Milliken & Company Names Allen Jacoby Textile Business President

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Aug. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Diversified global manufacturer Milliken & Company is pleased to announce Allen Jacoby as EVP and president of its textile business, assuming full operational responsibility for the company's textile product portfolio. Jacoby has served as the company's Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Corporate Development and Innovation since 2021 and will succeed David Smith who is retiring after 45 years of dedicated service to Milliken, starting as an intern and working his way to the board room.

"Allen is known for his enterprise thinking and has demonstrated the ability to drive growth and value creation through strategic initiatives," said Halsey Cook, president and CEO at Milliken. "We look forward to all that he will accomplish as the new leader of our textile business and wish David the very best as he moves toward his well-earned retirement."

During his early tenure at Milliken, Jacoby led the growth of several product lines in the textile business. In 2013, he took responsibility for the plastic additives segment of Milliken's chemical business where he successfully led technology transitions and implemented new strategies for growth. Prior to Milliken, Jacoby worked as a consultant for Scient and Arthur D. Little. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

"I am honored to lead Milliken's textile business and eager to work alongside our dedicated team to serve our customers and continue our legacy of industry leadership," said Jacoby. "Having spent a decade in this business early in my Milliken career, this is a full circle moment, and I am grateful to the board and senior leadership for trusting me to lead."

About Milliken

Milliken & Company is a global manufacturing leader whose focus on materials science delivers tomorrow's breakthroughs today. From industry-leading molecules to sustainable innovations, Milliken creates products that enhance people's lives and deliver solutions for its customers and communities. Drawing on thousands of patents and a portfolio with applications across the textile, flooring, chemical and healthcare businesses, the company harnesses a shared sense of integrity and excellence to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about Milliken's curious minds and inspired solutions at milliken.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About Milliken's Textile Business

Drawing on more than 155 years of award-winning research and development, the textile division of American-based Milliken & Company offers a diverse portfolio of technical textiles serving a broad range of global markets, including apparel, automotive and transportation, building and infrastructure, hospitality, industrial, military, decor and protective workwear. Focused on enhancing the performance, heightening the protection, and advancing the sustainability of fabrics, Milliken manufactures superior solutions and develops leading innovations that add value to everyday life. We are textile innovators focused on game-changing technologies and materials that impact lives and transform industries. Learn more at textiles.milliken.com.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Milliken & Company Names Allen Jacoby Textile Business President

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading-edge artificial intelligence algorithms are now powering production at nearly half of VSPO's esports tournaments, dramatically reducing content creation time and enhancing fan engagement, said the company's co-founder Danny Tang at the New Global Sport Conference 2024 ("NGSC") in Riyadh this August.

At a panel discussion with other industry leaders including Ahmad Alabduljabbar, Craig Levine, Jean Mariotte, Penny Diao and Shay Segev, Tang said nearly half of the esports tournaments VSPO produces are now leveraging AI to assist key production tasks such as live highlights capturing and post-game replay editing, markedly boosting the efficiency and agility of the company's tournament operations.

VSPO, Asia's biggest esports company, organizes and produces more than 80 tournaments and 7,000 matches every year, captivating an online fan base of over 800 million.

"Over the past couple years, we have developed a lot of AI tools to allow us to better produce esports tournament content in a much more efficient manner," said Tang, who is also VSPO's CFO and head of global strategy office, "For example, our 'AICam' now allows us to turn hours of game footage into viral social media content in mere seconds."

As the leading conference for the Esports World Cup Foundation, the NGSC 2024 hosted a global delegation of over 1,200 industry thought-leaders at the Kingdom Centre on August 24-25.

At the event, Tang introduced VSPO's two proprietary AI tools, "AIOB" and "AICam", which have been instrumental in streamlining esports production process. AIOB, an algorithm trained on extensive tournament data, assists directors in identifying and broadcasting the most thrilling moments in real time. AICam, on the other hand, automates the selection and editing of highlights, turning them into viral video clips with unprecedented speed and precision.

Another VSPO's key AI project Tang shared was VSPO's partnership with Qualcomm on the Snapdragon "Faith of Victory" initiative, an esports athlete emotion detection system capable of providing real-time insights into an athlete's state of emotions by studying their facial expressions and heart rates. The AI system has been trained with data from 175 professional players across 18 top teams in the King Pro League, and VSPO continues to refine it for improved performance on a frequent basis.

Furthermore, Tang said that VSPO is also in the process of integrating its proprietary AI technologies into its signature, award-winning "4K OB Truck," a patented mobile production unit designed for on-the-go creation and broadcasting of top-tier esports events.

This innovative vehicle was a standout feature at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, where esports was recognized as a medal sport for the first time, as a significant portion of the esports series was produced using VSPO's "4K OB Truck," showcasing its capabilities on an international stage.

About VSPO
With a global presence encompassing 14 office locations and eight top-tier esports arenas, VSPO offers a comprehensive suite of esports services, including tournament organization, marketing solutions, community development, and more.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

VSPO Co-founder Danny Tang: Half of VSPO's Esports Tournaments Now Assisted By AI