https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/304598
Orange Group Advisors to Lead Investor Relations; Laine Communications and White Oak Strategies to Support Government Affairs and Regulatory Engagement Across the Company's TVA-Region Footprint
Stamford, Connecticut--(Newsfile Corp. - July 10, 2026) - Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ: ANY) ("Sphere 3D" or the "Company"
Orange Group Advisors, Investor Relations. Orange Group Advisors ("OG"
Laine Communications and White Oak Strategies, State and Regional Engagement. Sphere 3D has engaged Laine Communications and White Oak Strategies to support the Company's government affairs and regulatory engagement across Tennessee, the geographic anchor of its TVA-region operating footprint. State and regional relationships are central to executing the Company's strategy, where energy access, permitting, and stakeholder engagement are foundational to deploying power-intensive AI and HPC infrastructure at scale.
Laine Communications, led by founder and President Chuck Laine, brings more than 30 years of experience in Tennessee government affairs, economic development, and stakeholder engagement, with a track record of coalition building and regulatory negotiation on complex matters affecting energy, industrial, and infrastructure clients.
White Oak Strategies, founded by Michael Sullivan, brings deep experience across Tennessee's political, governmental, and operational landscape. Sullivan is the former Executive Director of the Tennessee Republican Party and served as State Director in U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty's office before founding White Oak.
These engagements are designed to support Sphere 3D's existing operations and planned expansion across the TVA service territory, including coordination with state and local stakeholders as the Company positions its power-ready infrastructure for AI and high-performance compute deployment.
The engagements follow the Company's recently announced proposal to rebrand itself as DarkHorse Technologies Inc., under the reserved Nasdaq ticker "DRK," subject to shareholder approval at a Special Meeting of the Company's shareholders on August 24, 2026. The proposed identity reflects the Company's positioning around overlooked, distribution-connected power capacity and the disciplined, unconventional execution path the Company has pursued since the June 2026 business combination.
"The market for AI and high-performance computing is moving toward operators who already control power-ready infrastructure, and that is precisely where our Company is positioned," said Joel Block, Chief Executive Officer of Sphere 3D. "These engagements bring specialized capability to the functions that matter most as we execute against that opportunity. Orange Group brings the sector specialization to communicate our positioning to the investor base most relevant to our strategy, and Laine Communications and White Oak Strategies bring the Tennessee experience and regional relationships that are central to advancing our infrastructure in the TVA region. Each firm was selected for a specific capability the work ahead requires."