Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Almost three decades ago, a chance encounter catapulted Kris Gagermeier into a rewarding career at Trane Technologies. Today, he educates and inspires the company’s next generation of leaders.

A successful career that began with a nudge

Kris Gagermeier didn’t set out to become a leader at a global company. He was just a college student home for the weekend in La Crosse, Wisconsin, when a chance encounter changed everything.

While hanging out with friends one evening, Kris met a Trane Technologies executive who saw something in him. “Kris,” he said, “I think you need to apply to Trane Technologies.”

He did.

Now, 26 years later, Kris is still at the company, helping the next generation of industry leaders take that first step. As the leader of the Technical Training Center of Excellence, he oversees the company’s Graduate Training Program (GTP), one of the industry’s most robust and longstanding talent development pipelines.

VIDEO: Kris Gagermeier on Training Future Leaders | Trane Technologies

World-class training for future sales and engineering leaders

“Trane Technologies has been running Graduate Training Programs for nearly 100 years. We offer three specialized programs for front-line account managers, energy engineers, and contracting project managers. Each program recruits the best of the best, puts them through the most comprehensive training program and sends them out to serve our customers.”

Our immersive GTP programs are where a large proportion of Trane Technologies employees begin their journey. “What I love most about my job is that we bring in new talent into the organization every year. Most of them are right out of colleges and universities. And, we get to see those first steps they take in their career with Trane Technologies.”

The GTP is also where many future presidents and vice presidents first got their start. “There are so many amazing stories that have come out of the Graduate Training Program. Leaders across all of Trane Technologies’ business were developed right here.”

A company that feels like home

If Kris speaks about the program with pride, it’s because he’s lived it. And in some ways, it’s lived through him. His roots at Trane Technologies run deep. His grandmother worked for Trane® in manufacturing in La Crosse to build parts for the US Government. His father worked a summer job here. And now, his daughter, an engineering student herself, is stepping into a role at the company.

Kris reflects on this full-circle moment with amusement.

A winning culture that grows with you

For Kris, it’s these personal moments that define his journey. While Trane Technologies is a global company, its culture, in Kris’s eyes, is deeply local, generational and personal. “Some of the best stories come from generations of families growing their careers here.”

And that family continues to grow with each new class of GTP participants and every young engineer and sales leader who, like Kris once did, finds themselves stepping into something bigger and more rewarding.

This advancement, Kris believes, is what contributes to the longevity of so many employees’ tenure at the company. “I think one of the biggest reasons people stay at Trane Technologies is because we keep growing,” he says. “As people, as a company, as a culture. Today is the best version of Trane Technologies I’ve seen in my entire career. We’re aligned to achieve sustainability goals like never before. To be part of that, and to be respected for the background I have, that’s what our culture feels like today. I’m very happy to be here.”

Explore careers that make an impact at Trane Technologies.

November 7, 2025 /3BL/ – For the fourth consecutive year, Lenovo has received a rating of AAA in the MSCI ESG Ratings Assessment. The AAA rating represents the highest possible rating for corporations leading in ESG programs.

MSCI ESG Research provides in-depth research, ratings, and analysis of the environmental, social, and governance-related business practices of thousands of companies worldwide. Its research is designed to provide critical insights that can help institutional investors identify risks and opportunities that traditional investment research may overlook.

MSCI ESG Ratings are used to construct the MSCI ESG Indexes, produced by MSCI, Inc. For more information, click here. In alignment with MSCI’s methodology, these ratings demonstrate Lenovo’s ESG strengths relative to the China information technology industry.

MSCI is an index used by many financial decision-makers around the world. In addition to an AAA rating on MSCI’s ESG index (on a scale of AAA-CCC), Lenovo was recently recognized by the Hang Seng Sustainability Index with an AA+ rating, achieving the highest industry score and leading in environmental and social assessments. Learn more about Lenovo’s environmental, social and governance initiatives in Lenovo’s latest ESG Report.

THE USE BY Lenovo OF ANY MSCI ESG RESEARCH LLC OR ITS AFFILIATES (“MSCI”) DATA, AND THE USE OF MSCI LOGOS, TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS OR INDEX NAMES HEREIN, DO NOT CONSTITUTE A SPONSORSHIP, ENDORSEMENT, RECOMMENDATION, OR PROMOTION OF Lenovo BY MSCI. MSCI SERVICES AND DATA ARE THE PROPERTY OF MSCI OR ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, AND ARE PROVIDED ‘AS-IS’ AND WITHOUT WARRANTY. MSCI NAMES AND LOGOS ARE TRADEMARKS OR SERVICE MARKS OF MSCI.

By Mafalda Monteiro Oliveira Cortez

Extending its leadership and expertise in device and cybersecurity testing, Keysight is accredited as an IT Security Evaluation Facility (ITSEF) under the EU Cybersecurity Certification Scheme on Common Criteria (EUCC). The accreditation enables Keysight’s Device Security Lab in Delft, Netherlands, to perform substantial and high-assurance level evaluations, supporting certification for critical information and communication technology (ICT) products such as smartcards, secure hardware, and software.

The Common Criteria (CC) framework is an internationally recognized standard for evaluating and certifying the security of IT products. In Europe, it has long provided a trusted foundation for consistent, high-assurance evaluations through mutual recognition agreements among national authorities. Building on this framework, the new EUCC introduced a unified European approach under the EU Cybersecurity Act (Regulation (EU) 2019/881). Keysight’s team has extensive experience working within the CC framework, helping clients navigate complex certification processes, streamline evaluation timelines, and align their products with evolving cybersecurity requirements — expertise that now carries forward into the EUCC era.

Why EUCC Matters 

EUCC certification offers a single, trusted mark of assurance, reducing complexity for manufacturers, and increasing confidence for users. It’s especially relevant for industries where security is both a differentiator and a requirement, including:

• Payments & Digital Identity: eSE/iSE/eID, smart cards, HSMs, and crypto libraries
• Networking & Cloud/Enterprise IT: network devices, platforms, software
• Semiconductor & Embedded/IoT: secure ICs, modules, connected devices
• Automotive & Industrial: connected components and gateways
• Public Sector & Citizen ID: government-grade identity and access systems

EUCC certification benefits both product developers and end-users. It mitigates security risks by providing independent assurance that critical ICT systems are free from vulnerabilities, building user trust and confidence in their secure deployment. Certified products gain a market advantage with a single, recognized certification valid across the EU, eliminating the need for multiple national certifications and reducing time-to-market. This development ensures Keysight clients can effectively enter and compete in the unified European market without the burden of multiple national certifications.

“Keysight’s EUCC accreditation means we can test and evaluate hardware and software solutions against Europe’s highest security standards. EUCC also acts as a compliance tool for the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), allowing certified products to be presumed compliant with relevant CRA obligations. This gives our customers a clearer, faster path to bringing secure products to market,” said Gerrit van der Bij, Compliance Lead at Keysight Device Security Lab.

Preparing for Post-Quantum Security 

As cryptographic standards evolve, EUCC is aligning with next-generation requirements. The 2025 update of the Agreed Cryptographic Mechanisms (ACM) includes Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms, emphasizing hybrid solutions for resilience. Keysight helps clients navigate this transition by advising on hybrid cryptography strategies and enabling secure, future-proof deployments in sectors where security is paramount.

Learn more about Keysight Device Security solutions and services on our webpage, or reach out to riscuresolutions@keysight.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 7, 2025 /3BL/ – As part of its ongoing commitment to building stronger, more equitable communities, KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation have announced two philanthropic investments totaling $450,000 in support of economic empowerment and childhood nutrition in Ohio.

A $200,000 grant was awarded to Freedom Equity, a Columbus-based nonprofit focused on expanding access to capital for underserved small businesses. The grant is part of KeyBank’s bicentennial celebration, which includes $5.4 million in milestone grants across its 27 markets. Freedom Equity will use the funds to launch a Low-Interest Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) Alternative, designed to provide fair and transparent financing options to small businesses in Columbus that are often excluded from traditional lending.

“Freedom Equity was founded to improve access to affordable capital for underserved businesses,” said J. Averi Frost, President and CEO of Freedom Equity. “This grant will give our customers access to funds without creating the kinds of hardships that high interest loans with difficult terms sometimes create. We’re here to help eliminate barriers. As a community lender, fair and affordable lending options are central to our mission. We’re excited to be able to deploy this new product.”

In addition, the KeyBank Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to Children’s Hunger Alliance (CHA) to support its Early Childcare Program for In-home Providers and Childcare Centers. This initiative will deliver over one million nutritious meals and snacks to 3,400 children across Franklin County, while also expanding nutrition education and supporting 130 small childcare businesses – many of which are minority- and women-owned.

“KeyBank is showing a true commitment to the well-being of children in our community, and we’re thankful for their leadership and support in the fight against childhood hunger in Central Ohio,” said Michelle M. Brown, President and CEO of Children’s Hunger Alliance. “Strong partnerships like this make all the difference in helping us provide nutritious meals and food education to children right where they are, every day of the year, so they can reach their full potential and thrive.”

“At KeyBank, we believe thriving communities are built through economic empowerment, access to opportunity and support for families,” said Lara DeLeone, KeyBank Central Ohio Market President. “Freedom Equity is transforming the small business landscape in Columbus by giving entrepreneurs the tools to grow and succeed. Children’s Hunger Alliance is equally vital, ensuring thousands of children receive nutritious meals while strengthening the childcare ecosystem that working families rely on. These investments reflect our commitment to helping our neighbors build stability, resilience and long-term success.”

ABOUT KEYBANK
In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at September 30, 2025.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

ABOUT KEYBANK FOUNDATION 
KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation that supports organizations and initiatives aimed at improving financial wellness, education, and community development. Through strategic philanthropy, KeyBank Foundation works to create thriving communities and drive meaningful, lasting change.

Whirlpool Corporation recently supported Habitat for Humanity’s 39th Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Austin, Texas with grants for the construction of 10 net zero-energy ready homes through the BuildBetter with Whirlpool Program. The Carter Work Project honors President Carter’s lifelong commitment to creating decent, affordable homes. This year, it brought together more than 1,000 volunteers from around the world to build 25 affordable, energy-efficient homes. The homes are in Whisper Valley, a sustainable living community, and the first large-scale, planned community in the U.S. to leverage geothermal energy to reduce energy consumption by up to 80 percent. 

The BuildBetter with Whirlpool program was designed to support the construction of climate-resilient, energy-efficient homes, and to scale and implement best practices across the U.S. The 10 BuildBetter homes in the Whisper Valley community will use solar shingles, further reducing energy usage to achieve net zero performance. In addition to the grants, Whirlpool Corporation employees volunteered on-site, working side by side with Habitat homeowners, staff, volunteers, and partners to help construct these homes.

“The Jimmy Carter Work Project represents the best of collaboration, innovation and community spirit,” said Marc Bitzer, Whirlpool Corporation chairman and CEO and member of the Habitat for Humanity International Board of Directors. “Through our BuildBetter with Whirlpool program, we are proud to help advance sustainable housing solutions that build long-term affordability into every home, with a focus on delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes.”

Since its launch in 2021, the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program has led to the construction of more than 260 climate-resilient and energy-efficient homes nationwide. These homes save homeowners an estimated 45 percent on energy costs compared to average new homes, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 15 percent per home. The goal of the program for the next two years is to deliver 50 net-zero energy or net-zero energy-ready homes with features such as solar panels, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems and energy and water efficient appliances based on the homeowner and geographic needs.

Whirlpool Corporation has an ongoing commitment to sustainable housing and community empowerment. In addition to the Carter Work Project in Austin, Whirlpool Corporation, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, and Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business recently celebrated 15 years of collaboration in Bloomington, Ind. with the construction of five new net-zero homes in the Osage Place neighborhood. In addition, Whirlpool Corporation broke ground on “Project T,” a transformative redevelopment initiative in Benton Harbor, Mich., also home to the company’s global headquarters. This initiative will redevelop the site of the former Mercy Hospital to construct 14 duplex buildings, marking Phase One of a project that will deliver up to 77 new homes when complete and will help revitalize a Benton Harbor neighborhood.

For more than 25 years, Whirlpool has supported Habitat’s mission to ensure families around the world have access to safe, decent and affordable housing. For more info about Whirlpool Corporation and its support for Habitat for Humanity, visit whirlpoolcorp.com/HfH.

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About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading home appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. As the only major U.S.-based manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2024, the company reported approximately $17 billion in annual sales – close to 90% of which were in the Americas – 44,000 employees, and 40 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

Team reaches more than 1,200 students and families with nuclear education

Nuclear Science Week is an international, broadly observed week-long celebration to focus local, regional and international interests on all aspects of nuclear science.

During Nuclear Science Week, celebrated on the third week of October each year, Entergy’s nuclear fleet boosts outreach by hosting activities, events and plant tours in our communities.

Nuclear headquarters

To kick off the week, the Women in Nuclear chapter at our Nuclear headquarters hosted more than 40 Girl Scouts, along with their parents at headquarters, helping the scouts earn their nuclear patch. The scouts kicked off the day with an engaging presentation on nuclear science, atoms, and how nuclear power generation works, before rotating through seven interactive stations. Topics included everything from half-life demonstrations, radiation and learning about women in science. Company leaders opened the event and shared words of inspiration and welcomed the families, scouts and troop leaders to learn about the importance of clean, carbon-free energy.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the WIN chapter continued its Nuclear Science Week community outreach at Callaway High School, engaging with nearly 200 seniors educating them about nuclear science and career opportunities at Entergy. Chief Nuclear Officer John Dinelli was in attendance and encouraged students to pursue nuclear careers right in their backyard at Entergy. During the event volunteers shared personal insights into nuclear careers, trade paths, military service and other Entergy operations careers while also coaching students on elevator speeches, professional communication, and life skills that will serve them well in any future endeavor.

Nuclear headquarters’ WIN chapter visited North Jackson Elementary, their local adopted school, to teach nearly 100 fourth and fifth grade students about nuclear energy. A team of volunteers presented an interactive lesson called candy reactors, teaching students about the safety systems and redundancies inside nuclear reactors.

Arkansas Nuclear One

On Tuesday, team members from Arkansas Nuclear One visited Lamar High School to educate students and teachers about how we create clean, reliable and carbon-free energy for our communities.

Team members from ANO spent Wednesday speaking to Pottsville High School. More than 300 students learned about how nuclear energy is made, the history of the plant and the various career opportunities available to them.

On Friday, ANO’s team members visited Hector High School to speak to their career classes about jobs that students can pursue in nuclear energy upon graduation.

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station

For three days during Nuclear Science week, Grand Gulf Nuclear Station employees from WIN and North American Young Generation in Nuclear chapters hosted more than 300 local middle and high school students from six schools at the plant. During the plant tour, students participated in hands-on activities to learn about different craft trades, how electricity, what a day in the life of a security officer is like, how radiation protection technicians work to keep the public and employees safe, how a chemistry technician takes samples in the plant and much more.

River Bend Station

On Monday, River Bend Station partnered with the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge to build candy reactors with their fourth graders and discuss nuclear science career opportunities with their high school engineering class.

On Tuesday, River Bend Station hosted team members from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, National Governors Association, Louisiana Public Service Commission, Louisiana Workforce Commission and American Chemical Society to educate their teams on the benefits of nuclear energy.

On Wednesday, River Bend Station visited Zachary High School’s robotics class to present their robotics team with a donation and discuss different ways we use drones throughout our nuclear fleet.

Waterford 3

The WIN chapter at Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station partnered with the St. Charles Parish Library to host a STEM fair where visitors of all ages explored the world of science and innovation. Attendees participated in hands-on activities like radiation protection training, virtual reality, robotics, reactor engineering and more. It was an evening filled with curiosity, creativity and opportunities to spark a lifelong interest in STEM.

The WIN chapter at Waterford 3 also celebrated Nuclear Science Week at Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies. They had over 120 students build candy reactors and dress out like a nuclear worker.

Inspiring the next generation of nuclear professionals

Through community partnerships like these, our teams are showcasing the value and safety of clean, reliable nuclear energy and what careers are possible for our next generation of leaders.

If you’re interested in learning more about nuclear at Entergy, follow us on X at @EntergyNuclear or visit our website www.entergy.com/nuclear.

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