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UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced the appointment of Brian Dykes as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Effective immediately, he will be responsible for UPS’s financial strategies and will lead the global finance organization, including planning, treasury, tax, financial reporting, financial operations, and investor relations.

Dykes, 46, has spent more than 25 years with UPS, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Global Finance and Planning, since April 2023. Prior to that role, Dykes held positions of increasing responsibility within the Company’s finance and accounting, corporate treasury, mergers and acquisitions, business intelligence, and business development functions, both in the U.S. and internationally.

“I am delighted to appoint Brian as our next CFO,” said UPS Chief Executive Officer Carol B. Tomé. “Brian’s experience makes him uniquely qualified. The Board and I are confident that Brian’s financial and business acumen, honed in a variety of strategic leadership roles at UPS during his career, make him the best person to lead our global finance function as we execute on our Better and Bolder strategy to drive shareowner value.”

Georgia Child Care Association (GCCA) proudly announces the appointment of Mrs. Ideisha Bellamy as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2024. Bellamy brings a unique blend of expertise to the organization, combining her deep understanding of the child care industry with extensive experience as a C-Suite nonprofit executive.

Bellamy previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Maryhurst, one of Kentucky’s oldest and largest child-serving nonprofit organizations. This role provided her with invaluable insight into the complexities of nonprofit management at the highest level.

“GCCA proudly serves licensed child care programs across the state of Georgia and—with our advocacy partners—championed historical levels of funding and support for the state’s youngest citizens in early care and learning programs,” said GCCA President Courtney May.

May continued, “Childcare programs in Georgia need and deserve strong support and unwavering commitment from the community, and Ideisha will serve our association and its members well! We know that childcare is essential for a thriving economy in every state. Georgia’s childcare business owners can count on GCCA to speak loudly and proudly.”

In addition to her role at Maryhurst, Bellamy is the founder of Bellamy Business Insights LLC, a consultancy focused on helping nonprofit organizations pursue operational excellence and sustainability. She is sought out as a partner in the facilitation of strategic planning, succession planning, leadership, and Board development.

Bellamy also brings extensive experience as the former Kentucky State Director of Licensing for Child Care, Child Caring, and Child Placing facilities with the KY CHFS Office of Inspector General. She has also operated a certified family child care home.

Reflecting on her appointment, Ideisha Bellamy said, “I would like to thank the leadership of GCCA who have welcomed me warmly. I am thrilled to join the team and excited to partner as we focus on new ways to grow the organization with a focus on ensuring that we deliver exceptional value to our members, the community, and the children and families of Georgia!”

Bellamy is devoted to community service: she is active in her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, and serves on the planning commission for the Center for Interfaith Relations Festival of Faiths, a nationally-recognized annual festival designed to celebrate the diversity of the world’s faith traditions.

GCCA interim CEO Jaime Rechkemmer transitioned out of the position on July 1, 2024, after successfully leading the association through the 2024 Georgia legislative session alongside lobbyist Ellen Reynolds and Director of Programs Mary Lyons. Reynolds and Lyons remain with GCCA as long-standing and steadfast advocates for child care programs in Georgia.

For more information, please visit www.georgiachildcare.org, facebook.com/georgiachildcarecareassociation, instagram.com/gachildcare, or linkedin.com/company/gachildcare

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported Q2 2024 group* sales of 84,662 Passenger Cars. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz Vans reported Q2 2024 sales of 10,934 units, bringing MBUSA to a total of 95,596 vehicles for the quarter

“The industry and our dealer partners have navigated a challenging second quarter, but I’m very proud of our dealer partners’ unwavering focus on serving Mercedes-Benz’s valued customers. Stronger availability of models propelled Q2 passenger car group sales up 27% compared to Q1, and this momentum will continue to build as we expand our Plug-In Hybrid portfolio with the highly anticipated U.S. launch of the GLC 350e and the stunning AMG SL 63e S in Q3. We also look forward to welcoming an all-electric variant of our iconic new G-Class in the fall, further bolstering our compelling offerings at the top end of the market and providing customers an unmatched luxury of choice.”

Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA

Top-End:

Total Top-End vehicles are up 5% in Q2 2024 compared to Q2 2023. Demand for the GLS increased by 28% in Q2 2024 versus Q2 2023, totaling 6,789 units. Group sales for Mercedes-AMG high-performance models totaled 13,061 units, an increase of 28% from last quarter.

Core:

Group sales are up 12% in the Core segment for the year, driven by improved availability of vehicles, including GLC, E-Class and CLE. The GLC remains the sales leader with 17,491 units in Q2 2024, up 28% so far in 2024 compared to 2023. Demand for the GLE is up 6% in Q2 2024 versus Q2 2023, and the E-Class increased 15% for the year.

Entry:

Group sales in the Entry segment reached 13,654 units in Q2 2024, an increase of 7% from the same quarter last year. The all-electric EQB increased 88% compared to the same quarter last year with 3,173 group sales.

Vans:

Group sales for Vans totaled 10,934 units in Q2 2024. The all-new eSprinter, the first fully electric van in North America from Mercedes-Benz USA, bolstered sales of 642 total units year-to-date.

Hub International Limited (Hub), a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, announced today the acquisition of the assets of Skinner & Company, Inc. (Skinner & Company). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Located in Marietta, Georgia, Skinner & Company provides commercial insurance and risk management services. They also specialize in commercial and contract bonds, payment and performance bonds for the construction industry, which supports Hub’s Specialty practice by complementing and strengthening its existing capabilities.

“We are excited to welcome this talented team to Hub,” said Shaun Norris, President of Hub Gulf South. “Their deep expertise and strong client base will help enhance our capabilities in the region.”

Todd Skinner, President, and the Skinner & Company team will join Hub Gulf South.

“We are delighted to join Hub,” said Skinner. “We will greatly value from Hub’s specialized knowledge and resources, and we look forward to continuing to grow.”

Skinner & Company, Inc. will be referred to as Skinner & Company, Inc., a Hub International company. 

Skinner & Company was represented by Reagan Consulting for the transaction.

Today, Oglethorpe Power announced the acquisition of Walton County Power, a 465-megawatt, three-unit combustion turbine generation facility in Monroe, Georgia. The facility was purchased from Mackinaw Power Holdings, an affiliate of the global investment firm, The Carlyle Group Inc.

Walton County Power, which began commercial operation in 2001, will become one of Oglethorpe Power’s most efficient peaking plants, specifically utilized in times of high electricity demand. The plant’s advanced technology features a low heat rate, enabling the plant to generate electricity using less fuel compared to other technologies, which is anticipated to result in cost savings for the electric cooperatives served by Oglethorpe Power. Cogentrix will operate the facility until fall 2024, when Oglethorpe Power will assume operations responsibilities. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“As electricity demand continues to grow in Georgia, the advanced technology at Walton County Power will help ensure that we can reliably and affordably meet the increasing power supply needs of our members,” said Oglethorpe Power President & CEO Mike Smith. 

Over the years, Oglethorpe Power has made strategic shifts in its generation portfolio, including the increase of highly efficient and lower-carbon emitting natural gas, as well as its investment in emission-free nuclear energy with the recent completion of the Vogtle expansion project. The acquisition of Walton County Power marks Oglethorpe Power’s eighth acquisition of natural gas-fired generation in Georgia over the last 15 years, totaling more than 3,600 megawatts.

In addition to acquiring Walton County Power, Oglethorpe Power also owns and operates the Doyle Energy Facility in Walton County, a 273-megawatt five-unit combustion turbine plant. “At Oglethorpe Power, we are committed to being a good neighbor in the communities where we own and operate assets. We are proud to have been an engaged corporate citizen in Walton County for many years, and we look forward to building upon our community partnership with the addition of Walton County Power,” added Smith.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.

Georgia lawmakers may or may not develop legislation this summer and fall to establish state standards for regulating emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

But one certainty that became clear from the inaugural hearing of a state Senate study committee late last month is that AI will dramatically affect a wide range of government policy areas, from economic development to health care, education, public safety and transportation.

“It’s going to impact and change things like never before,” said Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, chairman of the Senate Study Committee on Artificial Development.

One public policy area already being affected by AI is elections. So-called “deep fakes” already are cropping up in political ads, which digitally alter a candidate’s physical appearance or voice to say or do something the actual person did not say or do.

With deep fakes in political advertising among the early manifestations of AI, some state lawmakers have made the practice the focus of the General Assembly’s first attempt to rein in the industry.

A bill introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives this year called for criminalizing the use of deep fakes in political ads. House Bill 986 overwhelmingly cleared the House only to fizzle in the state Senate.

The effects AI technology is expected to have on public policy already are starting to become evident. In the public safety arena, AI is already capable to picking up 911 calls and dispatching responders, Albers said.

“Nobody will ever be on hold and not have an answer immediately,” he said.

Likewise, the huge role AI will play in transportation is being demonstrated initially by the development of autonomous vehicles, drone deliveries, and technology that allows cities to manage the flow of traffic. Eventually, AI will drive transportation planners’ decisions on where to widen highways or build bridges.

Albers said AI also will revolutionize education.

“We’ve been teaching the same way for 85 years,” he said. “The world has changed eight time over during that time.”

In health care, the data consolidation capabilities of AI could help researchers cure cancer, Albers said.

While much of the General Assembly’s attention on AI is focused on its public policy applications, the legislature also could actively encourage the private sector with incentives to foster use of the technology as an economic development tool.

“We have a real opportunity to create a massive number of (business) startups in this state,” said Pascal Van Hentenryck, a professor at Georgia Tech, director of Tech-AI, the university’s AI hub, and a member of the study committee.

Albers said whatever the General Assembly does in the way of regulating AI also must have an equity component.

“We don’t want to exclude people in this,” he said. ‘We want to defeat the digital divide.”

Albers said the study committee will hold seven or eight hearings this summer and fall, including some away from the Capitol. One of those sessions will be held in Augusta, home to the Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center.

The committee is due to release recommendations for proposed legislation by Dec. 1. If no legislation is forthcoming, the panel will file a report to the full Senate.