Latest news with #Gustafson
Business Wire
22-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Stronghouse Solutions Acquires Gustafson Roofing
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--O2 Investment Partners ( is pleased to announce that Stronghouse Solutions ( a national leader in roofing and exterior services, has acquired Gustafson Roofing ('Gustafson') of Boynton Beach, Florida ( We are incredibly pleased to partner with Stronghouse, an organization that shares our vision for quality, growth, and innovation. Stronghouse will support Gustafson by providing best-in-class processes, capital investment, technology innovation, and operational support. Gustafson is expected to bolster Stronghouse's rapidly growing retail exterior division and serve as a key regional hub enabling further growth and expansion across the Southeast. 'We are excited to partner with Gustafson.' said Troy Baker, Chief Revenue and Operating Officer of Stronghouse. 'We identified Gustafson as an operator uniquely positioned to expand its footprint both within its existing markets as well as into new markets. Their leadership under Frank Mercado, Ryan Gustafson, and Mike Gustafson, Jr. has provided high-quality services and excellence across Palm Beach County. Stronghouse looks forward to providing the resources to build on their impressive 75-year legacy.' Established in 1948, Gustafson is led by Frank Mercado who serves as CEO of the third-generation family-owned business alongside Ryan Gustafson and Mike Gustafson, Jr. in key leadership and operational roles. The brand's strong reputation for delivering superior roofing and exterior services has garnered decades of referral business throughout Palm Beach County. 'We are incredibly pleased to partner with Stronghouse, an organization that shares our vision for quality, growth, and innovation,' said Mercado. 'Stronghouse went to great lengths to understand our business and develop a forward-looking plan for sustainable expansion to meet the increasing demand for quality residential exterior services.' Stronghouse is dedicated to executing a purposeful growth strategy by partnering with leading exterior services operators in attractive markets. Please contact Mike Hilcove at mhilcove@ for more information or to discuss new development opportunities. About Stronghouse Solutions Stronghouse Solutions is an industry leading provider of roof replacement and repair and other exterior home services to residential customers across the United States. Stronghouse is headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. For additional information, please visit About Gustafson Roofing Gustafson Roofing is a regional provider of roofing and other exterior home services to residential customers across Eastern Florida. Gustafson is headquartered in Boynton Beach, FL. For additional information, please visit About O2 Investment Partners O2 Investment Partners is a Midwestern-based private equity firm that seeks to invest in lower middle-market niche services, technology, and select industrial companies. The firm invests in businesses with earnings growth potential and a clear path to creating shareholder value. O2 invests to partner with management to build and grow the business and take it to its next stage of development. This requires a clear vision and strategic plan to create shareholder value, close partnership, and alignment of interest with management. For additional information, please visit
Winnipeg Free Press
12-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Scrutiny for supervised drug consumption site in Victoria's ‘Downtown Eastside'
VICTORIA – The value of a supervised consumption site in the heart of Victoria's most downtrodden neighbourhood is under debate — is it a life-saving tool, or a magnet for drug dealers victimizing those in an encampment on the site's doorstep? Victoria Coun. Marg Gardiner said the facility is a draw for both 'those addicted to drugs and for drug dealers, who prey on the weak and ill among those encamped' in the three blocks along Pandora Avenue. 'It's Victoria's Downtown Eastside,' she said in an interview, likening Pandora to the Vancouver neighbourhood plagued by crime, poverty and addiction. Gardiner tabled a motion that went before council this week asking Victoria to formally request Island Health to close the facility, along with a second nearby facility, by Aug. 31. The council put off any request and the issue was deferred until Nov. 6. Mayor Marianne Alto said time was needed to gather evidence for a 'well-informed discussion' about a 'very complex' issue like supervised-consumption sites. Gardiner's motion was prompted by a presentation to council last month from Dr. Reka Gustafson, Island Health's chief medical health officer. Gustafson said the 'vast majority of people who use substances' are not using the Pandora facility, adding that about 80 people are using inhalation services at the site each day. 'The estimated number of people who use opiates in British Columbia is 225,000,' she said. 'So, I think it's really important that the overwhelming majority of people, who use substances and who are dying from toxic substances aren't the people, who are visible to us, aren't necessarily the individuals, that we often talk about.' For Gardiner, Gustafson's comments mean that users of the facility 'tend to be regular clientele' while 'most of those encamped on the 900 block of Pandora do not seek' out the facility. Island Health did not directly respond to a request for an interview about Gustafson's comments but provided a statement describing the value of the consumption site. Many consider the 800 to 1,000 blocks of Pandora Avenue the epicentre of Victoria's homelessness challenge with multiple tents and other sleeping structures set up along its sidewalks. Bicycles and shopping carts loaded with belongings are parked nearby. Portable fencing has been set up to separate the encampment from a nearby church and other businesses. Alto said delaying Gardiner's motion would give the city time to implement its recently approved Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan, which includes several items to address that section of Pandora Ave. The mayor earlier this month announced the plan that would pour $10.35 million into more police and bylaw officers, temporary housing and cleanup as it tries to reduce crime, homelessness and addiction. The supervised consumption site, known as The Harbour, first opened its doors in June 2018 as Victoria's first such facility under a federal exemption to the Controlled Drug and Substances Act that is set to expire in 2027. The facility supervises people who consume drugs through their nose, mouth, injections and inhalation, so that they can receive immediate treatment in case they overdose. It also provides safer drug use supplies, drug testing, harm-reduction supplies and harm-reduction education among other services. Island Health, which operates the facility in partnership with Lookout Housing and Health Society and Solid Outreach Society, said in its statement that the facility is part of 'evidence-based health services that reduce adverse outcomes and death for people who use substances.' Island Health said the facility received about 3,000 visits from 445 different people in June. It said three drug poisonings happened inside the facility with no deaths or adverse events last month. Preliminary information from the BC Centre for Disease Control shows that Island Health's seven overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites have averted an estimated 2,140 deaths between January 2019 and October 2024. As of June 10, 2025, Greater Victoria has recorded 36 overdose deaths, down from 161 in 2024 and 175 in 2023. Gardiner said in an interview that she knew the likelihood of council supporting her closure motion was 'quite low,' but defended it by saying that the 'general public has to know what is going on' on Pandora. She said she believes the consumption sites are not working, and she suggests they should be closed entirely, rather than moved elsewhere. The supervised consumption sites have failed, Gardiner said, especially against the backdrop of the deadly opioid fentanyl, which she said was a 'game-changer' in Victoria's drug subculture. 'The normalization of illicit drugs is harmful to individuals, who fall victim to drug addiction,' she said. 'It's harmful to their families, and it's harmful to society at large. If this council is committed to a safer city, it must do more than increase enforcement, while supporting illicit drug use behind closed door, because that is what we are doing.' Alto said during debate that deferral of the motion gives time to discuss the future of the facility, not just with Island Health, but also with the province and other actors in the health field, including public health officials. She said they'll be able to gather some evidence to have a 'well-informed discussion' and allow them to perhaps adjust the motion. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. 'I will say that I have already been in conversation with a number of those people, including (B.C. Health Minister) Josie Osborne,' Alto said Thursday, adding that Osborne had signalled a willingness to continue the conversation on improving the situation along Pandora Avenue. Gardiner opposed deferral, saying that she does not 'want to wait another two years' before Victoria makes a decision. Island Health didn't comment on the deferral. 'Island Health is aware of the recent motion before Victoria city council,' it said in its statement. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bringing the noise
The atmosphere in Pan Am Pool will be no short of electric this weekend, as provincial pride is on the line at the 2025 ManSask Summer Long Course Provincial Championships. It's one of the largest swim meets hosted in Winnipeg in years, with around 460 athletes from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, who will compete from July 10–13 in timed races based on age groups, before ending the meet on Sunday with a provincial relay where it's a province-versus-province showdown. 'So Canada Life Centre is loud, this place gets ridiculous,' said meet manager Dale Gustafson on the provincial relay. RENEE KARDASH PHOTO The ManSask Summer Long Course Provincial Championships will see 460 athletes from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia compete at Pan Am Pool from July 10-13. To qualify for ManSask, swimmers must meet their AA level qualification times, something many have been preparing for all season, with coaches tailoring the training and swimming programs leading up to the meet. 'These swimmers have all qualified because they have reached that threshold of time standards, so they're a little bit faster,' said Gustafson. 'We've got some pretty fast swimmers that are coming from across Ontario and Western Canada, so that'll be really cool to see this weekend, too.' But it's the final event of the competition that is set to be the highlight, as coaches across the 40 attending teams select their top swimmers to represent their provinces in relays and medley relays. And as the athletes pull on their provincial swim caps, Pan Am Pool will erupt with loud and proud cheers for the young athletes. 'It'll be the highlight, I can assure you of their weekend, for some of them, their season,' said Gustafson. 'It's so rowdy and supportive as the provinces go against each other. It's a wonderful way to finish (their season) off.' The ManSask competition is the final Swim Manitoba event this season in Winnipeg, although some swimmers will continue training leading up to the Canada Summer Games. For those on Team Manitoba headed to St. John's in August, the meet serves as a launchpad, being their last major competition before the Canada Games. 'It's a wonderful way to finish the season,' said Gustafson. 'And for the Manitoba swimmers who qualified to be here at home, for most of them in their home pool, and also to be welcoming and bringing everybody here, it's a wonderful weekend for that.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. With ManSask being one of the largest swim events at Pan Am, the organizing committee — formed in March by Swim Manitoba — has been preparing for the meet for nearly eight weeks. 'It takes a ton of work to put this all together, and it's through the good graciousness of all the volunteers that pull this stuff off,' said Gustafson. Preliminary rounds of competition start Thursday morning. 'This gives the kids the opportunity to swim against people they've probably never seen before, to hang out in the stands with teams from across the better half of the country,' said Gustafson. 'It's going to be a fun time.'
San Francisco Chronicle
26-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. journalism teacher sues school district over reassignment following student story
A San Francisco journalism teacher has sued the city's school district, claiming he was illegally reassigned and removed as the student newspaper adviser due to a controversial story published by students and another piece that was proposed but had not run. Lowell High School teacher Eric Gustafson filed the lawsuit Monday, asking the state Superior Court in San Francisco to require the district to reinstate him as the journalism teacher and adviser to the student publication, 'The Lowell.' 'If permitted to stand, Petitioner's reassignment presents student journalists at Lowell and elsewhere in California with an untenable — and unlawful — set of choices: Comply with administrators' requests for greater editorial control over their publications; avoid investigating and writing about controversial topics altogether; or subject their teachers, advisors, and mentors to reassignment and other retaliation,' the lawsuit said. District officials declined to comment specifically on the lawsuit, saying it is not their practice to do so regarding pending litigation regarding employee matters. 'We take students' freedom of expression very seriously,' said spokesperson Laura Dudnick. 'We support our students in exercising their First Amendment rights through journalism programs in SFUSD high schools, including at Lowell High School.' Gustafson, who is the spouse of a Chronicle employee, said he spent the last few months of the school year protesting his reassignment from journalism to English classes, citing state law that prohibits the reassignment, transfer, dismissal or other retaliatory actions for protecting students 'exercising their right to freedom of speech and of the press.' He said he was reassigned a few months after 'The Lowell' published an article that quoted students complaining they had been verbally harassed by teachers. Gustafson, who was not involved in the writing or editing of the story, said his principal notified him in late March that he would no longer teach journalism or be an adviser for the student newspaper next school year, after eight years in these positions. He said the principal, Jan Bautista, told him, with a union representative present, that the decision was based on his handling of the published piece as well as a proposed story about the use of artificial intelligence by teachers. District officials rejected the allegations, telling the Chronicle in April that Lowell, a public school with competitive academic admissions, followed the 'regular process' for assigning staff in this instance and that the decision 'had nothing to do with the content of the student journalism that was produced under the current teacher's leadership.' Paul Kandell of the Journalism Education Association questioned the reassignment, saying in a letter to Superintendent Maria Su and the school board that 'not only is reassigning Mr. Gustafson based on these two concerns the wrong message to send to students and community, but it is also likely illegal.' Following Gustafson's reassignment, current and former students protested the action. 'As alumni, we cannot fathom how it feels to work in Lowell's current student newsroom under attack from the school administration,' according to an April letter sent by alumni to Lowell administrators. 'This is incredibly intimidating to the future of journalism, especially in the national and political landscape we are currently living in.' 'We feel that the removal of Mr. Gustafson as our teacher and adviser brings no benefit to the journalism program and, we believe, signifies a step towards limiting student voices in our publication,' current staff of 'The Lowell' wrote in a May editorial. Also in May, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution supporting Lowell student journalism and urged the district to 'uphold its commitment to students' right to free speech.' Bautista, in April, did not respond to specific questions about the reassignment, but said in a statement, 'The Lowell administration is committed to providing high-quality instruction that supports our students as we continue the proud tradition of Lowell's journalism program. The Lowell newspaper is a pillar of our school community that celebrates student voices and perspectives.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Echo Global Logistics: leading in freight fraud prevention
Echo Global Logistics has emerged as a standout performer in the freight industry's battle against fraud, earning recognition as a winner of the 2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighter Awards. With an impressive record of delivering over one million truckload shipments in 2024 while maintaining a loss rate of less than 0.01% due to theft, Echo has established itself as an industry leader in fraud prevention strategies. According to Jay Gustafson, EVP of Brokerage Operations at Echo, the landscape of freight fraud is evolving rapidly. 'We've seen a growing trend of strategic truckload theft through digital fraud and/or identity theft. This type of fraud has become very prevalent and we've seen it continue to grow,' Gustafson said. Despite this increasing threat, Echo remains 'well-positioned to handle these types of cases.' Echo's approach to fighting fraud centers on integrating advanced technology throughout its operations. 'At Echo, we employ a thorough carrier vetting process and integrate technology into our entire process to keep freight safe with up-to-date measurements,' Gustafson explained. The company has implemented sophisticated tracking solutions that provide real-time visibility into cargo movement. 'Integrating GPS-based, covert tracking systems into cargo provides shippers with real-time monitoring and alerts, enabling their swift response to suspicious activities,' said technological advantage extends to data analysis as well. Echo has developed capabilities to 'aggregate third-party data on carriers to help stay ahead of potentially bad actors.' Their Transportation Management System (TMS) then 'analyzes and leverages that data to make sure the right carriers are in our network and booked on the right freight.' Echo remains vigilant about emerging fraud tactics in the industry. Gustafson believes that 'fraud will always be a problem when it comes to freight,' noting that 'bad actors have already found new ways to thwart security systems, from posing as legitimate carriers to purchasing secure carrier information from actual providers to impersonate a carrier.' Looking ahead, Echo expects digital fraud to remain the primary concern. 'Strategic theft through digital activity is where we expect to continue to see trends in theft,' Gustafson predicted. 'As technology becomes more and more central to the equation, adding safeguards as we go will be crucial to ensuring fraudulent transactions can't slip through the cracks.' Echo emphasizes that combating fraud requires cooperation across the entire freight ecosystem. 'Fighting fraud benefits all parties, and brokers, shippers, and carriers should all work together and share data to combat theft,' Gustafson advised. This collaborative approach reflects Echo's understanding that fraud prevention is a shared the core of Echo's fraud prevention strategy is a comprehensive carrier selection process. The company 'employs a rigorous carrier vetting process, that includes thorough verifications of DOT and MC numbers, insurance coverage, licensing, and activity history.' This multi-layered approach ensures that only trustworthy carriers join Echo's network. Echo has developed specialized protocols for handling high-value shipments and targeted commodities. Their Targeted Commodity Protection Process specifically addresses freight exceeding $100,000 in cargo value or items at higher risk of theft. These shipments must be 'marked accordingly prior to sourcing,' and carrier sales teams follow a specific Standard Operating Procedure when handling such loads. The company maintains a select group of 'Targeted Commodity Approved' carriers who have 'successfully handled freight for Echo and undergone a comprehensive compliance review.' These carriers receive specific guidance on reducing theft risks, including 'avoiding unsecured yards when possible.' Echo continues to refine its security measures to stay ahead of evolving threats. Earlier this year, the company 'tightened the criteria for a carrier to become TC approved even further.' Their enhanced review process now evaluates 'length of time for active authority, how long they have been in the Echo network, how many loads they have hauled for Echo over various time periods, and status of ELD connection in Highway .' Echo's approach to fraud prevention extends to employee training and organizational culture. Gustafson recommends that companies 'handle high-value and targeted commodities with even greater security.' Echo uses its technology to analyze data which indicates which products and shipments are particularly vulnerable so as to ensure their safety can be maintained every step of the way. This commitment to security is ingrained in Echo's company culture, embodied in their mottos #CarryTheLoadTogether and #BetterIsTheOnlyOption, reflecting their dedication to continuous improvement in fraud prevention. Through comprehensive vetting processes, technological innovation, and industry collaboration, Echo Global Logistics has established itself as a leader in freight fraud prevention, setting standards that benefit the entire logistics post Echo Global Logistics: leading in freight fraud prevention appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
