Industry News

The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival is proud to announce that it will be returning to the city once again, Memorial Day weekend, May 26th-May 29th, 2023. This annual event, which has been a favorite of residents and visitors for over 60 years, celebrates the city’s rich agricultural history and heritage, and it is dedicated to the strawberry.

The festival, which is organized by the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Association, will feature a wide variety of activities, including a VIP pancake breakfast, live music, contests, vendors, a festive parade, and a Cake Cutting Ceremony. Visitors will also be able to enjoy carnival rides and attractions for all ages and much more.

This year, the festival’s theme will be centered around kindness. The Strawberry Festival Association wanted to focus on the kindness people show one another. The festival’s goal this year is to show that by embracing kindness, connection and togetherness can be fostered in order to build up our local communities.

An annual highlight of the festival, the Strawberry Festival Parade, will take place on Saturday, May 27th, and will feature Celebrities, Elected Officials, GGUSD and visiting bands, equestrian units and much more.

The Strawberry Festival Board is made up of a multitude of volunteers who are dedicated to providing the City of Garden Grove the best Festival yet.

2023 GGSFA Elected Officers include:

Andrea Perez, Festival Association President with Taylor Perez as Associate

Mark Mahoney, President Elect, Games/Permits/Carnival/Food/Nominations Chair; with Miles Mahoney as Associate;

George Skelton, Treasurer, Donations Committee with Suki Carter serving as Associate Heidi Levesque, Secretary, Contests with Nicole Sate as Associate

2023 GGSFA Directors and Associates include:

– Pat Catlin, Immediate Past President, Tents and Electrical, with Billy Catlin as Associate – Dr. Dawn Miller, Special Children’s Day, with Denise Webster as Associate

– Laura Neuschafer, Opening Ceremony/Cake Cutting with Malu Mendoza as Associate

– Fred Ramirez, Office with Frederico Ramirez as Associate

– Debbie Mahoney, Scholarships, Associate TBD

– Sherri Larson, VIP Breakfast, Associate, TBD

– Sue Catlin, VIP Lunch with Joyce Claussen as Associate

– Ben Santos, Environmental (Grounds/Sanitation), with Tony Lopez as Associate

– Jeff Sanders, Parade Coordinator, with Kim Sanders as Associate

– Bill Gutaskus, Rentals/Carts/ATMs with Sue Gutaskus as Associate

– Patti Catlin, Commercial Vendor Booths, with Susanne Rangel as Associate

– Josh Lindsay, Staged Events, Associate, TBD

– Steve Sanders, Rides and Grounds with Ryan Sanders as Associate

– Scott Weimer, Parking/Fencing with Marilyn Tortolano as Associate

– Christine Ball, Insurance, with Robin Suarez serving as Associate

– Randy Arbgast, Civic Food Booths/Permits, with Donald Schlensker as Associate

“We are excited to host the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival again this May, over Memorial Day Weekend,” said Perez, “Our festival is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to come together to celebrate this long standing family tradition as well as the city’s rich agricultural heritage, which is such an important part of our history and community.”

Admission to the festival is FREE and open to the public. The festival will take place Memorial Day weekend, May 26th-29th, 2023 at the Village Green Park, located at the Village Green Park, at the corner of Euclid and Main Street, Garden Grove, 92840.

Watch the event sizzle reel

INK Games Shareholder Update Q4 2022 Summary – February 11, 2023, by IMA Chairman Sinan Kanatsiz

 As an advisor to INK Games, I wanted to share the progress of the company based in Austin, Texas under the leadership of Robert Towles.

INK Games has developed and shipped its first AAA mobile game, Prize Kingdoms, which launched in the United States on the App Store and Google Play. It was a multi-year effort by a team of over 50 people. The company believes that the game is a ‘hit’ and already showing exceptional metric

In the early stages of release, the game has performed well, with thousands of daily active users, an average revenue per daily active user of $0.40-$0.80, and a retention rate of over 50%. They have also received inbound inquiries from major industry players and the company plans to capitalize on this momentum.

The company is working on introducing a live operations system that will allow them to run daily events within the app to increase engagement and retention. Additionally, the company is increasing their marketing spend to increase their initial player base. They anticipate that organic growth will significantly surpass paid user acquisition once their platform earning and sharing capabilities are implemented.

The company aims to create a mobile, social casual game that can be very successful. They use Coin Master as an example of the potential success in this market. Coin Master, a game first released in 2016, has been downloaded 100 million times and generated over $3 billion in lifetime users spending. The company is targeting this level of success and is confident in its team’s ability to achieve it despite the challenges that may arise.

The team is currently testing the INK Platform functionality within Prize Kingdoms, analyzing purchasing patterns and adjusting the payout algorithm to create the most profitable experience. They have begun onboarding users based in the United States, and this will provide valuable data to improve the platform. 

The company plans to launch an alpha version of their INK platform in Q1 to a test audience, which will allow users to share the game to their networks, view connections from a platform dashboard, and withdraw earnings. The platform will first enter a tech-launch phase before being rolled out to a broader user base. During the alpha build, the development team will work to solidify technical performance and ensure a smooth user experience. The company expects the platform to generate significant, organic growth of their products once it is fully developed.

The company plans to use Prize kingdoms as the first of many shareable experiences that will use the payment platform. This platform will eventually be used in any games, experiences, or products that the company launches or partners with. The goal is that anyone with an INK ID will be able to share and earn from a growing selection of projects.

The development team is working on INK software development kit (SDK) which will enable third-party developers to integrate the company’s payment and tracking technology into their games and digital products. Users with an INK ID will also be able to share and earn from these third-party titles. 

The company is introducing INK digital currency as an addition to their free-to-earn game model, this will add web3 incentives for their future projects. The company believes that the INK digital currency will become an important reward mechanism and power the platform ecosystem. They also see potential in INK Land (Zip and Postal Codes) and related NFT projects. Leadership is closely monitoring the market trends and sentiment to take a measured approach in the Web3 project initiatives in 2023 and make adjustments as necessary.

In other news, the company has reopened their series B investment round after a successful $19 million raise in August. They have opportunities to bring on more high-quality investors and plan to use the extra capital to invest in user growth, expansion, and hire additional top talent. The target ceiling for the series B raise is $40 million.

The company has officially submitted a Provisional Patent Application for their proprietary Sweepstakes Engine Technology to the US Patent and Trademark office on December 21st. The application contains over 30 unique claims and this is considered a big win in terms of protecting important game mechanics and supporting company valuation. The company is also preparing to file two more patent applications.

Read Original Article here

By Original Sprout

In today’s world, it can be challenging to determine which skincare products are actually safe for our families and ourselves. With so much conflicting information out there, sorting through everything to find good ingredients is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. 

At Original Sprout, we understand the difficulties families can face when it comes to finding safe skincare products – so we have made it our mission to help customers identify the best skincare ingredients, as well as the ones to stay away from.  

One thing people are increasingly paying attention to is the pH balance in their skincare products. pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It’s measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, lower numbers indicating acidity, and higher numbers indicating alkalinity.  

Knowing the pH level of your skincare products can help you determine if they are suitable for your skin type and if they will be gentle enough for regular use. Not convinced? Here’s why pH levels matter – especially for your little ones.

OUR SKIN’S PH LEVELS PROTECT US 

When choosing a new skincare product, a basic knowledge of your skin’s pH balance can come in handy and help you pick a safe product. 

Our skin is naturally designed to protect us from bacteria and other pathogens. One of the ways it does this is by maintaining a slightly acidic pH balance, usually around 5.5. This acidic environment helps prevent bacteria from growing and multiplying on our skin, keeping us safe from infection and other skin problems.

The importance of maintaining a balanced pH on our skin cannot be overstated. Not only does it protect us from bacteria, but it also keeps our skin healthy and glowing by preventing dryness and irritation. That’s why it’s essential to use safe skincare products that are specifically formulated for your skin type so they don’t disrupt its natural pH balance.

When we ignore pH levels and use products with certain ingredients, we can weaken our skin’s natural defenses. Commonly-used skincare ingredients that can jeopardize your pH defenses include…

• AHAs
• Retinoic acid
• BHAs

Unfortunately, many of the products that are used to treat acne can actually damage your skin’s pH levels, leading to further irritation and breakouts. To avoid this, opt for “pH-optimized” skincare products. These products are designed with your skin’s natural pH levels in mind, so they won’t disrupt the delicate balance of your skin and cause further damage. 

Does Your Skin’s pH Level Affect Your Acne Breakouts?

In many cases, yes. If your skin’s pH balance is off, it increases your chances of inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and eczema – especially when the pH level is too acidic.

Can Other Things Besides Skincare Affect Your pH Balance?

Your skin’s pH levels can be affected by a number of things outside of the products you use, including your genetics, age, diet, and environment’s humidity. 

What Happens When Your Skin’s pH Gets Too High?

If your skin’s pH is too high (alkaline), it increases the chances of dry and irritated skin. The lipid layer of the skin may be compromised, which can also result in an overgrowth of acne-causing bacteria (propionibacterium acne). 

CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND PH LEVELS 

Many parents are unaware that off-the-shelf soaps can be harmful to their young children’s skin. Many soaps contain harsh ingredients that can strip away the natural acid mantle of the skin and raise its pH levels, which can lead to a variety of skin issues. 

To ensure the safety of your children’s delicate skin, look for safe skincare products specifically designed for young children.

Infants and babies have particularly sensitive and delicate skin that is thinner than adult skin, making them more vulnerable to the harsh chemicals found in many skincare products. This is why it’s essential for parents to be aware of the pH levels of their baby’s skin and to select safe skincare products 

The ideal pH level for a baby’s skin should be higher than that of adults, as this will help protect their delicate skin from irritation and other potential harm.

Not only should you use a pH-balanced soap, but you should also use a safe moisturizer on babies and toddlers after bath time. By choosing safe and natural products, parents can ensure that their baby’s delicate skin stays healthy and protected.

To read the full article visit: https://originalsprout.com/blogs/news/products-and-ph-why-it-matters

Through Sue Grant’s leadership in 2022, The Literacy Project raised enough funding to scale to four additional states – New Mexico, Texas, Philadelphia and Washington – targeting thousands of other under resourced children in low-income families. The reading program is offered “free of charge” to students performing far below proficiency standards and at-risk of illiteracy.  Sue Grant collaborated with her team to successfully produce their first two in-person fundraisers since the pandemic and conduct several digital online fundraisers. All of the proceeds went directly to fund the #1 item on their wish list which is to bring the gift of literacy to additional school districts that have been identified in the “2022 OC Report of the Conditions of Children.” Additionally, Sue Grant led the charge to see The Literacy Project hire more exceptional talent to lead these reading programs. To date, the organization has helped over 10,500 children learn to read while promoting and supporting over 47,250 family members in pursuit of elevating family literacy.

To learn more about The Literacy Project or to get involved, please visit: https://www.literacyproj.org/ 

Connect with Sue Grant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suegrantforliteracy

Tompkins Solutions, a leading supply chain consulting and material handling integration firm, recently partnered with Loko AI, a pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) company. This strategic new partnership will help usher in a new era of AI automation technology to logistics operations worldwide. 

 

“We are immensely proud to be working side-by-side with Tompkins Solutions and their amazing leadership team to fill a huge gap and demand in the supply chain and logistics industry,” said Joseph Zaki, founder and CEO of Loko AI. 

 

Loko AI’s automation platform, “Caretaker,” offers a complete suite of AI software, dashboards and camera sensors that autonomously monitor, collect and report production metrics for large 3PL, distribution and fulfillment operations. The flexible system can be configured to monitor a wide range of tasks, including:

• Worker optimization
• Worker safety 
• Space efficiency
• Productivity 
• Warehouse management software integration

 

“We are very excited to partner with Joseph and his team at Loko AI,” said David Latona, CEO of Tompkins Solutions. “This groundbreaking technology will help logistics operations across the world increase efficiency and productivity while creating a safer and more secure environment for their workforce.”

 

The market demand for Loko AI’s Caretaker is clear evidence that the industry is in the middle of an AI revolution. With their innovative solutions and combined decades of experience, Loko AI and Tompkins Solutions are uniquely positioned to fully unlock the possibilities of AI in the supply chain and logistics space.

 

Latona and Zaki will both be at Manifest 2023, January 31 to February 2 at the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. Zaki will also be participating in the panel, “Cyber Threats – Navigating Challenges We Face as an Ecosystem,” in room 208-210 at 2:35pm on Thursday, February 2.

The Complex Appellate Litigation Group has announced that accomplished appellate lawyer Mary-Christine (“M.C.”) Sungaila has joined the firm, further raising the firm’s national profile and expanding its California footprint to Orange County. Sungaila previously led or co-led national appellate practice groups at AmLaw100 and AmLaw150 firms. Her move has been widely reported in the legal press, from Law360 to California’s The Recorder and Daily Journal legal newspapers.

 The arrival of Sungaila follows other high-profile hires in recent years, including that of Rex Heinke – former co-head of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s nationally renowned Supreme Court and Appellate practice. 

 Recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the state’s top boutique law firms, the Complex Appellate Litigation Group has a deep bench of experienced practitioners who specialize in appeals, appellate writs, amicus briefs, state and U.S. Supreme Court petitions and briefs, and litigation consulting.

 “M.C. is a strategic thinker and talented practitioner with a track record of briefing and arguing complex appeals that have addressed groundbreaking and fundamental business issues,” said Ben Feuer, chairman and co-founder of the Complex Appellate Litigation Group. “Her work in California and on the national stage is a perfect fit for our firm as we continue to serve clients across the country and eye expansion beyond California. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

 Sungaila’s work involves handling cutting-edge issues in employment, class action, product liability, franchisor, probate, and constitutional law. She has also developed special expertise in appeals involving Holocaust art recovery. She has handled appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court, multiple state supreme courts, numerous federal and state appellate courts, and even the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. 

 “In just 10 years, the Complex Appellate Litigation Group has assembled an all-star team of practitioners, many of whom are fellow bar leaders,” Sungaila said. “I’m excited to join the firm at this time of growth and look forward to supporting the firm’s national expansion.”

 Sungaila has been recognized by Chambers and Partners for the past 11 years, is regularly recognized by the Daily Journal as one of California’s 100 Leading Women Lawyers, and has been recognized twice with a California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award. Her work includes arguing before the California Supreme Court in the precedent-setting franchisor vicarious liability case Patterson v. Domino’s Pizza and filing an amicus brief in the current U.S. Supreme Court case In re Grand Jury on behalf of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.

 Sungaila has earned the respect of a wide range of industry peers. “There’s no finer appellate lawyer than M.C., whether it’s writing persuasive briefs, persuading the court at oral argument, or guiding trial counsel on strategy that could impact a possible appeal,” said Jennifer L. Keller, a nationally recognized trial lawyer and partner at Keller/Anderle LLP. “She is respected and admired by a wide range of people in the legal community, including appellate judges. And M.C.’s humanitarian and pro bono work has made a huge impact on many lives.”

 Outside of her appellate practice, Sungaila is regularly recognized for her commitment to community service and pro bono work. She was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor – whose recipients include seven U.S. presidents, Nobel Prize winners and others.

Tompkins Robotics, a global leader focused on the robotic automation of distribution and fulfillment operations, has named Lauren Fiochetta to the role of Senior Marketing Manager. In this new role, she will develop and implement omnichannel marketing campaigns designed to attract and qualify customers across a wide range of industries, according to Tompkins Robotics President and CEO Mike Futch.

“We are excited to welcome Lauren to the team at Tompkins Robotics at a time when the warehouse and retail automation industry is poised for dramatic growth,” said Futch. “She is a marketing powerhouse with extensive B2B experience and an existing track record of success in the logistics and robotic automation space.” 

Prior to joining Tompkins, she held marketing management roles for global manufacturing companies in the logistics, industrial materials and beverage industries, directing data-driven marketing campaigns encompassing advertising, public relations, social media and a variety of other digital marketing channels.  

Fiochetta graduated from Westminster College in Utah with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

About Tompkins Robotics

Tompkins Robotics is a global leader focused on the robotic automation of distribution and fulfillment operations. Our primary system, tSort, consists of autonomous mobile robots that sort a wide range of items and parcels to consolidation points for order fulfillment, store replenishment, returns, parcel distribution – virtually any process in the supply chain. tSort is a truly modular, scalable, and portable robotic sortation system that helps build world-class supply chains while providing unmatched flexibility and throughput.  Tompkins Robotics’ solutions maximize performance, making our clients more agile, adaptable, profitable, and successful in today’s dynamic marketplace.  For more information, visit https://tompkinsrobotics.com.

By Doug Frederick, CEO, HealthCues

The Great Resignation is a problem for many companies going into 2023. Businesses are facing high employee turnover and low staffing, and it is driving them to reevaluate how they attract and keep workers.

 

Today, over a third of employees are looking for new jobs. The question:

How can companies entice these workers to join their teams and stay? What gives them that crucial leg up on the hiring competition?

That is where better health and welfare benefits come into the picture.

Successful employers are focusing on benefits that boost workplace health and engagement, especially in the wake of COVID-19. This includes much-needed preventive healthcare offerings that help with hiring and retention by:

To read the full article, visit: https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2022/12/20/preventative-healthcare-benefits-how-they-help-retain-and-engage/

Helio Genomics, the creator of the HelioLiver test, recently evaluated its Multimodal Epigenetic Sequencing Assay (MESA) for colon cancer detection. Their findings suggest that combining cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation features and cfDNA fragmentomics-derived features can improve the ability to identify patients who have colon cancer. 

In the past decade, alterations in cfDNA methylation patterns have gained wide acceptance as powerful biomarkers for early cancer detection. Helio Genomics specializes in studying and incorporating these biomarkers into their own products. They were one of the first of cfDNA methylation analysis for cancer detection and have incorporated it into their revolutionary products and platform. 

The company evaluated MESA for colon cancer detection, which combines cfDNA methylation with features derived from cfDNA fragmentomics, such as nucleosome occupancy, to improve diagnostic performance. 

Their study indicated that MESA’s combined approach is superior at distinguishing between colon cancer patients and healthy individuals compared to methods that use just cfDNA methylation alone or cfDNA fragmentomics alone.

To conduct this study, blood specimens drawn from 64 subjects with colon cancer and 67 subjects without cancer (as control) were processed using Helio Genomics’ advanced wet-lab platform, ECLIPSE, which consists of molecular techniques for cfDNA extraction, conversion, library generation and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS).

Custom bioinformatics pipelines and algorithms were then used to process sequencing data, generate features, and train models.

Helio Genomics’ study indicates that cfDNA fragmentomics-derived features may carry complementary and additive information to the cfDNA methylation signal. By utilizing improved molecular techniques and analysis methods, it is possible for Helio Genomics to evaluate both cfDNA methylation and cfDNA fragmentomics features that reflect the underlying DNA chromatin structure within a single assay. 

“Most cfDNA methylation sequencing-based tests are unidimensional in their approach, focusing on methylation patterns alone,” said Shivani Mahajan, Director of Computational Biology at Helio Genomics. “As a result, they fail to capture the vast depth of epigenetic information present in the cfDNA fragments. Our multimodal approach provides us with a more complete picture of the epigenetic landscape of cancer and enhances our ability to detect cancer early, when curative treatment is possible.”

In summary, it is predicted that this newfound multimodal approach will allow for the development of diagnostic tests with superior performance characteristics compared to current testing methods.

Read the MESA study abstract here: https://heliogenomics.com/news-and-events/multimodal-analysis-of-cfdna-methylation-sequencing-improves-early-colon-cancer