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Service Provider Association; Innovation and excellence in commercial cleaning across Iowa and Nebraska 12-02-2024 11:42 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Notorial Image: https://www.getnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1733154347.jpeg Iowa, United States - In a traditionally conventional sector, Service Providers Association (S.P.A.) [ https://serviceprovidersassociation.com/ ] has revolutionized the commercial cleaning industry in Iowa and Nebraska, not only by offering high-quality, health-focused cleaning services but also by helping professional cleaners become business owners. Through its franchise model, S.P.A. enables individuals, especially immigrants and women, to move from minimum-wage employees to business owners, creating a positive impact on their lives and the local economy. Founded in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, S.P.A. was born with the mission of creating safe and healthy commercial spaces. Since then, it has trained franchisees through rigorous programs, ensuring that each member has the tools and knowledge necessary to provide excellent service and maintain a profitable business. In this model, S.P.A. does not employ cleaners directly but instead empowers them to become business owners focused on customer satisfaction, while S.P.A. handles all office administration and sales for them. Inspiring Leadership: Raul Cunarro, CEO and Founder of S.P.A. Raul Cunarro, an immigrant entrepreneur with vision and dedication, founded S.P.A. to modernize the sector and offer growth opportunities to those looking to build their own business in the United States. Cunarro has combined traditional cleaning practices with advanced technology to optimize results and establish S.P.A. as an industry benchmark. "S.P.A. was born from the belief that cleaning is an essential service. By training and empowering each franchisee, we can extend our positive impact beyond workspaces, helping the community and promoting health and safety," Cunarro commented. His focus on technology has made S.P.A. a model of efficiency and sustainability, reducing environmental impact and ensuring healthy environments. Commitment to the Immigrant Community Beyond innovation, Cunarro has shown a strong commitment to the immigrant community, a cornerstone of his business vision. S.P.A. has created a supportive environment for immigrants seeking new opportunities, giving them the necessary backing to start a business in the United States. Through its franchise model, S.P.A. allows them to build a prosperous future for themselves and their families. "Seeing the growth of S.P.A. is a source of pride, and supporting people who are looking to start a new life in this country inspires me," said Cunarro. "We offer them not just an employment opportunity but a platform to build their own business." Services and Commitment to Excellence S.P.A.'s success is rooted in the strict selection and continuous training of its franchisees. Each member must meet high standards of quality, ensuring that all S.P.A. clients receive exceptional service from dedicated, well-trained professionals. In addition, S.P.A. provides a support system that includes resources and ongoing training to enhance skills and guarantee the growth and profitability of each franchise. Growth Perspectives and S.P.A.'s Future In just a few years, S.P.A. has achieved remarkable growth in Iowa and Nebraska, with plans for expansion and a goal to continue innovating. Its firm commitment to community, health, and advanced technology positions S.P.A. as a leader in the region's commercial cleaning industry. About Service Providers Association: S.P.A. is a commercial cleaning [ https://serviceprovidersassociation.com/services/commercial-cleaning/ ] company founded in 2020 that offers high-quality, health-focused services in Iowa and Nebraska. Under the leadership of Raul Cunarro, S.P.A. has implemented innovative technologies to optimize processes and provide the best cleaning services on the market. Through its franchise model, S.P.A. is committed to providing safe workspaces and promoting the growth of its members, particularly those from the immigrant community. Media Contact Company Name: Francisco Silva Contact Person: Press Office Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=service-provider-association-innovation-and-excellence-in-commercial-cleaning-across-iowa-and-nebraska ] Country: United States Website: https://serviceprovidersassociation.com/ This release was published on openPR.INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Richardson didn’t betray any frustration through his words or facial expressions Sunday during his postgame interview. But the Indianapolis Colts quarterback still made it clear he fully felt the pain of a missed opportunity. The Colts often were their own worst enemy against one of the league’s best teams in a 24-6 loss against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s the fourth loss in the last five outings for Indianapolis (5-7), again increasing the degree of difficulty for a desired playoff push. “Whenever you’re out there playing a good team like that, you can’t beat yourself and try to beat the other team at the same time,” Richardson said. The Colts were penalized 10 times for 75 yards and had 97 yards of total offense negated by those infractions. That created adverse downs and distances that hindered Indianapolis’ efforts to get the running game flowing. Richardson was the team’s leading rusher with 61 yards on 10 carries, but star running back Jonathan Taylor ran just 11 times for 35 yards. It was the second straight week in which the Colts failed to rush for at least 100 yards – a number that was reached in each of Richardson’s first six starts this season. “I think we had some good runs today, especially in the first half, and AR has done a great job passing the ball,” left guard Quenton Nelson said. “We just need to execute up front, blocking whatever the play is called and also limit the penalties myself.” Nelson was flagged three times – once for a false start, once for illegal use of hands and once for being an ineligible receiver down field. It was part of a sloppy performance that was far below expectations in Week 12, and it made things much easier on an excellent Detroit team that doesn’t need the help. Indianapolis’ struggles included a 3-for-12 performance on third down, a dropped touchdown pass in the second quarter by tight end Drew Ogletree and two red-zone trips that ended with just a pair of Matt Gay field goals. “We had some opportunities there, weren’t able to take advantage,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “Obviously, offensively, got down in the red zone a few times, had to settle for two field goals there in the first half. Penalties hurt us. It starts with myself. We have to get those cleaned up. “We had a season-high 10 penalties, I believe, for 75 yards. That’s on me. We can’t have that. We’ve got to play clean football moving forward.” The Lions (10-1) responded with cool efficiency to keep the hosts at arm’s length. Detroit came in averaging 33.6 points per game, and quarterback Jared Goff has 20 touchdown passes. But the Lions needed just a pair of touchdown runs by Jahmyr Gibbs and another by David Montgomery along with a 56-yard field goal by Jake Bates to put this game on ice. Gibbs’ 1-yard scoring plunge gave Detroit a 7-3 lead with 12:07 remaining in the first half, and Montgomery extended the advantage to 14-6 with 3:34 left before intermission. By the time Gibbs’ 5-yard touchdown made it 21-6 with 2:19 left in the third quarter, it was obvious the Lions had all the offense they needed. Goff was 26-of-36 for 269 yards without a touchdown or interception, and Gibbs rushed 21 times for 90 yards. Meanwhile, Richardson wasn’t able to match the statistical aesthetic of his breakout game last week against the New York Jets – though he played better than the numbers suggest. Richardson finished 11-of-28 for 172 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He had 74 yards wiped out on four completions called back because of penalties, and a wonderfully placed long ball to Ashton Dulin ended in an incompletion when the wide receiver couldn’t get his second foot inbounds. Richardson had his share of misses, including an overthrow against a heavy rush that could have been another big play to wide receiver Alec Pierce and a close-call to wide receiver Josh Downs in the end zone in the fourth quarter. But the 22-year-old deftly moved around in and out of the pocket and kept himself a step ahead of the Detroit defense. The Lions recorded six quarterback hits but no sacks. “It was a lot of completions, a lot of good balls that he threw that kind of got pulled back (by penalties),” Pierce said. “So I’m sure his stats are not really reflecting truly how he played, how he threw the ball.” Michael Pittman Jr. had his best game of the season with six catches for 96 yards, but little else stood out offensively. The defense tallied three sacks, and rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu forced a third-quarter fumble that could have given Indianapolis the ball in Lions’ territory, but the offense recovered and finished the march to the clinching touchdown. With a little more than a month remaining in the regular season, Indianapolis understands the margin for error is dwindling. “We just got to execute,” Richardson said. “We know that was a great team right there, but they didn’t really do anything spectacular to beat us. They played the game the right way, and we didn’t go out and execute the way we know that we’re supposed to. We got behind the sticks a few times. “We let them throw a few penalties against us because of (breakdowns in) our discipline and our details. But we just gotta keep playing. Play complementary football, keep the details detailed and keep trusting the process and just buy in and try to find a way to win.”
Consumers in the United States scoured the internet for online deals as they looked to take advantage of the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon with Cyber Monday. Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of many people's regular routines and the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday — a term coined in 2005 by the National Retail Federation — has become the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it. Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping, expected consumers to spend $13.2 billion Monday — a record, and 6.1% more than last year. That would make it the biggest shopping day for e-commerce for the season — and the year. Online spending was expected to peak between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday night, per Adobe — reaching an estimated $15.7 million spent every minute. For several major retailers, a Cyber Monday sale is a dayslong event that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. An Amazon Prime delivery person lifts packages while making a stop Nov. 28, 2023, in Denver. Amazon kicked off its sales event right after midnight Pacific time on Saturday. Target's two days of discount offers on its website and app began overnight Sunday. Walmart rolled out its Cyber Monday offers for Walmart+ members Sunday afternoon and opened it up to all customers three hours later, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Consumer spending for Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays. Many U.S. consumers continue to experience sticker shock after the period of post-pandemic inflation, which left prices for many goods and services higher than they were three years ago. But retail sales nonetheless remain strong, and the economy kept growing at a healthy pace. At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies are rising. More shoppers than ever are also on track to use "buy now, pay later" plans this holiday season, which allows them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items. Many economists also warned that President-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs next year on foreign goods coming into the United States would lead to higher prices on everything from food to clothing to automobiles. A FedEx delivery person carries a package from a truck Nov. 17, 2022, in Denver. The National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend more this year both in stores and online than last year. But the pace of spending growth will slow slightly, the trade group said, growing 2.5% to 3.5% — compared to 3.9% in 2023. A clear sense of consumer spending patterns during the holiday season won't emerge until the government releases sales data for the period, but some preliminary data from other sources shows some encouraging signs for retailers. Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, noted that discounts from Thanksgiving onward "exceeded expectations" and online spending throughout Cyber Week is on track to cross a record $40 billion mark combined. U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 10.2% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics. That's also more than double what consumers spent in 2017, when Black Friday pulled in about $5 billion in online sales. Consumers also spent a record $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, Adobe said. Meanwhile, software company Salesforce, which also tracks online shopping, estimated that Black Friday online sales totaled $17.5 billion in the U.S. and $74.4 billion globally. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-person and online spending, reported that overall Black Friday sales excluding automotive rose 3.4% from a year ago. A United Parcel Service driver sorts deliveries July 15, 2023, on New York's Upper West Side. E-commerce platform Shopify said its merchants raked in a record $5 billion in sales worldwide on Black Friday. At its peak, sales reached $4.6 million per minute — with top categories by volume including clothing, cosmetics and fitness products, according to the Canadian company. Toys, electronics, home goods, self-care and beauty categories were among the key drivers of holiday spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to Adobe. "Hot products" included Lego sets, espresso machines, fitness trackers, makeup and skin care. Other data showed physical stores saw fewer customers on Black Friday, underscoring how the huge crowds that were once synonymous with the day after Thanksgiving are now more than happy to shop from the comfort of their homes. RetailNext, which measures real-time foot traffic in stores, said its early data showed store traffic on Friday was down 3.2% in the U.S. compared to last year, with the biggest dip happening in the Midwest. Sensormatic Solutions, which also tracks store traffic, said its preliminary analysis showed retail store traffic on Black Friday was down 8.2% compared to 2023. Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, noted that in-store traffic was getting spread across multiple days since many retailers offered generous discounts before and after Black Friday. "Some of the extended Black Friday promotions really ended up leading to a little bit of a softer day-of traffic than expected," Gustafson said. In 2024, staying small on purpose seems to be paying off big for small businesses. They're keeping operations small and targeting niche, highly specialized customers. And some business owners find this strategy results in more time, energy, and money to intentionally capitalize on unique, small cap opportunities. The data tells the story of growth in small businesses for the year. According to NEXT , the Small Business Administration (SBA) reports awarding 38,000 SBA 7(a) loans under $150,000: double the amount they awarded in 2020. Here are the related small-business trends paying off in 2024. Commercial real estate agent Ryan Beckenhauer of Market Real Estate in Boulder, Colorado, has noticed that small businesses are growing smaller, and that their office and warehouse spaces are starting to reflect that as they shop for business space. In commercial real estate, many small business owners gravitate toward industrial condos and other flexible spaces. These are small-scale industrial spaces with a 90:10 or 80:20 split of warehouse to office. "More individuals are leveraging skills acquired at larger organizations to venture out on their own," explains Beckenhauer. And he goes on to say that they don't need a large commercial space as they make that leap to start a business. His clients include engineers, consultants, builders and other tradespeople. Beckenhauer's clients like the flexibility of being out of an office and being close to their inventory and workshop space. "The clients want to see and touch the finishes," he says. Small business owners both rent or buy these spaces. But he's seeing his clients opt to own industrial condos to stabilize costs due to rent increases in Boulder. And because these spaces are smaller, it can be easier for new buyers to qualify for financing. Mariana Alvarez, owner of Controller Works , an online bookkeeping and advisory firm, has noticed that small business owners outsource financial support services because they don't want to increase headcount. "Outsourcing gives them the possibility of having access to the knowledge and the skills of a CFO without having to pay for the salary," she says. "They don't have to manage or deal with the workload, employment taxes , and all that comes with it," says Alvarez. Additionally, many small business owners in fields like construction are family-owned, and this makes it easier for business owners to hand off delicate financial work to a trusted person with financial experience. Every small business has recurring tasks that can benefit from some level of artificial intelligence automation . And Alvarez sees a lot of value in using AI for small business bookkeeping. She explains that you can automate the data entry on Quickbooks. "When you create rules, as long as you create the rules correctly, it pretty much does itself," says Alvarez. From there, you can lean on financial experts to help you analyze the data and make more informed decisions. She uses AI as a background resource when guiding her accounting clients. "I believe that we still need the human-to-human interaction that comes with more perspective for financial analysis," she explains. According to the SBA , 77% of consumers feel that human interaction is still required for a positive customer experience. People turn to small businesses every day for a human experience. According to Arvind Rongala, CEO of Edstellar , small business workers can show up for their customers but still use AI for routine tasks like customer queries. "This balance allows companies to scale their operations without losing the personal touch that makes them unique. It's important to remember that AI isn't there to replace the human element—it's there to enhance it," he says. "By really focusing on one very small weakness that Amazon has, I've been able to carve out a successful business by offering something different," says Lou Harvey owner of Tank Retailer , a retailer of commercial water and fuel tanks. "When you read our customer reviews, many of them actually mention me by name because of how much we focus on customer service and go the extra mile." One of Harvey's most successful business strategies this year has been to lean into his small, niche market and offer the kind of customer experience that large retailers like Amazon don't. "Any small weaknesses that Amazon has (however small those weaknesses may be) needs to become a strength of a smaller business focusing on a niche market," says Harvey. Harvey has his company's customer service phone number front and center on the website to help earn customer trust. "I prominently feature our phone number, and a real person always answers the phone (usually it's me)," says Harvey. Lucie Voves, CEO and founder of Church Hill Classics , an online, woman-owned diploma framing company that uses sustainable materials, has noticed an uptick in customers seeking services from a business on a mission. "This year, we've seen a growing inclination for consumers to actively seek out and support small businesses owned by women and minorities," says Voves. When consumers shop small, they choose to make their dollars count. "Customers are fueled by a desire to promote social impact through purchasing power," says Voves. Long gone are the days of online retailers "building it and they will come." In 2024 we've seen more small businesses than ever turn to social commerce to sell directly on social media platforms like Instagram Shopping , Facebook Marketplace , and TikTok . Small business owners are turning toward influencers, social media ads, and organic content to target their customers. Mike Vannelli of Envy Creative creates online ads for businesses, and he has seen his clients succeed on TikTok of late. "I've seen businesses, especially in retail, use TikTok's short-form video format to make their products go viral. Think of it as word-of-mouth marketing on steroids," says Vannelli. He uses the platform's algorithm to push a company's content to the right audiences, and it works because TikTok loves storytelling. "I know small brands that use behind-the-scenes videos, customer testimonials, and even playful challenges that tap into trends to humanize their products and build trust," explains Vannelli. To stand out on TikTok, he says, smaller brands need to embrace authenticity and emotional connection. Show your team, share your journey, and involve your community in content creation. This story was produced by NEXT and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.Western intelligence agencies accuse Russia of increasingly engaging in hybrid warfare since invading Ukraine. What exactly constitutes hybrid warfare, and what's its intended goal? In the span of one week, a cargo plane belonging to German logistics company DHL crashed in Lithuania , two underwater data cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea, and pro-Russian right-wing extremist Calin Georgescu surprisingly won the first round of Romania's presidential election. Several Western politicians and intelligence agencies suspect that Russia was the driving force behind all three incidents, although nothing has been proven and no evidence backing the suspicions has so far been made public. While Kremlin-orchestrated hybrid warfare has always posed a danger, experts now warn that this danger has grown dramatically since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine . Hybrid warfare means broadening military operations to include espionage, sabotage and cyberattacks, as well as engaging in election interference, propaganda or disinformation campaigns to weaken and destabilize the enemy from within. Experts say Russia has continuously expanded its hybrid warfare arsenal in recent years. Sabotage suspected after Baltic Sea cables cut To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Espionage European countries have expelled around 500 Russian diplomats since early 2022. Britain's MI5 secret service said at least 400 of them are spies. Many Russian embassies and consulates are reported to be equipped with state-of-the-art communications and espionage technology. If any of this can be definitively proven, Western intelligence agencies have chosen not to make public the information they may have gathered. After all, the embassy and consulate buildings are considered Russian territory and cannot be entered by host states without Russian permission. The Dutch secret service has warned that Russia is equipping its spies with false papers and smuggling them into Western institutions disguised as businesspeople. Reports of suspected Russian espionage emerge regularly. Some drew attention to a hacked conversation between German army officials discussing the country's Taurus missile system . Others have dealt with suspected Russian drones spying on European air bases and industrial zones. Some reports have also focused on suspected spy ships, officially classed as research vessels, cruising the seas of northern Europe and mapping critical seabed infrastructure for possible acts of sabotage. Sabotage Last week, a Russian-captained Chinese freighter reportedly damaged two undersea cables by dragging an anchor over the seabed . The incident is similar to one that occurred in October 2023. Last month, a London warehouse used for storing aid for Ukraine was hit by an arson attack . In July, a parcel that should have been sent by air freight went up in flames at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig, Germany. It is thought Russian sabotage could have been at play in these and numerous other cases. Yet nothing has been proven so far. European intelligence services warn that the number of acts of sabotage and arson have increased dramatically over the past year in the EU and UK. Cyberattacks Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) warns that the risk of malicious cyberspace activity is "higher than ever." Online espionage and sabotage are ever-present. "Before Russia's attack on Ukraine, Russian-linked groups were very active in Germany engaging in cyberespionage and financially motivated ransomware attacks," the BSI said. "The scope of threats has expanded since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine." The agency said "the number of DDoS attacks by pro-Russian hacktivists" has risen sharply. DDoS attacks involve flooding websites or servers with traffic until they crash due to overload. Hacks aimed at penetrating company and institutional networks are also on the rise. Disinformation and propaganda Another objective of hybrid warfare is trying to influence public opinion in a given target country. Falsehoods and pro-Russian or anti-Ukrainian narratives are disseminated to this end, whether on social media platforms through troll factories, or via Russian foreign media outlets. In early 2024, Germany's Foreign Ministry uncovered a Russian "Doppelganger" disinformation campaign. It involved 50,000 fake social media user accounts spreading falsehoods and pro-Russian opinions on social networks while linking to fake news outlets spreading Russian propaganda. Some of the sites appeared deceptively similar to well-known news sites. Election interference, meddling in the political process One of the aims of these disinformation campaigns is to undermine public support for Ukraine. Another objective consists of politically destabilizing a democratic target country by strengthening extreme parties and candidates, for example by providing financial support to them. Russian propaganda: Deepfake videos tougher to detect To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In April, the Czech secret service uncovered a propaganda website called Voice of Europe , believed to be financed by Moscow. The site is suspected of paying bribes to some members of European Parliament. One of the individuals suspected of having received such payments is Petr Bystron , an MEP with the far-right populist Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) party. He has denied the accusations. Western intelligence agencies also accused Russia of directly or indirectly influencing dozens of elections across Europe, North America and South America. Russian international broadcaster RT is said to have produced videos on controversial topics such as aid for Ukraine, migration and the economy during the US presidential election campaign. Right-wing US bloggers then spread some of the videos. Hack-and-leak attacks are also part of the hybrid warfare repertoire. They involve hacking politicians, political parties or other institutions to steal and publish confidential information, sometimes alongside falsified documents, before elections. This happened, for example, in the run-up to the 2016 US election and the 2017 French presidential election. Targeted killings Assassinating influential figures is another facet of hybrid warfare. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not shied away from attacking individuals abroad . This is clear from the killing of a Chechen ex-commander in Berlin's Tiergarten park, who allegedly fought against Russia during the Second Chechen War. This is also evident from the 2006 attack on Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko and the assassination attempt against Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018 . All were carried out on British soil. It's mainly Russian citizens who have fallen victim to such attacks so far. In July 2024, however, news leaked that Russia was planning to assassinate Armin Papperger , CEO of the German armaments group Rheinmetall, which manufactures the Leopard II tanks and other munitions supplied to Ukraine. The Kremlin has denied all the accusations. How to deal with hybrid warfare? Russia is conducting many different hybrid warfare pinpricks across Europe, according to Sönke Marahrens, a German army officer and hybrid security expert. "Russian operators are trying out different things in many European states, which are individually tailored to the respective state," Marahrens told German public news outlet tagesschau.de. "Hybrid measures that work in Poland don't work in Germany; what works in Germany wouldn't work in Finland." That is why, he said, one must expect "a very broad spectrum of attacks in the future." Likewise, one should show flexibility in reacting to such attacks, he added. This article was translated from German .
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Dodgers announce 5-year contract with LHP Blake SnellDodgers announce 5-year contract with LHP Blake Snell
COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri officials broke ground Saturday on a $250 million renovation of the school’s football stadium, the construction project’s ceremonial commencement. MU athletics director Laird Veatch, the UM System Board of Curators and other administrators marked the occasion with a brief ceremony atop the grassy hill to the north of Faurot Field before Mizzou’s game against Arkansas. During the game, Missouri also revealed new animated renderings of Memorial Stadium's future. Work on the renovations is expected to begin in the near future, though some preparation, including the arrival of equipment, has been taking place over the last several weeks. "A lot of it's the prep work," Veatch said. "They'll be getting in there, starting doing excavation soon. You'll start seeing a lot of underground work soon, and then it takes a while to come out of the ground. There's also a lot of work going on in the background: a lot of meetings, continuing the design and all those efforts, and of course fundraising." The project is expected to conclude ahead of the 2026 season, and will be at varying stages of progress next year. "Our fans will get used to it really quick," Veatch said. Premium seating will be added to the north end of Memorial Stadium, enclosing the facility with suites and loge boxes. The iconic Rock M will be preserved, though there will be far less exposed grass and general admission seating will go away. MU’s new north concourse also will include a year-round event space intended to help the athletics department generate revenue. Of the $250 million needed for the project, half is expected to come via philanthropy. MU also might seek funding from the state during the spring’s legislative session. Veatch said Mizzou has raised more than $90 million of its $125 million benchmark. "I think we're going to see some more progress here soon," he said.