Monthly Archives: November, 2022
Rehab Warriors Faces the Housing Problem Head-on, Commits to Upskilling Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported there were more than 30,000 homeless veterans in 2022, with many struggling to find their footing transitioning from life after combat.
Andy Williams - U.S. Marine and co-host of HGTV's "Flip or Flop Fort Worth" - founded Rehab Warriors with one mission, to upskill veterans while rebuilding communities.
Rehab Warriors is leveraging veteran leadership to build a workforce as they provide veterans with world-class training in residential construction, remodeling, and small-scale development, empowering them with the necessary skills to be a force multiplier as Rehab Warriors collectively rebuilds communities that have been undercapitalized and underserved.
"The easiest way to help veterans transition is to double down on underserved communities and rebuild them with a purpose," said Williams. "We at Rehab Warriors handle the American Dream of housing like a wounded warrior - we handle it with care. Everyone, especially veterans, deserves a pathway to housing and freedom."
Those pathways have become impossibly steep in recent years. Home prices rose 19% in 2021, after rising 10% in 2020. There were just 250,000 homes available nationwide for families earning $75,000 to $100,000 a year, barely one-third of the inventory from before the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found, and in almost 500 U.S. cities, the average home price is more than $1 million. As the working class struggles to find housing for entry-level homes, the veteran is a perfect pipeline for local governments to increase their local housing supply while empowering veterans with high-earning careers, as they return home looking for their next mission.
As the economy corrects and layoffs continue, it is only natural for Rehab Warriors' cause to maintain focus on employment and economic pathways specifically for veterans.
The Rehab Warriors leadership team has led the organization into early success with active development projects totaling over $400 million dollars in economic impact in the DFW metroplex alone, pioneering this integrated workforce development model in the real estate development industry. Rehab Warriors worked closely with the United States Department of Labor to build the first-of-its-kind apprenticeship program, then went on to gain approval with Texas Workforce Commission for a Career School that trains veterans in the fundamentals and principles of real estate development with emphasis on Project and Construction Management
"Underserved communities are economically viable today as America maintains its housing deficit. These communities should be rebuilt with purpose and capitalized using incentives like CRA funds, HUD dollars, and opportunity zone tax advantages that lead to pathways of economic mobility for the underserved, but we must start with the veteran," said Williams. "Nonprofits are challenged with the level of competition that capitalism brings as Wall Street continues to aggregate old housing stock and simultaneously build new housing stock for rent at scale."
Rehab Warriors is actively partnering with communities and municipalities, building off early success in cities such as Arlington, Hurst, Balch Springs, and Fort Worth, Texas, to provide post-certification pathways to veterans as they deploy back to local communities to lead the local rebuild efforts as Rehab Warriors starts their campaign to rebuild America's housing supply.
For more information, please visit: http://www.rehabwarriors.com
Contact [email protected] for media relations.
Contact Information:
Mike Albanese
[email protected]
Press Release Service by Newswire.com
Original Source: Rehab Warriors Faces the Housing Problem Head-on, Commits to Upskilling Veterans
Emplifi Predicts 2023 to Be the Year of Authenticity With Brands Relying on ‘Customer Influencers’ Across Social Platforms
Emplifi, the leading unified customer experience (CX) platform, today announced its top social media marketing predictions for 2023. According to Emplifi, 2023 will be the year of authenticity, with brands turning to "customer influencers," user-generated content (UGC), and tapping into the power of TikTok for product discovery.
UGC and the Rise of the "Customer Influencer"
Authenticity will be key going into 2023, and what could be more authentic than shining the spotlight on your very own customers? Expect brands to encourage customers to share their content and experiences. Using social media to source user-generated content from customers is a scalable and powerful solution for brands.
With 84% of millennials reporting that UGC on a company's website had an influence on what they buy, brands will tap into it to meet content demands in 2023, boosting business while galvanizing customer participation.
Short-form Video Will (Still) Dominate
TikTok's massive growth is proof that customers are demanding short-form video content. Whether for TikTok, Instagram Reels or Snapchat, marketers will face the challenge of adapting to the evolving trends and investing more of their budget in video.
According to Emplifi data, Instagram Reels have outperformed all other post types since the start of the year, with 80% of brands on the platform publishing at least one reel in Q3 2022.
Customers Will Turn to Social for Support
In 2023, we will see more customers turning to social media platforms to connect with brands about service-related issues. Whether it's via direct message or live video straight from social media apps, brands will offer more support touch points via social media. Brands like Orbit Baby and Currys have already implemented live video into their social media care strategy, so customers can receive the same expert advice they would get in-store from the comfort of wherever they are.
Brands will invest more in TikTok advertising
Boasting nearly 30 million daily active users globally, brands will tap into TikTok not only for brand awareness but for its contribution to sales.
Brands will get more creative on TikTok, looking to influencers to generate original sounds to increase the visibility of their advertising campaigns. TikTok will also emerge as a key platform for product discovery. The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt gained nearly 31 billion views, demonstrating just how effective the platform has become for influencers and users to share their experiences in an engaging way.
About Emplifi
Emplifi is the leading unified customer experience (CX) platform that brings marketing, commerce, and care together to help businesses close the customer experience gap. More than 7,800 brands, including Delta Air Lines, Ford Motor Company, and McDonald's, rely on Emplifi to provide their customers with outstanding experiences at every touchpoint. For more information, visit www.emplifi.io.
Contact Information:
Amlika Lal
International PR Director
[email protected]
Press Release Service by Newswire.com
Original Source: Emplifi Predicts 2023 to Be the Year of Authenticity With Brands Relying on 'Customer Influencers' Across Social Platforms
UFC’s Michael Bisping Freaks Out at Faze Clan’s NFT Collector David Chen
Onlookers at Miami DCENTRAL's main stage were stunned yesterday as UFC Fighter Michael Bisping blew his top at David Chen during a Keynote presentation. METAKING STUDIOS'S Dane Hamer and creator David Johansson were talking about their upcoming release BLOCKLORDS - which features the world's first playable 'NextGeNFT' characters - when Chen and Bisping were brought on via webcam to discuss why they've become so invested in the medieval metaverse strategy game.
Thankfully for Chen, the renowned crypto investor, the incident unfolded on video call rather than in real life. What began as friendly banter about the middle ages soon took a more ugly tone when it became clear both men had their eyes on the very same unique NFT hero, Duke Chad. Seeing himself in the chiseled warrior, Bisping proudly announced to the audience he was going to claim Chad in the ongoing Blocklords draw.
It appears Bisping had been promised Chad before the event - but that important piece of information clearly hadn't been communicated to Chen. Playing to the crowd, he told Bisping he'd put levels of crypto on the line 'never seen before' to get his hands on the coveted NFT hero. Tensions rose as Bisping hinted Chen had 'never seen a gym'. But the NFT collector really hit a nerve by questioning the toughness of the ex-champion fighter. The incensed Bisping shocked the DCentral crowd by shouting at Chen. A shell-shocked Chen could only sit in silence as Hamer rushed back up to the DCentral stage to smooth over proceedings.
If you're wondering what the ruckus is all about, Blocklords NFT heroes are 3D fully playable in-game and a first when it comes to utility for digital assets. Modeled in Unity, each is made to be truly unique - so players who claim them each get a totally different experience of this medieval grand strategy game. By building Blocklords on proprietary tech through Seascape.Network, their aim is to bring true fun and ownership to the Web3 gaming space, while creating a game they describe as 'A medieval universe, combining worlds old and new as if it was written by Quentin Tarantino'.
Following the confrontation, Chen released a statement from the safety of Twitter goading Bisping again by writing 'Duke Chad's only got eyes for one animal @Bisping - THE PANDA. Newsflash - don't you know you can't punch someone through a screen?'. Bisping's reply, a crude but sinister animation of a Panda being beheaded by a sword, accompanied with a skull-and-crossbones emoji, suggests this is a battle that's far from over.
Despite the friction in the air, the audience and web-3 community were left feeling optimistic at the ground-breaking concept of 'NextGeNFT's' and looking forward to the release of Blocklords.
Contact Information:
Press Contact
MetaKing Studios
[email protected]
Press Release Service by Newswire.com
Original Source: UFC's Michael Bisping Freaks Out at Faze Clan's NFT Collector David Chen