03-28-2008

by Lester Young

The popular clothing manufacturer and retailer American Apparel has selected in Emeryville, California-based Lyris, Incorporated's (OTCBB: LYRI) ListManager as its email marketing solution. The marketing software will be used to create, send and track the company's email campaigns, which will deliver American's newsletter to more than 300,000 subscribers around the world. The Lyris software was chosen for its ease of configuration, modification and integration with the clothing distributor's current proprietary list management system, and also for its flexibility and power to handle American's complex list marketing requirements. The ListManager solution is capable of ... Continue

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03-27-2008

by Priya Nigam

Following the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, there has been a growing focus on the Homeland Security Industry. This highly-fragmented industry has been attracting investments of hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Homeland Security Capital Corporation (HOMS: OTCBB) is engaged in the acquisition, development and consolidation of homeland security-related businesses. The company has recently inked an agreement to acquire environmental services company Safety and Ecology Holdings Corporation (SEC) in a cash, stock and debt deal valued at approximately $20.4 million. The acquisition is part of Homeland Security Capital’s strategy to acquire companies that ... Continue

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03-27-2008

by Lester Young

Cereplast, Inc. (OTCBB: CERP), a company that designs and manufactures sustainable bioplastics, has received additional patent protection from the European Patent Office for its' Cereplast Compostables family of products. Originally filing for patent protection in 2004, the company received its' initial patent in 2006 for the proprietary formulations, developing and commercializing two resin families: the aforementioned Cereplast Compostables and the Cereplast Hybrid Resins. Both groups possess several patents already in place for their underlying technology, with another 23 patents pending in the U.S. and abroad. Cereplast Compostables bioplastic products can be used as renewable, economically-friendly substitutes for petroleum-... Continue

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03-26-2008

by Dan Blacharski

The brick-and-mortar retail industry continues to report bad news, as credit becomes less available and consumers tighten their belts to prepare for the oncoming recession. But even as fewer people are going to the mall, more are going online to make their purchases. Here’s a very telling statistic. The amount of money a company spends on advertising is closely related to the state of the economy. According to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, advertising spending as a whole decreased by 0.1 percent for the first three quarters of 2007 compared to the same period a year ago. But, ... Continue

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03-25-2008

by Brine Kline

Even in an unstable stock market, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and business executives move forward with initial public offerings of shares. Today we examine several IPOs completed very recently by looking at five companies’ business models, the high and low stock prices since the IPO, and the volume of shares trading. Healthy Fast Food (HFFIU) is in the business of owning and operating EVOS restaurants and soliciting prospects for EVOS restaurant franchises. The EVOS restaurant concept delivers healthier food in a fast food restaurant setting. EVOS restaurants serve American favorites such as burgers, fries, shakes, and smoothies that are lower in ... Continue

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03-25-2008

by Lester Young

In a search for ways to 'clean up' its act, the state of New York has partnered with Odyne Corporation. The State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has signed a cost-sharing contract with the Odyne to help fund expansion of the company's production capability. Under the agreement, NYSERDA will finance half the cost of all contracted items up to a maximum amount of $534,590. Odyne, an industry-leading clean-technology company, develops and manufactures propulsion systems for advanced Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), specializing in medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses. The company's ... Continue

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03-24-2008

by Dan Blacharski

I’ve just finished booking reservations for a week in the Chinese “special administrative regions” of Macau and Hong Kong. After the initial shock of the high hotel prices in Macau, which are substantially higher than most of the rest of Asia due to the presence of several large casinos, I started to think about whether the rooms would have Internet access—and what that access would consist of. The Chinese of course, have a reputation for censoring and heavily regulating the Internet—often with the help of large US-based companies. Just today in fact, the web site of ... Continue

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03-24-2008

by Lester Young

Yes! Solar, Inc. has announced that it has sold its first California solar franchise. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Solar Power, Inc. (OTCBB: SOPW) has entered into an agreement with The McCarthy/Myers Investment Group to launch a Yes! Solar Solutions franchise in southern California's Orange County. The franchise territory encompasses approximately 800 square miles, with over 600,000 owner-occupied dwellings and numerous businesses. The new operation (and subsequent franchises) will use the same organizational model as Yes! Solar's company-owned retail energy outlet located in Roseville, California, which opened in October of 2007. The outlet sells ... Continue

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03-23-2008

by Priya Nigam

There seems to be so much confusion these days. We are constantly oscillating between inflationary fears and recession concerns. No wonder the markets in general have been so volatile. The six-month chart for nickel prices resembles a Six Flags roller coaster track. The nickel market’s demand/supply dynamics are not in balance. According to the World Bureau of Metal Statistics, the global nickel market was in a deficit of 700 metric tons in January. One company that’s trying to capitalize on this excess demand situation is FinMetal Mining Ltd (FNMM: OTCBB). Incorporated on September 5, 1997 as ... Continue

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03-21-2008

by Brian Kline

Development stage biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are the in the majority on the OTCBB. These companies rarely post profits because there products are still in development. Possibly years away from completing clinical trials and becoming FDA approved for sale. Often when products successfully reach late stage testing or obtain FDA approval they are bought up by large drug companies with established distribution channels that bring the products to market. However, a few do retain full rights to their approved products and eventually become profitable companies. Champions Biotechnology (CSBR) engages in the development of advanced preclinical platforms and predictive tumor specific ... Continue

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03-20-2008

by Lester Young

The entire nation will soon be going 'purple;' as in the beverage, that is. An agreement has been reached between Purple Beverage Company, Inc. (OTCBB: PPBV), makers of Purple, and the distributor Crosset Company for placement of the all-natural drink in major outlets throughout the U.S. Midwest. Through Crosset's ten-state distribution region, the beverage will now be available in the nation's heartland, expanding its consumer base beyond major cities of the East and West Coasts. The all-natural, non-artificially-sweetened beverage is a blend of seven antioxidant-rich juices: purple plum, blueberry, cranberry, black ... Continue

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03-19-2008

by Dan Blacharski

It’s become generally accepted that there are three giants in the search engine business: Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google, and out of those three, Google is the 800-pound gorilla. In fact, the term “Google” has become a generic verb. When the boss wants you to gather some information about a competitor, he or she will say, “Google ‘em and see what you can find out.” On the social front, one no longer “conducts an Internet search” on someone before a first date, one simply “Googles” them. Conventional wisdom would hold that with such powerful companies involved in the search ... Continue

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03-18-2008

by Lester Young

Many women are reluctant to receive regular Pap tests due to the discomfort that the exam often causes. But that reasoning may soon change, at least in the Pacific Northwest. CytoCore, Inc. (OTCBB: CYOE), a company that develops cost-effective cancer screening systems, has reached a distribution agreement and also announced the first U.S. order of its patented SoftPAP Cervical Cell Collector with Seattle-based CoMedical, Inc. CoMedical represents small innovative healthcare-product manufacturers, marketing and distributing their new products to targeted healthcare professionals in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska. The revolutionary new SoftPAP Collector is designed ... Continue

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03-17-2008

by Dan Blacharski

A dramatic news report issued by the Associated Press last weekend revealed that several pharmaceutical drugs have been discovered in drinking water around the country. The amounts are very small, and utilities have reassured the public that the drinking water supply continues to be safe, but the news is nonetheless unsettling. Nobody likes the idea of sex hormones and mood stabilizers coming out of their kitchen faucet. According to the report, the drugs were discovered in drinking water in 24 metropolitan areas. Typically, this sort of information is not released by water companies, but when pressed by the AP, the ... Continue

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03-17-2008

by Brian Kline

With a population exceeding 1.3 billion people, China is now the fourth largest economy in the world measured by GDP. It lags only behind the U.S., Japan, and Germany. When adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) China’s economy is second only to the United States. PPP adjusts the GDP for price differences and exchange rates among countries to equalize the purchasing power of different currencies. China’s 2006 PPP adjusted GDP was $10 trillion compared to the U.S.’s $13 trillion. China is currently ahead of schedule with its stated goal to quadruple the GDP from ... Continue

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