Revelo® platform will provide high resolution data and access to energy management applications for both the utility and its members

ATLANTA, Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Southwestern Electric Cooperative (SWECI) and Landis+Gyr (SIX: LAND) have signed an agreement to install a grid intelligence platform for the utility and its members featuring cutting-edge grid sensing technology and advanced metering for managing energy reliability and efficiency.

By deploying Landis+Gyr’s Revelo grid sensing meter, SWECI will have access to a variety of software applications driven by high resolution grid data to enable real-time load disaggregation, voltage management, outage management and overall situational awareness.

“As an independent cooperative, we’re responsible for managing energy supply, reliability and costs for members,” said Bobby Williams, Chief Executive Officer at SWECI. “We needed better information across our system to design demand management programs that work for customers and can utilize smart thermostats and water heaters in the process. We chose the Revelo platform for the ability to expand our grid edge connectivity and offer more energy engagement opportunities for our members.”

Additionally, SWECI is hoping to utilize distribution automation and grid edge applications for monitoring the health of distribution assets and to assist with planning to lower capital expenses. With 8 megawatts of solar generation on its system, SWECI is also looking at integrations with its DERMS platform to help operate two-way power flows.

“Utilities like SWECI have been instrumental in modernizing distribution planning and management. The real-time data Revelo provides from both sides of the meter will play an expanding role in keeping electricity reliable and affordable as new energy resources are adopted,” said David Chris, Senior Director of Distribution Sales for Landis+Gyr.

Revelo’s unique features support a variety of next generation AMI use cases to assist utilities with flexible grid management, including support for transportation electrification, distributed energy resources and circuit level capacity management. More than 5 million Revelo sensing meters are under contract and being deployed in North America.

About SWECI

Based in Greenville, Ill., Southwestern Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned utility serving more than 24,500 residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial members in 11 counties along the I-70 corridor between St. Louis, Mo., and Effingham, Ill.

About Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr is a leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions. We measure and analyze energy utilization to generate empowering analytics for smart grid and infrastructure management, enabling utilities and consumers to reduce energy consumption. Our innovative and proven portfolio of software, services and intelligent sensor technology is a key driver to decarbonize the grid. Having avoided around 9 million tons of CO2 in FY 2023, Landis+Gyr manages energy better – since 1896. With sales of USD 2.0 billion in FY 2023, Landis+Gyr employs around 6,700 talented people across five continents. For more information, please visit our website www.landisgyr.com.

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SOURCE Landis+Gyr

New digital greeting card collaboration launches to encourage friends and family to prioritize their health

CLEVELAND, Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — American Greetings and the American Cancer Society are collaborating on a collection of customizable digital greeting cards designed to encourage loved ones to seek out life-saving cancer screenings. The all-new Creatacard™ greetings feature a range of heartfelt messages in both English and Spanish and aim to promote the importance of early detection. Senders can add personal touches by customizing the designs with photos or video, a personalized message, digital envelope liner and stamp, and more.

“Having conversations with your loved ones about serious topics like cancer can be difficult, but discussions like this can save lives,” said Rob Matousek, Executive Director, Direct to Consumer Business at American Greetings. “We are proud to work with the American Cancer Society on this collection of digital greeting cards that give people a new, easy, and thoughtful way to encourage family and friends to seek cancer screenings. Together, we can make a difference.”

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US, and over 2 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2024. Regular screening can find cancer before symptoms appear and keep a person informed about the state of their health. To learn more about screening recommendations and resources, visit cancer.org/getscreened.

“Early detection is a key factor in changing cancer outcomes,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society. “The American Cancer Society is working with multiple organizations to deliver that message and remove barriers to cancer screening. We appreciate American Greetings using its platform to help spread this message and we encourage everyone to use these cards to save lives.”

The new cards with the American Cancer Society add to American Greetings portfolio of digital greetings related to health and wellness topics, which include the recently released Creatacards™ with singer and songwriter Jelly Roll that focus on mental health, as well as offerings released with the Cleveland Clinic around the topics of heart health, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer research. 

Creatacard™ greetings are available on www.americangreetings.com, www.bluemountain.com, and on the Creatacard™ offerings, American Greetings and Blue Mountain ecard apps for iPhone and Android. They can be shared via email, text, or on social media. Users can sign up for a monthly, yearly, or two-year American Greetings account to have the ability to send an unlimited number of Creatacard™ greetings —as well as all American Greetings digital offerings—over the course of their membership period. Membership costs range from $6.99–$39.99, depending on the length of membership. For the latest news from Creatacard™ offerings, follow @americangreetingsdigital on Instagram and @americangreetingsdigital on Facebook.

ABOUT AMERICAN GREETINGS:
American Greetings is a global leader in the large and enduring Celebrations marketplace. The company helps people celebrate holidays, each other, and all of life’s special moments, in-person and online, guided by a mission to “make the world a more thoughtful and caring place every single day.” American Greetings offers products wherever and however people wish to purchase them – online, in-store, or curbside pickup. Celebrations happen throughout the year, driven by traditional holidays, key milestone moments such as weddings, baby showers and graduations, as well as recurring everyday events such as birthdays and anniversaries. The company’s brands include American Greetings, Papyrus, Carlton Cards, and Recycled Paper Greetings. Its digital business unit, AG Interactive, is a leading provider of digital greetings and premium Celebrations content through proprietary technology platforms and apps. Its popular digital brands include American Greetings, Blue Mountain, Jacquie Lawson, SmashUps™, and Creatacard™. For more information, visit corporate.americangreetings.com and follow us @AmericanGreetings on Facebook and @amgreetings on Instagram.

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SOURCE American Greetings

CFOC aims to provide rural and remote communities with reliable and fast fiber optic internet

MIAMI, FLA, Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – Power Sustainable Infrastructure Credit (“PSIC”) recently closed on a CAD $85M financing for Canadian Fiber Optics Corporation (“CFOC”), a fiber optics company based in Calgary, to support the build-out of broadband internet in rural Western Canada.

CFOC designs, builds, and operates fiber optic networks to provide high speed internet services to residential, commercial and enterprise customers in rural or remote communities. Since 2017, CFOC has built 1,000km of fiber, passing 16k+ premises with over 4k subscribers as of December 31, 2024. CFOC’s current ownership group includes funds managed by Tikehau Star Infra and the Bloomer Family Office.

CFOC intends to utilize the financing provided by Power Sustainable to contribute towards improved rural connectivity for communities that often lack basic internet. According to a report1 by the Alberta Government, 67% of rural Albertans and 80% of Indigenous Communities have unreliable access to high-speed internet at federal target speeds. Addressing this gap has been frequently cited as a key lever to support economic growth and productivity.

Tom Murray, Managing Partner of Power Sustainable Infrastructure Credit, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with CFOC as it executes on a robust pipeline of growth opportunities throughout Western Canada. The company and ownership team’s focus on building reliable, high speed, fiber networks for underserved communities in an environmentally responsible manner is highly aligned with our financial and sustainability objectives.”

Launched in 2023, PSIC has now completed four transactions across North America. The strategy aims to provide creative and highly tailored financing solutions to infrastructure companies within the energy and decarbonization; transportation and logistics; digital infrastructure; social infrastructure, and utilities and recycling sectors.

“Tikehau Star Infra is excited to partner with PSIC and the CFOC team in the next chapter of growth for the company” said Christophe Petit, Head of Tikehau Star Infra. “With this commitment from PSIC, CFOC will have the funding needed to continue to deliver high speed fiber internet services to rural Alberta and beyond. We look forward to working with the PSIC team on this critical infrastructure investment.” 

“CFOC is proud of the investments we have made across rural Alberta over the last eight years. The critical infrastructure will positively impact the communities and regions we service for generations to come. In partnership with PSIC, Tikehau Star Infra, the Bloomer Family Office and our team, CFOC will further expand our services to underserved communities in rural Alberta and beyond” said Arjen Kaput, Co-Founder and CEO.

“Together, we will become Canada’s most trusted connectivity provider” said Jodi Bloomer, Co-Founder and President of Development. “The partnership underscores CFOC’s dedication to bridging the digital divide and driving economic growth.”

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP served as New York legal counsel and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP served as Canadian legal counsel to PSIC. Broadband Success Partners served as independent engineer, Cartesian as market consultant, and American Global as insurance advisor to PSIC. Pinpoint Capital Advisors served as financial advisor, Paul Hastings LLP served as New York legal counsel and Bennett Jones LLP served as Canadian legal counsel to CFOC. Stikeman Elliott LLP served as legal counsel to Tikehau Star Infra.

About Power Sustainable

Power Sustainable is an alternative asset manager which finances companies and projects that aim for both competitive returns and positive sustainability outcomes. The firm offers institutional investors exposure to alternative assets, which aim to accelerate and scale sustainable solutions across multiple industries. Power Sustainable is a subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada (TSX: POW), an international management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe, and Asia.

With CAD 4.0B in assets under management (as of September 30, 2024), Power Sustainable’s mission is to catalyze capital towards clean global solutions. Learn more on Power Sustainable’s LinkedIn and Website.

About Canadian Fiber Optics Corporation

Canadian Fiber Optics Corporation is a builder, owner, and operator of fiber optic networks, providing high bandwidth, internet services to rural residences and businesses in Western Canada since 2017. For more information about Canadian Fiber Optics Corporation please visit https://canadianfiberoptics.ca/ 

About Tikehau Star Infra

Tikehau Star Infra, a subsidiary of Tikehau Capital, a global alternative asset management group, is a U.S. headquartered developer and manager of infrastructure assets in North America. With an investor base that includes large institutional investors such as insurance companies and pension funds, Tikehau Star Infra has access to hundreds of millions in capital.

The focus of Tikehau Star Infra is primarily delivering infrastructure projects across the transportation, social, environmental and telecommunications sectors. With investments in projects which have a total asset value of more than $10 billion (as of December 31, 2023), Tikehau Star Infra is one of the leading infrastructure developers in the U.S. Leveraging decades of collective experience in design, construction and finance, the Tikehau Star Infra team is well positioned to strive to achieve strong results for our clients, partners and investors.

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SOURCE Power Sustainable