Thursday, June 12, 2014

XebiaLabs Raises $12m in Growth Equity Round by Updata Partners

First Institutional Funding Will Drive Continued Growth in Fast Moving DevOps & Continuous Delivery Market

Boston, MA, June 13, 2014 – Leading delivery automation vendor XebiaLabs today announced it has closed a $12 million growth equity investment by Washington, D.C. based Updata Partners. Since its founding in 2008, XebiaLabs has experienced dramatic success with over 100% revenue growth every year and has gained validation from customers such as General Electric, Expedia, Xerox, KLM, and Société Générale. This financing will be used to fuel continued fast growth globally in the rapidly expanding DevOps and Continuous Delivery market.

"Updata's investment is a vote of confidence in XebiaLabs and our market opportunity," said Coert Baart, XebiaLabs chief executive officer. "Software is the most critical component to the success of many of today’s organizations. Lack of automation is preventing companies from delivering software and its corresponding business value fast enough. XebiaLabs is the first fully automated delivery automation software that solves this challenge and this funding will help us reach even more customers worldwide."

Updata Partners is the first institutional investor in XebiaLabs. Post transaction, Updata general partners Carter Griffin and James Socas will join XebiaLabs’ six person board, along with founder and chairman Daan Teunissen, chief executive officer Coert Baart, and independent directors Alex Pinchev, formerly President of Red Hat, Inc., and Wim Heijting, formerly of Baan Company. Michel den Braver will serve as board observer and advisor. 

Delivering higher quality software faster has become a business imperative. Current software development processes cannot keep pace with the demand for the faster delivery of software. While application development times have accelerated of late due to Agile, scrum and other methodologies, deployment best practices have not kept pace, resulting in a significant bottleneck at the point of application release.

XebiaLabs helps companies accelerate the rate of innovation and time to market while reducing error and downtime. With XebiaLabs, companies can easily move to continuous deployment and create a fully automated customer feedback loop so companies can quickly adapt their applications to the fast-shifting changes in the market. Customers experience up to 50% faster release times, 50% reduction in release cost and eliminate nearly 100% of errors in the process.

“XebiaLabs’ offering is well-timed with the rapidly increasing demand for DevOps and Continuous Delivery solutions that drive faster time to value for the software delivery process,” said Carter Griffin of Updata. James Socas added, “We believe the market will continue to see a shift toward greater automation as organizations look to scale their efforts to deliver customer value at an accelerated pace. XebiaLabs offers a powerful solution for the industry and we are excited to collaborate with them in building a great company in an exciting category.”

Press Contacts:
XebiaLabs:
Heather Moses
hmoses@xebialabs.com

Updata Partners:
Tammy Falco
tfalco@updata.com

About XebiaLabs
XebiaLabs is the leading global provider of automation software for DevOps and Continuous Delivery helping companies to accelerate the delivery of new software. XebiaLabs’ products provide the automation, efficiency and insight organizations need to meet the demand for faster software deployment cycles. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Boston, XebiaLabs has a worldwide network of sales offices and partners. For more information, please visit www.xebialabs.com.

About Updata Partners 
Updata Partners is a leading technology-focused growth equity firm with nearly $500 million of capital under management. Updata invests in high-growth software, Internet, and technology-enabled service businesses with innovative intellectual property and market-leading solutions. Led by an investment team averaging more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry, Updata seeks investments where the combination of the firm’s financial backing and the operating expertise of its partners will accelerate growth. For more information about Updata Partners, please visit www.updata.com

Contact:
Victor Cruz
Principal
MediaPR
Essex, MA
+1 (978) 768-6888
vcruz@mediapr.net
http://www.mediapr.net

Mountainsong Galleries in Carmel-by-the-Sea has the exclusive on this historic collectors' item at $40,000

James Dietz was commissioned by George Lucas to do a large scale painting of Star Wars for a book Lucas was putting together. Mountainsong Galleries in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is committed to representing more OPA and AIS credentialed Master Artists than any gallery in the world.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, June 13, 2014 - Mountainsong Galleries on Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California is the place to find more of today's OPA and AIS Master Artists than anywhere in the World. The gallery owners Jonathan and Lucinda Mountainsong have created a friendly, fun upbeat setting filled with contemporary Master Artists, whimsical and dramatic bronze sculptures, stunning glass art and custom wood furniture. Mountainsong represents some of the greatest artists of our time from coast-to-coast.


A historical painting stands or falls on how well it depicts the story it is attempting to illustrate, and how convincingly it combines the people, their actions, costumes, surroundings and atmosphere in an appropriate composition. A good historical painting uses all of these elements to tell the major story and perhaps a second subtext. Both are driven by how interesting the situation is that the artist is attempting to render. How the viewer reacts to a great painting transcends its immediate story and strikes a deeper chord, one that hopefully evolves and changes as the viewer contemplates the art over time.

It is this last and most worthy goal to which artists like James Dietz aspire. In his portrait of events in the 20th and 21st Centuries, he labors to achieve that rare combination of historical fact and the romance, adventure and color of fiction.

Born in San Francisco, Jim graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1969. He had a successful illustration career in Los Angeles and New York, with a steady flow of work ranging from automobile ads, movie posters, and romantic and historical/action book covers.

By 1978, Jim and his wife had moved to Seattle, where Jim’s work gradually shifted away from commercial illustration to primarily historical aviation, automotive and military art. Today his work is internationally known and collected, and his style, with its emphasis on depth of story, is recognized by collectors of historical art. His list of clients includes: Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Federal Express, Allison, Cessna, Flying Tigers, the Indianapolis 500, BMW, the National Guard and many U.S. Army associations: U.S. Army Rangers, 82nd Airborne, 3rd Division, 4th Division, 29th Division, First Division, 1st Cavalry, 11th Cavalry, 28th Division, 41st Division and 37th Division, Command General Staff College, Army War College, US Air Force Documentary Art Program, Wingnut Studios, Meadowbrook and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance .

Awards include:

• Best in Show, EAA Aviation Art Show, three successive years, 1989-91
• Named Master Artist, EAA, 1992
• People’s Choice Award, American Society of Aviation Artists, 1988
• Best in Show, Franklin Mint Artists Show, 1992
• Best in Show & three Best of Era Awards, San Antonio Military Art Show, 1992
• Honorable Mention, American Society of Aviation Artists Show, 1994
• Best in Show, Flying Magazine/Simuflite Art Show, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001
• Award of Merit, Flying Magazine/Simuflite Art Show, 1995, 2000
• Best in Show, Naval Aviation Museum Art Show, 1994, 2000
• First Place, Naval Aviation Museum Art Show, 1995
• R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation Art, National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL, 1997
• Best in Show, Women in Aviation Show, C.R. Smith Museum, Dallas, TX, 1997
• Stanley Wanlass Award for excellence in strength of design and composition, echoing the spirit of the automobile, Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, 1997
• Featured Artist, Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, 1999
• Award of Excellence, Automotive Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 1999, 2000, 2011, 2013
• Peter Helck Award, Automotive Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 1999, 2000, 2013
• League of WWI Aviation Historians, four Silver Cups
• Lincoln Award for Elegance, Automative Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 2007

Jim has been a member of the World War I Aviation Historical Hall of Fame, an Artist Fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists and a board member of the Automotive Fine Artists of America. He had one-man shows at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1990, 1998 and 2003; San Diego Air & Space Museum in 1990; and the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in 2003. His paintings are part of the permanent collections of many military museums around the country, including the Pentagon, the San Diego Air & Space Museum, Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum, Special Forces Museum, 82nd Airborne Museum, and the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

In 2001, Barnes & Noble Publishing released a book on Jim’s World War II art, entitled Portraits of Combat. In 2005, Jim fulfilled a childhood dream when he got the opportunity for a cameo role in Peter Jackson’s (Lord of the Rings) remake of King Kong. Jim plays the role of pilot of the Curtis Helldiver aircraft which fires at Kong while he is perched high above New York on the Empire State Building.

Jim and his wife, Patti, live in Seattle with their dog, Sarah, who shares the distinction with previous Dietz pets, of being a regular in Jim’s paintings. Their son, Ian, is currently an officer serving in the U.S. Army. Jim works in a warm, pleasantly cluttered studio that resembles a WWI aviation bar, surrounded by uniforms, props and models that have made their way into paintings over the years.

Save the Date: The gallery has announced a series of upcoming exhibitions through December 2014 including a first in the world OPA Masters Only Show in July.
· First in the World OPA Masters Only Show:  July 25 - August 24
o Opening Reception July 25 5:00 - 8:00  All OPA Masters
· Oil Painters of America Western Regional Show:  August 30 - September 30
o Opening Reception August 30 5:00 - 8:00
o The list of artists who have been juried into this event has not yet been made public.
· Huihan Liu & Weizhen Liang - Couples Show:  October 4 - October 31
o Opening Reception October 4 5:00 - 7:00 
o Huihan Liu, AISM, OPAM and his wife Weizhen Liang, AISM

Details on Mountainsong Galleries:
· Location: Ocean between San Carlos and Mission Carmel-by-the-Sea, California • View Map
· Phone: (831) 626-0600
· Private Viewings By Appointment - Call 831-233-8255
· Website:  http://www.mountainsonggalleries.com/
· Hours of Operation

o Monday - Saturday 10 – 6 and Sunday 12-6

· List of Master Artists
o Daniel E. Greene, N. A., AWS, PSA, OPAMaster
o Everett Raymond Kinstler, N. A., AWS, PSA, OPAMaster
o Neil Patterson, OPAMaster, President, Oil Painters of America
o Debra Joy Groesser, AIS, President, American Impressionist Society
o Cyrus Afsary, OPAMaster
o Kenn Backhaus, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o Clayton J. Beck III, AISMaster
o Harley Brown, OPAMaster
o Nancy Bush, AISMaster
o John Michael Carter, OPAMaster
o William T. Chambers, OPAMaster
o Nancy Seamons Crookston, OPAMaster
o Kim English, AISMaster
o Albert Handell, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o David Hettinger, OPAMaster
o Doug Higgins, OPAMaster
o Quang Ho, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o William Scott Jennings, OPAMaster
o Steven Lang, OPAMaster
o Jeff Legg, OPAMaster
o Calvin Liang, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o Weizhen Liang, AISMaster
o Huihan Liu, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o Kevin Macpherson, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o Ned Mueller, OPAMaster
o Paul Mullally, OPAMaster
o Joyce Pike, OPAMaster
o Joan Potter, OPAMaster
o William Schneider, AISMaster
o Craig Tennant, OPAMaster
o Zhiwei Tu, AISMaster, OPAMaster
o Jeffrey R. Watts, OPAMaster
o William Whitaker, OPAMaster
o Alan Wolton, OPAMaster
o Jim Dietz, Premier Automobile and Military Artist
o Randy Strong who has three of his exquisite glass pieces in the Louvre in Paris

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Vendange Carmel
PO Box 3396
Ocean Avenue 3 SE Of San Carlos
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921-3396
831-747-7455
Marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com
http://www.mountainsonggalleries.com/

Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Only Wine Themed Hotel Introduces its Wine and Dine Packages

Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites has partnered with 15 local Monterey County wineries to create a unique guest experience celebrating the bounty of Monterey County’s vineyards.

Carmel, CA, June 12, 2014 - Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites has partnered with 15 local Monterey County wineries to create a unique guest experience celebrating the bounty of Monterey County’s vineyards. Each winery sponsors one room or suite, providing its own creative touches. From the McIntyre Vineyards room with its impressive 100-year-old section of grapevine to J. Lohr’s plush bathrobes, every winery’s room offers a signature luxury experience.  In 2014, Vendange will be releasing 2 new wine themed rooms.  The first room was released in April with Blair Vineyards.  The second room will be released Summer 2014 and will be decorated by Holman Ranch.


Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites Owner Brian Lee announced today that the hotel will be launching two new wine and dine packages beginning June 1st:

Wine and Dine Package: Andre’s Bouchee
Experience the best Carmel has to offer. Luxurious accommodations in Carmel’s only wine themed hotel, gourmet dining, chocolates and Monterey County wine  -- what a delicious combination!  This special wine and dine package has a French Bistro flavor with a lunch or dinner at the coveted, award winning, Zagat rated Andre’s Bouchee!

For $125 upgrade to our wine and dine package which includes:

* Cabernet infused blueberries chocolates and pinot noir chocolate cherries from local vintner Ventana Wines

* A bottle of Monterey County Award winning wine – your choice of white or red

* A $50 lunch or dinner certificate at Andre's Bouchee located on Mission Street, two doors south of Ocean Avenue in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Proprietor Elizabeth Lemaire wants to share a  Carmel favorite that lures locals and visitors with its chic style and neighborhood charm. Chef Jacques Zagouri prepares authentic French Bistro Cuisine with a Californian Coastal flair. Our friendly atmosphere buzzes with excitement and energy that makes you feel your dining in one of the small neighborhoods inside Paris.

Wine and Dine Package: Flaherty’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar

Experience the best Carmel has to offer.  Luxurious accommodations in Carmel’s only wine themed hotel, gourmet dining, chocolates and Monterey County wine  -- what a delicious combination!  This special wine and dine package offers the freshest catch in town.  If you are a seafood lover this is for you!

For $125 upgrade to our wine and dine package which includes:

* Cabernet infused blueberries chocolates and pinot noir chocolate cherries from local vintner Ventana Wines
* A bottle of Monterey County Award winning wine – your choice of white or red

A $50 lunch or dinner certificate at Flaherty’s Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar.  Located side-by-side in the heart of Carmel, Flaherty’s Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar are dedicated to providing you with the freshest, most delicious seafood.  Flaherty’s knows good seafood, they know how to buy it and they know how to prepare it. Unlike most restaurants (even the best of them) where fish is often a secondary item on the menu… at Flaherty’s it’s all about seafood. At Flaherty’s, you will experience a small town, comfortable, family atmosphere, where quality ingredients and quality preparation come together with quality service. It’s who we are…. come and experience seafood like it was meant to be.

To book any of these packages please go to www.vendangecarmel.com and go to reservations and when you choose your room category please make sure to choose the wine & dine package which will have the price included in your stay.

Rooms Overview:
* The cozy rooms have sleek, modern bathrooms finished with imported Spanish marble.

* Views of both the Inn’s beautiful gardens and the Carmel skyline are plentiful.

* Sleeping areas are appointed with memory foam-top beds, deluxe linens, and high-definition flat screen televisions - not that you’ll want to stay indoors.

Cottage Suite:
The separate Cottage Suite offers a generous 650 square feet of living space. With a California King bed, 50” high definition flat screen television, gas fireplace and kitchenette, it’s the perfect place for a honeymoon or romantic weekend getaway.

Wine Themed Rooms:
* Blair Vineyards
* Dawn’s Dream
* Galante
* J. Lohr
* Joullian
* Manzoni
* McIntyre
* Otter Cove
* Pierce Winery
* Tudor
* Twisted Roots
* Ventana
* Cima Collina
* Coming in Summer 2014 Holman Ranch

Wine Room Highlights:

Twisted Roots King Suite

Twisted Roots believes in letting the grapes speak for themselves. They feel that the work in the vineyard is where the wines get their flavor and overall complexity.  As "Green Growers" they follow sustainable farming practices throughout the entire wine making process. In creating the Twisted Roots room, winemaker Josh Ruiz took the same philosophy to design as he does to making wines. Canvas pictures from the Twisted Roots vineyard adorn the walls, custom artwork made from barrels, rod iron and wine bottles show case the bar and more!

Ventana Vineyards:
Ventana Vineyards believes great wines are made in the vineyard, and the Ventana Vineyard has the perfect combination of water, soil, climate, art and science to create superb, world-class wines. Our success is evidenced by the number of awards that we have won over the years on wine made from this remarkable property. In fact, wines from our Ventana Vineyard have earned more medals and awards than any other single vineyard in America. When creating their Ventana Vineyards wine themed room they brought the story of the vineyard to the room.

* Custom canvas prints grace the walls telling the story of the vineyards.

* The winemaker’s story can be found on the room for all to enjoy.

* A Ventana Vineyards wine barrel has been converted into a custom snack bar full of delicious Ventana Vineyard logoed snacks and wine!

* The bed has a logoed throw and the walls have actually small vines from the vineyard affixed to them.

J. Lohr:
Flavorful wines, quite literally “wines full of flavor” are the mission at J. Lohr. J. Lohr’s unwavering focus on flavors sounds so simple, yet it’s surprisingly complex. Achieving the best flavor demands total control, every step of the way, and is the result of planting each site to its ideal grape variety and applying artisanal winemaking techniques, including extended maceration, barrel and malolactic fermentation, among others.  When you stay in the J. Lohr room you soak up the flavor of the vineyard.  From grapevine wreaths and a barrel on the balcony that offers the perfect table top to enjoy some wine and cheese to art from the vineyard and a custom J. Lohr wine display, you will as if you have been transported to the vineyard.

Additional Rooms with Unique Features:
* McIntyre Vineyards brought in a 5 foot vine from the vineyard that is the masthead for the bed as well as created custom glass lamps etched with the McIntyre wine label.  Truly spectacular to view!

* Cima Collina has their vineyard artist create custom painting for the room made from wine barrels and rod iron as well as creating their own logoed bed side stand.

Amenities:
* The Inn offers breakfast daily and wine tasting on the weekends.

* ines that are typically available only in partner wineries’ tasting rooms are also available to guests for purchase.

* Guests can relax with a glass of wine around the inviting fire pit in the garden and enjoy live music. (available most weekends)

Monterey County Wine Facts:

* Did you know? Monterey County is the one of the largest wine growing and producing regions in California which is one of the reasons why it was named as one of 2013's "Top Ten Wine Travel Destinations" in the world by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

* In Carmel-by-the-Sea alone, you can spend a weekend wine-tasting without ever getting in a vehicle!

* Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea has become a bona fide wine tasting destination, with enough tasting rooms to keep visitors busy for a weekend and even more about to open.

* Carmel Valley's tasting rooms (11 miles from Carmel-by-the-Sea) are not overly crowded and provide a warm, personal interaction with tasting hosts and winemakers.

Vendange is conveniently located a short drive away from the Monterey Peninsula Airport, just off of scenic Highway 1, with free parking for guests. We’re minutes away from downtown Carmel’s shopping and fine dining, scenic 17-Mile Drive, and the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. Vendange Carmel is located at 24815 Carpenter St., Carmel, CA 93923.  Telephone 831.624.6400, fax 831.624.5111. Website: www.vendangecarmel.com, email reservations@vendangecarmel.com.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Vendange Carmel
PO Box 3396
Ocean Avenue 3 SE Of San Carlos
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921-3396
831-747-7455
Marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com
http://www.vendangecarmel.com