Tech Bytes: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tech Bytes: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Ray L. Wulf, president and chief executive of Oklahoma City-based American Farmers and Ranchers, along with members of the company's board of directors met last week with Idaho insurance agents and industry officials in the wake of the company's recent expansion into the western United States.

In February, American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance expanded operations to 24 states, the culmination of a plan by its board to spread risk and enter new geographic markets through the acquisition of Idaho-based General Fire and Casualty.

All General Fire operations have officially been renamed American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance Co. American Farmers & Ranchers sells commercial lines business using the former General Fire platform. The company is currently offering a variety of commercial and personal products, including homeowners, farm owners, boat owners, motorcycle, dwelling coverage, farm property, auto policy and combination auto policy, farm and ranch umbrella coverage, personal umbrella coverage and farm liability coverage.

Tulsa Community College offers one of two in-home caregiver training programs nationwide that have been awarded up to $25,000 through the 2008 Community College Caregiver Training Initiative of the International Longevity Center-USA's Caregiving Project for Older Americans.

The program is supported by the MetLife Foundation.

Tulsa Community College will implement a Certified Home Health Aide program as an addition to its existing Certified Nurse Aide program, the foundation said in a news release. The college also will offer caregiving basics training to family caregivers.

The need for more training is considered urgent as increasing numbers of people are finding it difficult to obtain affordable, quality in-home care for older adults. The available pool of family caregivers is shrinking, and at the same time, the caregiving profession is experiencing a severe and worsening shortage of paid caregivers.The Caregiving Project for Older Americans seeks to encourage community colleges to develop programs that train both family and professional in-home caregivers to keep up with a growing demand.

Bloomington, Ind.-based ProCure Treatment Centers Inc. has been named one of 50 companies selected as an "Indiana Company to Watch,” an award that recognizes the top privately held second-stage companies of Indiana.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy to treat cancer without many of the short and long term side effects associated with conventional radiation therapy. There are now only five proton centers operating in the United States.

ProCure's first proton therapy center is being built in Oklahoma City and is scheduled to open in 2009. ProCure has three additional proton therapy centers under development in Florida, Illinois and Michigan.

Of the 3,800 mid-size Indiana companies, 420 companies were nominated for the Companies to Watch program. The field was then narrowed down to 50 recipients.

Oklahoma City-based PL Studios has released two more training programs for the Maya graphics software, the company said.

PL Studios has released "Polygon and Sub-D Modeling Workflows in Maya” and "UV Mapping Workflows in Maya.”

Developers of the Digital-Tutors brand of training software, PL Studios is an innovator and leader in video-based training for emerging digital artists. The award-winning educational solutions developed by the team of educators and industry professionals at PL Studios are used by students, professionals, universities and production companies worldwide.

From Staff Reports

Leave a Comment

News Photo Galleriesview all