Thanks to Business Insider (http://nnw.fm/HHE8i), we now know where U.S. travelers went for holidays this summer. It may have been the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which ended on August 21. Although a scoop in USA Today (http://nnw.fm/sRW9w) claims that just 100,000 Americans attended the Games, down from the anticipated 200,000, stemming from fears of contracting the Zika virus. Well aware of these concerns, Brazil scrapped visa requirements for those holding American passports. From June 1 to September 18, Americans are able to save the hassle and the $160 fee to enjoy a samba summer. The Games may be over, but for a post-Olympic trip to Brazil or some other exotic destination, the adventurer can visit NextTrip, the online alternative lodging and travel platform from Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI).

The Business Insider feature identifies the usual suspects. At number 10 is Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Mexico, which holds two places on the list, has been a perennial favorite for many years. A Pew Research survey in 2007 discovered that Mexico was the most popular vacation getaway for Americans, with an estimated 5.8 million holidaymakers traveling there each year. The city of love, Paris, is number nine, followed by Destin, Florida, at number eight. Located on Florida’s Emerald Coast on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, Destin has developed from a fishing village into a popular tourist destination because of its many beautiful beaches.

At number seven on Business Insider’s list is the city whose streets, Dick Whittington thought, were paved with gold. Whittington journeyed to London with his cat and later became Lord Mayor of the city. There are no extant records of how his cat fared.

The Big Apple (New York City) comes in at number six, while Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is at number five. Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic takes fourth place. Punta Cana is at the easternmost tip of Hispaniola, the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Its 20 miles of beaches with clear water form the Dominican Republic’s La Costa del Coco (Coconut Coast).

Orlando, Florida, is third. Cancun, Mexico, is at number two. Finally, first place goes to Las Vegas, Nevada, known to be the city where ‘What Happens Here Stays Here’.

Now, through Monaker’s comprehensive booking platform, NextTrip, the traveler looking for that extraordinary experience can visit any or all of these colorful locales. However, NextTrip won’t just get him or her there. Through it, travelers can book a hotel room or inhabit what CEO Bill Kerby has described as ‘the hottest space in travel… alternative lodging’. Alternative lodging rentals (ALRs) are whole unit vacation homes or timeshare resort units that are fully furnished, privately owned residential properties, including houses, condominiums, villas and cabins, that property owners and managers rent to the public on a nightly, weekly or monthly basis. ALR listings have multiplied in recent times, with an astonishing diversity that illustrates the economic potential of the space.

A feature in USA Today (http://nnw.fm/AZm9a) tells the story of the most popular alternative lodgings based on images that users of Pinterest have uploaded. The top five list includes a two-bedroom loft in Rome, Italy. There is, also, a one-bedroom house in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, and a two-bedroom rental in Tokyo. Then, there is a two-bedroom house in Tepoztlán, Mexico, and a charming one-bedroom Airstream trailer in Wimberley, Texas, all of which promise to be more singular than staying in a characterless hotel room.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

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IEG Holdings Corp. (OTCQX: IEGH) is a provider of unsecured consumer loans in 17 U.S. states through its state licensed operating subsidiary, Investment Evolution Corporation, under the consumer brand ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’. In recent months, IEGH has successfully leveraged the increasing marketability of its consumer brand to promote tremendous growth, achieving a record high in monthly loan volume of $1.13 million in May before announcing a record high in daily loan volume of $150,000 in early June. In July, the company built on this progress, surpassing $13 million in cumulative loan volume. This milestone marked an increase of 140 percent from January 2015, which IEGH’s management attributed to growing recognition of the ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ brand, low cost lead sources and continued state license expansion.

After announcing second quarter fiscal results that included a 19 percent year-over-year increase in revenue to a record high of $535,356, IEGH gave prospective shareholders some additional insight into the company’s growth strategy for the coming months. IEGH’s management team aims to expand the ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ brand into 25 U.S. states during 2016, bringing total nationwide coverage to approximately 240 million people, or about 75 percent of the population. To strengthen its cash position ahead of this growth initiative, the company is currently in the midst of a $95.32 million rights offering to its shareholders of record, with plans to use the proceeds stemming from the offering to fund new loan originations and general corporate expenditures. The subscription period related to this offering is underway and set to end on August 29.

Looking ahead, IEGH’s management team expects loan volumes to continue to rise as a result of tightening regulations on the P2P lending sector. Paul Mathieson, chief executive officer of IEGH, reaffirmed this outlook in a recent news release.

“Management believes the substantially increased regulatory and financing scrutiny on the P2P lending sector is a significant positive going forward for the Mr. Amazing Loans business,” he stated. “IEGH is not a P2P lender, however, we expect some of the P2P players will implode, leading to less overall consumer loan provider competition. We anticipate that this will result in cheaper customer acquisition costs for online, state regulated, balance sheet lenders with strong underwriting standards such as IEGH.”

In June 2016, the New York Department of Financial Services issued warning letters to 28 P2P lending agencies as part of an ongoing investigation into the potential adoption of additional regulation measures. The correspondence demanded ‘immediate compliance’ with the state’s licensing requirements for debt collection, transmitting money and mortgage lending activity. This investigation follows a 2008 decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission that required P2P lenders to register their offerings as securities, pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933. The result was the introduction of an arduous registration process to the P2P sector that led a number of lenders to exit the U.S. market. Notably, New York is one of the eight states being targeted by IEGH for expansion in 2016.

For more information, visit www.InvestmentEvolution.com

There is no doubt that Star Mountain Resources, Inc.’s (OTC: SMRS) stock is rising. The recent Industry Guide 7 Report (IG7 Report) prepared according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rubric paints a rosy picture of the Tempe, Arizona-based junior exploration and mining company’s prospects in the zinc market. The report showed that Star Mountain’s Balmat Mine in St. Lawrence County, New York, has proven and probable reserves of 585,000 tons of 9.2 percent grade zinc that could generate $80.8 million in revenue over the first 2.5 years of operation. Star Mountain acquired the Balmat mine in November 2015 and since then has been gearing up to resume production. There couldn’t be a better time. Supplies are falling and zinc prices are rising.

Data provided by the London Metal Exchange (LME) illustrate this year’s market trends for refined zinc. Stocks registered with the LME have been falling steadily since the start of this year. On January 5, 2016, the LME reported opening stocks of refined zinc of 460,475 tonnes. By the end of May 2016, those stocks had fallen by 17 percent to 380,450 tonnes. During this five-month period, price and stock changes were inversely correlated, as might be expected, with prices falling if stocks rose and prices rising as stocks fell. Prices appreciated by 23 percent, rising from USD 1,547.00 per tonne to USD 1,906.00 per tonne.

However, the opening stock figures reported by the LME have been increasing since the end of May, albeit not continuously. From 380,450 tonnes at the end of May 2016, they rose to 442,700 tonnes at the end of June 2016, fell to 431,200 tonnes by the end of July 2016 and rose again to 455,875 tonnes on Friday, August 19, 2016. Registered opening stocks of refined zinc have climbed by almost 20 percent since the end of May, yet prices have kept on rising. There’s obviously more to this than meets the LME eye.

There is some suggestion, judging from International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) reports, that global zinc inventory includes metal in government coffers, such as the State Reserves Bureau (SRB) of China, and stocks held by producers and speculators as well as exchange-registered tonnage. Consequently, delivery to the ‘official’ market may cause disturbing shocks.

A Reuters report (http://nnw.fm/LiDh2) details the sudden arrival, in the third quarter of last year, of ‘250,000 tonnes of zinc… delivered onto LME warrant, just about all of it at New Orleans’. A similar event occurred in February 2016, ‘when 50,000 tonnes hit the exchange’s warehouse system, although New Orleans only accounted for 8,725 tonnes, the rest arriving at the Malaysian ports of Port Klang and Johor’ . A warrant is a document of possession, issued by the warehouse company, for each lot of LME-approved metal held within an LME-approved facility. Warrants are used as the means of delivering metal under LME contracts.

Zinc, it seems, is beginning to materialize from thin air.

All of this indicates how rosy Star Mountain’s fortunes are with its Balmat mine. The mine, which has produced over 30 million tons of zinc so far, commenced operations in 1930 and produced continually until 2001 when zinc prices fell. Operations started again for about two years, from 2006 to 2008, when falling prices again caused a halt. Star Mountain also possesses an interest in the Star Mountain/Chopar project with 116 lode-mining claims and four metalliferous mineral leases, which cover 3,730 acres located in the Star mountain range of the Star mining district in Beaver County, Utah, and the Ogden Bay Minerals project located in West Ogden, Utah.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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The U.S. cannabis industry is booming, with Nevada being one of the country’s most important markets as a proposal to legalize the use of recreational marijuana in the state is expected to pass by a landslide in November. Nevada has already approved the use of medical cannabis in 2000, and the November 8 vote is seen as an opportunity for the state to possibly replace Colorado as the country’s main marijuana tourism destination and maybe even join global destinations for cannabis such as Amsterdam.

A significant part of the industry and arguably the most attractive is cannabis testing services, estimated to generate up to one billion dollars of the overall $35 billion the industry is expected to generate by 2020. Testing services are crucial for the industry’s development, especially on newer, self-regulated markets such as Nevada. Capitalizing on these trends, DigiPath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP), via its cannabis testing service DigiPath Labs™, has its foot set firmly in the Nevadan market, after opening a state-of-the-art testing facility in Las Vegas and already securing contracts with a great number of the state’s licensed cultivators.

In August alone, the company announced new service agreements with three leading cultivators located in the Las Vegas area: The Clinic Nevada LLC, Green Extracts – a Moxie Seeds & Extracts licensee, and Vegas Valley Growers. Based in Las Vegas, The Clinic has numerous cultivation and retail locations in Colorado and Illinois and, according to COO Jon Marshall, it chose DigiPath Labs as its cannabis testing provider because the service has ‘gone above and beyond’ in delivering reliable results with a quick turnaround. Moxie Seeds & Extracts is one of the foremost producers of cannabis extracts, manufacturing a wide range of extracts including hashes, oils, tinctures, and seeds for various cannabis strains. Moxie picked DigiPath Labs as a testing service for its licensee Green Therapeutics after being impressed by the quick 48-hour turnaround, its impressive staff of scientists and superior customer service. Similar words of appreciation for DigiPath Labs’ turnaround time, customer service and science staff came from Vegas Valley Growers COO Marla Wilson. Vegas Valley Growers is the exclusive licensee in Nevada of Bhang Corporation, a leading U.S. manufacturer of cannabis infused products, such as chocolate, as well as various types of cannabis vaporizers and refills.

The new deals will help DigiPath consolidate its position on the Nevadan market, where it aims to become the leading provider of cannabis analytic testing and set the industry standard for cannabis and cannabis-based product testing, using both proprietary operating procedures and FDA-compliant lab equipment. The company offers the fastest testing turnaround on the market – 48 hours to analyze test samples and return the results, with the help of ultra-sensitive analytical equipment produced by top diagnostics instrumentation manufacturer Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A). Under the management of Dr. Cindy Orser, a reputable biotech and diagnostic industry pioneer, the Las Vegas testing facility’s main goals are to enable manufacturers to offer safe products, free of contaminants, and to provide detailed cannabinoid profiles for cannabis-based medicine so as to allow patients to benefit from the right product for their needs.

For more information, visit www.DigiPath.com

A recent report (http://nnw.fm/K8iRV) on the global Healthcare IT (HIT) market from Technavio projects an attractive seven percent CAGR for the space over the next four years, when the U.S. sector alone will generate upwards of $75 billion annually. The analysts at MarketsandMarkets affirmed this outlook in their report on the sector late last year (http://nnw.fm/UO9j8), projecting that the global healthcare IT market will see a CAGR nearly twice the Technavio figure when all sources are accounted for, coming to represent a total market valued at somewhere in the neighborhood of $228 billion by 2020.

The biggest names in the industry today are looking to capitalize on this growth, with players such as Athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN), Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX), GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE), Mckesson (NYSE: MCK), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), Philips Healthcare (NYSE: PHG), and Siemens Healthcare (OTC: SIEGY) all making sizable bets on the future of the space. Another important aspect of this growth story is the proliferation of mobile devices, as the EHR (electronic health records) landscape becomes increasingly saturated with mHealth features like mobile apps and digital personal health records. Consider the installed base of some 2.6 billion smartphone users worldwide (http://nnw.fm/xtM0G), a figure set to grow 134 percent by 2020, and you can start to understand why the mobile medical workplace is perhaps a foregone conclusion. North America, as the currently (and for the foreseeable future) largest regional segment of the HIT space, is no doubt where the majority of the global market’s action will be. So it makes sense to start looking at competent, multiple-threat operators in the healthcare IT market that are accessible to the average retail investor, and which have an established footprint in the states.

Trading under a dollar, with a rapidly growing portfolio of products and service offerings, Medical Transcription Billing (NASDAQ: MTBC) (NASDAQ: MTBCP) for instance has made some impressive headway in this sector since its IPO in 2014. The company has rapidly blossomed into one of the most compelling full-spectrum, cloud-based EHR (ChartsPro™), practice management (PracticePro™) and mHealth solutions providers around. MTBC packs a powerful one-two punch of products and services that collectively constitute a unified, database-driven and fully integrated WebEHR platform, spanning everything from billing, data management, transcription, chat scribing, and business intelligence, to value-added and consultancy services. This is exactly the kind of one-stop-shop healthcare customers in this market are looking for.

Founder, chairman and CEO Mahmud Haq, as well as president and Director Stephen Snyder and CFO Bill Korn, made quite a showing at the 2016 Marcum MicroCap Conference (http://nnw.fm/Tu5j4) back in June, just before the launch of the company’s hospital receivables management service via acquisition of New Jersey healthcare financial specialists WFS Services. The WFS Services acquisition superbly augmented the company’s already strong position in ambulatory (outpatient) services and enables MTBC to aggress the huge opportunity of underserved demand in patient balance collection and aged insurance accounts receivable. By exploiting its unique technological advantages and vast sums of expertise in order to serve the ominously compounding need for solutions to the nuanced and often arduously difficult challenges of collection and aged insurance accounts receivable, MTBC is setting itself up for long-term growth.

The company has had a laser-focus on strategic growth toward its 2016 objectives, scoring a spate of notably appropriate recent acquisitions, including Renaissance Physician Services (Tennessee), Gulf Coast Billing (Texas), and the WFS Services deal. And yet MTBC managed to wrap up Q2 with $6.6 million in cash on the balance sheet. This an extraordinarily visionary approach to this space for a relatively young company like Medical Transcription Billing, but management can read the handwriting on the wall: the healthcare IT market is only going to get hotter. Strengthening its already enviable position in the sector through shrewd acquisition is how the company set a new milestone for revenue growth from Q1 to Q2 this year, and the company hopes to continue this trajectory on the strength of things such as having already developed a comprehensive ICD-9 to ICD-10 mapping and transitioning solution.

And it is not just the increasing complexity of the space that will allow full-spectrum operators like MTBC to prosper amid all this demand growth. As new systems must be rapidly defined and rolled out to handle an ever more stringent regulatory environment, mounting demand for knowledgeable consultancy and expert services will likely continue to increase at a geometric rate. Medical Transcription Billing will prosper because its suite of offerings is able to deliver considerably enhanced efficiency and profitability metrics, something which is of paramount concern to everyone in the industry, as there exists a pressing requirement to bring down overall healthcare costs.

A set of common drivers behind all this demand growth are made strikingly clear in both of the aforementioned reports. Chief among these drivers is the rise-and-rise of EHR (electronic health records) solutions in general, spurred on by a concomitance of actors, such as the prevailing lack of in-house IT capabilities among most sector operators, the ease/robustness of cloud services, and the inherently complex regulatory environment that just gets more nebulous with each passing year. The MarketsandMarkets and Technavio reports mentioned earlier were both keen to acknowledge how everything in the industry is shifting toward external cloud and SaaS (software as a service) solutions. One of the fastest growing segments of the HIT market is healthcare provider solutions, where a projected 16.4 percent CAGR (MarketsandMarkets) shows just how hot the game truly is when it comes to solving the regulatory compliance/assurance woes that face today’s healthcare providers.

This is an area where something like MTBC’s fully integrated Meaningful Use Stage 2-certified and web-based EHR platform ChartsPro really shines. ChartsPro gives a practice everything required to easily execute a Meaningful Use Stage 2 implementation, including the necessary training, and the company even provides an MU expert to each of its clients as part of its regulatory compliance services package. Ranked among the best of the best by Utah-based health informatics research outfit and industry benchmark KLAS, and certified by the ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology), ChartsPro can handle all the critical functions of a medical practice and is just the kind of highly intuitive, yet powerful framework that the clinical solutions segment of the healthcare IT market now demands. Notably, this segment has a projected 19.8 percent CAGR through 2020.

Whether it’s chart creation backed up by the company’s digital transcription technology, ChartScribe (a digital audio dictation to complete charts solution which is fully integrated into the ChartsPro architecture), or a host of other mission critical tasks, the web native ChartsPro platform is ideal for an increasingly work-anywhere digital environment full of tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Correct and timely patient charts are essential at every practice and ChartsPro handles this key task beautifully, while delivering similarly excellent results when it comes to things like document management, claim creation, e-prescription, lab test ordering, PHR handling and scheduling.

The consistently emerging PM (precision medicine) model of healthcare, which is reinforced by a similarly emergent technical foundation and the need for tailored medicine in areas like cancer, will continue to be a substantial driver both for the HIT space, and for MTBC itself. This single market alone will likely grow to nearly $88 billion by 2023 according to a report by Global Market Insights (http://nnw.fm/Rb3vb), with factors such as genome sequencing ($8 billion last year), and new drug discovery playing major roles. The White House has dedicated $55 million toward a new PM initiative, the industry has responded, and now it will be up to operators in the healthcare IT sector to pick up the ball and run with it. The explosion of diagnostics alone could send a multiple-threat WebEHR outfit like MTBC into the stratosphere. It should be interesting to see how things shake out for this aggressive young cloud-savvy player.

For more information, visit www.MTBC.com

In recent months, the economy has seen a downturn in energy prices. With some energy companies filing bankruptcy, Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE MKT: LEI) has not only survived the recent downturn but positioned itself perfectly to benefit from the current market environment. Furthermore, the company plans to expand on its current national footprint.

Lucas Energy, Inc. is a growth-oriented, independent oil and gas company based in Houston. LEI has working interests in over 10,000 net acres in South Texas with reserves valued at approximately $112 million, as well as other reserves estimated to be worth $60 million. All of the company’s acreage is located in the Eagle Ford shale and the Austin Chalk producing formations.

In 2012, LEI appointed a new management team with a vast amount of experience that positioned the company for growth and opportunity. Since the appointment of this new expert team, the company has reduced overhead, improved balance sheets, made field operations more efficient, and resolved legacy legal issues.

Today, the company’s main goal is to develop its most valuable asset in the Eagle Ford shale. The aim is to increase production and generate positive cash flow. As part of these efforts, the company made public a purchase agreement to acquire a working interest in producing properties in the Mid-Continent region. This acquisition will play a key role in the growth strategy of the company.

With this transaction, the company aims to produce more energy on a daily basis. These changes have led Lucas Energy, Inc. to plan a name change to Camber Energy in the near future, a name that LEI believes is better suited to the vision of the company. Although the oil and gas industry has not been as strong in recent times, LEI has put together a three pronged strategy. This includes developing its current assets, capitalizing on the down cycle, and pursuing further material acquisitions.

For more information, visit www.LucasEnergy.com

The real estate industry is changing fast, with technology and enhanced interconnectivity set to mark a significant shift in the sector and alter realty professions significantly. Several industry-related jobs, most notably real estate brokers and sales agents, are actually likely to disappear and be replaced with artificial intelligence computer algorithms in the near future, according to Oxford University research (http://nnw.fm/k8ZZZ).

The question that naturally arises is how these jobs will transform if they are to remain relevant and still present on a fast-changing, dynamic market such as the real estate industry. How will the real estate broker’s role change to meet the demands of an industry governed by technological advances, where virtual communication or virtual modelling are changing the rules of the game and challenging the traditional way of doing business?

eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) and its rather unique real estate brokerage division, eXp Realty LLC, might hold the answer to that question. With eXp Realty, The Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™, eXp World Holdings has tried and succeeded to stay ahead of the curve and create an innovative model of real estate brokerage that relies heavily on Internet and cloud technologies to build a strong online community of professionals and provide efficient services to consumers.

The concept at the base of eXp Realty is a cloud office environment, which offers its members, brokers and agents nonstop access to collaborative tools and systems, training features and socialization avenues so as to build a tight-knit community of real estate professionals that can share their experiences, strategize and innovate together.

This business model eliminates the traditional brick and mortar office, allowing brokers and agents to increase their profits, lower overhead and risk and provide a more effective service to consumers. In addition, eXp Realty’s platform offers members the opportunity to earn equity in exchange for their contribution to company growth. Brokers and agents also benefit from an innovative revenue sharing program that allows them to win a percentage of the commissions earned by other brokers they recruit into the company.

So far, it looks like this model is definitely paying off, as eXp World Holdings reported record revenue for the second quarter of 2016. The company reported revenues of $13,282,028 for Q2 2016, which is up a whopping 137% from $5,584,963 in Q2 2015. On June 30, 2016, eXp World Holdings had 207% more cash and cash equivalents than the same time last year, while its real estate division’s agent count was up 111% year-over-year to more than 1,400 agents.

These remarkable financial results were driven by EXPI’s realty division, particularly by its increased sales volume and growing agent base, according to the company’s CEO Glenn Sanford.

The realty division was also the driving force behind the company’s record figures last year, and the trend is likely to endure as eXp Realty continues to expand in terms of both sales agent base and coverage. It should be noted that since the end of the reporting period on June 30, eXp Realty has grown to more than 1,500 real estate professionals across 41 states, the District of Columbia and Alberta, Canada.

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

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In November 2015, 3Pea International (OTCQB: TPNL) showed promising results and potential for growth, as highlighted in an article published by Seeking Alpha, titled ‘3Pea International: A Rare Find Given The Deep Undervaluation And Potential For Further Top/Bottom Line Growth’ (http://nnw.fm/m7wgX). TPNL is an organization offering prepaid debit card payment programs and other processing services. The company offers its services for corporate, consumer, and government applications through its PaySign® brand. TPNL’s customers include Fortune 500 companies, large multinationals, prestigious universities, and social media firms.

The article summarizes the company as “stronger” and breaking into “a huge market that can cushion the seasonal lumpiness of revenues.” According to the article, the company’s revenues had increased, debts were low, and free cash flow was high. In addition, TPNL has broken into the automotive industry, an industry that should help provide the company with regular revenue.

The company offers a range of services pertaining to customer loyalty through incentive and rewards programs. These come in the form of PaySign cards with the aim of motivating and rewarding employees, fulfilling customer rebates, incentivizing channel partners, monitoring corporate spending, and offering automotive incentives.

But TPNL goes beyond this. The company has revolutionized product sample distribution and co-payment assistance for the pharmaceutical industry by introducing its prepaid solutions to increase new patient acquisition, retention, and adherence. The PaySign payment option also offers blood and plasma collection organizations a comprehensive solution that increases donor acquisition and retention.

Other industries served by TPNL include the legal and insurance industries, federal and local governments, educational institutions, and various public sector organizations. 3Pea International offers solutions for both businesses and freelancers to connect and collaborate remotely. TPNL believes in meeting the highest standards of corporate governance while adhering to changing regulations and best practices.

For more information, visit www.3pea.com

Laguna Blends, Inc. (CSE: LAG) (OTC: LAGBF) (FRANKFURT: LB6A.F) has seen a promising start to 2016. It started with the announcement of a partnership with Naturally Splendid (“NSE”) to do the research and development on all the Pro369 flavors. This was shortly followed by the potential introduction of CBD skin care products into the company’s line of merchandise.

A few months later, Laguna made public its affiliate benefits program, with two new competitions that involve giving away three 2017 Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) S’s and a luxurious Las Vegas Getaway. In addition, the company renewed Canadian Football League All Star Emmanuel Arceneaux as its brand ambassador. To top off this successful start to the year, the company announced that it generated $105,000 in unaudited sales in just 11 weeks following the launch of its affiliate marketing network.

Another change was the introduction of a new president: Ray Grimm Jr. Laguna also recently added another valuable member to its team. At the beginning of August, Laguna Blends made public the appointment of Bryan Loree as chief financial officer, corporate secretary, and a new member of its board of directors.

Loree will be replacing two members of staff: Stuart Gray, acting chief financial officer, and Negar Adam, corporate secretary and director. Loree has over 10 years of experience in the accounting, financing, and management fields. However, Laguna’s August news did not stop there. The next day, the company acquired exclusive distribution rights for Swiss-made CBD skin care products. Although the foundations were in place for Laguna to be tapping into the skincare market, this had not been fully confirmed. Laguna has now entered into an agreement with ISO International, LLC, through which it has acquired the exclusive rights to market, promote, and distribute seven different cannabidiol (CBD) products, produced by Cannaceuticals of California. The CBD products will be incorporated into Laguna’s established affiliate marketing network.

Last but not least for the month of August, Naturally Splendid gave a public update on Laguna Blends’ Pro369 hemp protein growth and pro athlete brand strategy. Laguna and NSE previously entered into a manufacturing agreement for Pro369 after Laguna declared that it had beaten its sales projections for the first 11 weeks of sales. Today, Laguna is negotiating with a collection of professional athletes in the U.S. and Canada who see the benefits of hemp protein.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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With over 29 million Americans living with diabetes, and more than 86 million with prediabetes, this disease is the seventh leading cause of death and swallows approximately 20% of nationwide healthcare spending, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics (http://nnw.fm/uUEx3). Healthcare officials, patients and doctors alike are always actively searching for new therapies or innovative yet affordable treatments to combat this disease.

This is where leading biopharmaceutical company MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD) and its groundbreaking inhalable insulin product Afrezza® come in. Touted as the first successful insulin inhaler on the U.S. market, Afrezza is a fast-acting inhalable insulin powder designed to be used in conjunction with regular type 1 and 2 diabetes treatments to help lower post-meal blood sugar spikes.

Beginning in July, MannKind relaunched Afrezza Inhalation Powder on the domestic market under its own branding, and the treatment is now available with major wholesalers, as well as by prescription in any retail pharmacy.

Leveraging its two-year experience in patient selection and copayment, the company has also announced several programs to promote patients’ access to Afrezza therapy. These include:

• Enhanced copay assistance designed to lower insured patients’ out-of-pocket cost to $15 per month
• Patient reimbursement support program, MannKind Cares
• Bureau to educate and inform healthcare providers about the benefits of Afrezza
• New titration pack that allows patients new to Afrezza more flexibility in adjusting their daily dosage

The new programs will join MannKind’s national salesforce, all of whom have extensive experience with diabetes and Afrezza, in its efforts to help enhance and streamline patients’ and providers’ experience with this key therapy. The company is committed to ensuring the treatment remains available to all diabetes patients in the U.S., without any disruption in supply.

The July relaunch came after the company released six more analyses of the pre-meal treatment, demonstrating a faster onset and shorter duration of action than with mealtime fast-acting insulin treatments. The findings, presented at the 76th scientific session of the American Diabetes Association, show that, compared to Eli Lilly and Company’s (NYSE: LLY) insulin lispro injection, Afrezza has a 50% faster onset and a 2-3-hour shorter duration of action.

The data supports the use of this therapy for rapidly controlling high glucose levels, according to the chief medical officer of MannKind, Raymond W. Urbanski, MD, PhD. Unlike injectable insulin, which risks causing hypoglycemia after a meal if dosed incorrectly, Afrezza works in the body more rapidly and leaves the bloodstream faster, offering an ideal balance between glucose control and a lower risk of hypoglycemia.

To find out more about MannKind Corp. and its innovative Afrezza Inhalation Powder insulin, visit www.MannkindCorp.com