Software giant making first foray into Africa
Ansys is expanding its footprint to a distant continent – Africa.
The Southpointe-based company, a global giant in engineering simulation software, announced recently that it will open a customer technical support office in the Rwandan city of Kigali. Ansys will open that office in August through a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University.
Ansys’ space will be on the CMU-Africa campus, where the university maintains its Kigali Innovation City facility. The company said in a news release that its partnership with CMU-Africa “features a shared mission to accelerate the digital transformation and economic development underway across the continent.”
Ansys’ Customer Excellence team will have access to advanced engineering talent from CMU-Africa.
Anthony Dawson, Ansys’ vice president of customer excellence, said in a statement: “We are tremendously excited to establish Ansys’ presence in Africa and immensely proud to expand our current partnership with Carnegie Mellon in Kigali Innovation City.”
John A. Swanson founded Ansys in 1970, naming it Swanson Analysis Systems. He has been a major donor to the University of Pittsburgh and Washington & Jefferson College – to the point where he has had things named after him. Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering was rechristened in his honor, after he donated $41.3 million to that school. W&J has Swanson Science Center.
Ansys has more than 5,500 global employees and more than 90 offices. The firm had $2.07 billion in revenue in 2022.
Gaming figures
Gaming and fantasy contests generated $479,377,660 in revenue in May, an increase of 7.05% from $447,794,294 a year earlier, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported recently.
Hollywood Casino at the Meadows played a role in that statewide jump.
The North Strabane Township gaming facility had $25,043,370 in total revenue in May, up 7.70% from $23,586,913 in May 2022. The Meadows also posted a 3.99% bump in slots game revenue, from $13,506,948 to $14,045,385.
Revenue from table games dropped 16.09% year over year at Hollywood Casino, from $2,989,686 to $2,508,706. But sports wagering revenue rose a precipitous 24.81%, from $7,090,269 to $8,849,280
Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin, in Wharton Township, experienced an 18.89% decrease in total revenue, from $2,085,945 in May 2022 to $1,691,937 a year later. Year over year, Lady Luck also fell 18.12% in slots (from $1,948,569 to $1,595,574) and 29.85% in table games ($137,376 to $96,364).
Revenue sources regulated by the PGCB are slot machines, table games, internet gaming, sports wagering, fantasy contests and video gaming terminals.
84 Lumber
For the fourth year in a row, 84 Lumber has won a National Preferred Partner Award from David Weekley Homes, one of the largest privately held home builders in the United States.
David Weekley Homes, based in Houston, Texas, said in a news release that the awards recognize “top field and manufacturing partners who have consistently operated at world-class levels, as determined by the homebuilder’s supplier evaluation platform.”
North Strabane-based 84 Lumber was one of 123 companies evaluated for the award this year. Only 20% were designated a National Preferred Partner.
Billy Ball, national vice president of national sales at 84 Lumber, said in a statement: “We are pleased to have been recognized once again by David Weekley Homes as a National Preferred Partner. Their continued focus on quality, standards and customer service goes hand in hand with 84 Lumber’s own values and our commitment to those we serve.”
Solar event
Energy sustainability advocates will provide information on how to go solar through the Ohio Valley Region Solar Co-Op during an informational session starting at 1 p.m. Thursday at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 905 E. McMurray Road, Venetia.