Latest news with #WillCarroll
Finextra
08-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Monmouthshire Building Society selects Phoebus for account servicing
Monmouthshire Building Society has selected Phoebus to provide account servicing solutions to its 90,000 mortgage and savings members. 0 The partnership is announced following a market-wide vendor selection process lasting several months. Through implementing Phoebus, Monmouthshire will benefit from substantial account automation in all areas servicing mortgages and savings, including basic tasks such as sending out documentation, rate changes and user diary management, through to more advanced requirements such as arrears management, including repossessions. The Phoebus originations and migrations API will manage on-boarding of new business originations and migrate the existing portfolios managed on existing supplier systems. Adam Oldfield, chief executive officer at Phoebus says, 'Monmouthshire is a progressive Society and we are delighted we are working with them on this programme. We have had great engagement at all levels throughout the tender process. The multi-million-pound investment we have made in our latest mortgage and savings product, including the ability to migrate books of any size accurately and efficiently, means we are a great fit for any Society considering moving to modern SaaS tech, delivered by a reliable partner that has experience of what Building Societies are doing and their market.' Will Carroll, chief executive officer at Monmouthshire Building Society says, 'After a thorough process, we are delighted to be partnering with Phoebus on this transformation programme. Not only did the Phoebus Product stand out in terms of being at the forefront of what you expect from a modern core banking solution, this is backed up by over 35 years' experience of doing what they do, which is really reassuring for us, and I am sure for any other clients they have. We look forward to working together in partnership with Phoebus for many years to come.'
Finextra
06-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Monmouthshire Building Society modernises mortgage journey with MQube
Monmouthshire Building Society today announces a new partnership with MQube, a mortgage technology provider. 0 The Society will adopt MQube's AI-powered mortgage origination platform, 'Origo', as part of a strategic move to enhance service delivery, cut processing times, and support more borrowers with faster, simpler mortgages. Using advanced artificial intelligence and real-time data analysis, 'Origo', instantly reviews a broad range of financial, credit, and property data. This allows Monmouthshire Building Society to process mortgage applications far more quickly than traditional methods, cutting decision times from days to minutes. This move comes as Monmouthshire Building Society continues its transformation journey. The integration of Origo will help the mutual stay agile in an evolving mortgage landscape, delivering more consistent decisions and reducing the friction borrowers and intermediaries often face. By asking only the questions that can't be answered through other data sources, Origo also minimises repetitive document requests and back-and-forth with underwriters, improving the experience for brokers and customers alike. MQube's team is working closely with Monmouthshire Building Society to tailor the platform to its unique needs, ensuring seamless integration with its systems and processes. The platform is already live in the UK with MPowered Mortgages who introduced the one day mortgage earlier this year. Will Carroll, Chief Executive Officer at Monmouthshire Building Society, commented: 'At Monmouthshire Building Society, we're committed to using technology to deliver better outcomes for our members. Borrowers today expect not just great service but also speed and certainty and we're determined to deliver on all fronts. Our partnership with MQube gives us access to cutting-edge technology that will help us simplify the mortgage journey while reducing costs and risk. It's a key step in our ongoing journey to be a modern mutual that truly puts members first.' Stuart Cheetham, Founder and CEO of MQube, added: 'We're thrilled to welcome Monmouthshire Building Society to the Origo platform. As more lenders embrace AI and automation, it's great to see a forward-thinking mutual leading the way. Origo is already powering faster mortgages at MPowered and we're excited to help Monmouthshire bring those same benefits to their customers and brokers. We look forward to supporting them on their journey and continuing to help reshape the mortgage industry for the better.'
Business Wire
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
S&K Federal Services Awarded Base Operations Support Contract in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
ST. IGNATIUS, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--S&K Federal Services, LLC, a trusted provider of mission-critical services worldwide, has been awarded a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) direct award contract by the United States Air Force F-15 International Programs Division to provide Base Operations Support (BOS) services throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). As the prime contractor, S&K Federal Services will partner with S&K Aerospace, LLC Middle East Branch as a key subcontractor to support the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) under the U.S. Government's F-15 acquisition and sustainment program. The five-year contract began on February 26, 2025. Under the agreement, S&K will deliver operational services across multiple locations in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Taif, Tabuk, Dhahran, and Khamis. These services are vital to strengthening the alliance between the U.S. Government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by enabling the effective stand-up and daily operations of RSAF air bases under the FMS program. Scope of services includes: Office and administrative management Transportation and dispatch services Vehicle fuel and lease management Access control and visitor coordination Local purchasing of essential goods and services Courier and APO mail delivery services Property accountability Personnel in-processing and out-processing support All services will be delivered in full compliance with U.S. and host nation regulations, including alignment with the Nitiqat program and host nation authorization requirements. S&K will also coordinate closely with RSAF personnel, Saudi representatives, and the U.S. Government's FMS Program Manager to ensure mission success. 'This direct award under the SBA 8(a) program reflects our proven ability to support expeditionary operations and international partnerships on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense,' said Will Carroll, President of S&K Federal Services. About S&K Federal Services, LLC S&K Federal Services, a subsidiary of S&K Technologies, Inc., holds SBA 8(a) certification and is owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), headquartered in St. Ignatius, Montana. The achievements of S&K bring substantial economic benefits to its CSKT shareholder, enabling vital support for initiatives such as education, employment opportunities, social welfare programs, and investments within the Reservation and surrounding communities.
Chicago Tribune
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
At the Willowbrook Ballroom, love was always in the air
The Willowbrook Ballroom had the girth of an airport hangar, but its reason for being was inspired by Valentine's Day's three little words: 'I love you.' In 1985, a Tribune editor sent me to check out a publicist's release about a Sunday-afternoon gathering at the longtime landmark in southwest suburban Willow Springs. 'It is billed as an over-40 dance,' said a fox-trotting patron I talked to. 'But over 60 more accurately describes most of us.' Those taking to the floor that day had obviously said to themselves, 'You're only as old as you think you are.' They weren't put off by the nearness of death, or the possibility of it coming during an energetic swirl around the dance floor. So what? They would die with familiar lyrics on their lips. Not long before my visit, a 71-year-old had collapsed during the over-40 dance, the apparent victim of a fatal heart attack. 'Even as the paramedics were wheeling the stretcher out the front door, trombonist Will Carroll gave his sidemen the downbeat and the Sunday-afternoon tea dance picked up right where it had left off,' I reported. The Willowbrook's ambience encouraged senior citizens who had been widowed or divorced not to despair. It's never too late to start over again. 'What can I tell you?' Bill Domina, 66, told me. 'Now and then it's still the same old story: Boy meets girl.' Albert Hauser explained how he met his late wife at a dance. After she died, the Willowbrook provided a place of solace. 'The band was playing 'The Waltz You Saved for Me,' when Martha and I first set eyes on each other,' Hauser, 76, recalled. 'Then three years ago, she just went to sleep one night and never got up again. So now I come here to drown my sorrows.' Carol Werkmeister, 69, and Marty Costanza, 75, dance at the Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs on Dec. 5, 2004. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)[/caption] Violet Fontanetta was widowed after 30 years of marriage. Initially, she wasn't getting out much. 'Then one day it dawned on me that I was still among the living,' she told me. 'I was scared to death the first time I walked through the place's front door.' From his elevated perch on the bandstand, Carroll watched Tea Dance newcomers. They found a partner on the stag benches, as they're dubbed. Once a couple came together, they wrapped their arms around each other and gracefully glided through the side-step-close movements of classic ballroom dancing. When the music stopped, each might look for another partner. Or they might stick with the same one. 'Then one Sunday they'll dance over to announce their engagement, saying they wanted Carroll to be the first to know,' I wrote in that 1985 story. To celebrate the ballroom's 60th year a few years before my 1985 visit, Peter Duchin's band, a high-society East Coast favorite, was brought in to replace Carroll's band. His style did not work for the Midwestern crowd. 'Duchin started off playing bouncy tunes and the audience gathered around the bandstand to boo every number,' said Dick Williams, the Willowbrook's manager. 'So at intermission we had to set him straight about what our folks like.' They wanted to glide around a dance floor 'while a coronet player slowly teases a mute in and out of his instrument's brass throat and the trombone section pumps line-ending accents to a torch song's sentiments,' I wrote back then. They also wanted to hear a melancholy note or two. Duchin's bouncy upbeat belied their experience that love is rarely unadulterated joy. But the lyrics of 'Poor Butterfly,' a dance band favorite, tells the story of a Japanese lover foredoomed by her unfaithful American sailor. Indeed, love is oft times falsely advertised. 'While we're dancing, they love to go on and on about big cars,' said Jo Anne Devine. But when we get out to the parking lot, how all those Cadillacs have shrunk to Fords and Plymouths.' Men had similar gripes. A lot of these widows pretend they're here looking for love,' Glen Behrens told me. 'But they don't fool me for a moment — they just want to find themselves a new handyman.' The scene of those tragedies and satires was founded by John Verderbar. Having made a fortune in real estate and insurance, he bought five wooded acres along Archer Avenue, where he intended to build a weekend home. But his son Rudy Verderbar, having danced at an outdoor pavilion in Michigan, besieged his father to build a similar venue. So they compromised: Verderbar built the dance pavilion but initially didn't serve liquor. Considering that booze lubricates romantic encounters, the success of Verderbar's venue, initially called Oh Henry Park, was remarkable. Destroyed by fire in 1930, he hired 200 carpenters to rebuild another pavilion in time for the next weekend's dance. The following year, the cavernous indoor ballroom was built. Verderbar's dance floor was superbly engineered. Had its supports been too thin, it could collapse under the weight of 1,000 dancers. Too thick, it would feel stiff. The trusses he designed had a little give. Bouncing back, they provided a dancer a bit of a lift to the next step. The structure was roofed over, and food service was established. If a band wasn't booked when a banquet was catered, extra tables would be set up on the dance floor. But the Willowbrook was patently a dance hall offering food, not a restaurant with a dance floor. 'Many of our regulars have been here a lot longer than I have,' Williams said in 1985. 'So they think of the place as more theirs than mine.' In the 1920s and1930s, the Willowbook booked big-name bands like Count Basie and Artie Shaw. That resumed in the mid 1940s when young people, anxious to make up for time lost in World War II, were looking for romantic partners. But shortly, their dance preferences changed. Willowbrook added salsa and other Latin dances. Eventually also rock 'n' roll, which to a ballroom-dancing fan seems the devil's own handiwork. Instead of following in the graceful steps of their predecessors, young people jumped up and down like they had the proverbial ants in their pants. A dancer would bob and weave yards distant from a partner. 'Can ballroom dancing survive the era of the frug, Watusi and monkey?' the Tribune asked in 1966. It survived those fads, but not another devastating fire in October 2016, which left the storied ballroom in ruins. At a gathering of Willowbrook stalwarts in Chicago Ridge two years later, vocalist Peter Obrisko attributed ballroom dancing's decline to changing priorities — everyone is too busy holding a phone to hold a dance partner, he told a columnist for the Daily Southtown. After the October 2016 fire, some of those who danced there gathered around its ashes. 1 of A fire destroyed the popular Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs in late October 2016. (Gary Middendorf/for the Chicago Tribune) 'I danced here every Sunday for the last 11 years,' John Consier told the Tribune. He courted his wife at Willowbrook in 1949. She died in 1981. 'Then about 11 years ago, I met a lovely lady and we would come here to dance,' Consier said. She had died the previous July, but he continued to attend the Sunday dances. 'His dance card would get filled up pretty quickly,' Consier's son said. Betty Moe recalled her Oak Lawn High School prom in 1961 at Willowbrook. 'We feel this like a death in the family,' she said. I understand how she felt. Every Valentine's Day I'm flooded with memories of the Willowbrook Ballroom . If I'm driving, I'll turn off the radio and listen to a song that has reverberated in my inner ear ever since I visited the dance hall, 40 years ago. A muted trumpet and trombones set the key. A vocalist steps up to a microphone and once again, and ever so faintly, I hear the final verse of 'Poor Butterfly': For once Butterfly she gives her heart away, She can never love again she is his for aye, Through all of this world, For ages to come, So her face just smiles, tho' her heart is growing numb.
