NRA

With Activation of Its Data Automation Platform for Hart House and Nekter, Fourtop Is Transforming the Fundamentals of Restaurant Operations

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 4, 2024

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, in the midst of new regulations going into effect in California, Fourtop is rolling out its advanced restaurant data automation platform for two California brands: Kevin Hart's plant-based QSR concept Hart House and Nekter Juice Bar, acai bowl, juice and smoothie brand. Both restaurant brands are looking to leverage a foundational investment in Fourtop's groundbreaking data infrastructure to drive improvement across business functions and fight back against some challenges that are threatening the future of the restaurant industry.

Key Points: 
  • This February, the National Restaurant Association released its latest State of the Industry report , predicting that restaurant sales would top $1 trillion for the first time.
  • However, the rosiness of the sales projections exposes a harder truth about the future of the restaurant industry.
  • The Fourtop platform brings together data from across a restaurant's operational systems, including those systems used for marketing, inventory management, employee scheduling, and financial reporting.
  • "Data should be the fuel for driving more effective and more scalable restaurant automation in every area of the business.

Longtime NRA chief Wayne LaPierre is leaving the gun group in trouble but still powerful

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Wayne LaPierre will resign from the National Rifle Association at the end of January 2024.

Key Points: 
  • Wayne LaPierre will resign from the National Rifle Association at the end of January 2024.
  • During most of the 33 years he spent at its helm as its executive vice president, the gun group’s membership, revenue and clout grew sharply.
  • The group announced his impending departure shortly before the NRA’s civil fraud trial began in New York City.

From defeat to victory

  • He joined the NRA as a state lobbyist after working as a legislative aide to Virginia state Delegate Alfred Victor “Vic” Thomas, a conservative Democrat.
  • Often described as bookish and quiet, LaPierre brought to the NRA his considerable skills as a political strategist.
  • He also developed a pugnacious public persona, memorably calling federal agents “jack-booted government thugs” in a 1995 fundraising letter.

Fighting gun control

  • Though it occasionally celebrated and supported hunting or shooting sports, it increasingly emphasized the importance of firearms for self-defense.
  • With LaPierre at the helm of the NRA, congressional action toward gun control ground to a near halt.
  • LaPierre also led the NRA through a sea change in the prevailing legal interpretation of the Second Amendment as its long effort to enshrine gun ownership as a constitutional right came to fruition.
  • Those rulings have forced states to reassess gun regulations already on their books.

Losing members, waning influence

  • All told, they allegedly misused $64 million of the funds in the NRA’s coffers.
  • The NRA is reportedly hemorrhaging members, a key source of its operating revenue and the heart of its political power.
  • For the moment, it’s still the largest gun advocacy organization, though the spending gap between gun rights and gun control groups continues to narrow.

No permanent replacement yet

  • And yet his influence will remain in the short run, as longtime confidant Andrew Arulanandam will step into his shoes on an interim basis.
  • The NRA’s board will decide on a permanent replacement in May, when the group holds its annual meeting in Dallas.


Cari Babitzke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

SANDY MODELL WONDERS IF HIS BOOK SHOWN ON THIS BILLBOARD ABOUT HIS SON MURDERED IN FLORIDA COULD IMPACT THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE?

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Professor Modell charges the county's prosecutor and Gov.

Key Points: 
  • Professor Modell charges the county's prosecutor and Gov.
  • DeSantis with failure to bring the "cold blooded killer" to justice and has created this highway sign to greet the governor.
  • Shouldn't candidates for the presidency possess such qualities as integrity, reliability, and accountability, Modell asks.
  • The book cover beside a message to DeSantis will be highly visible on the billboard to those driving from airport to the second Republican state caucuses.

NCLA Amicus Brief Asks Supreme Court to Apply Proper First Amendment Standard in NRA Case

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Vullo issued statements effectively threatening to punish banks and insurers via regulatory action if they kept doing business with NRA.

Key Points: 
  • Vullo issued statements effectively threatening to punish banks and insurers via regulatory action if they kept doing business with NRA.
  • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that Vullo did not “coerce” the banks and insurance companies to end their relationships with NRA.
  • Even if the Supreme Court uses the “coercion” test rather than the constitutionally proper “abridgement” standard, NRA has effectively demonstrated that Vullo “coerced” third parties to cut ties with the organization based on its Second Amendment advocacy.
  • NCLA is a national leader in the ongoing battle against the First Amendment violations by the Administrative State.

'Designated contrarians' could improve nonprofit boards by disrupting the kind of consensus and groupthink that contributed to the NRA's woes

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 5, 2024

And yet, the NRA had a 76-member board of directors, as well as a designated audit committee, which both had mandates to monitor the organization’s financial health.

Key Points: 
  • And yet, the NRA had a 76-member board of directors, as well as a designated audit committee, which both had mandates to monitor the organization’s financial health.
  • By reviewing transactions involving the NRA and its leaders more skeptically, the board might have helped the NRA avert some of its current legal troubles.
  • Together with Claire Hill, a University of Minnesota law professor, I’ve explored one way nonprofits might theoretically avert debacles, both large and small, in the future.

Board culture

  • They’re responsible for everything from weighing in on strategies to advance the organization’s mission, to hiring and evaluating top executives and setting their salaries.
  • The NRA’s board, like all nonprofit boards, had an obligation to detect the alleged wrongdoing and intervene to stop it.
  • But in general, it appears that NRA board members did little to oversee or restrain LaPierre, even when one top leader unsuccessfully sought big changes.

Too passive

  • But it’s too easy for their members to be too passive.
  • One reason for this is that nonprofit directors usually volunteer their time and don’t get paid for their contributions.
  • Sometimes, overly passive and deferential boards turn into rubber stamps that fail to challenge sloppy bookkeeping or question unwise hires.

What should they do?

  • We propose that trustees take turns being a designated contrarian, temporarily becoming a devil’s advocate obliged to challenge proposed board actions.
  • They would instead ask probing questions and offer feedback on reports by executives and officers.
  • The duration of this role would probably depend on how big a given board is and how often it meets.

Rare examples among nonprofits

  • Although using designated contrarians is not yet a widely used practice, a few nonprofit boards may have already embraced this concept.
  • For example, I’ve been told but have been unable to confirm that one major grantmaker’s investment committee tasks one of its members with challenging particular investment decisions.

No sure thing

  • And even for nonprofit boards in less dire circumstances, using rotating contrarians has its challenges.
  • Most serious among these is whether rotating contrarians will offer only inauthentic dissent, which studies show provides limited benefits.
  • To be sure, organizations that adopt this approach would need to be patient.


Dana Brakman Reiser does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors Names Three New Partners: Jason Snyder and Will Brewer IV in New York, and Noah Peters in Dallas

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 3, 2024

NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors announces that three attorneys have been promoted to its partnership – Jason Snyder and Will Brewer IV in New York, and Noah Peters in Dallas.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors announces that three attorneys have been promoted to its partnership – Jason Snyder and Will Brewer IV in New York, and Noah Peters in Dallas.
  • Brewer III, founding partner of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors.
  • At Brewer, Snyder is particularly active in the hospitality practice group – representing owners, developers, and management companies in some of the industry's most high-profile matters.
  • Based in the Dallas office, Peters brings extensive expertise in appellate advocacy, focusing on Labor & Employment and Civil Rights law.

Mobiv Acquisition Corp Enters into Amendment to Non-Redemption Agreement Extending Term

Retrieved on: 
Friday, November 17, 2023

Newark, Delaware, Nov. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobiv Acquisition Corp (the “Company” or “Mobiv”) announced that on November 10, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment to that certain (a) Non-Redemption Agreement (the “NRA”) dated November 7, 2023, by and among the Company, Mobiv Pte.

Key Points: 
  • Newark, Delaware, Nov. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobiv Acquisition Corp (the “Company” or “Mobiv”) announced that on November 10, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment to that certain (a) Non-Redemption Agreement (the “NRA”) dated November 7, 2023, by and among the Company, Mobiv Pte.
  • Ltd., and the Investors (as therein defined), and (b) that certain Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) dated as of November 7, 2023, by and among SRIVARU Holding Limited and the Investors (as therein defined), pursuant to which, in each case, and among other things, the parties thereto extended the term of the NRA and SPA, respectively.
  • This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Kiosk Industry October 2023: Kiosk Association to be at IAAPA and NRF News

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 16, 2023

Industry Buzz Around Our Watercooler -- Couple of big deployments supposedly planned in restaurants. Charley's is in progress and it might be Burger King will follow McDonald's example and put in a thousand or so self-order kiosks. On the SCO front, it appears that Walmart is deploying its own SCO units (with lidar). That also would mean replacing the current software driving registers (Fastlane by NCR?). Our guess is the service people at NCR Bentonville are getting nervous. Costco is being sued for their website allowing all types of user info to be tracked by 3rd parties. Link below.

Key Points: 
  • WESTMINSTER, Colo., Oct. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kiosk Industry and Kiosk Manufacturer Association News: Trade Shows — IAAPA is next month and here is our preview .
  • In January we are at NRF and are a sponsor of the NRF Foodservice Innovation Zone.
  • Restaurant News -- Samsung with new VXT CMS for AI-powered voice order menu boards going into White Castle.
  • Costco is being sued for their website allowing all types of user info to be tracked by 3rd parties.

Vistry Unveils Conversational AI Platform for Food Commerce

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistry, a San Diego-based startup, leading the way in Generative AI and restaurant automation, proudly announced the launch of its Conversational AI platform, along with its AI Customer Assistant chatbot. The chatbot assistant, called LumoChat, is designed to assist customers in completing their online ordering tasks across different channels such as web and mobile. The chatbot blends conversational and clickable interactions for a familiar, yet completely unique customer experience.

Key Points: 
  • SAN DIEGO, Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistry, a San Diego-based startup, leading the way in Generative AI and restaurant automation, proudly announced the launch of its Conversational AI platform, along with its AI Customer Assistant chatbot.
  • After describing food and ingredient preferences, Lumo's AI creates a personalized shopping cart that enhances your food commerce experience.
  • Vistry's Conversational AI platform integrates with modern online ordering platforms and point-of-sale systems, and is accessible via web, mobile and social channels.
  • AI is poised to help streamline restaurant operations and profitability via enhanced food commerce for off-premises ordering and customer service.

1979 Royalties, LP Announces Northern Midland Basin Minerals & Royalty Acquisition From Peacemaker Royalties, LP for $61 Million

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

1979 Royalties, LP (“1979 Royalties”) a subsidiary of Endeavor Energy Resources (“Endeavor”), today announced it has closed the acquisition of oil & gas mineral and royalty interests from Peacemaker Royalties, LP (“Peacemaker”), a portfolio company of EnCap Investments, LP (“EnCap”), in the Midland Basin, West Texas for $61 million in cash.

Key Points: 
  • 1979 Royalties, LP (“1979 Royalties”) a subsidiary of Endeavor Energy Resources (“Endeavor”), today announced it has closed the acquisition of oil & gas mineral and royalty interests from Peacemaker Royalties, LP (“Peacemaker”), a portfolio company of EnCap Investments, LP (“EnCap”), in the Midland Basin, West Texas for $61 million in cash.
  • The divested properties cover approximately 5,000 Net Royalty Acres (normalized to 1/8th royalty) (“NRA”) in Martin and Dawson Counties and are primarily operated by Endeavor and Ovintiv Inc., which recently completed its $4.275 billion acquisition of multiple Midland Basin operators including Peacemaker’s affiliated operating company PetroLegacy Energy II.
  • Vinson & Elkins served as legal advisor to 1979 Royalties.
  • Detring Energy Advisors served as exclusive marketing advisor to Peacemaker, and Davis, Gerald & Cremer served as its legal advisor.