Press Releases

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- John S. Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation's leading recycler of electronic waste, discussed the issue of sustainability in recycling electronic waste and the tremendous global potential created by the "tsunami" of electronics entering the waste stream today at the fourth annual World Recycling Forum at the Hotel Shangri-La in Shanghai, China.

In a presentation titled "Sustainability and the Green Revolution Gone Global," Shegerian discussed how the world of recycling electronics has grown over the last five years and provided a forecast for the future. He explained how the recycling of electronic waste will continue to be a booming sector of the industry, but that for it to last, recycling of electronics must be performed responsibly and with an eye toward sustainability.

"At ERI, we are presently the number one recycler of electronics in the US and we have a global vision of expanding what we've done there to other countries, including the great nation of China," said Shegerian. "Electronic waste - the fastest growing waste stream in the world today - can be recycled anywhere in the world thanks to technologically efficient and environmentally responsible methodologies such as those we have been using in the US. China, where there is the greatest concentration of recycling in the world today, represents a tremendous green business opportunity."

"It's an honor to have been asked by the organizers of this terrific international conference and exhibition to come here today and discuss electronic recycling and the green revolution that is capturing interest around the globe," added Shegerian. "Sustainability is an essential part of the global business infrastructure and very much here to stay. For ERI, my being here at this conference alongside my prestigious fellow speakers serves as a precursor for our international expansion in the coming months and years."

Shegerian spoke of the potential for economic growth in China and all over the world whenever the "Green is Good" concept and the burgeoning international green collar workforce are embraced.

For more information on e-waste recycling, ERI, and all other recycling needs, please visit www.electronicrecyclers.com or http://1800recycling.com.

Now the largest recycler of electronic waste in the world, Fresno-headquartered Electronic Recyclers International is licensed to de-manufacture and recycle televisions, computer monitors, computers, and other types of electronic equipment. ERI processes more than 140 million pounds of electronic waste annually in its six locations in California, Washington, Colorado, Indianapolis, Massachusetts and Texas. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-884-8466 or visit http://www.electronicrecyclers.com.

    Source: Electronic Recyclers International

Rep. Boyd Pledges to Continue Fighting for Student Loan Reform Legislation that Keeps Jobs in Florida

LYNN HAVEN, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Representative Allen Boyd (D-FL) along with local officials visited Sallie Mae's Panama City facility to discuss student loan reform legislation that could impact hundreds of jobs in Panama City. In his fight for jobs and competition and choice for students, Representative Boyd voted against legislation requiring all loans to be delivered by the federal government. The legislation jeopardizes 700 Sallie Mae jobs in Bay County and stifles related economic development in the state.

"Sallie Mae is one of our most vibrant and reliable employers in North Florida," said Congressman Boyd. "I will continue working to protect these valuable jobs and preserving the current student lending infrastructure that has served our students and schools well for years."

With legislation now under consideration in the U.S. Senate, Rep. Boyd is working with local officials and thousands of state residents to call on Florida's Senators to support a viable alternative which would accomplish the President's goals of making college more affordable, produce $87 billion in mandatory budget savings and preserve quality local jobs and valuable services for students. Last month, Sallie Mae employees in Florida delivered a community-led petition with more than 23,000 signatures from concerned citizens urging Congress to support the alternative.

"Congressman Boyd's efforts have been nothing short of heroic for the employees here at Sallie Mae, and for college students who value choice and competitive services like the ones we provide," said Renee Mang, senior vice president at Sallie Mae. "We are grateful that he supports a solution that protects good, family-supporting jobs like these--jobs that add over $40 million a year to our local economy and support countless community businesses and organizations."

For more information on the "Protect Florida Jobs" petition campaign or to learn more about alternative proposals to make college more affordable, please visit www.ProtectFloridaJobs.com.

SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation's leading provider of saving, planning and paying for education programs. Through its subsidiaries, the company manages $192 billion in education loans and serves 10 million student and parent customers. Through its Upromise affiliates, the company also manages more than $21 billion in 529 college-savings plans, and is a major, private source of college funding contributions in America with 11 million members and more than $500 million in member rewards. Sallie Mae and its subsidiaries offer debt management services as well as business and technical products to a range of business clients, including higher education institutions, student loan guarantors and state and federal agencies. More information is available at www.salliemae.com. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

    Source: Sallie Mae

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- ZeroG Wireless, Inc., an innovator in low-power embedded Wi-Fi, today announced that David Friedman, senior director at ZeroG Wireless will present, "The Case for Wi-Fi in the Home Area Network (HAN)" at Grid-Interop 2009 in Denver, Colorado. At ZeroG Wireless Mr. Friedman handles business development and partnerships, and also drives the company's marketing efforts in the smart grid space where he is promoting the use of Wi-Fi in such products as thermostats, power meters, appliances and many other home area network applications. He recently became vice-chair of the newly formed smart grid task group within the Wi-Fi Alliance, helping to evangelize and promote the standard broadly to government, utilities and market participants.

What: "The Case for Wi-Fi in the Home Area Network" presentation at Grid-Interop 2009

When: 8:30-10 am, MST, Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Where: Sheraton Denver Downtown, Denver, CO

Who: David Friedman, senior director, strategic marketing, ZeroG Wireless and vice chair, smart grid task group, Wi-Fi Alliance

About ZeroG Wireless, Inc.

ZeroG Wireless is a fabless semiconductor company focused on creating a world of connected devices, the "Internet of Things." With ZeroG low-power Wi-Fi chips, there is no limit to the type of device that can now leverage the massive and rapidly growing Wi-Fi infrastructure. The Company's products are designed from the ground up to enable simple, low-cost connectivity for nearly any system, regardless of architecture. The result: faster time to market and significantly lower overall system cost.

Privately held, ZeroG Wireless is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. Investors are Battery Ventures, Greylock Partners, Morgenthaler Ventures, and Miven. Additional information may be found at www.zerogwireless.com.

SOURCE ZeroG Wireless, Inc.

Webinars, Screencasts, Sessions at TMC's ITEXPO Planned for Coming Months

NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC(R)), a leading global media company, today announced a partnership with Light and Electric for joint participation in a series of Webinars, screencasts and in-show sessions covering the benefits of cloud communications. The initial workshops and sessions are scheduled to be collocated with TMC's ITEXPO East 2010 in Miami Beach, FL this coming January.

Combining TMC's powerhouse media with the award winning and practical experience of Light and Electric will deliver a truly rich and valuable experience for all attendees and participants.

The series of Webinars, screencasts and live sessions will address a growing need of businesses to integrate and leverage cloud based communications applications, process enhancement techniques, and network based communications interfaces and architectures.

Business professionals will learn the fundamentals of cloud based communications business models, market trends and current large efforts and deployments. Sales teams can benefit by learning real life cloud communications success stories and interacting with other ecosystem members. This series of educational sessions online and at ITEXPO will explore how communications as a service drastically lowers capital expenditures, reduces project risks and increases service agility and value.

Thomas Howe, CEO, Light and Electric, will be moderating the sessions both online and at the training session at ITEXPO.

"Thomas is a foremost expert on cloud communications and there is no one better suited to deliver the content than he," said Rich Tehrani, TMC President. "As with the rest of the technology landscape, there is a definite need to have more cost-effective and powerful deployments of communications technology in the cloud. We are excited to offer educational opportunities that help businesses become increasingly efficient through the use of emerging technologies like cloud communications."

"Partnering with TMC was a strategic decision based on their massive outreach across multiple platforms. TMC is perhaps the most respected media outlet covering communications and technology, and provides the best outlet to reach the professionals who will benefit the most from this exciting and fast growing area," said Howe.

The Cloud Communications Show will take place January 20-22, 2010 collocated with the ITEXPO East at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Registration for the Cloud Communications Training sessions will be available on the ITEXPO Web site.

More details on the Webinar events and the screencasts will be forthcoming.

For more information, please visit www.tmcnet.com.

About TMC

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) is a global, integrated media company helping clients build communities in print, in person and online. TMC publishes Customer Interaction Solutions, INTERNET TELEPHONY, Unified Communications, and NGN magazines. TMCnet, TMC's Web site, is the leading source of news and articles for the communications and technology industries. TMCnet is read by as many as three million unique visitors each month worldwide, according to Webtrends. TMCnet has ranked within the top 3,000 in Quantcast's Top U.S. sites, placing TMCnet in the nation's top .03% most visited Web sites. In addition, TMC produces ITEXPO, 4GWE Conference (in conjunction with Crossfire Media), Digium|Asterisk World and AstriCon (in conjunction with Digium), and Communications Developer Conference.

    Source: Technology Marketing Corporation

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), the premier national resource for chemical and biological defense, announced the establishment of a Patent License Agreement (PLA) and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products -- a leading producer of biological and chemical detection systems for military and commercial applications -- during a signing ceremony Monday, Nov. 9.

The agreements will pave the way for collaboration between the federal government and industry to further develop and commercialize a low-cost, low-power, lightweight technology that utilizes semiconductor ultraviolet optical sources for reagentless detection of biological aerosols called the Tactical Biological Detector (TAC-BIO).

"The commercialization of the TAC-BIO will make the device widely available to detect biological warfare threat agents to protect warfighters on the battlefield, first responders and civilians at home," said ECBC Technical Director Rick Decker during the ceremony held in the Center's Berger Auditorium. "Collaboration between ECBC and General Dynamics will get this government-created innovation to the end-user much faster than we can using traditional means."

The TAC-BIO was invented by a team of scientists and engineers led by David Sickenberger, ECBC's Research & Technology Directorate.

"When we initially began the TAC-BIO program seven years ago, the goal was to exploit semiconductor ultraviolet optical sources being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency as the enabling means of achieving a revolutionary new bio detection device that required no consumables and maintained a credible core detection capability," said Sickenberger. "Today, we have achieved these goals and created a prototype that is ready for transition to the industrial sector."

The PLA and CRADA between ECBC and General Dynamics leverage the strengths of both organizations across a range of disciplines and present a valuable opportunity for ECBC to apply its patents to the development of a mass-producible, handheld device for public consumption.

"On behalf of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, we look forward to our partnership with ECBC and believe that this collaboration fully embodies the spirit and intent of the U.S. legislation and Department of Defense directives for technology transfer," said General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Detection Programs Director Brian Kenney.

Over the next two to three years ECBC and GDATP will mutually continue to support research and development efforts of the TAC-BIO to bring the technology to commercialization. To show its dedication to the program, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has committed a significant investment in internal research and development for the detector.

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, located in Charlotte, N.C., provides a broad range of system solutions for military and commercial applications. The company designs, develops and produces high-performance weapon and armament systems, defensive armor, countermeasure systems and aerospace composite solutions, as well as off-road axle and suspension systems. It is also a leading U.S. producer of biological and chemical detection systems. More information about General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products can be found on the Internet at www.gdatp.com.

ECBC is the Army's principal research and development center for chemical and biological defense technology, engineering and field operations. ECBC has achieved major technological advances for the warfighter and for our national defense, with a long and distinguished history of providing the Armed Forces with quality systems and outstanding customer service. ECBC is a US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command laboratory located at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. For more information about the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, please visit our Web site at http://www.ecbc.army.mil or call (410) 436-3610.

SOURCE Edgewood Chemical Biological Center