Analysis of the overall construction market by Washington, D.C.-based transportation infrastructure investment concern, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), shows a solid rebound in previously declining public construction expenditure starting sometime back in 2013. This looks like a lagging, but mirrored expression of the now sustained 48 percent or greater rebound in the $700 billion private construction market that began back in 2011, with public construction expenditures up over 6.5 percent during 2014 to around $277 billion. The transportation segment was the biggest winner for public construction expenditures at around eight percent growth and ARTBA’s industry forecast for 2015 sees rail as the clear winner moving forward with over 14 percent projected growth, even though it represents only around a third of pavement expenditures (slated to grow 2.2 percent), or two thirds of what is spent on bridges and tunnels (forecast to grow 1.6 percent).

The heavy-civil construction market is particularly interesting here for investors, with substantial ongoing lift and earthmover heavy equipment costs, as well as a difficult-to-navigate world of contract acquisition, creating significant constraints for the big boys, and the smaller, less adroit companies as well. BLS Producer Price Index data analyzed by ARTBA further indicates that concrete and asphalt prices are set to steadily rise moving forward, meaning that maximum profitability will fall to those within the sector who are capable of exploiting connections or in-house sourcing in order to keep margins tight. In such an environment, big name heavy-civil construction operators like California-based Tutor Perini (NYSE: TPC) may increasingly find themselves on a difficult footing when going up against competitors like storied industry giant, Granite Construction (NYSE: GVA), which has at its disposal a sizeable construction materials production segment, in addition to its heavy-civil and other infrastructure operations.

These underlying sector dynamics really throw a bright spotlight on a considerably more share price-accessible company like Sterling Construction Company (NASDAQ: STRL), which has an impressive six decades plus track record of successes executing a wide variety of complex municipal, structural, transportation, water and specialty infrastructure projects via its family of companies. In addition, STRL produces asphalt, as well as aggregates from a quarry the company leases. A solid operational history over so many years in key markets across the U.S. that are noteworthy for their strong infrastructure spending, as well as a superb fleet of modern construction equipment, have helped STRL layer up a consistently expanding project backlog, securing choice contracts ahead of even the company’s larger competitors.

The latest such example was the $14 million award of a project last month by the Hawaii Department of Transportation, following up on a streak of successful smaller safety improvements the company did for HDOT on the King Kamanhameha Highway. This time around, STRL’s Road and Highway Builders subsidiary will be cold milling and paving a ten mile stretch of the highway, in addition to handling the reconstruction of four bridges, and the company expects to kick off the project as early as next quarter. The Kamanhameha contract is just the latest in a nice string of projects the company has landed this year, including the $26.3 million project award in late July from the Harris County Toll Road Authority in Houston, Texas – one of the company’s bedrock states.

There was also the giant $58.8 million Texas Department of Transportation contract from early in July, covering a six lane expansion on over eight miles of Interstate 45, as well as widening of seven existing bridges. Or, the $21.3 million Bailey Road widening project for the Houston suburb of Pearland announced earlier in that same month, secured via the company’s ability to underbid everyone else at the table. For STRL, this is about more than just securing prime contracts in what is a company stronghold, it’s about leveraging the company’s own logistical capacity to create value for its shareholders, laying hands on work that will produce good margins, and whose successful completion will help keep Sterling in the good graces of state and local administrators.

There was little surprise among clued-in analysts when the company beat Q3 estimates handily, delivering a robust set of financials in early November, which showed an adjusted $0.09 earnings per share on the strength of a 10.7 percent year-over-year reduction in the cost of sales. Gross profits were also up markedly for the quarter, showing a 72.6 percent gain to $14.5 million when compared with Q3 FY14’s figures, as well as a 3.8 percent rise in gross margins over the same interval.

For a closer look, visit http://www.strlco.com

Since opening its first location in 2009, Giggles N’ Hugs has leveraged an innovative, award-winning family restaurant concept to promote rapid industry growth. Today, the company owns and operates three locations in and around Los Angeles, and it’s currently working with mall owners to expand this national footprint in the months to come. Last month, GIGL gave prospective shareholders some insight into this process when it revealed negotiations to expand its existing partnership with Westfield Corp. (OTC: WEFIF), one of the largest mall owners and operators in the world, and, potentially, open additional locations in the near future.

“Westfield is thrilled to have Giggles N’ Hugs as a tenant and would like to strengthen our relationship… by having more locations in our shopping centers and airports,” Shannon Westmore, vice president of leasing for Westfield, stated in a news release.

GIGL aims to operate 12 company-owned locations by the end of 2017 while continuing to actively explore franchise opportunities. In addition to expanding its presence in southern California, the company has outlined plans to extend its reach along the West Coast. Earlier this year, GIGL highlighted Seattle and San Francisco as key markets of interest moving forward. The company expects to receive significant discounts from current market rents and attractive tenant allowance on new locations as a result of the early successes of its existing restaurants.

Franchising opportunities could also present GIGL with immense growth potential if and when the company decides to pursue the strategy. In a recent news release, Joey Parsi, founder and chief executive officer of GIGL, stated that the company has received substantial interest from both large multi-unit franchising operators and individual franchisees regarding both domestic and international opportunities. To better assess these opportunities, GIGL expanded its management team to include two executives – John Kaufman and Philip Gay – with extensive experience in the franchising space.

By offering healthy dining options and an exciting atmosphere for families, GIGL is addressing a significant unmet need in the restaurant industry. Look for the company to continue executing on this proven business model as it pursues potentially lucrative expansion opportunities in the form of both company-owned and franchise locations in the coming months.

For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com

Horizon Pharma PLC (NASDAQ: HZNP) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients by identifying, developing, acquiring and commercializing differentiated and accessible medicines that address unmet medical needs. The company’s portfolio includes four commercialized medications for the treatment of arthritis pain and inflammation – including DUEXIS®, PENNSAID®, RAYOS® and VIMOVO® – as well as three additional products targeting rare diseases – including ACTUMMUNE® for the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and severe, malignant osteopetrosis (SMO), as well as BUPHENYL® and RAVICTI® for the treatment of urea cycle disorders (UCDs).

Through these products, Horizon is addressing a collection of promising indications within the biopharmaceutical industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five adults in the United States, more than 50 million people, report having doctor-diagnosed arthritis, and this figure is expected to expand to include an estimated 67 million American adults by 2030. As the nation’s number one cause of disability, arthritis accounts for more than $156 billion in lost wages and medical expenses annually, including nearly a million hospitalizations.

In a recent news release, Horizon highlighted the market potential of its four arthritis medications when it announced that 2015 net sales for the products exceeded $500 million. This performance was a result of Horizon’s total prescription growth, which has increased by 189 percent since January 2014. The company’s four arthritis pain and inflammation products accounted for 1.5 million total prescriptions, but management is optimistic about the prospects for significant future growth. The U.S. NSAID market, in which DUEXIS, VIMOVO and PENNSAID participate, accounts for roughly 117 million prescriptions each year.

“Since our company’s inception, we have built a strong and diverse portfolio of medicines through best-in-class commercial execution and value-enhancing acquisitions that we expect will drive nearly $1 billion in net sales in 2016,” Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Horizon, stated in a news release. “As we look to the future, we believe our long-range plan has the potential to double net sales by 2020, led by our rapidly expanding orphan business.”

By 2020, Horizon expects its orphan business unit to represent approximately 60 percent of total company net sales. In support of this goal, Horizon is currently studying ACTIMMUNE in a phase III clinical trial for Friedreich’s ataxia, an inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system. The company is also preparing to initiate a phase I dosing trial in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for the treatment of various forms of cancer. Based on third quarter 2015 net sales, Horizon forecasts $265 million in annualized U.S. sales for ACTIMMUNE and RAVICTI in 2015.

“We expect to accelerate clinical development of ACTIMMUNE, with a specific focus on Friedreich’s ataxia and cancer,” concluded Walbert.

For prospective shareholders, Horizon’s ongoing progress toward expanding its sales in both its arthritis pain and inflammation products and its orphan disease treatments could foreshadow an opportunity for the company to achieve considerable financial growth in the months to come. Look for Horizon to close in on its 2020 growth goals as it progresses with the clinical development of ACTIMMUNE moving forward.

For more information, visit www.horizonpharma.com

Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIOX) is a trailblazing globalization company focused on delivering industry-leading translation and localization, digital marketing, global content management and application testing services to more than 800 of the world’s top brands – including Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) and Canon (NYSE: CAJ). The company partners with businesses across a multitude of industries in order to reduce the complexities of multilingual content management, boost production efficiencies and effectively engage diverse audiences while simultaneously accelerating global growth.

In July, Lionbridge was named the world’s largest language services company by Common Sense Advisory (CSA), an independent market research firm, for the fourth consecutive year. According to CSA’s report, the market for outsourced language services recently surpassed $38 billion, and sustained growth is expected at a rate of six percent in the coming year. Because language is not a core competency for most organizations, commercial enterprises across a host of industries must outsource language translation in order to effectively communicate with constituents, providing an opportunity for Lionbridge to promote strong financial growth in the years to come.

In the third quarter of 2015, Lionbridge effectively capitalized on current market conditions in order to realize a 15 percent year-over-year increase in total revenues. Among this growth, the company secured several significant new customer engagements, including a Taiwanese manufacturer of smartphones, a large U.S. retailers and a British luxury automobile manufacturer. The diversity of these new customer engagements illustrates the immense market potential of Lionbridge’s translation and content management solutions as globalization continues to take hold in emerging markets around the planet.

The company set the stage for future growth earlier this month when it announced the acquisition of Geotext Translations, Inc., a privately-held provider of legal translation services. Following this acquisition, Lionbridge is in a strong position to address the growing demand for integrated, high-quality legal translation solutions while gaining access to Geotext’s long-standing relationships with clients in the legal industry.

According to a report by IBISWorld, demand for translations services is on the rise as a result of nonnative English speakers coming to the U.S. and domestic businesses taking products overseas. Currently, the four largest players in the industry, of which Lionbridge is one, have a combined market share of less than 20 percent, further demonstrating the company’s favorable prospects for future growth. Look for Lionbridge to continue building on its expansive customer base while benefitting from its newly-added capabilities following the Geotext acquisition in the months to come.

For more information, visit www.lionbridge.com

Lingo Media is, ‘Changing the way the world learns English,’ by blending education and technology together. The company focusses on online and print-based technologies that yield solutions through its business units ELL Technologies and Lingo Learning. ELL Technologies is an international English language multi-media, online training and assessment company that delivers innovative learning platforms. Lingo Learning is a print-based publisher of English language learning programs in China. Lingo Media has developed relationships with government and industry organizations which in turn creates strong positions in the Chinese education market made up of over 300 million learners. LMDCF is expanding its global presence by expanding into Latin America while continuing to grow its product offerings.

The company aims to develop state-of-the-art English language learning opportunities and solutions for students at all stages of their development. From grade school to C-Suite the company uses its proven pedagogy and innovative learning technologies to deliver comprehensive offerings that originate from its core businesses – ELL Technologies and Lingo Learning.

LMDCF’s proprietary learning management system allows it to sell its products to academic institutions, corporations and governments. Teachers that roll the program out can create, convert, edit, and arrange lessons and courses according to their preferences. The company keeps all rights to user generated content to so that it can expand its digital library. LMDCF also uses its assessments and data gathering functionality to improve content and program iterations to address specific problem areas. This in turn makes learning more accessible, streamlined and measurable.

The company is proud of the fact that it has already helped millions learn English. Lingo’s technology – powered by a SAS eLearning platform with more than 2,000 hours of material and thousands of modules, reaches learners of all ages. The company endeavors to change the way our planet learns English,’ and empowers educators by allowing them to transition from traditional classroom paper-intensive teaching to the online world.

For more information, please visit www.lingomedia.com

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Just over two weeks ago, Hemp, Inc. announced the long-awaited legalization of hemp in North Carolina, the home state of its multi-purpose industrial hemp processing facility. In that release, the company outlined plans to support the local agricultural industry while encouraging non-GMO, certified organic hemp production. Yesterday, Hemp, Inc. gave prospective shareholders a preview of the tremendous market potential of this sustainable business model when it announced the execution a definitive agreement to sell its industrial hemp fiber to Hemp Blue, a premium hemp denim apparel brand. Hemp, Inc. is currently in the final stages of preparation at its processing facility, and its hemp processing operations are expected to commence in the second half of 2016.

“This is part of our long-term planning,” Bruce Perlowin, chief executive officer of Hemp, Inc., stated in a news release. “These are the kind of long-term, cutting edge companies that we believe will not only provide substantial revenue to Hemp, Inc., by purchasing our fiber, but also add great value to Hemp, Inc.”

Hemp Blue’s Kickstarter campaign highlights the clothing brand’s ambitious goals, which fall squarely in line with those of Hemp, Inc. Moving forward, the two companies will continue to spread the word about the benefits of hemp and support the rising movement to legalize industrial hemp farming across the country. This eco-friendly message has resonated with Hemp Blue’s target audience, as the brand has already received pledges for over two-thirds of its funding goal on Kickstarter since beginning the campaign earlier this month.

“Hemp Blue represents our fight for the legalization of hemp as a legal resource in the U.S. and the whole world,” Robin Lane, co-founder of Hemp Blue, stated. “We are starting the movement toward a more sustainable future.”

In addition to adding the business as its first customer, Hemp, Inc. also announced that it is currently a shareholder in Hemp Blue. Through this investment, as well as the company’s ongoing retail efforts through Hempify.com, Hemp, Inc. is establishing a formidable strategic foothold in the rapidly expanding retail segment of the industrial hemp market. In 2013, the total retail value of hemp products sold in the U.S. was estimated at $581 million, an increase of 26.5 percent over the previous year, according to the Hemp Industries Association.

As the nationwide hemp movement continues to pick up steam, Hemp, Inc. is set to benefit from the operation of the largest industrial hemp processing facility in North America. For prospective shareholders, the company’s agreement to sell hemp fiber to Hemp Blue could foreshadow an opportunity for Hemp, Inc. to realize significant financial growth in the years to come.

For more information, visit www.hempinc.com

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Avant Diagnostics, a medical technology company, continues its objective of mapping out the entire DNA sequence of a human genome. This development would benefit the entire human population as scientists would be able to treat, prevent, and cure disease. Genome is the genetic material of an organism that consists of DNA and therefore acts as a textbook of how the human body works. Scientists would be able to identify a person’s propensity of disease through testing which would promote early treatment and hopefully a cure.

Leading this innovative company as its president and CEO stands Gregg Lynn. After receiving his Master’s degree in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Pace University-New York City in 1992, he held various Senior Financial Management positions at Fortune 500 companies and also acted as Senior Financial Analyst at Shearson Lehman. During 2001-2007, Lynn held the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at various companies including Red Rock Advisors, LLC. In 2008, he became the president and managing member of Issuers Capital Advisors, LLC. Then in 2012, Lynn became the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Avant Diagnostics which led to his current position. His successful resume speaks for itself of his qualifications and promising future with Avant Diagnostics.

For the science and technology aspect of the company there is the Scientific Advisory Board where Robert Bowser, PhD sits. The Neurology and Neurobiology professor studies the causes and potential treatments for ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and more at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He’s received various federal grants and U.S. patents while lecturing extensively all over the world. Holding a graduate degree from Yale, Bowser boasts a 17-year faculty position at the University of Pittsburgh before starting at the institute. He’s also the founder of Knopp Biosciences, LLC and Iron Horse Diagnostics. Bowser’s expertise lends itself to the company’s scientific breakthroughs in medicine.

The notable leadership at Avant Diagnostics should enable the success of its scientific developments in disease prevention and treatment. Currently, the company’s OvaDx® Pre-Symptomatic Ovarian Cancer Screening Test is at the forefront of Ovarian Cancer detection. The company aims to have this product available for commercialization after FDA approval.

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

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As a cutting-edge energy storage solutions company, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions is engaged in the design, development and manufacture of high-quality cells, batteries and power systems. It may not sound exciting or “sexy,” but if there’s any reason to get excited about battery technologies, it’s what Oakridge is doing to stir up the market.

For starters, Oakridge’s product line is “Made in the USA” – a federally regulated claim that boasts of patriotism and the creation of domestic jobs. In October, Oakridge announced that the ongoing expansion of its facilities and operations would create 1,000 new jobs in the company’s home state of Florida.

Part of this three-year growth plan included a recent upgrade from the company’s 12,500-square-foot facility to a 68,718-square-foot corporate headquarters and manufacturing center in Palm Bay. Florida Governor Rick Scott, along with several local dignitaries and business entrepreneurs, celebrated the company’s progress with a major press conference at the new headquarters and acknowledged its impact on the local community with the “Governor’s Business Ambassador” medal.

If that doesn’t heat up your pipes, consider that Oakridge’s solutions are optimized to address three high-demand target markets: stationary and grid storage; motive applications, such as electric and hybrid electric fleet vehicles; and specialty applications, such as military, aerospace, marine, medical and telecom backup.

From golf carts, drones and medical uses to underwater and space applications for the consumer, government, industrial and military industries, Oakridge’s products cover the gamut of power solutions:

• Patriot Series – this small format lithium ion battery was designed with RC hobbyists and portable medical devices in mind. This series will provide on-the-go users with a more powerful, longer lasting charge in a more convenient size for travel and storage.

• Pro Series – Oakridge’s lithium ion golf cart battery systems are among the best in the industry – long-lasting and good for over 2,000 cycles, these high energy, high performance batteries will travel up to 60 miles on a single charge and feature smart charging technology and management interface tools.

• Liberty Series – batteries designed for everyday use in vehicles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, boats, jet skis, snowmobiles and more.

• The Freedom Series of Living Space Power Storage Units – powered by hi-tech lithium-ion batteries, this is one Oakridge’s the newest lines currently the product pipeline and undergoing review for commercial production.

Oakridge also maintains an international presence through its recently formed subsidiary, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions Limited, Hong Kong. This subsidiary will serve as the foundation for Oakridge’s sales efforts throughout the Asia-Pacific region, addressing tremendous international demand for its revolutionary stored energy solutions. The company also maintains a substantial interest in Leclanche S.A., a Swiss developer and manufacturer of large-sized lithium-ion batteries that was originally founded in 1909.

Leaning on the expertise of its proven management team – which includes more than 100 years of combined industry experience – Oakridge is heating up the lithium-battery market with its technologies, and plans to take its share of the $12 billion domestic battery manufacturing industry while extending its market reach in the global lithium-ion batteries market, which is expected to tip the scales at $70 billion by 2020.

If you need a little more stimulation, check out the company’s corporate videos at http://oakg.net/oakgvideo.html. For more information visit www.oakg.net

The growing amount of unused rewards cards in consumer wallets might cause hesitance when approached by more businesses-seeking new members. However, Latitude 360, Inc., an operator and developer of multi-dimensional dining venues, offers membership programs that provide faithful patrons with an array of benefits that keep them coming back. For those even casually interested, the free Latitude 360 VIP Rewards card accumulates points for each purchase, eventually totaling in amounts for free entertainment like the comedy club, dine-in movies or luxury bowling.

Helping to solidify customer relationships, the company also offers two club membership cards that have even more bonuses. Patrons who purchase the Blue Membership pay $25 a month and automatically receive double the points on every purchase. Plus, they get two comedy show tickets along with unlimited movies at the popular Cinegrille and a $25 game card to the venue’s arcade. Blue members even get free luxury bowling during the week one hour at a time. All of this comes with a personal concierge to help coordinate these fun activities and carries a monthly value of more than $200.

With the second option, the Black Membership, regulars get triple the points on every purchase. They also get 4 free comedy tickets with unlimited movie tickets through the week. Then they have 8 movie tickets for the weekends with two-free hours of luxury bowling any time. This membership also provides a personal concierge. These memberships not only work at Latitude 360 venues, but also at local businesses around their three locations. Members can get local discounts at places like LA Fitness in Jacksonville, Eden’s Market in Pittsburgh, and A Touch of Zen in Indianapolis.

Since customer loyalty is extremely valuable for businesses, issuing member-only incentives may create a lasting relationship between client and company. With so many member benefits, Latitude 360 Inc. can expect returning customers while attracting potential clients for more business.

For more information on Latitude 360 Inc., please visit www.latitude360.com

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IEG Holdings Corp. provides online unsecured consumer loans under the brand name ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ in 16 states across the country. IEGH is currently implementing an aggressive growth strategy designed to increase its coverage of the U.S. population, and it expects to obtain nine additional online state licenses by early 2016. If successful, this expansion would increase IEGH’s coverage to include roughly 80 percent of U.S. markets.

Earlier this month, IEGH gave prospective investors a preview of its growth potential when it announced that the cumulative loan volume of ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ had surpassed $10 million. According to a news release, the company is utilizing low acquisition cost lead sources and national expansion in order to build on its recent market progress and maximize financial growth. Since July 2015, IEGH has successfully added consumer loans in California, Alabama and Louisiana to its existing national footprint.

Along with its ongoing national expansion, IEGH is achieving strong financial growth. In the third quarter of 2015, IEGH realized a 272 percent year-over-year increase in total revenues, recording $539,867 for the period. As the company continues to drive loan volume growth, it’s in a strong position to build on this financial performance. When combined with its increase in net assets, which now stand at approximately $8.3 million, IEGH is rapidly emerging as a company to watch throughout the investment community, and current market conditions seem to set the stage for sustainable growth in the months to come.

According to a report by First Research, the consumer lending industry – led by major players such as Cash America (NYSE: CSH), EZCORP (NASDAQ: EZPW) and Springleaf Holdings (NYSE: LEAF) – currently accounts for combined annual revenue of about $35 billion. The report also indicates that smaller companies, such as IEGH, can compete effectively by targeting favorable locations and niche markets.

Moving forward, IEGH will lean on the considerable industry experience of its management team in order to continue expanding its foothold in the consumer lending industry. The company’s founder and chief executive officer, Paul Mathieson, previously built a business in Australia that lent approximately $48 million to over 11,500 customers before he relocated to the U.S. in 2008. Look for IEGH to benefit from this industry knowledge as it continues to implement an aggressive growth strategy under the ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ brand.

For more information, visit www.investmentevolution.com