PITTSBURGH, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there should be a simple way to restore an old worn-out landscape barrel to like-new condition," said an inventor, from Wantagh, N.Y., "so I invented the BOB. My design enables you to conceal holes for continued use of the container."

The patent-pending invention provides an effective way to extend the life of a worn-out landscape barrel. In doing so, it increases convenience. It also offers environmental protection. As a result, it eliminates the need to throw away a worn-out landscape barrel with holes in the bottom. The invention features a simple and durable design that is easy to apply and use so it is ideal for landscaping companies, golf courses, parks, cemeteries, lawncare businesses, grounds maintenance companies, sanitation firms, municipalities, and even homeowners with large properties.

The original design was submitted to the Long Island sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 25-LJD-587, InventHelp, 100 Beecham Drive, Suite 110, Pittsburgh, PA 15205-9801, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

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Work planned in Chattanooga in the coming weeks

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tennessee American Water announced today that it will begin service line material verification work in parts of its Citico Service District the week of September 28. Over the next several months, the utility will identify and document the materials which service lines are made of in select areas in Chattanooga, East Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Red Bank and Rossville, GA. Customers can visit the Alerts Page at Tennessee American Water's website to see where the crews are currently performing work.

This project supports the updated U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) rules related to lead and copper. The U.S. EPA and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation require all water utilities to confirm service line materials through verification, including a visual inspection. This information will help establish a baseline inventory of Tennessee American Water's service lines, an important step in meeting the U.S. EPA's requirement to replace all lead service lines by 2037.

Tennessee American Water's work will focus on verifying the material of selected water service lines that are currently listed as unknown in company records. Those customers whose lines need verification will receive advance notification through various communication channels. Customers do not need to be home while this work is performed, and water service will not be disrupted. The work will be conducted by the Company's engineering partner CDM Smith and its contractor. To complete the verification, crews will dig small test holes near the meter pit. Once the work is completed, a door hanger will be left at the property with the findings. Any areas disturbed during the process will be restored.

Tennessee American Water wants to remind customers the water it provides meets all drinking water quality standards, including those for lead. In addition, the Company takes steps to reduce the potential of lead leaching from service lines and household plumbing into the water by monitoring its treatment processes and adding a corrosion inhibitor where needed.

More information about the company's lead service line program, answers to frequently asked questions and a guide to help customers self-identify the material of their service line is available at tennesseeamwater.com/leadfacts.

About American Water 

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886 and celebrating 140 years in 2026, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 19 military installations. American Water's approximately 7,000 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company's national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram. 

About Tennessee American Water

Tennessee American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state with approximately 100 dedicated employees working to provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable water services to approximately 425,000 people in Tennessee and north Georgia. 

Tennessee American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state with approximately 100 dedicated employees working to provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable water services to approximately 425,000 people in Tennessee and north Georgia.

SOURCE American Water

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BOGOTÁ, Colombia, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) announces that Mr. Juan Carlos Hurtado Parra will remain with the Company through September 15, 2026, the date on which the retirement plan granted and approved in July 2026, by mutual agreement, becomes effective.

Mr. Hurtado Parra most recently served as Executive Vice President of Hydrocarbons and, more recently, as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Ecopetrol expresses its appreciation for his leadership and contributions in these roles.

At its meeting held on September 14, 2026, the Board of Directors appointed Mr. Alfonso Camilo Barco Muñoz as Acting Chief Executive Officer, effective September 15, 2026. Mr. Barco Muñoz, who also serves as an alternate legal representative of Ecopetrol S.A., currently holds the position of Corporate Vice President of Finance and Sustainable Value.

Mr. Barco Muñoz has more than 35 years of senior executive experience in both the public and private sectors. He brings extensive expertise in investment banking, corporate finance, and corporate governance, with a particular focus on the energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, and financial services sectors.

Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated energy companies in the American continent, with more than 19,000 employees. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems, and it holds leading positions in the petrochemicals and gas distribution segments. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, the company participates in energy transmission, the management of real-time systems (XM), and the Barranquilla–Cartagena coastal highway concession. At the international level, Ecopetrol has a stake in strategic basins in the American continent, with drilling and exploration operations in the United States (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and Mexico, and, through ISA and its subsidiaries, Ecopetrol holds leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile, and the telecommunications sector.

This release contains statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases, or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration, and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations Office

Email: [email protected] 

Corporate Communications (Colombia)

Email: _[email protected]  

SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.

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SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. announced that a lawsuit was filed for certain investors in shares of PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation (NASDAQ: PRCT).

Investors who purchased shares of PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation (NASDAQ: PRCT) have certain options. NASDAQ: PRCT investors should contact the Shareholders Foundation at [email protected] or call +1(858) 779 - 1554.

On July 24, 2026, aNASDAQ: PRCT investor filed lawsuit over alleged securities laws violations by PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation.

The lawsuit seeks to recover losses for certain investors.

The plaintiff alleges that the defendants allegedly misrepresented and/or failed to disclose that PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation utilized a discount program to incentivize customers to place bulk orders in excess of demand, that the undisclosed discount program artificially inflated the company's reported U.S. handpiece unit sales, that the consistent surplus of U.S. handpiece unit sales results in overstocking and exposed PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation to material undisclosed risks of operational and financial harm, and that as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' statements about the company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

Those who purchased shares of PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation (NASDAQ: PRCT) shares should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

CONTACT:

Shareholders Foundation, Inc. 

Michael Daniels 

+1 (858) 779-1554 

[email protected]

3111 Camino Del Rio North 

Suite 423 

San Diego, CA 92108

The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio legal monitoring and a settlement claim filing service, which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Any referenced cases, investigations, and/or settlements are not filed/initiated/reached and/or are not related to Shareholders Foundation. The information is only provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon.

SOURCE Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

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Introducing Fotor Agent: Create Fully Editable AE-Quality Motion Graphics and Long-Form Videos

Fotor Agent, ranked No. 1 Product of the Day on Product Hunt, turns ideas and raw assets into complete, editable video projects through an intelligent end-to-end production workflow.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fotor, a leading AI Vibe Marketing Platform serving more than 800 million users worldwide, today announced the launch of Fotor Agent, an AI-powered production system designed to transform how videos are created.

With Fotor Agent, users can create complete, production-ready videos and 4K motion graphics—all fully editable through natural-language prompts. Starting with a brief or raw source materials, the agent understands creative intent, manages long-horizon logical reasoning and planning, generates supporting assets, organizes scenes, and automatically assembles everything onto a multi-track timeline—giving creators total control to refine every detail.

From AI Generation to AI Production

While generating individual clips with AI video models has become virtually effortless, a major industry bottleneck in video production remains: seamlessly orchestrating these fragmented assets—along with music, voiceovers, motion graphics, and subtitles—into a cohesive, release-ready long-form narrative.

Today's standard video production pipeline remains notoriously fragmented across a wide array of software. Creators must write scripts, map out storyboards, generate video clips, produce subtitles, synthesize voiceovers, source background tracks, and design custom transitions—all across separate tools. Advanced motion graphics often demand specialized software like Adobe After Effects. Then, bringing dozens or even hundreds of disparate media assets together in a video editor like Premiere Pro or CapCut for manual assembly requires constant context-switching between disconnected apps, consuming an immense amount of time, creative energy, and resources.

Fotor Agent bridges this critical gap through its advanced long-horizon reasoning and planning capabilities. Built for end-to-end production, the agent transforms raw creative vision into fully assembled, production-ready narrative videos within a single, unified environment.

Intent-Driven Narrative & Coordinated Generation: Translates creative intent into comprehensive scripts and storyboards—automatically structuring long-form narrative arcs with dramatic pacing—while dynamically orchestrating all media components to guarantee complete character, product, and visual consistency.

Automated Multi-Track Assembly: The engine instantly populates and aligns all generated assets onto independent, dedicated tracks. Guided by your initial input, it automatically calculates precise layout, timing, and layering across the entire timeline, delivering a complete edit in a single pass without human intervention.

In short: Creators bring the imagination—Fotor Agent handles complete video production inside a single system, eliminating the need for fragmented tools. Whether you're producing brand campaigns, social ads, product demos, science explainers, data visualizations, corporate reports, or dynamic motion graphic promos, the Agent delivers complete, high-quality, production-ready videos.

Create After Effects-level Precision Motion Graphics

Motion graphics are indispensable to modern visual communications—powering everything from high-impact product demos and corporate reporting to scientific explainers and social campaigns. Yet, achieving After Effects-level motion design has long required specialized software, steep technical barriers, and tedious production cycles.

Fotor Agent reimagines motion graphics production with chat-driven workflows. Creators can simply describe their ideas to instantly produce AE-grade 4K animated infographics—translating raw information like charts, line graphs, data cards, key metrics, and process diagrams with pixel-perfect text accuracy. By automating complex motion design, the Agent cuts production time and costs by two orders of magnitude.

Conventional AI video models bake motion graphics directly into uneditable pixel streams, locking visual layers and timing into static video files where any late-stage modification requires a costly full regeneration. In contrast, Fotor Agent keeps graphic elements fully parametric. Text, brand colors, charts, visual layers, animation pacing, and element positions remain live and fully interactive on the preview canvas.

Editable Projects: Designed for Total Post-Production

Conventional AI video generators output flattened video files—where even a minor tweak to a specific region or element forces a time-consuming full-project regeneration. Fotor Agent transforms this process by delivering a fully transparent, multi-track editable project. While the AI Agent handles macro narrative structure and orchestration, the built-in editor gives you flexible element-level post-production control.

Complete Non-Destructive Editing Suite:

Decoupled multi-track Timeline: Video, voiceovers, music, sound effects, subtitles, and motion graphics are organized into dedicated tracks. Creators can select specific clips or assets on the timeline for localized manual editing, or attach them in chat for precise, conversational prompt adjustments with the Agent.

Editable Motion Graphics: Empowering creators with granular control over visual elements right on the video canvas. Instead of forcing full scene re-renders for minor updates, creators can directly select and fine-tune motion graphics on the spot—revising text content, adjusting font sizes, customizing color palettes, tweaking line thickness, repositioning elements or reordering flowchart steps through intuitive parameter controls.

Semantic-Level Intelligent Video Editing

Fotor Agent intelligently analyzes video content to grasp your creative vision and key messaging, automatically transforming long-form videos into high-impact highlights. Guided by smart video editing algorithms, it pinpoints peak moments, strips out filler and bloopers, inserts context-aware B-roll, and auto-completes subtitles, background music, and smooth transitions.

Taking editing a step further, the engine intelligently pairs standard video footage with dynamic Motion Graphics and high-end typography. By automatically matching visual styles, layouts, and pacing to your video's context, it effortlessly elevates ordinary raw footage into sophisticated, professional-grade visual content.

Radical Cost Reduction and Unmatched Production Efficiency

By unifying long-horizon planning, asset generation, motion design, and editing into a single automated workspace, Fotor Agent dramatically slashes production costs and accelerates delivery. What once took marketing teams 3 to 5 days across the entire end-to-end video production pipeline—from initial creative briefing and scripting to asset generation, timeline assembly, final packaging, and adjusting—is now compressed into under 1 hour for 2-minute video, enabling rapid content scaling, low-cost A/B testing, and effortless global campaign rollouts.

End-to-End Automated Orchestration: Instead of manually stitching together fragmented tools and assets, the Agent automatically coordinates narrative design, asset generation, and timeline assembly in a single pass—eliminating the friction of traditional manual workflows and saving significant time.

Non-Destructive Iteration: Continuous revision and editing remain a critical bottleneck in traditional video workflows. Fotor Agent eliminates costly full-project regenerations by allowing precise, element-level adjustments directly on the multi-track timeline and canvas—drastically slashing iteration costs.

Exponential Savings in Motion Graphics: The cost impact is especially striking in high-end motion design. According to Fotor's internal benchmarks, the Agent cuts MG production costs to 1/200th of traditional After Effects workflows while boosting generation and editing speed 50-fold. Crucially, because elements stay fully parametric, you can edit text, layout, or animation timing on the fly—without paying for extra renders.

New Foundation for AI-Powered Visual Creation

"Professional visual capability should be accessible to everyone," said Tony Duan, Founder and CEO of Fotor. "Fotor Agent bridges the gap between raw AI output and real-world execution, marking the shift from generating individual assets to completing the entire production process."

Integrated into Fotor's AI Vibe Marketing workflow, Fotor Agent extends the platform from image and design creation to end-to-end, fully editable video production.

Fotor Agent is available at www.fotor.com/agent/.

About Fotor

Fotor is a leading AI Vibe Marketing Platform serving more than 800 million users worldwide. It helps individuals, creators, and businesses transform ideas into professional visual content across images, design, and video. Serving users in more than 200 countries and regions, Fotor provides AI-powered creative tools that make advanced visual production faster, simpler, and more accessible.

Website: www.fotor.com

SOURCE Fotor

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Cost-effective, low-SWaP electronics enable small airborne platforms to conduct missions in contested environments

NASHUA, N.H., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) has launched its Shadow EW™ family of compact electronic warfare (EW) solutions designed for a diverse and growing range of small airborne platforms. The solutions provide critical situational awareness and self-defense capabilities, improving mission effectiveness in contested environments.

Shadow EW represents a critical shift in how BAE Systems develops and delivers innovative, cost-effective EW solutions with the agility and scale required to support the demands of the U.S. Department of War.

BAE Systems can produce Shadow EW systems in high quantities at a low cost, backed by proven high-volume production capabilities and a skilled workforce. Shadow EW solutions utilize commercial microchips for high-performance computing and supply chain efficiency, allowing the company to accelerate production and delivery.

"The modern battlefield is changing at an unprecedented pace and all platforms, regardless of size, require adaptable electronic warfare capabilities to survive," said Rebecca Cruz, Director, Shadow EW products at BAE Systems. "Shadow EW solutions provide flexible, configurable hardware paired with iterative software updates to counter rapidly evolving threats."

Shadow EW products provide compact, low-cost EW capabilities that are optimized to support high-volume, affordable mass applications and rapid platform integration. These small, lightweight, power‑efficient products are developed around open architecture standards and field‑upgradeable, software‑defined capabilities. They support a full range of EW mission applications, including situational awareness, targeting, deception, survivability, and collaborative effects delivery.

Production of the Shadow EW family of products will take place at BAE Systems facilities in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with software and design work in Nashua, New Hampshire. For more information about Shadow EW, visit: https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/shadow-ew.

For more information, please contact:

Mark Daly, BAE Systems

Mobile: 603-233-7636

[email protected]

www.baesystems.com/en-us

@BAESystemsInc

SOURCE BAE Systems, Inc.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Configit, the global leader in Configuration Lifecycle Management (CLM), today announced that the company has been named as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Discrete Manufacturing Technologies, 2026 in both the Product Configuration Platform and Product Rejuvenation categories.

As Gartner notes, manufacturers are working to "evolve to more profitable businesses by transforming engineer-to-order (ETO) businesses into configure-to-order (CTO) businesses." In our view, this is helping drive the need for Product Configuration Platforms since, according to Gartner, "Manufacturers' desire for efficient tools to manage increasingly complex product variants to better fulfill their B2B customers or consumers' demand for customized and servitized products tailored to their needs."

Concurrently, the sustainability movement continues to inform consumer choices, leading manufacturers to seek methods of extending their products' life cycles through modular design. Gartner stated in the report, regarding the Product Rejuvenation category: "Software-defined products built on standardized platforms are unlocking new revenue streams, making it essential to upgrade hardware to support evolving digital capabilities. Embracing a 'build-to-last' philosophy then extends this value— shifting manufacturers toward durable materials, superior craftsmanship and models where leased assets are reused with upgraded components."

Configit Ace® is a composable SaaS product configuration and variant management solution that aligns product data across the organization, creating a central data backbone for configurable products. Configit delivers a fully integrated product configuration platform built on its Virtual Tabulation® (VT™) technology that manages highly complex configuration logic with deterministic accuracy and enterprise-scale performance while eliminating configuration errors. The solution connects product configuration data and processes end-to-end over the entire lifecycle of the configurable product, from initial design to delivery, maintenance, and rejuvenation.

Gartner further notes: "Service-based offerings like repair, refurbishment and upgrades generate new revenue streams, allowing companies to monetize product longevity and modularity. Extending product life cycles via modular design and remanufacture reduces costs by reducing waste disposal and virgin raw material use."

Today, many manufacturers are focusing on optimizing maintenance, repair and upgrade of existing equipment. Configit customers rely on an accurate data foundation of their installed base to offer the most suitable maintenance and upgrade solutions to their customers. Having a centralized, verified database of all existing configurations, manufacturers can help their customers upgrade and enhance machine run time while minimizing machine down time.

Johan Salenstedt, CEO, Configit, said: "Configit was founded to help manufacturers manage product complexity with greater accuracy and confidence. Along the way, we realized our solutions not only save time and money but also support more sustainable business practices. And with the introduction of Configit Ace® Prompt, we are helping customers apply the latest in AI advancements to power the next generation of manufacturing. We believe that our inclusion by Gartner as a sample vendor in two categories confirms to us that our mission is multi-faceted, scalable, and mature."

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner, Hype Cycle for Discrete Manufacturing Technologies 2026, Alexander Hoeppe, Sudip Pattanayak, Marc Halpern, Kentaro Shikanai, 6 July 2026

GARTNER and HYPE CYCLE are trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any company, vendor, product or service depicted in its publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's business and technology insights organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this publication, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Configit

Configit is the global leader in Configuration Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions and a supplier of business-critical software for the configuration of complex products. All Configit products are based on the patented Virtual Tabulation® (VT™) technology, which has redefined product configuration by offering greater speed and better handling of complexity. Virtual Tabulation enables Configit to deliver powerful, easy-to-use configuration solutions to market-leading global enterprises. Website: configit.com

Media Contact:  

Jeff Alexander

Force4 Technology Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Configit

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In the news release, Summit Professional Education Names Education Industry Veteran Jeff Wahl as Chief Executive Officer, issued 15-Sep-2026 by Summit Professional Education, LLC over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that changes have been made. The complete, corrected release follows, with additional details at the end:

Summit Professional Education Names Education Industry Veteran Jeff Wahl as Chief Executive Officer

Veteran education executive brings four decades of leadership and operating experience to Summit's next phase of growth

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Professional Education, a leading national provider of continuing education, board exam preparation, professional certification, and advanced clinical training for healthcare and wellness professionals, today announced the appointment of Jeff Wahl as Chief Executive Officer.

Wahl brings more than 40 years of leadership experience, including more than two decades in education. He joins Summit as the company continues to build a comprehensive professional education platform serving clinicians and other professionals throughout their careers. Across its brands, Summit helps professionals build the knowledge, confidence, and clinical skills to advance their careers and ultimately deliver better care.

Summit has served more than 500,000 healthcare professionals and today operates a growing family of education brands spanning physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, pelvic health, behavioral health, fitness, certification, and board exam preparation. Its portfolio includes Summit Professional Education, Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, Kids Bowel & Bladder, PT Final Exam, The Knowledge Tree, and the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT).

"Jeff is exactly the kind of leader we believe Summit needs for its next chapter," said Paul Skordilis, Chairman of the Board of Summit Professional Education. "We have built an exceptional portfolio of brands with deep expertise, strong professional communities, and a shared commitment to improving professional practice. Jeff has a proven ability to build strong teams, scale education businesses, and create meaningful value for learners. He brings the experience and leadership to unlock the potential of the broader Summit platform while preserving what makes each of our brands distinctive."

Wahl most recently served as CEO of Big Blue Marble Academy (BBMA), a leading early childhood education provider, where he led the organization through a period of significant expansion. He joined BBMA as Executive Chairman in 2019 and was named CEO in 2020. Prior to BBMA, Wahl served as an Executive in Residence with Avathon Capital, Summit's investment partner. He previously served as Chairman of Glynlyon, the education company behind Odysseyware and Alpha Omega Publications, and as CEO of EdisonLearning. Earlier in his career, Wahl spent 15 years with General Electric in operational and P&L leadership roles, including senior positions with GE Capital.

"I have spent much of my career working with education businesses at moments when they have the opportunity to become something substantially bigger and more impactful, and I see that opportunity at Summit," said Jeff Wahl, CEO of Summit Professional Education. "What makes this organization particularly compelling is the connection between the education we provide, and the care people ultimately receive. Across the Summit family of brands, we have extraordinary clinical expertise, respected educators, and deeply engaged professional communities. Our opportunity is to build on those strengths, continue raising the quality of the education we deliver, and reach more professionals throughout every stage of their careers."

Wahl's appointment reunites him with Avathon Capital following the firm's successful partnership with him at Big Blue Marble Academy. Avathon recruited Wahl to lead BBMA in 2020. Under his leadership the company more than quadrupled in size to 93 schools across eight states, educating more than 10,000 students and employing more than 2,000 staff, significantly expanding its scale and geographic footprint and strengthening its position as a leading early childhood education provider.

"We know Jeff extraordinarily well as a leader, operator, and partner, and we have seen firsthand his ability to build organizations that scale without losing sight of the people and mission at their core," said Shoshana Vernick, Managing Partner at Avathon Capital. "Summit has evolved considerably since our initial investment, bringing together a collection of highly respected brands across healthcare and professional education. Jeff combines deep education-sector experience, operational discipline, and people-first leadership, and we believe he is exceptionally well suited to turn those individual strengths into an even stronger platform."

As CEO, Wahl will focus on strengthening Summit's position as a leading professional education platform, expanding the reach of its brands, enhancing the learner experience, and creating more ways to support professionals from exam preparation and initial certification through continuing education, specialization, and advanced credentials.

Wahl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Walsh University, with concentrations in Accounting, Management, and Finance. He is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

About Summit Professional Education

Summit Professional Education is a national provider of continuing education, board exam preparation, certification, and advanced professional education for healthcare and wellness professionals. Since its founding in 2004, Summit has served more than 500,000 professionals through live, virtual, and on-demand learning experiences. Across its family of brands, Summit is committed to providing high-quality, clinically relevant education that helps professionals strengthen their skills, advance their careers, and ultimately deliver better care to the patients, clients, and communities they serve.

The Summit family of brands includes Summit Professional Education, providing continuing education for rehabilitation and healthcare professionals; Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, a leader in specialized pelvic rehabilitation education and certification; PT Final Exam, providing board exam preparation for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants; The Knowledge Tree, providing continuing education for behavioral health professionals; and the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), providing certification and continuing education for fitness professionals. Summit has also recently acquired Kids Bowel & Bladder, whose pediatric pelvic health curriculum and advanced practitioner certificate program are being integrated into the Herman & Wallace education platform.

Together, the Summit family of brands supports professionals from exam preparation and entry into practice through continuing education, certification, specialization, and lifelong professional development, helping them become better prepared, more confident practitioners throughout their careers. For more information visit: https://summit-education.com

About Avathon Capital

Avathon Capital is a private equity firm specializing in investing in lower middle-market companies in the education and workforce markets. Avathon's sector specialization creates compounding advantages—enabling the Firm to deeply understand its markets, identify opportunities early, and build an extensive network of industry leaders and seasoned executives. With its research-first, executive-first approach, Avathon brings decades of experience and a partnership-driven mindset to every investment, engaging with conviction and working collaboratively to drive meaningful growth. Recognized by Inc. as a Top Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firm, Avathon is committed to building enduring companies that shape the future of education and workforce. For more information visit: https://avathoncapital.com/.

Media Contact

Lisa Orlando

SVP, Marketing

Mobile: 813.482.3070

Email: [email protected] 

Correction: The seventh paragraph has been updated for accuracy.

SOURCE Summit Professional Education, LLC

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SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers increasingly turn to social media and AI-powered search for answers about sensitive skin, Laboratoires Pierre Fabre — the world's second-largest dermo-cosmetics company and one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical laboratories — is elevating Avène as the platform for a necessary kind of influence: dermatologist-led education.

Now in its third year, Dermfluencer University is hosted at the Science of Skin Summit, an annual educational event founded by Dr. Patricia Farris and Dr. Ted Lain dedicated to the science, clinical research and emerging innovations behind dermatology and skincare. The program equips board-certified dermatologists with insights, tools and training to create engaging, science-backed content for today's digital-first skincare consumer.

As a clinically proven brand, Avène recognizes that today's patients aren't just in the dermatologist's office, they're online, searching for answers before they ever book an appointment. By equipping dermatologists to meet them there, Avène is working to reach more patients and help them navigate their skin concerns with credible, engaging, science-backed guidance.

"Consumers are now turning to AI and social platforms with the same questions they once reserved for their dermatologist," said Romina Laraia, VP of Consumer, Patient and Professional Activation. "As a dermocosmetics brand, we have a responsibility to prioritize consumers both online and in the dermatologist office. Dermfluencer University was created to help ensure the answers they find are rooted in clinical expertise and not misinformation or viral trends."

With a combined social following of over 6.5 million, this year's Dermfluencer University participants represent some of the most trusted voices in skincare education today, including, Mimi Banks, founder of MB Social; Ian Michael Crumm, founder of Boys in Beauty; Leslie Ann Hall, founder of Iced Media; Britt Fallon, Director of Beauty at NewBeauty; Dr. Jenny Liu (@derm.talk); Dr. Maren Locke (@thebudgetdermatologist); Dr. Kunal Malik (@dermdocmalik); Dr. Neera Nathan (@dermatologysurgeon); Dr. Dustin Portela (@drdustinportela); Vivian Sullivan, Sr. Partner Lead at Google; and Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky (@dermguru). Attendance is expected to be the strongest yet.

"Every day, I see skincare advice go viral with no clinical basis," said Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky. "Dermfluencer University gives dermatologists the tools to compete in the same feed with content that's engaging, accurate and grounded in science."

"Patients are making skincare decisions based on short-form videos, sometimes before they ever see a dermatologist," said Dr. Jenny Liu. "We need more dermfluencers to meet them where they are, with information they can trust."

With dermatologist and HCP partners at the core of their strategy, Avène continues to expand these partnerships across three key pillars: online, in-office and at retail. Together, these efforts bring science-backed education and Avène's sensitive skin solutions closer to patients wherever they are.

For more information about Avène sensitive skincare, dermatologist-recommended skincare and Dermfluencer University, follow @aveneusa on Instagram and TikTok or visit www.aveneusa.com.

Note: High-resolution images, interviews, and product samples are available upon request.

ABOUT EAU THERMALE AVÈNE

With more than 275 years of expertise rooted in dermatology and hydrotherapy, Eau Thermale Avène by Pierre Fabre is dedicated to caring for sensitive skin and is recommended by dermatologists worldwide. Formulated with dermatologist-grade ingredients and Avène Thermal Spring Water, the brand offers clinically proven solutions designed to soothe, soften and calm even the most sensitive skin. Dermatologists are involved from product concept and development through testing to help create safe, high-tolerance formulas, and Avène products are non-comedogenic.

ABOUT LABORATOIRES PIERRE FABRE

Laboratoires Pierre Fabre is the world's second-largest dermo-cosmetics company and one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical Laboratoires. Its Dermo-cosmetics & Personal Care portfolio brings together major international brands such as Eau Thermale Avène, Dexeryl, Ducray, Klorane, A-Derma, René Furterer, Même Cosmetics, Darrow, and Elgydium. The Pharma activity covers 5 main therapeutic fields: oncology, dermatology, rare diseases, primary care and family health care.

In 2025, Laboratoires Pierre Fabre generated €3.2 billion euros in revenue, 71% of which came from international sales across 130 territories. Based in southwest France since its creation and manufacturing nearly 90% of its products in France, Laboratoires Pierre Fabre employs 10,000 people worldwide. R&D investments increased by 14% compared with the previous year, reaching €250 million, 67% of which is dedicated to targeted therapies in oncology.

The majority shareholder of Laboratoires Pierre Fabre is the Pierre Fabre Foundation (holding 86.3% of the capital), a humanitarian foundation recognized as being of public utility. The company's employees are its second-largest shareholder (nearly 10%). This shareholding structure guarantees the company's independence, its long-term vision and its sustainable contribution to the common good. Dividends paid to the Pierre Fabre Foundation contribute to 35 healthcare-access programs deployed in 22 of the least developed countries in the world.

Since 2023, Laboratoires Pierre Fabre' CSR policy has been assessed by AFNOR Certification and has been awarded the "Exemplary" level of its CSR label (ISO 26 000 standard for sustainable development). For more information, visit www.pierre-fabre.com

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SOURCE Laboratoires Pierre Fabre

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T-Rex®Tape Storm Readiness Report shows unexpected repairs are on the rise, and the right supplies help homeowners stay ready

AVON, Ohio, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Most homeowners feel reasonably ready for storms this time of year. In a new national survey, the T-Rex® Tape Storm Readiness Report, more than half (63%) confidently rate their home's preparedness for storms a 7 out of 10 or higher. While Americans are close to storm-ready, the research suggests the real test comes after severe weather strikes.

"We wanted to look past the checklist people already know and understand readiness once storm damage actually happens," Kerry Haugh, Director of Product Marketing for T-Rex® Brand, says. "Forty-eight percent have tested batteries for emergency devices and 45% trimmed trees around their home. Preparing and protecting homes is top of mind. What we found is there's a gap between preparedness and readiness."

The Missing Repair Step

Eight in 10 Americans have experienced unexpected home damage that required a repair, and nearly half (43%) say it's happening more often compared to five years ago, citing aging homes and severe weather as the top reasons. Yet only 30% say they have organized their repair tools as part of their storm preparation, and just 51% say emergency storm supplies would be easy to find.

The Fix-It-Fast Instinct

Most feel confident tackling storm-related repairs themselves: 58% are comfortable sealing a small leak to keep water out, and 46% are comfortable securing a broken window or door. There's also an instinct to respond quickly: more than half fix storm damage within 24 hours of noticing it. On the other hand, a third say damage has grown larger or more expensive at some point simply because they waited too long to address it.

When asked what delays a repair, cost and the need to hire a professional rank highest, but 24% point to not having the right supplies and 20% cite not having the right tools.

Reaching for the Wrong Tool

Fifty-nine percent of Americans are aware that, unlike traditional duct tape, repair tape is designed for heavy-duty repairs, like patching, sealing and waterproofing. They also have specific standards for what it should do: 59% expect repair tape to keep water out, and 56% expect it to hold through the rain.

What's surprising is that duct tape is stocked in 69% of emergency storm kits. By comparison, waterproof repair tape, built for extreme weather conditions, is included in 37%. When storm damage strikes, 75% of Americans have used duct tape because it was the only tool available and 63% reached for it during storm-related repairs, more than any other option they had handy.

A Tape Made for the Moment

This repair gap is the idea behind T-Rex® Brand's evolution of tape: unexpected repairs are on the rise, so the tape built to handle them had to change. T-Rex® Ferociously Strong Waterproof and Repair Tape is a versatile, fix-all for any environment. Its Flex-to-Fit Technology™ and a solventless UV acrylic adhesive grip wet, rough surfaces, like concrete, metal and wood and seals out water, air and moisture and even works underwater. The tape has a strong hold in extreme temperatures until a permanent repair is possible.

"Americans can be closer to storm-ready by making a few simple changes to how they prepare, like having the right supplies within reach," Haugh says. "National Preparedness Month and peak storm season are a good reminder that being ready is also about being resourceful when the unexpected happens."

For more information about T-Rex® Tape, visit https://www.trextape.com/why-t-rex.

*Survey conducted by T-Rex® Brand in September 2026 polled 1,000 homeowners to compare storm preparedness and readiness.

ABOUT T-REX® BRAND TAPE

T-Rex® Tape uses modern, next-generation technology to produce premium tapes that perform well in all conditions – helping everyone from do-it-yourselfers and professionals to extreme sport athletes and outdoorsmen get the job done. T-Rex® brand products are marketed by Shurtape Technologies, LLC, an industry-leading manufacturer of adhesive tape and consumer home and office products, with facilities worldwide. For additional product information, visit trextape.com, find us on Facebook® (facebook.com/trextape), follow us on X® (@trextape) or watch us on YouTube® (youtube.com/trextape).

SOURCE Shurtape Technologies, LLC

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