Latest news with #ProjectElevate
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Harte Hanks, Inc. Appoints David Fisher as President to Lead Next Phase of Client Innovation and Growth
Proven transformation leader and former CTO David Fisher to spearhead Harte Hanks' next chapter of innovation, efficiency, and client-centric growth CHELMSFORD, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 30, 2025 / Harte Hanks, Inc. (NASDAQ:HHS), a leading global customer experience company, today announced the appointment of David Fisher as President. This leadership transition comes at a strategically significant time, as the Company advances its transformation initiatives, deepens its commitment to delivering long-term client value, and positions itself to drive sustained EBITDA growth. Fisher's appointment underscores Harte Hanks' focus on disciplined execution, operational efficiency, and market expansion across high-potential business segments. Mr. Fisher initially joined Harte Hanks in March 2023 as a strategic development advisor focused on identifying operational inefficiencies and unlocking growth across business segments. On January 29, 2024, he was named Chief Transformation Officer and launched 'Project Elevate,' a company-wide initiative driving EBITDA stability, service innovation, and execution discipline. Recognizing his performance and vision, the Company appointed him Interim Chief Operating Officer on January 28, 2025, to oversee enterprise alignment during a pivotal transition period. 'I'm honored to step into this role at such an exciting time for Harte Hanks,' said David Fisher. 'Over the past year, I've seen firsthand the ingenuity, dedication, and customer focus that define our team. We're building on a foundation of strong business fundamentals while embracing the power of AI to deliver exceptional client service. By combining deep industry expertise with evolving technologies, we're uniquely positioned to solve complex challenges and help our clients succeed. Through Project Elevate, we are also operating more efficiently and effectively, and are fully aligned around EBITDA growth, innovation, and client-centric outcomes. I'm proud to help shape the future of a company that has been serving clients through over a century of innovation.' This leadership transition positions Harte Hanks to accelerate growth by deepening services with existing clients, adding new client relationships, and expanding our footprint in key sectors, including fulfilment and customer care. Jack Griffin, Chairman of the Board, commented: 'David's leadership has been nothing short of transformational. He brings a rare combination of strategic vision, operational rigor, and entrepreneurial focus. He's precisely the kind of leader we need to capitalize on market opportunities and deliver sustainable EBITDA growth. David has already reshaped how we operate, compete, and win, and we're confident in his ability to steer Harte Hanks through its next stage of expansion.' In his new role, Mr. Fisher will lead day-to-day operations and drive strategic execution in partnership with Harte Hanks' executive leadership team. About Harte Hanks: Harte Hanks (NASDAQ: HHS) is a leading global customer experience company whose mission is to partner with clients to provide them with CX strategy, data-driven analytics and actionable insights combined with seamless program execution to better understand, attract and engage their customers. Using its unparalleled resources and award-winning talent in the areas of Customer Care, Fulfillment and Logistics, and Marketing Services, Harte Hanks has a proven track record of driving results for some of the world's premier brands, including GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Pfizer, Max, Volvo, Ford, FedEx, Midea, and IBM among others. Headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Harte Hanks has over 2,000 employees in offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit As used herein, 'Harte Hanks' or 'the Company' refers to Harte Hanks, Inc. and/or its applicable operating subsidiaries, as the context may require. Harte Hanks' logo and name are trademarks of Harte Hanks, Inc. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Our press release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws. All such statements are qualified by this cautionary note, provided pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements other than historical facts are forward-looking and may be identified by words such as 'may,' 'will,' 'expects,' 'believes,' 'anticipates,' 'plans,' 'estimates,' 'seeks,' 'could,' 'intends,' or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on current information, expectations and estimates and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. In that event, our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity could be materially adversely affected and investors in our securities could lose part or all of their investments. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors include: (a) local, national and international economic and business conditions, including (i) market conditions that may adversely impact marketing expenditures, (ii) the impact of economic environments and competitive pressures on the financial condition, marketing expenditures and activities of our clients and prospects, (iii) the demand for our products and services by clients and prospective clients, including the willingness of existing clients to maintain or increase their spending on products and services that are or remain profitable for us, and (iv) our ability to predict changes in client needs and preferences; (b) economic and other business factors that impact the industry verticals we serve, including competition, inflation and consolidation of current and prospective clients, vendors and partners in these verticals; (c) our ability to manage and timely adjust our facilities, capacity, workforce and cost structure to effectively serve our clients; (d) our ability to improve our processes and to provide new products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner though development, license, partnership or acquisition; (e) our ability to protect our facilities against security breaches and other interruptions and to protect sensitive personal information of our clients and their customers; (f) our ability to respond to increasing concern, regulation and legal action over consumer privacy issues, including changing requirements for collection, processing and use of information; (g) the impact of privacy and other regulations, including restrictions on unsolicited marketing communications and other consumer protection laws; (h) fluctuations in fuel prices, paper prices, postal rates and postal delivery schedules; (i) the number of shares, if any, that we may repurchase in connection with our repurchase program; (j) unanticipated developments regarding litigation or other contingent liabilities; (k) our ability to complete reorganizations, including cost-saving initiatives; and (l) other factors discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 which was filed on March 17, 2025. The forward-looking statements in this press release, if any, are made only as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future. Investor Relations Contact: David Garrison [email protected] SOURCE: Harte Hanks, Inc. press release
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dollar General (DG) Delivers Market-Beating Returns in 2025
Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) is one of the Best Dividend Stocks of 2025, surging by more than 49% since the start of the year. A busy shopping aisle filled with discounted items in a retail store. After experiencing several years of declining market share to competitors like Walmart and weakening profits, DG faced challenges in its stock performance. However, the company's 'Back to Basics' turnaround plan, combined with economic disruptions from the trade war, played a key role in restoring both revenue and profit growth. This recovery was reflected in a 16% single-day surge in the stock following the release of its fiscal first-quarter earnings in early June. In the first quarter of 2025, Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) reversed its profit decline trend, reporting a gross margin increase of 78 basis points to 31.0%, driven by lower shrink and higher inventory markups. On the other hand, selling, general, and administrative expenses rose by 77 basis points to 25.4%, mainly due to increased labor costs, higher incentive payouts, and spending on repairs and maintenance. Analysts believe that Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) remains well-positioned for further growth, supported by ongoing store openings and updates to current locations through its Project Elevate and Renovate initiatives. The company offers a quarterly dividend of $0.59 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.10%, as of June 26. While we acknowledge the potential of DG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure. None. Sign in to access your portfolio
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
City of Elk Grove looking to create mixed-use space with Project Elevate
ELK GROVE — A mixed-use development known as Project Elevate is in the works for the City of Elk Grove. Project Elevate would be located in the 20-acre vacant lot right in between Elk Grove Boulevard and Civic Center Drive, near Big Horn Boulevard on the southeast side of the city. "I'd like to see high-end," said Stephanie Sexton, who was visiting Elk Grove on Tuesday. "I would like to see a mall like Roseville, the Galleria." Renderings of the mixed-use project show room for new-to-market retail stores, a four-story boutique hotel, open lawn space, and a road through the center connecting Civic Center Drive to Elk Grove Boulevard. "The initial vision had a lot of residential components, but we have discovered there are challenges from a financing perspective," said Elk Grove City Councilmember Darren Suen. Suen has been working on Project Elevate for six years now. He was inspired by the Irvine Spectrum Center in Orange County to bring something similar to Elk Grove. "Our residents have been screaming for a place to shop for a long time," said Suen. He said the housing part of the plan is on pause for now but hopes the market will change. The other amenities are still attractive to people like Sexton. "Sacramento has a lot of homeless and every time I go shopping at my places like my Safeway, I get hit up," said Sexton. She said she would make the drive from East Sacramento to Elk Grove even more often if the mixed-use space is built, but traffic is still top of mind for some. "The challenge, I think, is what is now going to be happening soon is the infrastructure," said John Abernathy, who lives in Elk Grove. "We need to really get ahead of that because the traffic is going to really be challenging." Elk Grove City Council will consider approving a purchase and sale agreement with developer CenterCal Acquisitions at Wednesday night's city council meeting. The next steps will be reviewing the land and making more designs of the space.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Howard University and Google Research Enhance A.I. Speech Recognition of African American English
Howard University and Google researchers release dataset of over 600 hours of African American English dialects to improve AI speech recognition Howard University and Google Research elevate Black American dialects in AI WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Howard University and Google Research released data today which can be used by artificial intelligence developers to improve the experience of Black people using automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology. Through the partnership, Project Elevate Black Voices, researchers traveled across the United States to catalogue dialects and diction used frequently in Black communities but often not recognized or misconstrued by artificial intelligence-driven technologies, making it more difficult for many Black individuals to engage with the technology. African American English (AAE), African American Vernacular, Black English, Black talk, or Ebonics is a rich language rooted in history and culture. Because of inherent bias in the development process, incorrect results are sometimes generated when Black users vocalize commands to AI-driven technology. Many Black users have needed to inauthentically change their voice patterns away from their natural accents to be understood by voice products. 'African American English has been at the forefront of United States culture since almost the beginning of the country' said Gloria Washington, Ph.D., Howard University researcher and co-principal investigator of Project Elevate Black Voices and Howard University researcher. Voice assistant technology should understand different dialects of all African American English to truly serve not just African Americans, but other persons who speak these unique dialects. It's about time that we provide the best experience for all users of these technologies.' Researchers collected 600 hours of data from users of different AAE dialects in an effort to address implicit barriers to improving ASR performance. Thirty-two states are represented in the dataset. They found that there is a lack of natural AAE speech found within speech data because Black users have been implicitly conditioned to change their voices when using ASR-based technology. Even when data is available, in-product AAE is difficult to leverage because of code-switching. "Working with our outstanding partners at Howard University on Project Elevate Black Voices has been a tremendous and personal honor,' said Courtney Heldreth, co-principal investigator at Google Research. 'It's our mission at Google to make technology that's useful and accessible, and I truly believe that our work here will allow more users to express themselves authentically when using smart devices.' Howard University will retain ownership of the dataset and licensing, and serve as stewards for its responsible use, ensuring the data benefits Black communities. Google can also use the dataset to improve its own products, ensuring that their tools work for more people. Google performs this type of model training work with all sorts of dialects, languages, and accents around the US and the world. 'As a community-based researcher, I wanted to carefully curate the community activations to be a safe and trusted space for members of the community to share their experiences about tech and AI and to also ask those uncomfortable questions regarding data privacy,' said Lucretia Williams, Ph.D., project lead and Howard University researcher. The project team adopted a community-centric approach to audio data collection by organizing curated events in several cities, centering around Black panelists who both live and work in those communities. These panelists facilitated open and transparent discussions focused on Black culture, the intersection of technology and Black experiences, the growing presence of AI, and the importance of the Black community's active participation in innovation. At the end of each event, the team introduced a three-week audio data collection initiative, inviting participants to sign up and contribute their voices and experiences to the project. The Howard African American English Dataset 1.0 will initially be made available exclusively to researchers and institutions within historically Black colleges and universities to ensure that the data is employed in ways that reflect the interests and needs of marginalized communities, specifically African American communities whose linguistic practices have often been excluded or misrepresented in computational systems. The release of this dataset to entities outside the HBCU network will be held for consideration at a later date, with the intention of prioritizing those whose work aligns with the values of inclusivity, empowerment, and community-driven research. ### About Howard University Howard University, established in 1867, is a leading private research university based in Washington, D.C. Howard's 14 schools and colleges offer 140 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs and lead the nation in awarding doctoral degrees to African American students. Howard is the top-ranked historically Black college or university according to Forbes and is the only HBCU ranked among U.S. News & World Report's Top 100 National Universities. Renowned for its esteemed faculty, high achieving students, and commitment to excellence, leadership, truth and service, Howard produces distinguished alumni across all sectors, including the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice and the first woman U.S. vice president; Schwarzman, Marshall, Rhodes and Truman Scholars; prestigious fellows; and over 165 Fulbright recipients. Learn more at Attachment Howard University and Google Research elevate Black American dialects in AI CONTACT: Carol Wilkerson Howard University 202-288-7071 in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dollar General Corp (DG) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Sales Growth Amid Challenges
Net Sales: Increased 5.3% to $10.4 billion in Q1. New Store Openings: 156 new stores opened during the quarter. Same-Store Sales: Increased 2.4% during the quarter. Gross Profit Margin: 31%, an increase of 78 basis points. Operating Profit: Increased 5.5% to $576 million. EPS: Increased 7.9% to $1.78. Cash Flow from Operations: $847 million, an increase of 27.6%. Merchandise Inventories: $6.6 billion, a decrease of 5% compared to prior year. Dividend Payment: $0.59 per common share, totaling $130 million. 2025 Financial Guidance: Net sales growth of 3.7% to 4.7%, same-store sales growth of 1.5% to 2.5%, EPS range of $5.20 to $5.80. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Sign with DG. Release Date: June 03, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Dollar General Corp (NYSE:DG) reported a 5.3% increase in net sales to $10.4 billion in Q1 2025, driven by the opening of 156 new stores. Same-store sales increased by 2.4%, with growth in both consumable and non-consumable product categories. The company achieved a gross profit margin increase of 78 basis points, attributed to lower shrink and higher inventory markups. Dollar General Corp (NYSE:DG) saw a 7.9% increase in EPS to $1.78, exceeding internal expectations. The company reported strong cash flow from operations, increasing by 27.6% to $847 million, and reduced merchandise inventories by 5%. Customer traffic slightly decreased by 0.3% during the quarter, despite strong sales growth. SG&A expenses increased by 77 basis points as a percentage of sales, driven by higher retail labor and incentive compensation costs. The company faces uncertainty due to the evolving tariff environment, which could impact consumer spending and cost of goods. Dollar General Corp (NYSE:DG) anticipates a significant headwind from incentive compensation expenses, particularly impacting Q2. The cost to build new stores has risen by more than 40% since 2019, impacting the company's return on investment for new store openings. Q: Can you discuss your confidence in sustaining top-line momentum and any surprises during the quarter? Also, how does the full-year guidance reflect your expectations? A: Todd Vasos, CEO, highlighted confidence in sustaining top-line momentum due to improvements in store standards, customer service, and reduced turnover. He noted that shrink mitigation and supply chain improvements have contributed positively. Kelly Dilts, CFO, added that the guidance considers Q1 outperformance but also accounts for uncertainty, allowing for potential consumer spending pressure. Q: How do you see traffic progressing through the year, and have there been any changes in consumer behavior? A: Todd Vasos, CEO, mentioned that traffic turned positive in May, and they are optimistic about continued comp momentum. He noted that trade-in activity from higher-income customers remains strong, and initiatives like Project Elevate and Renovate are expected to drive further growth. Q: Are there plans for further investments in price or wage rates to sustain comp momentum? A: Todd Vasos, CEO, stated that they are comfortable with current investments in labor and wage rates, which have improved store conditions and employee satisfaction. He emphasized that they feel well-positioned on everyday pricing and continue to invest in maintaining a $1 price point for many items. Q: How important is achieving a 3% comp for margin expansion, and can shrink benefits improve further? A: Todd Vasos, CEO, indicated that sustained comps over 2% are crucial for margin expansion, with a focus on non-consumable categories. Kelly Dilts, CFO, noted that shrink benefits exceeded expectations in Q1 and are expected to continue throughout the year, contributing positively to margins. Q: How is Dollar General addressing competition and potential price investments? A: Todd Vasos, CEO, mentioned that the competitive landscape is stable, and they feel well-positioned on pricing. He emphasized their ability to respond to competitive pressures if needed, supported by strong relationships with CPG partners. He also discussed focusing on new communities to reduce cannibalization and drive growth. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. 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
