Associations

A new association of mobile and technology companies and associations is seeking greater openness in the mobile technology space. A coalition named Evolve is promoting the consumer benefits of unlicensed spectrum and new technologies for unlicensed spectrum like LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) and Licensed Assisted Access (LAA).

A new marketplace has launched with the goal of helping retailers and suppliers keep up with the blistering pace of innovation that is transforming their world.

Sam’s Club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation are investing in an innovative program to help spawn the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Lowe’s Companies Inc. is trying to make its Iris smart home solution more accessible. The home improvement retailer is the newest participant member of the ZigBee Alliance.

Launched in July 2012, Iris by Lowe’s is a smart home solution created to monitor and control virtually everything in the home anytime, anywhere. Lowe’s is the most recent of 450 members currently working to develop and promote ZigBee Internet of Things (IoT) standards.

The upcoming Oct. 1 deadline for retailers to accept EMV-compliant, chip-based payment cards or face increased fraud liability mandates that retailers read card information stored in chips. However, the mandate does not specify whether the card be further verified by a PIN number or customer signature, and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has a clear preference.

The Retail Industry Leaders Alliance (RILA) is refuting public claims about retailers lagging behind banks and card networks in transitioning to EMV compliance. Randy Vanderhook, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance, said in a San Diego Union Tribune article that although consumers have largely been issued EMV-compliant chip cards, retailers have not been activating terminals or completing chip migration.

Two bills passed by a key House committee would help retailers save on store remodeling and improvement costs upfront.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Thursday announced the appointment of Jason Ausili as director, pharmacy affairs, effective Sept. 28. Ausili will report to Kathleen Jaeger, SVP pharmacy care and patient advocacy.

CMA architecture firm Principal Patrick G. Blees announced Nicole Urista has joined the firm’s Minneapolis office to further develop CMA’s growing  portfolio of regional and national accounts. 

Urista’s key responsibilities are to assist leadership with business development and coordinate all marketing efforts while facilitating the continued growth of CMA.

A group of pharmacy workers within Target Corp's store in Brooklyn, N.Y., have won a vote to form a micro-union, making it the first unionized store at the retailer since its inception in 1902, according to Reuters.

A group of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians won an initial ballot, 7-2, to form the union, according to a filing on the National Labor Relations Board website and union officials, the report said.