expansion

Bedford – October 14, 2026 -- Blo Blow Dry Bar has signed a three-unit development agreement to enter New Hampshire, with local entrepreneur Marissa Gardner as the brand's sole operator in the state.

Gardner will open locations in Bedford, Nashua and Southern New Hampshire. She is currently securing sites, and addresses have not been announced.

Former beauty procurement executive anchors the New Hampshire rollout

Gardner spent 19 years in global procurement at a leading prestige beauty company in New York, where she held leadership roles across multiple brands. She holds a master's degree in business management. After relocating to New Hampshire with her family, she chose to franchise with Blo, citing its proven success and established support.

Caracas – October 14, 2026 -- North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) is deploying eleven new 550-horsepower workover rigs in Venezuelan oil fields, the first new mobile repair-and-maintenance systems to operate there in more than 15 years.

Two new 1,500-horsepower drilling rigs arrived on October 7, and the company expects more equipment soon. Separately, NABEP has bought 60 rigs, 30 steam boilers and 70 pieces of heavy machinery. The company says this gives it the largest heavy-equipment fleet in the country.

NABEP targets production above 1 million barrels per day

The company's near-term goal is to lift output to more than 1 million barrels of oil per day. NABEP says it has already scaled production from roughly 18,000 barrels per day to more than 200,000 in two years. It attributes the increase to about $1 billion in company-funded investment.

NABEP is expanding operations in Lake Maracaibo and the Orinoco Belt.

Buenos Aires – October 14, 2026 -- Coalfire, a cybersecurity and compliance services provider, has opened Argentina Integrated Solutions (AIS) in Buenos Aires, adding delivery capacity to its global operating model.

AIS links Argentina-based staff to Coalfire teams and clients worldwide

The new location builds on Coalfire's existing international presence. AIS will connect Argentina-based professionals with Coalfire teams, clients and delivery capabilities around the world. Coalfire says this adds capacity for growth and strengthens local collaboration and continuity of service.

The company did not disclose headcount, investment size or a hiring timeline for the Buenos Aires site.

St. Charles – October 14, 2026 -- CuBE Packaging Solutions Inc. is investing more than $30 million to expand its U.S. manufacturing facility in St. Charles, Illinois, adding new high-speed injection molding machines and integrated end-of-line automation to raise domestic production capacity.

CuBE funds multi-phase build-out through 2027

The investment covers renovation of the facility and a multi-phase installation of injection molding equipment and automation. The initial phase is complete and in production. Additional phases are underway and planned through 2027.

The St. Charles plant entered production in late 2025. It anchors CuBE's U.S. manufacturing footprint and complements its flagship site in Aurora, Ontario, described by the company as one of the largest single-site food storage injection molding facilities in North America.

Dubai – October 12, 2026 -- Robo.ai Inc. (Nasdaq: AIIO) plans to set up ALIF Composites in the UAE with a targeted annual capacity of 10 million square meters of composite raw materials in 2027, with production due to start in Q4 2026.

ALIF Holding, Robo.ai's majority-owned subsidiary, will establish ALIF Composites as a majority-owned subsidiary. The unit is meant to expand the Group's advanced manufacturing business.

ALIF Composites targets the Umm Al Quwain industrial park, where Phase I broke ground on September 25, 2026

ALIF Composites plans to operate at the ALIF Holding Group Industrial Park in Umm Al Quwain. Its planned portfolio covers carbon fiber composites, prepregs, custom components and engineering services. Target customers are in the marine, mobility, energy and industrial sectors.

Materials supply and custom manufacturing are intended to support regional business development.

Newport Beach – September 24, 2026 -- Ultimate Longevity Center (ULC) has surpassed 300 sold territories worldwide after unveiling a 50-location Australian franchise rollout, with the first center confirmed for Sydney's Double Bay in Q1 2027.

ULC crosses 300 global territories within a year of launching U.S. franchise sales

The longevity and human-optimization brand, built by Sequel Brands founder Anthony Geisler alongside human biologist Gary Brecka and precision health platform Lifeforce, has sold more than 275 territories across the United States since opening franchise sales in 2026, including 200 in its first four months. The newly announced 50-center Australian network pushes the brand's global footprint past 300 territories.

Littleton, Colorado – September 19, 2026 -- Employee-owned retailer SCHEELS will open its 38th store in Littleton, Colorado in 2029, creating more than 500 new jobs before the doors open.

SCHEELS anchors new Mineral Place development alongside Costco

The flagship store is planned as an anchor retailer at the Mineral Place development, positioned along the C-470 corridor in the Denver metro area's growing Front Range region.

CEO Matt Hanson calls the store the company's deepest commitment to Colorado

"On behalf of our employee-owners, we could not be more excited to expand our footprint across Colorado's Front Range," said SCHEELS CEO Matt Hanson, adding that the store will serve as a destination bringing families together and generating hundreds of career opportunities.

Portland, Ore. – September 08, 2026 -- OpConnect, a turnkey EV charging solutions provider, has moved its headquarters to 115 SE Yamhill St. in Portland, marking the company's third relocation since its 2016 founding and expanding its capacity to serve customers across 36 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

U.S. senators and Portland's mayor attend Aug. 18 grand opening

U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Oregon State Rep. Rob Nosse and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson joined OpConnect employees, investors, customers, partners and vendors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which included facility tours and technology demonstrations.

New facility adds space for advanced charging R&D

The expanded headquarters will support OpConnect's manufacturing operations alongside dedicated electrical infrastructure for research into battery-backed charging, bi-directional charging and microgrid integration.