizer 5.x users and $130 to upgrade from previous versions. LinkOptimizer requires macOS 10.7-10.14 and Adobe InDesign / Photoshop CS5-CC 2019.

About Zevrix Solutions
Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite and Creative Cloud software, PDF and graphic file diagnostics, as well as Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix Solutions is dedicated to helping professionals increase their profits through automating their everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com

Solutions for Adobe InDesign & the Graphics Industry

Business, Electronics, Technology

Fulham Names Chris Veira to Head Distribution Sales and Harold Thompson to Head North American OEM Sales

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Staffing changes come after Fulham achieves record revenue in 2018.

Hawthorne, CA, USA — Fulham Co., Inc., a leading supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, today announced that Chris Veira has been promoted from Southwest Distribution Manager to Director of Sales, North American Distribution. Harold Thompson, who has been serving as Northeast OEM Manager, also has been promoted to Director of Sales, North American OEM.

The changes come following the retirement of Richard White, Vice President, U.S. Distribution Channel, and the departure of Mike Bauer, VP of Global Sales, who left for a job outside of the lighting industry. Thanks largely to a commitment to continued innovation in LED lighting, Fulham has just completed 2018 with record company revenue despite market pressures such as increased tariffs and other costs.

During his 13 year career at Fulham, White was responsible for developing business relationships with the top 10 North American electrical and industrial distributors. He also was instrumental in driving Fulham’s e-commerce initiative, including overseeing the company’s Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) initiatives. During White’s tenure both the annual sales volume through distribution and the number of distributors associated with Fulham grew significantly.

Bauer, who was with the company for nearly five years, contributed to Fulham’s growth in the LED and emergency lighting markets, as well as structuring the global sales organization to maximize these types of product sales opportunities. Bauer, who is based in North Carolina, departed in early January for a role closer to his home.

“During my tenture at Fulham, developing bench strength in all of our departments has been a top priority for me,” said Bob Howard-Anderson, CEO of Fulham. “While Mike and Richard will be missed, we are confident that Harold and Chris will continue to drive our business. It’s never easy to see good people depart, but they left on the high note of record revenue.”

Veira has been with Fulham since 2015, helping build and support the southwestern distribution channel. In his new role he will assume responsibility for overseeing all U.S. sales distribution, including providing sales support and bringing on new distributors.

Thompson has been with Fulham since 2006, helping to expand and service the company’s OEM customers throughout the Northeast. In his new role he will assume responsibility for overseeing all North American OEM sales, including major accounts.

Howard-Anderson is acting as the interim head of Global Sales while a new leader is being recruited. Fulham was founded in 1994 so 2019 marks its 25th year in business. The company now employs more than 500 people worldwide in North America, China, India and Europe.

For more information, visit http://www.fulham.com.

About Fulham
Fulham Co., Inc. is a leading global provider of intelligent, socially-conscious sustainable commercial lighting components and electronics for use in commercial general lighting, parking structure, signage, horticultural, UV and other applications. The company develops and manufactures a variety of award-winning LED and emergency products, lighting controls, as well as legacy products across multiple lighting platforms. Fulham sells its lighting solutions worldwide through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and electrical equipment distribution channels. Headquartered in Hawthorne, Calif., the company has sales and/or manufacturing facilities in the Europe, China, and India. For more information, visit http://www.fulham.com, @FulhamUSA or @FulhamEurope.

Media Contact:
Andy Firchau
Marketing Manager
Fulham Co., Inc.
Phone: +1 (323) 779-2980, ext. 1252
afirchau@fulham.com

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Software, Technology

Output Factory for InDesign Now Supports Conditional Text Variables

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Zevrix Solutions announces Output Factory 2.3.15, a maintenance update to company’s output automation solution for Adobe InDesign. Output Factory automates printing, exporting and preflighting from InDesign. The app offers batch processing, page group export, layer versioning, custom scripts integration and other time-saving options. The new version lets users insert conditional text from InDesign documents into the output file names, and introduces support for the SoftwareKey licensing system.

Toronto (ON), Canada — Zevrix Solutions today announces the release of Output Factory 2.3.15, a maintenance update to company’s output automation tool for Adobe InDesign. Awarded 5 stars by InDesign Magazine, Output Factory automates and simplifies workflows of publishers, printers, prepress houses, and ad agencies worldwide. The software helps eliminate repetitive tasks and costly errors through batch processing with time-saving output options.

The new version lets users harness the power of InDesign conditional text variables by inserting conditional text directly into the output file names. Conditional text allows users to show and hide bits of text to output various versions from the same InDesign document. The update also adds integration of the SoftwareKey licensing system which simplifies the software activation process and enables users to easily manage their licenses in a personal online license portal.

“With Output Factory, I’ve got our magazine production down to six minutes from three hours,” says Jeff Middleton, a Toronto, Canada based graphic designer. “Once I set up all my presets, it was insane how fast it was. I load all my InDesign docs into Output Factory, press play, go grab a coffee and come back to my entire magazine.”

Output Factory supports printing as well as exporting to PDF, PostScript, EPS, Flash, IDML, EPUB and several image formats. It offers the following key features:

–Batch output of InDesign files
-Export every n pages as a single PDF file
-Output files to multiple formats with one click
–Variable output file names
-Create PDF security presets
-Layer versioning: output layer combinations as single files
-Eliminate errors with automatic preflight

Pricing and Availability:
Output Factory can be purchased from Zevrix website for US$169.95 (Lite version $119.95), as well as from authorized resellers and Adobe Exchange. Trial is also available for download. The update is free for the users of Output Factory 2.x, and $84.97 to upgrade from Output Factory 1.x and BatchOutput. Output Factory requires macOS 10.7-10.14 and Adobe InDesign CS3-CC 2019.

About Zevrix Solutions
Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite software, PDF workflows, graphic file diagnostics, file delivery and Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix is dedicated to help professionals increase their profits through automating everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com

Solutions for Adobe InDesign & the Graphics Industry

Entertainment, Marketing

FED Publishing Releases New Book, “The Liebold Protocol” by Michael McMenamin & Kathleen McMenamin

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The Liebold Protocol, A Mattie McGary + Winston Churchill 1930s Adventure by Michael McMenamin & Kathleen McMenamin, continues the chronicles of Winston Churchill’s goddaughter Mattie McGary inside the Nazi empire.

Cleveland, OH, USA — In her latest adventure, The Liebold Protocol, Winston Churchill’s Scottish goddaughter, Mattie McGary, the adventure-seeking Hearst photojournalist, reluctantly returns to Nazi Germany in the summer of 1934 and once again finds herself in deadly peril in a gangster state where widespread kidnappings and ransoms by the SA and SS are sanctioned by the new Nazi government.

It didn’t begin that way. At Churchill’s suggestion, Mattie initially investigates one of the best-kept secrets of the Great War-that in 1915, facilitated by a sinister German-American agent working for Henry Ford, British Empire and Imperial German officials essentially committed treason by agreeing Britain would sell raw rubber to Germany in exchange for it selling precision optical equipment to Britain. Why? To keep the war going and the profits flowing. After Mattie interviews Ford’s German-American go-between, however, agents of Scotland Yard’s Special Branch are sent by Churchill’s political opponents in the British government to rough her up and warn her she will be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act unless she backs off the story.

Left no choice, Mattie sets out for Germany to investigate the story from the German side and to interview the German nobleman who negotiated the optics for rubber deal with the British. Once In Germany, however, Mattie lands right in the middle of a potential civil war between the SA Brown Shirts of Ernst Rohm who want a true socialist ‘second revolution’ to follow Hitler’s stunning first revolution in 1933 and Adolf Hitler who believes one revolution is enough. Mattie learns that Hitler has ordered his SS to assassinate all the senior leadership of Ernst Rohm’s SA Brown Shirts as well as other political enemies on Saturday 30 June, an event known to History as ‘The Night of the Long Knives’.

Mattie soon learns she is threatened from two sides and must flee Germany to save her life. Not only does the German-American working for Henry Ford want her story on the Great War optics for rubber treason killed, he wants her dead along with it. Worse, Mattie’s nemesis, the ‘Blond Beast’ of the SS, Reinhard Heydrich, is in charge of Hitler’s ‘Night of the Long Knives’ purge and he’s secretly put her name on his list of targets…

The McMenamin writing teams are award-winning, and one should not expect anything different from The Liebold Protocol.

Three-Time Grand Prize Winner Fiction, Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Three-Time Thriller/Suspense Book of the Year, ForeWord Reviews.
Two-Time Historical Fiction Book of the Year, ForeWord Reviews.

Michael McMenamin is the co-author with his son Patrick of the first five award-winning 1930s era historical novels featuring Winston Churchill and his fictional Scottish goddaughter, the adventure-seeking Hearst photojournalist Mattie McGary. The first five novels in the series-The DeValera Deception, The Parsifal Pursuit, The Gemini Agenda, The Berghof Betrayal and The Silver Mosaic-received a total of 15 literary awards. He is currently at work with his daughter Kathleen McMenamin on the eighth Mattie + Winston historical adventure, The Prussian Memorandum. He is also the author of Becoming Winston Churchill, a joint biography of the young Churchill and his Irish-American mentor, the New York lawyer and statesman Bourke Cockran.

Kathleen, the other half of the father-daughter writing team, has been editing her father’s writing for longer than she cares to remember. She is the co-author with her father of the 2018 novella, Appointment in Prague, A Mattie McGary + Winston Churchill World War II Adventure. She also is the co-author with her sister Kelly of the critically acclaimed Organize Your Way: Simple Strategies for Every Personality [Sterling, 2017].

Visit the authors at: http://www.winstonchurchillthrillers.com / http://www.facebook.com/WinstonChurchillThrillers.

Genre – Ernst Rohm, SA Brown Shirts, Socialist Second Revolution, Reinhard Heydrich, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Mattie McGary

The ebook version of The Liebold Protocol ISBN 9781506907536, published by First Edition Design Publishing (http://www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com), is available on-line wherever ebooks are sold. The 168 page print book version, ISBN 9781506907529, and hardback ISBN 9781506907512, is published by First Edition Design Publishing and distributed worldwide to online booksellers.

Media Contact:
Michael McMenamin
+1(941)921-2607
wsc_mcmenamin13@yahoo.com

Software, Technology

LinkOptimizer for Adobe InDesign Now Supports Creative Cloud 2019

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Zevrix Solutions announces LinkOptimizer 5.2.12, a compatibility update to company’s workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. LinkOptimizer lets users automatically scale and crop images to their InDesign dimensions at specified target resolution, convert image formats, adjust sharpening, convert colors, run Photoshop actions, rename links and more. The new version makes LinkOptimizer compatible with InDesign CC 2019 and introduces support for the SoftwareKey licensing system.

Toronto (ON), Canada — Zevrix Solutions today announces LinkOptimizer 5.2.12, a compatibility update to the company’s workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. Awarded 4 out of 5 stars by Computer Arts magazine, LinkOptimizer automates complex image manipulation tasks and allows to significantly reduce the size of InDesign links, save processing time and reduce production costs.

The new version makes LinkOptimizer compatible with the recently released InDesign and Photoshop CC 2019, and is offered free of charge to licensed users. The same version of LinkOptimizer can be used with any version of InDesign from CS5 and later. The update also introduces support for the SoftwareKey licensing system which simplifies the software activation process and enables users to easily manage their licenses in a personal online license portal.

“LinkOptimizer makes me extremely happy”, says Nynke Tiekstra, the owner of design studio ColtsfootMedia in Friesland, Netherlands, “It converted 10000 images in a 1800 pages project saving us at least 40 hours work, and it proved to be 100% accurate.”

LinkOptimizer works automatically with Photoshop to eliminate the excess image data of InDesign links, perform essential image adjustments and convert image formats. For example, with just a click of a button users can:

–Scale and crop images to match their dimensions in InDesign
-Change their resolution to 300 dpi
–Convert RGB images to a CMYK profile
-Resave PNG files as TIFF
–Run a Photoshop action on each image

At the end of processing, LinkOptimizer reimports images to InDesign at 100% in their precise position. As a result, users can save gigabytes of disk space, accelerate document output, reduce job turnaround and cut costs through faster processing.

Pricing and Availability:
LinkOptimizer can be purchased from Zevrix website for US$259.95 (Light version: $179.95) as well as from Adobe Exchange and authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. The update is free for LinkOptimizer 5.x users and $130 to upgrade from previous versions. LinkOptimizer requires macOS 10.7-10.14 and Adobe InDesign / Photoshop CS5-CC 2019.

About Zevrix Solutions
Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite and Creative Cloud software, PDF and graphic file diagnostics, as well as Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix Solutions is dedicated to helping professionals increase their profits through automating their everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com

Solutions for Adobe InDesign & the Graphics Industry

Business, Financial, Non-Profit

Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union’s Teddy Bears on Patrol Program Delivers 2,100 Toy Bears to Children in Need in 2018

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For More than 20 Years, Teddy Bears on Patrol Continues to Bring Joy Over the Holidays.

San Jose, CA, USA — The Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union (http://www.sccfcu.org) is pleased to announce another successful year for its Teddy Bears on Patrol holiday program. This year, Teddy Bears on Patrol was able to bring 2,100 stuffed bears to cheer up needy children.

For more than 20 years, County Federal has sponsored the Teddy Bears on Patrol Program along with local law enforcement agencies, school districts, and organizations such as Santa Clara County Social Services, Parents Helping Parents, and the Rosa Elena Childcare Center (part of Respite & Research for Alzheimer’s Disease). The program was created to bring joy to children suffering from trauma or illness.

“The holiday season is a time of caring and sharing. Giving needy children their own teddy bear to love and comfort is our way of showing we care about our kids,” said Rebecca Reynolds Lytle, President and CEO of County Federal. “This has been a highly successful program over the years and our law enforcement and medical professional partners get just as much joy out of this tradition as we do. There’s nothing that brings more joy and comfort to a child in need than a teddy bear.”

New teddy bears were donated from mid-October to mid-December at County Federal branches. Cash donations were also accepted from County Federal members, as the credit union arranged to have bears purchased on their behalf. This year, County Federal employees held an internal challenge and were able to raise more than $1,000 in two hours to purchase even more teddy bears for the kids.

For more information, visit http://www.sccfcu.org/teddy.

About Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union
For more than 68 years Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union has been bettering the lives of county, city, and school employees and affiliated organizations. In addition to maintaining a passionate commitment to provide knowledgeable financial solutions to its members, County Federal also maintains an extensive community outreach program, providing educational support through its scholarship program and dedicating time and resources to a variety of regional non-profit organizations. County Federal offers a comprehensive line of financial products and preferred rates and is committed to empowering, enriching and enhancing members’ financial lives.

For more information, visit http://www.sccfcu.org.

Media Contact:
Marilyn Avalos
Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union
408.282.0782
mavalos@sccfcu.org

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Business, Technology

Decayeux Group Unveils “Walter” Mobile App at CES to Bring Social Networking to Secure Package Delivery

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Walter Centers Combines Social Outreach and Vendor Services Around MyColisBox™.

Las Vegas, NV, USA — The Decayeux Group, the French innovators specializing in security products since 1872, will be introducing Walter, a new mobile security and social app, at CES 2019 being held here January 7-11, 2019. Walter has been developed as a support tool for MyColisBox™, Decayeux’s secure parcel delivery solution, but it also serves as a new social and concierge platform for college dormitories, offices, and residential buildings.

Walter is a mobile app that runs on your smartphone or mobile device to alert you when a package is delivered to a nearby MyColisBox for pickup. MyColisBox can be installed in offices, apartment buildings, condominiums, student housing, marinas – anywhere people need a secure, self-service location to receive packages. However, Walter is more than a delivery alert application – it also has been designed to help residents and co-workers connect and shop using MyColisBox as a social media focal point.

With Walter APP users can connect with others in their community to borrow and lend items, barter, and even receive goods from area businesses. The concept is to promote social cohesion by using mobile technology to connect people using the physical secure delivery system, MyColisBox, as a focal point for the building.

In addition to the app Decayeux has developed Walter BOARD, a digital notice board that allows users to post and share information in real time. Walter BOARD can be used to post items for sale, offer items to share, or to advertise goods and services provided by area merchants. It also can serve as a community bulletin board, alerting users about building services, events, and other notifications.

Rounding out the Walter offering is Walter PARTNERS, which is designed to connect merchants and service providers with MyColisBox users via Walter. Walter PARTNERS allows businesses to promote concierge services and use MyColisBox to deliver goods and pick up items from residents and connected users. For example, restaurants and grocery services can make deliveries via MyColisBox, or cleaners can collect and deliver dry cleaning using MyColisBox as a pickup and delivery point and using Walter BOARD to promote their services.

“With Walter we are paving the way to social delivery of merchandise and services,” said Stephane Decayeux, co-CEO of Decayeux Group. “Developing a mobile app such as Walter to support our secure MyColisBox brings social media and material goods together in a unique way, simplifying people’s lives while bringing them closer together. This is another example of societal transformation powered by innovative technology.”

The Decayeux Group will be demonstrating Walter and MyColisBox at CES at the Sands Hall in Booth 40534. For more information, visit http://www.decayeux.com.

About MyColisBox
MyColisBox is a secure and connected parcel box delivery system designed to meet the needs of consumers in accepting online shipments and package deliveries. Ideal for residential and professional buildings, MyColisBox was specifically designed to meet the needs of today’s online shoppers, providing a secure pickup point accessed by a unique pin code sent via SMS message to the recipient’s smartphone. The solution is ideal for today’s busy consumers who can’t be available to sign for package’s. It also provides a new way to improve the customer experience by supporting specialty and concierge services that can be delivered right to the consumer’s building.

MyColisBox has been recognized by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree. It also has received the 2019 German Design Award.

About Decayeux
Founded in 1872, the Decayeux group was first a leader in the locksmith industry. Today, that tradition is carried on with its family’s sixth generation, whose passion, innovation, creativity and drive has helped Decayeux to become the leading European manufacturer of mailboxes, as well as high security doors.

For more information, contact:
Tom Woolf
Oxygen Public Relations
425.842.7398
tom@oxygen-rp.com

Business, Food & Beverage

Mi Rancho® Celebrates 80 Years of Pure Tortilla Joy

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Third-Generation, Family-owned Tortilla Manufacturer Celebrates Eight Decades of Success Delivering High-Quality Tortilla Products for Customers Across the United States.

San Leandro, CA, USA — Mi Rancho® (http://www.mirancho.com), the Bay Area innovator in the production and global distribution of premium tortillas and Mexican foods, is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2019. The family-owned tortilla company was started in 1939 in the back of an Oakland grocery store. In 1954, Robert Berber, Sr., and Robert Berber Jr., purchased the store and began to focus on making tortillas using traditional methods. Today, the third and fourth generation of Berbers continue to operate Mi Rancho, continuing to expand and prepare the company for continued success and growth.

After 80 years, Mi Rancho is producing more tortillas than ever and shipping a variety of organic, non-GMO and simply authentic flour and corn tortillas worldwide. Even though the company is producing more tortillas, the Berber family remains committed to age-old tortilla-making techniques and a philosophy of farm-to-table food production. Mi Rancho uses non-GMO, California-grown whole grain corn that is cooked, steeped, washed, and ground using an ancient Aztec process called nixtamalization. Mi Rancho continues to use traditional production methods such as nixtamalization to enhance the flavor and preserve the authenticity of its tortillas. For example, the corn masa is created by grinding the corn using hand-carved lava stones, just as tortillas have been produced for centuries. The company prides itself on their ability to combine old world authenticity and new world innovation to produce the premium and great tasting tortillas with efficiency, consistency and quality you can rely on.

While Mi Rancho continues to create tortillas in the time-honored way, the company also embraces innovation. Mi Rancho continues to work with retailers, restauranteurs, and industrial customers to meet their needs, and the evolving tastes of their customers. Mi Rancho also has an expanding research and development department that develops new products and works with new ingredients.

Mi Rancho has more than doubled in size over the past decade as they continue to cultivate new segments. After many years producing consistent, premium tortillas to discerning chefs, restaurants, and service outlets, Mi Rancho decided to expand further and make the same high-quality tortillas available to consumers in 2010. Today, Mi Rancho tortillas are stocked on grocery shelves across the United States. To keep up with the growing demand for Mi Rancho products, the company added a second manufacturing facility in Elk Grove, California, in 2018.

“We have seen Mi Rancho flourish since my grandfather started making tortillas on Seventh Street in Oakland. But no matter how we grow, we know that our success is rooted in our commitment to quality ingredients and traditional production methods to deliver a quality product,” said Manuel Berber, President of Mi Rancho. “Everyone who works for us is part of the Mi Rancho family so we all take personal pride in the company and its tortilla products.”

Manuel Berber has served as president of the company since 1992 and is the third generation to manage Mi Rancho. He is grooming his sons, Andrew and Alex, to take over as the fourth generation. Andrew Berber is currently working as Director of Business Development and Alex Berber is serving as Director of Foodservice Sales.

“We are extremely proud that Mi Rancho is celebrating 80 years of success as a family-owned company,” said Manuel Berber. “We have ambitious plans for the future, and I am confident that Andrew and Alex will continue the family tradition and our commitment to excellence for another 80 years.

Mi Rancho is already implementing plans for the next stage in the company’s growth. Over the next five years the company plans to build on its legacy of success with the introduction of new products and expansion into new markets.

For more information, visit Mi Rancho on the web at http://www.mirancho.com.

Contact:
Tom Woolf
Director of PR, Gumas Advertising
415-621-7575
twoolf@gumas.com