Before the opening bell, International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) announced its operating results for the first quarter of 2016. The company’s consolidated revenue for the three months ended March 31 was $1.6 million, which remained unchanged from the comparable period of 2015. ISCO continued to generate revenue through its two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Lifeline Skin Care and Lifeline Cell Technology, with both remaining profitable. Profit margin for the two subsidiaries was $1.24 million, or 77 percent, for the three month period, up from $1.20 million, or 74 percent, in the previous year.

“I’m happy to report that while revenues remained flat, profit margin improved,” Andrey Semechkin, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-chairman of ISCO, stated in this morning’s news release. “In addition our therapeutic development programs are proceeding according to plan.”

In recent months, ISCO has continued to focus on the clinical development of its groundbreaking human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC®) for the treatment of moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. In December, the company receive authorization from the Therapeutics Goods Administration of Australia to commence the first human study of the cells, a phase I/IIa dose escalation trial. ISCO then entered into a clinical service agreement with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, one of the world’s leading brain research centers, to conduct the trial.

In March, the company took two significant steps in the development of ISC-hpNSC®, including commencing enrollment for its impending phase I trial and raising capital with which to fund the study through a private placement. As part of this funding initiative, ISCO entered into definitive agreements with two institutional healthcare investors and management for the private placement of $6.3 million of the company’s convertible preferred stock, as well as common stock purchase warrants for an additional $25.7 million of ISCO’s common stock. Gross proceeds from this placement included $2.5 million in cash and conversion of $3.8 million in debt, which was owed to the company’s co-chairman and CEO.

“The recurring investment of these healthcare focused institutional investors is in support of and attests to the potential of our technology,” Semechkin added in a news release announcing the private placement. “The capital raised will help to drive our Phase 1 study of ISC-hpNSC® for the treatment of moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease. With enrollment of patients already underway, we look forward to the end of this year for preliminary safety and efficacy clinical data.”

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS) is a micro-cap mining company currently in the process of re-starting the Balmat zinc mine in St. Lawrence County, New York. Since its foundation in 2009, SMRS has focused its efforts on growing through quality purchases, which is why its acquisition of Balmat is a great step forward.

In 2015, SMRS entered into a three-way definitive agreement with Northern Zinc and Hudbay Minerals. The company acquired Northern Zinc, the business that owned the Balmat zinc mine, with the aim of building it back up into a fully functioning, profitable zinc mine. Since its closure in 2008, Balmat has been maintained as a fully functioning zinc mine, meaning that it has full permits and is in compliance with federal and state regulations. Not only this, Balmat zinc mine is readily accessible and has a fully functioning mill. Although it is currently on maintenance status, SMRS intends to restart Balmat in an effort to transition from ‘junior explorer’ status and become an active producer by the end of 2016.

Aside from the planned upgrades to the ventilation systems and modifications to the diesel equipment, Balmat mine is in extremely good condition. As it stands today, the mill is capable of producing high quality zinc and will be able to start production with minimal investment of time and money. With this in mind, a report, titled ‘Mineral Reserves at the Balmat Mine, St. Lawrence County, New York’, was prepared by SMRS in order to make public the current status of the mine, as well as to give an estimate of the mineral reserves available. The information in this report is based on findings from Star Mountain Resources, and it estimates that the project should last at least 2.5 years, at the end of which the project should see a profitability index of 1.2 percent.

SMRS has positioned itself strongly within the mining industry. Within the next year, the company expects to be producing a high quality concentrate of zinc. This, combined with its focus on responsibility toward the ecosystem and local communities, as well as its ongoing goal of reducing chemical and carbon footprints, should give SMRS an unparalleled mining experience moving forward.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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Small and micro-cap markets have long been the incubators of opportunity for start-up and developing companies and the investors willing to assume the inherent risks. These markets afford innovators and entrepreneurs the ability to raise capital to prove concepts, grow and refine their business models, and provide risk-tolerant investors with ground-floor prospects. However, until recently, a lack of transparency made it difficult to discern between a legitimate investment and impropriety. OTC Markets Group’s (OTCQX: OTCM) segmented markets and trading platform have delivered the needed clarity and transparency for small and micro-cap companies to thrive and investors to make informed decisions.

A full understanding of this transition to transparency starts with understanding the difference between OTC Markets’ trading platform and exchanges like NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange. To get first-hand insight into the differences, as well as the advantages small and/or emerging companies are finding on this platform, QualityStocks conducted an interview with Jason Paltrowitz, executive vice president of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group.

Hear the full interview here: http://www.qualitystocks.net/interview-otcm.php

OTC Markets Group operates broker-dealer markets where global public companies can raise capital, complete an acquisition, and provide liquidity for traders, investors and existing shareholders. OTC Markets’ three markets encompass a wide range of securities, including ADRs and foreign ordinary shares, dividend paying companies, SEC reporting companies, community banks, small and micro-cap companies, as well as large and mid-cap companies.

“What OTC Markets is, is actually an Alternative Trading System; so not truly an exchange by the exact definition of the word,” Paltrowitz tells QualityStocks. “We operate a platform on which we connect over a hundred broker-dealers and market makers who are linked on what’s called a dealer market. They’re able to message each other electronically to create liquidity for securities that trade off traditional exchanges. At OTC Markets, we have over 10,000 securities, many of them in that small and micro-cap space, as well as a number of global securities that choose to have their secondary trading in the States on the OTC market.”

OTC Markets Group’s platform is similar to other national exchanges, but dissimilar in a couple ways. For one, the trading infrastructure is different; as noted above, OTC Markets operates dealer markets rather than an exchange matching engine. Secondly, companies trading on OTC Markets’ markets can minimize regulatory burdens – and thus costs – required by national exchanges. The regulatory burden of national exchanges is complicated, has extensive compliance and legal requirements and is costly. OTC Markets’ structure provides numerous benefits for companies with tight budgets and big goals at a fraction of the cost.

“Our mission is really to give entrepreneurs and innovators the ability to run their businesses and not have to focus on all the rules and regulations associated with being on an exchange,” says Paltrowitz. “For small microcap companies that are still growing and in their development stages, we offer them a much lighter touch regulatory burden. We give them the ability to make all their information public so investors can decide what’s investable and what’s not.”

Paltrowitz describes OTC Markets’ model as “what NASDAQ was before NASDAQ became an exchange.”

“The NYSE and NASDAQ operate matching engines … which is great technology when you’re a very liquid security. But when you’re a small or micro-cap company that’s not as liquid, having market makers ready to create liquidity … is essential for small companies. We think a lesser regulatory burden, lower costs and our market structure make it very advantageous for small and micro-cap companies,” he explains.

OTC Markets organizes securities into three markets – OTCQX, OTCQB and Pink – with each company categorized by the quality and quantity of information it makes available to the public.

To qualify for the OTCQX market, companies must meet high financial standards, maintain compliance with U.S. securities laws, be current in their disclosures, and be sponsored by a professional third-party advisor. Cost for inclusion to this marketplace is $20,000 a year.

The OTCQB Venture Market is for early-stage companies that don’t meet the financial standards of the OTCQX, yet are still committed to providing a transparent trading and information experience for their investors. To be eligible, companies must be current in their reporting, undergo an annual verification and management certification process, meet a minimum $0.01 bid price test, and not be in bankruptcy. OTCQB costs a company only $10,000 a year.

OTC Markets’ Pink market offers broker-dealer trading in a wide variety of companies that are there by reasons of design, distress or default. Pink companies are further sub-categorized based on the quantity and quality of information they provide to investors: Current Information, Limited Information or No Information. Paltrowitz describes the latter of these companies as disengaged and not taking steps to make sure their information is open and transparent.

Investors familiar with the segmented markets now have much greater clarity when identifying options in the small-cap space. This clarity has provided the small-cap space a reputation as an incubator of opportunity for investors and the companies willing to put in the work to remain transparent.

“By creating great technology … also by creating platforms that allow companies to segment themselves and to be more open and transparent, we think we’ve cleaned up the market…. We’re giving investors and broker-dealers the ability to find great stories here first, before they become known to the world and maybe upgrade to a national exchange …. We think that for what is about 25% the cost of being on NASDAQ, you really do get 80 to 90% of the value of being publicly traded, again without all the cost and complexity,” says Paltrowitz.

With all the positive changes OTC Markets brings to the small-cap market, there’s more on the horizon thanks to the JOBS Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2012 to ease various securities regulations and stimulate more funding of small U.S. businesses. Paltrowitz notes particular advantages stemming from Regulation A+ of the Act, which pertains to equity crowdfunding rules. Under Regulation A+, growth companies can now raise up to $50 million from unaccredited investors and make those shares freely tradable in what many call a “mini-IPO.”

“The thing we’re most excited about … is the JOBS Act changes around Rule Reg A+. Actually, up until very, very recently we were what you’d call a secondary trading market; so we weren’t an IPO market. Companies couldn’t really go public in the traditional sense … Reg A+ has kind of changed the game and democratized finance. The IPO market had been for at least the last 20 years, really a closed market …. We’ve now made it social, data-driven and democratized so that everybody can participate in IPOs,” says Paltrowitz.

OTC Markets’ segmented markets, supplemented by Reg A+, have transformed the small-cap space, creating a trading environment that is increasingly attracting investors and growth companies in pursuit of their potential.

“We look at our future and we look at the future of crowdfunding, or crowdsourcing, for small entrepreneurial innovative companies needing to raise capital and being able to do it in the public markets, not just through a select few institutional investors. We think that’s really going to propel small company growth in the U.S., but certainly our business as well, as the natural place for those companies to trade,” says Paltrowitz.

For more information on OTC Markets Group and the OTCQX, OTCQB and Pink markets, visit www.OTCMarkets.com

Momentous Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTC: MMEG), a diversified entertainment and direct response marketing company, today announced that it has engaged the Corporate Communications Services of QualityStocks. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, QualityStocks has assisted more than 300 public companies with their efforts to broaden influence, attract growth capital and improve shareholder value over the past 10 years.

“We’ve got a lot of interesting initiatives in the works, which is typical for us at Momentous Entertainment,” says Momentous president and CEO Kurt Neubauer. “As we transition these unique ideas into marketable entertainment products — building on our current offerings — the QualityStocks team will make sure that the progress we’re making reaches our shareholders in a clear, consistent and transparent manner. We look forward to the increased visibility and awareness this partnership will deliver.”

Per the agreement, QualityStocks will strategically leverage its network of partners, daily and weekly newsletters, social media channels, blog and other outreach tools to ensure Momentous’ brand is relevant, consistent and transparent to the investment community.

“Momentous Entertainment is an exciting company to have on board, and we look forward to working closely with Kurt and the rest of the team to enhance the company’s communication strategies and share its progress and varied endeavors with shareholders,” says QualityStocks Managing Director Michael McCarthy.

For more information, visit www.momentousent.com

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Early Friday afternoon, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) released its financial results for the first quarter of 2016. Due to its tremendous success in expanding its agent base in recent months – its real estate division’s agent count increased by 106 percent year-over-year to include 1,104 agents – the company achieved revenue of $7,142,812, realizing an increase of 107 percent from the comparable period of 2015. EXPI has continued to build on this success thus far in the second quarter, and the company’s Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ today includes more than 1,240 real estate professionals across 38 states and Alberta, Canada.

“It is extremely gratifying to see the value proposition of eXp Realty being embraced by an ever increasing number of forward-thinking agents and brokers,” Glenn Sanford, chairman and chief executive officer of EXPI, stated in today’s news release. “Our internal mantra of ‘We want the value proposition of eXp Realty to be so good that it would be irresponsible for an agent and broker to hang their license anywhere else’ has and will continue to drive innovation around the Agent/Owner model.”

Demonstrating the company’s commitment to this mantra, EXPI last month entered into an agreement with VirBELA, LLC, one of the leading developers of immersive online worlds, to develop an innovative 3-D platform that addresses the specific needs of real estate professionals. By eliminating the need for brick and mortar office space and replacing it with avatar-based online environments, EXPI aims to minimize the overhead costs absorbed by agents and brokers without sacrificing on the fundamental benefits provided by physical office locations. Through its partnership with VirBELA, EXPI also opened the door for additional growth by maintaining the option for exclusive rights to similar online platforms for a number of vertical industries within the real estate sector, including mortgage origination, mortgage lending, title and escrow, and title insurance.

“The fact that our growth is accelerating in both agent count and the percentage of overall growth is a testament to our continued iterations around the broker and agent value proposition,” continued Sanford. “We are also excited about the journey of extending this mantra into other related industries, most notably mortgage with First Cloud Mortgage, Inc. which reported its first revenues this quarter as well.”

Formed in July of last year, First Cloud Mortgage, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of EXPI. In keeping with EXPI’s mission of creating a comprehensive, cloud-based real estate services company, First Cloud Mortgage offers borrowers in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas premium loan products through an intuitive cloud-based platform.

Observing the correlation between EXPI’s financial growth and the proliferation of its Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™, a recent launch in four new states and the District of Columbia, as announced earlier this month, should position the company to build on its strong first quarter in the weeks to come. EXPI’s continuing ability to attract and develop leaders in the real estate industry makes the company an intriguing option for prospective shareholders moving forward.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

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The Dragon Boat Festival (http://dtn.fm/wxkL1), which, this year, falls on June 9, is the start of three days of merrymaking in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and America (http://dtn.fm/qt2EH). The cynosure of all eyes will, of course, be the boat races, the winners of which are blessed with good fortune in the coming year. A dragon boat is so called because of the dragon figurehead that tops its prow. Although it’s in June this year, the time of the festival varies in the Gregorian calendar. It is held on the fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month, Wǔ Yuè. Now that the fifth month in the Chinese calendar and the fifth month in the Western calendar have converged, it is a time auspicious enough for Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) to signal its intention to be listed on the NASDAQ.

In an interview (http://dtn.fm/F1soR) with Asia Fund Space that was made public on May 12, 2016, the CEO of Moxian, Inc., Mr. James Tan, had this to say:

“We believe that the OTC Board and the NASDAQ offer better opportunities for us at this point in our development. We liken ourselves to Facebook of a few years ago which had no revenue at the time, but now that we are trading in New York, it allows us to better showcase our future earnings potential to a wider group of investors. As for our decision to list in New York, we believe investors there are more informed about technological potential of listcos and this meshes with our strategy, as from early on we have preferred investors with long-term commitment… And we are garnering a lot of interest there as most investors see us as a Chinese internet company with Singaporean-majority management.”

Asia Fund Space is an exclusive, pan-Asian community for Listed Companies and Professional Investors.

In early 2014, Moxian, Inc. began trading on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace, which is a listing platform for entrepreneurial and development stage U.S. and international companies. To be eligible, companies must be current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. These standards provide a strong baseline of transparency, as well as the technology and regulation to improve the information and trading experience for investors. Companies must meet a minimum $0.01 bid price test and may not be in bankruptcy. The NASDAQ listing requirements are even more stringent.

As Asia Fund Space reminds us, ‘with over two decades of experience managing private and public companies in Asia and the U.S., Tan is well-versed in the advantages of going public – and successfully being granted bourse upgrades. He was previously Chairman and CEO of Singapore-listed Vashion Group, and served as Executive Director and CEO of Vantage Corp Ltd, and Director at NASDAQ-listed Pacific Internet Ltd’.

Tan said the experience garnered at Pacific Internet when he served on the board has been particularly useful in his current role as chairman of Moxian.

“We are still very technology driven here at Moxian, with around eighty of our staff of one hundred and seventy being R&D focused… And among these eighty, twenty are purely end-product developers with the other sixty being more general R&D staffers.”

James Tan believes three essential factors for the success of an internet business are:

• Firstly, we have to define a market need and potential, and what product specifications are in demand;
• Secondly, as for writing and designing code, we stress quality over quantity;
• Thirdly, we have to develop the ability to design and build infrastructure and accessibility to deliver our products and support services to the market.

Tan singled out the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Dr. Ng Kek Wee who he said is the creator of a very successful ‘cloud service offering’ that handles security for financial institutions. Dr. Ng has received an award for Best Services Orientated Architecture and is a former CTO of Hong Kong-listed Hi Sun Technology. James Tan waxed:

“He is a recognized data and analytical engineering expert so this also allows us to draw from our Greater China talent base. In fact, we successfully combine the best from our PRC, Singapore and U.S. engineering talent pools.”

Moxian, Inc. engages in the business of providing social marketing and promotion platforms designed to help merchants accelerate and advertise their business growth through social media. These products and services enable merchants to run targeted advertising campaigns and promotions, and aim to enhance the interaction between users and merchant clients by using consumer behavior data compiled from the Moxian database of user activities. The company has two primary core products: Moxian+ User App and Moxian+ Business App.

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

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eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) is transforming what it means to be a nationwide real estate brokerage with eXp Realty, one of the notable companies under its umbrella.

Better known as “The Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage,” eXp Realty operates in 40 states across the United States and in Alberta, Canada. Most recently, within the United States, the company kicked off operations in Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Launching in these new locales and markets evidenced the company’s ability to grow smartly and to attract and develop tested leaders within the industry, leaders who have an awareness of the impact of agent-ownership on the company’s culture, as well as a far-reaching view of the opportunities created by the innovative uses of technology for real estate agents, buyers and sellers.

eXp Realty is a full-service real estate brokerage that offers round-the-clock access to collaborative tools, training and socialization for its real estate brokers and agents through its fully-immersive, cloud office environment. Recognized as a national leader in providing brokerage service at value, eXp Realty successfully lowers its agents’ operating costs and raises their profits. It also delivers greater service and value to its consumers, allowing them to find their perfect homes by searching millions of properties.

E-commerce and technological innovations are leaving lasting impressions on how the real estate industry operates, and eXp Realty is constantly adapting to this fast-changing world in order to serve as the trusted professional who can explain the complexities and implications of real estate buying and selling decisions.

Thanks to the advent of the Internet and mobile devices, buyers and sellers have more real estate information at their fingertips than ever before, but they could still use a professional’s expertise to wade through all of that data. Why? For the most part, the home buying and selling process still remains largely unfamiliar and, often, is an incredibly emotional journey for many people.

The company’s agents help navigate the real estate buying and selling process. They provide their insight into the properties under consideration. They frequently offer their local market expertise, as many of them have resided in the areas for the majority of their lifetimes. Furthermore, they negotiate and advocate on the buyer’s or seller’s behalf, providing that all-important comparative perspective.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

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According to official CDC data, childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past three decades among children (it has tripled among adolescents), and the portion of kids in the country aged six to eleven who are obese, now stands at nearly 20 percent. Type 2 diabetes (often called adult-onset diabetes), once virtually unheard of in people under the age of 30, is now rising to such staggering prevalence among children and adolescents that peer-reviewed medical journal Diabetes Care recently described it as an emerging epidemic. Increasingly sedentary lifestyles among today’s children, driven by factors like mounting screentime and further exacerbated by a diet typically consisting of processed or junk foods that are laden with high-fructose corn syrup or equally problematic chemical sweeteners, has produced an extremely dangerous situation for many. And the cycle of unhealthy choices all begins with eating and playing habits that are established when we are young.

This fundamental problem is one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL) brand of family-friendly, upscale casual dining restaurants, which feature enormous 2,000 square-foot-plus children’s indoor playspaces, where kids under 10 can run, jump, and play to their heart’s content. Backing up that serious commitment to healthy exercise is an expertly crafted menu that is part high-end, gluten-free, organic, locally sourced artistry, engineered to woo parents back time and again – and part delicious kids meal foods that are secretly packed full of healthy ingredients. By tricking kids into eating healthy through clever culinary techniques, like pureeing vegetables that kids otherwise stamp their feet about into a delicious and healthier pizza sauce, or using other similar techniques, Giggles N’ Hugs has assembled a wow-factor menu that will tantalize tykes, while allowing Mom and Dad to rest assured that they are establishing good eating habits.

As the kids grow up, they will come to realize the difference between the high-quality, organic, locally sourced pizza and other foods they have been eating at Giggles N’ Hugs and the kind of fare they might get from a Domino’s Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) or Yum! Brands’ (NYSE: YUM) Pizza Hut. This subtle redefinition of a beloved kids dish like pizza, around a healthier standard, is the kind of life lesson that will really stick with a kid as they mature, impressing upon them that their favorite foods don’t have to be unhealthy. More to the point, it will impress upon them the idea that healthy food can be delicious and fun at the same time, allowing them to feel good about healthy choices, and to more ably continue making healthy decisions on their own. Moreover, the clear and direct association between healthy eating and healthy play is made in such a natural way, it really sticks in the subconscious.

More and more parents are tuning in to health consciousness and demand is steadily increasing for precisely the kind of finely-tuned concept Giggles N’ Hugs represents. As the company moves to franchise out beyond its primary three locations in some of LA’s top shopping centers, a real healthy option when it comes to someplace to take the little ones to eat could soon be coming to towns all across America. Given that the company now offers extremely affordable all-day passes starting at $6 a child and that the locations are always staffed by highly-trained and professional employees who cater to and even dote on the children, Giggles N’ Hugs is the perfect additional venue for any mall or shopping center. Parents can drop the kids off to play and get the shopping done, before returning to have a meal with their young ones and returning home. It’s an appealing offer for busy moms, in particular, and could become a popular nationwide option as the franchise proliferates.

Needless to say, the lease space and conditions the company has access to as a result of its mall-enhancing profile are premium to say the least, and that fact should help to facilitate rapid expansion once the model starts to crop-out beyond LA. As it stands though, the company is already on very solid footing, with its flagship location in Century City’s Westfield Mall, and two other locations at the Glendale Galleria and Westfield Topanga Shopping Center (Woodland Hills), doing exceptionally robust turnover business. This is especially true when it comes to the themed birthday parties that the company goes to great lengths over, with each party being tailored to the individual boy or girl for whom it is thrown. Birthday parties have become a revenue staple for the company and this is a growth market for GIGL, with a best-in-class set of offerings for parents that pack more bang for the buck than any competitor on the market today. And these parties come complete with all the amenities, from gift bags, themed desserts, decorations, and the usual assortment of fun activities, like karaoke, scavenger hunts, or arts and crafts, which are available every day at Giggles N’ Hugs – to costumed staff playing the part of the child’s favorite superhero.

The writing is on the wall when it comes to continued upside for companies that are able to really tap in to the clean food trend and get a stranglehold on the zeitgeist the way GIGL has. Not only has this company essentially created the first organic, upscale casual dining restaurant that is totally comfortable for both under 10’s and their parents, the company is in a prime position to franchise its brand nationwide, and has the industry contacts with the big shopping center owners which are needed to follow through.

This idea and the company itself are still small enough for any investor to put down roots. It is a potential goldmine when you consider we could be looking at the next McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), especially since this is a model you can really feel good about. Pretty safe to say there won’t be any high profile PR disasters for GIGL about food quality to weigh down the share price long-term, either.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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When Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) transitioned from a true R&D company to the only U.S. manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries in just 18 months, you knew it was on to something great. It seems these days that there’s a special kind of energy emitting from the company’s $40 million, 70,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Palm Bay, Florida – and it’s not just coming from its lithium-ion battery cells.

The company’s ‘energy’ production, which is delivered by way of its manufacturing of lithium-ion large format prismatic cells, small format prismatic cells, and battery modules, meets the energy requirements of those who work hard, day in and day out, and choose to spend their coveted rest and relaxation time on golf carts, boats, recreational vehicles and motorcycles. Today, this pipeline comprises sales orders exceeding $20 million and showing no signs of letting up.

OGES is positioned as a leader in the innovation and manufacturing of disruptive energy storage technology for military, civilian and medical uses. The company’s research, development and marketing efforts have brought to market some of the world’s longest-lasting rechargeable power sources, available today by way of a battery life tripling that of its foreign competition.

The company’s mission is to be recognized by its customer base as ‘the premier and most broadly capable battery manufacturing company’. OGES has its intellectual energy focused on building an industrial scale platform to deliver innovation and provide world-class quality, delivery, service, and value through continual improvement in all of its endeavors. Company management seeks to positively impact the community and use its marketing and intellectual know-how to advance growth while simultaneously raising shareholder value.

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. is a development stage company offering energy storage solutions in the United States. Its core products include lithium-ion large format prismatic cells, small format prismatic cells and battery modules. Distribution efforts are accomplished by way of a preliminary sales team. Incorporated in 1986, the company is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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American Pet Products Association (APPA) data forecasts that Americans will spend upwards of $62.75 billion on their pets this year (http://dtn.fm/n76B4), with the supplies segment continuing to rank a close third, just behind veterinary care and food, at around 23.8 percent of the pie. With nearly 163 million cats and dogs alone occupying households and hearts throughout this great country, the consolidative forces within the pet supply industry that sparked merger talks between the two biggest players recently, privately-owned (CVC Capital Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board) PETCO and PetSmart, are quite easy to understand. There is a massive, steadily growing market out there to be tapped and the domestic pet store industry, which has grown to some $18.5 billion in revenues as of this year and which is on track to grow by just over three percent per annum through 2021, has become fiercely contested territory.

The aforementioned merger talks may have collapsed under the pressure of scrutiny from U.S. antitrust regulatory authorities, but that collapse merely set the stage for the $8.7 billion leveraged buyout of PetSmart (again via private equity, this time led by BC Partners). Any savvy investor can smell the opportunity here, especially for what an IBIS World report out earlier this year explained as the hottest segment moving forward: premium products and services. Another recent report, this time by Packaged Facts from late 2015, sees the overall pet industry growing to nearly $92 billion in sales by 2019, and affirms the general consensus about high-income households being a major demographic for pet product brands.

Little surprise then in all of this market momentum that innovative developer of high-quality, super-premium pet toys and accessories, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) has continued to wow investors with its bottom line performance metrics. A combination of ingenious product development/design, guided by a deep management bench of industry veterans, and pitch-perfect product execution when it comes to the interests of its core markets, has collectively buoyed the company’s net income and revenue performance. Amid boisterous consumer activity, as people continue to respond strongly with positive feedback to the company’s newest designs, OPCO’s raw financial performance has climbed to levels surpassing even the company’s own previous YOY records set in Q4 2015 (ended December 31). For Q1 2016 (ended March 31), OPCO posted handsome net revenue gains of 10.3 percent compared to Q1 2015, and a whopping 24.7 percent increase in net income over the same interval.

Primary driving force behind the company’s ever-growing portfolio of lovingly engineered pet products, Dr. Steve Tsengas, was keen to point out the company’s marketing efficacy at the time of the Q1 financials release. Noting in particular how good for business the Q1 kick-off every year of OPCO’s newest offerings was, done via the widely-attended international trade show presented by the APPA and Pet Industry Distributors Association in Orlando, Florida, known as the Global Pet Expo. Dr. Tsengas’s multi-decade quest to bring the power of his vast experience in holistic, integrated and naturopathic health to the development of high-end, signature pet brands, is really starting to pay off for shareholders nowadays. What with the successful introduction this year of the company’s Intelligent Pet Care™ line, featuring BlueTooth® and wireless connectivity, for its SmartScoop® – Intelligent Litter Box, SmartLink™ Feeder – Intelligent Pet Bowl, and SmartLink™ Waterer – Intelligent Water Fountain.

The debut of other products, like the company’s 100% Natural Switchgrass BioChar litter, further enhances its growing brand presence among those key high-income households that every product developer today is trying to court. And OurPet’s Company has a thriving online ecommerce presence, both via its own site and ecommerce giants like Amazon, where the company’s products typically have superb reviews/ratings from customers.

While small physical operators in the industry continue to come under fire from big-box specialty stores, the industry continues to consolidate and more of the retail transactions migrate to digital (with mobile leading the way), a company like OPCO is supremely well-positioned to profit through a tight mix of killer designs that have lasting brand/product appeal. Appeal that is based on robust materials, intelligent engineering, and a deep-seated need to understand the psychology of pets, so that products can be made to enhance the lives of what are for most households just another beloved member of the family.

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

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