Over the last few decades, proper waste disposal and management has become more important than ever, amid growing consumption and waste production, with potentially hazardous consequences for the environment. Despite environmental protection organizations and authorities’ recommendations, recycling efforts are still scarce, both on a residential and industrial level. In this landscape, professional waste management operators such as Florida-based National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. (OTC: NWMH) have taken on a bigger role in raising public awareness and ultimately working for a better and greener tomorrow via a comprehensive suite of waste disposal services ranging from pick-up to recycling and landfill operations.

It is estimated that the United States generates more than 250 million tons of municipal solid waste every year, and that an average person typically creates about four pounds of waste a day. According to Environmental Protection Agency data, about 75 percent of this waste stream is recyclable, yet only roughly 30 percent actually ends up being recycled. In addition to municipal solid waste, the U.S. also generates more than 500 tons of construction and demolition (C&D) debris every year – debris that needs to be disposed of in an eco-friendly manner.

National Waste Management Holdings is dedicated to recycling as much waste as possible from all of its services, with the primary goal of helping the State of Florida meet its mandate for 75 percent recycling by 2020. The company already offers a wide range of waste management services, most notably a 54-acre landfill in Hernando, Florida. The landfill services Hernando, Citrus and Marion counties and disposes of approximately 240,000 cubic yards of C&D debris every year. In addition to the landfill, National Waste Management Holdings also offers roll off waste container rental services, container drop off and pick up services and a line of proprietary mulch manufactured from recycled wood collected at its landfill and transfer station.

The company estimates that at least 12 percent of Florida’s 75 percent recycling mandate can be achieved by recycling C&D debris that is currently being disposed. For that purpose, National Waste Management Holdings has transformed its services and changed its fundamental business model, with plans in the coming year to set up a portable sorting line at its landfill and increase recyclable rates. The sorting line can help the company increase its concrete recycling program by an estimated 25 percent and also to pick clean dimensional lumber to be sold to wood pellet manufacturers. The sorting line also picks shrink wrap plastic and cardboard for recycling.

Working closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and having a strong commitment to being environmentally conscious in all its activities and services, National Waste Management Holdings is positioning itself as a leading provider of waste and C&D debris management operations for both the commercial and the residential sectors. Currently servicing several counties on Florida’s west coast, the company has already expanded operations into New York, is collaborating with the State of Georgia, and has plans for further expansion all throughout the East Coast.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.nationalwastemgmt.com

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Before the opening bell, National Waste Management Holdings, Inc. (OTC: NWMH) announced its acquisition of Northeast Data Destruction and Recycling, LLC, located in Kingston, New York. The transaction, which closed on December 31, 2016, continued to support the company’s aggressive acquisition strategy calling for at least one acquisition per quarter. Through this rapid strategic expansion, National Waste Management aims to effectively diversify its revenue streams while moving toward vertical integration.

“We are proud to announce our final acquisition of 2016, an achievement on par with our goal to become vertically integrated via strategic acquisition,” Dali Kranzthor, chief financial officer of National Waste Management, stated in this morning’s news release. “We have more acquisitions in the pipeline and look forward to another year of building value for National Waste and its shareholders.”

In addition to expanding its base operations in Upstate New York, National Waste Management’s acquisition of Northeast Data Destruction and Recycling comes in response to rising customer demand for cardboard recycling and document destruction, hard drive destruction and other data destruction. The company also expects to leverage its extended reach in the region by offering its existing roll-off services to an expanded client base in the area.

“Acquiring Northeast Data Destruction and Recycling extends our reach to Kingston, New York, allowing us to offer roll-off services as we plan future expansion of this location,” Louis “Tiny” Paveglio, chief executive officer of National Waste Management, added in this morning’s release. “The acquisition enables our sales team to offer the additional services in both locations, and at the same time enables us to trim overhead costs.”

With its latest acquisition now in the books, National Waste Management is primed to continue its recent trend of strong revenue growth. In November, the company released its financial results for the third quarter of 2016, which included a 269 percent year-over-year increase in revenue to $1.7 million. For the first nine months of 2016, National Waste Management’s revenue was up 262 percent over the comparable period of 2015, totaling $4.8 million. Paveglio credited this sustained performance to the “effectiveness” of the company’s acquisition strategy and, in correlation, its “growing customer base.” He went on to call for “continued improvements in profitability” resulting from National Waste Management’s most recent acquisitions, including those of Waste Recovery Enterprises and Gateway Rolloff Services in late 2015, as well as the 2016 acquisition of New York-based Sivart Services.

In an interview with NetworkNewsWire released last month, Paveglio gave prospective investors some additional insight into National Waste Management’s near-term expansion plans. He noted that the company has already identified “a couple acquisitions” for which it is currently performing due diligence, with a goal of completing those transactions during the first two quarters of 2017.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.nationalwastemgmt.com

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Before the opening bell, Singlepoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) was announced as a featured company on this week’s episode of MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon. MoneyTV is an internationally syndicated television program about “money and what makes it happen.” The show includes informative interviews with company CEOs, offering prospective investors insight into their operations and outlooks for the future.

To view this week’s program, visit www.MoneyTV.net

In the interview, Greg Lambrecht, chief executive officer of Singlepoint, discussed the impact of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s ongoing push to grant the legalized cannabis industry access to banks and credit unions. Warren, in concert with nine other U.S. senators from states around the country, recently penned a letter to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) calling for improved guidelines that enable legal marijuana businesses to access banking services. Notably, since the release of FinCEN’s most recent guidelines in 2014, less than three percent of the nearly 12,000 federally regulated banks and credit unions have decided to serve the cannabis industry.

“I’m actually surprised,” Lambrecht noted in the MoneyTV interview. “I knew that eventually they’d have to open up the banks, because with California and Florida opening up it’s going to create 20,000-30,000, if not more, dispensaries. I think it’s going to happen a lot sooner than even I thought. I’m very excited, and I think it’s a great opportunity for Singlepoint and its shareholders and investors right now.”

For Singlepoint, the growing movement to give marijuana businesses access to banking services could present a huge opportunity. Since awakening its SingleSeed subsidiary in late 2016, the company has remained focused on capitalizing on its first-mover advantage in the cannabis space. Lambrecht gave some additional insight into this advantage in the MoneyTV interview.

“Two years ago, we were placing terminals and doing merchant processing for dispensaries and unfortunately the banks closed it down, so we’ve been waiting for this day,” he added. “Singlepoint is really in a great position to take advantage of it.”

Following last year’s vote, a total of 28 states have now legalized marijuana in some form, giving the budding industry more momentum than ever before. As the market continues to advance and mature, industry analysts suggest that a period of unparalleled growth could be on the horizon. Lambrecht alluded to these forecasts to conclude the interview.

“With Oregon, Washington and Colorado, the cannabis business was roughly somewhere around $5 billion. With Florida, Massachusetts and California, I’ve seen a lot of estimates of it growing to $50 billion, and some estimate saying $100 billion,” he stated. “We’re going to be the merchant processor on that money, so this is a very exciting time for Singlepoint.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Singlepoint.com

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A leading provider of marketing and sales solutions designed to help online merchants connect with users, with a focus on the fast-growing online-to-offline (O2O) market and social media integration, China’s Moxian, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOXC) is aware of how important gamification can be to building up a vast and solid customer base. The company has been integrating a rewards-based gaming system on its platform, alongside entertainment and social media features, since the very beginning, and with encouraging results. Since its foundation in 2013, the company has expanded from its base in Shenzhen, China, to Beijing, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and its platform now hosts thousands of users.

The recent launch of a game channel on Xinhua New Media platform, an affiliate of China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency, is expected to further strengthen Moxian’s position as a leading digital marketing company and a major player on the O2O service market. The game channel, launched in December last year, is powered by Moxian’s innovative, patent-pending technology, which will allow users to collect the company’s proprietary virtual currency, MO-Coins, while browsing or clicking on advertisements. The ‘Click & Earn with MO-Coin’ system is designed to significantly improve the effectiveness of advertisements and user engagement.

Launched as a joint effort with Xinhua New Media and aimed at further strengthening the company’s partnership with Xinhua New Media Culture Communication Co., Ltd., the game channel is expected to bring multiple benefits to the company, including higher revenue streams from advertisement sales and game downloads, as well as ultimately attracting new users for its own Moxian+ platform and app. The project can bring massive exposure to the company’s services, given that Xinhua New Media has about 10 million active users every day and has accumulated more than 110 million downloads, being one of the most popular authoritative mobile platforms worldwide.

Targeting China’s giant e-commerce market, expected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2020, Moxian is an O2O integrated social commerce platform that combines business intelligence capabilities with social media features, entertainment and gamification, developed around a proprietary Social Customer Relationship Management system. The platform’s declared goal is that of improving businesses’ interaction with consumers and allowing them to run targeted ad campaigns and special promotions.

The platform has two associated apps: the Moxian+ Business app for vendors and the Moxian+ User app for shoppers. Through the Moxian+ Business app, merchants can collect and analyze customer behavior information so as to better understand their audiences and be able to offer every group of users an improved, customized experience. The application further enables merchants to set up their own online stores and to generate personalized activity reports based on intelligent data analytics capabilities. Vendors are also able to develop a stronger relationship with their social media followers and respond to any inquiries through the application’s instant messaging system.

The user information is gathered through the Moxian+ User application, which also includes a gaming center where players can earn MO-Coins or MO-Points, communicate via social media features and enjoy rewards redemption capabilities. The application can also offer customized shopping advice based on users’ saved preferences and their location.

For more information, visit www.Moxian.com

A shareholder update from Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) last month announced the completion of the company’s proprietary booking engine. Reaching this new milestone positions Monaker to offer its customers real-time booking, reducing the uncertainty and anxiety that often plagues making alternative lodging reservations. With its booking engine, Monaker is living up to its motto of Travel Made Easy.

Online travel bookings requiring a booking engine represent, by some accounts, a $340 billion market, as millions of travelers and holidaymakers crisscross the planet. In the early days of aviation, however, there were no frequent flyers, and reservations were usually made by phone. In the late 1940s, after World War II exposed Americans to the wider world, the resulting wanderlust drove passenger volume to levels that overwhelmed that primitive system.

American Airlines was the first to develop an automated booking system. Its esoteric name, ‘Electromechanical Reservisor’ (ER), might have puzzled the average traveler if he were allowed access to it, but he was not. Neither were travel agents. The ER could be accessed only by airline personnel.

By 1953, ER had spawned SABRE, the Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment reservation system. Like ER, this was American Airlines’ baby. Not to be outdone, United Airlines came up with Apollo. Thereafter, acronyms abounded. Delta Airlines launched DATAS. Trans World Airlines responded with PARS. These were all proprietary systems, of course, meant only to be used by the staff of the airline that had developed it.

It wasn’t long before travel agents showed how allowing them access would reduce the cost to airlines by creating less work for airline customer service reps. This gave birth to computer reservation systems (CRS), which travel agents could query and make reservations through.

While a travel agent needed access to different CRS for different airlines, the new Global Distribution Systems (GDS) offered access to the inventory of all the main airlines. The obvious next step for reservation systems was allowing access to customers, which prompted the development of booking engines. Through a booking engine, a would-be traveler can specify his or her travel requirements, such as point of departure, departure date, destination, return date and class of travel. In response, the booking engine will offer airline seats, hotel rooms, alternative accommodation and a variety of related offerings that fit the bill. This was definitely travel made easy.

Now, with the Monaker Booking Engine (MBE), which conforms to all online travel industry standards allowing for easy business-to-business integration, business travel partners and consumers will have real-time access to Monaker’s lodging products.

Monaker has contracted with dozens of lodging vendors and will soon be able to offer some two million rental properties in the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. To date, over one million of these properties have been loaded onto its MBE staging servers and the other half are now being certified and will be uploaded soon. Globally, this will give Monaker a meaningful industry presence, emulating sector leaders such as Airbnb, with its 2.5 million properties, and Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE), with an estimated 1.2 million properties.

Monaker Group is a technology driven travel company with multiple divisions and brands, leveraging more than 60 years of operation in leisure travel. Monaker’s flagship is NextTrip.com, the industry’s first real-time booking engine featuring alternative lodging (vacation home rentals, resort residences and unused timeshares), as well as a vast array of airlines, hotels, cruises, rental cars, tours and concierge services, all combined in one platform to give customers the power of choice when booking their vacations. With key partnerships and established travel brands used as cornerstones, the company’s mission is to continue to expand its offerings in order to become the ‘one stop’ vacation center.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

Earlier this week, Bovie Medical Corporation (NYSE MKT: BVX), a leading developer of medical devices and supplies, announced its plans to participate in the 9th Annual Biotech Showcase Conference, which is set to take place at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square from January 9-11. Robert L. Gershon, the company’s chief executive officer, is scheduled to present to investors at 11:00 am PST on Tuesday, January 10. Planned talking points include Bovie Medical’s recent activities, as well as the company’s innovative J-Plasma® surgical instrument. Additionally, Gershon is expected to present at Medtech Showcase at the Parc 55 San Francisco Hotel in Union Square on Wednesday, January 11 at 10:30 am PST.

To learn more about Biotech Showcase 2017, visit http://nnw.fm/I1blo

Bovie Medical – named for the inventor of modern electrosurgery, Dr. William T. Bovie – leverages a portfolio of proprietary technology and expertise spanning the design, development and manufacture of electrosurgical equipment to create advanced energy devices that it markets around the globe. The company maintains a number of well-respected brands, including Bovie®, Aaron®, IDS™ and ICON™, in addition to marketing its products through private labels.

J-Plasma® is Bovie Medical’s leading product. A plasma-based surgical product for cutting and coagulation, J-Plasma® combines the unique properties of cold helium plasma with RF energy to give surgeons greater precision, minimal invasiveness and an absence of potentially dangerous conductive currents through patients during surgery. To date, the product has been used successfully in a wide array of surgical procedures, such as capsular scoring, wound debridement and scar revision. J-Plasma® is still in the early stages of commercialization, according to the company’s website, but Bovie Medical believes that it has the potential to become a “transformational product for surgeons.”

In August 2016, the market potential of J-Plasma® was reaffirmed when a portion of the J-Plasma® platform was recognized as an “Innovation of the Year” by The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons for the third consecutive year. The Precise 360™ hand piece, which received this year’s distinction, features an angled and rotating tip that allows surgeons to access structures that are difficult to reach with a straight laparoscopic device. In 2014, the J-Plasma® product line received the same distinction, and, in 2015, the title was given to the Bovie Ultimate™ Operating Room Generator, which combines J-Plasma® technology with the highest wattage monopolar and bipolar electrosurgical generator.

For more information, visit www.BovieMedical.com

Before the opening bell, Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE), through subsidiary Unified Payments, announced its entry into an agreement with ReservHotel, a leading provider of travel distribution and booking solutions for hotels worldwide. Under the terms of this agreement, Unified Payments has launched payment acceptance services for the booking platform, further demonstrating Net Element’s broad capabilities as a leading payment acceptance company on the international stage. All told, the company facilitates transactions through a comprehensive range of services that include a proprietary on-boarding interface and advanced fraud protection solutions, alongside a suite of data analytics and reporting tools.

“We are excited about partnering with Net Element; not only can they provide a comprehensive solution for our hotel client’s payment needs, but they can adapt to work with different currencies and countries around the world which is critical for our independent hotels,” Luis Barberi, chief executive officer of ReservHotel, stated in this morning’s news release.

In recent years, the online travel sector has recorded tremendous growth, with global sales in the space reaching $246 billion in 2015, according to Euromonitor International. This continued performance has been driven, in large part, by global leaders such as Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) and Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), both of which recorded year-over-year growth in excess of 10 percent in 2015. ReservHotel is primed to benefit from this continuing industry trend, with its award-winning booking engine and ongoing promotion programs through various Expedia and Priceline brands. ReservHotel already connects an estimated 500,000 travel agencies around the world.

“We are fortunate to be partnering with ReservHotel, a premier travel booking solution provider for independent hotels worldwide,” Oleg Firer, chief executive officer of Net Element, added in this morning’s release.

News of Unified Payments’ partnership with ReservHotel continues to build on Net Element’s recent progress toward expanding its presence in the global payments market. Just last month, the company announced that its PayOnline subsidiary had launched a payment acceptance module for Telegram, a popular cloud-based mobile and desktop instant messenger application. The module, which was created for use within the high-volume insurance industry, offers a first-of-its kind payment service for insurance premiums and is currently available for customers of VTB Insurance, a leading insurance provider in Russia.

Finishing 2016 on a high note, Net Element also announced its entry into a strategic partnership with E2Exchange Ltd (E2E) last month. E2E is a scale-up-focused organization, led by Honorary President Sir Richard Branson, that supports entrepreneurs and facilitates information exchange, equity-funding transactions and recruitment among its members. Notably, members of E2E now have access to Net Element’s global multi-channel payment service, while Net Element CEO Oleg Firer will serve as a member of E2E’s advisory board moving forward.

For more information, visit www.NetElement.com

Buying a new home is a big investment that can significantly impact the buyer’s future for years to come. Many potential home buyers have a hard time finding their ideal property, for various reasons including location of the property, pricing, room arrangement, and more. Some may be satisfied with the price and layout of the place, but have concerns about the history of the property or the area demographics. With so many things to consider when making such an investment, customers can start feeling overwhelmed and getting the impression that they are missing something important.

With the SikkU GCard networking system from real estate technology company GainClients, Inc. (OTC: GCLT), customers and real estate professionals alike can get access to all the valuable and relevant information about a property, allowing professionals in the field to improve their service and ensuring enhanced transparency to any real estate transaction. The GCard platform, built like any other popular online network, is intuitive and easy to use, being designed as a way to build and promote solid relationships among real estate professionals and their customers.

Capitalizing on a growing consumer preference for mobile devices, the GCard platform was created to allow real estate agents to stay in touch with their customers and send them the information they need, when they need it, directly to their mobile phones. Some of the key GCard features that benefit clients include the proprietary Home Scoop™ real estate data set. The Home Scoop™ gives real estate customers access to important information about the properties they are interested in and their location, such as the home value for a particular address, a history of the property value over the last five years, information about comparable sales, the age of the property, area demographics with information about population, average age, income, etc. and also details about nearby emergency services and schools. The platform also has a home search function that uses IDX data and allows clients to get in touch with their agents to share leads. Other important features include mortgage rates, payments, taxes and insurance calculators, as well as access to all necessary disclosures before sealing a transaction.

Real estate professionals using the GCard system have access to all of the above, plus a series of extra features such as a client management panel with information about their clients’ activity and registration information, along with when they were last active in the system, and properties they viewed, favorited or evaluated. Via a customizable dashboard feature, real estate agents can also view recently added clients and partners through their activity and admin level GCards, and they can get in touch with any professionals attached to a specific client in the system. The SikkU GCard further allows professionals and organizations to add custom menu items to their GCards, such as Facebook or website links, but also to customize and brand the interface to accurately reflect their organizations.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gainclients.com

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Before the opening bell, Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) announced the appointment of Simon Orange, the founding partner and chairman of CorpAcq, to its board of directors. In addition to adding extensive investment industry knowledge and experience to the Monaker team, Orange’s appointment also advances the company’s long-term goal of uplisting to the Nasdaq Capital Market. With this appointment, Monaker Group’s board of directors now includes five members, including three who are serving independently. Nasdaq corporate governance requirements specify that independent members must make up the majority of the board of directors for nearly all listed companies.

“While Simon’s appointment satisfies the listing requirements for an independent majority, we are continuing our search and evaluation process to bring on additional board members who will strengthen our leadership and composition of our board committees,” Bill Kerby, chairman and chief executive officer of Monaker Group, stated in this morning’s news release. “We expect to announce such additional appointments in the near term.”

Moving forward, Orange is expected to play a key role in the expansion of Monaker Group’s foothold in the global travel industry. In 2006, he co-founded CorpAcq, a UK-based corporate acquisitions and investments firm with a portfolio that currently includes 19 companies. Recognized as one of the fastest growing enterprises in the United Kingdom, CorpAcq has played a key role in the funding and management of numerous business ventures, many of which have been acquired by sizable Nasdaq and London Stock Exchange listed companies. In addition to his work with CorpAcq, Orange is also a founding member of New York-based Cicero Consulting Group.

“I have long been passionate about travel, and intrigued with how technology continues to transform the hospitality and travel landscape,” Orange noted in this morning’s release. “I’m honored and excited to join the Monaker board and leadership teams, particularly at this pivotal stage of the company’s development, with the near-term launch of its unique booking platform that for the first time will provide ‘real-time’ alternative lodging reservations along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site.”

As noted in a December update, Monaker Group is currently working toward the launch of its alternative lodging rental (ALR) business later this month. This innovative offering will feature two components, including the company’s proprietary Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) and its flagship NextTrip.com platform. The MBE will allow both business travel partners and consumers to access Monaker Group’s expansive portfolio of lodging products, which currently features well over one million properties in the United States, Europe, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. On the other hand, NextTrip.com will continue to serve as a direct-to-consumer platform by offering, for the first time, real-time ALR reservations alongside major mainstream travel products and services.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

Before the opening bell, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) announced the appointment of Laurie Hawkes as an independent addition to its board of directors. Hawkes brings nearly four decades of leadership experience in realty and finance to EXPI, during which time she has held high-level positions as an investment banker, a private real estate equity investor and a successful entrepreneur. Her expertise in the real estate sector, particularly as it relates to raising capital, executing acquisition strategies, developing business plans and creating scalable operational platforms, is expected to play a key role in the continued development and expansion of EXPI’s full-service real estate brokerage, eXp Realty LLC.

“Laurie brings almost 40 years of leadership experience in realty and finance to eXp,” Glenn Sanford, founder, CEO and chairman of EXPI, stated in this morning’s news release. “We look forward to leveraging her unique skill set and acumen as we further scale our innovative, cloud-focused real estate brokerage. Her decision to join eXp’s board comes at an opportune time, as we work to build a profitable company that directly contributes to increased shareholder value.”

Hawkes began her career in 1979 as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers, Inc., where she would serve as a director and spend 14 years specializing in real estate acquisitions and mortgage finance. In 1993, she was recruited as a managing director to join the Real Estate Investment Banking Division, a position through which she developed new business and expanded structured finance at CS First Boston Corp. From 1995 to 2007, Hawkes worked at U.S. Realty Advisors, a $3 billion real estate private equity firm operating in New York City. She became a partner in 1997 before serving as president and head of acquisitions from 2003 to 2007.

Since leaving U.S. Realty Advisors, Hawkes has established herself as a pioneer in bringing institutional capital to the single-family rental sector. She co-founded American Residential Properties, Inc. in 2012 and led the start-up during its transformation into a $2 billion enterprise. In 2013, Hawkes co-led the company’s IPO and listing on the NYSE. American Residential Properties merged with American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) in March 2016, creating an $8 billion enterprise with a portfolio of more than 47,000 homes.

For EXPI, the addition of Laurie Hawkes as an independent director is expected to play a key role as the company, through its Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™, seeks to build on its 2016 growth in the new year. As of the end of Q3 2016, eXp Realty had more than 2,130 real estate professionals operating across 41 states, the District of Columbia and Alberta, Canada. This total marked an increase of 151 percent from the previous year. Similarly, EXPI’s third quarter 2016 revenues totaled $15.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 112 percent.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.eXpWorldHoldings.com

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