Latest news with #Hieb
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Conversational AI veteran Christopher Hieb joins Inbenta
DALLAS, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inbenta, a global innovator in AI-powered solutions for customer and employee experiences, is proud to announce the addition of Christopher Hieb to its team as Strategic Advisor. With an extensive background in software technology investment banking and expertise in Conversational AI, Customer Interaction Management (CIM), and analytics, Hieb brings invaluable insights to help drive Inbenta's continued growth. 'Christopher's wealth of experience and deep understanding of AI-driven technologies make him an exceptional addition to our advisory team,' said Melissa Solis, CEO of Inbenta. 'His strategic vision and ability to anticipate shifts in the market will be instrumental as we refine our solutions and broaden our reach globally.' Hieb has built a remarkable career in financial services, advising technology-focused clients and guiding investments in AI and CX solutions. He has held senior roles at renowned firms such as DC Advisory, Signal Hill Capital, and Macquarie Group. As a Managing Director, he specialized in software and services, focusing on driving growth in CIM, CXaaS, analytics, and AI-powered applications. In addition to his professional achievements, Hieb is an accomplished author, with two published books — CIM Investment Thesis Insights I and II. These works delve into the evolving landscape of AI-enriched customer interaction solutions and serve as valuable resources for leaders navigating this rapidly advancing field. 'I'm honored to partner with Inbenta as a Strategic Advisor,' Hieb stated. 'AI-powered technologies are transforming business interactions, and Inbenta's innovative solutions are uniquely positioned to address the growing complexity of customer and employee experiences. I look forward to collaborating with the talented team at Inbenta as they continue to deliver world-class tools for automation and personalization.' Hieb's appointment coincides with Inbenta's sustained momentum in the AI solutions space. As businesses increasingly adopt Conversational AI to streamline operations and enhance user experiences, Hieb's perspective will assist in shaping Inbenta's strategic growth initiatives in key areas. **About Inbenta** Inbenta is a global leader in AI-powered experience solutions, helping organizations automate interactions, reduce operational costs, and enhance satisfaction across all communication channels. Its state-of-the-art Conversational AI platform helps businesses deliver consistent, personalized, and efficient customer and employee experiences. Trusted by leading brands worldwide, Inbenta is committed to innovation and excellence in everything it does. Want to see Inbenta in action? Book a demo. CONTACT info@ +1 888 995 6936
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell man requests 'fair and equal' treatment from events on Main Street
Apr. 25—MITCHELL — Location. Location. Location. During the citizens' input portion of its April 21 regular meeting, the Mitchell City Council heard a complaint from local resident Jay Wempe. Wempe requested that the council take immediate action to make events in Mitchell more fair to vendors, especially those who have brick and mortar businesses and pay taxes in Mitchell. "I'm asking you to create equally-fair spots for all vendors at all Mitchell events," Wempe said. Vendor placement issues are not an isolated incident, according to Wempe, who cited a soccer tournament that allowed one food vendor near the field of play, but not the other food vendors. According to Wempe, the location of Matilda's Coffee and Desserts, an offshoot of Michelle's Mad Batter, had a very poor location on Third Avenue at Main Street during the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party in 2024. "By the time we were seen, most had already purchased from the Fifth Avenue and Main Street parking lot area," Wempe said. Matilda's Coffee and Desserts was "late to the game because she wasn't here years ago," Wempe said, referring to established food vendors at the Fifth Avenue and Main Street parking lot. Wempe, who is a not-so-silent partner of Michelle's Mad Batter, petitioned the council about placement along Main Street, requesting that all food vendors should be placed together to make it "fair and equal." Officials disagreed. "Obviously, if something is not broken you're not going to fix it," Mitchell Events Coordinator Aaron Hieb told the Mitchell Republic. 2025 marks the eighth year of the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party on Mitchell's Main Street. The event's sponsorship has grown with the event's patronage, which is about 4,000 to 6,000 people, according to Hieb. The city took over the biker rally from Brian Klock, who started the event 19 years ago out of Klock Werks, a motorcycle accessories and specialty shop. The majority of food trucks have been with the event since it started, Hieb said. Any additional food vendor applicants serving entrees will be put on a wait list. "We kept some things consistent. They were guaranteed a spot prior to the city of Mitchell taking this as long as they show up each party," Hieb said. Seven food vendors, from Mitchell and surrounding towns, set up at the Fifth Avenue and Main Street parking lot south of Bradley's Pub and Grill. They do not pay a registration fee, according to Hieb, because Klock did not require a registration fee and the city has maintained vendor expectations. "Currently, the planning committee does not have any intention of fixing something that isn't broken," Hieb said. The city added Third Avenue and Main Street food vendors in recent years to meet demand. The three 20-minute motorcycle shows at Second Avenue draw a hungry crowd, according to Hieb. "Third Avenue requires some food for those people that travel all the way down there," Hieb said. "We're trying to incorporate as much of Main Street as we can." In 2024, Mitchell-based vendors County Fair, Adamo's Kitchen and Matilda's Coffee and Desserts each paid a $100 application fee and were placed at the empty lot at Third Avenue and Main Street, a fee that Fifth Avenue parking lot food vendors do not pay. "Matilda's has a $5 ticket item average. Do you know how long it takes to pay off $100 fee on a $5 ticket item? So if you're not in a prime location, what happens?" Wempe said. While Adamo's Kitchen and County Fair have renewed vendor spots at Third Avenue for the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party in 2025, Wempe did not renew Matilda's spot, which will be filled by Mya's Teriyaki. Michelle's Mad Batter has a brick and mortar location at North Lawler Street, two blocks east of the Main Street empty lot on Third Avenue. As of now, there are eight non-food vendors, ranging from non-profits to crafts, who paid a $50 registration fee to set up between Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue for the Pre-Sturgis Party in 2025. In January 2023, Michelle's Mad Batter, co-owned by Wempe's daughter Michelle Kalan, opened across from the Corn Palace in one of the storefronts owned by the Mitchell Area Development Corporation. Michelle's Mad Batter also serves lemonade, which became a point of contention during the Corn Palace Festival. "Guess what they did? Put all the lemonade vendors right outside us," Wempe said. "Mitchell brick and mortar should be given priority over location." The Corn Palace Festival is set up with a mix of varying kinds of vendors all the way down Main Street, according to Corn Palace Director Dave Sietsema. Vendor spaces are renewed based on prior locations, not by lottery or staff discretion. "You've invested time, effort and whatever level of marketing to say, 'I'll be at my normal spot,'" Sietsema said. "At other events, it doesn't switch every year." Empty vendor spaces as a result of retirements or cancellations are given to the next person who requests a change or to a new vendor. "I try to find a spot for everybody. It just may not be what they think they need," Sietsema said.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Busy February weekend sparks discussion on Mitchell's hotel room numbers
Mar. 15—MITCHELL — Are there enough hotel rooms in Mitchell to cover the nightly room needs of potential sporting events coming to town? Only a few of the many events organizations outside of Mitchell are being courted by the Mitchell Sports & Events Authority (SEA), and a particularly busy weekend in February led to teams canceling trips to Mitchell. The three-day Wesleyan Indoor Winter Classic futsal tournament, held the weekend of Feb. 22 at Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU), had cancelations with teams expressly stating they canceled due to no rooms being available, according to SEA board member Tim Smith, who shared information from a Dakota Wesleyan Teammakers meeting held on Monday, March 10. On the same weekend, a swim meet, a hockey tournament and an auction were held in Mitchell. The futsal tournament, swim meet, and auction received SEA grants. "Mitchell is in a luxury problem. It's great everyone is coming to Mitchell," futsal tournament leader and DWU head men's soccer coach Nicolas Reinhard told the Mitchell Republic. It's not just a matter of events over-booking the same weekend in Mitchell, but also whether Mitchell hotels can support the larger events. The SEA seeks to fill hotel rooms during the months of lowest occupancy, from November through May. The July 2024 addition of My Place Hotel near Cabela's added 63 more rooms to Mitchell and to the BID No. 4 tax district. There are 1,015 rooms across 16 lodging establishments in Mitchell, according to the STR hotel report provided by the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce. Based on the nine hotels in Mitchell that provide data to STR, the average number of rooms filled on a nightly basis is about 35% occupancy or 355 rooms in January 2024 and a peak occupancy in August 2024 of about 76% or 771 rooms. "Marketable rooms for youth events brings us down to 690, but the number I use for RFPs (request for proposals) is 895," Mitchell city coordinator for public events Aaron Hieb said. Hieb suggested that the registration period for events gives participants enough time to book hotel rooms ahead of time, including the weekend with the futsal tournament, the swim meet and the hockey tournament. "Overall, I thought it was a very good weekend for Mitchell," Hieb said. In comparison, Mitchell has about twice the hotel rooms of other South Dakota cities. Huron has nearly 219 rooms available across four lodging establishments, Yankton has 365 rooms across six hotels, Brookings has more than 514 rooms across seven hotels, and the Chamberlain area has 368 rooms across six hotels. A topic of discussion at the Mitchell City Council has been courting state tournaments for play at the Corn Palace. The total room requirements for the state boys basketball Class AA tournament is 965 rooms and for the state girls basketball class AA is 765. The Mitchell Sports and Events Authority Advisory Board (SEA) met on Tuesday, March 11. Hieb informed the board how some events will be passed on due to not having enough hotel rooms in Mitchell. There are 161 matching leads for Mitchell venues within PlayEasy, a sports and venues matchmaker platform. 156 of those were passed on because the event organizers require more hotel room nights than Mitchell can provide, the venues are smaller than the event requires or the date would overlap with events already booked in Mitchell. That's a pass rate of 96.89% of potential events through the PlayEasy platform, or in other words, about 3% are able to be pursued. PlayEasy is an annual purchase of $4,995, which renews in January. "The criteria that we were unable to fill was the hotel rooms requested for the event. The majority of the 156 asked for more than 1,000 room nights per event. So obviously, we're going to pass on those," Hieb told the SEA board. Mitchell is short 141 to hit that 1,000-hotel mark, according to Hieb. Even with a total capacity of 1,000 hotel rooms in Mitchell, a certain amount of those rooms will be booked at any given time. For the month of January 2024, 355 rooms were booked. To meet the higher demands of a potential event requiring 1,000 rooms in January, there would have to be a total of 1,355 total rooms in Mitchell to also meet the existing demand. After initial positive feedback, the 2026 or 2027 Move United Education Conference has not contacted Hieb back for further consideration. Hieb is actively pursuing American Junior Golf Association and 5v5 soccer tournaments. Fewer teams at the futsal tournament than expected was due to a mix of teams alternating which tournaments they go to each year and how many events were held the same weekend in Mitchell, according to Reinhard. "We know it's not going to happen again, and we're excited for next year," Reinhard said. "The city supports us so much." The SEA awards grants to sporting events that increase nightly hotel patronage in Mitchell, and is funded through tax monies from the $2 per night per hotel room within the BID No. 4 Tax District, which consists of 12 lodging establishments with 28 rooms or more. Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson suggested that more small-to-medium sized events may be the answer to the hotel capacity problem, and that an increase in events may prove to hotel owners that it's time to build. "Once that happens, then we can start going after the larger events. I'm glad that the hotel owners made huge investments in Mitchell. You have to put everything in its place first. You can't do something out of order," Hanson said.
