2023 Best Workplaces for Commuters
2023 Best Workplaces for Commuters logo

TAMPA, Fla., January 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Announcing the 2023 Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) annual list of U.S.-based employers, universities and sites that meet the program's National Standard of Excellence by providing exceptional commuter benefits and collectively changing how more than two million employees and students commute to and from work each day.

2023 Best Workplaces for Commuters list: www.bestworkplaces.org

More than 600 workplaces have been named to the 2023 Best Workplaces for Commuters list, a record-breaking year for the organization. The list includes Best Workplaces, Best Universities and Best Sites for Commuters across the U.S. continuing to provide high-level commuter benefits. 

"This year we are excited to announce a record-breaking list of workplaces," said Julie Bond, Program Manager for Best Workplaces for Commuters. "Employers that make this list demonstrate an exemplary commitment to their employees, offering commute programs, like telework, discounted transit passes, and bicycle-friendly amenities, that empower their employees to be successful at work while also supporting their individual needs."

This year, BWC announced the new 2023 "Commuter Benefits Guide for Employer Fringe Benefits." Commuter benefits encourage American workers to get to and from work in ways that reduce air pollution, improve public health, increase worker productivity, and reduce expenses and taxes for employers and employees. BWC also recognizes telework as a key benefit of a successful employee commuter benefits package, helping increase program adoption nationally. 

To receive the designation, employers submit an application to demonstrate they promote transportation choices for employees that meet the BWC National Standard of Excellence. BWC members receive national recognition and access to an array of support services to strengthen their commuter programs, including webinars, benchmark surveys, guidebooks, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities. BWC also provides tools to help workplaces assess how commuter programs benefit their organizations, their employees, and the environment.

About Best Workplaces for Commuters

Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) is the national authority on recognizing and assisting workplaces that provide exceptional commuter benefits to employees. More than a recognition program, BWC provides the necessary assistance to create and sustain employer-provided commuter benefit programs, and offers recognition and tailored support for employers, universities, and sites. The program is hosted by the National Institute for Congestion Relief (NICR) at the University of South Florida with support from the Florida Department of Transportation. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.bestworkplaces.org. #BWC2023

PINNACOLO L'ARGILLA
PINNACOLO L'ARGILLA Thermal Clay Gas Powered 50,000 BTU Oven

LAS VEGAS, January 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - FireOneUp.com is proudly launching the new PINNACOLO® L'Argilla Thermal Clay Gas-Powered Oven. The PINNACOLO® L'Argilla in many ways replicates the igloo shape of the ancient Pompeii ovens. The curvature of the dome wraps heat around food, cooking it from all sides. With 50,000 BTUs of cooking power, the CSA-approved L'Argilla heats the cordierite cooking surface to over 600˚F in well under 10 minutes while the outside remains safe to the touch. The 26.5" diameter interior (3.83 sq ft) provides the space to easily handle 2+ pizzas at a time. Since the oven is gas-powered, you have far greater temperature control, making it superb for roasting, baking, and searing. The L'Argilla comes complete with a custom-designed steel stand featuring oversized front wheels and locking rotational rear casters to make positioning the new PINNACOLO® oven easy. The L'Argilla includes a selection of PINNACOLO®-branded pizza-making accessories (a retail value of over $500). Just add gas.

FireOneUp will also be launching a full line of pizza oven accessories. This will include over 20 real-life tested products to help make the cooking experience easier, safer, faster, and far more enjoyable. The company has been working with customers/real users to develop these accessories. The growing line will help home cooks, restaurateurs, caterers, and professional chefs achieve better results.

The PINNACOLO® line also includes their original Premio Wood Fired Oven and their popular PINNACOLO® IBRIDO Hybrid Wood/Gas Oven with 35,000 BTUs and two side prep shelves. The line of PINNACOLO® ovens each comes with a selection of essential cooking accessories so they are immediately ready to begin making great food. 

Fire One Up Sales Inc., (FireOneUp.com), a WeConnect Certified Women Owned Company, is the global distributor of the PINNACOLO® line. The company, which began in Canada in 2020, has seen tremendous response and rapid growth. For more details, contact [email protected] or through the website at www.FireOneUp.com or by calling 1-877-288-1110.

DURHAM, N.C., January 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Revolutionary sustainable building materials company Plantd is making waves in the construction industry with the announcement of its $10 million Series A funding round. Led by American Family Ventures, the funding solidifies Plantd's position as a pioneer in carbon-negative building materials.

"We are thrilled to back this exceptional and visionary team," said Kyle Beatty, Managing Director at American Family Ventures. "Plantd is creating fundamentally better construction materials that are cost-effective and truly carbon negative. We have been impressed by how they have reinvented every step of the production process from first principles, all the way from input material to logistics."

Plantd's production team is led by co-founders and engineers Huade Tan and Nathan Silvernail, who worked together for years at SpaceX designing and building key systems and components of the Dragon cargo and crew spacecraft. Together with co-founder and CEO Josh Dorfman, a serial entrepreneur and longtime sustainability leader, Plantd is redefining the value chain for engineered building materials.

Plantd's proprietary low carbon-emissions production technology transforms fast-growing perennial grass into durable, carbon-negative building materials that outperform competitive products on key attributes, including strength and moisture resistance. 

Starting with structural panel products for walls and roofs, Plantd will fabricate building materials that are a direct substitute for traditional home construction products and require no alternative installation techniques. By cultivating fast-growing perennial grass instead of cutting down trees and pioneering novel production technology to minimize carbon emissions, Plantd Structural Panels™ retain 80% of the atmospheric carbon dioxide captured in the field, which is then locked away inside the walls and roofs of new homes. 

"We can't move quickly enough to solve climate change unless we develop profitable methods to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere," said Dorfman. "We're going to change an industry by offering builders a better product at the same price and, in the process, scale a business that can help save the planet."

Building with Plantd materials enables home builders to offer their customers homes that are affordable, durable, and sustainable. And by sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide within structural frames, homes built with Plantd materials will play a key role in solving climate change.

Plantd will use this round of funding to establish their agriculture supply chain and build the first-of-its-kind, modular automated continuous press for engineered building materials. The company is currently working with the nation's largest builders and architects to integrate these materials into their projects and quickly make them a standard in the industry.

Plantd's ultimate vision is to build the factory of the future, ensuring that new homes and buildings contribute to reversing the effects of climate change.

Learn more about Plantd by visiting https://www.plantdmaterials.com/ and discover how they are shaping the future of the construction industry and the planet.

SAN FRANCISCO, January 25, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Today, Orange announced the close of its $2.5MM pre-seed round to scale affordable electric vehicle charging for apartment communities by leveraging lower-powered charging solutions. 

Founded by former Tesla engineers and backed by prominent EV investors, Orange is creating an affordable charging platform that provides site owners with a compelling return on investment while maintaining equitable costs, bringing EV charging to more disadvantaged communities.

Orange installs EV chargers for the lowest possible cost while providing enough energy to satisfy daily driving needs using lower-powered 120-volt and 240-volt solutions. More stations are installed on the same circuit, making EV charging possible for the maximum number of residents at any property. 

The Orange Outlet lowers the costs of charging for 39 million Americans living in apartment communities by ~70% over traditional charging solutions and carries little to no maintenance cost due to its simplified design. Additionally, Orange leverages the proprietary software, OrangeNet, which allows property owners to manage outlets across multiple sites and brings an average return on investment of 150%.

"Orange has achieved equitable access to electricity by re-thinking the entire process of vehicle charging by creating a system specifically for apartment communities, rather than pushing a public charging model that doesn't fit onto them," Nicholas Johnson, Orange CEO, said. 

Baukunst, a leading pre-seed firm investing at the frontiers of technology and design, led the round. They are joined by notable angel investors in the EV space, including Tesla co-founders Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard, Johnathan Crowder, founder of the energy-focused firm Intellus Capital, and Sven Thesan, a Nobel-winning chemist.

About Orange
Redwood City, CA-based Orange is an electric vehicle charging solutions provider at multi-unit properties led by technology entrepreneurs and electrical experts. Founded in 2020, Orange offers customers an affordable and scalable way to bring EV charging capabilities to their residents by leveraging lower-powered charging outlets that reduce total costs by upwards of 70% compared to traditional charging solutions. The company's innovative approach allows the millions of Americans living in multi-family housing access to affordable charging. For more information, please visit orangecharger.com.

INVESTOR QUOTES

Matt Thoms, General Partner at Baukunst: 
"We're thrilled to lead the pre-seed round for Nicholas and the team at Orange. At Baukunst, we believe a charging solution designed specifically for affordability and rapid adoption in apartment communities will catalyze the equitable EV movement."

Marc Tarpenning, Co-founder of Tesla Motors and Venture Partner at Spero Venture: 
"Orange's low-cost EV charging solution for apartment communities solves a major problem for widespread and equitable EV adoption. We are excited to be part of Orange's journey."

Jonathan Crowder, Partner at Intelis Capital: 
"We're excited to partner with the Orange Charger team on their mission to solve the challenge of delivering affordable and convenient EV charging solutions for multi-family property residents and building owners."