After 48 years of service, Bob Lindner, Executive Director of Travelers Aid, is retiring

Mar 7, 2024 | Books, Business

PITTSBURGH – March 5, 2024 – PRLog — Bob Lindner was raised in Brookline and was a student at South Catholic High School.  He attended the University of Dayton and graduated with a degree in Psychology.  After service as a medic in the US Army during the Vietnam war, Bob completed an associate degree and business administration and Masters of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh and was hired as the Executive Director by the Travelers Aid Board President in July of 1976, Varcey Troan.  He served in the Executive Director role in many different incarnations of Travelers Aid, with the focus turning from exclusive stranded-traveler assistance to local transportation initiatives, beginning in the late 1990’s.  Bob engineered programming to help all types of clients from at-risk and domestic violence situations to those with medical needs, employment services, veterans, food security, seniors and other categories.

Travelers Aid is proud to celebrate Bob Lindner’s accomplishments.  It is impossible to state in a few paragraphs the impact that Bob Lindner has had over the years and the lives he has touched. Needless to say, he has helped thousands of individuals over the decades, whether it be our neighbors here in Pittsburgh, or stranded travelers to return to other cities.

“For financially struggling families the lack of transportation to access services often presents an insurmountable barrier. For 48 years I have had the privilege of working for a pioneering organization that has been at the forefront of confronting those barriers, resulting in thousands upon thousands of positive outcomes. Not only am I appreciative of the opportunity to have been affiliated with such an outstanding agency and staff but also just as confident that Travelers Aid will remain at the forefront of innovative solutions for those in need in our community.” – Robert Lindner, Former Executive Director of Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh

Bob Lindner will be replaced in the Executive Director role by Ryan Capra, a life-long Pittsburgher and a Travelers Aid staff member since 2002.  Ryan Capra attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

About Travelers Aid:

One of Pittsburgh’s oldest social service agencies, Travelers Aid Society has been assisting individuals in Western Pennsylvania for nearly a century.  As a 501(c)3 non-profit agency, Travelers Aid is the only organization of its kind in the region, targeting all efforts to provide transportation assistance to a variety of populations and for a multitude of service needs.  Over the last 25 years, Travelers Aid has developed partnerships with the Department of Human Services in Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Medical Assistance Transportation, the Office of Children, Youth and Families, the Office of Behavioral Health, Labor & Industry, the Department of Corrections, as well as a plethora of foundations, human service and medical providers.

The agency has become a crucial provider in Allegheny County, assisting in 3 million trips to 7,500 individuals and families annually.

Transforming Lives Through Transportation

Author Marie Wilkens’s New Book, “It Was the Day After,” is a Delightful and Charming Children’s Story That Takes Place on the Day After Christmas

Aug 1, 2023 | Business

 Marie Wilkens has completed her new book, “It Was the Day After”: a charming children’s story about a family on the day after Christmas. With the Christmas spirit rapidly dwindling, no one is excited to clean until the family discovers one last present that guarantees Christmas spirit all year round.

Author Marie Wilkens’s lifelong dream was to have one of her many stories published. She regaled her loved ones with many stories about her childhood growing up in and around the boroughs of New York City. She also created short stories that she would often post on Facebook to the delight of many. Unfortunately, Marie passed away before her dream was realized, but her memory lives on in this publication.

Wilkens writes, “He said not a word, but went straight to his work, much in the same way as a shipping clerk. He carefully placed presents neatly under the tree. Then, laying a finger aside of his chin, he swirled through the house like a Winter whirlwind. Afterward, as quick as a wink, he went back to his sleigh, as we watched him and his reindeer fly away.”

Published by Page Publishing, Marie Wilkens’s entertaining tale captures the aftermath of Christmas as this family comes together to discover how to maintain the Christmas spirit all throughout the year.

Readers who wish to experience this joyful work can purchase “It Was the Day After” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors’ books, including distribution in the world’s largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page’s accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at www.pagepublishing.com.

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“After the attack, the whole world heard about us”

Nov 29, 2021 | Books, Business

Vitalii Bodnar, the founder of the BTC-Alpha cryptovirus, gave an interview after the launch of the full work of the platform. Let’s remind you that in early November, the exchange was hacked – the hackers compromised the users’ data, but failed to recover the funds. The attempted break-in was accompanied by surveillance, death threats, pressure on the team and Vitaly personally.

BTC-Alpha is the first international cryptoculture with Ukrainian roots. In its five years of existence, no one has been able to find a loophole and crack the platform. And according to Vitalii Bodnar, it hasn’t succeeded now.

“Some of the employees’ computers have been infected. Not by the Internet, physically. So there was physical contact and the staff didn’t even understand it. There’s a lot of espionage information coming up right now that we’re checking. The hackers themselves confirmed to us that they didn’t hack us through the code, there was no intricate loophole. It worked through the human factor. Of course, after that, I started to treat staff security differently, to select staff for work”.

According to Bodnar, the platform team has completely revised the entire code, started the servers and enhanced security measures. Despite the serious damage to his reputation, most major partners became even more loyal to the exchange.

“They loved what we did in an emergency. We got a lot of praise, that’s my team’s praise. There were times when we left the office at 3-4:00 A.M., and then came back at 8-9:00 A.M. In the first 24 hours after the launch, there was a full house, we first included the output, and then the deposits. We wanted to give people the opportunity to withdraw their funds. Today there is no panic, people are selling coins. It will take a month to recover. And then there will be growth, because the whole world is talking about us. A lot of people liked the way we handled the situation. We did everything possible and even a little more” noted Vitaly Bodnar. The BTC-Alpha team is gradually returning to expand the jurisdiction of the platform. The attempted break-in tied hands for weeks, but right now, work on getting a US license is going at double speed.

“This is a very important issue – the US jurisdiction opens up the world to us. We are open to all proposals and continue negotiations with Ukraine. Ukraine is a dignified country, which should be in the top ten on all fronts in the era of digitalization.
We are in contact with Cyprus on regulatory issues, and we are continuing our work with Turkey. Before this situation, we had talks with First Assistant President Erdoğan on the launching of the Turkish Mission. Yes, our arrangements have suffered considerable damage, but there is nothing irreparable”.

BTC-Alpha team continues to work on security enhancements and I intend to return to the top of the safest cryptograph. Conclusions have done, the lesson have learned.

After Decades of Planning, Provalus Helps Deliver Municipal Water to the City of Brewton, Alabama

Apr 15, 2021 | Books, Business


On behalf of the City of Brewton, Provalus is pleased to announce the installation of a new water supply for the community.  In part from the influx of jobs created by Provalus, the team behind the city is now able to accomplish this 20+ year goal.  City officials said the improvement comes as a direct result of the Provalus project in the city’s downtown area.

The new 200-gallon water tank will provide water for areas of the community that have never had municipal water. The project is expected to support the expansion of new businesses and residences for the entire area. The installation is underway and should be completed by July.

The Provalus team selected Brewton as the headquarters of its operations in 2017, anticipating growth to hundreds of employees. Currently, the impact outsourcing I.T. services firm has more than 120 Alabama-based employees. Construction on a $6.5 million facility to house the workforce is well underway.

Laura Chevalier, President of Provalus, commented, “We are so grateful to see the tangible positive impact we are having on the community of Brewton.  The additional jobs Provalus is creating along with the enhanced livelihood of our teams make our efforts so fulfilling. Our mission has always been to change lives and we’re excited for the legacy Provalus is leaving for this entire Alabama community.”

Mayor Yank Lovelace said, “We have had multiple independent studies showing an economic impact of more than $18 million annually.  We have directly been awarded more than $10 million from state and federal agencies ear-marked for this project. The water tank and some sewer improvements downtown are part of that benefit.”  Funding came from the state’s Economic Development Authority, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and Delta Regional Authority.

“We look forward to growing a thriving retail center near the Provalus headquarters,” Lovelace added.