Earlier this week, Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) took another great stride toward getting the word out about the tremendous benefits of its SugarChecked app when it was featured in an exclusive segment on Las Vegas’s local Fox affiliate, KVVU. According to data from Nielsen, KVVU is currently one of the top two stations servicing Las Vegas and its surrounding areas, particularly among individuals aged between 25 and 54.

“Now there’s an app out there called SugarChecked,” the presenter stated in the segment. “It is touted as the easiest and most reliable way to help you find the real truth behind the sugar and how much your food contains.”

To view the full KVVU segment, visit http://dtn.fm/kRLp5

In recent months, Content Checked’s suite of dietary apps has been featured in a wide variety of publications, including Yahoo! Travel, SheKnows.com, Z Living, Bustle, #LatinaGeeks, Simplemost and SELF, reaching millions of potential customers and gaining invaluable brand recognition. The company has built on this progress through entry into strategic partnerships with synergistic businesses, such as Kitchology, Inc., a mobile platform that provides tailored recipes to consumers with special dietary needs, and Leaner Creamer, the only all-natural powdered coffee creamer that promotes weight loss and appetite suppression.

Earlier this week, Content Checked set the stage to fully capitalize on this increased exposure when it engaged Bonwick Capital Partners LLC as its financial and corporate advisor. In addition to assisting with the company’s financial, corporate and mergers and acquisitions strategies, Bonwick will advise Content Checked on its planned application submission for uplisting to the NASDAQ exchange later this year. Ahead of this planned uplisting, the company will be required to adhere to a number of corporate governance standards outlined by NASDAQ, including the appointment of an auditing committee and independent directors.

In a news release announcing Content Checked’s engagement of Bonwick, Kris Finstad, the company’s president and chief executive officer, stated, “Bonwick Capital has assembled a specialized team of experienced financial and industry professionals who will play an essential role in our overall strategy of increasing shareholder value. Our planned uplisting to NASDAQ will allow us to tap into much broader capital market resources and further solidify our short- and long-term goals of successfully executing our business strategy.”

Content Checked’s revolutionary suite of mobile apps – including ContentChecked, MigraineChecked and SugarChecked – caters to the specific needs of people living with dietary restrictions. To date, the company has created a robust database featuring definitions for more than 70 percent of conventional U.S. food products, enabling it to address the needs of the more than 15 million people across the country suffering from food allergies, as well as the roughly 38 million who suffer from migraines and chronic headaches.

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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At the forefront of digital commerce technology stands Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC: ALYI). The company invests in verticals within the digital commerce space that have the potential to transform the global electronic payment infrastructure. Alternet also develops payment technology solutions that offer a wide range of payment channels along with financial technology that centers on digital currency, payment solutions and services, and banking solutions. The company has further expanded its technological interests by strengthening its digital analytics department. Digital analytics allows companies to examine raw data with the purpose of making more informed marketing decisions and is currently one of the fastest growing business industries in the world.

The IDIC forecasts that the “big data technology and services market will grow at 26.4% compound annual growth rate to $41.5 billion through 2018.” The many benefits of using data analytics are becoming clear to businesses worldwide as more and more incorporate this technology into their infrastructures. First, data analytics can predict possible outcomes from altering variables while forecasting the probable consequences of these variables. This technology also monitors current marketing trends so companies can keep pace with their competitors and thus quicken reaction time. Lastly, digital analytics can easily find relationships between different variables which lead to further links and possibilities. Overall, data analytics remains a powerful tool for companies because it allows them to view the interests and dislikes of their customers while staying up to date on market trends.

An example of how data analytics fits in with current needs comes from the recently exposed Panama Papers. Over 11 million documents hacked from a Panamanian law firm were recently revealed that contained illicit information related to offshore accounts of powerful people throughout the world. Journalists needed a way to sift through this impossible amount of information, so they used data analytics, which extracted all text and metadata. This data was then indexed to easily search for names, credit card information, and patterns. These documents show evidence of money laundering, bribery, sanction dodging, tax evasion, and involvement with organized crime. Without data analytics, siphoning through this information would have taken years.

Alternet Systems has been developing and perfecting its own data analytics system. The company offers businesses a cloud based solution that includes predictive analysis, visual tools, and marketing automation. Clients can view data sources across a variety of fields while studying unique marketing trends among audiences and micro segments. The software also generates recommendations. Using Alternet’s software guarantees clients the immediate discovery of new segments and activities of functional areas for better marketing decisions. Alternet Systems intends to continue developing its innovative digital commerce and analytics technology in a world that relies on convenience and reliability.

For more information, visit www.alternetsystems.com

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Monaker Group, Inc. is a technology driven travel company focused on leveraging resources to become a significant presence in the fastest growing sector of the $1.3 trillion travel and tourism market. The company’s flagship brand, NextTrip.com, is the industry’s first and only real-time booking engine that features alternative lodging (vacation home rentals, resort residences and unused timeshare inventory), as well as a full selection of airlines, hotels, cruises, rental cars, tours and concierge services. These features are combined into a single, easy-to-use platform that gives travelers complete real-time control when planning and booking their vacations.

NextTrip.com takes an integrated approach to the needs of travelers by combining multiple booking solutions into a highly intuitive real-time booking platform. Since its launch in February 2016, NextTrip has already grown to more than 250,000 units of vacation rental inventory. Monaker currently has roughly 1 million additional alternative lodging units under contract that will soon be added to the platform. This will place NextTrip among the top three largest vacation rental inventories and rival industry peers, Airbnb and HomeAway, in the rapidly expanding alternative lodging market. Unlike the competition, which book by request which can take hours or days before a lodging owner confirms, NextTrip’s platform books in real-time, similar to online hotel bookings.

Most NextTrip listings are in desirable locations in the U.S., the EU and the Caribbean with about 20% exclusive listings. Monaker expects rapid exclusive listing growth because, unlike the competition, Monaker doesn’t charge a sign-up fee, just a commission upon booking. The competition charges both. Monaker even has a proprietary solution to unlock Timeshare and Fractional Share properties as rental inventory.

Through strategic partnerships and acquisitions Monaker is now positioned to be a major player in the travel and alternative lodging sector. In addition Monaker is also the parent to Maupintour and Voyage TV.

In business for 65 years, Maupintour still leads the tour industry in the creation of outstanding, unique itineraries and has the highest repeat rate in the tour industry. Maupintour’s upscale luxury services create a unique blend with the various product offerings of NextTrip. Voyage TV has thousands of hours of travel footage shot in over 30 countries worldwide. These 15,000 video clips of hotels, resorts, cruise, and destination activities are a treasure trove for vacation travel marketing.

With an established portfolio of travel brands, and a proven record acquiring, consolidating and integrating companies, Monaker is building a diverse and exciting foundation to drive the company’s future. According to data from the U.S. Travel Association, direct spending on leisure travel by domestic and international travelers topped $650 billion in 2015. When combined with the fact that roughly 64 percent of travel companies are still considered small businesses, Monaker’s all-inclusive approach to vacation booking through NextTrip and Maupintour strategically positions it for sustainable growth moving forward.

Monaker is headquartered in South Florida with offices in California. The company is led by a seasoned management team with decades of applicable industry experience. Monaker’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Kerby has over 18 years of experience in the media and travel industries, as well as 10 years of experience in the financial industry.

Key Investment Highlights

> Diverse portfolio of travel brands and companies
> More than 60 years of operation in the leisure travel industry
> Travel industry’s first comprehensive platform featuring real-time alternative lodging booking functionality
> Proven management team with well over a century of combined industry experience

For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com

On the rare occasion when it rains in the Los Angeles area, people tend to escape indoors. Parents with kids in tow tend to head home, or to places like Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL), a trio of award-winning restaurants in Southern California.

At Giggles N’ Hugs, fun and fare create a fitting pair. The restaurant operator brings together high-end, organic food for adults and active, cutting-edge entertainment for children in order to create a kid-friendly, adult-friendly and family-friendly atmosphere at its restaurants in the Westfield Mall on Santa Monica Boulevard, the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Woodland Hills, and the Glendale Galleria in Glendale.

Birthday parties are a very high-margin business for Giggles N’ Hugs, and when these parties fall on rainy days, the company experiences a notable amount of bookings. Parents who can no longer hold their kids’ parties in their backyards or an outdoor park often head to Giggles N’ Hugs on rainy days, creating a substantial sales spike for the company.

Giggles N’ Hugs’ restaurants are a draw for numerous reasons, weather-aside. At each of its restaurants, the company has created a pleasant environment where parents can relax and enjoy delicious, healthy food while their kids play to their hearts’ content. Along with high-quality menus made from fresh, local ingredients and filled with items like gourmet paninis, signature salads, thin crust pizzas and specialty coffees and smoothies, the company offers massive play spaces and endless activities for kids who are 10 years and younger. Among other offerings, the company’s restaurants also feature nightly entertainment (e.g. magic shows, concerts, puppet shows and face painting), premium children’s entertainers and hugely popular, themed party packages for parents who want to do something special for their kids.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) pursues shareholder value as an integrated energy storage solutions company leveraging state-of-the-art technology. This technology is woven into the design, development and manufacture of high-quality cells, batteries, and energy storage systems. Oakridge’s ‘Made in the USA’ product lines include multiple lithium-ion chemistries, technologies and form factors, as needed to meet the needs of motive applications such as golf cars and local area electric vehicles. Company solutions are also used in commercial and grid applications for homes, businesses, RVs, boats, stationary living space power, and remote control and portable devices, such as starter motor batteries for motorcycles, jet skis, snowmobiles and boats. OGES battery applications transfer to the military, aerospace, marine, medical and telecom sectors, as well.

With the pervasiveness of lithium-ion batteries, the chemistry used within the design is the fastest growing in the marketplace. Lithium-ion batteries are unique in that they deliver an array of advantages. High energy density allows for the possibility of greater capacities while still being considered low maintenance. Further, the product’s specialty cells can provide very high current to common applications, such as the charge requirements for those who use power tools.

The company’s Patriot Series is designed for professional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots and remote control (RC) vehicle and boat enthusiasts. This line of lithium-ion batteries is cost-competitive with foreign lead-acid batteries and produced domestically. These small prismatic cells can also be used for other consumer products, such as power tools, portable communications and other small, lightweight applications.

The Freedom Series offers silent, clean and reliable, living space power storage units. Powered by the company’s hi-tech lithium-ion batteries, this series is positioned as one of the newest lines in OGES’s product pipeline. The company has also developed this line to help consumers and businesses reduce or eliminate their monthly electricity bills by making off-grid, back-up power available at affordable prices. Environmentally friendly and energy efficient, this series is designed for use with back-up power systems, particularly within hospitals and medical installations.

The company was formerly known as Oak Ridge Energy Technologies, Inc. and changed its name to Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. in November 2014. Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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MissionIR today announces the online availability of its interview with Glenn Sanford, CEO and founder of eXp Realty International Corp. (OTCQB: EXPI), which, as previously announced, is changing its name to eXp World Holdings, Inc. to reflect its achievements and growth initiatives discussed in the interview. The interview can be heard at http://www.QualityStocks.net/interview-expi.php.

EXPI is the holding company for several businesses, including eXp Realty LLC, the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™, a full-service real estate brokerage utilizing a 3D, fully immersive, cloud office environment that provides around-the-clock access to collaborative tools, training, and socialization for real estate brokers and agents.

Sanford begins the interview with further insight into this structure, the company’s broader business strategy in the residential real estate space, and its growing presence in 35 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.

Much of this growth is largely attributed to the company’s revenue sharing program and innovative virtual platform, which replaces the need for a traditional real estate office. By reducing its bricks and mortar footprint, EXPI is able to share its revenues with agents and brokers who contribute to corporate growth.

As of March 31, 2016, EXPI had grown its agent base to more than 1,100 members, representing 100% agent growth in a single year, along with correlating revenue and cash flow.

“Agents and brokers have a great split, because obviously we don’t have the overhead. But we also pass on the different initiatives – revenue share being one of them, and the other one being a stock ownership initiative … that’s really created a big catalyst for growth,” says Sanford.

Another stimulant for EXPI’s growth is a strong management team. Sanford first describes his extensive background as a long-time entrepreneur before describing the skills and experience of several other powerhouse members of the company’s leadership.

After recapping several of EXPI’s 2015 milestones, Sanford wraps up the interview by discussing the company’s goals for 2016.

“The biggest goal is just really to build infrastructure to support the growth … that’s a lot of people to assimilate in the organization and make part of the culture of the organization, and then all the tools and systems that need to be in place to support all of them,” he says. “If we keep on doing what we’re doing … we should easily end up in excess of 1,800, maybe 2,000 agents this year … if we hit those numbers then we really, in 2017, should be in the 3,500 agent range. If you work that into the revenue side of it … this year we should do in excess of $40 million in revenue … so we’re really excited about the growth.”

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

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A holding company for a number of businesses, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) operates as a full-source real estate brokerage that provides 24/7 access to its 3D, fully-immersive cloud office environment. The Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ offers collaborative tools, training, and socialization for real estate agents and brokers. The company believes that the most important aspect of any real estate brokerage is its agents and brokers. Therefore, eXp World Holdings offers a place where agents become part owners of the company while building their businesses along with unity, knowledge, and revenue inside the ‘Cloud Office Environment’.

A cloud office environment offers relevancy in a quickly advancing technological world. Real estate consumers have access to more knowledge and information, making them less likely to visit a brick and mortar real estate office. These offices are beginning to diminish as more and more professionals move toward services based online, because they understand that consumers seek easy access to real estate materials. Also, brick and mortar offices have high costs, such as utilities, insurance, rent, and staffing, making cloud-based environments that much more appealing.

Though consumers desire easy and accessible real estate listings, they still need agents, because the process of buying, selling, and finding a home remains an emotional and confusing process. Agents and brokers have valuable insights, knowledge of local markets, and the experience with negotiations. eXp World Holdings understands this, which is why thousands of consumers have already flocked to its resource searching for a perfect platform to start the process. Its agents have the expertise and experience consumers rely upon.

Since technology continues to evolve, eXp World Holdings knows the importance of embracing innovation and progression. The company offers brokers and agents the opportunity of earning equity awards for growth contributions and a revenue sharing program based on the percentage of gross commissions earned by fellow professionals brought into the company. With its business model centering on increasing listings while decreasing overhead costs for agents, eXp Holdings recorded an 84% increase in agent growth and 80% revenue growth in 2015 alone. The company intends on continuing this impressive progression through a technologically forward business strategy that helps consumers and real estate professionals alike.

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

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The renowned physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking, famously said, “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”, an observation that OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) lives by. Earlier this year, the company filed its annual report (10-K) for the financial year ended December 31, 2015, which showed that it is responding to a changing market environment with operational efficiencies and new product innovation.

Net revenues for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015, were $23,819,189, an increase of $1,048,627 (4.6 percent) over revenues from the prior year. This growth resulted from increases in both unit sales and margins.

Net income for 2015 reached $1,336,912, increasing by an astounding 74 percent over net income for 2014. This improved performance showed that OurPet’s Company’s management is taking good care of business. Gross profit margin improved to almost 32% from 30% the previous year, and selling, general and administrative expenses actually declined.

OurPet’s Company’s 10-K also showcased the success of its dual-brand strategy, with the OurPets® brand for the “pet specialty” channel and the Pet Zone® brand for the “grocery, drug, mass” channel. In 2015, sales remained about the same in the “grocery, drug, mass” channel and increased in both the “pet specialty” and “e-commerce” channels by 11.8 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.

The increased sales ran across many customer types, including distributors, national chains, regional chains and e-commerce retailers. The largest growth in revenue in 2015 came from sales to national chain customers, which increased by approximately $586,000, followed by sales to distributors, which grew by approximately $256,000.

International sales in 2015 were about $2,620,000, around 11 percent of total sales, and fell by approximately $300,000 or 10.3 percent, compared to 2014, mostly due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar.

In 2015, the two largest product categories, comprising 85.9 percent of net sales, were toys and accessories. Both of these categories grew in 2015, with toys and accessories rising by approximately $406,000 (3.6%) and bowls and feeders rising by approximately $938,000 (11.0%). The edibles and consumables category comprised 5.9 percent of sales and decreased by 8.0 percent during 2015, mainly because a value-chain customer discontinued a product. The waste and odor category, which comprised 4.5 percent of sales in 2015, grew by 13.9 percent. The company expects this category to become more important in the coming year, as it has several new products under development, including its new Kitty Potty™ and Switchgrass/Bio Char Natural Litter.

At present, cats trump dogs at OurPet’s Company. The company sells more products for cats (57 percent of total sales) than it does for dogs (41 percent of sales). Another two percent is made up of miscellaneous items. Nevertheless, dog product sales increased at a rate of 11 percent because of higher bowl and feeder sales, as compared to cat product sales, which were up just one percent.

Last month, OurPet’s Company introduced its Intelligent Pet Care™ product line at the Global Pet Expo. Intelligent Pet Care™ products use Bluetooth® technology to communicate information to pet owners’ smartphones about their pets. The company also displayed its Whirling Wiggler™ Spinner Toy, new waste management products, and new designs for its bowl and feeder line.

OurPet’s Company’s intelligent and pro-active approach to the pet care marketplace is a result of its enlightened, well-informed management. The present team is made up of Dr. Steven Tsengas, chairman and chief executive officer; Dean S. Tsengas, chief operating officer, vice president of operations and secretary; Scott R. Mendes, chief financial officer; Kathleen Homyock, vice president of sales and new business development; and Gabriella Chessman, vice president of marketing. Dr. Tsengas is an engineer and inventor who has been elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Under his guidance, OurPet’s Company has developed a portfolio of hundreds of products and nurtured an intellectual property (IP) stockpile of over 160 patents.

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

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eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) is rising up to meet the demands of the modern consumer culture. Today’s mobile consumers, equipped with residential dreams and an abundance of information, demand a high level of service. Recognizing this, eXp World Holdings leverages experience, integrity and innovation to make its clients’ dreams a reality. How? It provides cloud-based real estate brokerage services for the residential real estate market in the United States and Canada.

The eXp Realty way is one defined by ease. The company aids buyers in searching real-time property listings and sellers in listing their properties through its website. It offers buyers and sellers access to a network of professional, consumer-centric agents and brokers, and, for real estate brokers and agents, the company provides access to tools and training for collaboration.

Advancements in technology and electronic commerce have had a tremendous effect on the real estate industry. With more data at their fingertips than ever before, buyers and sellers have narrowed the information gap between their two parties, but the home buying and selling process remains a complicated and, sometimes, emotional undertaking for many people.

eXp is on a mission to do things differently and to offer so much more. With passion, commitment and positivity, the entire company is focused on helping people find homes. Real estate agents help steer the search process, share their insights about properties and offer a qualified perspective. They present local market expertise and, maybe most importantly, they help advocate and negotiate on the buyer’s or seller’s behalf. eXp’s trusted professionals wish to take the complexity out of real estate buying and selling decision and to help good things happen for other people. Founded in 2008 and based in Bellingham, Washington, eXp World Holdings prides itself on doing business in an upfront and honest manner.

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

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Before the opening bell, Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) announced the engagement of Bonwick Capital Partners LLC as its financial and corporate advisor. Bonwick is a full-service broker dealer focused on providing top tier service to institutional clients across sales and trading, investment banking and corporate advisory business lines. Moving forward, Bonwick is expected to play a key role in Content Checked’s financial, corporate and mergers and acquisitions strategy, as well as the company’s planned application submission for uplisting to the NASDAQ exchange later this fiscal year.

“We are excited to work with Bonwick Capital in helping us execute our growth and financial strategy and with what has always been an important part of our corporate development plan: an uplisting to NASDAQ,” Kris Finstad, president and chief executive officer of Content Checked, stated in this morning’s news release. “Our planned uplisting to NASDAQ will allow us to tap into much broader capital market resources and further solidify our short- and long-term goals of successfully executing our business strategy.”

Ahead of its planned uplisting, Content Checked will be required to comply with a number of corporate governance standards set forth by NASDAQ. These include the engagement of an audit committee, appointment of independent directors and detailed management and officer compensation requirements. As a Financial Industry Regulation Authority (FINRA) registered broker/dealer and a Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) member firm, Bonwick’s consulting services are expected to play a key role in expediting the company’s progress toward meeting these requirements and facilitating sustainable growth.

In recent weeks, Content Checked has turned much of its attention toward increasing its visibility among both institutional and retail investors. Last month, the company partnered with leading New York City-based capital markets advisory firm PCG Advisory Group for its capability to provide valuable insight and exposure to Content Checked’s products, partnerships and development pipeline. With a growing focus on enhanced investor relations and plans in place to uplist to a national exchange before the end of the year, Content Checked is making tremendous strides toward executing on its growth strategy and maximizing returns for shareholders.

Content Checked’s suite of apps – including ContentChecked, MigraineChecked and SugarChecked – is the first of its kind, offering comprehensive and accurate content information for over 70 percent of conventional U.S. food products. Each app allows consumers to quickly and easily scan a product’s barcode in order to determine if it is suitable for consumption based on their specific allergy and dietary settings. In the U.S. alone, more than 15 million people suffer from food allergies, creating a sizable market that was valued at roughly $13 billion in 2015. Content Checked is maximizing its presence in this market through both its mobile applications and licensing deals for its expansive product database.

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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