Zinc recorded a mild decline last week as the U.S. dollar strengthened against foreign currencies, but industry analysts remain bullish regarding the metal moving forward. On Thursday, Goldman Sachs upped its six-month price forecast for zinc to $2,100 a metric ton, an increase of more than 23 percent over previous forecasts. The investment banking firm cited stronger than previously anticipated demand from China and a tightening supply stemming from mine depletions and producer discipline as primary factors in its calculation.

“We view zinc as the bullish exception in the metals space, and remain very bearish on the outlook for the other base metals prices, most notably copper and aluminum, where we see very strong supply growth,” analysts with Goldman Sachs wrote in the firm’s May 19 report. “Zinc has by far the most bullish supply-side dynamic.”

Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS) is in a favorable strategic position to capitalize on this market growth following its 2015 acquisition of the Balmat mining complex in St. Lawrence County, New York. In February, the company announced the results from an Industry Guide 7 (IG7) Mineral Reserve Report for the property, which reflected 585,000 tons of proven and probable reserves with 9.2 percent grade zinc that’s expected to generate roughly $80.8 million in revenue over Star Mountain’s initial 2.5-year mine plan.

“We believe the findings in the IG7 report are very positive and reaffirm our confidence that the geological and engineering conditions reflected in the long production history of the Balmat mining operation can be sustained well into the future beyond the initial 2.5-year plan,” Joe Marchal, chief executive officer of Star Mountain, stated in a news release. “We continue to evaluate the current zinc market and the best strategy to move forward with a production plan and schedule.”

Last month, Star Mountain took a major step toward commencing operations at the Balmat property when it secured a $500,000 loan from a New York public benefit trust. Marchal referred to the promissory note as “one of many partnerships in our plan to re-commence operations at the Balmat Mine.” This capital is expected to play a key role as the company continues to prepare the mining complex for operations before putting it back into production in order to capitalize on the expected strengthening of zinc prices in the months to come.

Star Mountain is led by an experienced management team featuring decades of applicable industry experience. CEO Joe Marchal has worked in the financial sector since 1983, most recently serving as CEO for the Asia-Pacific Region of Chi-X Global, Inc. The company’s president and chief operating officer, Mark Osterberg, Ph.D., has worked for major gold and base metal mining firms for over 30 years, during which time he has provided high level technical expertise and managed both domestic and international exploration and development projects. This combined experience, along with the experience of other members of the management team, played a key role in Star Mountain’s acquisition of the Balmat zinc mine late last year.

“The recent rebound in zinc prices along with a strengthening world-wide economy validates our decision in November 2015 to acquire the Balmat zinc mine at a deeply discounted price and its 585,000 tons of proven and probable reserves of 9.2% grade zinc plus the mineralized material adjacent to the current reserves that in all likelihood will be reclassified to reserve status as the mine progresses,” concluded Marchal.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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Agora Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AGHI) is providing enterprises with a tool to help their investor and public relations departments control their content and message flow in today’s not-so-easy-to-navigate social media waters, and if there is one product characteristic the company is proud to hang its hat on, it is the fact that FRAME passes the ultimate litmus test for success. Just ask Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Instagram.

With literally hundreds of burgeoning social media networks clawing for mindshare, time and attention and offering their own individual access to impressive numbers of followers, FRAME delivers a comprehensive and efficient way to enter various environments at one time. Agora Holdings, parent company of Geegle Media, introduces to the user a single platform for accessing the network(s) of choice. Now, the company or individual user can focus on the message and allow FRAME to take care of delivering the goods.

At the product’s launch, Dan Terziev, chief executive officer of Agora, noted, “Imagine FRAME as a single door that leads to many rooms. Each room represents a website that we log into several times each day. Rather than signing in several times, logging once into FRAME is sufficient to bring together all your social media accounts, making a far more organized and engaging social media experience.” And recently, Terziev added, “We’re anxious to introduce our game-changing FRAME technology to the market upon final polish of the product. As we prepare for this corporate milestone, we are building on strong momentum triggered by the development of a product that will revolutionize the way brands interact via social media, and one that provides long-term value for our shareholders.”

Additional FRAME features include many advanced functions, such as engagement and customer care tools, reporting and measurement of campaign success via social media performance. The platform also monitors brand-related posts and media mentions. Scheduled publishing capabilities enhance an organization’s bottom line by way of saving the time typically involved in releasing content specifically crafted to the organization’s unique message.

Agora Holdings, Inc., together with subsidiary Geegle Media, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. The company’s five business segments – media networks, TV, consumer products, interactive media and studio entertainment – endeavor to leverage the strength of media and technology.

For more information, visit www.agoraholdingsinc.com

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Before the opening bell, Cryoport, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYRX), a premier provider of cryogenic logistics solutions to the life sciences industry, announced a strategic partnership with International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB: ISCO) through which it will provide global logistics support to ISCO for its impending phase I clinical trial. ISCO received authorization to begin a phase I/IIa clinical trial of its human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) in patients with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease from the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia in December, and the company commenced patient enrollment for the study earlier this year.

As the premier cryogenic logistics provider, Cryoport will leverage two of its strategically located depots, including locations in southern California and Singapore, to safely move ISCO’s high-value biologic material from its research facility in California to the study site in Australia. Cryoport’s proven track record in the logistics space, particularly as it relates to clinical trials and commercialization programs, makes it an ideal option for ISCO moving forward.

“This trial will take place across the globe and it is imperative that our cell therapy maintains integrity,” Russell Kern, PhD, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of ISCO, stated in a news release. “We are pleased to have Cryoport handle our global logistics requirements.”

Through its partnership with Cryoport, ISCO moves one step closer to the commencement of its highly-anticipated clinical trial. In December, the company signed a clinical service agreement with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, one of the world’s leading brain research centers. In March, ISCO entered into definitive agreements with two institutional healthcare investors and management for the private placement of $6.3 million of the company’s convertible preferred stock, adding capital that’s expected to drive its phase I study in the months to come.

As its scientists continue to evaluate additional therapeutic indications for its innovative stem cell technology platform, ISCO is primed to rapidly expand its presence in the biotechnology space. Leveraging partnerships with Cryoport and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, the company will look to build on its current momentum while working toward the release of preliminary safety and efficacy clinical data from its upcoming study by the end of the year.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Laguna Blends Inc. (OTC: LAGBF) asks, “Have you ever dreamed of owning your own business – full-time or part-time?” The very thought conjures up a multitude of emotions over a wide spectrum of aspirations and ambitions. ‘What if you could be involved in a home-based business and didn’t have to be good at sales?’ For the person who is moved to take action as a result of these questions, his or her thought process quickly and naturally turns to the obvious – ‘What product or service energizes me, and, if I can chart my own course, I may as well get involved with something I can get excited about.’ To these questions, Laguna Blends offers a viable answer.

Laguna Blends is a network marketing company focused on the nutritional health benefits derived from hemp. Core markets for hemp in this upward trending niche include health and functional foods, natural body care and birdseed and pet/veterinarian markets. Hemp seed is commercially appealing in large part due to its high protein and essential fatty acid profile. A large percentage of hemp seed production (whether in seed, oil, flour/powder or finished foods) is funneled toward the health food sector. Cosmetics and body care products made from hemp oil are also part of a growing market.

The Hemp Industries Associates (HIA) estimates that the total U.S. retail value of hemp products in 2012 was approximately $500 million – all of which includes food and body products, clothing, auto parts, building materials and other products. These figures are likely to fuel the aspiring network marketer to conclude that not only do they have the opportunity to work with an upward trending product, its versatility and appeal over a range of market sectors is more than apparent.

The global wellness industry is a $3.4 trillion market. Defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, the topic of wellness is well worth delving into. Through its independent affiliates, LAGBF uses tools and technology to aid in building an international business from the comfort of one’s own home or literally anywhere in the world.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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Earlier this week, Edison Investment Research, a leading independent investment intelligence firm, commenced coverage of International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB: ISCO). In the initial report, Edison gives prospective investors an in-depth look at ISCO’s current market position, including its impending Phase I/IIa clinical trials for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, as well as its revenue-generating subsidiaries, Lifeline Skin Care and Lifeline Cell Technology, which Edison suggests ‘provide a floor under ISCO’s current valuation, creating an essentially free option on the PD candidate’.

To view the full report, visit http://dtn.fm/fIF6B

Leveraging its innovative human parthenogenetic stem cell (hpSC) technology, ISCO has developed 15 unique stem cell lines capable of functioning as a variety of cell types, such as livers cells, neural cells and three-dimensional eye structures. Crucially, ISCO’s groundbreaking platform enables the advancement of regenerative medicine while avoiding the common ethical concerns that have gone hand-in-hand with embryonic stem cells. Using a risk-adjusted net present value methodology and taking the market potential of this technology into account, Edison valued ISCO at $27 million, or about $9.60 per share on an undiluted basis. While the company’s success is largely contingent on the successful execution of its Parkinson’s disease clinical trials and its ability to attract a licensing partner to move forward with additional testing, strong preclinical data in primate studies highlights the promise of ISCO’s hpSC technology as the company approaches commencement of its Phase I clinical trial in Australia.

“Promising preclinical results support our expectation that ISC-hpNSC will bring a long-needed solution for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease,” Russell Kern, PhD, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of ISCO, stated in a news release. “The ability of our approach to replace and protect dopaminergic neurons and restore neural function offers significant potential benefit to patients. We look forward to preliminary clinical data in Q4 2016.”

Over the next decade, Edison forecasts ISCO’s revenues through its cosmetic/skincare business to grow from $3.5 million to $4.8 million, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 3.2 percent, which is in line with forecast growth of the global skincare market. The research firm suggests that ISCO could begin generating profits stemming from the development of its stem cell technology by 2024, assuming the company’s promising preclinical results hold true throughout clinical testing.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) is traveling far and fast. In a recent interview with investor relations firm MissionIR, CEO Bill Kerby recapitulated the company’s most recent achievements and its prospects in the growing online travel-booking marketplace. Statista estimates (http://dtn.fm/6rOeB) that global international tourism revenue in 2014 was $1,245 billion. Of that, about 27 percent, or $340 billion, was online travel-booking revenues. Online travel agency (OTA) revenues are expected to continue growing at 12 percent annually, according to this Forbes piece (http://dtn.fm/BIjt4). OTA websites have evolved to accommodate this increased demand and now may offer information and access to airlines, hotels and alternative lodging, car rentals, cruises, rail and a combination of any of the above, referred to in the industry as ‘packaged travel’.

In the middle of 2015, Monaker restructured its operations to take advantage of what CEO Bill Kerby has described as ‘the hottest space in travel… alternative lodging’. This is where people rent vacation homes rather than hotel rooms. An 8-K filing in June 2015 published the company’s name change to Monaker Group, Inc. and a 1-for-50 reverse stock split, known colloquially as a rollback. In October 2015, Monaker announced (http://dtn.fm/CHpJ0) that it had acquired AlwaysOnVacations, a large and very popular global platform. AlwaysOnVacations had, by the end of 2014, listed 65,000 properties in 120 countries. It also had 60 affiliated partner websites, available in 16 languages, and about 700,000 subscribers worldwide to its newsletters, also available in 16 languages.

The AlwaysOnVacations properties are part ‘of close to 1.2 million homes’ that Monaker has ‘under contract’, part of its strategy of cultivating ‘significant partnerships for accessing inventory’. As CEO Bill Kerby pointed out, inventory of that size would make Monaker as big as HomeAway, which was acquired by Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) in December 2015 for $3.9 billion. In March 2016, Monaker said that subsidiary Maupintour had signed a sponsorship agreement with Trisept Solutions, creators of VAX VacationAccess and Xcelerator. VAX VacationAccess is an award-winning leisure travel marketplace that is used by over 70,000 travel agents. Xcelerator is a new, revolutionary agency management platform that enables travel agents to capture extensive client profile and trip information.

Also in March 2016, the company announced its plans to add CustomTravelClubs.com as a preferred distributor of its multiple travel products, including its growing alternative lodging inventory and Maupintour land and tour packages. CustomTravelClubs.com is a global brand servicing travel customers all over the world, and it offers unique travel products to its exclusive members and builds custom tailored travel clubs for organizations. And, also in March, the company’s comprehensive booking platform, NextTrip.com, added over 150,000 vacation rental units. The company also reported that, as a new feature, these new properties can be booked instantly without the typical wait for a formal response from the property owner to confirm booking.

In April 2016, the company made public some details of a partnership with Recruiter.com, an online global recruiting service with close to three million accounts. Also in April 2016, it announced the engagement of Primero Systems to upgrade its flagship travel website, NextTrip.com. NextTrip.com is the industry’s first booking engine featuring alternative lodging (vacation home rentals, resort residences and unused timeshares), as well as a vast array of airlines, hotels, cruises, rental cars, tours and concierge services, all combined in one platform to give customers the power of choice when booking their vacations.

Monaker’s travel assets now include Maupintour, with over 65 years in tour-guided vacations; Voyage.TV, with its thousands of hours of travel footage shot in over 30 countries around the world; AlwaysOnVacations, with its 250,000 listed properties; and NextTrip.com. NextTrip is traveling in areas left uncharted by AirBnB, HomeAway, Priceline and FlipKey by offering both proprietary and partner-held alternative lodging accommodation, traditional hotel accommodation, timeshare and resort inventory, real-time booking, a bidding platform, video content, car rentals, cruise packages, tours, airline bookings, and access to real live travel agents. It may be time for investors to take their next trip with Monaker.

For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com

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Rennova Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNVA), based in West Palm Beach, Florida, specializes in providing a full range of medical and administrative technologies and services to U.S. healthcare providers. The company’s suite of products and services are designed to enhance treatment success while streamlining customer and financial information processing, improving both patient and financial outcomes.

Rennova Health provider solutions include:

• Diagnostic Solutions – Rennova offers comprehensive clinical testing services, including advanced toxicology and esoteric lab services such as urine testing for abuse of drugs and prescription medications, in addition to bacteriology, serology, immunology, hematology and neurotransmitter testing.
  Brands: Medytox Diagnostics
  
• Revenue Cycle Management – Rennova’s sophisticated medical billing solution, centered around the customer, is structured to ensure a billing process that is highly efficient, reducing errors and producing more accurate claims, resulting in faster reimbursement and maximizing provider cash flow.
  Brands: Medical Billing Choices
• Healthcare Technology Solutions – Rennova software applications provide advanced processing for both electronic health records (EHRs) and laboratory information management system records, and include web-based technology for managing diagnostic lab testing orders and reports.
  Brands: ClinLab Advanced Medical Software, Medical Mime, Advantage, CollabRx
• Financial Services – Rennova also offers direct financial services to help providers better deal with customer payment lag to encourage positive cash flow, including specialized loans that convert outstanding accounts receivable assets into working capital.
  Brands: Platinum Financial Solutions

Rennova Health’s market strength rests on its ability to enhance both the speed and accuracy of diagnostic testing and record processing for healthcare providers, with a growing offering of integrated brands.

For more information, visit www.RennovaHealth.com

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) is a biotechnology company that focuses on early-stage cell therapy. ISCO uses stem cells to treat a variety of diseases, including those of the eyes, the nervous system, and the liver, among others. The scientists at ISCO treat severe diseases with state-of-the-art technology. The aim of the company is to create therapeutic products from its own intellectual property. With this in mind, ISCO also owns two subsidiary companies. Lifeline Skin Care Inc. is a business that develops and manufactures skin care products, while Lifeline Cell Technology, LLC is a research products business that develops and manufactures human cell culture products.

Most recently, International Stem Cell Corp. has started developing human parthenogenetic stem cell derived neural stem cells. Over the past few years, the main problem with using stem cells in regenerative medicine has been a case of ethics. In an article entitled ‘Embryonic stem cell research: an ethical dilemma’, published on the Euro Stem Cell website, it explains the dilemma that we, as humans, have to face when making a choice between two moral principles: the duty we have to prevent or diminish pain and suffering, and the duty we have to respect the value of human life, even at its earliest stages. In the article, the discussion goes into detail about the moral status of a human embryo. The question is asked: Does the embryo have the status of a person? The answer is still to be decided.

However, with the help of International Stem Cell Corp., the discussion can be put to one side for the time being. ISCO has developed a new type of stem cell using unfertilized eggs. This means that the eggs in question would never have the potential to become embryos, and, therefore, no embryo is destroyed. During a recent interview between The Nikkei Asian Review and Russell Kern, Chief Scientific Officer at ISCO, Kern said: “Being able to produce parthenogenetic stem cells in large quantities and in a way that greatly simplifies the chances of immune matching gives us a clear advantage over other stem cell technologies, like embryonic stem cells for obvious reasons. One of ISCO’s stem cell lines matches approximately 70 million people and makes it incredibly simple to immune match its stem cells.”

ISCO is starting a phase I clinical trial in Australia using these new stem cells. The stem cells not only take away any moral issues associated to the cause but may also reduce the risk of immune rejections. The phase I clinical trials are based on preclinical studies in rodents and nonhuman primates. The ISCO stem cells showed a significant rise in brain dopamine levels. Not only this, the studies also showed amazing improvement in Parkinson’s disease symptoms. With phase I of clinical trials, ISCO aims to find a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Oakridge Global Energy Solutions (OTCQB: OGES) began life as a true research and development company, and now, 30 years later, it has grown to become the developer of some of the world’s best energy solutions. In that time, Oakridge has also advanced its business strategies considerably in order to become a global leader in the innovation, development, manufacturing and marketing of disruptive energy storage technology for military, civilian and medical uses.

The past couple of years have been especially significant for Oakridge, with corporate milestones including:

• The company successfully finalized a major two-year restructuring plan at the end of 2015.
• The company designed, built and modified its state-of-the-art, first-of-its-kind $40 million, 70,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Palm Bay, Florida.
• Within this short period of time, Oakridge became the only U.S. manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, with a battery life that lasts up to three times longer than its foreign-manufactured counterparts. It also generated a 30% increase in its battery life cycle through its proprietary chemistry and technology.
• Since the first quarter of 2016, Oakridge has been fulfilling a growing stream of customer orders currently estimated at $24 million and shipping its batteries to a long list of waiting customers in the motorcycle, golf cart and other niche markets.

Furthermore, when the United Nations placed a ban on the transport of lithium batteries on passenger planes in April 2016, this embargo further positioned Oakridge to become a key player in the United States rechargeable battery market and allowed it to further its primary business: the development, manufacturing and marketing of energy storage products.

Although Oakridge rode into 2016 with a strong pipeline of commercial opportunities, the company’s investment in the drivers of its future growth remains constant.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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Earlier this month, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) made headlines when it reported record financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The company’s first quarter net revenue increased by 10.3 percent from the previous year, totaling $6.17 million. Similarly, OPCO’s net income rose by 24.7 percent over the previous year to a record total of $266,581. These strong results continue to highlight the company’s success in promoting growth through multiple sales channels. OPCO’s sales through e-commerce channels were up 14 percent over the previous year, while sales through food, drug and mass retail channels grew by eight percent.

“These results reflect our continued ability to successfully execute our business strategy,” Dr. Steven Tsengas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OPCO, stated in a news release. “We are pleased that all major product categories showed a strong performance with Waste & Odor up 64%, Toys/Accessories up 10% and Bowls/Feeders up 9%.”

Despite recording a slim year-over-year decrease in gross profit margin due to product mix, OPCO continues to position itself for sustainable growth by focusing on minimizing overhead costs. The company’s selling, general & administrative expenses as a percentage of total sales dropped by a full percent from the first quarter of 2015, while income from operations increased by 16.5 percent to $415,269. In line with its goal of minimizing costs, OPCO also made progress on an initiative to reduce its inventory below $7 million by the end of the year, dropping inventory from $7.91 million at the beginning of the year to $7.44 million at the end of the first quarter.

While this strong financial growth should be enough to catch the attention of prospective shareholders, OPCO has also unveiled its next innovation in the roughly $62.75 billion pet space. At the Global Pet Expo international trade show in Orlando, Florida, the company introduced its new Intelligent Pet Care™ product line, which leverages Bluetooth and wireless connectivity to enhance the bond between pets and pet owners. The SmartScoop® – Intelligent Litter Box, SmartLink™ Feeder – Intelligent Pet Bowl and SmartLink™ Waterer – Intelligent Water Fountain are specially designed to monitor and wirelessly report on various activities that can be interpreted as indicators of pet health, such as elimination behavior, eating and drinking.

Since its founding in 1995, OPCO has remained dedicated to enhancing the bond between pets and pet parents by marketing high quality, innovative products. Look for the company to continue pursuing this goal as it leans on the tremendous experience of its management team and the marketability of its advanced Intelligent Pet Care™ product line. With strong financial growth and a commitment to the advancement of the industry, OPCO is primed to build on its position as a leader in the global pet market moving forward.

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

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