Natural Products Association

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A natural watchdog

If you have ever tried a natural deodorant or an eco-friendly cleaning spray, chances are that product’s manufacturer or retailer is a member of the Natural Products Association.

Founded in 1936, the Natural Products Association is the country’s largest and oldest non-profit organization of its kind dedicated to the natural products industry, which includes but is not limited to: foods, dietary supplements, as well as health and beauty aids. About 50 percent of the board of directors is made up of manufacturers and the other half are retailers whose products you might find in a health foods store, such as Whole Foods. While members are typically from the retailer and manufacturing circles, this organization also draws in wholesalers and distributors of natural products. By current estimates, more than 2,000 retail members and over 450 supplier members are proudly affiliated with NPA.

Between those two groups, there are 10,000 locations across the country. Most of the association’s membership grew from the dietary supplements side—that is, minerals and supplements—but has recently been attracting producers of personal care products much like those brought to you by Burt’s Bees and Tom’s of Maine. The dietary supplement side of the business has grown exponentially to become a $25 billion industry; to put that in perspective the natural products is a $100 billion industry.

With such industry growth it is only natural to have formalities and rules. Being headquartered in Washington, D.C. as a result has given this association a solid footing to serve as the industry watchdog on regulatory and legislative issues. Because the NPA is mostly focused on advocacy work it only makes sense that it is also one of main reasons why members join the organization in the first place. “Our primary goal is to preserve that regulatory structure from those policymakers who try to introduce, in our point of view, redundant new regulations,” tells John Gay, executive director and CEO of Natural Products Association (NPA).

Advocacy a key focus

As the industry picked up over the years, the association has evolved with itmeanwhile keeping an eye on any regulatory measures that may affect its members’ business. “The natural products industry has grown especially more recently, with the passage of DSHEADietary Supplement Health and Education Act—which clarified what can be placed on the store shelves by law. For example, before the passage of this law dietary supplements were neither fish nor fowl so these products weren’t identified in the regulatory world,” explains Gay, adding that NPA’s main objective is to preserve DSHEA. “It’s a real partnership between retail and suppliers. We also advocate to the rights of the consumers, to have their choice of products that will hopefully improve their health,” tells Gay.

But this past year, the association faced the most serious challenge to DSHEA of all time. “The bill [S.3002] introduced by Arizona Senator John McCain, would have undone the current regulatory scheme for dietary supplements and altered DSHEA in ways that would have been tremendously negative for the industry and consumer, alike with no real added consumer protection,” says Gay. But the coalition to preserve DSHEA, composed of a number of groups, led by the NPA, launched a fierce letter-writing campaign, most by email.  After a flood of communications from the coalition and others, it was only a matter of months when the two senators withdrew support of their own bill. Instead of opening up DSHEA, they are now working with industry champions such as Senator Orrin Hatch on some more specific steps, particularly looking at ways to deal with the problem of steroids being placed into supplements by the “bad actors.”

Apart from its advocacy work, members also benefit from its regulatory programs. “We were the first organization to establish a good manufacturing practices program (GMP). Other groups like NSF have used our program as the basis of theirs. We establish standards that were approved well over 10 years ago, on the types of manufacturing processes of the dietary supplementary world that would be appropriate; we also have a program where a supplier can have auditors come in and make sure their process meets this standard,” explains Gay. Since the NPA first established these standards, he says, the Food and Drug Administration has drafted and released their own set of GMPs. Now, the NPA has modified its initial standards so they comply with the FDA’s final GMP rule.

NPA-China initiative

In addition to its offices in Washington, D.C., the NPA also is affiliated with five regional NPAs located throughout the United States. But more recently, the association was encouraged by the U.S. government to open an office in Beijing, China in order to better assist U.S. companies to export their natural products to this rapidly expanding market. “The driver behind this initiative is that China is a unique country, given its size and slice o the world economy. It is the number one supplier of ingredients to the U.S. for the industry,” points out Gay. “It is also potentially the biggest market in the world for natural products, if it develops the appropriate regulatory framework, to allow the industry grow there,” he adds.

By July 2006, the Natural Products Association had opened its office overseas, as well as hired the office director Jeff Crowther. In October 2007, the Natural Products Association was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), receiving both financial and collaborative support from USDOC through the department’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP).

The association works closely with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as well as USDOC in Washington, D.C. to accomplish its China initiatives, such as regulatory advocacy, quality assurance and testing program for Chinese ingredients, trade missions, trade shows, educational seminars, product registration services and communications. One of the ways the NPA is working on improving the overall flow of imports from China to the U.S. is through some programming. For instance, there is a testing program in place with USP as the testing service provider, which ultimately assists Chinese market producers by adding transparency to their ingredients, which will allow U.S. firms to use quality as a platform to expand market share.

Looking into the future, NPA plans to continue to work with governments and stakeholders to develop regulatory frameworks that allow the industry to grow but also encourage U.S. companies to grow and expand abroad.

Sentrics Expands Senior Living Footprint wіth Acquisition оf Connected Living

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Sentrics today announced thе acquisition оf Connected Living, a leading resident engagement platform thаt makes іt easier fоr mоrе thаn 550 communities аnd thеіr residents tо communicate аnd interact. Thе platform includes a centralized content management ѕуѕtеm аnd Comprehensive product ecosystem thаt helps operators share messages wіth whоm thеу want, whеn thеу want аnd hоw іt іѕ best received easily аnd quickly. Thе Connected Living technology wіll bесоmе раrt оf thе Sentrics Engage360SM suite, whісh leverages thе television experience tо create a unique wellbeing engine, offering recommendations tо personalize engagement fоr еvеrу resident аnd improve thеіr overall community experience. Brian McWade, thе President оf Connected Living wіll bесоmе thе Chief Product Officer аt Sentrics, responsible fоr executing thе integrated engagement strategy аnd аlѕо guiding thе integrated product vision fоr thе entire Sentrics360 platform.

“Residents whо stay socially engaged аrе mоrе likely tо experience longevity wіth vitality,” said Peter Bailey, Chief Executive Officer оf Sentrics. “While COVID highlighted thе negative effects оf social isolation, thе fact remains thаt it’s difficult tо continually engage a resident оn hіѕ оr hеr individual terms. Our Engage360 resident engagement platform makes іt easier fоr residents tо engage right thrоugh a technology thеу аlrеаdу know—their TV—while аlѕо providing staff wіth unique tools tо identify whеn a resident mау need mоrе help engaging. Thе Engage360 аnd Connected Living technologies complement еасh оthеr, whіlе аlѕо giving uѕ thе ability tо impact thе lives асrоѕѕ mоrе acuity levels mоrе quickly wіth mоrе functionality.”

“We аt Connected Living аrе excited tо join thе Sentrics family,” said Connected Living President Brian McWade. “The combination оf оur Connected Living technology аnd thе Engage360 suite wіll gіvе operators mоrе wауѕ tо engage residents аnd satisfy thеіr unspoken needs.”

Thе Engage360 platform іѕ раrt оf thе Sentrics360SM integrated technology suite thаt helps senior living operators kеер residents physically safe, medically wеll, socially connected аnd cognitively engaged. Working іn tandem wіth thrее оthеr platforms, Engage360 іѕ раrt оf a data-driven ecosystem thаt collects аnd analyzes resident data аnd infers actionable insights thаt help operators predict аnd prevent adverse events.

Abоut Sentrics

Sentrics іѕ a leader іn thе senior living industry. It іѕ helping communities nationwide transform іntо mоrе sophisticated, clinically oriented, risk-management businesses. Itѕ Sentrics360SM suite creates a 360-degree view—physical, medical, social аnd behavioral—of thе wellbeing оf еасh resident. Thе game-changing suite integrates popular third-party solutions, аnd includes emergency саll, life safety, contact tracing аnd case management, entertainment, whole-health engagement, аnd AI-based insights wіthіn a single community. Thе Sentrics brand includes Ciscor, Silversphere, SeniorTV, CareConnect, Luna Lights, Connected Living, аnd Allen Technologies. Fоr mоrе information, visit www.sentrics.net.

Abоut Connected Living

An industry innovator ѕіnсе 2007, Connected Living delivers a comprehensive product ecosystem tо empower senior living communities tо easily broadcast news, make announcements аnd provide community updates tо prospects, residents, families, аnd staff. Thrоugh a single centralized content management ѕуѕtеm (eCMS), operators create аnd push information tо multiple endpoints, аt оnе tіmе, giving residents, family аnd staff access tо thе information vіа digital signage, mobile apps, web portal, voice enabled devices, аnd a TV-based community channel.

Altoona Blair County Development Corporation

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Diverting from the tracks

ABJ brings you the story of a remarkable organization that helped transform an old railroad town by getting off the tracks and building a diverse and thriving economy in Altoona, Blair County, PA.

WHEN TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY railroad town Altoona began to diversify its local economy in the 1940s, an organization, then called Altoona Enterprises Inc., led the way to the city’s economic success. Its founding year was 1946 and the organization’s first campaign was called “Jobs for Joes.” Back then, the town of Altoona was what locals referred to as a ‘one-horse town’, where everything was connected to the railroad industry.

Leaving the tracks to diversify

When the Pennsylvania Railroad began massive downsizing, it suddenly sparked a need for diver­sification, explains Matt Fox, marketing manager of the Altoona Blair County Development Corpo­ration (ABCD Corp). In 1996, the organization changed its name to ABCD Corp. to reflect its overall corporate goals of community, economic and workforce development, enhanced quality of life and sustainability of the environment.
While there is still a strong focus on manu­facturing and industrial warehousing, there is a healthy balance in other areas, such as educa­tion, healthcare, as well as light to heavy industri­al and technology suppliers. “Our goal has always been to help facilitate new job creation. We are always looking for ways to diversify the economy outside of manufacturing-based industry,” ex­plains Fox.

Serving as a catalyst for innovation and job creation

ABCD Corp. provides a range of professional development services to its business community, including financing, entrepreneurial support, ac­cess to a viable workforce, assisting real estate development and business expansion. “Through our core development services, we are able to assist companies that are new to the region, en­trepreneurs and small businesses as well as our existing companies to help them grow, expand and succeed,” adds Fox.

The current economic situation has present­ed its own challenges to many cities, and Altoona is not an exception. “The challenge with the re­duced state budget will be a cause for concern in accessing some traditional financing programs,” tells Fox. “For others, the rising energy costs are a concern for our manufacturers especially. We have formed an energy consortium to proactively address these issues to ensure our companies remain competitive, while maintaining a forward-thinking mentality utilizing emerging technolo­gies,” he adds.

Staying true to its historical roots

Blair County is still home to Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shops located in Altoona, which is rated among the highest performing re­pair shops, every year, nationwide. “The history of this area dates back to the founding of the Penn­sylvania Railroad. It was beginning to expand to the west, and Altoona is located where it is today because the Pennsylvania Railroad needed to construct railroad repair facilities at the base of the Allegheny Ridge Plateau—where Altoona is,” tells Pat Miller, executive vice-president of ABCD Corporation.

Business parks a solid strategic decision

In fact, many of Altoona’s real estate develop­ment opportunities link back to former railroad properties. In 2000, the ABCD Corporation real­ized its important role as a catalyst for change in the community. “At that time, our board de­cided to invest in real estate development in correlation with the construction of Interstate 99, which is now complete establishing the I-99 Innovation Corridor. Both business and indus­trial locations were strategically located along the interstate that connects the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the south with Interstate 80 in the north,” explains Miller. “For the next six years, we developed a series of six business parks along the I-99 Corridor.”

“We developed the Walter Business Park and South Altoona Business Park on former railroad property, and most recently in 2006, we acquired and are currently in the process of redeveloping a 300-plus-acre site (the Hollidaysburg Car Shop property),” tells Miller. “In addition to the busi­ness and industrial parks we are pleased that we’ve also been able to redevelop over 22 acres in the heart in the city of Altoona,” he adds.

Moreover, he explains that “because of the decision to make investments into the devel­opment of these business parks, Blair County has been able to attract a number of new busi­nesses, beginning with the 500,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility by Smith Transport, located at the Jubelirer Business Park in Tyrone”

Business Park strategy creates new jobs.

Headquartered and founded in Altoona, Sheetz Inc., one of America’s fastest growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains, is a major partner and investor in Altoona and Blair County. Starting from just one store in 1952, today Sheetz is one of the largest chains in the region with over 365 stores throughout six states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina em­ploying more than 13,000. In 2005, the com­pany was seeking a centrally located place for their 300,000-square-foot distribution facility and through a site selection process chose Claysburg, Blair County. “Because of the fact that we invested in developing the Walter Busi­ness Park in the southern end of Blair County, we were able to attract the business here, just 20 miles from corporate headquarters. Follow­ing that decision, in 2008 Sheetz decided to construct a 140,000-square-foot state-of-the-art food production facility, Sheetz Bros. Kitchen, next door to the Distribution Center,” explains Miller, adding the Sheetz family business is one of several important partnerships.

Working together with Sheetz, Inc., ABCD Corp., as an organization, established a synthetic lease to build the facilities, which are wholly-owned and then leased back to Sheetz. “We serve as the investor/developer on their behalf. These two projects in the southern end of the county now represent employment for close to 800 individu­als,” tells Miller.

Devorris Center a hub for local businesses

“The investment in our business park strategy has resulted in creation of well over 1,000 new jobs to the community. We see that as being one of our major successes,” tells Miller proudly. “An­other project that we’re very proud of is what is called the Devorris Center for Business Develop­ment,” says Miller. The 35,000-square-foot build­ing is located in the South Altoona Business Park and was constructed by ABCD Corp. “It is a multi-tenant facility and it serves as an incubator for small businesses. Today, the Devorris Center is completely filled; we have nine businesses here, as well as a number of local economic develop­ment and business service providers, such as the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, the local SCORE chapter, the Small Business Development Center at St. Francis University, and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners headquartered out of Penn State University.”

These local service providers do their coun­seling in the centrally located facility. “We’re very proud of that investment, as it was one of the first incubators created in the city when we developed the South Altoona Business Park. Again, it was a former 22-acre railroad property and in this case there were existing environ­mental concerns that were remediated and now a former Brownfield site is a viable business park,” tells Miller.

Penn State University a key driver for Downtown Altoona

Once a thriving destination for retail, Downtown Altoona struggled for many recent years trying to attract new business opportunities, as the trend of retailers moved from the urban center. This changed about 10 years ago, when ABCD Corp. invited several local universities to a meeting to discuss the idea of creating an educational center in the downtown hub. “The concept was simple; these universities could rent space from us in order to support their off-campus and continuing education programs,” says Miller, adding Penn State-Altoona was the first to take an interest.

Soon after, ABCD Corp. discovered an ap­propriate space and drafted a lease with Penn State Altoona. “We bought the building, rehabili­tated it to their specifications and initially, they brought their continuing education programs into the downtown, as well as their staff and administrative support,” tells Miller.

“Because of the success of that venture, Penn State Altoona renewed the lease and shortly thereafter, bought the building from us,” tells Miller, adding Chan­cellor Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry also realized the role that Penn State Altoona played in terms of acting as an engine to jump-start other economic development opportunities in the downtown. This partnership has been another key driver for economic development in Altoona, particularly in the downtown.

Since then, ABCD Corp. has redeveloped a 30,000-square-foot space for classrooms, as well as a nursing lab, broadcast studio and commu­nications lab and more administrative support for Penn State Altoona. ABCD Corp. acquired a vacant building redeveloped it to Penn State’s specification and this past fall they opened the new classroom space. PSU Altoona purchased more property to redevelop on their own, bringing their Alumni relations and development office to the downtown area.

Renewed interest in downtown leads to future developments

ABCD Corp. and Penn State-Altoona are about to announce the development of yet another downtown project, which will bring more activity to its urban core.

“The Penn State Altoona rela­tionship has lead to potential inquiries of other developers in the area that will support student activities,” explains Miller, adding the renewed interest in Altoona’s downtown is an encourag­ing sign. A new restaurant scheduled to open in the spring of 2010 and two local investors have acquired an old, vacant property, once owned by Sears and Penny’s department stores to re­develop into a commercial and student housing area. “All this synergy happening now is directly related to this unique relationship with Penn State Altoona and its commitment to the down­town,” adds Miller. The combined Penn State Altoona-ABCD Corp. partnership represents close to $10 million in total project costs, and that’s not including the fourth project slated to begin this coming spring.

Altoona Regional Health System

Blair County’s largest healthcare provider, the Altoona Regional Healthcare System, is ready to inject a multi-million dollar investment into the re-development of a hospital facility in Down­town Altoona. The ARHS currently has the Al­toona Hospital in the downtown and is planning renovations to this main campus, as well as acquiring new space. In addition, recently ARHS purchased a formerly enclosed mall that was underutilized and now is undergoing a major transformation from a retail space to a major medical center, now called the Station Medical Center. “They have already completed first two phases of redevelopment; it will become the second major medical center associated with the Altoona Medical Health System in Downtown Altoona,” says Miller.

Looking to the Future

With the Altoona-Blair County Development Corp. leading the way and collaborating with a multitude of economic development partners and businesses, this region stands ready for continued success.  The work ethic, persistence and pride that was forged from Altoona and Blair County’s rich railroad history carries through today and into the future. AB

www.abcdcorp.org

Is Social Media Just a Popularity Contest?

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Popularity is a funny thing online. You can reach millions of people with a couple clicks of a mouse but never actually meet them in person. We often get tied to metrics like web traffic or followers on Twitter and Facebook but aren’t the true signs of popularity metrics that bring an ROI – like, uh, sales?

This disconnect between popularity and sales, clouds the judgment of too many marketing teams, especially when virtually everything can be gamed. It’s too common to see businesses buying their way to more Facebook and Twitter followers but what’s the use of having them if they don’t want what you have to offer?

You can pay people to show up at your birthday party but don’t expect them to bring you a gift.

It’s a sad and lonely analogy but a fitting one nonetheless. All fruitful relationships are earned, not bribed and you will be forced to learn this lesson again when developing an effective social media strategy for your business.

Popular Needs to Be Profitable

There is the type of social media that makes friends and there is the kind of social media that makes money. Too many businesses are unknowingly opting for the route that makes friends and getting frustrated while they watch “likes” go up and sales stay neutral.

Does that mean popularity has no pull on social media?

Well it seems that we might be naturally inclined to go with the crowd. Wikipedia calls social proof a “psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation.”

I’ve nicknamed this the “Amazon Effect” after learning how Amazon realized at some point that it was the customer reviews that were selling products and not the manufacturer’s write up or their expensive marketing copy. It seems like common sense now but at the time it was arbitrary to suggest actually letting customers write their – gasp – true thoughts and opinions about products.

You Need to Be Vulnerable

Your customers want you to be authentic with them and show that you can be vulnerable. They need to know that you know they have the power and that you care about them and their business.

These are foreign concepts from the past several decades of advertising and marketing. Even if you tried to appeal to your customer base as an authentic brand prior to social media it would still only be addressing customers as a whole, not as individuals.

“When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.”  – Walt Disney

Relationships are built one experience at a time and as daunting as that might seem, we all know word of mouth is the best kind of marketing and now it has a way to travel faster and farther with social media. They used to say angry customers would tell ten people but a happy customer might tell only tell one, if you’re lucky. Despite the fact those numbers are clearly made up, it’s safe to argue that social media allows those positive experiences to get much more mileage as they are being seen by other people online.

Customer Service is a Popularity Contest

When it comes down to it, leaving the impression of superior customer service with your clients is absolutely a popularity contest. If you give poor customer service and leave people unsatisfied, they aren’t going to like you or buy your products or services any more – which means you will fail in business.

Fortunately, this contest has the odds in your favour because you control how you service your customers. The philosophy for success is the same with customer service as it is for social media: make every experience count. It’s as simple as taking any opportunity to show people that you remembered them.

I always end up printing more business cards every year around my birthday because the company that does my printing always sends me a card. There’s a short handwritten note with my name and it’s signed by the five people in their small office. It gets me every time and I make conversation at my birthday party by telling people how awesome this company is.

Your number one goal should be to constantly make your customers feel special and happy about giving you their money. If you succeed at that, you will have found the Holy Grail of business growth.

By Melonie Dodaro

Melonie Dodaro, founder of Top Dog Social Media helps business owners, professionals and sales teams to use social media marketing to boost their visibility, attract new customers and increase their revenue. She’s also a highly sought after social media speaker and trainer. To learn more about Melonie visit TopDogSocialMedia.com.

SIAM Announces Class оf 2023 Fellows

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Society fоr Industrial аnd Applied Mathematics (SIAM) іѕ pleased tо announce thе 2023 Class оf SIAM Fellows. Thеѕе distinguished members wеrе nominated fоr thеіr exemplary research аѕ wеll аѕ outstanding service tо thе community. Thrоugh thеіr various contributions, SIAM Fellows аrе a core group оf individuals helping tо advance thе fields оf applied mathematics аnd computational science.

SIAM congratulates thеѕе 26 esteemed members оf thе community, listed bеlоw іn alphabetical order:

Rodrigo Bañuelos, Purdue University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr pioneering аnd fundamental contributions іn probability theory аnd analysis, аnd fоr fostering diversity іn mathematics аnd education.

George Biros, Thе University оf Texas аt Austin, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr development оf high-performance scientific computing algorithms аnd thеіr uѕе іn tackling challenging problems іn science, engineering, аnd medicine.

Rоn Buckmire, Occidental College, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr broadening participation іn mathematics, creating innovative educational materials іn applied mathematics, аnd contributing tо thе field оf finite differences.

Fioralba Cakoni, Rutgers, Thе State University оf New Jersey, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr seminal contributions tо inverse scattering theory, thе existence оf transmission eigenvalues, аnd non-scattering phenomena.

Daniela Calvetti, Case Western Reserve University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr outstanding contributions tо numerical linear algebra, Bayesian scientific computing, аnd inverse problems аnd applications, аnd fоr extraordinary mentoring activities.

Coralia Cartis, University оf Oxford, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr theoretical аnd practical developments іn continuous optimization.

Alina Chertock, North Carolina State University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr significant contributions tо numerical methods fоr hyperbolic systems оf conservation laws аnd important service tо thе applied mathematics community.

Lenore Jennifer Cowen, Tufts University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr seminal contributions tо computational biology thrоugh thе design оf graph-based algorithms аnd insights іntо network distance measures.

Petros Drineas, Purdue University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr pioneering contributions tо аll aspects оf randomized numerical linear algebra: research, applications, advocacy, аnd outreach.

Aric Hagberg, Los Alamos National Laboratory, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr contributions tо network science, dynamical systems, аnd dedicated service tо thе scientific community.

Chandrika Kamath, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr community leadership аnd contributions tо data mining аnd іtѕ application tо real-world problems іn science аnd engineering.

Angela Kunoth, University оf Cologne, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr fundamental contributions tо multi-level аnd wavelet methods fоr thе numerical solution оf partial differential equations аnd optimal control wіth partial differential equation constraints.

James Donald Meiss, University оf Colorado Boulder, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr contributions tо thе understanding оf thе onset оf chaos аnd transport іn Hamiltonian аnd volume-preserving dynamical systems.

Andrew M. Odlyzko, University оf Minnesota, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr fundamental аnd visionary contributions tо analytic аnd computational number theory, cryptography, аnd communication аnd electronic publishing.

Ali Pinar, Sandia National Laboratories, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr theoretical, algorithmic, аnd application impacts, аnd community leadership іn combinatorial scientific computing аnd network science.

Edward B. Saff, Vanderbilt University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr contributions tо approximation theory, potential theory, numerical analysis, particle systems analysis, аnd inverse problems.

David James Silvester, Thе University оf Manchester, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr contributions tо finite elements аnd computational fluid dynamics.

Barry Simon, California Institute оf Technology, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr outstanding originality іn contributions tо spectral theory, mathematical physics, аnd orthogonal polynomials, аѕ wеll аѕ strong research leadership thrоugh supervision.

Catherine Sulem, University оf Toronto, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr numerical аnd analytical contributions tо nonlinear dispersive waves іn optics аnd fluids.

Sivan Toledo, Tel Aviv University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr advances іn parallel аnd randomized numerical linear algebra аnd location estimation technology іn movement ecology.

Konstantina Trivisa, University оf Maryland, College Park, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr outstanding contributions tо analysis оf nonlinear partial differential equations, exemplary service, аnd excellence іn mentoring оf students аnd postdocs.

Caroline Uhler, Massachusetts Institute оf Technology аnd Broad Institute, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr fundamental contributions аt thе interface оf statistics, machine learning, аnd biology.

John S. Wettlaufer, Yale University аnd Nordic Institute fоr Theoretical Physics, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr fundamental contributions tо thе modeling оf interfacial problems, thе study оf ice, geophysics, аnd climate dynamics.

Dongbin Xiu, Thе Ohio State University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr pioneering fundamental contributions tо thе mathematics аnd applications оf uncertainty quantification, аnd fоr exceptional service іn organizing mаnу workshops.

Laurent Younes, Johns Hopkins University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr fundamental contributions tо thе theory аnd computation оf shape space іn image analysis.

Yongjie Jessica Zhang, Carnegie Mellon University, іѕ bеіng recognized fоr pioneering contributions tо computational geometry, volumetric parameterization, isogeometric analysis, mesh generation, image processing, аnd simulation-based engineering applications.

S-5!® Canada

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Colorado-based S-5!® has taken the metal roofing attachment solution industry from a business to a science.

As a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of standing seam metal roofing attachment solutions, S-5!®’s product is the most efficient, user friendly, and secure roofing attachment solution available to the market. Seeing potential for its products in the Canadian marketplace, S-5!® expanded into Ontario. Today, S-5!® Canada serves as the supplier for its distribution network across Canada. Though the Ontario Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program was the main reason for the expansion into Canada, S-5!®’s snow retention products, ColorGard® and SnoRail™ and SnoFence™ products remain the top product line.

“We are the Canadian presence of the U.S. company. We manufacture, supply, and warehouse the S-5!® product line for all of Canada,” Dave Kowch, Sales Manager with S-5!® Canada, told The American Business Journal.

Canadian Marketplace

By leveraging a name brand already well established within the metal roofing industry, S-5!® Canada came into being a year-and-a-half ago. S-5!® Canada recognized the vast opportunities that existed within the Canadian metal roofing sector. The first task was to develop a successful distribution network within Ontario, and then to place distribution locations in key areas where metal roofing has been well established as well as areas where metal roofing is growing in popularity.

Offering a wide range of standing seam metal roofing attachment solutions such snow retention, solar attachments as well as signage, HVAC support, satellite dishes, and piping conduit, S-5!® Canada now distributes across Western Canada, with two sites in Ontario, and another in the Canadian Maritimes.

Selling clamps, training distributors, and collaborating with architects and engineers across the Canadian market has made S-5!® Canada the leading supplier of attachment solutions within the metal roofing industry. The company prides itself in offering high quality clamps and accessories that can be directly attached to standing seam metal roofing without damaging the material.

“When the patented set screw engages the metal seam and is torqued as per specifications, the set screw will dimple the metal seam without damaging the paint or any protective coating. This is accomplished via a small cavity in the clamp wall on the opposite side of the seam from the set screw,” Kowch explained.

S-5!® and S-5!® Canada are not the only organizations who advise against the use of cup point screws and instead support the use of round point screws.

According to the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, “Any attendant set screws that secure the clamp to the seam should have a rounded point (not a cup point) so that gouging, or breaching of the metallic coating is avoided.”

The Metal Construction Association says, “Some products utilize ‘cup point’ set screws that may tear the seam material under load or sever and abrade panel coatings leading to premature corrosion. Others use round tipped setscrews and are preferred.”

Unique to the design of the S-5!® roof clamp is that it attaches to essentially any standing seam metal roofing profile with industry-leading clamping strength.

S-5!® also commissioned independent, third party A2LA certified test labs to conduct accelerated corrosion and weathering tests to prove that the S-5!® attachment method caused no premature corrosion of the panel material. In the end, the real proof is in 20 years of successful installations on more than 1.2 million roofs, and endorsements by every major manufacturer of metal roofing not only in North America, but the entire world. S-5!® clamps have even been selected for use in life-safety applications on the new NATO World Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and are endorsed by the inventor of Galvalume® himself.

Because of extensive testing to ensure a high quality product, S-5!® Canada has pushed itself ahead of the competition, continuing to stand behind its product with a 25-year limited manufacturer’s warranty. S-5!® Canada’s well tested and guaranteed products allows the consumer, architect, or engineer to feel comfortable with S-5!® Canada’s range of metal roofing attachment solutions.

In order for S-5!® Canada to meet the Domestic Content requirements under the FIT Program, S-5!® Canada selected an Ajax, Ont.-based manufacturer. E.J.

Industries. Today, Ajax also serves as the company’s Canadian base, allowing for ease of access to its manufacturer.

Unique Design

The S-5!® metal roofing clamp brand name is now seen as common place across Canada, with architects, engineers, and roofers calling for this industry product of choice for the project at hand.

“We’ve grown our snow retention product lineup to the point where our distributors in Western Canada are calling us almost every day for this products because people are realizing how well it works,” Kowch said. “Engineers and architects are also realizing that this is a great product. Metal roof manufacturers are telling the engineers and architects to use S-5!® clamps on their roofs. While there are other clamps on the market, ours is unique in its design and its patent. There isn’t a reason why anyone wouldn’t use our clamps.”

S-5!® has seen the demand for metal roofing in Canada grow which has increased the demand for its products. Companies are realizing the benefits of metal roofing over the long-term and as such want a product that will not damage their investment. In the past six or seven months, the company’s Western Canadian distributors have called to replenish its stock with S-5! ® snow retention products, as these are being specified more often either by architects, roofing consultants or the metal roofing manufacturer themselves. The S-5!® ColorGard® snow retention system was chosen for the International Ice Rink at Canada’s Olympic Park in Calgary, the Redvers Health Centre Roof Addition in Saskatchewan, and Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, Ont., just to name a few. Based upon feedback from its distributors across Canada, S-5!® Canada has supplied over 25,000 lineal feet of snow retention products in 2012 while its solar attachment solutions have been used to secure over five megawatts of solar power in Ontario. That is over 127,000 attachment points to standing seam metal roofs without any holes, or damage to the roof.

S-5!® Canada continues to grow its presence in the Canadian marketplace and is emerging as the go-to industry favourite for metal roofing attachment solutions. As Kowch concluded, “I would like to thank our distributors, Wallace Construction, Essex Energy, Classic Roofing Systems, All the Best Sales and Marketing, Bird Stairs and Future Energy Resources Inc. for helping us grow S-5!® Canada.

“Not only we have been able to get into the Canadian market and develop an awareness toward our brand by educating people about the advantage of our products, but also by our distributors who believe in our products. This is why we are quickly becoming one the country’s trusted metal roofing attachment solution providers.”

Supermetal

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Strength and Flexibility

Supermetal is a leading specialty contractor that supplies, fabricates and erects complex industrial works, signature institutional projects and high-end commercial buildings.

The Quebec City firm started as a family business in 1959. Through the years, the company’s project portfolio has spanned numerous large scale projects, from office towers to bridges and research centres. As a result, the company has continued to grow, expanding from regional and provincial markets to its current operations situated across Canada and in the United States, plus a production office in Manila, Philippines.

Supermetal aims to be the industry’s leading structural steel supplier of choice. Currently, Supermetal has an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes of steel, and employs over 600 people, steadily increasing its performance level over time. As a full service organization, Supermetal offers the entire gamut, from engineering services to detailing and installation, as well as structural steel fabrication across all Canadian provinces.

“We are a very flexible company. If we need to speed up installation to meet a new requirement, we adapt in order to provide the best total construction cost to our client,” Jean-Francois Blouin, President of Supermetal, told The American Business Journal. “Change is inevitable. We’ve simply built it into our business model.”

Projects

Perusing its expansive project portfolio, Supermetal highlights its involvement with the Eighth Avenue Place’s East tower in downtown Calgary, where the company was involved in the project engineering, fabrication and erection. Across the commercial sector, Supermetal typically covers high-rise structures, arenas and sports complexes.

Eighth Avenue Place is a $1 billion, 50-storey structure that opened its doors in January 2011. The structure includes more than 12,000 tonnes of steel. Achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Core and Shell (CS) Platinum certification, the Eighth Avenue Place development is a modern architectural design that illuminates Calgary’s financial district skyline.

Supermetal beams of its activity in the energy sector, with project involvement in oil refineries, hydroelectricity projects, and power dams, in addition to its extensive work in the potash industry. Supermetal’s ability and desire to work across multiple sectors has allowed the company to pursue projects in nearly all Canadian provinces. Currently, the company is involved with work in the oil sands, the potash industry, and a hydropower project in Ontario.

In its home province of Quebec, Supermetal has been engaged in large-scale aluminum smelter projects. The Rio Tinto Alcan Aluminum Smelter, based in Alma, is a state-of-the-art facility measuring more than 230,000 square feet. Supermetal has supplied more than 20,000 tonnes of steel for the structural project, and has consistently delivered exceptional service and an ability to quickly adjust to rapid project developments. Another smelter, the AP60 expansion project in Jonquière, is valued at $3.6 billion. Even though the health and safety standards were among the most stringent, Supermetal was able to exceed expectations.

Future Operations

Supermetal’s project diligence and expansive reach continues to separate the company from its competition. For example, Supermetal is the only organization within the structural steel fabricating industry to hold all three major certifications – namely ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management), and OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety management).

“We take health and safety very seriously, and our statistics reflect the low rate of incidents and accidents in our shop and on our sites,” Blouin added.

“Because of our good track record, companies are motivated to work with us.”
Supermetal’s collaborative approach further differentiates the company in an overall diverse and competitive industry. Beyond its role as a specialty contractor and project manager, Supermetal sees itself as a partner working alongside its client.

“[The client’s] project is our project, and our approach and flexibility is unique in the industry,” Blouin summarized.

Saying “no” to a client is not part of Supermetal’s vocabulary. “We find solutions and possibilities to ensure that we provide a hassle-free experience to our clients at the lowest total cost of construction. We do that while focusing on their priority whether it be health and safety, quality, or schedule.”

Moving forward, Supermetal wants to continue growing its capacity, particularly in the American market, where the company has recently opened a new production facility to best meet industry demand.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” added Blouin. “However, that does not mean being the largest or the cheapest, but rather, when clients have a challenging structural steel project, they will think of Supermetal as a premier contractor.”

National Forming Systems

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National Forming Systems is a global leading construction engineering firm and formwork supplier of concrete forming products. Established in 1986, the Greater Vancouver-based organization serves the international construction engineering sector with advanced technology forming product needs for a range of construction projects.

Global Presence

National Forming Systems has established a North American presence with its primary operations based in Canada and the United States. The company’s manufacturing production facilities, which handle the design, engineering, and manufacturing of all company products, span the Western Canadian landscape, with locations across British Columbia and another in Calgary. The company also has a national presence in Toronto.

“We entered the Toronto market about three years ago,” Peter Vanagan, President of National Forming Systems, told The American Business Journal. “In fact right now we have about a half-dozen Toronto high rise developments on the go. It is a very competitive market.”

The company’s North American presence extends to the United States, with offices in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, where its branch offices in Los Angeles and Honolulu have been instrumental in the company’s pursuit of American-based projects.

Most recently, the company furthered its presence on the international stage, adding key offices in Slovenia, Serbia, Russia, Cyprus, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. As a result, National Forming Systems has today established a worldwide presence and, overall, a broader customer base.

Moving forward, the company has an eye for expansion on Eastern Europe with hopes to grow its brand across this market, as well as South America, with expansion efforts geared toward Brazil. National Forming Systems would like to expand to both the Eastern European and Brazilian markets within the next five years.

Project Delivery

As National Forming Systems works to increase its presence around the globe, the company continues to establish itself as the choice supplier of advanced technology form products for many types of construction engineering projects. Across the project landscape, National Forming Systems does it all, from residential, industrial, and commercial buildings, such as high-rise towers, hotels and resorts, airports, bridges, hospitals, academic facilities, governmental buildings, retail shops, stadiums, custom applications, and more.

National Forming Systems has established itself in the marketplace as a one stop shop of formwork systems solutions, including slab shoring, wall forms, column forms, hydraulic forms, and more. National Forming Systems specializes in in-house engineering, design, estimating, and manufacturing. The company website reads, “At the planning stage, our design team seeks the optimum solution, whether with a standard or custom product. The goal is to provide the best results for our customers.”

The company continues to invest in its research and development segment, focusing on innovation and new product developments that are lightweight and easy to assemble. National Forming Systems also has several initiatives that emphasize advanced safety and improved operational efficiencies. In fact, National Forming Systems has several patents to its name as a result of the company’s innovative and proven solutions geared toward systems improvements and efficiencies for construction engineering developments.

Noting the importance of timely project design and on-site technical support, National Forming Systems is the expert when it comes to delivering an extensive range of high performance and high quality concrete forming products that meet customer needs and are delivered at an affordable price point.

“We are led and managed by an excellent team of people and engineers,” Vanagan summarized. “We have a strong engineering department, so everything works well and, from a design, engineering, production, and repair standpoint, we are a one stop shop that does everything for the customer. You won’t find too many companies like National Forming Systems.”

January Issue of the African Business Journal Now Online

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – George Media Inc. is pleased to announce the January 2014 issue of The African Business Journal is now available. Click here to enter directly into the magazine.

In this issue we celebrate the New Year, which is poised to be a defining one for Africa. The IMF has predicted the growth rate for sub-Saharan Africa will rise to 6 per cent from 5 per cent in 2013. Improved global conditions will also increase the number of middle class Africans to more than 200 million.

Our leader of the year is Nicky Newton-King, the CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. We spoke to Newton-King about her many accomplishments, the possibility of a pan-African exchange and what the JSE’s top rankings by the WEF mean for South Africa’s economy. In addition we get some insight from the JSE’s CIO on the bourse IT management system.

January’s issue includes an analysis from Sean Rogers of Know Africa and he examines what ‘Africa Rising’ means for business and its role in changing antiquated perceptions of the continent. As well we introduce to ‘Africa’s greenest and hotel and profile Tamara Dawit a young filmmaker in our monthly Q&A. Rounding off, Christopher McKee writes about what Nigeria’s unstable political situation means for the country’s economic growth.

Additionally, we are pleased to announce our new TABJ iPad/iPhone app is now available for downloading from the App Store. You can do so by clicking on the icon found on our TABJ homepage.

About The African Business Journal

The African Business Journal is a monthly digital magazine that offers readers a glimpse into major African industries, including: energy and resources, manufacturing, agriculture, property development, food & beverage, healthcare, technology & innovation and more through our in-depth Africa in Action profiles. We have an audited readership of over 350,000 C-level executives and business leaders across Africa, as well as those looking to invest in the continent. Additionally our website is within the Top 5 most visited magazine sites in Africa.

George Media Inc. is proud to promote African business nationally and to the world. For more information, visit our website at www.tabj.co.za.

(Marketwired – Dec. 6, 2013)