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Securus Technologies Supports the American Cancer Society through the Company’s eCard Program during October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
DALLAS, Oct. 5, 2020 -- Securus Technologies is proud to announce the company will be donating fifty percent of proceeds from the company's "Fight Against Breast Cancer" suite of eCards to the American Cancer Society (ACS) to help in the fight against a disease that takes thousands of lives each year. According to cancer.org, breast cancer death rates in the U.S. are higher than those for women than any other cancer, besides lung cancer. Donating financial support to the ACS will help to fund and conduct cancer research, support patients and spread the word about prevention. The cost to attach an eCard to an email is one Stamp, and the proceeds from all the Stamps used in the month of October for the "Fight Against Breast Cancer" eCard category will be donated to the ACS. Incarcerated individuals along with their loved ones in almost 40 states can purchase and attach any of the 20 customer-crafted greeting cards celebrating hope for breast cancer survivors and all those touched by the disease. "Too many mothers, daughters, sisters and friends are battling this disease – it has to stop," said Jade Trombetta, Senior Manager, Communications and Social Media for Securus Technologies. "We have proudly supported this cause for years and thank all other organizations and individuals who prominently wear pink and support the fight against breast cancer during the month of October, and throughout the year. Together we can beat this." "We envision a future where our daughters –our children –will no longer live with the threat of breast cancer," said the National Leadership Team for the American Cancer Society. "Unfortunately, that future is at risk. The impact of COVID-19 will reduce our ability to fund cancer research by 50% in 2020 --our lowest investment this century if current trends continue. We can't and won't allow progress to be put on hold because of COVID-19. At risk are more and better treatments and discoveries that will improve and save lives." ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Securus Technologies, a subsidiary of Aventiv Technologies, serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America. The Aventiv organization is committed to providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world. ABOUT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of nearly 1.5 million volunteers dedicated to saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer. From breakthrough research, to free lodging near treatment, a 24/7/365 live helpline, free rides to treatment, and convening powerful activists to create awareness and impact, the American Cancer Society is attacking cancer from every angle. Visit cancer.org for more information.
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How Tom Gores’ call for change has assisted Detroit Pistons’ community involvement
In response to summer’s civil unrest, NBA franchise has been at the forefront of voting galvanization efforts in Detroit With the COVID-19 crisis still ongoing, voters need safe options for the upcoming election. The Detroit Pistons continue to assist those efforts. Last month, on the first day of early voting in Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem unveiled a voting drop box that sits just outside the Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center. Starting Sept. 24, Michigan residents could submit absentee ballots to locations around the state. The PPC receptacle is one of 30 in the city of Detroit that will be available daily until Nov. 3. Tellem did the honors in cutting the ribbon and afterward Benson noted the Pistons’ civic engagement since Platinum Equity founder and CEO Tom Gores said in a statement that words were not enough to address calls for change in the wake of George Floyd’s death in late May. “Our organization is committed to promoting informed participation in the electoral process,” Gores said in a news release. “We are pleased to partner with the secretary of state on its efforts to register and enroll eligible voters for this year’s elections.” In that statement, Gores and the Pistons pledged to: Galvanize voter registration. Rally census participation. Build civic engagement. Expand support of organizations that support inclusion. Shortly after the statement, the Pistons announced the PPC would be used to facilitate voting efforts starting with the August primary all the way through the November general election – one of the first franchises to make that pledge. The organization has enlisted political figures Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams to assist with increasing voter turnout. Abrams helped the franchise kickoff the efforts with an inspirational speech to Pistons staff and Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, was the keynote speaker for a rally held in the PPC parking lot encouraging Detroiters to vote. “Our organization is committed to promoting informed participation in the electoral process,” Gores said in a news release. “We are pleased to partner with the secretary of state on its efforts to register and enroll eligible voters for this year’s elections.” Employees have contributed time to voting and census awareness, and other civic efforts, which includes launching Mission 313, a project where players, coaches and staff are encouraged to dedicate at least 31.3 hours of their time for charitable efforts. The deeds are the main headlines, and there is more to come from the Pistons. Vice president of community and social responsibility Erika Swilley said Gores’ statement set the tone. “I couldn’t do the work that I do without the blessing of our ownership group, giving me the freedom and giving me the go-ahead in these types of things is huge,” Swilley said. One of the first The Atlanta Hawks were the first NBA franchise to announce their arena would be made available to help during this election year. A couple of days later, the Pistons followed suit by making the PPC available. Both organizations were moved to act shortly after Floyd was killed in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. Floyd’s killing – and the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery – sparked a wave of protests throughout the country and forced a racial reckoning that is still ongoing. In response, Gores and the organization denounced “issues of racism, police brutality and inequitable justice.” Gores added: “We will use our platform, our creativity and our persistence to drive action in hopes of making this moment a turning point.” Gores purchased the Pistons in 2011. The organization moved quickly on the voter galvanization directive. The PPC will be a satellite center for the Nov. 3 election, where people can register and vote. Afterward, the ballot can be placed in the drop box outside the PPC. Election day will be a paid off-day to ensure all employees can vote and volunteer as election workers. The PPC also served as a receiving center for four voting precincts for the August primary. The Pistons’ website has released multiple public service videos reminding Michiganders the importance of voting. The SOS office has also assisted in getting Pistons players registered. “The Pistons were one of the first teams to step up and say we want to be part of making democracy work this year,” Benson said. “That’s what the Pistons believe in and dedicated their work to, and they’ve just not talked the talk, they’ve walked the walk.” Many pro sports franchises have followed suit. In Detroit, all four major professional sports teams have agreed to make their facilities available to assist with voting efforts. With an expected record turnout, these spaces are needed to mitigate large crowds on election day when social distancing will still be needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Pistons efforts have drawn the notice of elected officials. “It sends a very significant and positive message,” Winfrey said. “I’m not really a sports girl, but I do know that sports teams are getting involved in social issues that plague our country, so I think it sends a positive message.”
Read MoreSecurus Technologies’ Unity Platform is the latest investment in the incarcerated community
The organization combined the best elements of classic JPay and Securus platforms to provide one, comprehensive software program that can integrate into any correctional facility. DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2020 -- Securus Technologies today introduced the organization's newest digital offering to the corrections industry, the Securus Unity Platform. As the pioneers of tablet technology, Securus leveraged the organization's nearly ten-years of tablet knowledge and practical in-facility experience to build a software platform that can be customized to operate in any correctional environment. The comprehensive software is only available on the new JP6S tablet and services are delivered completely wirelessly. Additionally, a significant benefit of the Securus Unity Platform is providing access to critical content such as free education and re-entry resources to all incarcerated individuals where the software is available. The Securus Unity tablet software enables incarcerated individuals to more directly engage in their own educational, vocational, health and communication development and minimizes dependence on availability of in-person resources. In a facility environment that has nonstop activity, providing solutions that improve efficiency and maintain security are top priority. The Securus Unity Platform was built to make it simple for facility staff to administer and manage tablet usage with the ability to regulate and message individual users, the entire population, or a segmented group of individuals. With built-in wireless capabilities, the JP6S delivers the Securus Unity Platform wirelessly, removing the need for kiosks which eliminates burdens such as long lines to sync tablets for upgrades or send and receive communications. The comprehensive platform comes equipped with the full suite of Securus applications and each facility determines the applications they would like to offer their population. "We are the most experienced tablet technology provider in corrections with nearly a decade of knowledge and learnings from introducing new programs, customizing solutions, advancing security measures and accessing invaluable user feedback. We used all of it to build the Securus Unity Platform," said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. The Securus Unity Platform can operate on different delivery models through the JP6S devices to accommodate the various needs of prison and jail facilities. For example, the Community Tablet model makes devices available for daily use to the entire population with free access to critical content such as educational programming, re-entry resources, addiction recovery services and more applications built to prepare individuals for success upon release. There are no charges for access time, tablet usage, ebooks, podcasts or educational resources. Individuals can subscribe to a MakeMine account, which is a monthly subscription model that creates access to paid applications on the JP6S devices such as media, e-messaging and phone-on-tablet on any Community device. Facilities can also offer a Personal Tablet model, providing each incarcerated individual with their own device to access the same free critical content as well as paid applications. The device hardware is returned to the facility once the individual is released and is automatically converted back to a Community Tablet. Facility staff operate the Command and Control Officer Tablets to help manage and control usage, deploy information and other security features to help increase safety. "We are the most experienced tablet technology provider in corrections with nearly a decade of knowledge and learnings from introducing new programs, customizing solutions, advancing security measures and accessing invaluable user feedback. We used all of it to build the Securus Unity Platform," said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "The platform is smart, empowers incarcerated users with access to features and services they want and creates efficiencies for our customers. We are committed to investing in the incarcerated community and proud of the work that went into this level of innovation." Availability of the Securus Unity Platform varies by agency. About Securus Technologies LLC Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Securus Technologies, a subsidiary of Aventiv Technologies, serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America. The Aventiv organization is committed to providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.
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How Platinum Equity’s Small Cap team has put experience and capital to work during COVID-19 crisis
Theater goers have not exactly flocked back to movie houses in the U.S. A slow stream of new releases began in August. The month of September saw the release of Tenet, a planned summer blockbuster from noted director Christopher Nolan. The viewing public’s response was underwhelming. After months of COVID-19 forced closures, Tenet failed to earn $30 million in its first two weeks in theaters. Although theaters are still closed in the two largest markets (New York and Los Angeles), the New York Times reports 68% of the theater marker was open for Tenet, but it landed with a whimper. The economic toll has been well reported. According to the Los Angeles Times, the summer typically accounts for 40% of annual movie ticket sales. The Times article, citing data from Wedbush Securities, reports North American box office revenues will total $4.4 billion in 2020, down 61% from last year. The landscape has forced Warner Bros. to push the release date of Wonder Woman 1984 to Christmas Day, the sixth such delay for the highly anticipated feature. Other movies could be moved. Will the industry rebound in the near future? “It will take both experience and tenacity to make it through to the other side, but we are confident that good companies with strong fundamentals and capable leadership will not only survive this crisis, but thrive,” Platinum Equity Chairman and CEO Tom Gores said. As with previous investments during economic downturns, Platinum Equity and its Small Cap team are anticipating a comeback from the movie industry and other segments of the economy impacted by the pandemic. In July, Platinum announced the acquisition of Deluxe Entertainment Services' distribution business. Former Deluxe CEO Cyril Drabinsky, who left the company in 2016 to found CineVizion, a similar company, returned to lead the business as CEO under Platinum’s ownership. As part of the transition, CineVizion’s assets were integrated into Deluxe, a company providing solutions to the world’s leading movie production studios and distributors. “It will take both experience and tenacity to make it through to the other side, but we are confident that good companies with strong fundamentals and capable leadership will not only survive this crisis, but thrive,” Platinum Equity Chairman and CEO Tom Gores said. The Deluxe and CineVizion acquisitions represent the fourth and fifth transactions from the Small Cap team in recent months. “We satisfied ourselves that Deluxe is a company that remains an important partner to studios and plays a vital role in the distribution of theatrical and over-the-top media services,” Platinum Equity managing director Dan Krasner said. “It was in a good market position. Are movies going to come back? We've made the bet that yes, movies will eventually return.” Platinum’s operations team added it is still able to implement a comprehensive transformation program in this challenging environment. On the same day the Deluxe deal was announced, Platinum also announced the acquisition of L&R Distributors, a growing wholesale distributor of consumer products servicing more than 17,000 retail locations throughout the U.S. Bond Manufacturing’s gardening business, an acquisition of lawn and gardening mainstay Orbit Irrigation, and Italian winemaker Farnese Vini, were earlier deals consummated during the pandemic. The firm is no stranger to investing during times of dislocation. Platinum was one of the most active private equity firms deploying capital during the financial crisis more than a decade ago. Krasner, who led the Deluxe/CineVizion deals, expects similar transactions before the end of the year. For Platinum, the Small Cap team’s focus on the lower-middle market extends back 25 years to the firm’s founding by Gores in 1995. As Platinum has moved up market and raised larger pools of capital, it maintained a presence there and in 2018 completed capital raising for its first dedicated small cap fund, which was oversubscribed at a hard cap of $1.5 billion. It has helped Platinum during the current economic downturn. While deal activity declined across the board in the first half of the year when compared to 2019, the lower-middle market proved a bit more resilient for private equity, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. Platinum has taken advantage, continuing to deploy capital and provide divestiture solutions to sellers in need. Take the L&R deal that was in the works for a long time, which allowed for Platinum to become very familiar with the management team. Then the pandemic hit. Similar to how the Farnese Vini deal unfolded, the pre-transaction relationship developed trust, according to deal leader Nick Fries, a Platinum principal. “We were able to really get a feel for the business and ultimately close the deal,” Fries said. “It's an example, there are hundreds of them, but that's probably the most recent one of Platinum’s capability.” The activity boosts the firm’s earned reputation. “I've been here now 13 years, and every year has been a bigger year than the last,” Fries said. “We have a well-deserved reputation of knowing how to get the deal done. And having been around 25 years now, there's a lot of people that have seen a lot of different kinds of situations. It's pretty rare that we step into one that we haven't had experience dealing with. That means we have the ability to think through and navigate all kinds of complexity as we weave our way into deals.”
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Update: Securus Technologies Reports More Than 50 Percent Reduction in Fees for Third-Party Transactions on Calling Accounts
Fees for 3rd party retail transactions reduced to $4.95 DALLAS, TEXAS–Aventiv Technologies and its corrections-services subsidiary Securus Technologies today announced that it has renegotiated pricing on third party vendor contracts. Consumers pay processing fees for cash deposits to fund telephone accounts by third party retail vendors such as Western Union and MoneyGram. These new prices result in a combined total cost reduction for consumers of more than 50 percent. The reduction comes amid an expansive and holistic corporate transformation launched in January, with the goal of making products more accountable, affordable, and accessible. “We are proud to have reduced third-party financial transaction fees by more than 50 percent for our telephone account customers,” said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. “We know there is more work to be done, but we continue to deliver on our promise to make our services as affordable and accessible as possible.” “We are proud to have reduced third-party financial transaction fees by more than 50 percent for our telephone account customers,” said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. Aventiv will continue to release progress updates on the organization’s transformation commitments, including making products and services more affordable and accessible. For past progress reports and a detailed overview of the company’s commitments and goals, visit https://transformation.aventiv.com/. ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Securus Technologies, a subsidiary of Aventiv Technologies, serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America. The Aventiv organization is committed to providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.
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Securus Technologies’ ‘Lantern’ shines brightly in helping 600 students earn degrees from Ashland University
DALLAS, Sept. 2, 2020 -- Securus Technologies today announces that its Lantern Program has helped 600 incarcerated students earn bachelors and associates degrees from its partner, Ashland University. Created in 2016, Lantern is a first-of-its-kind learning management system built specifically for corrections to provide incarcerated students access to digital education. It has grown to become the largest digital education program for the incarcerated in the U.S. Lantern is an interactive, cross-functional, and full-service education platform, built to provide incarcerated individuals access to digital college courses so incarcerated individuals can work towards earning their college degree. The program features corrections-grade tablets and draws content from a network of reputable academic providers. In addition to Lantern, incarcerated individuals also have access to GED prep courses, personal development content and thousands of free KA Lite educational videos, which have been downloaded more than 22 million times across subjects ranging from accounting to astronomy. "Education changes lives and for those working to return home it is a critical step. Six hundred individuals have earned their college degree, either during incarceration or post-release, and there will be many more," said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "We're extremely proud of this milestone and we look forward to celebrating many more graduations." "Education changes lives and for those working to return home it is a critical step. Six hundred individuals have earned their college degree, either during incarceration or post-release, and there will be many more," said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "We're extremely proud of this milestone and we look forward to celebrating many more graduations." Securus Technologies helps prepare incarcerated individuals for reentry by providing education, self-help, entertainment, and communication resources. Users have the ability to learn important job skills and access education at no cost, not only to improve their lives, but also to better their communities. "Earning a college degree can change the trajectory of a person's life, whether they're incarcerated or not," said Todd Marshall, Ph.D., Vice President for Correctional Education and Innovation at Ashland University. "We partnered with Securus because we knew the value it would bring; the fact that it has grown to this size gives us great hope for the future of the program." "Lantern got me back on track, challenging me to improve myself and focus on reentering society with a degree that would open doors," said M.R., former Lantern student. "For many in the incarcerated community, access to technology and access to education are nearly impossible. The fact that Securus provides these education resources at no cost changed my life. I'm now working towards my Master's Degree; ten years ago I would have never even dreamed of earning any kind of degree." For more information, visit the Lantern program website. ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES: Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, an Aventiv Technologies company, serving more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,200,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Securus Technologies is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated individual self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. Securus Technologies connecting what matters®. For more information, please visit SecurusTechnologies.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.
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Platinum Equity CEO Tom Gores’ relationship with ESPN’s Jalen Rose vital to Detroit charter school’s educational mission
When the topic turns to the public charter school that bears his name, Jalen Rose becomes a preacher. The ESPN/ABC analyst, who starred at Michigan and played 13 seasons in the NBA, mimics a proud parent while advocating for the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, which he co-founded in 2011. The passion is also apparent when he brings up JRLA benefactors like Platinum Equity chairman and CEO Tom Gores, who owns the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. “So many things literally come from donors, and that's why it's very important to not only spread the word about what we're doing, but also hopefully have game-changing donors that can really help influence the vision that I have for JRLA,” Rose told Platinum Equity recently.. For the seventh straight year Platinum Equity, the firm Gores founded in 1995, sponsored the Jalen Rose Golf Classic, the annual fundraiser for the school located in the northeast Detroit neighborhood where Rose grew up. It was held at the Detroit Golf Club. It was the 10th time celebrities and politicians came together to help the school’s mission to provide an educational lifeline that starts in the ninth grade and lasts through college. "That's what Tom and Holly was able to do with JRLA. And that support has been there since Day 1. Whether it's donating so we can get some of the things done at JRLA, but also sponsoring our golf outings and bringing other relationships to the table that either become donors or people that show support in another way, it’s major," said Rose. The mission is even more critical as students start the 2020-21 school year under the specter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rose said the school will use distance learning for the first few months – a task helped by Platinum Equity’s support. Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, who joined the franchise in 2015 to represent ownership in the Detroit market, isn’t surprised to see Rose’s education advocacy. He has known Rose since his playing days, when he served as Rose’s agent. Tellem had an inkling Rose’s social awareness would lead to his current focus. “The thing that always impressed me about him was that he had a social conscience, wanted to give back to Detroit, wanted to make a difference in his hometown,” Tellem said. “He recognized the platform that he had to do good things, he didn't run away from it. “Jalen has been one of the leaders making a difference in this community for a long time.” There from Day 1 NBA star David Robinson and tennis great Andre Agassi were the role models. Robinson founded Carver Academy in San Antonio; Agassi’s foundation opened the Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas. But for Rose, the relationship with the Gores family goes beyond the financial support provided to the school. Rose recalls Platinum executives joining him on trips to the JRLA campus shortly after the school opened. In 2013, Gores and his wife, Holly, donated $250,000 to the JRLA. Starting the following year, Gores and Platinum Equity have served as sponsors for the event. Rose easily recalls visits to the couple’s home in Los Angeles. They have bonded over their shared Michigan upbringings. “They've always been loving, caring, thoughtful, and trying to figure out ways that they can help and support,” Rose said. “The way he loves Flint and the way he knows Michigan State, for them to fly the JRLA flag in the same manner, it really means a lot to me.” It’s support that Rose finds even more relevant now with big business trying to find the right words and actions to address decades of systemic racism in this country. “You see corporations and companies sending out e-mails and promising to be more diverse, and how they are open to make change and to listen,” Rose said. “At 47, I've heard that my whole life, but then there are some people that actually step up and do it. "That's what Tom and Holly was able to do with JRLA. And that support has been there since Day 1. Whether it's donating so we can get some of the things done at JRLA, but also sponsoring our golf outings and bringing other relationships to the table that either become donors or people that show support in another way, it’s major.”
Read MoreInvesting in What Matters: Aventiv Technologies Dedicates Additional Resources towards Expanding and Improving Relationships with Those That Mean the Most
Organization progresses on transformation with expanded priorities to address immediate needs for incarcerated individuals and their loved ones impacted by COVID-19 DALLAS, Aug. 10, 2020 -- Just six months since launching a transformation agenda under new CEO Dave Abel, Aventiv Technologies and its corrections-services subsidiary, Securus Technologies, today reported significant progress in accelerating an expansive, holistic reform of corporate policies and practices. Education, reentry and recidivism represent one of the key pillars in the transformation effort. An additional 13,456 incarcerated students gained access to post-secondary educational programming through Securus' digital education platform since March alone, a critical connection to help improve recidivism rates. In addition to enrolling thousands for free educational programming, Aventiv deepened its commitment to supporting re-entry services and creating opportunities for the formerly incarcerated. For example, so far in 2020, the company has: Provided initial seed funding to help launch Freedom Rides, a non-profit that assists formerly incarcerated individuals in purchasing vehicles so they can safely travel to jobs or classes. Built upon the existing corporate job application that "bans the box" and broadened hiring practices by defining allowable types of felony convictions and specified roles to which limits apply. Signed the Society for Human Resource Management's Getting Talent Back to Work Pledge and 10% of new hires since January have prior records. In addition to efforts centered around education, the organization also furthered its responsibility to execute against commitments made in January, which include: Accessibility and affordability: Securus renegotiated contracts with 56 correctional agencies, reducing call rates that had previously exceeded national averages. Securus began offering commission-free and agency-paid options for telephone calls to both existing and new institutional customers. Technology and Innovation: Aventiv has invested more than $2.3 million in new infrastructure and the development of new technology including further strengthening cyber security measures. Transparency The company initiated a process to develop a terms-of-use policy to memorialize comprehensive data privacy standards for its products. That policy will now be released by the end of 2020 due to COVID-19. Aventiv commissioned a cost analysis by an independent third-party, which is on-track to be released by the end of 2020. Listening and responsiveness: Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Aventiv leadership continued an ongoing series of listening sessions with advocates for the incarcerated, individuals impacted by incarceration, and correctional and communications experts. Stay-at-home orders severely limited in person access, and CEO Dave Abel continued holding virtual sessions continued throughout the second quarter. "In January we said we were going to change the way this company operates, and make our services more affordable and accessible," said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies. "Since then we've made real progress toward that goal while also modifying our 2020 blueprint to heavily focus on providing supplementary support for our customers since the entire nation was jolted by the impact of COVID-19. The need for human connection - particularly during a pandemic - drove a shift in priority and we're proud of the efforts we have made to date. We know there's more work to be done, and we'll continue to work closely with our agency partners to drive positive change in the correctional technology industry." Against the backdrop of the devastating and wide-spread impact of COVID-19, organizations nationwide rethought operations, accessibility and introduce thoughtful approaches to supporting customer needs; especially those serving vulnerable communities such as the incarcerated. Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, Aventiv has worked with its partners across the United States to provide millions of credits for free e-messages as well as free and reduced rates for video chats and phone calls. To date the company has provided: Accommodations for 397 agencies at 737 distinct facilities. 22.4 million free call credits for incarcerated individuals and their families, resulting in 170.8 million free minutes of phone connections 4.9 million free video connections to friends and families of incarcerated individuals 10.6 million free JPay Stamps for electronic messaging Aventiv Technologies launched in October 2019 as part of a corporate reorganization reflective of the company's progression with distinct business lines for government payments (AllPaid) and corrections services (Securus Technologies and JPay). Since being acquired by Platinum Equity the company has undergone substantial changes with a major emphasis on eliminating certain past practices, enhancing and expanding others, and transforming from a traditional corrections telecommunications service provider into a broad technology innovator. To see a full list of Aventiv's commitments and ongoing updates on the company's progress, visit transformation.aventiv.com/. ABOUT AVENTIV TECHNOLOGIES Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Aventiv Technologies serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Aventiv is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, inmate self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.
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CEO: How public-private partnerships are ‘essential’ in the transformation of Aventiv/Securus
Dave Abel was using the phone on Sept. 11, 2001. Working for PricewaterhouseCoopers, he was discussing a business trip scheduled for the following day. While looking out his Arlington, Va., office window, he watched in horror as an American Airlines plane flew into the Pentagon. The evacuation order came, but before leaving, he looked out the window again and turned his glance downward. He saw a swarm of people walking across the Francis Scott Key Bridge, trying to escape Washington D.C. The next day, Abel and PwC colleagues went to work, tasked with protecting the United States’ aviation system. After the unthinkable 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 victims, Abel worked for teams at PwC and IBM that were integral to the the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, which is charged with protecting the traveling public. After more than a year with Securus Technologies, Abel can recall a career with many examples of business – along with governing bodies – improving outcomes for the public. “It cannot be done without the participation between those two,” Abel told Platinum Equity recently. He called public-private partnerships “absolutely essential.” That is one reason he was tasked to lead the transformation of Securus, a prison communications firm acquired by Platinum in 2017. In January, he was promoted to CEO of Aventiv Technologies and its subsidiary, Securus. The goal is to establish Securus, which provides services to approximately 3,500 correctional facilities in all 50 states, as a change agent and industry leader in terms of best practices. A complex task. According to the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit working to ensure a fair and just criminal justice system, the U.S. has imprisoned 2.2 million people in prisons and jails, a 500 percent increase over the last 40 years. By providing needed services to more than 1.2 million incarcerated individuals across North America, Securus has the juggling act of balancing the needs of its customers (local governments) and consumers (the incarcerated). The company has drawn the ire of activists critical of the prison industrial complex. Predatory phone rates, faulty technology and privacy concerns are among the issues cited by activists; some are calling for Platinum to divest from its investment. The company has responded aggressively to address those issues under the leadership of Platinum and Abel. According to company officials, the average cost of a call using the company’s secure calling platform has been reduced significantly as of late July. The company has developed and deployed new technology to reduce reliance on third-party payment services, eliminating their fees and bringing savings to impacted consumers. The company convened consumer forum with formerly incarcerated individuals and their families in Detroit to hear firsthand about their experiences and how to better serve which will be used to inform future development efforts. As the country still copes with the COVID-19 pandemic which has severely impacted prison populations, the company has partnered with local governments to provide millions of free calls and more than 80 million free minutes to incarcerated individuals and their families. In a nod to changing times centered around criminal justice reform, the company has pivoted to planning for a welcomed future that forecasts falling incarceration numbers. Over the course of two interviews with Platinum, Abel, 51, eagerly discussed the past and the path forward. Many topics were addressed. It is clear Abel thinks the company is on the right path. But he concedes there is still much work to do. (Questions and answers have been edited for clarity). Platinum Equity: There is an increased awareness of systemic racism in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. What challenges are presented to a company providing telcom services to prison populations, which disproportionately come from communities of color? Dave Abel: It's the reason that I came here. I've been primarily focused on the public sector, and I am really attracted to places that have significant change issues. When the opportunity to come here came along, I absolutely jumped at the chance. Platinum and I have seen eye to eye on this since the day that I walked in the door. We are part of an industry that has good as its core mission. Our primary purposes are to connect humans, incarcerated individuals with friends and family, which we believe - and studies show - have the greatest impact on the likelihood of having successful reintroduction to society. Abel: We take all those missions extremely seriously. In January, we started a conversation, a set of intentions and a set of actions to change the course of the company, to make our products more accessible, and make them higher quality to provide more people the ability to be able to use them and to add on to those products everything that we can that will focus on the post-incarceration environment, and a more successful reintroduction to society. PE: I'm going to back up a little bit. Why the public sector? Abel: I grew up in southern Virginia, went to the University of Virginia, and came to Washington D.C. It's the industry. You're in L.A., you go in the entertainment industry. You're in New York, you tend to go into banking and finance, you go into manufacturing in Michigan. In the late 80s, early 90s, it's what you did, and it just stuck with me. PE: Back to messaging. When I ask about the challenges with the current climate, when people are calling for changes, does it make telling the company’s story more difficult? Abel: The message becomes more difficult if you're talking to somebody who believes that you should remove investment from a problem. If you are a person that believes that bringing assets, bringing capital, bringing investment, bringing innovation, and bringing technology increases the likelihood of finding good solutions to our problems, then you'd be very interested in the message that we need to be able to send. And when I think about people who are advocating on behalf of incarcerated individuals and us, there is very little difference in what outcomes we are looking for. PE: There are corporate responsibilities for good outcomes? Abel: Absolutely. In my first day as CEO of the company, we sent a press release about the ways that we need to be able to change this business, the accountability that we take for making those changes in the business, and the responsibility we take for generating improved outcomes. In Platinum and in Aventiv, we are willing and getting out in front to take responsibility for what those changes need to be. We will not shy away from our commitment, nor from the measures of that commitment. PE: You said earlier there's very little difference between Securus and prison reform advocates when it comes to outcomes. Less people incarcerated; recidivism rates go down. Can producing good outcomes and making profits be compatible goals? Abel: They must be compatible goals. The profit is there to be able to provide a return on investment that brings capital in to be able to improve the technologies that are necessary to be able to achieve the goals. But what it requires from us from a corporate standpoint is continued innovation and reinvention of the services that we're providing. Is our profit is always going to be from making phone calls? Absolutely not. That's why we invest in the development of tablets, software to go on tablets. We're hard at work on exciting new technological advancements for training and education. We are hard at work on services focused on post-incarceration things, like job skills, identification acquisition, appointment scheduling. PE: Diversification is a main strategy? Abel: We see the value and the balance between our consumers and our customers. We're not just about law enforcement. We're not just about incarcerated individuals and their families. We are about the balance between the two, and the need to provide these tools in a safe and secure manner. You brought up the point about where we are as a society. We're already deeply into discussion and strategy about how average daily population of incarcerated individuals in the United States is a metric that we have to move away from. That's not how you want your business anchored in the 21st century. PE: Why is that? Abel: When I look at European models and I look at Latin American models from an incarceration standpoint, but Europe in particular, and the Nordic states in particular, the model is significantly more focused on being able to provide goods and services that focus on rehabilitation vs. punishment. Of the changes that I would like to see coming out of the debate we're having; the debate is to focus on outcomes from our system that are different. We want to be bringing capital and technology to an often-overlooked community. PE: Discuss the relationship with government. Abel: It's a local decision. We have a lot of models that we use to be able to work with our government customers. Some government customers require commissions to be able to provide a full suite of services. Some of them budget for those services. There's certainly a lot of criticism in the market. It's an easy target for people to be able to say that commissions are bad. It's really just a matter of how the cost for the services are provided. We've made a very clear demarcation over the course of the last six months. We won't weigh in on whether a commission model is good or bad, or what the responsibilities are of our government customer in using that commission. We will provide our services to any organization or entity that has a mechanism by which we can get appropriately paid for those services. We will respect the choice of local community in how those services should be provided and not engage in politics to sway that determination. PE: That sounds like you're washing your hands of the situation. Don’t you have more power in that process? It sounds like a cop-out. Abel: That statement, and I stand behind that statement, is focused on how the government needs to be able to provide the resources for incarceration service. Abel: Now, there's a broader question to what you asked. Does Securus have a responsibility to be able to address the inherent inequality in our system of criminal justice? And we haven't been public in our statements around that. We must be careful about how we do that. But the answer to that is absolutely. And the way we're going to go about doing that is how we provide tools, capabilities, and opportunities for people to not have them incarcerated in the first place or to get them a better outcome when they are incarcerated. Abel: And remember, we walked through the strategy of this business, the long-term strategy of this business is in providing post-incarceration services, in providing financial tools for people who can't get them and creating financial literacy for people who will struggle to be able to use those tools, in lowering the cost of our products, creating greater access to our products. It would be our hope and our intention that the people who use our services while they are incarcerated, are never our consumers while incarcerated ever again. PE: We talked earlier about the diversification, and you mentioned the things that you have in the works. I was drawn to a new tablet you discussed at a recent employee townhall before COVID-19 struck. Better products, lower costs? Abel: There's not a company around that couldn't benefit from executing that strategy. (It is important) to introduce a new version of our tablet, increase the battery life, and improve the functionality of the software on that product. Abel: When I first started to look at this, I made the mistake of thinking about our tablets like an iPad. And the difference is that we've got a product that is somewhere between $70 and $90, vs. an iPad that's between $700 and $900. Our ability to be able to put this tablet in the hands of our consumers is highly dependent on our ability to make it the least expensive tablet that we possibly can. It means it's really difficult to refresh that technology. What kind of phone do you use? Do you have an iPhone or an Android? PE: I have both. Abel: Let's take the iPhone. It's got a life expectancy to it. I bought a new phone five years ago, and it's like two years beyond its possible life. I'm squeezing every moment of life that I can out of the phone and I finally had to go buy one, because this one just doesn't work anymore, and the battery in particular. And that's a device that has a $600 to $800 price tag associated with it. For us, the challenge of doing this and making sure we're keeping the cost as low as possible is critically important. When we introduce the JP6S tablet (it was released in late July), the battery and the battery management in the software that goes around it, we expect that's going to decrease the number of customer service issues that go into our contact center by almost 30 percent. The introduction of that tablet alone, if we are successful in eliminating the battery issue and some percentage of the software issues, you have a population that's 30 percent more satisfied, and then you take the capacity of the contact center and focus it on all of the other issues that we struggle to be able to get to and you can immediately see the impact. PE: How do you change perceptions? Abel: We do it in a lot of different ways. The first way is we start internally. One person goes into a market, one person says something, one person is not aligned with the direction you're going, and it's like the whole company isn't aligned. No. 1 was getting our company clear on our strategy, getting our company clear on our point of view, and increasingly getting our company clear on the culture that we want to be able to project in the market. Abel: COVID has made that harder because it's impossible for me to go to all of our locations and meet with our people in person, because most people are working remotely. No. 2 is broader and more open communications with our customers and our consumers. I've had the good fortune of going individually to almost a dozen customers before COVID restrictions and talking with them about our changes. Talking with them, I'll get their advice and input on what is important to them in our products and services as we go forward, and what elements of our transformation are encouraged and discouraged from them. And I go into facilities. I encourage my leaders to go into facilities. Abel: No. 3 is ongoing communications with our community. These are the consumers that we serve, and the people who use and pay for our products on a regular basis. Abel: And then No. 4 is I regularly try to go out into the market and meet with our toughest critics. People who hate us can absolutely help us by continuing to communicate why they hate us and what they think we need to do better. We may disagree on the mode of implementation about how to be able to make the changes in this industry. We can learn from every single person and every single point of view to make ourselves better and better.
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With B-hyve tech and Platinum Equity support, Orbit is ‘changing the way the world waters’
In April, the New York Times published a product review of 13 different smart sprinkler controllers, timely information with the country seeing a surge in do-it-yourself projects related to stay-at-home orders because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The controllers are designed to help customers from underground irrigation systems by monitoring local weather and soil conditions, improving landscapes and conserving water. The Times gave the B-hyve smart indoor sprinkler controller top honors when it comes to value. “(It) is the least expensive smart controller you can buy and yet offers many of the features of our top picks, including smart scheduling, a nice app, and an innovative, slim design,” the author wrote. “We are supplementing what Mother Nature does with rainfall,” Orbit CEO Stuart Eyring told Platinum Equity recently. “We’re letting Mother Nature do everything she can do to water and we make up for the rest of it. It sells for $64 on Amazon; two competitors with favorable reviews in the Times piece sell for $140 or more. Offering high quality technology at an attractive price point was a top priority when Orbit started developing the B-hyve technology a few years ago. The tech allows homeowners and contractors to bring solutions to tending lawns and gardens while also conserving water at an affordable price, something the media has noticed the past few years, particularly at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “We are supplementing what Mother Nature does with rainfall,” Orbit CEO Stuart Eyring told Platinum Equity recently. “We’re letting Mother Nature do everything she can do to water and we make up for the rest of it. “We’re changing the way the world waters.” Based in Salt Lake City, Orbit is a leading provider of irrigation systems and related products for the residential home improvement markets. In business for nearly 50 years, Orbit has developed a global distribution network with products available in more than 40 countries. Orbit’s longstanding brand coupled with its leading B-hyve smart technology platform made it an attractive investment when the family-owned company was sold to Platinum last year. And as the company nears the introduction of its newest product, the B-hyve XR, the potential for growth is readily apparent. “B-hyve continues to empower homeowners through high quality irrigation technology at attractive prices,” Platinum Equity senior associate Derek Green said. “It sits at the intersection of sustainability through water conservation, the expanding role of smart technology within the home, and a continued emphasis on outdoor living”. ‘Founded on a value proposition’ Orbit teased the B-hyve XR at the CES in January before COVID-19 started dominating news alerts. Several tech websites wrote positive reviews. While it resembles a traditional indoor timer, it has a weather resistant design that can be mounted either indoors or outdoors. It can control up to 16 zones – an upgrade from 12 zones with previous tech - so it will be able to handle larger residential properties. It also includes three hexagonal screens on the face of the timer that provide current information about the weather, zone information, manual watering and more. It contains both 2.4 Ghz and 5.0 Ghz radios to make connecting with home networks easier and more dependable. It also includes a 900 Mhz radio that will allow future connectivity with other B-Hyve battery-operated devices in the yard. Pricing starts at $149 and is scheduled to be available this fall. “We’re a company that’s been founded on a value proposition that makes watering accessible to people who don’t want to pay a contractor or can’t afford a contractor,” Orbit executive vice president Mitch Lord said. “Value is ingrained in the Orbit brand and ease of use is a vital part of that. We want to make it easy enough for anyone to do it. “You don’t need to pay a professional to come in and do it for you.” Sunset Magazine, a lifestyle publication focused mainly on the western U.S., wrote: “Orbit’s … new B-hyve XR is a powerful new addition to the connected garden game. … It also has easier setup and installation than past models, simpler controls, and has a stylish new exterior.” Orbit prides itself on offering solutions ranging from the low-tech garden hose connected to a faucet to the high-tech B-hyve capable of measuring weather data and adjusting output for rainfall totals. But the tech has other utility. States and municipalities offer rebates to consumers who purchase tech that promotes water conversation. B-hyve technology can lead up to a 50 percent reduction in water usage, according to Orbit officials. Orbit also announced the B-hyve smart flood sensor at CES. It’s designed to warn homeowners to flood hazards, notifying consumers of the presence of water next to a hot water heater or toilet. It can be placed outdoors and works with B-hyve controllers. There is potential with large scale commercial and agriculture uses. Orbit recently purchased Bond Manufacturing's garden business which extends Orbit’s product and account portfolios. Such exploration is encouraged by Platinum. “Platinum has helped us to sharpen our focus so that we ensure that B-hyve elevates our entire Orbit lineup and with also with Platinum’s support, making sure we have broader customers and a broader portfolio of products,” Eyring said.
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