General News

New Orleans – October 06, 2026 -- A 15,000-ton shipment of primary aluminum arrived at the Port of Avondale in New Orleans, marking the first delivery of Venezuelan aluminum to the United States in nearly eight years. Heeney Capital, a U.S. private investment firm focused on critical minerals and industrial supply chains, organized the shipment and hosted U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), and Representative Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana) to mark the arrival on Monday, October 06, 2026.

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.

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.

Florham Park, N.J. – October 05, 2026 -- Reworld employees collected 84 bags of garbage during a September cleanup of Newark, New Jersey streets, earning the company first place and the Gold Broom Award at the city's Slam Dunk the Junk community event.

Reworld deploys employees across six U.S. regions for World Cleanup Day

The waste management company organized volunteer efforts in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania in September to mark World Cleanup Day. In Derwood and Dickerson, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia, staff joined the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail to clear trash and invasive vegetation at Gravelly Point. Rahway, New Jersey employees worked at Rahway Riverfront Park, while the Newark team cleared litter from the facility's access road in addition to its award-winning citywide effort.

Novi, Michigan – October 05, 2026 -- WZC Networking, an RF engineering firm that designs and tests in-building radio systems for first responders, is marking its 20th anniversary after resolving two emergency communication failures at Michigan healthcare and senior living facilities. Founded in 2006 by RF engineer John Wierzgac, the company has become a benchmark provider of Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems (ERCES) and Public Safety Distributed Antenna Systems under NFPA 1225 and IFC Section 510 code requirements.

San Antonio – October 05, 2026 -- Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) has added more than 800 schools and 60 school districts to its Outdoor Adventures (OA) program since January 1, 2026, the largest eight-month expansion in the nonprofit's history. The growth lifted OTF's reach from 210,000 students at the start of 2026 to approximately 270,000 students across all 50 states and Canada. OTF plans to push the total past 2,800 participating schools by December 31, 2026.

A $600,000 grant from Safari Club International Foundation funds the largest single-year school rollout

Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and SCIF Sables issued a $600,000 grant -- OTF's largest single donation to date -- enabling the organization to onboard roughly 800 schools in 2026. New adoptions include districts in New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Jacksonville, FL, and additional sites across Texas and California.

Camden, N.J. – October 05, 2026 -- The American Water Charitable Foundation has awarded a $260,000 Corporate Strategic grant to the National Urban League to fund workforce development programs across its Affiliate Movement network.

Grant targets eight city affiliates for skills and career training

The funding will support workforce development initiatives delivered by eight National Urban League affiliates: Chicago Urban League, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, Urban League of Greater Philadelphia, Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County, Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis, Urban League of Northwest Indiana, and Urban League of Union County. The programs aim to expand skills, education, and job opportunities in communities served by American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the U.S.

Houston – October 05, 2026 -- TruGrid, a Houston-based engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and solar projects, has published new guidance arguing that integrating engineering, procurement, and construction planning before mobilization reduces financial risk and strengthens lender confidence in utility-scale clean energy developments.

TruGrid links engineer-of-record selection to fewer costly construction surprises

The company's analysis identifies design and engineering partner selection as the first risk-reduction lever, stating that the right engineer of record can flag constructability issues before they become expensive change orders during construction.

Hagerstown, Md. – October 05, 2026 -- Rider Jet Center, a full-service Fixed Base Operator at Hagerstown Regional Airport, has signed two new tenants into its 22,000-square-foot office building, expanding support services for its corporate and charter traffic.

On The Town Limousines opens a Hagerstown location to serve corporate flyers

Frederick-based On The Town Limousines, Inc. has added a new office at Rider Jet Center, extending its luxury ground transportation network into Maryland, Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. The company operates a fleet of vehicles and professional chauffeurs, positioning itself to capture demand from the FBO's corporate and charter clientele.

St. George, Utah – October 05, 2026 -- Golden State Dermatology (GSD) has expanded into Utah for the first time, adding St. George Dermatology to its physician-led network in a move marking the company's entry into the state.

GSD adds first Utah location through St. George Dermatology partnership

The practice, located in St. George's Ventana Medical Park, offers medical and cosmetic dermatology services including skin cancer screenings, surgical treatments, BOTOX Cosmetic, dermal fillers, chemical peels and laser treatments.

Dr. Daren Brooks returns to hometown practice after running Arizona clinic

Physician Daren Brooks, DO, founded St. George Dermatology after previously operating a dermatology clinic in Arizona. His background spans dermatology, nutrition, stress management and mind-body medicine; he also helped bring the Ironman competition to St. George.