Category: Press Release

Purchase Strengthens Park Place as Global Leader for all IT Infrastructure Solutions, as Economy and Skills Gap Challenges Impact Global Business.

CLEVELAND, Dec. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Park Place Technologies, the leading global data center and networking optimization firm, has acquired the TPM and Professional Services assets of CentricsIT, an IT services provider based in Atlanta, Georgia.

The demand for Professional Services is growing globally, driven by economic conditions and skills gaps. Park Place’s Professional Services offering will benefit from the acquisition with greater capabilities in IMAC, ITAD, Remote Hands, and deployment services, including cabling, wi-fi surveys, data center installs and refreshes, and network installations. Park Place clients will benefit from a state-of-the-art Professional Services portal developed by CentricsIT that provides real-time project status, reporting, and collaboration tools. Park Place’s Project Management Office function will be enhanced with the addition of Project Management Institute-certified CentricsIT employees worldwide. CentricsIT customers will gain access to Park Place Technologies’ unique portfolio of products and services, including automated monitoring and managed services.

Chris Adams, President and CEO of Park Place Technologies, said in addition to investing in Professional Services, Park Place continues to focus on providing exceptional customer service and support. “When acquiring businesses, we always search for companies that are intensely focused on customer service and have a similar culture and value set to PPT. CentricsIT delivers that and more,” he said. “Our combined Professional Services capabilities are evolving to meet client needs, and this will accelerate that CX agenda. CentricsIT’s EVP of Global Services, Patrick Keuller, will join the global Professional Services group. Patrick brings decades of experience and understands the growing needs of companies around the globe that are struggling to recruit skilled stafff and stretching budgets to efficiently manage their infrastructures.”

CentricsIT has been a global leader in IT lifecycle management solutions and professional services since 2007. As the company transitions its professional services and TPM divisions to Park Place Technologies, it will retain its server, storage and networking resale division.

“We’re pleased to have found the right fit in Park Place Technologies for our services practice to grow and thrive,” said CentricsIT founder and CEO Derek Odegard. “We know they will continue to excel in service delivery and client support.”

This is Park Place’s fourth acquisition in 2022.

“Agile Equity provided investment banking services to CentricsIT and facilitated the transaction,” Odegard said. “We enjoyed working with the Agile Equity team. Their expertise in the data center infrastructure industry was very beneficial throughout the transaction.”

Founded in 1991, Park Place Technologies is powered by the world’s largest on-the-ground engineering team, a robust group of hundreds of advanced engineers and its fully staffed 24x7x365 Enterprise Operations Center. Park Place leverages a global parts supply chain, automation, machine learning and a comprehensive portfolio of services and products to optimize networking and data center uptime and performance.

About Park Place Technologies

Park Place Technologies is a global data center and networking optimization firm. Powered by the world’s largest on-the-ground engineering team, a robust group of advanced engineers and our fully staffed, 24x7x365 Enterprise Operations Center, we offer a robust portfolio of IT solutions to optimize networking and data center uptime and performance. Our services include third-party data center hardware maintenance, professional services, infrastructure managed services, network performance monitoring and hardware sales. Through our unique and fully integrated DMSO (Discover, Monitor, Support, Optimize) approach, customers enjoy streamlined infrastructure monitoring and management, cost efficiencies, less chaos, and faster mean-time-to-resolution – ultimately providing the freedom to think bigger. Park Place’s industry-leading and award-winning services include Park Place Hardware Maintenance, Park Place Professional Services, ParkView Managed Services, Entuity Software and Curvature Hardware sales. For more information, visit www.parkplacetechnologies.com. Park Place is a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners and GTCR.

Jennifer Deutsch
Park Place Technologies
(440) 991-3105
jdeutsch@parkplacetech.com

Michael Miller
Park Place Technologies
(440) 991-5509
mmiller@parkplacetech.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8711279

WASHINGTON, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Sabin Vaccine Institute today honored two extraordinary scientists for their breakthrough vaccine research that changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, advanced public health, and saved countless lives. The 2022 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal was awarded to vaccine research leader Kathrin U. Jansen, PhD, and the Rising Star to immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett, PhD.

The Gold Medal, now in its 29th year, is Sabin’s highest scientific honor, given annually to a distinguished member of the global health community who has made exceptional contributions to vaccinology or a complementary field. Past award recipients include leaders of vaccinology and vaccine advocacy such as Drs. Barney Graham, Carol Baker, Anne Gershon, Bill Foege, and Myron Levine.

Dr. Jansen was selected for her nearly three decades of commitment to advancing vaccine research and development (R&D) for a range of challenging diseases from COVID-19 to HPV and pneumonia, all of which afflict adults and children in low-and middle-income countries with already fragile health care systems.

This past August, Dr. Jansen retired as the senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer Inc. There, Dr. Jansen led global vaccines R&D with responsibilities ranging from discovery to post-marketing commitments. In collaboration with BioNTech, Dr. Jansen spearheaded the development of a COVID-19 vaccine that would become the first FDA and WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccine and is the first-ever approved vaccine to use an mRNA platform.

Dr. Jansen’s leadership at Pfizer also produced newer versions of a widely used pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and vaccine candidates to prevent Streptococcus pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), meningococcal infections, and Group B streptococcus. Previously, she directed vaccine R&D efforts at Merck Research Laboratories and led the development of the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine. She also contributed to programs for rotavirus, mumps, measles and rubella.

“We are delighted to recognize Dr. Jansen with our Gold Medal award for her commitment to furthering vaccines and tackling tough scientific challenges in the interest of benefitting humanity and saving lives,” says Amy Finan, Sabin’s chief executive officer. “Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a unique passion for answering perplexing research questions and making bold decisions that led to impactful public health milestones.”

Dr. Jansen said she was “humbled” by the honor. “When you look at all the previous Gold Medal recipients, they are colleagues and friends that you know and have interacted and worked with for years – passionate people, all dedicated to making a healthier world.”

Sabin’s Rising Star Dr. Corbett is an assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A viral immunologist by training, Dr. Corbett works to advance vaccine development for pandemic preparedness and to build public confidence in vaccines, particularly among communities of color facing health disparities. While at the National Institutes of Health she was a member of the team whose research on the novel coronavirus laid the groundwork for the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine – the first candidate to be tested in Phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S.

Dr. Corbett’s research has also included a universal influenza vaccine, dengue, and respiratory syncytial virus. Currently, she leads a laboratory focused on novel coronaviruses and other infectious diseases that aims to inform vaccine development against potential future pandemics. She is also a leading advocate for STEM education, health care equity, and community-based public health outreach.

“Sabin is delighted to name Dr. Corbett this year’s Rising Star,” says Finan. “Her contributions to vaccine development are matched only by her dedication to shoring up vaccine confidence, especially among skeptics. She has done incredible work explaining the scientific rigor behind vaccines and is inspiring the next generation of researchers and public health heroes.”

“It’s a really big honor for me to win this award,” says Dr. Corbett. “Having just started my career and my own lab, winning this Rising Star Award suggests that – number one – I have a long way to go but – number two – that I am capable, which is especially good to hear from my peers, mentors and other more experienced scientists.”

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world.

For more information, visit https://www.sabin.org/ and follow us on Twitter @sabinvaccine.

Media contact: Rajee Suri, rajee.suri@sabin.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/66127064-3ffb-4f40-9010-7d9da33b625b

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8708580