Gas flaring is a fairly efficient method of burning impurities found in raw natural gas and carbon dioxide, but without the proper equipment in place, much of the wasted fossil fuel is expelled directly into the atmosphere – resulting in billions of wasted dollars and detriment to the surrounding environment.

The National Oceanic Administration Association (NOAA) estimates that gas flares pump 400 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere worldwide each year, adversely impacting local populations of human and wildlife, and often resulting in loss of livelihood and severe health issues.

For Houston-based Well Power, Inc., the environmental and economic obstacles are more of an opportunity than a problem. Through a strategic licensing agreement, Well Power has the rights to Texas, along with the first right of refusal on the other U.S. states, to a new technology solution designed to process waste natural gas into “clean power” and engineered fuels. Based on proprietary technology, these Micro Refinery Units (MRU) are mobile, high-yield and can be deployed with minimum capital expenditure.

The MRUs, currently in development, will provide the opportunity to turn a wasted resource into a product of value while at the same time enabling wider access to energy, improved environmental conditions, and economic development for local populations where gas flaring is prevalent – such as North Dakota. By focusing on eliminating legacy flaring and minimizing new flaring, Well Power has an opportunity to assume a vital role in the continual for sustainable resource development and energy efficiency.

Well Power also intends to offer its technology along with full-service engineering, design, construction, modular fabrication, maintenance and construction management services to clients in the upstream areas of exploration and production.

Development of the product is ongoing, with the first MRU expected in the near future.

For more information visit www.wellpowerinc.com

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Investor conferences are a widely popular means for public companies to place themselves directly in front of willing and financially able investors looking for new investment options. With a particular focused on life sciences companies, the Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference (RESI) is coming up in Boston on September 16. RESI conference planners say the Boston event is on track to be RESI’s biggest event thus far, with an expected 600 attendees.

RESI is an ongoing conference series that connects early stage life sciences companies with attending investors, providing opportunities to create relationships that lead to funding. RESI Boston will bring together 200 eager and early stage corporate venture investors, 300 fundraising executives, and 100 service providers for a one day international partnering meeting that gives early stage life science companies the chance to book target meetings with relevant investors.

RESI creates meetings based on a common fit, which promotes compelling conversations, facilitating the development of qualified investor relationships. The RESI Partnering Forum allows fundraising executives to identify and book up to 16 meetings with life science investors who fit their company’s technology sector and stage of development. Presenting companies benefit from a receptive audience ready to hear each company’s story and business model.

Panels, workshops and one-on-one meetings throughout the course of the day create a fast-paced yet efficient atmosphere of productive dialogue, networking, presentations and close investment rounds designed to benefit the showcasing companies as well as investors in attendance.

Boston RESI follows highly successful events in San Francisco and Houston, and features a lineup of sponsors including Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS, Charles River Laboratories, McDermott Will & Emory and Wuxi App Tec.

For more information, visit www.resiconference.com

Insignia Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISIG) is a developer and marketer of innovative in-store products, programs and services that help consumer goods manufacturers and retail partners drive sales at the point of purchase. The company’s at-shelf media solutions are utilized at approximately 13,000 retail supermarkets by an extensive client list of more than 200 major consumer goods manufacturers – including General Mills (NYSE: GIS), Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), Kraft Foods, Nestle and P&G (NYSE: PG). By helping clients make an impact on the three-second decision cycle of consumers at the shelf, Insignia has thrived in the marketing industry for 25 years.

The company’s latest addition to its marketing portfolio is The Like Machine™, a groundbreaking consumer engagement tool that harnesses the power of social media to reinforce brand confidence and promote increased sales figures. Through the use of this technology, consumers are able to give immediate feedback to store managers and fellow shoppers, opening the door for an improved shopping experience built on the preferences of a particular community. In a six-month limited release, The Like Machine garnered more than 480,000 shopper endorsements, demonstrating the vast market potential for the technology as it approaches full-scale release.

“We have created an easy and immediate way for shoppers to express their opinions about what they’re buying, and to be informed by the decisions of others in their neighborhood at scale,” John Gonsior, president and chief financial officer of Insignia, stated in a news release. “It is a powerful indicator whether shoppers are buying cereal, laundry detergent or orange juice, and a unique new data set for retailers and manufacturers to leverage.”

In the first quarter of 2015, Insignia successfully leveraged the marketability of its product line to promote solid financial growth. The company’s total net sales for the period rose by 2.2 percent from the previous year to $6.5 million. Additionally, Insignia recorded a 0.9 percent year-over-year improvement to its gross profit margin for the quarter, achieving $2.8 million in gross profit. Moving forward, the company will look to build on this financial performance through continued innovation of its core assets as needed to meet the evolving demands of the retail market.

For prospective shareholders, Insignia’s established position within the retail marketing segment could provide a platform for the company to realize sustainable returns in the months to come. Look for Insignia to continue leaning on the versatility of its portfolio of core assets in order to promote continued financial growth for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.insigniasystems.com

On the Move Systems reports that after conducting its own market research, it finds that a shared economy courier service offers clear and distinct advantages over companies built on more traditional business models. The company says these findings empower its proposed service, for which the company is now actively scouting possible locations.

“We’ve found several compelling stats that lead us to believe a shared economy courier service would prosper in the right situation,” OMVS CEO Robert Wilson stated in the news release. “For example, such a service would have a tremendous competitive advantage thanks to lower capital and labor costs compared to someone like FedEx or a local ‘hot-shot’ company. We’d have a flexible workforce driving their own vehicles, eliminating the need for any brick and mortar facilities and dramatically cutting overhead.”

Taking advantage of lower overhead, OMVS says it could offer competitive rates, and with a flexible workforce available at a moment’s notice, the new shared economy courier service could also provide faster deliveries than traditional companies. With an online, on-demand service, OMVS would avoid the need to open and operate costly call centers or drop-off locations, as well as the hiring of ground and administrative staff, or loading crews. This would free OMVS from incurring debt, which is an issue for many traditional courier companies.

In recent years, courier service revenues have been steadily climbing, up nearly 15 percent to nearly $95 billion in 2014 from $80 billion in 2009. A survey of courier companies reported most enjoyed double-digit revenue growth in 2014 with expectations for similar results this year. Market analysts peg the courier industry as a $216 billion market overall.

For more information visit www.onthemovesystems.com

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The Aristocrat Group Group this week made a significant advance in its international expansion of distribution when the company’s joint venture partner in Canada, Westcoast Spirits Company, Ltd., began its marketing campaign to promote RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka in British Columbia.

Obtaining Canadian distribution has been a priority for ASCC since RWB Vodka’s debut. In late 2013, ASCC began its partnership with Westcoast Spirits to capitalize on market growth in a nation where vodka is the most popular distilled spirit category. On par with its distribution initiatives, ASCC announced last week that its first Canadian shipment of its flagship spirit would arrive in Vancouver, one of Canada’s most important markets for distilled spirits.

“The Westcoast Spirits Company has already begun reaching out to buyers in British Columbia about stocking our product,” ASCC CEO Robert Federowicz stated in the news release. “We believe our potential for growth in the Canadian marketplace is huge. RWB Vodka is one of the only spirits in the country approved for ‘gluten-free’ labeling, and that’s going to make our product stand out from the pack.”

The recipient of 17 tasting awards over the past two years, ASCC celebrates the GMO-free RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka as one of the most highly decorated American vodkas in the distilled spirits marketplace. ASCC is currently in the midst of a major expansion behind the continued success of RWB, as well as the impending debut of Big Box Vodka, an ultra-premium bag-in-box distilled spirit. Earlier this month, ASCC announced that it expanded its distribution network to include the state of Louisiana.

For more information visit www.aristocratgroupcorp.com/investors

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Arch Therapeutics is a medical device company developing a novel approach to stopping bleeding and controlling leaking during surgery and trauma care. The company’s leading product candidate, the AC5 Surgical Hemostatic Device™, is being designed to achieve hemostasis in minimally invasive and open surgical procedures, effectively making surgery faster and safer for patients. Unlike currently available products, AC5 has been shown to promptly stop bleeding by conforming to irregular wound geometry, and, with a completely transparent construction, it allows surgeons to maintain a clear field of vision directly into a wound without hampering future healing.

In recent months, Arch has made considerable progress in the development of its promising hemostatic device. In April, the company announced the results of a study designed to compare the effectiveness of AC5 against currently marketed hemostats. Arch’s device demonstrated an average time to hemostasis of significantly less than 30 seconds, while the commercially-available gelatin-thrombin hemostat took an average of more than 200 percent longer. In June, the company built on these results when it received favorable data from a preclinical toxicity test indicating that AC5 was well-tolerated among test subjects.

“These results present another snapshot of promising data for AC5,” Dr. Terrence Norchi, president and chief executive officer of Arch, stated in a news release. “We are continuing to study the characteristics, safety and performance of AC5 in preclinical studies as we prepare to start our human clinical trial next quarter.”

In an effort to fund its upcoming clinical studies, Arch recently completed a private placement that is expected to provide more than $3 million of additional capital after related expenses. With this added flexibility, the company will look to continue marching toward the eventual commercialization of AC5 following the completion of its impending human trials.

When commercialized, AC5 will give Arch improved access to the rapidly growth market for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). According to a report by Photonics, the global market for MIS is expected to reach $50.6 billion by 2019, up from just $25 billion in 2012. AC5 is ideal for this market because of it leaves no sticky or glue-like residue, enabling for improved precision during both MIS and open surgical procedures, as well as faster recovery times for patients.

Moving forward, Arch will continue toward the future commercialization of its innovative device. For prospective shareholders, this progress, along with the vast commercial potential of AC5 in a selection of thriving medical markets, makes the company an intriguing investment opportunity in the months to come.

For more information, visit www.archtherapeutics.com

QualityStocks today announces the availability of a new audio interview with Jim Pakulis, Chief Executive Officer of Wisdom Homes of America, Inc. (OTCQB: WOFA). The interview can be heard at www.QualityStocks.net/interview-wofa.php.

Pakulis first explains the company’s business model as an owner and operator of manufactured home retail centers headquartered in Tyler, Texas, before detailing its improving financial performance in its first full year of operations.

The CEO then discusses WOFA’s trajectory as the Company seeks to achieve more than $4 million in revenues for 2015 and continued growth beyond, driven by three different existing or planned revenue streams: manufactured home retail centers; subdivisions; and mortgage options.

The interview then moves on to the company’s background in technology and why Pakulis moved its operations into the highly opportunistic manufactured housing industry.

“The number of homebuyers purchasing manufactured homes since 2010 is increasing roughly 10% per year. As of 2014 there was about 62,000 manufactured homebuyers in the U.S. That represents $4.1 billion in homes sold … in the U.S,” he says. “Since the financial debacle there were fewer retailers in the retail space. However, on the other side of the equation, the houses that are being manufactured at the factories are second-to-none. They’re as beautiful as stick-built houses today. So the image people may have of the mobile home of 20 years ago should be completely wiped away. It is truly a brand new day in the manufactured housing industry.”

Pakulis also details the background of WOFA President Brent Nelms, and how his experience fits into the broader company vision. Moving ahead, WOFA seeks to open up to 30 additional manufactured home retail centers in the next five years, and in the near term is getting more involved in subdivisions and land/home packages.

“We would like to continue to provide land/home packages … for the second half of 2015 and actually all throughout 2016 … we want to get more heavily involved in the subdivisions and as time continues to go on, we want to start creating small communities …,” says Pakulis.

Referencing WOFA’s consistently paced news releases, Pakulis wraps up the interview with optimism in the company’s progress and initiatives for the future.

“At the granular level, this is an example of the direction we’re heading. We’re expanding. We’re expanding methodically, smartly — but we’re in expansion mode, absolutely,” he says.

To get a closer look at the company, visit www.wisdomhomesofamerica.com

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Comstock Mining (NYSE MKT: LODE) is a Nevada-based gold and silver mining company with extensive, contiguous property in the historic Comstock and Silver City mining districts. Additionally, the company is an emerging leader in sustainable, responsible mining practices – including concurrent and accelerated reclamations, soil sampling, voluntary air monitoring, cultural asset protection and historical restorations. In 2012, LODE completed infrastructure construction and initiated production at its Comstock property, leveraging the largest known repository of geological data on the region in order to achieve maximized stockholder value.

In recent months, LODE has continued to make considerable production progress in the region, promoting strong financial results. Despite gold prices falling nearly 18 percent over the past year, the company achieved mining revenue of $5.4 million in the second quarter of 2015, which was just an 11 percent year-over-year decrease. In order to offset the decline in revenue, LODE successfully decreased the costs associated with mining operations by 42 percent from the previous year, helping the company achieve an impressive gross margin of more than 41 percent for the period while demonstrating the immense value of its experienced management team.

Moving forward, LODE is turning its attention toward its Lucerne underground drilling and development project. The company recently completed extensive geological development and modeling through the use of previously collected drilling data and historic underground mining maps, allowing it to locate a definitive underground development target that presents significant opportunity for immediate exploration. LODE plans to partner with American Mine and Tunneling LLC and American Drilling Company, Inc. to commence development of underground access to the site in the coming weeks.

“Our goals for this year are minimizing operating costs and expanding the Lucerne exploration and development activities,” Corrado De Gasperis, chief executive officer of LODE, stated in a news release. “We expect to be cash positive from operations for the full year 2015, while transitioning our mining activities during the third quarter and initiating underground development.”

For prospective shareholders, LODE’s recent financial growth – despite slumping commodity prices – demonstrates the tremendous potential for the company when gold prices begin to rebound. Look for LODE to make strong progress toward the development of its Lucerne project in the months to come, providing a platform for continued market growth for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.comstockmining.com

Family-oriented restaurants are nothing new, but Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL) is changing the market through the continued refinement and implementation of a first-of-its-kind business concept that combines family fun with healthy food to meet the tough demands of today’s health-conscious parents.

“We’re all the things that Chuck E. Cheese would dream of being, but is not,” Joe Parsi, founder and chief executive officer of GIGL, stated in a recent interview with QualityStocks. “We allow parents to come in and sit and eat and relax while the kids get to run around in an incredible giant play area in the middle of the restaurant. [T]he kids are entertained and bonding with their parents.”

Since the launch of its first location back in 2008, GIGL has had a significant impact on the Los Angeles restaurant scene, and what started as a simple concept has grown into a major player in the city’s family entertainment market. This success has driven the company’s management team to think bigger in recent months, and buzz of the GIGL restaurant concept is continuing to spread across the U.S. through some of the country’s most reputable media outlets – including the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine and the New York Times.

“The first day that we opened our store we had several hundred people in line to get in, and we had NBC News and Fox News there… because word had gotten out about this new restaurant concept that was coming to the rescue of all parents who had toddlers,” continued Parsi. “Since that first launch we’ve been fortunate and lucky to be able to count some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood as our customers.”

GIGL restaurants present a host of benefits to landlords, which has made the concept particularly appealing to mall operators, such as U.S. Westfield. Because of the high levels of foot traffic promoted by its restaurants, the company was able to secure second and third locations within shopping malls across the Greater Los Angeles area, as well as requests for more than 50 additional locations throughout the U.S. in the future.

The marketability of its groundbreaking restaurant concept has driven GIGL toward strong financial growth in recent months, demonstrating the company’s immense market potential as it continues to eye additional expansion opportunities. In the first quarter of 2015, GIGL recorded an 11 percent year-over-year increase in total revenue on the way to achieving a gross profit for its third consecutive quarter.

Leveraging the combined market experience of one of the industry’s most seasoned management teams, GIGL is in a favorable position to capitalize on its recent market success as it continues to promote both domestic and international growth, as well as franchising opportunities for its increasingly recognizable brand. For prospective shareholders, the company’s rapid growth in one of the country’s most competitive restaurant markets makes it an intriguing investment option moving forward.

For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com/investor-relations/

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A number of factors in the North American housing market are all continuing to coalesce, forming the sustained impetus for a decided shift among more and more consumers away from traditional stick-built houses, and towards more affordable manufactured homes. According to HUD-sponsored data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in its periodical MHS (manufactured homes survey), the average sale price for a manufactured home is currently around $68,300, and sales have jumped around 23 percent from 2011 to 2014 (up 13.8 percent between 2013 and 2014 alone), clearly illustrating the underlying market dynamics. Consolidation within this market further illustrates the aforementioned dynamics, with deals like the $1.32 billion Green Courte Partners’ portfolio acquisition this time last year by Sun Communities Inc. (NYSE:SUI), consisting of 59 manufactured home communities across 19,000 sites in eleven states, being a major data point. According to a recent report published by Freedonia Group, U.S. demand for prefabricated housing is currently on track to grow by 15 percent per year through 2017, with manufactured housing taking up the lion’s share of the market.

Whether it is the ongoing surfeit of baby boomers retiring, the tightening of new locations for construction and rising construction costs, or the supply constraints exacerbated by elements like regional hydrocarbon development in the Bakken, Marcellus and Eagle Ford/Permian, the end result is the same: sustained demand for affordable manufactured housing. A trend which was recently highlighted by leading commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services firm, Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), which sees continued housing demand from key energy producing regions throughout the foreseeable future. This trend is particularly evident in Texas where, despite rig counts still being off by roughly 60 percent from October, amid oil futures that have retreated to the sub $60 per barrel level, the latest Rig Data reports indicate the biggest gains last week since February of 2014, with a 21 rig uptick marking interest by producers for a return to development. And Texas isn’t just about the energy sector either, so the significant market diversity of the state’s economy is continuing to fuel a housing shortage, with home sales in North Texas recently hitting a new record for both the number of purchases and per unit price, at around 4 percent higher than last year.

In fact, prices across most of Texas’ major cities continue rising, with the Dallas-Fort Worth median price in particular growing almost 10 percent, more than double that of nationwide home prices, which are up by more than 5 percent this year, as buyers come back to the market in droves according to chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Yun. New housing starts in North Texas are 40 percent lower than in 2006 and yet home sales across the country have rebounded to just 25 percent below 2006 levels, indicating just how fast prices are rising, even as single-family home starts last year were just half of what they are in a typical year. Despite easy mortgage rates, many home owners are also under too much debt on their properties to sell, making the market even tighter, and younger Americans are still finding themselves unable to get on the property ladder, due primarily to factors such as outstanding student loan debt. In many respects, and especially in states like Texas, this is a perfect storm for the housing market, and one which puts a bright spotlight on the manufactured homes segment.

Major sector players like Skyline Corp. (NYSE: SKY), which sold nearly 3,000 manufactured and modular homes last year, as well as Nobility Homes, Inc. (OTC: NOBH), which has an array of retail sales centers throughout Florida in addition to being a manufacturer, have been clocking in some impressive results, with SKY reporting a 28 percent uptick in sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2015, and NOBH seeing a 23 percent uptick for its most recent quarter. In the especially strong growth market of Texas, Wisdom Homes of America (OTC: WOFA), which is focused on manufactured home retail centers, manufactured home subdivisions, and mortgage origination within the space, is also seeing the upside. WOFA recently reported over $1.2 million in revenue for its second quarter, with 2015 guidance that is on track to hit upwards of $4 million, in what is the company’s first full year of owning/operating manufactured home retail centers in Texas. Also, currently less than ten percent of WOFA’s targeted client base is even in the energy recovery sector. As professional services and healthcare make up the vast majority of their targeted client base, the company should do quite well, irrespective of which way the hydrocarbon sector goes.

With a strong footprint already established in Texas, where the company has retail centers in Rhome, Tyler and Jacksboro, and recently signed a three year lease for a new retail center in Kerrville, Wisdom Homes of America is well on its way to achieving its strategic goal of opening 30 retail centers over the next five years. Each center is expected to sell around three homes a month, generating some $2.3 million a year per center, or $69 million in all. The company’s subdivision and manufactured home communities approach in particular is worth noting, as it offers buyers an extremely affordable turn-key option which also generates more revenue for WOFA itself, given the increased margins from both the lot and unit sales (revenues of around $65,000 on average per house and $20,000 profit per lot). The company intends to turn out around six projects a year moving forward as well, with approximately 30 to 40 residential lots per project, which will save individual homebuyers as much as 60 percent over comparable options. The mortgage origination space for non-prime manufactured home loans, currently dominated by Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A; BRK.B) component Clayton Homes’ 21st Mortgage Corp., collectively representing over 870 manufactured home retail centers across the U.S. and some $1.5 billion a year in home mortgages, is another key target for Wisdom Homes of America as the company continues its expansion.

The company has done a good job already establishing its brand presence in Texas, and recently announced that the structural and financial modeling for its soon-to-open retail center in Sherman, where the company will also be selling land-home packages in the Sherman residential subdivision, should be ready any day now. The company also recently expanded the footprint of its Tyler retail center, increasing the footprint of the outdoor showroom by around 40 percent in order to be able to display some 55 percent more models. A move which was due in large part to consistent traffic flow from potential home buyers.

A great deal of the success of WOFA’s model is attributable to the company’s veteran management team, led by chairman and CEO, Jim Pakulis, a serial entrepreneur with over three decades of frontline experience in high-growth sectors ranging from real estate and finance, to healthcare and internet technology. Pakulis was instrumental in defining WOFA’s strategic and operational vision, having previously been president of Pacific West Funding Corp., a Utah-based real estate financing firm, where he handled everything from structured non-residential and development project finance sourcing, to day-to-day accounting, operational, legal, and compliance duties. Pakulis helped WOFA (formerly SearchCore) transition from operating the most successful medical cannabis finder site in the sector, to manufactured home retail center operations in 2012, selling the site after having seen annual revenues rise from nothing, to $16 million in just two years time. Pakulis also brings a great deal of experience structuring complex framework and expansion strategies in the difficult healthcare sector, having served as an advisor to outsourced healthcare clinic management company Synergistic Resources and having been crucial to numerous acquisitions, as well as the business model transition from fee-for-service to managed health care, at outsourced clinic management and operation services company CliniCorp.

The president of Wisdom Homes of America, Brent Nelms, who came onboard in early 2014, brought a massive infusion of manufactured and modular housing industry experience with him. With over 30 years in the manufactured housing game, including having been VP of the Genesis Homes division of the sector’s second largest manufacturer, Champion Homes, Nelms is able to exploit his substantial set of experiential knowledge for WOFA, having brought 33 manufactured home retail centers to fruition, representing over $100 million in annual revenues. Former president of Texas and Oklahoma manufactured homes retailer Miracle Housing, as well as VP and GM at Nelmstar, the biggest independent manufactured homes retailer in Texas from 2006 to 2007, where he personally oversaw nine retail locations, Nelms is the kind of sector guru that will ensure Wisdom Homes of America stays on course. With intimate knowledge garnered over his career of markets that span the entire country, Nelms, a former licensed realtor in Texas who was named Realtor of the Year by REMAX in 2011, is in a prime position to assist WOFA in successfully executing its strategic expansion.

Director and CFO of WOFA, Munit Johal, is similarly capable when it comes to helping the company achieve victory. With nearly three decades of experience spanning accounting, banking, finance and management on both the public and private sides of the business, Johal came to the company fresh from a diversified real estate holding company where he was also CFO, Secured Diversified Investment. Having cut his teeth at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s Federal Home Loan Board as a senior analytical manager, Johal is eminently qualified to play a key role in WOFA’s mortgage origination business, harnessing a tremendous amount of experience in not only having managed a large staff, but having monitored bank activities and enforcement actions for a variety of bank holding companies and lending institutions in the sub $500 million range.

Investors can look forward to further details on the company’s ever-expanding retail and subdivision presence in the near future, and should keep an ear to the ground for more news about this rapidly emerging manufactured homes player.

To get a closer look at the company, visit www.wisdomhomesofamerica.com

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