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OLATHE, Kan., March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Terracon is pleased to announce it has acquired GET Solutions, Inc. (GET). As their name represents, GET is a full-service Geotechnical, Environmental, and materials Testing firm serving public- and private-sector clients throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, GET also has office locations in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Elizabeth City and Jacksonville, North Carolina. GET’s services include in-house drilling capabilities and certified soils and concrete testing laboratories.

«GET has built a strong presence in Virginia and throughout the mid-Atlantic, based not only on technical expertise, but on a strong commitment to outstanding client service,» said Gayle Packer, Terracon president and CEO. «Adding GET as a part of Terracon increases our regional bench strength to continue providing nimble, responsive support for our clients’ projects.»

GET’s 95 employees will immediately become part of Terracon. The firm will continue to operate locally as GET Solutions, Inc., A Terracon Company, and the transition will be seamless for clients.

«GET Solutions has always been committed to providing the highest-quality services to our clients and career growth for our employees,» said Camille Kattan, P.E., GET president and CEO. «Joining with Terracon allows us to take these commitments to a new level, offering the same excellent service but with expanded access to Terracon’s national resources and employee career opportunities.»

The new acquisition is supported by Terracon’s existing offices in Virginia, North Carolina, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and others. GET joins three other recent Terracon acquisitions in the mid-Atlantic: TAM Consultants Inc. of Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2021, Skelly and Loy of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 2020, and GeoConcepts of Ashburn, Virginia, in 2017.

Terracon is an employee-owned consulting engineering firm with more than 5,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 150 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon currently ranks 22nd on Engineering News-Record’s list of the Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, visit terracon.com.

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SOURCE Terracon

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio, March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Naturepedic, maker of certified organic, nontoxic mattress and bedding products, announces that its full range of products have been renewed as certified nontoxic by MADE SAFE.

The MADE SAFE® seal means that a product is literally made with safe ingredients not known or suspected to harm human health, animals or ecosystems. It’s a nontoxic certification that applies to products we use every day. This helps shoppers find products that are safe to use on their body, with their families and in their homes.

The MADE SAFE certification process is rigorous, scientific and unique. Certified products have been thoroughly examined by researchers, scientists and discipline-specific experts to ensure they’re made without known behavioral toxins, carcinogens, developmental toxins, endocrine disruptors, flame retardants, heavy metals, neurotoxins, high risk pesticides, reproductive toxins, toxic solvents, or harmful VOCs. MADE SAFE then goes above and beyond: Ingredients are further examined for bioaccumulation (builds up in our bodies), persistence (builds up in the environment), general ecosystem harm, as well as for aquatic and animal toxicity.

«We commend MADE SAFE for the excellent work they are doing. It’s very important that consumers can look for the MADE SAFE® nontoxic certification seal so they can be confident about the safety of the products they purchase,» comments Barry A. Cik, Board-Certified Environmental Engineer, Founder, and Technical Director of Naturepedic.

«But Naturepedic even goes beyond the MADE SAFE standards« adds Cik, «At Naturepedic, for example, our baby crib mattresses don’t just take into account the need for chemical safety, we also look at allergenic and hygienic safety.»

Many crib mattresses on the market are made with latex, including organic latex.  However, the FDA cautions that latex may cause allergenic reactions. «Approximately 6-8% of people, including babies, are allergic to latex, so the only responsible course of action is to keep them away from it. Avoiding latex includes avoiding coir (shredded coconut husks), which is always mixed with latex,» comments Cik, «No latex, even if organic, is ever used in our Naturepedic organic baby crib mattresses or other baby products.»

Hygienic safety is vitally important too, because a baby mattress is expected to last for years, and it must remain hygienic constantly. «The only way to really do that is to waterproof the mattress, because if a baby mattress is not waterproof then the mattress can collect contamination from urine, bigger messes, drool, vomit, spilled mild, etc. So, on the one hand, a baby mattress needs to be waterproof and hygienic.  But the problem is that waterproofing is generally done with toxic chemicals or toxic plastics,» comments Cik. The Clean Production Action organization, as well as Greenpeace, have evaluated various plastics and have concluded that polyethylene is among the safest. The Naturepedic food-grade waterproofing criteria, which also meets the FDA standard for food-contact, takes it a step further by using non-GMO sugarcane to make the food-grade polyethylene used for waterproofing Naturepedic’s organic crib mattresses.

All Naturepedic mattress and bedding products are certified organic by GOTS and certified non-toxic to the MADE SAFE standard, in addition to the Greenguard Gold and UL Formaldehyde-Free standards, and eliminate questionable materials and chemicals found in most conventional mattresses, such as flame-retardant chemicals and chemical flame barriers, vinyl, formaldehyde, polyurethane foam, pesticides, and glues/adhesives, while meeting and exceeding the highest level of certifications available in the marketplace.

For more information and media inquiries, please contact Sara White at sara@adinnyc.com or 914.621.1323.

About Naturepedic:
Since 2003, Naturepedic has been on a mission to protect the lives of families through safer, healthier organic-based products that have a positive impact on the environment. A brand with purpose, transparency and ethical practices, Naturepedic is the recipient of many certifications and is highly respected by numerous health and environmental organizations (https://www.naturepedic.com/certifications) and is an EPA Green Power Partner. Since its inception, Naturepedic has been a consistent and generous advocate and supporter of NGO’s and nonprofits advocating for «Right to Know» about what is in the products that people bring into their homes.

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SOURCE Naturepedic

ATLANTA, March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Southern Company joins five other energy companies today in announcing plans to ensure electric vehicle (EV) drivers have access to a seamless network of charging stations connecting major highway systems across significant regions of the country.

The Electric Highway Coalition – made up of Southern Company, American Electric Power, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy Corporation and the Tennessee Valley Authority – wants to collaborate on a network of DC fast chargers from the Atlantic Coast through the Midwest and South and into the Gulf and Central Plains regions.

Southern Company and the other companies are each taking steps to provide EV charging solutions within their systems’ service territory. Today’s announcement represents an unprecedented combined effort to offer EV drivers convenient charging across different utility footprints and allow travel without interruption.

The Edison Electric Institute estimates 18 million EVs will be on U.S. roads by 2030. While many drivers recognize the many benefits of driving an EV, such as the ease of low-cost home charging, some have expressed concern with the availability of charging stations during long road trips. With collaborative efforts like the Electric Highway Coalition, energy companies demonstrate to customers that EVs are a smart choice regardless of distance.

The coalition will provide drivers with effective, efficient and convenient charging options to enable long-distance electric travel. Sites along major highways with easy access and amenities for travelers are being considered as coalition members work to determine final charging station locations. DC fast chargers can get drivers back on the road in approximately 20-30 minutes.

«At Southern Company, we are committed to being a leader in building a clean and sustainable energy future for our customers and that includes continuing to increase the reach of electric transportation for more and more drivers,» said Chris Cummiskey, executive vice president, chief commercial officer and customer solutions officer at Southern Company. «By increasing the number of EV fast charging stations across our footprint, we are providing drivers with additional transportation options that are reliable, efficient and more convenient while helping reduce carbon emissions for the benefit of our communities we serve.»

Being a founding member of the Electric Highway Coalition is another part of Southern Company’s larger focus on electrification of the transportation industry and commitment to sustainability and clean energy. Along with  the system-wide goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, last year Southern Company announced an internal fleet electrification goal where the company plans to convert 50 percent of  its electric companies’ fleet vehicles in the auto/SUV/minivan, forklift and ATV/cart/miscellaneous equipment segments to electric by 2030.

The Electric Highway Coalition welcomes interested utilities to join as it seeks to extend the reach of network. Additionally, it supports and looks forward to working with other regional utility transportation corridor electrification initiatives. 

About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy company serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America, a leading distributed energy infrastructure company, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices below the national average. For more than a century, we have been building the future of energy and developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, advanced carbon capture technologies, natural gas, renewables, energy efficiency and storage technology. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation and a low-carbon future, Southern Company and its subsidiaries develop the customized energy solutions our customers and communities require to drive growth and prosperity. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and govern our business to the benefit of our world. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have been recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Defense, G.I. Jobs magazine, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, Forbes and the Women’s Choice Award. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning emissions reduction goals and fleet electrification goals. Southern Company cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Southern Company; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Southern Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, as well as changes in application of existing laws and regulations; available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; advances in technology, including the pace and extent of development of low- to no-carbon energy technologies and negative carbon concepts; performance of counterparties under ongoing renewable energy partnerships and development agreements; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations; and the ability to successfully operate the electric utilities’ generating, transmission, and distribution facilities and Southern Company Gas’ natural gas distribution and storage facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions. Southern Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward–looking information.

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SOURCE Southern Company