ASHEVILLE, N.C., Aug. 25, 2026 (SNED2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Echoes of the Forest, an Asheville-based nonprofit that turns timber salvaged from Hurricane Helene into public art, has been selected as an official charity partner of Birdies for Charity at the 2026 Biltmore Championship, the PGA TOUR event running September 17–20, 2026, in Asheville, North Carolina.

Echoes of the Forest Named Official Charity Partner of the 2026 Biltmore Championship’s Birdies for Charity.

Through the program, supporters donate $20 or more and predict the total number of birdies PGA TOUR players will make over the four-day tournament. The donor whose guess comes closest without going over wins the Ultimate Biltmore Experience, which includes a three-night stay for two, dinner at The Dining Room, and a guided tour of Biltmore House.

Every donation carries added weight this year: the tournament has established a $50,000 bonus pool that will be divided among participating charities based on how much each raises, meaning stronger community turnout directly increases Echoes of the Forest’s share.

Proceeds will support the organization’s ongoing work training local artisans and installing public art made from timber downed by Hurricane Helene, part of its broader mission to channel storm recovery into lasting community and cultural investment across the region.

“This is such a great service the PGA TOUR is providing to local nonprofits, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” said Liisa Andreassen, founder of Echoes of the Forest. “Every guess someone makes in this tournament helps our artisans keep turning loss into something the whole community can share.”

Donations and tournament guesses can be submitted at: https://p2p.onecause.com/biltmorebfc/charity/echoes-of-the-forest and additional background on the partnership is available on the Echoes of the Forest blog at https://echoesoftheforest.org/post/birdies-for-charity-2026.

ABOUT ECHOES OF THE FOREST

Echoes of the Forest is an Asheville, North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that salvages timber from Hurricane Helene damage and channels it into public art, artisan training and community resilience projects rooted in Appalachian woodworking traditions. Learn more: https://echoesoftheforest.org/about.

Watch a PBS documentary about Echoes of the Forest here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdFoPsVcnLs

IMAGE link for media: https://echoesoftheforest.org/images/blog/birdies-for-charity-2026/sign-full.jpg

NEWS SOURCE: Echoes of the Forest

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Echoes of the Forest), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/echoes-of-the-forest-named-official-charity-partner-of-the-2026-biltmore-championships-birdies-for-charity/

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ST. HELENA, Calif., Aug. 25, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Sometimes people simply need a reason to extend an invitation. A new national consumer survey conducted by Come Over October™ in partnership with LocalWineEvents.com found that nearly half (41%) of respondents said having a specific occasion or reason to gather, such as Come Over October, would make them more likely to host a gathering with wine, COME TOGETHER – A Community for Wine announced today.

The finding points to an opportunity for the wine industry. Consumers continue to value spending time together and already associate wine strongly with those occasions, but busy lives, distance and cost can get in the way. A shared occasion is often all it takes.

THE 2026 WINE & GATHERING STUDY INCLUDED 1,553 RESPONDENTS ACROSS TWO SURVEYS. AMONG THE FINDINGS:

Wine is already a regular part of respondents’ social lives: 61% said wine is “almost always” part of their social get-togethers and another 21% said it is often, but not always. Interest in Come Over October was also strong: 55% of all survey respondents opted to receive more information about hosting a Come Over October gathering.

When asked what would make them more likely to host a gathering with wine, 44% selected easy recipe and food-pairing ideas, 41% selected a specific occasion or reason to gather, and 32% selected wine recommendations for different budgets or occasions.

77% said busy schedules and finding a time that works for everyone prevent them from seeing friends and family as often as they would like. Distance was cited by 40%, the cost of going out by 33%, and the effort of hosting at home by 24%.

Image caption: What would make respondents more likely to host a gathering with wine?

“This survey confirms that an occasion, like Come Over October, makes people more likely to host friends and family. Our campaign gives wineries, retailers, restaurants, distributors and regional organizations a shared occasion to offer the people who drink their wines,” said Gino Colangelo, co-founder of COME TOGETHER—A Community for Wine and president of Colangelo & Partners. “When the wine community gets behind one shared invitation, it becomes very powerful, creating more moments for wine.”

WHAT WINE BRINGS TO THE PICTURE

The study also explored whether the presence of wine affected how consumers perceived the same social scene. The answer was that it did. “This gets to the heart of why we created Come Over October,” said Karen MacNeil, co-founder of COME TOGETHER and author of The Wine Bible. “When people think about sharing wine with friends, they think about fun, conversation, friendship and connection. Those are deeply human experiences. Sometimes just inviting someone to ‘Come over’ is all the reason you need.”

In the two surveys, respondents were shown versions of the same dinner image — one group saw guests drinking wine, the other saw them drinking water. Those shown the wine version were more likely to describe the people as close or old friends (48% vs. 38%), the atmosphere as warm and relaxed (73% vs. 65%), the occasion as special or memorable (25% vs. 16%), and the gathering as generous and well-hosted (21% vs. 13%).

Image caption: Perceptions of the same social scene: wine image vs. water image.

The differences were statistically significant on those four measures, although the effect was modest; yet, these findings suggest an association between the presence of wine and perceptions of social connection.

Respondents’ own words reinforce that picture. When participants were asked the first word or phrase that came to mind when thinking about sharing wine with friends, “fun” was the most frequently used word, while variations of “good time” appeared roughly 100 times. Friendship, connection and togetherness emerged as the second-largest broader theme, followed by relaxation and ease. Taken together, relational themes including friendship, connection, warmth, conversation, sharing and affection appeared in roughly one-third of responses.

CONNECTION IN A COST-CONSCIOUS ECONOMY

KPMG’s 2026 Consumer Pulse survey found that 67% of U.S. consumers are eating at home more often than dining out, with 76% of those consumers citing budget constraints as a primary reason. The Come Over October survey, conducted among a highly wine-engaged audience, shows a more mixed picture: 26.49% said they are going out to restaurants or bars less often than they did a year ago, while 28.84% said they are getting together with friends and family at home more instead.

At the same time, respondents continue to spend money on social occasions. Nearly three-quarters (73%) said a typical get-together away from home costs them $31 or more per person. More than half (57%) get together at a local restaurant or bar at least monthly, while 23% visit a winery, tasting room or winery event at least monthly, with another 42% doing so several times a year.

The surveys cannot establish that wine consumers are protecting spending on wine experiences relative to other discretionary purchases; however, taken together, the findings suggest that economic pressures may be changing how this wine-engaged audience socializes rather than eliminating its appetite for shared experiences.

“When the Come Over October team approached us about this research, the partnership made immediate sense,” said Eric V. Orange, founder and CEO of LocalWineEvents.com. “For more than 25 years, our job has been to help people find a reason to go somewhere and experience wine, whether that’s a winery, a tasting room, a restaurant, a wine dinner or a local event. Come Over October is built around that same idea of creating the occasion. This research gives all of us in the wine industry a better understanding of what helps turn ‘we should get together’ into an actual plan.”

For wine, the opportunity is to give consumers more reasons to connect wherever that connection happens: around the table at home, at a neighborhood restaurant or wine bar, in a tasting room or at a winery event.

TURNING CONSUMER INSIGHT INTO AN INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITY

Now entering its third year, Come Over October™ is a national campaign built around a simple invitation: ask a friend or friends to come over, share some wine and make time for one another.

For the wine industry, the new research suggests a practical role to play. Consumers don’t necessarily need a more elaborate occasion. They need an easier one: a simple reason to connect, ideas that take some of the work out of hosting, and wine choices that fit different occasions and budgets.

Come Over October gives wineries, retailers, distributors, restaurants, regional associations and other industry organizations a shared national platform around which they can create those occasions through events, tastings, communications, promotions and hospitality.

“This research gives the industry something concrete to act on,” said Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, co-founder of COME TOGETHER and president of Charles Communications Associates. “We can give people more reasons to make the invitation and make it easier for them to do so. Every part of the wine community can bring that idea to life in its own way.”

The findings announced today represent highlights from the research. A full report containing the survey results and analysis will be made available soon on the Come Over October website.

Wine industry organizations interested in participating in or supporting the 2026 Come Over October campaign can learn more at ComeOverOctober.com. Free campaign resources are available for industry activation.

“It was important to us to hear directly from consumers about what brings them together, what gets in the way and where wine fits in,” said Barbara Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Come Over October. “We’re incredibly grateful to LocalWineEvents.com for opening up their 250,000-subscriber network and helping us reach more than 1,500 wine consumers across the country, representing a range of ages, incomes and household types. These insights will help shape how Come Over October, and the broader wine industry, can create more occasions for people to connect.”

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

The 2026 Wine & Gathering Study was conducted by Come Over October in partnership with LocalWineEvents.com and included 1,553 respondents across two survey samples: Survey A (n=894) and Survey B (n=659). The survey was conducted among wine consumers; non-drinkers and respondents who indicated they do not drink wine were excluded from the study. Survey questions were designed in consultation with Christian Miller, Director of Research for The Wine Market Council, a non-profit 501(c)(6) research organization. The questionnaires were identical except for an image shown in two questions designed to explore whether the presence of wine affected perceptions of a social gathering. Survey A respondents were shown guests drinking wine, while Survey B respondents were shown the same scene with guests drinking water.

For questions other than the image comparison, responses from the two surveys were combined and percentages recalculated from the combined response counts. Individual question bases vary slightly due to skipped responses. The wine-versus-water analysis included 804 respondents who viewed the wine image and 592 who viewed the water image.

Image caption: Come Over October.

ABOUT COME TOGETHER—A COMMUNITY FOR WINE INC.

COME TOGETHER, A Community for Wine Inc. is the mission driven company behind the Come Over October and Share & Pair Sundays wine advocacy campaigns. Founded in 2024 by wine writer and author Karen MacNeil, Gino Colangelo of Colangelo & Partners, and Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, of Charles Communications Associates, the company tells the story of wine’s historic and contemporary role as a beverage that brings people together. Learn more: https://www.comeoveroctober.com/.

ABOUT LOCALWINEEVENTS.COM

Founded in 2000, LocalWineEvents.com connects consumers with wine, food, beer and spirits experiences in their communities and around the world, including winery and tasting room events, wine dinners, festivals, tastings and educational experiences. The platform helps consumers discover opportunities to experience wine while providing wineries, restaurants, retailers, event organizers and other members of the trade with a way to reach engaged wine consumers.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Kimberly Noelle Charles, kcharles@charlescomm.com 415-701-WINE (9463)

Barbara Fitzgerald, barbara@cometogetherforwine.com

NEWS SOURCE: COME TOGETHER - A Community for Wine Inc.

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (COME TOGETHER - A Community for Wine Inc.), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/come-over-october-survey-finds-an-untapped-opportunity-for-wine-give-people-more-reasons-to-come-together/

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 25, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Capital investment across the Midwest held strong through July 2026, with new construction, facility expansion, equipment modernization, and plant renovation activity spanning key industries including food, metals, aerospace, automotive, industrial equipment and plastics. Our research team tracked 129 new industrial, manufacturing, and supply chain facility projects across the Midwest, says Industrial SalesLeads, Inc.

Image caption: Capital investment across the Midwest held strong through July 2026.

The collective states continue to show momentum in site selection, plant expansion, and economic development activity. Leading projects include a $155 million electrical component manufacturing renovation in Ohio, a $103 million agricultural processing upgrade in Illinois, and a $90 million industrial equipment facility in Michigan.

The following are selected highlights on new industrial and manufacturing construction news across the Midwest region:

MIDWEST MANUFACTURING PROJECTS — BY PROJECT CATEGORY

Manufacturing/Production — 60 (46%)

Industrial Warehouse — 45 (34%)

Processing — 25 (19%)

Power/Energy/Oil & Gas — 6 (4%)

Distribution — 3 (2%)

Data Center — 2 (1%)

Metals, aerospace and industrial equipment led the Midwest manufacturing subsectors in July as also noted in the Cushman & Wakefield’s Midwest Industrial Speculative Construction Report.

MIDWEST MANUFACTURING PROJECT ACTIVITY – BY SUBSECTORS

Food & Beverage — 14 (11%)

Metals/Metal Fabrication — 13 (10%)

Construction Materials/Concrete — 10 (7%)

Aerospace & Defense — 10 (7%)

Warehouse/Logistics — 10 (7%)

Industrial Equipment/Machinery — 9 (6%)

Plastics & Composites — 7 (5%)

SOUTHEAST MANUFACTURING — BY PROJECT LOCATION

Ohio — 24

Indiana — 20

Michigan — 20

Illinois — 15

Wisconsin — 14

Missouri — 10

Minnesota — 7

Iowa — 7

Kansas — 5

Nebraska — 4

South Dakota — 3

MIDWEST MANUFACTURING — BY PROJECT SCOPE/ACTIVITY

Equipment Upgrade — 65 (50%)

Renovation — 51 (39%)

New Construction — 37 (28%)

Expansion — 32 (24%)

Relocation — 20 (15%)

Closing — 5 (3%)

SOUTHEAST MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT CATEGORIES IN DEMAND

96%: Compressed Air Systems

93%: HVAC Equipment, Mechanical Construction, Networking/Security Equipment

89%: Lighting, Fire Protection Equipment

73%: Material Handling/Storage Equipment, Lift Trucks, Building Construction/Renovation, Loading Dock Equipment

64%: Conveyors, Heat Exchangers, Cranes and Hoists, Control Systems & Instrumentation

55%: Floor Coatings, Air Emissions Control Equipment, Packaging Equipment

TOP TRACKED INDUSTRIAL & MANUFACTURING PROJECTS IN THE MIDWEST

IOWA:

Precision machining and metal fabrication company is planning to invest $16 million for a 30,000 sf expansion and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing facility in IA. They are currently seeking approval for the project.

ILLINOIS:

Agricultural processing company is planning to invest $103 million for the renovation and equipment upgrades on their processing facility in IL. They have recently received approval for the project.

INDIANA:

Copper rod manufacturer is planning to invest $32 million for the expansion and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing and office facility in IN. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Completion is slated for late 2027.

KANSAS:

Aerospace company is planning to invest $8 million for the expansion and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing facility in KS. They are currently seeking approval for the project.

MICHIGAN:

Industrial equipment manufacturer is planning to invest $90 million for the construction of an 840,000 sf manufacturing, warehouse, and research facility in MI. They have recently received approval for the project. Completion is slated for late 2027.

MINNISOTA:

Seat cover distributor is planning to invest $7.3 million for the construction of a 55,000 sf warehouse and office facility in MN. They are currently seeking approval for the project and will relocate a portion of their operation upon completion.

MISSOURI:

Specialty food product manufacturer is planning to invest $33 million for the renovation and equipment upgrades on a 102,000 sf processing facility in MO. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Completion is slated for late 2027.

NEBRASKA:

Meat processing company is planning to close their processing facility in NE. They plan to cease all operations in late August 2026.

OHIO:

Electrical component manufacturer is planning to invest $155 million for the renovation and equipment upgrades on a 350,000 sf manufacturing facility in OH. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Completion is slated for Spring 2028.

WISCONSIN:

Disposable paper tableware manufacturer is planning to invest $65 million for the expansion of their manufacturing facility in WI by 86,000 sf. They have recently received approval for the project. Completion is slated for Spring 2027.

LARGEST PLANNED PROJECT

The largest project tracked in the Midwest region last month was Amazon Web Services AWS, a cloud computing service provider. The company is planning to invest $10 billion for the construction of a data center campus in MO. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Completion is slated for 2032.

ABOUT INDUSTRIAL SALESLEADS, INC.

Since 1959, Industrial SalesLeads, based in Jacksonville, FL is a leader in delivering industrial capital project intelligence and prospecting services for sales and marketing teams to ensure a predictable and scalable pipeline. Our Industrial Market Intelligence, IMI identifies timely insights on companies planning significant capital investments such as new construction, expansion, relocation, equipment modernization and plant closings in industrial facilities. The Outsourced Prospecting Services, an extension to your sales team, is designed to drive growth with qualified meetings and appointments for your internal sales team. Visit us at https://salesleadsinc.com/.

Each month, our team provides hundreds of industrial reports within a variety of industries.

Learn more: https://www.salesleadsinc.com/data-solutions/industrial-project-reports/

NEWS SOURCE: Industrial SalesLeads Inc

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Industrial SalesLeads Inc), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/capital-is-moving-in-july-2026-in-the-midwest-129-industrial-projects-signal-a-region-rebuilding-its-manufacturing-core/

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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 25, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Optimism, the platform for well-being, today announced that writer, podcaster, and three-time bestselling author Case Kenny has joined the company as its first Chief Optimist. Kenny will help ensure that Optimism’s science-backed guidance reaches its audiences in a voice that actively builds optimism, and will lead new consumer programming, beginning with Mantra, launching September 2, 2026.

Image caption: Case Kenny, Chief Optimist, Optimism.

Central to the platform’s thesis is a growing body of research showing that mindset — how people think and speak to themselves — measurably shapes how well they live.

In the advisory role, Kenny will guide Optimism’s publications and programs to advance that thesis: shaping the voice of its editorial, leading the mindset-and-language dimension of its well-being curriculum, and developing new offerings that put the practice of optimism directly into readers’ hands.

“This has been my life’s work, and now it has a home,” said Kenny. “Optimism believes what I believe: that a better life is teachable, and that it starts with the words we use. I can’t wait to help millions of people not only learn what well-being asks of them, but actually believe they can have it.”

“We’ve always said well-being begins with optimism, and Case is the person who can make that more than a tagline,” said Liz Barhydt, President of Optimism. “He has spent two decades proving that optimism is a skill. As our Chief Optimist, he will make sure everything we share reaches people in a voice that helps them believe change is possible — because that belief is where well-being begins.”

Mantra teaches people to use language — the words they write and think — to become more optimistic. It begins September 2 with a free seven-day email challenge and opens into a full course of twenty guided lessons pairing research in psychology and neuroscience with a daily writing practice. Additional programming, including a forthcoming newsletter, The Optimist, will follow.

ABOUT CASE KENNY

Case Kenny is a writer, podcaster, and three-time bestselling author. His podcast, “New Mindset, Who Dis?” has surpassed 850 episodes, and his New Mindset Journal has been used by more than 200,000 people and featured on Good Morning America. With a degree in linguistics and two decades studying how language shapes the way people feel and act, he has taught his method inside Fortune 500 companies and professional sports teams, and reaches a community of nearly two million.

ABOUT OPTIMISM

Optimism is a platform for well-being, making vetted, relevant expertise accessible for the journey from health to wellness to longevity. From the web to real life, Optimism develops and curates trusted expertise, shares it through flagship inbox brands — All Healthy, Health Brief, and Better Plates — and creates community through Optimism Learning experiences. Well-being begins with Optimism. Learn more at https://optimism.com/.

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Image caption: Case Kenny, Chief Optimist, Optimism.

NEWS SOURCE: Optimism

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Optimism), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/optimism-names-case-kenny-its-first-chief-optimist/

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PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga., Aug. 24, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Capstone Logistics, a leading provider of supply chain solutions, has been named a 2026 Top 100 Third-Party Logistics Provider by Inbound Logistics. Each year, Inbound Logistics selects 100 logistics providers that demonstrate the capabilities, scale, and expertise required to navigate increasingly complex supply chain demands.

Image caption: Capstone Logistics.

The annual list recognizes the 3PLs best equipped to support operational resilience amid continued volatility and help shippers respond to changing market conditions and customer expectations.

Capstone’s inclusion reflects the breadth of its supply chain capabilities across warehouse operations, inbound logistics, value-added services, fulfillment, and last-mile delivery. Through a combination of experienced teams, technology-enabled solutions, and performance-focused operating models, Capstone works within some of North America’s most widely recognized—and most complex—supply chains to improve productivity, control costs, and create greater continuity from facility to final delivery.

Steve Taylor, CEO of Capstone Logistics, credited the team’s focus on execution for the recognition: “Our people show up every day to solve hard problems for our partners. Being named to this list again reflects the consistency and reliability we work to deliver, no matter what the supply chain throws at us.”

Capstone Logistics offers a comprehensive suite of technology-driven logistics services, from inbound logistics and performance-oriented warehouse management to final mile fulfillment. As we continue to innovate and refine our services, we remain focused on efficiency, productivity, and partnership across the entire supply chain.

See the full list of this year’s recipients at Inbound Logistics.

About Capstone Logistics

Capstone Logistics is a third-party logistics provider managing supply chain operations for Fortune 500 companies across North America. Capstone operates 700+ locations, deploys 22,000+ associates daily, and delivers integrated warehouse management, transportation, and last-mile delivery services powered by proprietary technology for the world’s most recognized brands in retail, grocery, automotive, food manufacturing, home improvement, healthcare, and more. From its beginnings as an industrious warehouse management company nearly 40 years ago, Capstone is built on operational accountability and performance-aligned partnerships. Learn more at https://www.capstonelogistics.com.

About Inbound Logistics

Inbound Logistics, the demand-driven logistics magazine, is the leading multi-channel content provider targeted toward business logistics and supply chain managers. Inbound Logistics’ mission is to provide the information and solutions enabling companies of all sizes to become demand-driven enterprises by speeding and reducing inventory and supporting infrastructure, and better matching demand signals to supply. More information is available at https://inboundlogistics.com/.

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NEWS SOURCE: Capstone Logistics

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Capstone Logistics), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/inbound-logistics-names-capstone-logistics-a-2026-top-3pl-provider/

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