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Beyond State Control: Citizen-Run Elections enabled by the release of Rarimo’s Freedom Tool

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LONDON, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Rarimo has released Freedom Tool, an open-source software for running anonymized elections and polls. It has solved the long-standing technical challenge of enabling digital identity checks while also protecting citizens from tracking. It aims to shift power to the public by facilitating voting systems outside of state apparatus. This will help give a voice to silenced people around the world.

Freedom Tool was built with a combination of zero-knowledge and blockchain technology.

Why Freedom Tool is so Urgently Needed 

2024 is the biggest election year in history. Over 64 countries will head to the polls, but in many of these countries, there will be electoral fraud, voter intimidation, and control over the ballot. In Russia, opposition candidates have been barred from running. In Belarus, the election will unfold in the shadow of 2020’s rigging. In numerous places, minority groups will be excluded from voting.

With Freedom Tool, anyone in any part of the world can build voting apps that are immune to interference and act as safe outlets for citizens to express dissent.

Lasha Antadze, co-founder of Rarilabs, a company advancing Rarimo said, “Freedom Tool will soon be used on the ground. I believe it is a continuation of Satoshi’s original promise to place power into the hands of the people. Blockchain’s journey began with separating money and state, and we aim to extend this principle to identity, which is equally essential for individual liberty in our era.”

How Freedom Tool Works

With Freedom Tool, citizens prove their eligibility by scanning their biometric passports with their phones. The data on the biometric chip inside the passport is verified, and upon confirming authenticity, an anonymous voting pass is issued. The citizen then uses this pass to cast their vote.

Zero-knowledge cryptography is used to sever any link between the voting pass and the passport data so that the two cannot be paired. When the ID and the voting pass cannot be paired, neither can the citizen and their vote.

The passport data never leaves the mobile device used for scanning. This means that the data never passes through a server and that there are no points where it could be intercepted.

As well as protecting citizens from surveillance, Freedom Tool uses blockchain to protect votes from rigging. All votes are published directly onto the blockchain where they are both tamper-proof and publicly auditable.

The election ballots run as smart contracts on the blockchain where the criteria around who can vote and on what subject can be pre-defined. The ballots can be submitted by anyone onto a network but require a support threshold to become active.

A more detailed technical description can be found in the White Paper and a demo of Freedom Tool can be downloaded here.

About Rarimo

Rarimo protocol is a decentralized digital identity protocol. The largest network for identity access and verification, it utilizes zero-knowledge proofs to enable user interactions that are both seamless and privacy-protecting.

About Rarilabs

Rarilabs (formerly Rarify Labs) is a service provider devoted to advancing Rarimo. In 2022, Rarilabs received US$10 million in a Series A funding round from Pantera Capital at a $100 million valuation.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/beyond-state-control-citizen-run-elections-enabled-by-the-release-of-rarimos-freedom-tool-302061742.html

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Galloway Company Expansion Nearly Doubles United States Industrial Sweetened Condensed Milk Capacity

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NEENAH, Wis., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Galloway Company, a leader in premium dairy ingredients, announces the completion of a major expansion to its production capabilities. The addition of a custom-built evaporator will nearly double the United States’ total capacity for industrial sweetened condensed milk. The expansion comes at a critical time, relieving a highly constrained market for premium concentrated dairy ingredients in the United States.

The expansion will set new industry benchmarks in capacity, operational efficiency, and quality.

The expansion will allow the company to serve existing clients with the same premium quality ingredients they’ve come to rely on, while also welcoming new customers for the first time in four years.

“Over the last four years, we’ve seen growing constraints from the bakery and confectionery markets, with extended lead times and maxed-out production capacities,” said Mike Hasler, Director of Industrial Sales, Galloway Company. “This expansion ensures we can not only meet the demand of our existing customers but also welcome new business.”

With the addition of the second evaporator, Galloway Company is building redundancy into its production process, minimizing the risk of service interruptions for clients. The new system will also enable greater customization of products, allowing the company to meet the needs of clients of all sizes—from full tanker trucks to smaller batches packaged in totes and 5-gallon pails.

The expansion will set new industry benchmarks in capacity, operational efficiency, and quality. The upgraded system includes high-efficiency motors and precision-engineered valve systems, with a fully automated homogenization process, advanced lactose seeding technologies, and state-of-the-art cooling systems. These updates minimize energy consumption and reduce environmental impact while advanced quality control measures ensure consistent performance and accuracy. 

For more information or to place an order, please visit gallowaycompany.com or contact Mike Hasler at mhasler@gallowaycompany.com.

About Galloway Company

Galloway Company is the number one supplier of cream liqueur bases and sweetened condensed milk in the U.S. Located in Neenah, Wisconsin, Galloway specializes in producing unique formulations of condensed dairy blends and beverage bases. Classic Mix Partners, a subsidiary of Galloway Company, is the largest manufacturer of frozen dairy dessert mixes in Wisconsin, serving customers nationwide. For more information on our complete line of innovative dairy product mixes and bases, visit gallowaycompany.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/galloway-company-expansion-nearly-doubles-united-states-industrial-sweetened-condensed-milk-capacity-302346533.html

SOURCE Galloway Company

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SOCi Scales its AI Agent Solutions While Bolstering Path to Profitability

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SAN DIEGO, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — SOCi, Inc., the leader in AI-powered marketing solutions for multi-location businesses, today announced initial results from its AI Agent strategy. In less than eight months, SOCi’s Genius AI™ solutions now account for more than 10% of the company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR). These results cap off a year of remarkable milestones for SOCi, including surpassing $100 million in ARR—a feat that places the company among the elite Centaur SaaS organizations globally.

In 2025, the company plans to continue to enhance and expand its advanced Genius AI™ technology, allowing SOCi’s AI Agents to take on even more local marketing tasks at scale and deliver unprecedented efficiency and value for SOCi’s nearly 1,000 multi-location customers. Additionally, SOCi is committed to accelerating its journey to profitability by strategically realigning resources to focus on high-impact areas with proven success. This reorganization is designed to enhance efficiency, drive scalability, and position the company for sustainable, long-term growth.

“We remain committed to revolutionizing the industry with our AI Agent innovation and Genius solutions, delivering the first digital workforce to drive unparalleled value for our customers,” said Afif Khoury, CEO of SOCi. “Simultaneously, we are focused on achieving sustainable growth by prioritizing financial stability and operational efficiency, solidifying our position as the leader in marketing innovation.”

Recently recognized as an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company for the seventh consecutive year, and named one of Fast Company Most Innovative Companies, SOCi continues to expand its reach into new high-growth markets with its cutting-edge local marketing solutions. Over the past two years, the company has forged partnerships with iconic enterprises such as Ford, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and Ace Hardware, while establishing a strong presence in the Financial Services and Insurance sectors with notable partners like Liberty Tax and Motto Mortgage.

About SOCi, Inc.
SOCi is the leader in AI-powered marketing solutions for multi-location businesses. With its proprietary Genius AI™ and suite of Genius Agents™, SOCi provides a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered digital workforce capable of handling the workload of 1,000 local marketers™, empowering brands to achieve unmatched digital visibility, strengthen customer engagement, and scale faster than ever before.

SOCi is recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, and is trusted by nearly 1,000 top brands—including Ford, Ace Hardware, Kumon, Liberty Tax, and more—to automate and optimize local marketing tasks across all locations. Founded in 2012 and backed by leading strategic investors, SOCi is transforming how multi-location brands manage and scale their marketing efforts. Learn more at www.soci.ai or contact us at hello@soci.ai.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soci-scales-its-ai-agent-solutions-while-bolstering-path-to-profitability-302346626.html

SOURCE SOCi, Inc.

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Verdantas Acquires M-H-M, Inc. Expanding Water Services Throughout Northern California

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TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Verdantas, a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting solutions for the environment, water, and energy transition markets, backed by Sterling Investment Partners, is pleased to announce the acquisition of M-H-M, Inc. (MHM). The acquisition aims to enhance Verdantas’ expertise in the northern California water market and expand the services offered by both firms.

Based in Marysville, California, MHM brings invaluable expertise and experience to Verdantas, broadening the depth and range of services within the water, and land development markets with strong relationships with municipalities, public agencies, and private clients. The integration of MHM into Verdantas enhances its water service capabilities bringing valuable expertise in water supply and storage, distribution, irrigation, water master planning, flood control, storm drainage, as well as land development and surveying.

Jesse Kropelnicki, CEO of Verdantas, stated about the acquisition: “Integrating MHM into Verdantas will continue our growth strategy by further diversifying our business on the west coast, and by furthering our capabilities in the water market. This expansion enhances our expertise and ability to serve water clients more effectively in northern California. Additionally, MHM improves our land development and surveying capabilities, which will enhance other services we provide in the same geography. We look forward to providing their team with new opportunities for growth while they continue to contribute to our mission.”

California brings unique engineering design complexities. By partnering with Verdantas, we can now integrate robust in-house geotechnical and geological, structural engineering, and environmental expertise into our projects that we previously outsourced,” stated Sean Minard, President of MHM. “Our collaboration with Verdantas aims to expand our service offerings, providing comprehensive solutions in flood control, storm drainage, and water resource management as well as land development. This growth will add value to our current clients in Northern California, enabling us to deliver a more extensive suite of engineering and environmental solutions.”

James Soldano, Partner at Sterling, said, “We are proud to support Verdantas in this strategic acquisition of MHM. This move reflects our shared vision of growing Verdantas’ presence throughout the western United States and addresses the critical need for water-related expertise in a region facing challenges related to water resources and flood control.”

This acquisition is a vital component of the company’s sustainable service offerings objectives. By participating in significant projects, Verdantas plans to address critical water challenges, advocate for conservation, improve water quality, and encourage sustainable practices.

About Verdantas

Verdantas is a leader in digitally enabled technical consulting solutions for the environment, water, and energy transition markets. Blending balanced strengths in environmental and engineering expertise, we partner with clients and communities to create comprehensive solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. With a team of over 1,700 professionals nationwide, we harness diverse skills and innovative technologies to address complex challenges, protect vital resources, and foster resilient communities. For more information, visit www.verdantas.com.

About Sterling Investment Partners

Sterling Investment Partners is a leading private equity firm that has been building leading middle-market companies for over 30 years with a highly experienced, cohesive team of senior investment professionals. Sterling focuses on control investments in value-added distribution and business services, acquiring businesses that the firm believes have strong, sustainable competitive advantages and significant opportunities for value creation. Over its history, Sterling has completed over 230 transactions, representing over $31 billion in aggregate value, and was recently ranked a Top 10 performing middle market private equity firm globally by Dow Jones-HEC Paris. For more information, visit www.sterlinglp.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verdantas-acquires-m-h-m-inc-expanding-water-services-throughout-northern-california-302346364.html

SOURCE Verdantas LLC

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