Industry veteran tapped for leading and expanding business, bringing decades of expertise to a region undergoing rapid growth

LITITZ, Pa., Nov. 7, 2024 /CNW/ — TAIT is thrilled to announce industry veteran and executive producer Soren West has joined the company as Executive Vice President, MENA. In this role, Soren will be a key leader for TAIT focusing on growth across MENA and the Gulf Coast.

Mr. West has a long history with TAIT and the Rock Lititz Community.

“I went to TAIT for a job in 1996 and they turned me away,” says West. “I spent the next 22 years working across the street; we grew up together.”

In those two decades, Mr. West served as CEO of ATOMIC, co-founder of Beame Lighting (which was sold to 4Wall,) and one of the founding visionaries of Rock Lititz.  West left ATOMIC in 2017 to form his own creative entertainment, media, and brand communications company in Los Angeles, his namesake, SOREN WEST, LLC, which was recently acquired by the executive team who has been operating the company for the last few years.

Adam Davis, CEO of TAIT says, “Soren has been our client, our vendor, occasionally our competitor, and always our friend for nearly 30 years, and we have tremendous respect for what he’s accomplished in our business. It’s about time we joined forces. He’s a dynamo; a perfect fit – a trusted, experienced talent who can carry the TAIT name and mission into new territories.”

“It feels like my journey has come full-circle,” West added, “like coming home. I’m thrilled by the opportunity to be part of this great company and to be part of the exciting cultural and economic change going on across MENA.”

TAIT, the global leader in live experience for over 45 years, is a trusted partner to the world’s most influential artists, brands, and institutions. Working across live, brand, placemaking, and location-based experiences, TAIT creates moments that move people across the world every day. Super Bowl halftime extravaganzas, award-winning theme parks, World Expo pavilions, Olympic opening ceremonies, and much more have been brought to life through their global multi-disciplinary team.

For more information visit www.taittowers.com or contact TAIT@kwtglobal.com.

About TAIT

TAIT partners with artists, brands, IP holders and place makers to bring culture-defining, never-before-seen experiences to life. With a legacy of innovation spanning over 45 years, TAIT has grown from pioneering in rock ‘n’ roll concert staging to setting the global standard for extraordinary live events and experiences through cutting-edge technology, precision engineering, and creative design. TAIT’s 20 global offices have developed iconic productions and experiences in over 30 countries, all seven continents, and even outer space for renowned performers, theme parks, exhibits, and venues across the globe, including partnerships with Taylor Swift, Cirque Du Soleil, Royal Opera House, Nike, NASA, Bloomberg, Google, Beyoncé, and The Olympics.

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SOURCE TAIT

A year after expanding its wildfire coverage across thirteen Western States, the popular non-profit app expands its coverage to Hawai’i to deliver more timely critical information about wildfires as they develop.

HEALDSBURG, Calif., Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Watch Duty, the only app that provides real-time wildfire information, announced that it is expanding coverage to Hawai’i today. A year after the devastating Lahaina Fire, many communities are still not equipped with adequate real-time information about wildfires.

Already operating across the thirteen western states, Watch Duty provides real-time alerts and continued expert reporting for local residents in areas impacted by fast-moving and unpredictable wildfires. Watch Duty delivers these critical updates, all of which are vetted by an expert team of current and former firefighters and first responders, retired dispatchers and reporters, faster than any other available channel. This allows impacted residents to make informed decisions during stressful and uncertain times, when official notices often take much longer, if they appear at all. 

“The majority of fatalities occur within the first hours of a fire, meaning every second counts,” said John Mills, co-founder and CEO at Watch Duty. “We built Watch Duty to give people like us who live in wildfire-prone areas a more timely and trustworthy option for receiving critical updates as quickly as possible. When there’s a wildfire in or near your area, you’ll receive an update directly to your phone, within minutes, and without having to mine through various community groups on Facebook, Twitter or other mass forums, which often contain dated or dubious information.”

“When a wildfire occurs, panic and confusion are often the first emotions to set in – an especially dangerous reality when you factor in just how unpredictable and fast-moving many fires are,” said Jeff Lemelin, Volunteer Battalion Chief for Sonoma County (CA) Fire District. “Watch Duty is providing a vital public service by providing a simple and highly trustworthy option for receiving the key information around wildfire movements, containment status and, especially, evacuation notices, that people need, delivered when they most need it.” 

Watch Duty is already trusted by over three million users in the American West and is actively being utilized by fire chiefs, first responders, tanker pilots, and other fire fighting personnel. 

Any interested individual can download the app for free on the App Store, Google Play or at watchduty.org.

ABOUT WATCH DUTY
Watch Duty, 501(c)3 nonprofit, provides real-time wildfire information for making informed decisions when seconds count.  Our service is powered by real people – firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders – who diligently monitor radio scanners and collaborate 24/7 to send up-to-the-minute information to your phone. It’s free to download on the App Store and Google Play. Learn more at watchduty.org.

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SOURCE Watch Duty

Boston Materials Builds on Established Manufacturing Footprint in USA and Expands Global Product Deployment of Advanced Materials for Semiconductors and Aerospace Markets

BILLERICA, Mass., Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BOSTON MATERIALS, INC., a manufacturer of advanced materials key to the next generation of semiconductors and aircraft platforms, today announced $13.5 million in new funding. The investment was led by AccelR8 and Diamond Edge Ventures, the US-based corporate venturing arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Group, a leading global carbon fiber manufacturer. With this funding, Boston Materials is accelerating its expansion into the semiconductor market, building from its existing footprint in the aerospace market.

“The world is experiencing an unprecedented increase in energy consumption from computing and transportation,” said Dwight Poler, CEO of AccelR8. “BOSTON MATERIALS is spearheading a new class of materials designed to maximize both the performance and efficiency of energy-intensive systems.”

Founded in 2016, Boston Materials produces a new class of materials that are conductive and durable like metal, yet light as plastic. The underlying patented technology, Z-axis Fiber™, uses vertically aligned carbon fibers to create materials with enhanced energy transfer properties. Highly differentiated advanced materials, commercialized under the ZRT® tradename, solve critical challenges relating to thermal management and vehicle weight reduction across trillion-dollar industries– including Semiconductors, Aerospace, and Electrified Vehicles. Backed by scaled manufacturing technologies, facilities primed for high-volume production, and validation in performance-critical applications across high-growth sectors, industry leaders turn to Boston Materials to go beyond today’s known limitations.

“Carbon fiber is a strategic product pillar for Mitsubishi Chemical Group. The BOSTON MATERIALS Z-axis Fiber technology is a fundamentally new approach to expand the importance and applications of carbon fiber into industries that are building the future,” said Curtis Schickner, President of Diamond Edge Ventures.

“There is an urgent and quickly ramping need for advanced energy transfer materials. This new class of materials maximize performance and efficiency across data centers, airplanes, electrified vehicles, and beyond,” said Anvesh Gurijala, CEO of Boston Materials. “BOSTON MATERIALS is aggressively expanding its existing manufacturing capabilities and accelerating global product deployment to meet this demand.”

The $13.5 million equity investment round also saw participation from returning and new investors, including Valo Ventures, Gatemore Venture Partners, Collab Fund, and Woori Venture Partners.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: https://www.bomaterials.com/

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SOURCE Boston Materials