Latest news with #JohnTait
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Offensive line
Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight. For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange. Advertisement Here at Bears Wire, we're celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. We're going position by position to name the Bears' All-Quarter Century Team for those who played from 2000 through 2024. Rounding out the offense is the offensive line, a group led by one of the best centers in NFL history. Offensive tackle James "Big Cat" Williams 1991-2002 John Tait 2004-2008 Charles Leno 2014-2020 5 Nov 2000: James Williams #71 of the Chicago Bears looks on during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at the Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Colts Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport Offensive tackle hasn't exactly been a position of strength for the Bears over the last 25 years, but they have had some studs put together stellar seasons, beginning with James "Big Cat" Williams, a player who didn't even begin his NFL career as an offensive tackle. Though the majority of his career took place in the 1990s, Williams ended his Bears tenure strong at the turn of the century. He helped pave the way for running back Anthony Thomas in 2001, earning Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro honors as the Bears captured a division title. Advertisement A few years following Williams' retirement, the Bears had big holes to fill at both tackle spots. They took a big swing to fill one of them with John Tait, and the move paid off. Chicago signed Tait to a six-year deal in 2004 away from the Kansas City Chiefs, and he immediately provided stability up front. Tait played both sides on the line but primarily lined up at left tackle. He played in 73 games across five seasons and was a critical piece of the 2006 Super Bowl team that featured a powerful rushing attack. Though he never received any Pro Bowl accolades, Tait was one of the best and most important signings of the Jerry Angelo era. In the 2010s, the Bears found a gem in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft when they selected Charles Leno Jr. out of Boise State. What seemed to be a borderline practice squad player turned into a reliable starting left tackle within just one season. Leno took hold of the left tackle job in Week 4 of the 2015 season and never missed a start for the rest of his Bears career. While Leno earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, he was never a star protector in the league. Still, the Bears had a revolving door at left tackle for a long time, and Leno was the solution. Honorable mention: Fred Miller Offensive guard Kyle Long 2013-2019 Roberto Garza 2005-2014 Ruben Brown 2004-2007 Nov 9, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Chicago Bears tackle Kyle Long (75) reacts during a 22-19 victory against the San Diego Chargers in a NFL football game at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports In 2013, then-general manager Phil Emery shocked Bears fans by selecting a 25-year-old guard with their first-round pick. It turned out to be a great decision. Kyle Long became the Bears' best lineman in the 2010s as he settled into the right guard position, starting as a rookie. Long quickly became one of the league's best young offensive linemen, earning Pro Bowl nods in each of his first three seasons. He was a stud on the interior, and while he and the Bears experimented with him playing right tackle, guard was his best spot. Unfortunately, injuries took their toll, and Long's career didn't last as long as expected, but his prime was the best we have seen from a Bears guard this century. Advertisement While Long was a successful draft pick, these next two players were successful veteran signings. The Bears took a flyer on Roberto Garza, who signed a one-year deal in 2005 as a backup offensive lineman and potential stopgap. His stint wound up being a decade, as Garza's solid play and versatility were a welcome addition in Chicago. Garza primarily played right guard in the 2000s but filled in on the left side as well. He was a key member of three playoff squads and wound up taking over at center following Olin Kreutz's departure after the Bears couldn't find a suitable outside replacement. Garza was a consummate pro and a team leader, something they needed during that time. Prior to finding Garza, the Bears made a bigger splash with Ruben Brown, one of the best guards from the 1990s and someone who still had enough gas left in the tank during the 2000s when he signed a three-year deal. Brown made eight straight Pro Bowls with the Buffalo Bills and signed in Chicago in 2004. Though injuries limited him to just 45 games over four years, Brown was dominant when healthy and made the Pro Bowl in 2006 during his healthiest season in Chicago. Honorable mention: Chris Villarrial Center Olin Kreutz 1998 - 2010 Cody Whitehair 2016 - 2023 Advertisement There is no debate as to who the Bears' best center of the last 25 years has been. Olin Kreutz was the heart and soul of the team for the vast majority of his career. His leadership and stellar play were a key reason why Chicago became a winning franchise in the mid-2000s. Kreutz anchored the interior of the line for all four of the Bears' playoff appearances in the 2000s, earning First-Team All-Pro honors twice in 2005 and 2006, and making the Pro Bowl six years in a row from 2001 through 2006. He was also named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. Kreutz was arguably the best and most important player on offense since the turn of the century. Though there's a sizeable gap between Kreutz and the next-best center, the Bears found a good one when they drafted Cody Whitehair in 2016. Whitehair wound up filling it at center due to injuries and became a fixture at the position. While he also played guard in the back half of his career, Whitehair started at center in every game for his first three years, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2018. Whitehair did everything that was asked of him and did it well. He, like Leno, wasn't a star player on the line, but he brought consistency and reliability. Honorable mention: Roberto Garza Bears All-Quarter Century Team Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Offensive line
Business Wire
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
TNS' Smart SIM Enhanced with Industry-Leading Connectivity and Resilience
RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Transaction Network Services (TNS) today announces a significant update to its innovative Smart SIM product, further strengthening its industry-leading global wireless connectivity solution. Included in this upgrade are new local breakout capabilities in Asia, which means traffic remains in the region, helping to significantly reduce latency. TNS' Smart SIM is designed to deliver resilient and secure mobile connectivity for payment terminals, ATMs, and IoT devices. Unlike traditional IoT SIM cards, Smart SIM leverages a multi-network approach to ensure seamless, uninterrupted service by automatically and autonomously switching carriers when it detects the connectivity path is no longer working. Payment transactions and other traffic continue to work, avoiding downtime and interruption to merchants and other users. With more than one million TNS Smart SIMs and a two million+ SIM portfolio, TNS continues to set the standard for secure and reliable wireless access for payments even when faced by common service issues such as poor signal, data congestion and local operator outages. 'This update represents a major leap forward in connectivity solutions for mission-critical payment and IoT devices,' said John Tait, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market. 'Our Smart SIM technology already provides unparalleled network redundancy, and this latest enhancement will further optimize performance, reliability, and ease of management for our customers.' The Smart SIM's managed service solution offers full visibility into SIM estates, real-time performance monitoring, and proactive issue resolution through TNS' 24/7/365 global support centers. Acquirers, processors and ISOs benefit from reduced administration with a single contract and supplier, as well as streamlined setup and deployment with pre-activated, plug-and-play SIMs. Security remains a top priority for TNS. Smart SIM operates within TNS' Level 1 PCI DSS certified network, ensuring encrypted and secure data transmission. Additionally, the intelligent routing software maximizes uptime and helps to ensure seamless transactions for businesses worldwide. 'TNS' Smart SIM is trusted by leading merchant acquirers, financial institutions, processors, POS terminal deployers and self-service industries like vending, laundromats and kiosks, to deliver mission-critical connectivity,' added Tait. 'With Smart SIM, we are reinforcing our commitment to providing the most secure, reliable, and high-performance mobile connectivity solution on the market.' For more information about the latest Smart SIM update, visit: About TNS TNS is a global leader in providing full-stack, modern and secure payment and network solutions. As a leading provider of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions with more than 30 years' experience, TNS has been offering managed service solutions to more than 1,400 organizations in over 50 countries. TNS' comprehensive portfolio spans from cutting-edge unattended and in-store payment terminals, online solutions to secure global network connectivity and seamless payment processing through its cloud native payment orchestration platform. With TNS' portfolio of industry leading services, customers can reduce the complexities of fragmented payments and connectivity with just one trusted managed service partner. For more information, please visit:
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
TNS Unveils New Malaysian Hub to Power "Complete Commerce" and Strengthen Global Growth Strategy
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transaction Network Services (TNS), a global leader in providing full-stack, modern and secure payment and network solutions, has opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, signalling its investment in the APAC region and continued commitment to supporting local and global customers. By investing and building its Operations and Shared Services Center in Malaysia, TNS is reinforcing its support structure in APAC for customers in both the country and region. Share The new hub is a strategic milestone in TNS' global growth journey, positioning Malaysia as a central point for delivering expanded services under its Complete Commerce offering, which enables enterprises to accept any transaction at terminals and online, connect POS terminals and retail stores with its managed network service solutions, and orchestrate payment transactions via its cloud-native platform to any payment processor. Located in Kuala Lumpur's City Center (KLCC), TNS was honoured to be joined at its new office by many valued customers and staff, in celebrating the milestone achievement on June 11th. Hosted by John Tait, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market, the grand opening was marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony, tour of TNS' product display, new state of the art Network Operations Centre (NOC) and reception. 'We were thrilled to have so many customers join us for the grand opening of our new major hub for the APAC region. Over the past 12 years, TNS has consistently achieved remarkable growth in Malaysia and beyond, a testament to our expanding workforce and our ever-evolving suite of services. As we look ahead, we are excited about our future opportunities and confident that our Malaysian hub will be instrumental in driving our continued success and growth in the region,' said Ganesh Satkunalingam, TNS' Vice President for Southeast Asia, for its Payments Market business. As the digital payments ecosystem rapidly evolves, TNS continues to invest in infrastructure that brings it closer to its customers. The Kuala Lumpur hub will initially house over 50 employees across functions such as Sales, Engineering, Network Operations, Finance, Solutions Consulting, and Project Management—with further growth anticipated. The site includes a 24x7x365 Network Operations Center (NOC), enabling real-time, round-the-clock service delivery to customers globally. TNS has been operating in Malaysia since 2013, initially serving a single global payments customer. Over the past decade, the company has experienced double-digit growth and expanded its services to include various sectors, such as acquirers, financial institutions, Independent ATM Deployers (IADs), retailers, and fuel retailers, both locally and internationally. The move to a larger, centrally located facility in Kuala Lumpur is a clear signal of the company's long-term investment in the region. 'By investing and building its Operations and Shared Services Center in Malaysia, TNS is reinforcing its support structure in APAC for customers in both the country and region. We want our customers to have the confidence that we're closer to them in the market. With a long history in the region, we're delighted that Malaysia will play a central role in our long-term global strategy with a 24x7 Network Operations Center,' said John Tait, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market. With the number of personnel at the previous office increasing by twenty times in the last decade, the new office will support continued growth and further expansion. This growth in headcount predominantly includes local hires, the majority of which have joined TNS via recommendations, highlighting the growth culture that the company has created. For more information, visit About TNS TNS is a global leader in providing full-stack, modern and secure payment and network solutions. As a leading provider of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions with more than 30 years' experience, TNS has been offering managed service solutions to more than 1,400 organizations in over 50 countries. TNS' comprehensive portfolio spans from cutting-edge unattended and in-store payment terminals, online solutions to secure global network connectivity and seamless payment processing through its cloud native payment orchestration platform. With TNS' portfolio of industry leading services, customers can reduce the complexities of fragmented payments and connectivity with just one trusted managed service partner. For more information, please visit:
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TNS Unveils New Malaysian Hub to Power "Complete Commerce" and Strengthen Global Growth Strategy
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 12, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transaction Network Services (TNS), a global leader in providing full-stack, modern and secure payment and network solutions, has opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, signalling its investment in the APAC region and continued commitment to supporting local and global customers. The new hub is a strategic milestone in TNS' global growth journey, positioning Malaysia as a central point for delivering expanded services under its Complete Commerce offering, which enables enterprises to accept any transaction at terminals and online, connect POS terminals and retail stores with its managed network service solutions, and orchestrate payment transactions via its cloud-native platform to any payment processor. Located in Kuala Lumpur's City Center (KLCC), TNS was honoured to be joined at its new office by many valued customers and staff, in celebrating the milestone achievement on June 11th. Hosted by John Tait, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market, the grand opening was marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony, tour of TNS' product display, new state of the art Network Operations Centre (NOC) and reception. "We were thrilled to have so many customers join us for the grand opening of our new major hub for the APAC region. Over the past 12 years, TNS has consistently achieved remarkable growth in Malaysia and beyond, a testament to our expanding workforce and our ever-evolving suite of services. As we look ahead, we are excited about our future opportunities and confident that our Malaysian hub will be instrumental in driving our continued success and growth in the region," said Ganesh Satkunalingam, TNS' Vice President for Southeast Asia, for its Payments Market business. As the digital payments ecosystem rapidly evolves, TNS continues to invest in infrastructure that brings it closer to its customers. The Kuala Lumpur hub will initially house over 50 employees across functions such as Sales, Engineering, Network Operations, Finance, Solutions Consulting, and Project Management—with further growth anticipated. The site includes a 24x7x365 Network Operations Center (NOC), enabling real-time, round-the-clock service delivery to customers globally. TNS has been operating in Malaysia since 2013, initially serving a single global payments customer. Over the past decade, the company has experienced double-digit growth and expanded its services to include various sectors, such as acquirers, financial institutions, Independent ATM Deployers (IADs), retailers, and fuel retailers, both locally and internationally. The move to a larger, centrally located facility in Kuala Lumpur is a clear signal of the company's long-term investment in the region. "By investing and building its Operations and Shared Services Center in Malaysia, TNS is reinforcing its support structure in APAC for customers in both the country and region. We want our customers to have the confidence that we're closer to them in the market. With a long history in the region, we're delighted that Malaysia will play a central role in our long-term global strategy with a 24x7 Network Operations Center," said John Tait, Global Managing Director, TNS Payments Market. With the number of personnel at the previous office increasing by twenty times in the last decade, the new office will support continued growth and further expansion. This growth in headcount predominantly includes local hires, the majority of which have joined TNS via recommendations, highlighting the growth culture that the company has created. For more information, visit About TNS TNS is a global leader in providing full-stack, modern and secure payment and network solutions. As a leading provider of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions with more than 30 years' experience, TNS has been offering managed service solutions to more than 1,400 organizations in over 50 countries. TNS' comprehensive portfolio spans from cutting-edge unattended and in-store payment terminals, online solutions to secure global network connectivity and seamless payment processing through its cloud native payment orchestration platform. With TNS' portfolio of industry leading services, customers can reduce the complexities of fragmented payments and connectivity with just one trusted managed service partner. For more information, please visit: View source version on Contacts Company Contact: TNSSarah Chapman/Maria McDonald+44 (0)114 292 0200pr@ OrMedia Contact SkyParlour for TNSClaire Holden+44 (0)330 043 1315tns@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mines D'Or Orbec Announces Closing of Second and Final Tranche of Private Placement
Brossard, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - June 9, 2025) - Further to its news release dated April 24, 2025, Mines D'Or Orbec Inc. (TSXV: BLUE) ("Orbec" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the second and final tranche of its non-brokered private placement consisting of the sale of 8,600,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $430,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit was comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one-half of one Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire an additional Share (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.075 per Warrant Share for a period of 18 months following closing of the Offering. In total, and including the first tranche of the Offering, the Company issued 19,500,000 Units and 714,284 common shares issued on a "flow-through" basis at a price of $0.07 per common share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,005,000. The net proceeds from the issue of the Units will be used on exploring the Company's properties, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Shares and Warrants are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day, and remain subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). In connection with the Offering, the Company paid eligible finders a cash fee equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds raised by the Company from the sale of the Units to subscribers directly introduced to the Company by such finders, and issued finder warrants of the Company, exercisable for a period of 18 months following the closing date, to acquire in aggregate that number of Shares which is equal to 6.0% of the total number of Units sold to purchasers that were sourced by eligible finders, at an exercise price equal to $0.05 per Share. Orbec's Chairman, Chad Williams, purchased $35,000 of Units and John Tait, Orbec's CEO, purchased $35,000 of Units pursuant to the Offering. Participation by Messrs. Williams and Tait in the Offering was considered a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company was exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the participation of Messrs. Williams and Tait in the Offering in reliance of sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101. About Orbec Orbec is a gold company that owns 100% of a large and highly prospective mineral claim position near Chibougamau, Québec. The Muus Project covers approximately 25,250 hectares in the northeastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Muus is prospective for gold mineralisation and is adjacent to and on strike with IAMGOLD's 8.3 million oz Nelligan Gold Project. Orbec has announced that exploration of the Muus Gold Project will advance in technical collaboration with IAMGOLD, which owns approximately 8.3% of the Company. Field work completed during 2022 established that the northern portion of the Muus Gold Project is also prospective for copper-gold volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralisation, as well as confirming that it is prospective for high-grade gold mineralisation similar to IAMGOLD's nearby Monster Lake gold deposit. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDJohn Tait, CEO and Director For more information, please visit our website or contact John Tait, info@ Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "proposed", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, incur and renounce exploration expenditures in the timelines indicated; the use of proceeds from the Offering, the Company's objectives, goals and exploration activities conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Company's properties; future growth potential of the Company, including whether any proposed exploration programs at any of the Company's properties will be successful; exploration results; and future exploration plans and costs and financing availability. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: the expected benefits to the Company relating to the exploration conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Company's properties; the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals for the Offering; the completion of the Offering on the terms described herein, or at all; failure to identify any mineral resources or significant mineralization; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Company's properties; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and mineral exploration; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); the unlikelihood that properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; soil sampling results being preliminary in nature and are not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit; title to properties; and those factors described in the most recently filed management's discussion and analysis of the Company. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
