Kia America today announced June sales of 65,142 units, an increase of 12-percent month-over-month. The all-new Sportage SUV posted all-time record monthly sales total of 14,153 units. June also marked the third consecutive month that sales of the Sportage SUV exceeded 10,000 units contributing to record high SUV ratio of overall sales of 71-percent. In addition, Kia captured its largest share of market ever beating the previous high achieved in July 2021.

“With our wide range of sedans, SUVs and electrified vehicles, Kia has the most well-balanced model line-up in the industry,” said Eric Watson, vice president, sales operations, Kia America. “The ongoing popularity of the EV6 and strong initial sales performance of the all-new Sportage SUV continue to push the brand on its upward trajectory. We are confident that Kia will continue to outpace the industry well into the third quarter and through the rest of the year.”

In addition to sales, June saw several significant announcements coming from the brand, including:

• The 2022 Kia EV6 named among Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX award winners
• The Forte taking top honors in the Compact Car segment; and the Carnival, K5, Rio, Sportage and Telluride models – each taking the number two spot in their respective categories – according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS)

Kia America – about us

Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia America continues to top automotive quality surveys and is recognized as one of the 100 Best Global Brands. Kia serves as the “Official Automotive Partner” of the NBA and offers a range of gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electrified vehicles sold through a network of nearly 750 dealers in the U.S., including several cars and SUVs proudly assembled in America.

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Press Release Information Accuracy Disclaimer

Information posted in press releases on the Kia Media website was accurate at the time of posting but may be superseded by subsequent releases or other information.

Chronobiologist Laura Kervezee (1989), philosopher Fleur Jongepier (1986), mathematician Jordi Tura i Brugués (1987) and health psychologist Liesbeth van Vliet (1985) are awarded the 2022 Heineken Young Scientists Awards. The laureates will be presented with the award at a celebratory event at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam on Thursday 29 September 2022.

Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Medical / Biomedical Sciences: Laura Kervezee

Chronobiologist Laura Kervezee (1989), who works at Leiden University Medical Centre, has been awarded the Heineken Young Scientists Award 2022 in the field of Medical/Biomedical Sciences. The jury praised her research into the biological clock and its practical translation into the improvement of patient care. The chronobiological knowledge that Kervezee provides, gives insight into ways of keeping the biological clock healthy in our 24-hour society and other situations in which the clock becomes disturbed, such as when ageing or in hospital. In health care, these insights are used to improve the functioning of drugs and therapies.

Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Humanities: Fleur Jongepier

Philosopher Fleur Jongepier (1986), connected to Radboud University Nijmegen, has been awarded the Heineken Young Scientists Award 2022 in the field of Humanities. The jury praised her research into the growing power of algorithms and how this affects the human capacity for autonomy and self-knowledge. Jongepier is able to combine high-level fundamental research with an active and important role in the current social debate.

Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Natural Sciences: Jordi Tura i Brugués

Mathematician Jordi Tura i Brugués (1987), connected to the Lorentz Institute at Leiden University, has been awarded the Heineken Young Scientists Award 2022 in the field of Natural Sciences. The jury praised his pioneering contributions to the theory of quantum entanglement and nonlocality. He adapted Bell’s theorem, which is used to show entanglement of two particles, to fit large numbers of particles. An important step for the further development of the quantum computer and the quantum internet.

Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Social Sciences: Liesbeth van Vliet

Health psychologist Liesbeth van Vliet (1985), connected to Leiden University, has been awarded the Heineken Young Scientists Award 2022 in the field of Social Sciences. The jury praised her important contribution to improving the quality of healthcare for seriously ill patients, thanks to better communication between doctor and patient. Van Vliet’s research into how communication can help and harm patients shows a valuable translation between research and society.

Burberry has announced its introduction of a virtual handbag collection on Roblox, a global online platform connecting millions of people through shared experiences.

As part of the collaboration, each handbag is accompanied by an exclusive emote, a unique action that avatars can perform on Roblox, available to users for free for a limited time. The distinctive movements, such as levitation or dance, mirror each handbag’s design theme, with the levitation emote launching in tandem with the Cloud Lola bag, for example. 

During July 11-15, 2022, one limited-edition virtual Lola handbag and accompanying emote will be released at 5pm BST daily over a five-day period for purchase in the Roblox Avatar Marketplace. Each handbag and emote will be available to purchase for 24 hours only and can be owned on Roblox and worn across millions of experiences on the platform. 

Taking inspiration from the brand’s iconic Lola bag and Burberry’s long-standing affinity for nature and the outdoors, the exclusive limited-edition virtual Lola range is comprised of five unique handbags in experimental designs. Created in partnership with one of the Roblox community’s most established digital fashion designers, @Builder_Boy, and with one bag dropping every 24 hours from Monday 11th July, the announcement reflects Burberry’s commitment to experimenting with creativity and going beyond. 

Drawing on Burberry’s spirit of adventure with their playful aesthetic, the five exclusive virtual handbags are crafted from extraordinary materials including clouds, water and wild foliage. Community members can dress their avatars with the handbag to wear on Roblox as they explore the platform’s millions of user-generated worlds, encouraging self-expression and discovery. 

Rachel Waller, VP Channel Innovation at Burberry said: “We are thrilled to partner with Roblox to share a virtual handbag collection and to bring our iconic Lola bag to life in an entirely new creative way. The expression of our digital personas is a fascinating concept and one which we know is increasingly important to our customers. Roblox is a platform built on imagination, community and creativity pillars which are central to our brand, and we’re delighted to bring our virtual products to this community.” 

“For our global community of over 50 million daily active users, self-expression through digital fashion and personalization of avatars is an important part of their day-to-day experience on the platform,” said Christina Wootton, VP of global partnerships, Roblox. “Roblox enables people to be whoever they want to be, create and experiment with personal style and fashion. We are excited to welcome Burberry to our platform with this creative accessory line that expands our already vast collection of avatar personalization options with luxury items created in collaboration with our community.” 

The Santa Fe Ministry of Security has awarded Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) to deliver a state-of-the-art, integrated end-to-end emergency management system for multi-agency coordination and to shorten response times to emergency calls from the public.

Comprising advanced software, voice communication and video security technologies, the new integrated system, called Control, Attention and Dispatch System for Police Emergencies (SiCAD), will provide 17,500 police officers of the Province of Santa Fe to be fully coordinated and connected across 10 cities including Rafaela, Reconquista, Rosario, City of Santa Fe and Venado Tuerto.

“Modernizing our 911 emergency system is an important step in further reducing our crime rate and achieving our community’s goal of building a safer environment,” said Omar Perotti, Santa Fe Province Governor. “Our police officers rely on clear real-time communication to keep people safe and we are confident that the new deployment will enable faster and more informed decisions.”

Motorola Solutions will manage the integration of all technologies within the police agency’s command and control room center, creating a single, comprehensive real-time viewpoint of incidents, collating data from multiple sources including 911 calls, emergency dispatch functions, video analytics, evidence and community inputs.

Included within the new emergency management system are Motorola Solutions’ DIMETRA TETRA Consoles, which provide always-on digital radio voice communication and constant connection between police officers in the field and the command and control center. As the ‘eyes and ears’ over any operation, command and control center workers can dispatch additional resources wherever they are needed for quick and effective emergency response. 

Police officers can also establish interoperable communication instantly and over any network or device, including communication between radios and smartphones with Motorola Solutions’ WAVE PTX On Premises.

Motorola Solutions’ VB400 body-worn cameras provide objective evidence when an incident occurs and increase the transparency of interactions between officers and citizens. The footage is securely uploaded via VideoManager evidence management software and integrated into the new emergency system.

“Motorola Solutions’ global experience in deploying a unified ecosystem of technologies enables us to package together the essential solutions that public safety agencies depend on every day. Used together, these technologies help to increase incident awareness, visibility across entire operations and safety for every frontline users as well as citizens,” said Henry Bateson, territory director South of Latin America, Motorola Solutions.

About Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions is a global leader in public safety and enterprise security. Our solutions in land mobile radio communications, video security & access control and command center software, bolstered by managed & support services, create the most integrated technology ecosystem to make communities safer and help businesses stay productive and secure. At Motorola Solutions, we’re ushering in a new era in public safety and security. Learn more at www.motorolasolutions.com.

By Dan Leberman, SVP, Head of SMB and Partner, PayPal

The pandemic has catalyzed millions around the globe to rethink personal and professional priorities, short- and long-term goals, where we want to live and work, and what we want out of our personal relationships.

_{BestSelf.co CEO and Founder Cathryn Lavery}

Many of us have recently taken the time to reflect on our evolving aspirations, but achieving them can, of course, still be quite difficult. As serial entrepreneur Cathryn Lavery put it, people often turn to self-development books to improve their lives and figure out what they want their personal and professional lives to look like, but reaching new goals is difficult without a structured way to approach them. Seeing a need for products that can help people break down their goals into daily, actionable steps, Cathryn came up with the idea for BestSelf.co.

Cathryn’s company has already driven over $40 million in sales, and has expanded to include products from productivity tools and planning journals to relationship conversation decks. We spoke with Cathryn to learn more about how she got her start, how she’s overcoming challenges she faces in her pursuits, what advice she has for other entrepreneurs, and how PayPal has helped her business.
 

Dan Leberman: Can you tell us a bit about BestSelf? And what inspired you to start the business?

Cathryn Lavery: I became interested in personal development in 2011, when I emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. As important as personal wellness and development is, we don’t really learn about it in school. So, people often turn to self-help and self-development books, but in my experience, I could never find any products that actually helped me put the things I was learning from these books into an actionable structure.

_{BestSelf Products}

I wanted to create a structure for myself around things like effectively planning my day, time-boxing and breaking down my goals into actionable steps, so I created the “Self Journal,” a 13-week planner. You set a goal, break it down, and you know exactly what you need to do each day to accomplish that goal.

I designed the first Self Journal for myself. When I showed it to my friends, they all wanted a copy. I quickly realized that other people were dealing with the same issues as I was, and if I could create the tools and frameworks to enable other people to plan and organize their days and set and achieve their goals, I could turn it into a business. I launched my business on Kickstarter in 2015. It got funded within a day. And that’s how BestSelf got started. 

DL: You’ve been a PayPal customer from the beginning. Can you share a bit about how has PayPal helped your business?

CL: I’ve used PayPal Checkout as our checkout solution from the very beginning. I use PayPal Checkout because both my customers and I feel secure using it. From my customers’ perspective, they have two lines of defense when using PayPal – they know they can leverage our customer service, but they also have PayPal’s Buyer Protection on eligible transactions. From my side as a business owner, PayPal Checkout is fast, secure and I know eligible transactions are protected with PayPal’s Seller Protection. I’ve also used PayPal Working Capital, which in my experience is so much faster, more reasonable and affordable than the alternatives.
 

DL: You do a great job balancing both purpose and profit. Can you talk about that?

_{Self Journal}

CL: Because BestSelf started really organically, I wasn’t focused on the profit side unlike other businesses that I’ve founded. BestSelf was more of a passion project for me, and I wanted to help other people who were dealing with the same issues that I was — achieving my personal development goals, progressing in my career and improving my relationships. At BestSelf, our mission is to connect and inspire humanity to think bigger and achieve more, while enjoying today. 

Running a small business is really hard work and you’re constantly faced with new challenges – from supply chain issues to finding new customers to managing cash flow – but when we hear from our customers about the positive impact our products have had on their personal development, on their careers and on their relationships — that’s what keeps us going.

Now, BestSelf has to generate profit for me to be able to continue. But not being able to rely on external funding just means that I know I have to create a lasting and impactful product and business. 

DL: Speaking of challenges that small businesses are faced with, how are the supply chain issues impacting your business? And how are you managing that?

CL: Shipping containers have increased by four to six times in price. They used to cost around $3,700 and now cost closer to $20,000. Not only are the prices higher, but there are so many shipping delays. We had a container, which contained many of our out-of-stock items, sitting at the port for six weeks. There was demand for the products, but we had no supply, and therefore lost those sales. It was a serious drain on cashflow. To get around some of the supply chain issues, we recently opened production facilities in Columbia, and we’re getting our supplies much quicker from Columbia than we were from China.

DL: This month we’re celebrating Pride Month. Can you speak to what this month means for you?

CL: I’m married to a woman, and we had a baby together three months ago, so the rights of the LGBTQ+ community is really important to me. We recently watched the documentary “Nuclear Family” about these two women who had children together, but one of the parents wasn’t considered a legal parent, which resulted in lot of issues when the sperm donor came back into their lives suing for paternity and visitation rights. I’m so grateful that gay marriage was legalized in 2015 and that gay parents have protected rights now. But there’s clearly a lot more work to be done.
 

DL: As a serial entrepreneur, what advice do you have for other entrepreneurs looking to start their own business? 

_{Core Values Journal}

CL: First, don’t get overwhelmed trying to understand everything at the beginning. Practice “just in time learning” — figure out the first step and go from there. Too often, people get stuck feeling like they need to figure out everything in the beginning and then they’re too overwhelmed to even start. Second, make sure you make a great product that people actually have a use for and want to buy. You can only know this if you talk to people – to friends, to potential customers. They’re the ones who will be buying your product so if they like the idea, then you’re on to something and if they don’t, be open to their feedback – it can only help you rethink and improve your product.