IDI Consulting Supports Women Mentorship Through Strong Women Strong Girls Awards

Pittsburgh, PA, August 08, 2023 — IDI Consulting, a leading provider of IT consulting services for businesses, is proud to share a commitment to empowering generations of women by sponsoring the 2023 Strong Women Strong Girls Pittsburgh Strong Awards. The 9th annual Strong Awards breakfast will be held in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday, August 11. This year’s Strong Award winners include three exceptional women and girls and a company/organization advocate.

“The impact mentorship has on raising aspirations and self-esteem through Strong Women Strong Girls programs is truly remarkable,” said William Thomas, Managing Partner at IDI Consulting. “IDI Consulting is proud to join in celebrating these women’s accomplishments and their impact within the community. As a representative of the technology space, we encourage and continue to do our part to help provide young women opportunities to excel and become leaders in our industry.”

Strong Women Strong Girls aims to empower women and girls to imagine a broader future and to realize their inner strengths to dream and do. Three generations of women come together through Strong Women Strong Girls to build community, connections, and strength to break down barriers. Girls in grades 3-5, primarily from under-resourced neighborhoods, attend weekly mentoring sessions with college women mentors, who themselves build relationships with professional women mentors, to create a sustainable future for the next generation of female leaders.

Tickets for the 2023 Strong Awards Breakfast held at the Westin Hotel, from 8:00am till 10:00am on August 11 can be purchased at swsg.org/pgh-strong-awards-23.

As a team of business-minded individuals, IDI Consulting solves business problems through the practical application of the most appropriate technology, focusing on clients’ real-world business objectives. Learn more about available positions and joining the IDI Consulting team at www.idi-net.com/careers-at-idi.

CRN Recognizes the Top IT Channel Providers for Outstanding Performance & Growth

Pleasanton, CA, August 08, 2023— STN, Inc., announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named STN, Inc. to its 2023 Fast Growth 150 list. STN, Inc. tied for 10th place.

With this list, CRN recognizes the fastest-growing North American technology integrators, solution providers, and IT consultants for their substantial growth and meaningful performance over the previous two years.

To maintain consistent growth within the highly competitive and rapidly advancing IT industry, solution providers need to constantly evolve to keep ahead of consistent changes within the market. CRN’s Fast Growth 150 list acknowledges companies that have crossed this threshold and demonstrated an ongoing dedication toward success and innovation.

STN, Inc. is honored to be awarded 10th place on the CRN’s 2023 Fast Growth 150 List. STN, Inc. thanks CRN.

“With the highly competitive and rapidly growing IT industry, CRN’s 2023 Fast Growth 150 list highlights industry-leading companies and their ability to outpace an ever-evolving landscape,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “All of the companies on this year’s list represent the very best in business intelligence and strategy, inspiring fellow industry members and proving that with perseverance, sustained growth is an attainable achievement in even the most chaotic business climates.”

A sample of the 2023 Fast Growth 150 list will be featured in the August issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.crn.com/fastgrowth150.

STN Incorporated

Strategy
STN, Inc. believes understanding where their client wants to take their business is one of the most critical aspects of technology adoption. STN, Inc. includes all facets of an organization to create a strategy that reflects their business needs into their technology consumption.

Innovation
Innovation is a crucial proponent in our ability to provide the best of breed solutions, which leads to disruptive technologies propelling companies to new heights.

Consulting
Vendor agnostic consulting provides an unbiased approach to solving the most complex business issues.

ThoroughCare Appoints Carol Helton as Chief Revenue Officer to Drive Next Stage of Growth

Pittsburgh, PA, August 08, 2023 — ThoroughCare, Inc., a leading digital care coordination organization that enables healthcare payers and providers to effectively deliver value-based care, today announced the appointment of Carol Helton as the company’s new Chief Revenue Officer. Helton brings more than two decades of experience in senior leadership at high growth healthcare companies to the ThoroughCare team. By bringing in Helton as Chief Revenue Officer, ThoroughCare aims to capitalize on its increased business momentum and demand for its platform, as more payers and providers look to maximize their value-based contracts.

“Carol brings significant expertise from her previous work in the healthcare technology field, as experienced first-hand by several members of the ThoroughCare team, that we feel will help push us to even further heights,” said Earl Hutz, Chief Operating Officer of ThoroughCare. “As our operational footprint and prospective client base continues to expand, Carol’s leadership will help us maximize the potential of the services we provide.”

Helton most recently served as Chief Growth & Product Officer at a care management company supporting virtual care and digital health. Her background includes executive-level leadership experience in sales at several technology organizations for over two decades. In joining ThoroughCare, Helton brings her advanced healthcare business proficiency in driving company growth and rapidly expanding its industry presence.

“I’m honored to join ThoroughCare at this transformative time for both the company and the industry,” Helton said. “ThoroughCare is uniquely positioned to meet the next generation Collaborative Care Model. ThoroughCare’s approach to provider-driven, payer-enabled collaborative care has already proven to be a winning proposition and I look forward to being a part of the momentous growth.”

ThoroughCare recently announced expansion to a new location in Pittsburgh’s North Side to allow for further operations growth and new hiring initiatives. As one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing private companies in the United States and Pennsylvania, ThoroughCare offers competitive compensation, benefits, retirement planning, and career advancement opportunities. Explore open roles at www.thoroughcare.net/join-our-team.

Homeinc Earns 2023 Great Place to Work Certification

Fort Lauderdale, FL, August 08, 2023— Homeinc is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work® for the 3rd year in a row. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Homeinc. This year, 97% of employees said it’s a great place To Work – 50 points higher than the average U.S. company.

Great Place To Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation.

“Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience,” says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place To Work. She emphasizes that Certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Homeinc stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees.”

“We are thrilled to become Great Place to Work-Certified™ as we consider employee experience a top priority every day,” said Managing Partner, Angela Letourneau. “We owe our continued success to our team of dedicated employees at Homeinc. We celebrate and thank them for all they do to earn this incredible recognition.”

Homeinc Gives Back
At Homeinc, all employees are encouraged to give back to our local communities. This past year, Homeinc partnered with several organizations to help foster children in need. Between our back to school drive, Thanksgiving meal outreach, holiday toy drive and foster bags for children in transition, all employees were able to participate in giving back.

According to Great Place to Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits and have a fair chance at promotion.

Impact of High Interest Rates on Home Buyers Across Segments

– By Akash Pharande, Managing Director – Pharande Spaces

As we await the RBI’s monetary policy decision on the repo rate, let us examine the factors involved, and their implications on the Indian housing market.

There can be various reasons for a hike in the repo rate, including inflationary pressure, rising food and fuel prices, excessive growth in the money supply, weakening of the Indian rupee, global economic factors such as a significant increase in international crude oil prices or global market instability, inflation expectations, and overall financial stability concerns.

The real estate sector certainly hopes that the repo rate will remain unchanged because high interest rates have a significant impact on home buying decisions.

Do only affordable housing buyers have to worry about costlier home loans? The dampening effect of high interest rates varies depending on the buyer segment. Let’s examine the impact of higher interest rates on the three broadest home buyer segments:

Affordable Homes Segment:

This segment generally caters to buyers with limited income and purchasing power who invariably rely on home loans to finance their purchases. High interest rates have a substantial impact on this segment as they directly affect the EMI payments these buyers must shell out.

As a result, they may either delay their home purchase decisions or opt for even smaller-sized homes in the already compact housing segment to manage the financial obligations. The first eventuality is likelier.

Mid-Range Homes Segment:

The mid-range homes segment typically comprises buyers with moderate income levels and purchasing power across a wide spectrum of the Indian middle class. Buyers in this segment tend to have a relatively higher capacity to handle increased interest rates compared to the affordable segment.

However, they are still sensitive to changes in borrowing costs, especially since this segment has been focusing on the largest homes within their means since the pandemic. The previous trend of beginning with a smaller ‘starter home’ with a view to later upgrading to a ‘forever home’ has reduced significantly. These buyers are willing to stretch their budgets to go straight for the forever home.

Higher interest rates have a bigger impact on costlier homes, and mid-range home buyers may have to adjust their budgets or compromise on certain features, size, and location preferences to accommodate the increased cost of borrowing. With the highest aspiration among this buyer segment being large-sized homes with at least two and even three bedrooms, more of them may react to higher interest rates by postponing their purchase decisions.

Luxury Homes Segment:

The luxury homes segment caters to high-income individuals and investors seeking premium properties. Buyers in this segment often have stronger financial stability and greater access to alternative financing options. Consequently, the impact of high interest rates on the luxury segment may differ from that of the affordable and mid-range segments.

Luxury home buyers can also afford higher down payments, reducing their loan-to-value ratios. This mitigates the impact of increased borrowing costs to some extent. Luxury home buyers often prioritize factors such as location, exclusivity, and lifestyle amenities over the cost of borrowing. However, this does not mean that they remain unaffected. High interest rates can still indirectly affect the luxury segment.

If steeper interest rates lead to a marked dip in the stock market and industrial activity, there is invariably a decrease in overall investment sentiment. This pertains even to luxury home buyers. Wealth also spans a wide spectrum, and high-net-worth individuals who grew wealthy through prudent spending, not reckless splurging, remain sensitive to financial implications.

In conclusion:

The RBI primarily considers domestic factors when determining the repo rate. However, the Indian story is closely tied to the global economy., and the US Federal Reserve has strongly indicated that it may need to raise interest rates further to bring down inflation in the US.

When major central banks adopt a tightening monetary policy stance to tackle inflation, it can influence other central banks’ decisions, including the RBI. In such cases, the Indian repo rate may be adjusted to maintain consistency with global monetary policy trends.

The real estate market, as well as India’s other key industries, are justified in hoping that the upcoming monetary policy remains amenable to lending-driven consumption for a while longer.

About the Author:

Akash Pharande is Managing Director – Pharande Spaces, a leading real estate construction and development firm famous for its township properties in West Pune. Pharande Promoters & Builders, the flagship company of Pharande Spaces and an ISO 9001-2000 certified company, is a pioneer of townships in West Pune.

VirtuAlarm Now Accepting Honeywell CLSS Signaling

Kirkland, WA, August 07, 2023 — During its recent dealer meeting, VirtuAlarm announced to partners and customers the addition of Honeywell CLSS signaling to its suite of cloud based services.

The CLSS gateway acts as an interface between fire alarm panels, the cloud and peripherals. The connection to the fire alarm panel enables the reading of the inventory data and data transmission. Connecting to the cloud enables remote monitoring and management of fire alarm systems.

The licensed system software monitors the events in the fire alarm system of a building in real time, immediately notifies users, supports regular maintenance and generates reports on registered mobile devices or stationary IT Systems.

CLSS is a perfect complement to VirtuAlarm’s signal delivery service and False Alarm Reduction Platform.

The signal delivery service allows traditional, professionally installed alarm systems and the new class of Do-It-Yourself alarm and camera systems to send signals to the platform via multiple methods including phone line, cellular, IP, API, SMS and email. Upon receipt, the VirtuAlarm platform converts the signal to a standard alarm industry format. After conversion, the signal can be routed to any professional alarm monitoring center, globally, using IP or phone lines.

The False Alarm Reduction Platform uses multiple communication methods to allow end users to confirm or cancel the alarm event prior to dispatching authorities. When an alarm event is received by the platform, push notifications are sent to the end user’s APP and to as many friends, family members, or employees as needed. The push notification is followed by automated interactive phone calls. At each step, any user receiving the notification has the ability to either cancel the alarm prior to authority dispatch or confirm the alarm for immediate upgraded authority dispatch. This entire process takes less than 30 seconds, based on the variable settings available and does not impact the dispatch time.

VitaliNatura Essentials™ Launches Exclusive Product Line for Women in Mid-Life and Beyond

Brisbane, CA, August 07, 2023 — VitaliNatura Essentials™, a 100% women-owned company based in California, proudly announces the launch of its new product line. Specially designed to cater to the unique needs of women in their mid-40s and beyond, this collection of premium vitamins and supplements exemplifies the company’s unwavering commitment to quality and empowerment. Included in the new launch are: Adrenal Support Supplements, Magnesium Gummies, Sea Moss Gummies, Liver Support Capsules, Berberine Complex, Joint Health Capsules and more.

“At VitaliNatura Essentials™, we are proud to launch our latest line of vitamins, specially designed to cater to the unique needs of women in their mid-40s and beyond,” says Elizabeth Larson, Chief Operating Officer. “Our commitment to quality is unwavering, as each product is manufactured in an FDA registered facility right here in the USA. This launch exemplifies our dedication to providing women with the support they deserve on their health journey, says Julieta Alvarado, Chief Marketing Officer.

Central to the new vitamin line is a deep understanding of the specific requirements of women in their mid-40s and after. “At the heart of our new vitamin line lies a deep understanding of the specific needs of women in their mid-40s and after. We’ve selected these products to address their distinct needs, ensuring they receive the supplementation that they require,” says, Elizabeth Larson. “As a company rooted in empowering women, we take immense pride in being at the forefront of this venture, delivering top-notch supplements that epitomize our passion for excellence and well-being,” says Julieta Alvarado.

To celebrate the launch of the new product line,VitaliNatura Essentials™ is offering exclusive promotions and discounts for a limited time. Customers can explore the full collection at www.vitalinatura.com and take 15% off by using code WELCOMEPR .