Latest news with #Valiant
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Coast Guard offloads $138 million in drugs from Caribbean
MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — Two Coast Guard crews. Six suspicious vessels. 18,290 pounds of cocaine and 2,585 lbs. of marijuana. $138 million in illegal drugs removed from the Caribbean. In May alone, the U.S. Coast Guard, assisted by other national and international teams, seized and removed over $138 million of cocaine and marijuana from six boats in the Caribbean Sea. The crews aboard two Coast Guard ships, Valiant and Vigorous, offloaded the drugs at Port Everglades and Coast Guard Base Miami Beach last week. 'I am incredibly proud of our Valiant team and how they exemplify American values,' Commander Matthew Press said. 'They sacrifice time away from their families and when necessary, put themselves in harm's way to secure our borders and protect the American people.' More details about the six interceptions that led to the drug seizures. May 19: Suspicious vessel located 85 miles north of Aruba, 2,645 pounds of cocaine seized. May 22: Suspicious vessel located 170 miles north of Aruba, 7,750 pounds of cocaine seized. May 25: Suspicious vessel located 290 miles south of the Dominican Republic, 840 pounds of cocaine seized with the assistance of the USS Gravely. May 29: Suspicous vessel located 140 miles south of the Dominican Republic, 750 pounds of cocaine seized with the assistance of His Majesty's Canadian Ship William Hall. May 29: Suspicous vessel located 15 miles north of Venezuela, 4,050 pounds of cocaine and 2,585 pounds of marijuana seized with the assistance of the Royal Netherlands Navy. May 31: Suspicious vessel located 185 north of Colombia, 2,250 pounds of cocaine seized with the assistance of HMCS William Hall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Ilaiyaraaja's symphony 'Valiant' to be performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra in Tamil Nadu on August 2
CHENNAI: Music Maestro Ilaiyaraaja on his birthday, announced that his symphony 'Valiant', first performed in March in London, will be performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Tamil Nadu on August 2 (Saturday). The venue of the performance has not yet been disclosed. The legendary composer made the announcement in a video message amidst wishes pouring in from fans and other prominent personalities as he turns 82 today. In the video message, Ilaiyaraaja said he was sharing the happy news that the symphony he composed and performed in London will be performed for 'his people' in Tamil Nadu.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Valiant grew into a top 50 multifamily firm
This story was originally published on Multifamily Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Multifamily Dive newsletter. April was a milestone month for Valiant Residential. The Dallas-based property management firm made its first appearance on this year's National Multifamily Housing Council Top 50 Managers list, debuting at No. 48 with 35,724 units under management. After being founded in 1987 as SIMC Management, the firm launched third-party services in 2015 and rebranded as Valiant Residential in 2018. Over the past decade, Valiant grew from a single third-party property in 2015 to a multi-state portfolio, spanning Texas, Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas. 'Growth really picked up when we decided to start building a third-party platform,' CEO Craig Lashley told Multifamily Dive. Valiant, which has a strong presence in Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, also ranked among the top 10 Texas-based companies in this year's NMHC list. 'It wasn't until a couple of years in that we even brought in a client services person,' Lashley said. 'We've got a small client services team compared to most of the organizations. But, it's been somewhat word of mouth and more or less organic growth, which is why we have such density in our portfolio in Texas.' Here, Lashley talks with Multifamily Dive about expansion, mergers and acquisitions and technology. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. MULTIFAMILY DIVE: As you think about continued growth, is Texas and the broader Sun Belt still your focus? CRAIG LASHLEY: The fundamental core that our business is focused around is service to our residents and our clients, particularly our residents. And the only way you can really service well is to have a physical presence. You have a deterioration as you go further away from your base, typically, unless you deploy really great training and systems. The training systems have gotten so much better over the years, and we've leaned in over the last seven years in particular. As we continue to look at our expansion pattern, we're looking throughout the Sun Belt. It's got a ton of new deliveries. It's got a lot of population and job growth. The Sun Belt states are attractive right now to a lot of people as they look at where they're going to live and carry through their lives. So, we want to be there to service those folks in those areas, and we also want to be on a healthy growth pattern. The Top 50 is all about growth and recognition of growth. But we also want to be diligent about our growth so we don't get too fragmented. So, we're just growing organically from our base in the DFW area, out through the Texas markets, over to Florida and up to Colorado. We've seen a few developers and owners get out of the property management business. Do you expect that trend to continue? A lot of the NMHC Top 50 owners want to focus on their acquisition business, and property management is continuing to be a more and more challenging business since the pandemic. The labor market is stressed across all industry types, but particularly ours. That level of stress can create some conflicts relative to the capital side of the business, too. You've seen some acquisitions or mergers, and I would imagine that trend is going to continue because there is also a centralization effort. The industry is also so fragmented. And then you also have the aging out of a lot of leadership teams, which I think has been somewhat to our advantage. We have a relatively youthful team in comparison. Are you interested in acquiring property management firms, as leaders may hit retirement and want to sell? I think the focus for our firm goes back toward the quality of service and measured growth, but also just maintaining scale in particular markets. Locationally speaking, the scale is so important to have the flexibility of moving team members between properties while they're on vacation. So that drives a less stressful work environment in a very stressful industry. The long and short is that I think technology will help build us to a point where the transitions, like the potential for M&A, could be real down the road, just because it'll be easier to integrate. When you look at integrating organically, you're taking one asset at a time, or maybe a group of assets from a particular owner and integrating that management team on-site into your existing operations. When you look at M&A, you're doing that, plus integrating the corporate-level team. So it gets more and more challenging, but that ultimately helps maintain your quality. So, as we continue to lean into the technology side and make the transitions a little bit easier and more automated, we can look at how to strategically scale relative to M&A. How are you incorporating centralization and staffing? There's still a tremendous amount of value in having the traditional staffing model on the sites for residents, and to captivate those residents who are looking for experiences. Even though there has been technology put in place to create more automation through the leasing process so that there are fewer touchpoints, there's still a tremendous amount of value to a potential resident and an existing resident to interact with a human instead of a system. We're still running the traditional labor models at the assets. Our average complex size is 250 units. So, typically, we're going to run somewhere between four and six members on a site. So we don't have a lot of properties where it's 100 units or less, where you do have more of a regional-type staffing model. How have you approached integrating technology? The approach I've taken is more of a top-down approach relative to technology. I think a lot of the groups out there are looking at the centralization model and saying, 'Hey, I'm going to use technology. I'm going to develop technologies to basically make the sites more efficient and effective. Then, I'll potentially remove tasks or aggregate tasks of the site-level teams to either a system or a corporate-level resource.' We're using the technology side to build our own kind of proprietary systems off the backs of our core operating platforms to manage data and run our business more efficiently and effectively at a corporate level, which is creating a lot more automation, consistency and workflow for the site teams. Click here to sign up to receive multifamily and apartment news like this article in your inbox every weekday.
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Home Bargains shoppers race to buy £5 gadget that'll keep you cool through the hot weather and cut energy bills
SHOPPERS are rushing to Home Bargains to snap up a summer must-have that promises to beat the heat – and it costs less than a fiver. The Pifco Hands-Free Wearable Neck Fan, priced at just £4.99, is flying off shelves – and it's not your average fan. Unlike clunky desk fans that chomp through electricity, this clever wearable version slips around your neck and blows cooling air directly at your face, saving on energy bills while keeping you chilled on the go. It features dual adjustable fans, multiple speed settings and a quiet motor – making it ideal for heatwaves, sweaty commutes or just pottering in the garden. on a run, but they're also useful if you want to stay cool at home. At just under a fiver, it's a steal compared to similar models: Boots Wearable Neck Fan – £15.99 Valiant Wireless Neck Fan at B&Q – £14.99 Blaupunkt Cordless Neck Fan at B&M – £10 That's a saving of up to £11 with the Home Bargains version. Plus, because it's USB rechargeable, there's no need to keep replacing batteries – meaning it's cheaper to run than a traditional fan over summer. It is important to remember to always shop around when buying something like this as you might find a cheaper alternative. Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price. Shoppers race to Home Bargains for huge £51 saving on a posh beauty buy & a £1.99 must have Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal. A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for too. Previous sales Last month, bargain supermarket Aldi launched a gorgeous new garden must-have Decorative Table for just £14.99, perfect for creating your own Mediterranean retreat. Recent Specialbuys from the discounter has also included the popular solar lights range. As well as a cheaper alternative to the Karcher pressure washer by some £80. Elsewhere, B&M released a number of garden furniture, this included a Sienna double egg chair which retails for £250. It also released the Paris 2-Seater Pod Chair is on sale also priced at £250. Recently, Argos slashed its prices on a massive range of outdoor and DIY essentials, with discounts of up to £60. Three weeks ago, Wilko knocked down prices on patio sets, lounge chairs, and bistro sets. How to save money at Home Bargains Knowing when to pick up products is one way to save money at Home Bargains. Visiting your local branch at the right time of day, week and year can help you pick up bargains from as little as 69p. We spoke to Tom Church, a shopping expert who reveals the best times to visit the store to bag a bargain. Also join any shopper bargain Facebook groups such as Extreme Couponing and Bargains, as people love to share the news when they have bagged a cheap deal. Be sure to look out for seasonal stock too, like most retailers, Home Bargains shashes its prices after big public holidays such as Christmas and Easter. How to bag a bargain SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain… Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with. Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks. Sales are when you can pick up a real steal. Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on. Sign up to mailing lists and you'll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use and are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer. Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping. Bargain hunters can also use B&M's scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out. And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you'll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Business Wire
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Intrepid Labs Launches to Transform Drug Formulation with AI and Autonomous Labs
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Intrepid Labs, a biotechnology company transforming drug formulation development through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, emerged from stealth today to accelerate therapeutics development through effective formulations that improve clinical performance. The company has secured several industry partners, and recently closed a $7 million USD seed round led by AVANT BIO, which follows a $4 million USD unannounced pre-seed round led by Radical Ventures, with participation from Propagator Ventures. The proceeds from these financings will expand Intrepid Labs' team, accelerate the development of its proprietary delivery technologies, and scale commercial operations to keep pace with customer demand. "It is apparent that traditional approaches to drug formulation aren't working," said Christine Allen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Intrepid Labs. "Pharma companies are relying on legacy approaches that fail to deliver the best possible formulations into the clinic. I believe this contributes to the high rate of failure during clinical development. Intrepid Labs is addressing this overlooked bottleneck in drug development with its transformative approach that unlocks a faster, more precise path to improve the quality of therapeutics. We're going to change the way the industry thinks about drug formulation." Formulation is a critical step in drug development. Effective formulations not only improve therapeutic efficacy, but also mitigate adverse effects, enhancing overall patient safety, while improving drug development success rates. The conventional approach to formulation design is slow and expensive. It starts with benchmarks from existing formulations and then proceeds, one parameter at a time, through a trial-and-error exercise. As a result, companies often settle for suboptimal formulations that fail to maximize a drug's performance, leaving most of the design space untapped. Intrepid Labs is transforming drug formulation with its Valiant™ platform – a modular, AI-driven robotic lab that rapidly explores the full formulation design space. Starting with an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a target product profile, Valiant selects, prepares, and analyzes formulations through semi- and fully autonomous workflows, refining multiple parameters in parallel with expert oversight. What once took months can now be achieved in days – delivering optimized formulations through a comprehensive, data-driven process. Since its founding in 2023, Intrepid Labs has forged partnerships with multiple drug developers, including some of the largest global pharmaceutical companies, as well as contract research organizations, and small and mid-sized biotechs. Industry partners use the Valiant platform to identify optimized formulations and accelerate drug development. At the same time, Intrepid Labs is developing its own proprietary oral and long-acting injectable delivery technologies for small molecules and biologics that are available for licensing. 'Intrepid Labs is unlocking a new era in drug formulation, in which delivery format, dosing frequency, and patient experience can be intentionally designed from day one,' said Sebastien Latapie, partner at AVANT BIO. 'By using AI and robotics to screen vast formulation possibilities, its Valiant platform enables more cost-effective therapies and better outcomes for patients.' About Intrepid Labs Intrepid Labs was spun out of the University of Toronto to pioneer the use of artificial intelligence and robotics to redefine drug formulation and accelerate therapeutic development. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Dr. Christine Allen, a global expert in drug formulation with over 180 peer-reviewed publications. Together with co-founders Dr. Pauric Bannigan (chief scientific officer) and Dr. Riley Hickman (director of research and development), Intrepid's leadership team leverages expertise in drug delivery, laboratory automation, and AI-driven formulation. Intrepid partners with leading pharmaceutical companies, CROs, CDMOs, and biotechs to accelerate research and development (R&D) and enhance formulation strategies. The company is also advancing an internal pipeline of proprietary drug delivery technologies available for licensing. Based in the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Intrepid is reshaping how the industry approaches drug formulation R&D. Companies with active pharmaceutical ingredients or candidates requiring formulation solutions are encouraged to contact Intrepid at info@
