New York – October 05, 2026 -- Pavilion, a newly launched national vacation rental company, began operations with 20 locally led firms managing more than 5,000 homes and serving approximately 50,000 guests each month across the United States. Four of the founding companies -- Blue Creek Cabins, Destin Pointe Realty, Premium Beach Condos and Rent in Myrtle -- have already merged with other members of the group, leaving 16 operating businesses under the Pavilion umbrella today.

Local operators retain majority ownership under new structure

Unlike typical industry roll-ups, leaders of Pavilion's local companies become long-term shareholders and, together with Pavilion's own management team, own the majority of the business. Co-founder and chairman Joe Fraiman said the structure was designed to reverse an industry pattern in which founders ended up with only a small stake after joining larger platforms.

Wilmington, N.C. – October 05, 2026 -- 101 Mobility has secured rank No. 296 on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, marking its second consecutive year on the list of largest U.S.-based franchise systems ranked by global systemwide sales.

101 Mobility grows to over 150 locations nationwide

The home accessibility and mobility franchise now operates more than 150 U.S. locations, with owners providing stairlifts, wheelchair ramps, patient lifts, bathroom safety equipment, and elevators through sales, rentals, installation, and service.

Franchise Times ranking draws on five-month sales research

The Franchise Times Top 400 ranking results from an annual five-month research and reporting process that the publication positions as the most credible and objective franchise sales ranking available.

Milan – October 05, 2026 -- Three womenswear brands from Shenzhen's Futian District -- Laurèl, IDPAN and YINER -- presented Spring/Summer 2027 collections at Milan's Rotonda della Besana on September 22, 2026, as part of an official event with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.

Futian's fashion sector generated RMB 566.3 billion in revenue in 2025

The district counted 2,600 above-scale fashion enterprises and employed 400,000 fashion professionals last year, according to figures released alongside the Milan presentation. The event was backed by the People's Government of Futian District, organized by the Bay Area Sustainable Fashion Alliance (BASFA) and Shenzhen Fumei Space Innovation Development Co., Ltd.

Manchester, N.H. – October 05, 2026 -- A $10 million renovation has converted New Hampshire's first skyscraper, the 1879 Dunlap Building, into a 27-unit residential property called Rendezvous on Elm, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held October 7 at 967 Elm Street.

Owners David A. De Lise and Anthony DeLucia convert vacant offices into 27 residences

De Lise and DeLucia, who bring more than 60 years of combined commercial real estate experience, rebuilt the historic building's mechanical systems and soundproofing to turn long-vacant office space into studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. No two of the 27 units share the same floor plan, and six sit on a dedicated penthouse floor. The project earned "Project of the Month" recognition from the New England Real Estate Journal.

Huntsville, Ala. – October 05, 2026 -- Boeing has been awarded an undefinitized contract action worth approximately $14.7 billion by Lockheed Martin to scale production and deliver PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) seekers.

Contract triples seeker output under seven-year framework

The award formalizes a seven-year framework agreement with the U.S. Department of War, enabling Boeing to triple its production of PAC-3 MSE seekers. The seekers power the most advanced Patriot interceptors, allowing them to identify, track and engage threats ranging from hostile aircraft to hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles.

Production surge aligns with Pentagon's Acquisition Transformation Strategy

The increased output is designed to support the Department of War's Acquisition Transformation Strategy and bolster the U.S. Arsenal of Freedom initiative, which aims to accelerate delivery of critical defense capabilities to service members.

Minneapolis – October 05, 2026 -- Blue Zones has appointed Brett McClung as Chief Executive Officer and President, tapping a healthcare executive with more than two decades of experience to lead the longevity research company's next growth phase.

McClung brings direct Blue Zones Project implementation experience from two major health systems

McClung most recently served as President and CEO of Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida, where he championed bringing Blue Zones Project to the city. Before that, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Leader of Texas Health Resources, serving as executive sponsor of Blue Zones Project in Fort Worth.

Sheridan, Wyo. – October 05, 2026 -- The global in vitro diagnostics (IVD) quality control market is set to climb from $1.7 billion in 2026 to $2.2 billion by 2031, a 5.3% compound annual growth rate, according to a new study by Wissen Research.

Rising testing volumes and regulatory pressure push labs toward automated QC

Growth is driven by expanding testing complexity across clinical chemistry, immunoassay, hematology, and molecular diagnostics, combined with tightening regulatory requirements such as CLIA in the United States. Laboratories are increasingly adopting internal quality controls, third-party control materials, and external quality assessment programs as standard practice.

TOCCOA – October 05, 2026 -- Connor Wallace, a senior at Stephens County High School working at ASI Southeast, has been named Georgia's 2026 Work-Based Learning Student of the Year, an award he received September 24 at the Governor's Workforce Summit in Atlanta from Governor Brian Kemp. The recognition caps a nine-year partnership between the commercial manufacturer and Stephens County Schools that now supplies roughly 10 percent of ASI's Georgia workforce.

Georgia's work-based learning pipeline enrolled 32,518 students across 24,582 employers in the latest school year

ASI Southeast, which makes commercial toilet partitions and lockers for ASI Global Partitions and ASI Storage at its Toccoa plant roughly 90 miles northeast of Atlanta, built its own program as a direct response to a tight skilled-labor market in northeast Georgia.

Bloomington, Minn. – October 05, 2026 -- BGM, a Top 200 full-service accounting, tax, audit and advisory firm, has added Norwalk, Connecticut-based R. L. DePanfilis & Company, LLC, marking the firm's entry into Connecticut and extending its New England footprint.

R. L. DePanfilis joins BGM after more than four decades as an independent CPA firm

Founded in 1979, R. L. DePanfilis & Company serves businesses, individuals, estates and trusts with tax compliance, multistate and foreign tax filings, audits, compilations, financial reporting, business succession planning, due diligence, and estate and trust returns. The firm will now operate under the BGM name, with partners David W. Gibbs, CPA, and Kenneth T. Miller, CPA, continuing to lead the Norwalk office alongside their existing team.

Chapel Hill, N.C. – – October 05, 2026 -- Michael Jordan has committed $10 million to the University of North Carolina School of Social Work, the largest single gift in the school's history, honoring his mother Deloris P. Jordan and funding scholarships, research centers and workforce development initiatives.

Gift renames global research center after Deloris P. Jordan

The commitment will rename the Global Social Development Innovations Center, established in 2017, as the Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center. The center designs and evaluates evidence-based interventions for youth and family well-being in partnership with local organizations worldwide.