Analysis of more than 3,400 healthcare bills and 824,700 social media posts from elected officials reveal the extent to which word choice based on political affiliation shapes which policies advance, offering a data-backed framework for healthcare communicators navigating the same scrutiny.

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- New research conducted by /prompt, a leading integrated marketing and communications agency, finds that the language lawmakers use when drafting healthcare legislation has become a measurable predictor of whether the legislation succeeds or fails — a pattern the research shows applies equally to healthcare communications.

The newly published report, "The Politics of Healthcare Language," is part of the agency's Health Outcomes Coalition initiative, a cross-industry working group chaired by board-certified pediatrician and medical media expert Dr. Alok Patel that unites leaders across pharma, biotech, academia, and advocacy. The group is dedicated to improving how health outcomes are defined, measured, and communicated.

Drawing on an analysis of 824,700 social media posts from elected officials and more than 3,400 state and federal healthcare bills introduced between 2021 and 2025, the research reaches a central, data-backed conclusion. Across every policy area studied, the pattern held that "operational" language describing how something works — a mechanism, an eligible population, a documentation step — consistently outperformed "ideological" language that argues why it matters. The same intervention could advance or stall on wording alone; "substance use disorder" fared better than "substance abuse," and "opioid antagonist" better than "naloxone" for the identical medication. No vocabulary proved truly neutral, either — "Affordable Care Act" versus "Obamacare," or even "immigrant" versus "illegal immigrant," carried measurable partisan signals.

"It's naive to pretend healthcare isn't political," said Dr. Patel of the report's findings. "What's not acceptable is letting partisan framing replace science and public health as our foundation for communication."

The research argues the exposed patterns extend directly to pharmaceutical and healthcare communications as well, which move through a similar process: multiple approval layers, risk-aware gatekeepers, and audiences who receive information through a political lens. In effect, the report aims to offer a risk map for language — pinpointing where word choice shapes what clears review, whether an organization keeps control of its own story, and whether a message broadens or narrows support. To make that actionable, the report includes practical resources like a Term Substitution Guide and 8 key principles for communications professionals.

The report also examines real-world communications case studies that expose a gap, between the language that survives political scrutiny and the language that actually reaches patients — framing each not as a failure of intent but as a failure of communication architecture.

"Communicators have long sensed that words carry weight in these environments, but they've rarely had data to prove it. This research gives the industry a baseline of proof instead of guesswork and a shared language we can build on together," said Paul Dyer, CEO of /prompt. "This isn't about softening messages or avoiding hard topics. It's about making sure the right message gets through to patients, every time."

The full report is available at https://healthoutcomes.meetprompt.com/en-us/the-politics-of-healthcare-language.

About the methodology

Findings are derived from an analysis of more than 3,400 state and federal healthcare bills (2021–2025) across immunization, access and affordability, women's health, and discrimination and civil rights, using log-odds ratio scoring to compare language in enacted versus failed bills, alongside an analysis of 824,700 social media posts from elected officials. Social data was drawn from Talkwalker and legislative data from LexisNexis State Net. All findings reflect correlation, not causation; drafting structure, political context, and sponsorship also influence legislative outcomes.

About /prompt

/prompt is a 10x Agency of the Year–winning integrated marketing and communications agency built to help clients succeed by outsmarting — not outspending — the competition. Independent and management-owned, the agency unites data, strategy, creativity, and media under one AI-augmented system. /prompt specializes in high-scrutiny, high-stakes healthcare communications and partners with pharmaceutical companies, health systems, and advocacy organizations on evidence-based language strategy.

Learn more at www.meetprompt.com.

About the Health Outcomes Coalition

The Health Outcomes Coalition is a cross-industry working group chaired by Dr. Alok Patel, uniting leaders from pharma, biotech, academia, and advocacy around a single purpose: improving how health outcomes are defined, measured, and communicated. The coalition builds the shared language infrastructure the industry needs to reach patients more effectively.

SOURCE /prompt

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Melissa Green promoted to Regional Vice President, Operations at Davidson Hospitality Group

Tenured hospitality leader elevated; will drive best-in-class performance for portfolio

of full-service hotels and resorts

ATLANTA, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Premier hospitality management company Davidson Hospitality Group announces the promotion of Melissa Green to Regional Vice President, Operations. In her role, she is responsible for driving best-in-class performance and optimal results for her portfolio of distinctive full-service hotels and resorts.

"We are proud to recognize Melissa with a well-deserved promotion as her hospitality career flourishes at Davidson," said Jason Reader, Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Hospitality Group. "Notably, she one of the first individuals to be tapped for the launch of our inaugural GM Council and now at the above property level, she will continue to create value in all that she does as a servant leader, guiding seamless operations and fostering a culture of excellence."

Most recently, Green was Vice President and Area Managing Director of The Davenport Hotel Collection, comprised of five hotels in downtown Spokane, Washington, including the Davenport Hotel, The Davenport Tower, The Davenport Lusso, The Davenport Grand, and The Centennial. During her tenure, she served as a passionate steward of the Spokane community, launching the first annual Pacific Northwest Food & Wine Festival, a multi-day celebration of the region's rich culinary heritage, artisanal wines, and vibrant hospitality. Previously, she was Area General Manager of Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge and Hotel Viking, where she achieved exceptional results across guest satisfaction, team member engagement, and revenue generation. Her efforts have earned robust recognition, including Franchise Leadership Team of the Year for Full-Service in North America by Hyatt Hotels Corporation and she was individually named one of the "25 People of Influence" by Spokane Journal of Business. Green holds a B.S. in Food & Beverage Management from Johnson & Wales.

About Davidson Hospitality Group

Davidson Hospitality Group is an award-winning, full-service hospitality management company comprised of 90 existing hotels and resorts; more than 240 restaurants, bars, and lounges; and 1.4 million square feet of meeting space across the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. A trusted partner and preferred operator for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Kimpton, Margaritaville, and Nobu, Davidson offers a unique entrepreneurial management style and owners' mentality that provides the individualized personal service of a small company, enhanced by the breadth and depth of skill and experience of a larger company. In keeping with the company's heritage of delivering value, Davidson Hospitality Group features four highly specialized operating verticals: Davidson Hotels, Pivot, Davidson Resorts and Davidson Restaurant Group. For more information, visit www.davidsonhospitality.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn: @DavidsonHospitality. Follow us on Instagram: @davidsonhospitality and TikTok: @davidsonhospitality. #DavidsonHospitality 

Media contact:

Carrie Drost

[email protected]

SOURCE Davidson Hospitality Group

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SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC) faces a securities class action, which seeks to represent investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Fluence securities between November 24, 2025 and September 16, 2026.

The suit follows a stream of unexpected earnings announcements that were apparently at odds with Fluence's assurances that it was positioned to capitalize on surging demand for data centers, and which collectively wiped out roughly $3 billion of the company's market capitalization.

National shareholders rights firm Hagens Berman continues its investigation into claims that Fluence violated the federal securities laws.

The firm urges Fluence investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now. In addition, persons with knowledge who may be able to assist the investigation are invited to contact the firm's attorneys.

Class Period: Nov. 24, 2025 – Sept. 16, 2026

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Nov. 27, 2026

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/FLNC

Direct Contact Email: [email protected]

Firm Telephone: 844-916-0895

Fluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC) Securities Class Action:

The litigation's focus is on the propriety of Fluence's assurances that it was "well positioned to capitalize on the accelerating demand for energy storage[,]" and its backlog sufficiently covered revenue expectations. The company's plan depended on successfully ramping its "fully automated" Houston manufacturing facility's production of thermal management systems for its Gridstack ProTM battery energy storage solutions.

The complaint alleges that Fluence did not disclose important information to investors – its ability to deliver on its backlog and recognize revenue depended on new contract facilities that included incomplete and non-operational facilities. The complaint also alleges the company did not disclose that facility remediation efforts were unsuccessful.

Investors began to learn the truth through a series of partial disclosures beginning on February 4, 2026. That day, Fluence reported its Q1 2026 results included a significant year-over-year margin compression due to "additional estimated costs on two projects[]" and a significant year-over-year increase in net losses.

Then, on August 5, 2026 Fluence announced its Q3 2026 results included weaker than expected revenues, a massive year-over-year margin compression, and a net loss of $44.3 million compared to net income of $6.2 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said it "now expects that $400 million in project deliveries will be delayed into fiscal 2027 due to production issues at a new international contract facility[]" and also blamed "construction related delays that affected the completion and start-up of a new U.S. contract manufacturing facility."

Finally, on September 16, 2026 Fluence slashed its 2026 revenue guidance again (by 20%). CEO Julian Nebreda Marquez blamed the continuing "delays in the ramp up of our contract manufacturing facility in Houston." He also revealed the ramp delay was caused by having to manually weld rather than employing the automated welding process.

Each of these revelations triggered sharp declines in the price of Fluence shares. Between the first partial disclosure on February 4 and September 17, 2026 shares have fallen $21.33 (-73%).

"We're focused on when the Houston welding issue was first known to Fluence management given the facility's crucial role in onshoring," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation.

If you invested in Fluence and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that will assist the firm's investigation, submit your losses now »

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Fluence should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman's team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. 

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

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U.S. Department of War acquisition teams can now rapidly procure and deploy WEKA NeuralMesh software and solutions to get more AI output per GPU and per watt.

CAMPBELL, Calif., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WEKA, the AI data and memory infrastructure company, today announced that WEKA Federal, its wholly-owned subsidiary, has been named an "Awardable" vendor in the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, recognized among a competitive field of applicants whose solutions demonstrated innovation, scalability, and potential impact on Department of War (DoW) missions. With this designation, WEKA® NeuralMesh™ software and solutions are now available for rapid procurement and deployment by DoW mission owners who need to accelerate artificial intelligence deployments in production without expanding their data center footprint or energy envelope.

The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace is a digital repository of post-competition, readily awardable pitch videos that address the DoW's most significant challenges in AI/ML, data, and analytics. This enables DoW program offices to avoid repeat technical evaluations and shortens the path from validated requirement to fielded capability. Tradewinds is housed in the DoW's Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO).

"Every AI system the DoW fields is competing for the same megawatts, the same rack space, and the same accelerators. WEKA NeuralMesh makes each of those go further by turning data from a bottleneck into a force multiplier," said Brian Froeling, board member of WEKA Federal and chief revenue officer of WEKA. "The CDAO's Awardable designation means there's no procurement marathon ahead for DoW mission owners. Now they can award NeuralMesh directly and put it to work, fast."

One Data Layer, Wherever the Mission Runs

NeuralMesh was architected for the AI era, not retrofitted for it. Backed by more than 170 patents, it runs on standard hardware and in major public clouds, serving POSIX, S3, NFS, SMB, and GPUDirect Storage from a single namespace that scales to exabytes. With NeuralMesh, DoW program owners can:

- Run a unified data layer that supports AI training, inference, and analytics across accredited data centers, cloud regions, and air-gapped environments.

- Move applications between environments without requiring rewrites or separate infrastructure stacks.

- Serve training data, checkpoints, and inference workloads through a native S3 object store that shares the same NVMe blocks and namespace as file data; no separate tier, no gateway, no duplicate copies to secure and manage.

- Reduce infrastructure footprint by up to 8x and power draw by up to 6x versus scale-out NAS architectures at AI-factory scale, returning rack space, cooling headroom, and megawatts to the mission.

- Reduce model training time by up to 20x, compressing the path from data to deployed capability.

- Accelerate inference and agentic workloads with NeuralMesh and Augmented Memory GridTM, serving up to 10x more concurrent users per GPU while lowering cost per token.

Established in 2020, WEKA Federal operates as an independent subsidiary supporting U.S. federal, defense, and public sector missions, delivering solutions across accredited data centers, cloud, tactical edge, and air-gapped environments. U.S. federal government agencies, national laboratories, research institutions, and contractors rely on NeuralMesh to run production AI, machine learning, and accelerated compute workloads.

Watch the WEKA Federal Solution Video

WEKA Federal's solution video, "The Data Path is the Mission," is available only to government customers on the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace and demonstrates how WEKA Federal's awardable NeuralMesh software and hardware solutions deliver mission-speed data for training, inference, and the tactical edge. Visit www.tradewindai.com to get started.

To learn more about NeuralMesh, visit: https://www.weka.io/product/neuralmesh.

About the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace

The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace is a digital repository of post-competition, readily awardable pitch videos that address the Department of War's (DoW's) most significant challenges in the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), data, and analytics space. All awardable solutions have been assessed through complex scoring rubrics and competitive procedures and are available to Government customers with a Marketplace account. Government customers can create an account at www.tradewindai.com. Tradewinds is housed in the DoW's Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Office.

About WEKA

WEKA is the AI data and memory infrastructure company transforming the economics of agentic AI. The WEKA® NeuralMesh™ platform unifies high-performance data storage with extended GPU memory, giving enterprises, AI cloud providers, and AI builders a single foundation for training, inference, and agentic workloads. With Augmented Memory Grid™, NeuralMesh extends GPU memory capacity by 1000x, accelerates time to first token by up to 20x, and delivers 10x more concurrent users from the same GPU footprint, proven in production benchmarks. Trusted by 30% of the Fortune 50, WEKA enables organizations to scale AI faster, optimize GPU utilization, and reduce the cost of every token served. Learn more at www.weka.io or connect with us on LinkedIn and X.

WEKA and the WEKA logo are registered trademarks, and WEKA NeuralMesh and Augmented Memory Grid are trademarks of WekaIO, Inc. Other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE WekaIO

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Utah-based organizations unite to support more than 500 student-athletes across 19 sports

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- USANA Health Sciences and University of Utah Athletics have announced a new partnership bringing together two Utah organizations with a shared commitment to health, performance, and excellence.

Through the partnership, USANA will support more than 500 University of Utah student-athletes across 19 sports, significantly expanding the company's global roster of sponsored, elite athletes and teams.

As part of the partnership, USANA will support Utah student-athletes both on and off the field through access to high-quality nutritional products, NIL opportunities, and community-focused initiatives. The two organizations also plan to work closely with the USANA Foundation, creating ways for student-athletes to give back and make a meaningful impact in the local community. Together, these efforts will support student-athlete health and performance while helping them build their personal brands, connect with the community, and use their platforms for good.

For Salt Lake City-based USANA, the partnership brings the company's longstanding commitment to supporting athletes closer to home.

"We've had the privilege of supporting athletes around the world for many years, so there is something especially meaningful about forming this partnership right here in our own backyard," said Brent Neidig, chief commercial officer at USANA. "The University of Utah has an incredible tradition of athletic excellence, and we're proud to welcome more than 500 Utes student-athletes to the USANA family."

The partnership also brings USANA's connection to the University of Utah full circle. USANA founder Dr. Myron Wentz earned his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Utah before going on to build a career in microbiology, immunology, and human health and ultimately founding USANA in Salt Lake City in 1992.

"Utah Athletics' partnership with USANA is a game-changer for our student-athletes and our Performance Nutrition program," said Meredith Price, Utah Assistant A.D. for Performance Nutrition. "Our team of dietitians work individually with student-athletes to optimize their nutrition for performance, recovery and health. Having access to high-quality, third-party sport-tested supplements from USANA allows us to keep health and safety at the forefront of our recommendations."

The addition of University of Utah Athletics further expands USANA's longstanding commitment to supporting elite athletes. USANA currently partners with athletes and athletic organizations around the world, supporting competitors across a wide range of sports with a focus on nutrition, health, and performance.

About University of Utah Athletics

With a long-running reputation as an athletics power, the University of Utah claims 32 national championships and 128 individual national titles in its history, and generates enormous visibility and exposure to the institution through national television broadcasts, media coverage and social media engagement. Utah, which sponsors 19 NCAA sport programs, is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Utes have achieved a score of 93-percent or higher in the NCAA's annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for eight consecutive years, including a department record-tying GSR of 95-percent in both the 2024 and 2025 reports. Learn more about the University of Utah at utah.edu and about Utah Athletics at utahutes.com.

About USANA Health Sciences

USANA (NYSE: USNA) has been providing premium-quality nutrition and lifestyle products for more than 30 years. From its award-winning supplements manufactured in its FDA-registered facility to its cutting-edge Celavive® skincare and healthy living products, USANA is committed to empowering people to live healthy, vibrant lives. USANA products are trusted by elite athletes, Olympians, and health-conscious consumers in more than 25 countries worldwide.

Learn more at USANA.com or explore the science behind USANA products at AskTheScientists.com.

Media Contact:

(801) 954-7626

media(at)USANAinc(dot)com

SOURCE USANA

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FARMINGTON, Conn., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS) will host a conference call on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET. Otis Chair, CEO & President Judy Marks and Executive Vice President & CFO Cristina Mendez will discuss the company's third quarter results and 2026 outlook.

We encourage you to join through our webcast link. A corresponding presentation and news release will be available on www.otis.com prior to the call and a recording will be available on the website later in the day. If you are unable to join via the webcast, please contact Otis investor relations ([email protected]) for alternative dial-in information. Additional investor updates are also available on www.otis.com from time to time.

About Otis

Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation, service and modernization of elevators and escalators, we move 2.5 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.5 million customer units worldwide – the industry's largest Service portfolio. You'll find us in the world's most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 72,000 people strong, including 45,000 field professionals, all committed to manufacturing, installing and maintaining products to meet the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.

Media Contact:

Katy Padgett

+1-860-674-3047

[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:

Imelda Suit

+1-860-676-6011

[email protected] 

SOURCE Otis Worldwide Corporation

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TORONTO, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX: ARA) is pleased to announce the inauguration of a demonstration plant to develop the technology to produce rare earth metals and alloys. The demonstration plant was launched by Aclara Metals SpA ("Aclara Metals"), a 50/50 joint venture with CAP S.A. ("CAP"), focused on the development of rare earth metals and alloys production, and the technology draws on the metallurgical knowledge and experience accumulated over decades at CAP's Huachipato steelworks in Talcahuano. The start-up ceremony was attended by Sergio Giacaman, Governor of the Biobío Region, along with directors and executives of CAP, Aclara and Aclara Metals.

From left to right: Daniel Escobar, Biobío Regional Secretary of Mining (SEREMI); Christian Cifuentes, Biobío Regional Secretary of Economy, Development and Tourism (SEREMI); Álvaro Castellón, General Manager of Aclara Metals; Nicolás Burr, CEO of CAP; Ramón Barúa, CEO of Aclara; Jorge Salvatierra, Chairman of the Board of CAP; Sergio Giacaman, Governor of the Biobío Region; and Enrique Donoso, General Manager of Aclara Chile.

Using a molten salt electrolysis process, the demonstration plant will convert neodymium and praseodymium ("NdPr") oxides into metals and alloys. The facility is expected to validate this technology at industrial scale and under real operating conditions. It has been designed for a nominal production capacity of up to 175 kilograms of rare earth metal per day, with a target purity of at least 99.5%. Aclara Metals is also evaluating a second demonstration stage, following completion of the NdPr production stage, that would add dysprosium ("Dy") oxide to produce an NdPrDy alloy.

The demonstration plant will operate through production campaigns that are expected to validate its ability to produce metals and alloys under stable, continuous industrial conditions while meeting the quality specifications required by potential international customers. These campaigns are also expected to build operating experience and help train the teams involved in the future industrial facility.

Results based on real-world data from the demonstration plant are also expected to provide critical technical and operational inputs for the basic engineering for Aclara Metals' future industrial project in Louisiana, United States. This data will also be used to develop and refine predictive digital models that are aimed at optimizing the process and supporting a more stable and efficient operation of the electrolysis cells. The detailed design of the industrial-scale electrolysis cell has been developed entirely by teams from Aclara Metals and Huachipato and constitutes proprietary technology of the Company. With no established industrial standards for this metallurgical process to metallize rare earths, Aclara Metals' internally developed know-how represents a high-value technological asset.

Rare earth metals and alloys are essential inputs for manufacturing the permanent magnets used in electromobility, robotics, wind power generation, and other advanced technologies. The initiative will also generate knowledge in Chile that is expected to contribute to the development of new technologies key to the energy transition.

Toward an Integrated Value Chain

The initiative is part of Aclara and CAP's strategy to advance toward an integrated, traceable, and sustainable rare earth value chain, spanning extraction and separation through to the production of metals and alloys. In Chile, extraction will take place at the Penco Module, the country's first rare earth deposit.

Jorge Salvatierra, Chairman of the Board of CAP, said: "This plant is a concrete example of how the capabilities and knowledge developed over decades at Huachipato can be extended into new industries. We are combining metallurgical experience, infrastructure, and talent with new technological capabilities to innovate from Chile and to take part in a critical minerals value chain linked to the energy transition. It is also the kind of project we seek to drive as part of Huachipato's industrial transition, finding new uses for existing capabilities and opening space for knowledge- and innovation-intensive initiatives."

Ramón Barúa, CEO of Aclara, said: "This demonstration plant marks another important step in Aclara's development of an integrated rare earth supply chain. It complements our concentration pilot plants in Chile and Brazil and our separation pilot plant in Virginia, United States. With the addition of metallization and alloy production capabilities, Aclara is advancing toward an end-to-end technology and production platform integrating mining, concentration, separation, metallization, and alloy production. This completes a value chain that is critical to establishing a secure Western source of both heavy and light rare earths."

Álvaro Castellón, General Manager of Aclara Metals, added: "Rare earth metallization is a scarce, almost nonexistent technology in the West. This demonstration plant will allow us to replicate one of the four processes that make up metallization, generating concrete learnings that will complement the engineering work already underway as we advance toward a future industrial plant in the United States. Huachipato's metallurgical experience, together with the drive and conviction of CAP and Aclara, has created a unique combination that lets us move quickly and deliver concrete results."

About Aclara

Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA), a Toronto Stock Exchange listed company, is focused on building a vertically integrated supply chain for rare earth alloys used in permanent magnets, as well as high-purity rare earth oxides, including yttrium and gadolinium, for power generation, aerospace and other high-performance applications. This strategy is supported by Aclara's development of rare earth mineral resources hosted in ionic clay deposits, which contain high concentrations of the scarce heavy rare earths, providing the Company with a long-term, reliable source of these critical materials. The Company's rare earth mineral resource development projects include the Carina Project in the State of Goiás, Brazil as its flagship project and the Penco Module in the Biobío Region of Chile. Both projects feature Aclara's patented technology named Circular Mineral Harvesting, which offers a sustainable and energy-efficient extraction process for rare earths from ionic clay deposits. The Circular Mineral Harvesting process has been designed to minimize the water consumption and overall environmental impact through recycling and circular economy principles. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Aclara Technologies Inc., the Company is further enhancing its product value by developing a rare earth separation plant in the United States. This facility will process mixed rare earth carbonates sourced from Aclara's mineral resource projects, separating them into pure individual rare earth oxides. Additionally, Aclara through a joint venture with CAP, is advancing its alloy-making capabilities to convert these refined oxides into the alloys needed for fabricating permanent magnets. This joint venture leverages CAP's extensive expertise in metal refining and special ferro-alloyed steels. Beyond the Carina Project and the Penco Module, Aclara is committed to expanding its mineral resource portfolio by exploring greenfield opportunities and further developing projects within its existing concessions in Brazil, Chile, and Peru, aiming to increase future production of heavy rare earths.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable United States securities laws (together, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding: the operation, nominal capacity, target purity and production campaigns of the demonstration plant; the ability of the demonstration plant to validate the technology and to meet customer specifications; a potential second demonstration stage involving dysprosium; the use of results and data from the demonstration plant in the basic engineering of Aclara Metals' future industrial project in Louisiana, United States, and in the development of predictive digital models; the development of the Penco Module and the receipt of environmental approvals; and the development of an integrated rare earth value chain. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "intends", "targets", "evaluating", "will", "may", "could" and similar expressions.

Forward-looking information is based on assumptions that management believes to be reasonable, including that the demonstration plant will operate as designed; that the technology can be scaled up as anticipated; that required financing, permits and approvals will be obtained on acceptable terms and timelines; that Aclara and CAP will continue to support the objectives of Aclara Metals; and that market conditions for rare earth products will be favourable.

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stepan Company (NYSE: SCL) will issue its third quarter 2026 earnings results on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at approximately 7:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. CT). Supporting slides will be posted at approximately the same time on the Investors/Presentations page at www.stepan.com. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss and answer questions about its financial and operational performance on the same day at 9:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. CT).

The call will be hosted by Luis E. Rojo, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Ruben Velasquez, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

The call can be accessed by phone and webcast. To access the call by phone, please click on this Registration Link, complete the form and you will be provided with dial in details and a PIN. To avoid delays, we encourage participants to dial into the conference call ten minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. The webcast can be accessed through the Investors/Conference Calls page at www.stepan.com. A webcast replay of the conference call will be available at the same location shortly after the call.

Corporate Profile

Stepan Company is a major manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals used in a broad range of industries. Stepan is a leading merchant producer of surfactants, which are the key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products and in agricultural and oilfield solutions. The Company is also a leading supplier of polyurethane polyols used in the expanding thermal insulation market, and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers) industries.

Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, Stepan utilizes a network of modern production facilities located in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol SCL. For more information about Stepan Company please visit the Company online at www.stepan.com.

More information about Stepan's sustainability program can be found on the Sustainability page at www.stepan.com.

Certain information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements about Stepan Company's plans, objectives, strategies, financial performance and outlook, trends, the amount and timing of future cash distributions, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, Stepan Company's actual financial results, performance, achievements or prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "guidance," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would," "should," "illustrative" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Stepan Company and its management based on their knowledge and understanding of the business and industry, are inherently uncertain. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, and stockholders should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond Stepan Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among other factors, the risks, uncertainties and factors described in Stepan Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) risks and uncertainties related to accidents, unplanned production shutdowns or disruptions in manufacturing facilities; reduced demand due to customer product reformulations or new technologies; our inability to successfully develop or introduce new products; our ability to realize cost savings or operating efficiencies associated with strategic initiatives; compliance with laws; our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates and successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; global competition; volatility of raw material and energy costs and supply; disruptions in transportation or significant changes in transportation costs; downturns in certain industries and general economic downturns; international business risks, including currency exchange rate fluctuations, legal restrictions and taxes; unfavorable resolution of litigation against us; maintaining and protecting intellectual property rights; our ability to access capital markets; global political, military, security or other instability; costs related to expansion or other capital projects; interruption or breaches of information technology systems; our ability to retain executive management and key personnel; and our debt covenants.

These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Stepan Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Stepan Company

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Abusix launches 'Abusix Frontline' to invest in long-term partner growth

Margin protection, pipeline incentives, and autonomy to drive partner growth.

BOSTON, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Abusix today announced Abusix Frontline, a program giving partners commercial incentives, autonomy, and support via Authorized and Advanced tiers.

It offers deal registration, margin protection, pipeline incentives, and training. Partners retain standard margins on renewals and access to Abbie, an AI assistant for multilingual enablement.

Jasper Lounio, Head of Channel, said: "We've built this program around what makes a partner want to invest their time and resources in growing with Abusix. That means strong margins, protecting those margins when customers renew, and recognizing the work into creating pipeline, not just the final transaction."

Partners can register deals, create quotes, and progress opportunities independently, with zero channel conflict on registered accounts.

Tobias Knecht, Founder and CEO of Abusix, said: "Most phishing attacks travel through mail infrastructure offered by a service provider before it reaches anyone's inbox, and those operators know it. That is a problem our partners can sell into today. Partners bring the customer relationships and the local reach. We bring technology with proven demand, so the commercial opportunity is there from the first conversation."

Florent Manens, CEO at Beezim, added: "What we value about working with the Abusix Frontline program is the independence it gives us. We register an opportunity, create a quote, and progress the deal ourselves, while having direct access to the Abusix team. The service helps us provide the best quality filtering for our customers. Having everything in one place makes collaboration straightforward, lets us focus on our customers and growing the business."

Abusix Frontline is open to VARs, System Integrators, Technology partners, and Distributors. partners.abusix.com[email protected].

About Abusix

Abusix, a leading network security company that offers solutions for email security and network abuse report handling, is on a mission to build a safer internet. For network and mail providers, Abusix blocks email threats at the edge and automates network abuse handling from first report to resolution through its product suite: Abusix Mail, Abusix Ops, and Abusix Threat Intel. Seven of the ten largest European telecommunications companies are Abusix customers, alongside internet service providers, mailbox providers, and cloud and hosting companies across North America, EMEA, and APAC. Abusix Inc. is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Learn more at abusix.com.

SOURCE Abusix Inc

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OpsGuru Named OpenAI Select Partner, Recognizing Its Work Bringing OpenAI Models to Enterprise AWS Environments

TORONTO, Oct. 7, 2026 /CNW/ -- OpsGuru, an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, announced it has been named a registered OpenAI Select Partner. The designation recognizes what OpsGuru has already delivered in the field: agentic AI built on OpenAI models and running in production on AWS, often orchestrated through Amazon Bedrock, for enterprise customers in regulated industries.

"Our partnership with OpenAI represents the next chapter in OpsGuru's evolution, said Ryan Smyth, CEO of OpsGuru. "It brings together the best of what's next in AI with the data and cloud foundations our customers already trust, turning that innovation into real production outcomes."

The designation builds on OpsGuru's work delivering AI on AWS for enterprises in financial services, healthcare, retail, energy, and technology. Customers get a partner that designs, builds, and runs OpenAI-powered solutions within the security and governance standards they already operate under on AWS.

"It is an exciting time for OpsGuru, as we bring new ideas to life for our customers in unprecedented ways," said Tim Currie, President at OpsGuru. "We can move fast and innovate on OpenAI, but leverage the security and scale of AWS and Amazon Bedrock."

As an OpenAI Select Partner, OpsGuru will continue working closely with OpenAI to help organizations build, deploy, and scale AI solutions into production. This work will help organizations take advantage of the advanced capabilities and deeper reasoning of models like GPT-6 Astra to achieve new and exciting business outcomes.

"OpenAI continues to shape modern AI capabilities. We always engineer for security as a best practice, but integrating these platforms through Amazon Bedrock unites frontier model intelligence with secure, enterprise-grade cloud systems," said Mency Woo, Field CTO at OpsGuru. "Our teams at OpsGuru thrive at this intersection of high-level innovation, production-ready execution, and measurable outcomes and speed time-to-value."

OpsGuru customers keep the AWS and Amazon Bedrock teams they already trust, now with OpenAI's designation and support behind the work. That means getting AI into production faster, keeping costs under control, and scaling securely on one governed AWS foundation.

Enterprises ready to move OpenAI-powered AI from pilot to production on AWS can start a conversation with OpsGuru at opsguru.com or contact [email protected].

About OpsGuru

OpsGuru is a leading AWS Premier Tier Services Partner helping organizations of every size, from ambitious startups and growing SMBs to the world's largest enterprises, put AI at the core of how they operate. Holding the AWS Migration, DevOps, Networking, SaaS, and AI Services Competencies, along with the AWS Managed Service Provider Designation, OpsGuru brings deep technical expertise and proven delivery discipline to every engagement. OpsGuru designs, builds, and operates the cloud and AI systems that take organizations from proof of concept to production, securely and at scale, so businesses can move fast without slowing down for risk.

For further information, please contact:

Anita Matte

Senior Director, Marketing & Business Development

416-845-3235

[email protected]

SOURCE OpsGuru

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