Month: June 2025

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The 11^th Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give concluded today, crowning Carlota Ciganda as its 2025 champion. The event, held at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich., featured an exciting four days of top-tier golf and extraordinary community impact.

Tournament officials proudly announced the event exceeded its goal for the Meijer Simply Give hunger relief program, raising $1.5 million to help stock the shelves of hundreds of food pantries across the Midwest. Including this year’s event, the Meijer LPGA Classic has now generated more than 100 million meals for hungry families.

“The Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give continues to grow in popularity and impact,” said Rick Keyes, President and CEO of Meijer. “We are incredibly grateful for how the community embraced our event again this year, helping set attendance and volunteer records. More importantly, we are proud of the significant impact this tournament has on communities throughout the Midwest. This would not be possible without the staff, volunteers, sponsors, players, and spectators who made this a week to remember.”

Ciganda birdied the final two holes to win the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory in more than eight years. This was her third career LPGA Tour victory and first since the 2016 Citi Banamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational. The victory ties her with Beatriz Recari as the winningest Spanish player in LPGA Tour history with three titles. Additionally, she became just the second European to claim the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give crown, following Leona Maguire’s 2023 triumph.

“It feels amazing, obviously, after all these years,” Ciganda said. “I love coming here. It reminds me of Spain where I’m from. Very similar. Lots of trees, peaceful. I love the golf course. Five par 5s, you can hit it hard here.”

This year’s tournament featured a stellar field of competitors, including past champions, top-ranked LPGA players, and emerging talent, all vying for the title. With more than 1,400 volunteers, the four-day event also offered a variety of family-friendly activities, food experiences, and opportunities for fans to engage with their favorite players, making it a memorable week for the most attended Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give yet.

“The 2025 tournament was truly unforgettable, and we’re proud to offer an experience that brings the community together in such a meaningful way,” said Cathy Cooper, Executive Director of the Meijer LPGA Classic. “We’re so grateful to have the opportunity to bring the LPGA Tour to West Michigan.”

Dates for the 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic will be released in the coming weeks.

In addition to the $1.5 million raised by this year’s event, Meijer will donate $25,000 to a hunger relief organization of Ciganda’s choice as part of a tradition the retailer started in 2021. Last year’s Champion, Lilia Vu, chose to support The Other Way Ministries in Grand Rapids, Mich. Details on Ciganda’s donation will be shared in the coming weeks.

About the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give:
The Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give is an official LPGA Tour event featuring 144 of the top female players in the world for a four-day, 72-hole stroke play competition at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich. In partnership with Meijer, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates more than 500 supercenters, Meijer Grocery, neighborhood markets and Express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, this premier golf tournament combines world-class competition with community giving through the retailer’s Simply Give hunger relief program, which supports local food pantries across the Midwest. As one of the top LPGA tournaments for families and food enthusiasts, the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give represents both elite competition and its ongoing commitment to making a positive impact in the community. For more information, visit meijerlpgaclassic.com and follow the tournament on Instagram and X at @MeijerLPGA.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2025-meijer-lpga-classic-for-simply-give-exceeds-goal-raising-1-5-million-to-fight-hunger-and-feed-communities-in-need-302481894.html

SOURCE Meijer

• CA$4B to fund one of North America’s largest single zero-emission bus initiatives
• Initiative expected to support 5,000 direct and indirect jobs across U.K. and Canada
• Funding to mark the first phase of broader electrification agreement and framework which will lead to full decarbonisation of the transit network of one of Canada’s fastest growing cities
• Partnership showcases the landmark collaboration between public and private sectors in the U.K. and Canada, and is expected to serve as a model for other zero-emission projects

LONDON, U.K. AND BRAMPTON, ON, June 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Zenobē, a global fleet electrification and battery storage specialist headquartered in London, and the City of Brampton, Ontario, today announced their leadership of a group of U.K. and Canada-based partners including TD Securities Inc. and OEMs that will launch a CA$4 billion partnership to support the zero emissions transition of the Brampton Transit bus fleet. This effort will mark the first phase of a 10-year electrification framework, serving Toronto’s largest suburb and supporting the transition to a zero-emission public transit system.

This initiative highlights the power of public and private partnerships and will bring CA$1B foreign investment into Canada, further strengthening U.K.-Canadian business ties. 

The Brampton project is one of the largest zero-emission bus (ZEB) programs in North America, offering substantial environmental and social benefits. ZEBs reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality and decrease noise pollution — all of which contribute to healthier, cleaner communities. 

The partnership intends to bring 1,000 electric buses to the roads and replace the city’s existing diesel vehicles. It will initially support current routes and ridership numbers of more than 40 million passengers annually, with the first phase of the project’s infrastructure is expected to go live in early 2027.

As part of this partnership, Brampton will procure electric buses from Canadian suppliers, with planning and design, software, supply chain relationships and capital markets expertise provided by the Zenobē team. The initiative also includes comprehensive technical experience and expertise from the U.K. and dedicated electrical and civil engineering teams on the ground in Brampton.

Hon. Fouzia Younis, U.K.’s Consul-General to Ontario, announced: “This landmark partnership between Zenobē and the City of Brampton is a powerful example of how U.K.-Canada collaboration can deliver real-world solutions to global challenges. It showcases the U.K.’s leadership in clean transport and infrastructure, while creating skilled jobs and driving innovation on both sides of the Atlantic. I am thrilled to see British expertise helping to shape a more sustainable future for one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, and we look forward to this project serving as a model for future international cooperation.” 

Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director, Zenobē, commented: “We bring considerable experience working with local and federal public sector partners to enable and accelerate their transition to electric fleets. Our customized match-funding options, combined with the experience from delivering over 120 electric depots globally, lowers costs and de-risks the inevitable path to zero-emission fleets. We are delighted to grow our presence in Canada, and with Brampton, as we jointly achieve their financial and ecological objectives. We expect this will serve as a model for other projects currently under development.” 

Hon. Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, Member of Parliament, Brampton East noted: “The U.K. is one of our oldest and closest trading partners and I am very excited that our relationship will deepen even more through the investment partnership between the City of Brampton and Zenobē. As Canada continues our efforts on trade diversification, this investment by U.K. partners is great news for our economy, creating thousands of jobs.” 

Brampton Mayor, Patrick Brown, stated: “This historic investment marks a turning point for Brampton and for public transit across Canada. By transitioning to a fully electric bus fleet, we’re not only reducing emissions — we’re creating jobs, improving air quality, and building a cleaner, healthier future for our residents. Brampton is proud to lead one of North America’s largest zero-emission transit projects, and we are grateful to our partners in the U.K. and Canada for helping make this bold vision a reality.” 

Heidi Dempster, General Manager, Transit, City of Brampton, remarked: “With one of the largest zero-emission bus programs in North America, Brampton is setting a new standard for sustainable, modern public transit. Beyond reducing emissions and improving air quality for our residents, this partnership will also drive local economic growth, creating thousands of jobs and building expertise right here in Brampton. We’re proud to work alongside Zenobē and all partners as we deliver on Council’s vision for a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient future for one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities.” 

Founded in 2017, Zenobē has helped transform the public transport sector by introducing largescale fleet electrification backed by innovative debt financing and leading expertise in optimising operations. Today, it supports over 2,000 electric vehicles in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. This announcement solidifies Zenobē’s position as a global leader in heavy-duty fleet electrification. Zenobē provides end-to-end electrification solutions to public and commercial fleet operators, including financing, charging infrastructure and a battery managed service.

Zenobē’s joint majority shareholders are KKR and M&G Infracapital, who provided £870 million (CA$1.6 billion) of equity in 2023 for global investment into electric vehicles and grid-scale batteries.

About Zenobē Energy Ltd. (Zenobē):  
Zenobē is an EV fleet and grid-scale battery storage specialist, headquartered in the U.K. The company began operations in 2017 and now employs >380 FTEs with a wide range of leading skills including electrical engineering, software development, computer sciences and financing.

Zenobē has around a 25% market share of the U.K. EV bus sector and supports over 2,000 electric vehicles across 120 depots globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV buses in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Zenobē is also the leading owner and operator of grid-scale batteries on the Great Britain transmission network with >1GW of battery storage assets in operation or under construction.

Zenobē’s North American headquarters are in Chicago, with a subsidiary office in New York. It is actively hiring in Canada and the U.S. For more information visit zenobe.com or LinkedIn.

About Brampton Transit
Brampton Transit is one of Canada’s fastest-growing transit systems, providing safe, reliable, and accessible service across Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area. With a strong focus on sustainability, innovation, and customer service, Brampton Transit connects people to where they live, work, learn, and play. In 2024, Brampton Transit proudly served over 43 million riders, marking a significant milestone in our journey of growth and service excellence. 

Learn more at www.bramptontransit.com. Follow Brampton Transit on X, Facebook and Instagram.

About Brampton
As one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, Brampton is home to nearly 800,000 people and more than 110,000 businesses. People are at the heart of everything we do. We are energized by our diverse communities, we attract investment and we are embarking on a journey to lead technological and environmental innovation. We partner for progress to build a healthy city that is safe, sustainable and successful. 

Connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Learn more at brampton.ca 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenob-and-brampton-lead-ca4-billion-initiative-to-electrify-transit-bus-fleet-in-landmark-uk-canada-collaboration-302481871.html

SOURCE Zenobē North America

• CA$4B to fund one of North America’s largest single zero-emission bus initiatives
• Initiative expected to support 5,000 direct and indirect jobs across U.K. and Canada
• Funding to mark the first phase of broader electrification agreement and framework which will lead to full decarbonisation of the transit network of one of Canada’s fastest growing cities
• Partnership showcases the landmark collaboration between public and private sectors in the U.K. and Canada, and is expected to serve as a model for other zero-emission projects

LONDON, U.K. AND BRAMPTON, ON, June 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Zenobē, a global fleet electrification and battery storage specialist headquartered in London, and the City of Brampton, Ontario, today announced their leadership of a group of U.K. and Canada-based partners including TD Securities Inc. and OEMs that will launch a CA$4 billion partnership to support the zero emissions transition of the Brampton Transit bus fleet. This effort will mark the first phase of a 10-year electrification framework, serving Toronto’s largest suburb and supporting the transition to a zero-emission public transit system.

This initiative highlights the power of public and private partnerships and will bring CA$1B foreign investment into Canada, further strengthening U.K.-Canadian business ties. 

The Brampton project is one of the largest zero-emission bus (ZEB) programs in North America, offering substantial environmental and social benefits. ZEBs reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality and decrease noise pollution — all of which contribute to healthier, cleaner communities. 

The partnership intends to bring 1,000 electric buses to the roads and replace the city’s existing diesel vehicles. It will initially support current routes and ridership numbers of more than 40 million passengers annually, with the first phase of the project’s infrastructure is expected to go live in early 2027.

As part of this partnership, Brampton will procure electric buses from Canadian suppliers, with planning and design, software, supply chain relationships and capital markets expertise provided by the Zenobē team. The initiative also includes comprehensive technical experience and expertise from the U.K. and dedicated electrical and civil engineering teams on the ground in Brampton.

Hon. Fouzia Younis, U.K.’s Consul-General to Ontario, announced: “This landmark partnership between Zenobē and the City of Brampton is a powerful example of how U.K.-Canada collaboration can deliver real-world solutions to global challenges. It showcases the U.K.’s leadership in clean transport and infrastructure, while creating skilled jobs and driving innovation on both sides of the Atlantic. I am thrilled to see British expertise helping to shape a more sustainable future for one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, and we look forward to this project serving as a model for future international cooperation.” 

Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director, Zenobē, commented: “We bring considerable experience working with local and federal public sector partners to enable and accelerate their transition to electric fleets. Our customized match-funding options, combined with the experience from delivering over 120 electric depots globally, lowers costs and de-risks the inevitable path to zero-emission fleets. We are delighted to grow our presence in Canada, and with Brampton, as we jointly achieve their financial and ecological objectives. We expect this will serve as a model for other projects currently under development.” 

Hon. Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, Member of Parliament, Brampton East noted: “The U.K. is one of our oldest and closest trading partners and I am very excited that our relationship will deepen even more through the investment partnership between the City of Brampton and Zenobē. As Canada continues our efforts on trade diversification, this investment by U.K. partners is great news for our economy, creating thousands of jobs.” 

Brampton Mayor, Patrick Brown, stated: “This historic investment marks a turning point for Brampton and for public transit across Canada. By transitioning to a fully electric bus fleet, we’re not only reducing emissions — we’re creating jobs, improving air quality, and building a cleaner, healthier future for our residents. Brampton is proud to lead one of North America’s largest zero-emission transit projects, and we are grateful to our partners in the U.K. and Canada for helping make this bold vision a reality.” 

Heidi Dempster, General Manager, Transit, City of Brampton, remarked: “With one of the largest zero-emission bus programs in North America, Brampton is setting a new standard for sustainable, modern public transit. Beyond reducing emissions and improving air quality for our residents, this partnership will also drive local economic growth, creating thousands of jobs and building expertise right here in Brampton. We’re proud to work alongside Zenobē and all partners as we deliver on Council’s vision for a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient future for one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities.” 

Founded in 2017, Zenobē has helped transform the public transport sector by introducing largescale fleet electrification backed by innovative debt financing and leading expertise in optimising operations. Today, it supports over 2,000 electric vehicles in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. This announcement solidifies Zenobē’s position as a global leader in heavy-duty fleet electrification. Zenobē provides end-to-end electrification solutions to public and commercial fleet operators, including financing, charging infrastructure and a battery managed service.

Zenobē’s joint majority shareholders are KKR and M&G Infracapital, who provided £870 million (CA$1.6 billion) of equity in 2023 for global investment into electric vehicles and grid-scale batteries.

About Zenobē Energy Ltd. (Zenobē):  
Zenobē is an EV fleet and grid-scale battery storage specialist, headquartered in the U.K. The company began operations in 2017 and now employs >380 FTEs with a wide range of leading skills including electrical engineering, software development, computer sciences and financing.

Zenobē has around a 25% market share of the U.K. EV bus sector and supports over 2,000 electric vehicles across 120 depots globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV buses in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Zenobē is also the leading owner and operator of grid-scale batteries on the Great Britain transmission network with >1GW of battery storage assets in operation or under construction.

Zenobē’s North American headquarters are in Chicago, with a subsidiary office in New York. It is actively hiring in Canada and the U.S. For more information visit zenobe.com or LinkedIn.

About Brampton Transit
Brampton Transit is one of Canada’s fastest-growing transit systems, providing safe, reliable, and accessible service across Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area. With a strong focus on sustainability, innovation, and customer service, Brampton Transit connects people to where they live, work, learn, and play. In 2024, Brampton Transit proudly served over 43 million riders, marking a significant milestone in our journey of growth and service excellence. 

Learn more at www.bramptontransit.com. Follow Brampton Transit on X, Facebook and Instagram.

About Brampton
As one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, Brampton is home to nearly 800,000 people and more than 110,000 businesses. People are at the heart of everything we do. We are energized by our diverse communities, we attract investment and we are embarking on a journey to lead technological and environmental innovation. We partner for progress to build a healthy city that is safe, sustainable and successful. 

Connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Learn more at brampton.ca 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenob-and-brampton-lead-ca4-billion-initiative-to-electrify-transit-bus-fleet-in-landmark-uk-canada-collaboration-302481871.html

SOURCE Zenobē North America