Thegoal was, and remains, to assemble a public-private delegation, select prioritized projects, and then visit Congressional and Federal departmental representatives in Washington, D.C. to pursue funding and grant opportunities.
Building on the broad-based, public-private coalition SJCOG assembled, Congressional representatives and their staff have welcomed and encouraged the One Voice communications as a means of assisting federal representatives identify, prioritize and shepherd much-needed projects and programs through the federal budgetary process.
The annual One Voice trip to Washington, DC, is scheduled for May 6-9, 2024. The One Voice delegation will meet face-to-face with our federal lawmakers and officials to tell them where federal funding can be best spent on regionally significant projects. More details to come soon.
The One Voice approach is positively recognized and viewed as a means of helping our elected federal representatives to prioritize and shepherd needed projects and programs crucial to improving infrastructure and transportation choices in San Joaquin County through the federal budget process.
Our efforts are positively recognized at the federal level and we have been encouraged to continue our collaborative approach and build upon the relationships and communications established with our federal representatives.
With the return for "earmarks", Congress has the opportunity to augment infrastructure authorizations with discretionary appropriations benefiting specific regions while the federal government still distributes hundreds of billions of dollars through formula and grant programs. The San Joaquin One Voice delegation takes this opportunity to receive counsel from legislators, legislative staff and the administration about the various federal programs and guide us on how we can successfully compete in the grant process.
Bryant Day, an eighth grade student from Ashland, Ohio, was named the 2023-2024 Patriot's Pen first place winner. His essay on the theme, "How Are You Inspired by America?" won the national first place $5,000 award. Bryant was sponsored by VFW Post 9943 and its Auxiliary in Mansfield, Ohio.
Fraud rates in e-commerceEcommerce are 3x more than in financial services and are forecasted to grow by 166% in 2024. Contact centers are at the epicenter of this fraud spike. Find out what you can do to protect yourself and your customers.
Not only are we hosting 2 separate One Voice Conferences for both the UK and USA, but both of these conferences are going to be completely live-streamed online, so you can join us for all 10 days of One Voice 2024!
If you want all the updates about our speakers, workshops, socials, award submissions...or the dozens of other things we have to talk about One Voice, then simply add your details below and we'll be sure to keep you in the loop!
This year, we're giving even more voiceovers the chance to be part of our amazing One Voice community by hosting both a UK and US version of our conference, as well as hosting both of them online and in-person, so you can join us face-to-face, or take part from anywhere in the world.
It's people like you who make the voiceover industry the best place to work in the whole world. So when you come to One Voice, we make sure you get time to meet, chat and make friends with other amazing VO talent from around the world.
The One Voice Awards continues to be the only truly independent voiceover award running today. There's no "Pay To Win" here. Anyone can submit, and anyone can be in with a chance of winning an award at The OVA 23 Awards!
I can't compliment you enough on having produced an exemplary first edition of the One Voice Conference and Awards. It went flawlessly - the venue, the conference content, the food and beverages, the quality of the awards show - a fantastic first effort!
What a smooth, professional event. Feeling very inspired. You never stop learning in this business, and today was certainly no exception. It felt like each speaker and workshop leader really wanted us all to gain as much as possible from each hour.
I've been to quite a few events like this, though this was my first for VO. I have never met such a fantastic group of people, and that's everyone from speakers, to crew, to audience members. It was an incredibly positive and uplifting experience a huge credit to the whole GFTB team and I'm looking forward to the next one already.
Institutional asset owners find themselves in the middle of an increasingly volatile and fragile global market ecosystem, resolutely adhering to their fiduciary duty while balancing key stakeholder demands, regulatory pressures, and market challenges. All of this while meeting the needs of their constituents, according to the recently completed qualitative phase of our third annual Morningstar Voice of the Asset Owner Survey.
We developed this annual survey to gain a better understanding of the motivations, attitudes and challenges of institutional asset owners in the current environment. This year, the first phase of our program consisted of direct qualitative conversations with thirteen hand-selected asset owners from a diverse range of institution types and sizes across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Our intent with these in-depth discussions was to probe for perspectives and themes to help inform our broader quantitative study, to be fielded later this year.
2024 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information, data, analyses and opinions contained herein (1) include the proprietary information of Morningstar, (2) may not be copied or redistributed, (3) do not constitute investment advice offered by Morningstar, (4) are provided solely for informational purposes and therefore are not an offer to buy or sell a security, and (5) are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar has not given its consent to be deemed an "expert" under the federal Securities Act of 1933. Except as otherwise required by law, Morningstar is not responsible for any trading decisions, damages or other losses resulting from, or related to, this information, data, analyses or opinions or their use. References to specific securities or other investment options should not be considered an offer (as defined by the Securities and Exchange Act) to purchase or sell that specific investment. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Before making any investment decision, consider if the investment is suitable for you by referencing your own financial position, investment objectives, and risk profile. Always consult with your financial advisor before investing.
A staggering 85% of survey respondents report experiencing firsthand the disruptive effects of climate change in their daily lives. A smaller but still considerable number (46%) also say that they are buying more sustainable products as a way to reduce their personal impact on the environment.
This gap presents a chance for consumer markets companies to better connect with environmentally aware consumers. It also calls for a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour, including that of the 43% of all surveyed consumers who report making more considered purchases to reduce their overall consumption.
More than half of consumers (52%) express intentions to boost their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, while a smaller but important group (22%) plan to reduce their red meat consumption. Despite these health-orientated preferences, only 19% of consumers consider the environmental implications of their food choices. This disconnect presents a significant opportunity for food producers, retailers and wholesalers to bridge the gap between consumer intent and sustainable practice.
Food companies can leverage the willingness of consumers to pay a premium for sustainably produced goods as a competitive advantage. Effective strategies might also include comprehensive food packaging and presentation that not only guides consumers towards environmentally friendly choices but also builds trust through transparency in product design and the communication of clear sustainability information at point of sale. For example, six in ten consumers in our survey agree that an independent sustainability score on food products would be helpful and that incentives on the pricing of foods nearing expiry would drive likelihood to purchase these items.
Consumers have mixed feelings about social media. They increasingly use it as a place for purchases; 46% of consumers report directly buying products through social media, a significant rise from 21% in 2019. And they really like it as a place for discovery and reviews: 67% of consumers use social media channels to discover new brands, and 70% of consumers seek reviews to validate a company before making a purchase. But at the same time, consumers are questioning its safety and reliability, ranking social media their least trusted industry.
This trend is especially evident in loyalty programmes, which are becoming the primary engine of customer data for many companies. Given that an overwhelming 93% of executives in the United States believe that establishing and nurturing trust has a direct and positive impact on financial performance, this exchange of data and incentive has the potential to create a virtuous circle between trust and revenue.
A consistent observation came to light in our interviews with executives in a variety of consumer goods sectors. After consumers largely accepted the price increases of the covid era, they have shown little tolerance for continued rises, especially as they turn their attention to mounting non-discretionary spending: 62% expect the most significant increase in spending in the next six months to be on groceries.
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