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Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FedEx Reports Fourth Quarter Diluted EPS of $6.88 and Adjusted Diluted EPS of $6.07
Achieved $2.2 Billion Fiscal 2025 DRIVE Structural Cost Reduction TargetReturned $4.3 Billion to Stockholders Through Stock Repurchases and Dividends During Fiscal 2025Targeting $1 Billion of Transformation Program Cost Savings During Fiscal 2026 Remembering FedEx Founder Frederick W. Smith The Company acknowledges, with deep sadness, the recent passing of its founder, executive chairman, and long-time CEO. "Fred pioneered express delivery and connected the world, shaping global commerce as we know it. His legacy of innovation, leadership, and philanthropy will continue to inspire future generations. I will miss not only his visionary leadership, but his trusted friendship and counsel," said Raj Subramaniam, FedEx Corp. president and chief executive officer. For more information about Mr. Smith's legacy as a visionary founder and innovative leader, please visit MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) today reported the following consolidated results for the fourth quarter ended May 31 (adjusted measures exclude the items listed below): Fiscal 2025 Fiscal 2024 As Reported(GAAP) Adjusted(non-GAAP) As Reported(GAAP) Adjusted(non-GAAP) Revenue $22.2 billion $22.2 billion $22.1 billion $22.1 billion Operating income $1.79 billion $2.02 billion $1.56 billion $1.87 billion Operating margin 8.1% 9.1% 7.0% 8.5% Net income $1.65 billion $1.46 billion $1.47 billion $1.34 billion Diluted EPS $6.88 $6.07 $5.94 $5.41 This year's and last year's quarterly consolidated results have been adjusted for: Fiscal 2025 Fiscal 2024 Impact per diluted share FourthQuarter FullYear FourthQuarter FullYear Mark-to-market (MTM) retirement plans accounting adjustments ($1.63) ($1.60) ($1.72) ($1.69) Business optimization costs 0.39 2.37 0.67 1.77 International regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters 0.26 0.37 (0.18) (0.17) FedEx Freight spin-off costs 0.11 0.18 — — Asset impairment charges 0.07 0.06 0.48 0.48 Remeasurement of state deferred income taxes under one FedEx structure — — 0.22 0.21 Operating income and margin improved in the fourth quarter, as the company achieved its DRIVE structural cost reduction targets. Fourth quarter results also benefited from higher volume at Federal Express and higher base yield at each transportation segment. "I am proud of the FedEx team for a solid finish to the fiscal year, delivering excellent service for our customers while achieving our structural cost reduction target, in the face of ongoing headwinds," said Mr. Subramaniam. "We will continue to leverage the unique scale and flexibility of our global network to support our customers as the demand environment evolves. Looking ahead, I'm confident that our transformation initiatives, which are focused on integrating our networks and further reducing our cost-to-serve, will create meaningful long-term value." Fourth Quarter Results Federal Express segment operating results improved during the quarter, driven by cost reduction benefits from DRIVE, increased U.S. and international export volume, and higher base yield. These factors were partially offset by higher purchased transportation and wage rates, one fewer operating day, and the expiration of the U.S. Postal Service contract. FedEx Freight segment operating results decreased during the quarter due to lower fuel surcharges, reduced weight per shipment, higher healthcare costs, increased wage rates, and one fewer operating day. These factors were partially offset by higher base yield and a $33 million gain on the sale of a facility. Fourth quarter results include a noncash impairment charge of $21 million ($0.07 per diluted share) from the decision to permanently retire 12 aircraft, including seven A300-600 aircraft, three MD-11 aircraft, and two Boeing 757-200 aircraft, plus eight related engines. These retirements are aligned with the company's fleet reduction and modernization strategy as the company continues to improve its global network efficiency and better align air network capacity with anticipated demand. Last year's fourth quarter results included a noncash impairment charge of $157 million ($0.48 per diluted share) from the decision to permanently retire 22 Boeing 757-200 aircraft and seven related engines. Last year's fourth quarter results also included an income tax expense of $54 million ($0.22 per diluted share) from the remeasurement of U.S. state deferred income tax balances related to the merger of FedEx Ground and FedEx Services into Federal Express Corporation. Full-Year Results For the full fiscal year, FedEx Corp. reported the following consolidated results (adjusted measures exclude the items listed above for the applicable fiscal year): Fiscal 2025 Fiscal 2024 As Reported(GAAP) Adjusted(non-GAAP) As Reported(GAAP) Adjusted(non-GAAP) Revenue $87.9 billion $87.9 billion $87.7 billion $87.7 billion Operating income $5.22 billion $6.12 billion $5.56 billion $6.24 billion Operating margin 5.9% 7.0% 6.3% 7.1% Net income $4.09 billion $4.43 billion $4.33 billion $4.48 billion Diluted EPS $16.81 $18.19 $17.21 $17.80 Results include lower structural costs as the company achieved its $2.2 billion fiscal 2025 DRIVE target and delivered $4.0 billion in total DRIVE structural cost reductions relative to fiscal year 2023. Capital spending for fiscal 2025 was $4.1 billion, down $1.1 billion or 22% from $5.2 billion in fiscal 2024. Capital spending as a percentage of revenue declined to 4.6%, the lowest level in FedEx Corp. history. Capital Returns During fiscal 2025, FedEx returned approximately $4.3 billion to stockholders through the combination of $3.0 billion of stock repurchases, above the original $2.5 billion stock repurchase plan, and $1.3 billion of dividend payments. Repurchases during fiscal 2025 totaled approximately 10.9 million shares or 4.5% of the shares outstanding at the beginning of the year, and increased fourth quarter and full-year earnings by $0.28 and $0.44 per share, respectively. As of May 31, 2025, $2.1 billion remained under the company's 2024 stock repurchase authorization. For fiscal 2026, FedEx remains committed to returning capital to stockholders, including the previously announced 5% increase ($0.28 per share) in the annual dividend on its common stock, to $5.80 per share. The company also intends to continue a robust share repurchase program. "Our fourth quarter and full-year results illustrate our determination to manage costs, reduce capital intensity, and increase earnings in order to unlock additional stockholder value," said John Dietrich, FedEx Corp. executive vice president and chief financial officer. "In fiscal 2026, we will remain focused on advancing our network transformation while maintaining a disciplined approach to capital spending and returning capital to our stockholders." Outlook For the first quarter of fiscal 2026, FedEx is forecasting: A flat to 2% revenue growth rate year over year; An effective tax rate (ETR) of approximately 25%; and Diluted earnings per share of $2.90 to $3.50, and $3.40 to $4.00 after excluding costs related to business optimization initiatives and the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight. For full-year fiscal 2026, FedEx is forecasting: Permanent cost reductions of $1 billion from the DRIVE and Network 2.0 transformation programs; Pension contributions of up to $600 million, compared to $800 million in fiscal 2025; and Capital spending of $4.5 billion, with a priority on investments in network optimization and efficiency improvement, including fleet and facility modernization and automation. These forecasts assume the company's current economic forecast and fuel price expectations, successful completion of planned stock repurchases, and no additional adverse economic, geopolitical, or international trade-related developments. FedEx's ETR and EPS forecasts are based on current law and related regulations and guidance. Corporate Overview FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of $88 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions utilizing its flexible, efficient, and intelligent global network. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 500,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit Additional information and operating data are contained in the company's annual report, Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs, Form 8-Ks and Statistical Books. These materials, as well as a webcast of the earnings release conference call to be held at 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 24, are available on the company's website at A replay of the conference call webcast will be posted on our website following the call. The Investor Relations page of our website, contains a significant amount of information about FedEx, including our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings and financial and other information for investors. The information that we post on our Investor Relations website could be deemed to be material information. We encourage investors, the media and others interested in the company to visit this website from time to time, as information is updated and new information is posted. Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, such as statements regarding expected cost savings, the optimization of our network through Network 2.0 and Tricolor, the planned tax-free spin-off of the FedEx Freight business into a new publicly traded company (the "FedEx Freight Spin-Off"), future financial targets, business strategies, management's views with respect to future events and financial performance, and the assumptions underlying such expected cost savings, targets, strategies, and statements. Forward-looking statements include those preceded by, followed by or that include the words "will," "may," "could," "would," "should," "believes," "expects," "forecasts," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "targets," "projects," "intends" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic conditions in the global markets in which we operate; anti-trade measures and additional changes in international trade policies and relations; our ability to successfully implement our business strategies and global transformation program and network optimization initiatives, including Network 2.0 and Tricolor, effectively respond to changes in market dynamics, and achieve the anticipated benefits of such strategies and actions; our ability to achieve our cost reduction initiatives and financial performance goals; the timing and amount of any costs or benefits or any specific outcome, transaction, or change (of which there can be no assurance), or the terms, timing, and structure thereof, related to our global transformation program and other ongoing reviews and initiatives; a significant data breach or other disruption to our technology infrastructure; our ability to successfully implement the FedEx Freight Spin-Off and achieve the anticipated benefits of such transaction; damage to our reputation or loss of brand equity; our ability to meet our labor and purchased transportation needs while controlling related costs; failure of third-party service providers to perform as expected, or disruptions in our relationships with those providers or their provision of services to FedEx; the effect of any international conflicts or terrorist activities, including as a result of the current conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East; evolving or new U.S. domestic or international laws and government regulations, policies, and actions; changes in fuel prices or currency exchange rates, including significant increases in fuel prices as a result of the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East and other geopolitical and regulatory developments; the effect of intense competition; our ability to match capacity to shifting volume levels; an increase in self-insurance accruals and expenses; failure to receive or collect expected insurance coverage; our ability to effectively operate, integrate, leverage, and grow acquired businesses and realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and other strategic transactions; noncash impairment charges related to our goodwill and certain deferred tax assets; the future rate of e-commerce growth; future guidance, regulations, interpretations, challenges, or judicial decisions related to our tax positions; labor-related disruptions; legal challenges or changes related to service providers contracted to conduct certain linehaul and pickup-and-delivery operations and the drivers providing services on their behalf and the coverage of U.S. employees at Federal Express Corporation under the Railway Labor Act of 1926, as amended; our ability to remove costs related to services provided to the U.S. Postal Service ("USPS") under the contract for Federal Express Corporation to provide the USPS domestic transportation services that expired in September 2024; our ability to quickly and effectively restore operations following adverse weather or a localized disaster or disturbance in a key geography; the effects of a widespread outbreak of an illness or any other communicable disease or public health crises; any liability resulting from and the costs of defending against litigation; our ability to achieve or demonstrate progress on our goal of carbon-neutral operations by 2040; and other factors which can be found in FedEx Corp.'s and its subsidiaries' press releases and FedEx Corp.'s filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, and subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We do not undertake or assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The financial section of this release is provided on the company's website at RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURESTO GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2025 and Fiscal 2024 Results The company reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP" or "reported"). We have supplemented the reporting of our financial information determined in accordance with GAAP with certain non-GAAP (or "adjusted") financial measures, including our adjusted fourth quarter and adjusted full-year fiscal 2025 and 2024 consolidated operating income and margin, net income, and diluted earnings per share and adjusted fourth quarter and adjusted full-year fiscal 2025 and 2024 Federal Express segment operating income and margin. These financial measures have been adjusted to exclude the impact of the following items (as applicable): MTM retirement plans accounting adjustments incurred in fiscal 2025 and 2024; Business optimization costs incurred in fiscal 2025 and 2024; Costs related to international regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters incurred in fiscal 2025 and insurance recoveries related to a FedEx Ground legal matter received in fiscal 2024; Costs related to the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight incurred in fiscal 2025; Asset impairment charges incurred in fiscal 2025 and 2024; and Remeasurement of state deferred income taxes under the one FedEx structure incurred in fiscal 2024. In fiscal 2023, FedEx announced DRIVE, a comprehensive program to improve the company's long-term profitability. This program includes a business optimization plan to drive efficiency among our transportation segments, lower our overhead and support costs, and transform our digital capabilities. We incurred costs associated with our business optimization initiatives in fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2024. These costs were primarily related to professional services and severance. The charges incurred in fiscal 2025 in connection with the international regulatory matter are extraordinary in nature and do not represent recurring expenses in our ordinary course of business. For the full-year fiscal 2025 financial measures, this item has been reduced in the amount of a gain recognized in fiscal 2025 in connection with the partial reversal of a loss accrual related to a legacy FedEx Ground legal matter that was also extraordinary in nature following a settlement. In December 2024, FedEx announced that its Board of Directors has decided to pursue a full separation of FedEx Freight through the capital markets, creating a new publicly traded company. The transaction, which will be implemented through the spin-off of shares of the new company to FedEx stockholders, is expected to be tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes for FedEx stockholders. We incurred costs associated with the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight in fiscal 2025, which were related to professional fees and the exchange offer and consent solicitation transactions to secure the release of the guarantee of FedEx Freight of certain series of outstanding senior notes of FedEx at the time FedEx Freight ceases to be a subsidiary of FedEx. Costs related to business optimization initiatives, international regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters, and the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight, as well as MTM retirement plans accounting adjustments, insurance recoveries related to accrued pre- and post-judgment interest incurred in connection with a separate legacy FedEx Ground legal matter incurred in fiscal 2022, and asset impairment charges are excluded from our fourth quarter and full-year fiscal 2025 and 2024 consolidated and Federal Express segment non-GAAP financial measures, as applicable, because they are unrelated to our core operating performance and/or to assist investors with assessing trends in our underlying businesses. An income tax expense related to the remeasurement of U.S. state deferred income tax balances in connection with the merger of FedEx Ground and FedEx Services into Federal Express Corporation pursuant to our one FedEx consolidation is excluded from our fourth quarter and full-year fiscal 2024 consolidated non-GAAP financial measures because it results from the non-recurring impact of the one FedEx consolidation on our overall deferred tax position, which accumulated over many prior reporting periods. The adjustment to our fourth quarter and full-year fiscal 2024 consolidated financial measures includes only the transitional impact related to the one FedEx consolidation. The income tax effect of these items is calculated based upon the tax laws and statutory income tax rates applicable in the tax jurisdiction(s) of the underlying non-GAAP adjustment. The impact of these items on the company's effective tax rate represents the difference in the effective tax rate calculated with and without the non-GAAP adjustment. We believe these adjusted financial measures facilitate analysis and comparisons of our ongoing business operations because they exclude items that may not be indicative of, or are unrelated to, the company's and our business segments' core operating performance, and may assist investors with comparisons to prior periods and assessing trends in our underlying businesses. These adjustments are consistent with how management views our businesses. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in making financial, operating and planning decisions and evaluating the company's and each business segment's ongoing performance. Our non-GAAP financial measures are intended to supplement and should be read together with, and are not an alternative or substitute for, and should not be considered superior to, our reported financial results. Accordingly, users of our financial statements should not place undue reliance on these non-GAAP financial measures. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. As required by SEC rules, the tables below present a reconciliation of our presented non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Diluted Earnings Per Share Forecast Our first quarter fiscal 2026 EPS forecast is a non-GAAP financial measure because it excludes estimated costs related to business optimization initiatives and the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight. We have provided this non-GAAP financial measure for the same reasons that were outlined above for historical non-GAAP measures. Costs related to business optimization initiatives and the planned spin-off of FedEx Freight are excluded from our first quarter fiscal 2026 EPS forecast for the same reasons described above for historical non-GAAP measures. The table included below titled "First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Diluted Earnings Per Share Forecast" outlines the effects of the items that are excluded from our first quarter fiscal 2026 EPS forecast. Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2025 FedEx Corporation DilutedEarningsPer Share Operating IncomeTaxes1 NetIncome2 Dollars in millions, except EPS Income Margin GAAP measure $ 1,793 8.1 % $ 575 $ 1,648 $ 6.88 MTM retirement plans accounting adjustment3 — — (125) (390) (1.63) Business optimization costs4 123 0.6 % 29 93 0.39 International regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters5 50 0.2 % (11) 61 0.26 FedEx Freight spin-off costs6 33 0.1 % 7 27 0.11 Asset impairment charges5 21 0.1 % 5 16 0.07 Non-GAAP measure $ 2,020 9.1 % $ 480 $ 1,455 $ 6.07 Federal Express Segment Operating Dollars in millions Income Margin GAAP measure $ 1,586 8.4 % International regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters 50 0.3 % Business optimization costs 43 0.2 % Asset impairment charges 21 0.1 % Non-GAAP measure $ 1,700 9.0 % Note: tables may not sum to totals due to rounding. Full-Year Fiscal 2025 FedEx Corporation DilutedEarningsPer Share Operating IncomeTaxes1 NetIncome2 Dollars in millions, except EPS Income Margin GAAP measure $ 5,217 5.9 % $ 1,349 $ 4,092 $ 16.81 MTM retirement plans accounting adjustment3 — — (125) (390) (1.60) Business optimization costs4 756 0.9 % 178 577 2.37 International regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters5 88 0.1 % (2) 90 0.37 FedEx Freight spin-off costs6 38 — 13 44 0.18 Asset impairment charges5 21 — 5 16 0.06 Non-GAAP measure $ 6,120 7.0 % $ 1,418 $ 4,429 $ 18.19 Federal Express Segment Operating Dollars in millions Income Margin GAAP measure $ 4,885 6.5 % Business optimization costs 384 0.5 % International regulatory and legacy FedEx Ground legal matters 88 0.1 % Asset impairment charges 21 — Non-GAAP measure $ 5,378 7.1 % Note: tables may not sum to totals due to rounding. Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 FedEx Corporation Operating IncomeTaxes1 NetIncome2 DilutedEarningsPer Share Dollars in millions, except EPS Income Margin GAAP measure $ 1,555 7.0% $ 554 $ 1,474 $ 5.94 MTM retirement plans accounting adjustment3 — — (135) (426) (1.72) Business optimization costs4 218 1.0% 51 166 0.67 Asset impairment charges5 157 0.7% 37 120 0.48 Remeasurement of state deferred income taxes under one FedEx structure6 — — (54) 54 0.22 FedEx Ground legal matter6 (57) (0.3%) (13) (44) (0.18) Non-GAAP measure $ 1,873 8.5% $ 440 $ 1,344 $ 5.41 Federal Express Segment Operating Dollars in millions Income Margin GAAP measure $ 1,305 6.9% Asset impairment charges 157 0.8% Business optimization costs 102 0.5% Non-GAAP measure $ 1,564 8.3% Note: tables may not sum to totals due to rounding. Full-Year Fiscal 2024 FedEx Corporation DilutedEarningsPer Share Operating IncomeTaxes1 NetIncome2 Dollars in millions, except EPS Income Margin GAAP measure $ 5,559 6.3% $ 1,505 $ 4,331 $ 17.21 MTM retirement plans accounting adjustment3 — — (135) (426) (1.69) Business optimization costs4 582 0.7% 137 444 1.77 Asset impairment charges5 157 0.2% 37 120 0.48 Remeasurement of state deferred income taxes under one FedEx structure6 — — (54) 54 0.21 FedEx Ground legal matter6 (57) (0.1%) (13) (44) (0.17) Non-GAAP measure $ 6,241 7.1% $ 1,477 $ 4,479 $ 17.80 Federal Express Segment Operating Dollars in millions Income Margin GAAP measure $ 4,819 6.5% Business optimization costs 251 0.3% Asset impairment charges 157 0.2% Non-GAAP measure $ 5,227 7.0% Note: tables may not sum to totals due to rounding. First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Diluted Earnings Per Share Forecast DilutedEarnings PerShare Dollars in millions, except EPS Adjustments Earnings per diluted share (GAAP) $2.90 to $3.50 Business optimization costs $135 FedEx Freight spin-off costs 20 Total adjustments $155 Income tax effect1 (35) Net of tax effect $120 0.50 Diluted earnings per share with adjustments (non-GAAP) $3.40 to $4.00 Notes: 1 Income taxes are based on the company's approximate statutory tax rates applicable to each transaction. 2 Effect of "total other (expense) income" on net income amount not shown. 3 The MTM retirement plans accounting adjustment reflects the year-end adjustment to the valuation of the company's defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. 4 These expenses were recognized at Federal Express, as well as Corporate, other, and eliminations. 5 These expenses were recognized at Federal Express. 6 These items were recognized at Corporate, other, and eliminations. View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Caitlin Maier901-434-8100mediarelations@ Investor Relations Contact: Jeni Hollander901-818-7200ir@ 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
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Argentina says Russian spy ring promoted disinformation
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina said it has detected Russian spies operating in the country to promote Moscow's interests through disinformation campaigns and fake news. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said intelligence officers identified an organisation called 'The Company,' allegedly linked to Russia's government and Project Lakhta, which the United States says is a Moscow-based operation conducting political interference. Russian citizen Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili, based in Argentina, allegedly headed the organisation with his wife Irina Yakovenko, also a Russian. Both were responsible for 'receiving financing and promoting links with local collaborators,' Adorni said in a statement Wednesday. The group's goal was 'to form a group of people loyal to Russia's interests' to carry out disinformation campaigns against the Argentine state, the spokesman added. The Russian spy network created and disseminated content on social media, influencing local civil organizations and NGOs, developing focus groups with Argentine citizens and obtaining political information for Russia, he added. 'Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any other nation,' Adorni said, adding that 'the safety of Argentines is not a secondary matter.' According to the US Treasury Department, Project Lakhta is a Russian disinformation campaign targeting audiences in the United States, Europe, Ukraine and even Russia itself.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Accelus Secures New Growth Financing To Support Continued Commercial Expansion and Pipeline Innovation
Industry Veteran Bernie Haffey Appointed Chairman of Accelus Board of Directors PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., May 29, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accelus ("The Company"), a privately held medical technology company committed to becoming the global market leader in expandable spinal implant technologies, today announced the closing of a new equity financing round led by Concord Health Partners, a healthcare-focused investment firm. The capital will support Accelus's continued commercial growth and further development of its differentiated spinal implant technologies. In conjunction with the financing, Accelus has appointed industry veteran Bernie Haffey as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Haffey, who joined the Accelus board in February 2024, has over 20 years of medtech and healthcare sector experience and will help oversee the Company's next phase of growth. Mr. Haffey founded and serves as President of Haffey&Co, a strategic business management consultancy firm that partners with organizations to optimize performance and execute on strategic goals. He previously served as President & CEO of two successful medtech venture-backed start-ups, Nexis Vision Inc and NDO Surgical, and held executive management roles at Summit Technology, IntraLase Corp Mentor Corp and in Hewlett Packard's Medical Products Group. "The continued support from our partners through this latest equity financing round reinforces our long-term vision to bring meaningful innovation to spine care and expand access to minimally invasive solutions for both surgeons and patients," said Kevin McGann, President and CEO of Accelus. "We are now well positioned to deepen our U.S. market presence and invest in future pipeline innovations that meet the real-world needs of spine surgeons across care settings." Accelus's product portfolio includes the FlareHawk® Interbody Fusion System featuring Adaptive Geometry™ technology, LineSider® Spinal System with modular-cortical screws, and Toro-L® Interbody Fusion System. The company's differentiated implants and instruments support a wide range of minimally invasive techniques suitable for both hospital and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) environments with the goal of preserving patient anatomy, enhancing procedural efficiency, and promoting long-term spinal stability. With more than 32,000 cages implanted in 25 countries, Accelus has established a strong foundation for growth by delivering scalable, surgeon-driven technologies that challenge traditional limitations in spine surgery. The additional funding will enable the company to expand its reach and continue building momentum as it expands its FlareHawk and Toro portfolios. "I am delighted to take this new role as Chairman of the Accelus Board at an important time in the Company's evolution," said Haffey. "I look forward to working with Kevin and the rest of the Accelus team to help drive continued growth and advance the Company's ongoing commitment to building on its best-in-class product offering and stellar reputation." About Accelus Accelus, a worldwide leader in expandable spinal implant technology, is dedicated to enhancing surgical procedures and patient outcomes through innovative spinal solutions. The company's commitment to excellence is evident in its advanced Adaptive Geometry technologies specifically designed for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), endoscopic-assisted, percutaneous, and lateral spine surgeries. For more information on Accelus and its innovative product portfolio, please visit About Concord Health Partners Concord Health Partners is a healthcare-focused investment firm with a strategic model that optimizes the alignment of interests between investors and portfolio companies. Concord has developed a broad network of strategic relationships that contribute expertise and resources and serve as potential commercial partners to portfolio companies. Concord is primarily focused on investing in healthcare companies that have the potential to enhance the value of care through technologies and solutions that lower costs, improve quality, and expand access to care. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Brandy Craig305-676-1679bcraig@
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Where Is Colleen Stan Now? Inside Her Life 48 Years After the Shocking ‘Girl in the Box' Kidnapping
Colleen Stan was abducted 48 years ago while hitchhiking Her captors, Cameron and Janice Hooker, kept her in a box for seven years giving her kidnapping the moniker 'Girl in the Box' Stan finally escaped and has gone on to tell her storyThe harrowing story of Colleen Stan's 'Girl in the Box' kidnapping captivated the country in the 1980s when she escaped and named her abductors, Cameron and Janice Hooker. On May 19, 1977, 20-year-old Colleen was hitchhiking on the way from her Eugene, Ore., home to a friend's birthday party when she was picked up by a couple, Cameron and Janice, who had their baby in the car. The child in the backseat made Colleen think they were a 'safe' option, as she told CBS News in 2009. After 30 minutes, Cameron pulled over and threatened to kill Colleen while holding a knife to her throat. He bound and gagged her and placed a homemade wooden 'head box," which weighed 20 lbs. according to Snapped Notorious: Girl in the Box, over her head. 'I thought I was going to die,' Colleen told PEOPLE in 2016. The Hookers kept Colleen imprisoned in their Red Bluff, Calif. home for seven years. She was kept in a coffin-like box for up to 23 hours a day, released only to be beaten, raped and tortured. Cameron told her that a group called 'The Company' would hunt her down and kill her if she tried to escape, and forced her to sign a slave contract that he claimed was from the group. Years later, Colleen eventually made a miraculous escape and has gone on to share her story. Here's everything to know about the 'Girl in the Box' kidnapping and Colleen Stan's life now. Colleen was 20 years old when she was kidnapped while hitchhiking in California. She earned the moniker the 'Girl in the Box' for the torture she faced at the hands of her kidnappers, Cameron and Janice, who kept her locked in a box for up to 23 hours a day. Not much is known about Colleen's life before her 1977 abduction and subsequent captivity. However, during her ordeal, her family theorized that she had joined a cult. Under Cameron's supervision, Colleen was allowed to visit and call her family three years into her captivity, but her sporadic, inconsistent contact and appearance made them believe something was wrong — and she never told them the truth about what was happening to her. They assumed she had joined a cult, as Colleen told Closer in 2008. 'I was so scared of Cameron and The Company that even when I was alone with my parents, I didn't tell them where I'd been for three years,' she told the outlet, adding that Cameron posed as her fiancé. 'We mostly talked about everything I'd missed out on – special occasions and family news. They were convinced I'd joined a cult.' After kidnapping Colleen in 1977, Cameron and Janice subjected Colleen to torture, rape and abuse throughout the seven years they kept her in captivity. Colleen was also repeatedly electrocuted and whipped by Cameron, often while chained to basement rafters or a homemade 'rack,' according to court documents. She was kept in a box under the couple's waterbed and only let out for a few hours late at night. Eventually, the Hookers let Colleen out of the box more regularly, as she performed chores around the house and babysat the couple's two children, according to court documents, and she later got a job as a hotel maid a few miles away from the house. Colleen didn't try to escape at first out of fear of 'The Company' — a group Cameron told her would kill her if she attempted to flee. Colleen told PEOPLE in 2016 that she got through the experience by focusing on all her happy memories of her family and friends. 'I learned I could go anywhere in my mind,' she said. 'You just remove yourself from the real situation going on and you go somewhere else. You go somewhere pleasant, around people you love. Whatever makes you happy.' Colleen escaped from the Hookers in 1984 with the help of one of her abductors. That year, Janice confided in a pastor about the past seven years of keeping Colleen hostage. The religious leader advised that both she and Colleen, as well as Janice and Cameron's children, should leave him and turn him into the authorities, according to court documents. While Cameron was at work, Janice took her children and Colleen to her parents' house, where Colleen called her father. 'I don't know why she waited so long, and really until this day I don't know exactly why,' Colleen told PEOPLE in 2016, adding that she believed Cameron did something that made Janice 'fear for her life and made her decide that we needed to get out.' The feelings Colleen experienced when she finally escaped were overwhelming. 'My first feeling when I was free and reunited with my family was just, I was so filled with joy,' Colleen said. 'It was just like my cup was overflowing with joy.' Since her escape, Colleen has attempted to live a normal life, though the impact of her captivity still remains with her. Closer reported in 2008 that Colleen was living in northern California, working as a secretary. Eight years later, Colleen told PEOPLE that she was still living in the southern state, having just married for the fourth time, and was raising her then-2-year-old grandson. She said that she had had a wonderful life since she escaped, and was grateful to be alive. 'Your life is just kinda in limbo when you're in captivity, and once you get that freedom back and you have that choice again, it's just like the gates open, and you just run for it," Colleen shared. Every year on August 10 — the day she escaped from the Hookers — Colleen and her family, including her daughter, have a party on the beach to celebrate, as Oxygen reported in 2021. 'I thoroughly enjoy my freedom. Always, always, always. Life today is good,' Colleen said in the Oxygen documentary Snapped Notorious: Girl in the Box. 'You have to learn how to live in the now and not let that past drag you back." In November 1985, Cameron was convicted for kidnapping and sexual assaults, and sentenced to 104 years in prison, per the Los Angeles Times. During his sentencing, the judge on the case called him 'the most dangerous psychopath I have ever encountered." He was incarcerated at the California Institute for Men in Chino, Calif., per Record Searchlight, but was released on parole to the Department of State Hospitals in 2021, according to Red Bluff Daily News. The Tehama County District Attorney in California has lobbied to get Cameron designated as a 'sexual violent predator,' the proceedings of which delay his hearing and parole eligibility, per Record Searchlight. Colleen lobbied for the designation, as she did not want Cameron released into the world. 'He's just an evil person,' she told local California news outlet KRCR in 2021. 'I would really love to say that he is a different person ... but he's not.' In April 2024, Cameron's hearing to determine whether he will be designated a sexually violent predator was delayed again to August 2024. Pending that outcome, his next parole eligibility hearing won't be until 2030, per The Mercury News. Though Janice was involved in the kidnapping and torture of Colleen, she faced no charges, as she agreed to testify against Cameron in exchange for immunity. 'I felt like I didn't have any choice,' she said at Cameron's trial, explaining that he threatened her life if she didn't participate in Colleen's torture. Multiple documentaries, books and a full-length movie have been released depicting Colleen's kidnapping and torture. At the time of Cameron's trial, the case was highly publicized, resulting in a 1989 book written by a district attorney who prosecuted the case titled Perfect Victim. Then, in 2009, Colleen published a memoir about her kidnapping, written by Jim Green but told through her first-person perspective. In 2013, the Investigation Discovery series Dangerous Persuasions included an episode about Colleen called 'Seven Year Slave,' and in 2016, the A&E Crime Central documentary series Girl in the Box featured first-hand testimony from Colleen and police officials involved in the case. That same year, Lifetime released a two-hour movie about Colleen's ordeal. The movie's director, Stephen Kemp, met Colleen while filming the Dangerous Persuasions docuseries, which he also directed, and sparked the idea for a movie. '[I was] struck by both her and her story,' Kemp told PEOPLE in 2016. 'I was very surprised it hadn't been sampled as a drama before, so I began the process of developing the script." Colleen was on set for the movie, meeting the actors and watching the filming. She told PEOPLE that the lead actor who played Cameron was afraid to meet her, thinking she would be angry with him for playing the role of her captor. 'I met him and I said, 'Hon, somebody had to play him.' I said, 'I feel bad for you that you had to play this guy,' ' Colleen said. In 2021, Oxygen also released a documentary special, Snapped Notorious: The Girl in the Box, which included first-hand accounts from Colleen about her experience. Read the original article on People
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
What are The Murderbot Diaries? The award-winning books behind Apple TV+'s sci-fi hit Murderbot starring Alexander Skarsgård
Apple TV+ has just premiered an adaptation of the award-winning sci-fi book series titled Murderbot. And if you're confused by the scary or maybe off-putting title, let us tell you, the show will introduce you to this strange, reluctant hero who likes watching soap operas. Set in the far future, the title is just a cheeky nod to its laid-back personality — and honestly, it's not very good at being a killer. Played by Alexander Skarsgård, the robot gives the title to itself after declaring 'humans are idiots' and breaking free from the system that used to control its actions. But the one who hates and is always horrified by human emotion is vulnerable as well. The books that inspired the show come from Martha Wells. She wrote a series called The Murderbot Diaries, which has seven novellas, two novels, and a couple of short stories. Also read: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, in all its exhaustive and bloated messiness, stands as a tribute to the myth of Tom Cruise In the very first book of the series that came out in 2017, Murderbot says, 'As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure,' and that pretty well sums up the whole point of this lighthearted series that can also turn dark and self-reflective at times. Fed up with human emotions, Murderbot—who was designed to make humans' lives easier in the future—hacks its own control system. Martha Wells, who is no stranger to writing fantasy novels, having already worked on Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura as well as Stargate and Star Wars-linked books, published the first Murderbot book, All Systems Red, in 2017. The first part is a quick read, and the next three follow the same pace. Then, in 2020, the first full-length novel in the series, Network Effect, was released. But when it comes to the adaptation, the show is based on only the first part. Also Read | Tom Cruise says 'Bharosa karo, ek aakhri baar' as he gets nostalgic about Taj Mahal, Mumbai: 'Want to make Bollywood-style film' If you want to go through the books first, this is the order Here's how the books came out: The story revolves around a group of scientists who are on a quest to explore an alien planet, and to protect them, security robots are appointed by a ruthless corporation called The Company. But to add to its annoyance, the humans around Murderbot are all kind and treat it like one of them. Murderbot finds people exhausting, they're emotional, they want eye contact, and they keep trying to talk and touch it. But he is nothing like them, though he's still vulnerable to a few, but often ends up needing a break to recharge. Interestingly, because of how it acts and feels, many neurodivergent viewers really connect with the character. The robot calls itself 'Murderbot' as a joke, but it's actually pretty shy and awkward around humans. It pretends the whole time, knowing humans might panic if they find out it's free-thinking. And since it's someone who doesn't want to overthrow humans or fight aliens, and instead just wants to do their job while binge-watching soap operas and TV serials, the humour part instantly kicks in. Murderbot likes judging humans around, but as the story goes on, it understands the harsh realities of the corporate-run future, where humans and robots alike are just tools in a bigger game. 'I was built to protect and obey humans. And humans… are idiots. But now that I've hacked my programming, I can do whatever I want… as long as they don't find out,' Murderbot says in the trailer. Unlike many robot stories where machines try to conquer or destroy humans, Murderbot is more about learning what it means to be free and to connect with others, even if it's reluctant. It's funny and clever, and sometimes sarcastic, often taking a jab at human emotions. 'Why did you even want freedom in the first place if all you're going to do is shut yourself away from the world?' The series sticks closely to the first novella, but it also expands the story with new characters like Leebeebee (played by Anna Konkle). New episode of Murderbot are released every Friday.
