For years, costly fountains and simple, coin-operated puzzle tables and rides held center court in malls across the U.S. By the 80s though, shopping mall owners and operators had replaced these pieces with less costly art/performance spaces and lounge areas they believed would attract more customers. These days, mall designers are offering new enticements to keep shoppers from shopping online or at competitive locations. They are adding restaurants fit for foodies, promoting real-life services like fitness clubs and hair salons, and turning to cozy play areas to bring in more shoppers (both parents and kids), capture their attention and get them to stay longer in their malls.

Giggles N’ Hugs, which owns and operates three family-friendly restaurants in major malls in the Los Angeles area, has been enjoying this rising trend. Recognizing that the once-humble play area is a thing of the past and that cushy new play areas are the shopping malls’ new secret weapon, the company doubled down with its restaurant concept. At each of its locations, Giggles N’ Hugs has paired innovative, kid-friendly entertainment and play spaces with adult-friendly, organic food and drink menus, and created a popular, family-friendly atmosphere and winning formula that has brought its first three locations notable success. During the course of the first and second quarters of 2015, for example, the company’s sales of $1.75 million surpassed last year’s levels by 6%.

Major expansion is now in the works for Giggles N’ Hugs and its highly marketable restaurant concept. The company is preparing to duplicate this concept at new locations in West Coast markets like Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Orange County and has been actively discussing expansion with several large mall owners, including the Westfield Group. Giggles N’ Hugs typically targets kids who are 10 or younger and, in the Westfield Group, the company just might have found a like-minded strategic business partner. At its Galleria at Roseville mall in California, Westfield has been testing out a play area stocked with touch-screen games, puzzles and Jenga-style games more suited to kids aged 6 to 10 who wish to do more than run and climb.

For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com

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To misquote Mark Twain, reports of the death of cash have been greatly exaggerated. Make no mistake, the use of cash to make purchases has most certainly been on a steady decline in recent years. In a 2012 survey by Mastercard (NYSE: MA), nearly three-quarters of Americans said that they used cash less than they did a decade earlier. Reaffirming this point, a 2013 study indicated that a massive 80 percent of consumer spending in the U.S. was cashless. Despite this popularity, a total shift away from paper money is unlikely in the short-term, and, according to a report on Strategy Eye Digital, that’s a result of a lack of truly compelling digital alternatives.

“One thing we need to do is work out the needs of merchants where cash traditionally is prevalent,” James Allgrove, head of growth at Stripe UK, stated at London Fintech Week. “Take Uber and cabs – magical experience of not having to pay tips and split fares. We need to understand the needs of each industry and build payments for that industry rather than one size fits all.”

Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: ALYI) is playing a key role in the transformation of the payments market. Through its strategic partnership with MUXI, a Brazilian leader in multichannel technology solutions for the electronic point of sale industry, the company is in a strong strategic position to introduce innovative, brand-agnostic point of sale terminals and disruptive payment technology to the U.S. market, which includes the largest outdated legacy point of sale infrastructure in the world.

MUXI’s technology enables a full range of vital payment solutions – including the implementation of mobile point of sale infrastructure across tablets and smartphones. Demand for these mobile solutions is high across a host of industries due to their affordability and versatility, as compared to fixed point of sale terminals.

The hospitality industry, in particular, represents a strong opportunity for Alternet. In a 2014 study by Hospitality Technology, more than two-thirds of restaurants surveyed intended to add new functionality, features or modules to their current point of sale solutions in 2015. Additionally, approximately 38 percent of restaurants planned to develop and deploy point of sale solutions for use on mobile devices.

Expanding implementation of new features such as mobile wallet services and contactless payment solutions, as well as the ongoing EMV migration, is creating a strong opportunity for Alternet to establish a sustainable foothold in the $37 billion global point of sale market. Look for the company to increase its market share by continuing to rely on the unique benefits of its innovative multichannel solutions.

“The prevalence of cash can be somewhat attributed to inertia,” Dave Wascha, global digital product director of Travelex, stated at the Fintech conference. “It’s up to this industry to decide how long it stays around.”

For more information, visit www.alternetsystems.com

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Choosing a transfer agent can play a major role in determining a company’s success. While all transfer agents perform the same basic functions, one firm has consistently gone the extra mile to meet and exceed the expectations of its clients. Over the last half century, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust has established a position among the very best in the industry through a commitment to superior client responsiveness and uniquely tailored business solutions that meet the specific needs of smaller to midsize emerging and growth companies. Today, Continental remains dedicated to companies with 50,000 shareholders or fewer, and it currently provides unparalleled support to more than 2.5 million shareholders of record nationwide.

Despite its position as the fourth largest transfer agent in the United States, Continental does things a little differently than mega transfer agents. To start, the company gives clients 24/7 access to its senior-level experts. This personalized attention, along with truly flexible offerings, innovative technology and exceptional execution, serves as the foundation upon which Continental builds suites of services that are ideally suited to the individual needs of each client.

Continental’s tailored services are offered to clients at an unmatched value that has repeatedly earned the company top honors in annual industry surveys. For four consecutive years, Continental was awarded the prestigious TALON Award, which is presented to the leading transfer agents in North America.

Any organization’s true strength lies in its people, and, for over five decades, Continental has gathered some of the industry’s most experienced experts to ask the right questions, provide the right answers and deliver the precise support that its clients and their shareholders require. Steve Nelson, the company’s president and chairman, leads the Continental team. Leaning on more than 30 years of industry experience, Nelson’s involvement in the day-to-day management of client initiatives sets the pace for Continental’s commitment to living up to its reputation as the industry’s most accessible transfer agent.

Just because all transfer agents specialize in the same basic functions doesn’t mean that they are all created equally. For growth and emerging companies, Continental’s unmatched combination of size, value and attention to detail makes it an option that’s certainly worthy of consideration.

For more information visit www.continentalstock.com

As part of its recently announced expansion, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions this morning said it plans to fully utilize the many patents developed and owned by the company in thin film solid state batteries, to be used for “game-changing” applications in electronics, robotics, industry, medical devices and the military.

In 2002, the company acquired Oak Ridge Micro-Energy Inc. to advance the development and commercialization of rechargeable thin film solid state lithium battery technology that was based upon the thin film solid state lithium ion technology developed by Dr. John B. Bates, Ph.D., while he was employed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (“ORNL”) under license from ORNL.

“The timing is now right and the market is now ready for thin film solid state batteries,” OGES executive chairman and CEO Steve Barber stated in the news release. “These amazing next generation batteries last for years without the need for recharging while providing steady power to smart phones, computer tablets, smart watches, medical electronics, and even animatronics and flexible applications such as the incorporation of batteries into the fabrics of clothing and tires.”

Barber notes that while the broader market wasn’t ready for the technology when it was invented the mid-1990s, “now is the perfect time for Oakridge to commercialize our industry-changing technology.”

OGES expects to complete the last phase of pre-production prototyping in early 2016 and be ready for full commercial product and manufacturing in late 2016 to early 2017.

“This is yet another very exciting product line that nicely complements our existing products that we have already introduced, and will be a real game-changer for the global battery industry and truly represents the next generation of batteries,” says Barber. “With this new product initiative, in commercializing more great technology invented right here in the USA, we are continuing with our mission statement of on-shoring jobs and manufacturing back to the USA by providing the market with another Made In the USA product instead of having to rely on imported products.”

Barber also notes that the process for manufacturing thin film solid state batteries significantly differs from the current process of producing small format or large format lithium cells, and is more fitting to the manufacturing techniques used in the semiconductor industry. OGES will tap into the local workforce and acquire new equipment as necessary.

“We will utilize the considerable depth of skilled employees found in and around the Space Coast area to set this manufacturing operation up in a separate facility to accommodate the special processes required in the manufacture of these new game-changing batteries. We anticipate having that new facility location selected by the end of this year in the Space Coast area where we are currently located and will immediately begin sourcing equipment and hiring employees,” he says.

For more information visit www.oakg.net

Cherubim Interests this morning announced it has filed a Corporate Action with FINRA to issue a Convertible Preferred Stock Dividend to its individual shareholders. Shareholders will be mailed physical certificates of Convertible Preferred Stock bearing a restrictive legend that will have a holding period. Once the Corporate Action is approved, shareholders will receive details of the transaction.

“There has been significant dilution over the recent past in Cherubim Interests, Inc., and the reason for that has been the issue of the automatic conversion of aged non-affiliated debt on our companies books. We are currently in the process of negotiating settlements with many of our debt holders, as we acknowledge that responsibility; and at the same time, we also want to protect the integrity of people’s investments in the open market,” Patrick J. Johnson, CEO of Cherubim, stated in the news release.

“We acknowledge the fact that our market has not recently performed to the satisfaction of our stockholders due to the automatic debt conversions of aged debt,” he continued. “And by issuing anti-dilutive, restricted convertible preferred securities to investors who securities are ‘underwater’ after purchasing our stock in the open market makes sense, because the dilution has impacted them the most. The rights and privileges of the restricted convertible preferred securities have already been noted in the company’s amended articles of incorporation. The Record Date & Payment Date will be known to our stockholders, once FINRA approves the filing.”

Cherubim specializes in alternative construction projects, along with comprehensive real estate development, including due diligence, acquisition, planning, construction, renovation and management; providing complete beginning-to-end development programs for mixed use, single, and multifamily projects and properties. The company’s BudCube Cultivation Systems USA (“BCS”) has developed a proprietary, fully portable and scalable, Controlled Environment Cultivation Technology that serves as a turnkey solution for cultivators of legal medical and recreational cannabis, as well as any other plant species. Coupled with a real estate development and property management business model, BudCube Cultivation Systems can position itself anywhere in the world where the cultivation of cannabis is legal.

For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com

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NEAH Power Systems is focused on supplying power products for the military, transportation and portable electronics industries. The company is now also looking to deliver these products to Black-I Robotics, Inc. (“Black-I”), a leader in robotic technology-based solutions and recently announced that they are joining forces to deliver its patented power generation and energy storage deliverables within the robotics space.

The two companies intend to develop power systems for robotic mobile platforms that can provide increases in levels of performance that have never been seen before. Their vision also endeavors to deliver robotic solutions that better meet the needs of Black-I’s commercial, industrial and defense customer base.

The service segment of the global robotics market is estimated to reach $16B in the next five years. Upward trending investments supporting the development of service robotics in Japan, China, Korea, and the US is expected to positively impact market growth. Increasing government spending initiatives in defense and military applications, combined with high demand in these segments, is expected to drive growth even higher.

NEAH Power Chief Executive Officer, Chris D’Couto commented, “NEAH Power is excited to work with Black-I Robotics, a company with proven technologies and robotic platforms that can deliver advanced robotic solutions for defense, industrial and commercial applications.” “Together, we will work to expand the markets for our products by offering power solutions that can markedly increase the amount of reliable, efficient and safe power available to these systems, which in effect will drive growth for the benefit of shareholders.”

Brian Hart, president and CEO of Black-I Robotics noted, “We very much look forward to teaming with NEAH Power, a true innovator in portable power.” “This agreement allows us to explore ways to meet the critical demand for lighter, more compact and highly efficient power systems for the robotics market. By consolidating our expertise, capabilities and resources, we expect to revolutionize the delivery of mobile power and truly untether robots, regardless of their power requirements, so they can better execute their mission.”

For more information on the company visit www.neahpower.com

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Galenfehs is revolutionizing the market with its innovative stored energy solutions. More specifically, the company’s lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are taking the industry by storm.

“The market is quickly realizing the superior performance, increased safety, and long term costs savings of our batteries versus lead acid and traditional lithium chemistry,” James Ketner, founder and chairman of Galenfeha, stated in a news release.

LiFePO4 batteries offer a number of key advantages over lead-acid and traditional lithium batteries. In addition to containing no acid, no poisonous lead and producing no dangerous emissions during charging, Galenfeha’s LiFePO4 batteries also offer much lower self-discharge, do not sulfate and are environmentally-friendly.

In recent months, Galenfeha has successfully leveraged the marketability of its product line to achieve strong growth, particularly in the oil and gas industry. The company is rapidly expanding its distribution network through agreements with leading oil and gas retailers across the country. Earlier this month, Galenfeha announced an exclusive distribution agreement with Oil and Gas Equipment, Inc. that’s expected to provide a sustainable foothold in the oil and gas markets of the southwestern states, and the company is also making considerable progress toward expanding its market presence outside of the oil and gas industry.

“We believe that by next year, we will be the number one consumer of LiFePO4 chemistry in the U.S., as we continue to see increased market penetration with current applications, and expand our product lines outside the oil and gas industry,” continued Ketner.

One way in which Galenfeha is putting its technology to work outside of the oil and gas industry is in the field of zero-emission recreational vehicles. The company has already developed and tested a battery system designed to address the $894 million golf cart industry. This system provides up to 40 percent more usable voltage than traditional lead-acid chemistries while offering a 70 percent weight reduction, and these benefits are expected to play a key role in Galenfeha’s ongoing efforts to address other stored energy needs – including both government and military applications.

“Galenfeha is rapidly becoming one of our largest customers,” stated Patricia Delgado, president and chief executive officer of Headway Headquarters. “Currently, there is only one company in the U.S. that utilizes this [LiFePO4] chemistry in a larger capacity, and Galenfeha is closing that gap.”

For prospective shareholders, this rapid growth could translate into an opportunity to realize sustainable returns. Look for the company to continue expanding its distribution network through strategic partnerships while refining its innovative technology to address viable market needs in the months to come.

Take a closer look at the company by visiting www.galenfeha.com

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It looks like the tax revenue assessment on recreational marijuana sales in Oregon by government officials may have underestimated just how big and robust the consumer market really is, with the initial forward projection of around $9 million for 2017 looking like it will be surpassed with ease. Subsequent to recreational sales being approved ahead of schedule via a bill signed by Governor Kate Brown, the amount of money taken in by dispensaries within just the first week alone has effectively crushed the official estimate, as some $11 million in sales were completed in the state’s first week of open commerce, and current estimates are that $3.5 million was taken in on day one. With tax revenues set to kick in this January, state coffers could be filling up vastly quicker (and to a much greater extent) than originally anticipated, especially when you consider Oregon’s first week of sales more than doubled those seen in Colorado ($5 million), and beat out Washington by a landslide (which did only $2 million in sales during week one). If this keeps up, tax revenues next year will be hefty indeed – forcing other state legislatures to take the issue even more seriously.

This is a very bullish indicator for the sector overall and should give investors significant pause, as these sales figures represent a clear shot across the bow of remaining holdout states which continue to be on the fence about essentially repealing federal marijuana prohibition via state-based legislative measures. With these kinds of sales figures coming out of Oregon on the heels of an early start, it’s only a matter of time before the cultural sea-change that is already evident from recent polling (which shows a majority of Americans are now in favor of decriminalization) puts a bright spotlight on cash-strapped holdout states, making legislators in those states appear to voters as somewhat insane for not simply regulating and taxing the substance. With the now strikingly obvious potential upside for things like education and law enforcement funding, many constituents around the country are starting to clamor after their state representatives to follow suit with states like Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. This is all extremely good news for various operators within what is projected by leading cannabis industry research firm, ArcView Group, as being a market which is on track to hit $11 billion within the next four years alone. And that figure seems pretty conservative to some analysts, given that between 2013 and 2014 the market grew by 80 percent, clocking in somewhere around $2.7 billion last year.

One of the areas of the marijuana sector that stands to gain the most growth-wise from a continuing shift towards recreational use across the country is baseline logistics, where things like grow op facilities, various industry-associated real estate elements, cultivation products, and controlled environment agriculture technologies reside. After all, supply origination within this industry – which is going to be driven more and more by commercial-scale premium strain quality cultivation as restrictions wane – is, in many respects, the foundation of the entire sector. Classic “pick and shovel” plays are looking like a solid target for investors seeking to profit off of the incremental, seemingly inevitable nationwide decriminalization of cannabis that is taking place as the so-called Green Rush progresses. And, as was the case with the repeal of alcohol prohibition, some of the biggest fortunes in the industry will likely arise from those companies who get the product origination and logistics right. Not to mention the businesses which service them. In fact, as is the case in the oil industry, where oilfield service companies like Halliburton are some of the top earners, businesses providing services and products to the core commodity originators could be the biggest names in the industry after it’s all said and done.

We’re talking businesses like development-stage alternative construction outfit, Cherubim Interests. With its core competencies in construction, finance and property management, as well as a wholly-owned subsidiary engaged in making and marketing portable, proprietary, and scalable cannabis cultivation systems: BudCube Cultivation Systems USA (BCS). In fact, Cherubim Interests, via its full-spectrum capabilities in alternative construction project development and turnkey cultivation systems, is poised to capture significant market share as the cannabis market continues to expand, thanks to its intelligent mix of baseline logistics offerings, whether that growth occurs here in the U.S., or abroad. The powerful combination of a real estate development and property management business model, empowered by a veteran team of managers and highly experienced directors, with the scalable cultivation tech provided by BCS, allows CHIT to strike hard and fast wherever in the world the cultivation of cannabis is made legal, and consumers stand ready to fuel retail market growth.

To this general end, CHIT has engaged Oregon-based consultation, research and development firm, DGrass Enterprises, which is led by a man with over a decade and a half of both indoor and outdoor cultivation experience, Dominic Grasseth. Grasseth, in addition to being CEO of DGrass Enterprises, is also the guy who opened the successful Eugene, Oregon-based retail and wholesale garden supply company, The Greener Side of Life, back in 2010. An enviably capable master gardener and horticultural expert, Grasseth has developed a skill set that will be invaluable to CHIT (and BCS) as the company continues to pursue its aggressive agenda of planned deployment and leasing of commercial cultivation facilities, wherever cultivation activities are made legal by legislators. A serial entrepreneur with vast sums of personal hands-on experience in the cultivation field, Grasseth is proficient across a wide array of pertinent disciplines, ranging from cultivation/production and extraction, to grow room design, consultation, and even the retail/marketing end of the business.

Moreover, CHIT recently announced that the company is taking huge strides towards fully shoring up its share price, via a series of intelligently-crafted initiatives designed to build shareholder equity, including strict maintenance of filing obligations in order to maintain seamless OTC Market disclosure, and amending the company’s corporate bylaws in order to create anti-dilutive convertible preferred shares. Furthermore, the company will act to insulate stockholders against past and future open market dilution by offering these shares via dividend payment, and using these convertible preferred shares as a form of currency in order to exchange outstanding derivative liabilities. In addition, CHIT plans to execute an S-1 filing that will enable holders of preferred shares (who’ve converted into specific, predetermined amounts of common stock) to see their securities become freely trading. This bold move by the company to reinforce the share price and build investor confidence, will simultaneously allow CHIT to retire much of its principal affiliate debt, with the interest being converted into restricted shares.

A clear sector strategy to capitalize on the cannabis industry’s most promising area, combined with share price strengthening initiatives has CHIT sitting pretty, even as Oregon leads by example, accelerating its recreational use retail timetable, and setting a new and unmistakable precedent for other states to follow.

Take a closer look, visit Cherubim Interests online at www.cherubiminterests.com

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Star Mountain Resources this morning announced its three-way definitive agreements with Northern Zinc, LLC and HudBay Minerals, Inc., which will result in Star Mountain acquiring Balmat Holding Corp., including St. Lawrence Zinc Company, LLC, and its mining operations in the Balmat mining district of St. Lawrence County, New York.

Together, these transactions will provide Star Mountain the opportunity to shift from a junior explorer into a producer in the near term. Northern Zinc, in particular, brings to Star Mountain a roster of mining industry professionals with decades of technical and managerial experience.

The total acquisition price paid to Hudbay for Balmat will be 550,000 shares of Star Mountain common stock, and up to $17 million in cash consisting of $1.0 million in cash at closing and future cash payments of up to $15.5 million. A $500,000 payment has already been made to Hudbay. Under certain conditions, Star Mountain can accelerate the acquisition payments and reduce the future cash payments to $7 million.

As part of the overall acquisition of Balmat, Star Mountain will issue to the owner of Northern Zinc 10.0 million shares of the company’s unregistered common stock and assume $1.39 million in debts.

Hudbay has held the Balmat mine on care and maintenance since suspension of operations in August of 2008, which has kept mining permits current, MSHA inspections up-to-date, and environmental controls and conditions in regulatory compliance. Star Mountain Resources reports that there are no legal or regulatory roadblocks in place to delay the reopening of mining operations.

The Balmat mining complex includes a permitted and equipped mine, a 5,000 ton per day floatation mill, an office complex, and infrastructure to enable the operation of the mine. The acquisition of Balmat includes 2,699-acres of fee simple real estate and over 50,000 acres of mineral rights within St. Lawrence and neighboring Franklin counties in New York.

“We believe there is an excellent opportunity to upgrade and extend the mineralization through additional surface and underground development and exploration,” Mark Osterberg, president and COO of Star Mountain, stated in the news release.

Joe Marchal, CEO of Star Mountain, added, “We are delighted to reach an agreement with both Northern Zinc and Hudbay to acquire the Balmat mine. The reopening plan for the mine envisioned by Northern Zinc is expected to bring a significant number of jobs to an economically distressed area of northern New York State and jumpstart Star Mountain’s growth into an outstanding new mining company. The team we’ve assembled has world class financial and mining experience that we believe will enable the company to grow into a successful global base metals mining group. I am pleased to welcome Hudbay onto the share register of Star Mountain.”

The transactions are subject to various customary closing conditions and are expected to close by October 31, 2015.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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Great strides in medical technology are being undertaken by Avant Diagnostics, a company that focuses its developments on the human genome project, which aims to map out the entire DNA sequence of a human. Innovations in this endeavor may treat, prevent, and cure disease as scientists will have a blueprint of how humans have developed over time along with what genes lead to illness. The company hopes to develop genetic research that can detect illness early in individuals so that treatment can avert progression or death.

With this goal in mind, Avant Diagnostics has developed the first large panel biomarker screening test for ovarian cancer. This test, OvaDx®, measures the activation of immune systems in blood samples in response to early stage ovarian tumor cell development. The test has high sensitivity to readings at 79.7% and can identify stage I, II, III, and IV Ovarian cancer with great accuracy. With ~80% sensitivity, IA disease can also be detected.

According to the American Cancer Society, 21,290 women will be diagnosed and 14,180 will die from ovarian cancer this year. A woman’s risk of getting the cancer is 1 in 75, making early detection technology essential. Currently, the three leading detection processes are the pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, and CA-125 blood test. However, each of these tests lack accuracy and do not necessarily lower the cancer’s death rate.

The company is currently underway in testing previously acquired ovarian cancer specimens that will serve as a validation study for the pre-Submission package to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review. Then a trial for OvaDx® 510(k) can begin. The company needs to get the FDA’s approval for the product before selling. This microarray-based test will be offered to women for overall health checkups and to those who have a predisposed risk to the cancer.

Avant Diagnostics intends to develop advanced early detection technologies that will then lead to developments in surgical options and therapies for patients. Furthermore, if OvaDx® gains FDA approval, women will have another, more accurate, option for ovarian cancer detection.

For more information, please visit www.avantdiagnostics.com

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