Global demand for lithium-ion batteries in on the rise, and the North American market is leading the charge. The United States currently ranks first in the world in terms of overall number of lithium-ion battery-based grid storage projects, and growing demand for North American alternatives to Chinese-made lead-acid batteries is creating an immediate market for domestically-produced stored energy solutions. It is in this area that Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) is promoting rapid and sustainable growth.

“This company is specifically orientated and has been consciously focused to be the poster child of the onshoring movement,” Steve Barber, chief executive officer of Oakridge, stated in a news release.

As the only ‘Made in the USA’ lithium-ion battery system producer, Oakridge is quickly capitalizing on this ongoing market shift by targeting the golf cart, remote control and unmanned aerial vehicle and home energy storage markets. The company’s focus on these highly profitable niche markets has already helped it confirm order backlogs worth $19.3 million in the U.S., as well as $110 million in domestic and international orders that are currently awaiting firm delivery schedules. With continued development, the commercial potential of the company’s proven technology and proprietary chemistry is effectively limitless.

While Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is capturing its fair share of attention for its battery-powered products, both the Harvard Business Review and The Washington Post have said that golf carts have considerable potential for disrupting the auto industry. Both publications noted how disruptive technologies often begin as inexpensive offerings that, initially, fly under the radar. By competing in an emerging sector, Oakridge is able to dodge expensive and time-consuming government regulation while refining its technology in order to better challenge industry leaders. Eventually, this advantage could translate into broadened consumer appeal and a larger market share.

Despite the immense benefits that Oakridge’s lithium-ion batteries offer over traditional lead-acid batteries – including lighter weight, smaller form factor, longer power cycles and shorter recharging times – they are both sold at the same price point. In the case of the company’s Pro Series products, which are specially designed for use in golf carts and other professional service electric vehicles, using Oakridge’s lithium-ion batteries allows consumers to eliminate as much as half the weight of the vehicle without adding any additional expense.

“We very surgically went on an 18-month program to figure out what was the highly profitable low-hanging fruit niche markets that has high barriers to entry,” continued Barber. “That’s why we do what we do with the products we have, which are golf cart batteries – lithium-ion high power golf cart batteries – but we have striven very carefully to make them for the same price as lead-acid batteries.”

Moving forward, Oakridge will look to build on its recent progress by continuing to proactively develop its global brand and cutting-edge technology while identifying strategic market opportunities and partnering with key industry participants. Under the guidance of its proven management team, the company is strategically positioned to capitalize on the rising demand for groundbreaking energy storage solutions for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.oakg.net

Stock transfer agents have evolved over the years in terms of what they can do for their corporate clients – and even how they characterize the services they offer. Proof of these changes can be seen in what the market’s leading transfer agents reference as their key “deliverables” to their clients.

The work of a transfer agency is its service, and quality service begins and ends with people. People provide the energy behind a company’s stock being delivered on time, its records being managed accurately, and its shareholders’ votes being counted. People are the face of your company to your investors and people are what makes your transfer agent an asset or a burden to your business.

Quality service and motivated people working in unison toward a common goal aid in growing a company’s business which subsequently leads to serving the best interest of shareholders. Put in other terms, it is essential, that a company is not treated like a number or an account.

Continental Stock Transfer and Trust is an independent, privately held, family-owned corporation. Established in 1964, the company is committed to partnering with its clients today and well into the future. With a staff of experienced and tenured professionals, Continental views this as the foundation that allows it to respond quickly to its clients’ shareholders. The company both designs and executes with impeccable professionalism on a variety of services that are ultimately the best fit for each client.

These traits are what make Continental a significant presence in the stock transfer industry. The company characterizes its commitment in terms of never settling for ‘business as usual.’ From this commitment comes the company’s motto: ‘Power of stability.’ ‘Spirit of agility.’

Continental dedicates itself to companies with 50,000 shareholders or fewer and currently supports more than 1,100 public issues. Combined, this totals more than 2.5 million shareholders of record all over the country. Despite its rank as fourth largest agent in the United States, the company endeavors to serve its clients and their shareholders in ways company’s much larger cannot – with personal attention from senior staff, flexible offerings, innovative technology, exceptional execution and an value unparalleled in the industry.

For more information on the company visit http://www.continentalstock.com

Full-spectrum stored energy equipment supplier Oakridge Global Energy Solutions is one of the upcoming leaders when it comes to manufacturing on-shore. It’s a trend that has picked up considerable steam in recent years, as more and more companies look at the significant benefits on-shoring provides, such as proximity to end markets, improved process security, and the rapidly diminishing labor cost gap when compared to off-shoring. OGES is based in Florida’s Space Coast, a region just north of the Treasure Coast around Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This is the now densely packed region which historically was the home to NASA-launched manned spaceflights and has long been a key location for USAF unmanned military and civilian rocket launches, as well as (more recently) numerous aerospace companies and UAV technology developers.

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions prides itself on offering a full range of high-quality, American-made energy storage solutions; solutions which run the gamut from specially designed pressure tolerant cells and the Liberty Series of starter motor batteries for light vehicles and watercraft, to the extended duration battery systems of the company’s Patriot Series for various military and civilian remotely operated vehicles. The company also has a ProSeries line of heavy duty battery systems for task-oriented vehicles like NEV (neighborhood electric vehicle) platforms and golf carts. The ProSeries line of specially formulated high energy lithium-ion battery solutions, in particular, showcases the company’s proprietary user interface and battery management system combo, known as the Range Commander, superbly well. The Range Commander system enables remote real-time performance monitoring of the lab-tested, field-proven ProSeries via any internet-connected device, including smartphones and tablets. This feature set is of particular interest to investors, as it highlights the engineering prowess and user-oriented design insightfulness OGES has become known for.

The ProSeries is aimed squarely at a core global NEV market that was worth around $1.8 billion just two years ago and which has been growing by leaps and bounds, with Research and Markets recently projecting a 6.6 percent CAGR through 2020, as consumers from across a wide variety of usage types continue to flock to golf carts and light electric vehicles like NEVs due to their tighter functional efficiency, cost metrics, and lower environmental impact. Initially slated for 40Ah, 60Ah, 100Ah and 160Ah configurations, the ProSeries is also destined to see 200Ah and 240Ah incarnations sometime next year, and the company has rigorously tested these systems for the equivalent of five and a half years of continuous daily cycling (over 2,000 charge/discharge cycles).

Another major area of development for OGES is on-site stationary power, with the recent announcement of the latest installment in the company’s Freedom Series of stationary power storage product, the Freedom IV, having been announced in late September this year. Designed to allow homes, as well as a wide range of business types, the freedom to cost-effectively migrate away from sometimes unreliable backup generators powered by diesel or gasoline, OGES’ Freedom IV system offers a safety net ranging from 6.5kWh hours to over 35kWh. Manufactured right here in America, these babies are slated to start shipping late this year (December), and much like Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) Powerwall, are engineered in such a way that they can be easily daisy-chained to scale up storage capacity. The Freedom IV systems can also be easily interfaced with standalone alternative energy sources such as wind or solar, making the units especially appealing for off-grid applications, or remote sites. Moreover, these clean, lithium-ion battery based backup systems can be programmed to charge during off-peak intervals when grid-supplied electricity is cheapest, offering customers a way to easily bypass the centralized, utility-centric pricing model for energy.

OGES has a deep bench of engineering talent at its disposal and demand for its products has been solid, leading the company to recently announce its plans to expand an already impressive domestic manufacturing footprint by nearly 450 percent. Fast on the heels of an announcement back in September that the company has secured a long-term supply agreement with one of the top manufacturers of lithium-ion battery assembly hardware, this latest announcement about expanding the company’s production capacity – just the latest in a long series of moves by OGES as part of its $270 million investment in its Brevard County operations – has garnered much support and attention within the state of Florida.

CEO of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission, as well as the Mayor of Palm Bay and multiple local business leaders, were on hand earlier this month at a major press conference held at the company’s new Palm Bay HQ, where the Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, awarded OGES the coveted Governor’s Business Ambassador Medal for its contributions to the region’s economy, shortly after having toured the new 68,718 square foot facility. Set to create another 1,000 good, high-paying manufacturing jobs in the region, OGES’ plant expansion is a bold move that signifies to markets how serious the company is about its strategy to not only deliver new, innovative stored energy products/solutions, but build out an industrial-scale domestic manufacturing architecture that can service the full gamut of lithium-ion form factors and applications currently being targeted by the company.

The government market and civilian UAV space are both hot properties for OGES, with the company’s APQP (advanced product quality planning) development methodologies making its extremely robust systems ideal for the former, as well as top-shelf for the latter. The extremely reliable precision manufactured cells and battery systems produced by OGES, as well as its single point of contact/full service solution approach to design, have already won the company many admirers within government markets. Having designed and tested systems that can perform in some of the harshest, most demanding applications and environments known to man, including operating at 10,000 PSI, at extreme temperatures and under continuous, harsh shocks and vibrations, OGES is supremely confident about its ability to continue to woo government clients when it comes to applications like extended-duration military UUV’s (unmanned underwater vehicles) and the like. Let’s face it, when it comes to extended missions in harsh environments, a reliable, high-performance power source is paramount. And it is equally important for government entities to be able to source those power systems from domestic U.S. manufacturers with Six Sigma-grade development processes, and which can be relied upon for ensuring that platform security targets are achievable.

It’s easy to understand why the Governor is so excited about the company’s decision to expand here in the U.S. alongside other Space Coast companies like UAS (unmanned aircraft system) engineering and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) flight systems outfit, L2 Aerospace, and OGES is firmly committed to continuing to build up its domestic manufacturing capacity in response to growing demand, even though the company could just as easily set up shop overseas. Oakridge Global Energy Solutions is one of a handful of well-positioned American manufacturers destined to make big waves in the rapidly emerging world of UAV/UUV and other unmanned systems, and its presence in Florida’s Space Coast region speaks volumes to savvy investors who understand the inside baseball of the unmanned systems industry. More importantly, the same features and capabilities that make the company’s battery systems a no-brainer when it comes to government markets, also makes the products a real winner for civilian consumer applications, and it is just a matter of time before OGES fully realizes the fruits of its ongoing manufacturing and corporate expansion initiatives.

The company’s Patriot Series of products for radio controlled vehicles likes drones, multi-rotor copters, as well as UAV/UUV and land-based platforms, with their long-lasting power supply capabilities enabled by OGES’ proprietary chemistry formulation (set to debut next year in 2500mAh, 5000mAh and 10000mAh versions), will no doubt be snapped up by R/C battery demand from throughout the civilian and government markets. This is an extremely important area of the company’s operations for investors to keep a close eye on and the superior performance characteristics of the OGES Patriot Series, which does not exhibit the puffing and swelling, or poor lifecycle performance too often routinely associated with foreign manufactured batteries in this segment, are significant advantages that will continue to spell big business for this still relatively small, share price-accessible ($300 million market cap) company.

Top of the line cells, batteries and power systems, manufactured in the U.S. by a company which is one of the most compelling leaders today when it comes to manufacturing on-shoring, is a pretty good sales pitch for future shareholder returns, and OGES is an attractive property that investors really need to be paying significantly more attention to. But if you read nothing but the main stream finance press, you might get the impression that $219 per share Tesla – recently described by renowned hedge fund manager, Jim Chanos, founder and president of Kynikos Associates, as an overpriced car company – was the only player in the game today.

Take a closer look, visit www.oakg.net

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Legacy Ventures International, an investment company focused on high-potential businesses with scalable ideas, recently announced that its common stock has commenced trading on the OTCQB, the venture-stage marketplace for companies that are current in their reporting with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Companies listed on the OTCQB are subject to an annual verification and management certification process that provides a strong baseline of transparency designed to improve the trading experience for investors. For Legacy, uplisting to the OTCQB further demonstrates the company’s commitment to maximizing value for shareholders while promoting sustainable financial growth.

Earlier this month, Legacy took a significant step toward achieving this growth through the acquisition of RM Fresh Brands, Inc., a servicer of food and beverage retailers and distributors across North America and the Middle East. RM Fresh Brands takes a unique approach to brand partnerships by maintaining a clear focus on sustainable, category-changing consumables. Leveraging this strategy, RM Fresh Brands has built an extensive portfolio of highly desirable brands – including Boxed Water, Aloe Gloe, Uncle Si’s Iced Tea, Chef 5-Minute Meals, Cleansify and Arriba Horchata Energy.

By uplisting to the OTCQB and finalizing its acquisition of RM Fresh Brands, Legacy is crafting a strong foundation upon which to build additional value. The company will lean on the vision of its management team in order to capitalize on its current momentum in the months to come. Evan Clifford, Legacy’s chief executive officer, and Rehan Saeed, the company’s chief financial officer, bring decades of combined industry experience to the table, and this knowledge will play an instrumental role in Legacy’s efforts to expand its investment portfolio in the future.

Legacy is laser-focused on seeking out high-potential businesses and fueling their innovation and passion by providing the capital, oversight and industry connections needed to reach their full potential. Through its considerable progress in recent weeks, the company has provided prospective shareholders with a preview of its relentless dedication to increasing its presence in the investor community by seeking out and investing in true category game changers.

For more information, visit www.legacyventuresinc.com

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VentureBeat believes five different types of on-demand services are set to shortly explode and the one expected to grow fastest is same-day, shared economy couriers – a business now under development by On the Move Systems (OMVS).

The website predicts shared economy courier services will experience this fast growth because retailers are feeling intense pressure from Amazon to offer fast delivery to online customers. By sticking to traditional delivery methods, these retailers risk not only losing customers to competitors but leave their entire businesses vulnerable.

“Companies like Amazon have not only changed retail, but the delivery industry as well,” stated OMVS CEO Robert Wilson. “Now retailers and couriers must be flexible and nimble – able to change and adapt at a moments’ notice. Customers no longer want to wait. With our shared economy business model, we’ll be able to respond quickly to market demands, and do it at a competitive price. This article shows our plans are pointed in the right direction for ultimate success.”

Economists have previously speculated the shared economy represents a $450 million total market, but that figure may be obsolete as the market continues to grow with more and more varied on-demand services popping up. Some are predicting the shared economy’s total market value will double in coming months, particularly as the concept has been well embraced by the so-called Millennial generation, who are now entering the marketplace in force.

For more information on OMVS, please visit www.onthemovesystems.com

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This afternoon, Cherubim Interests Inc. issued a press release announcing a series of carefully crafted initiatives designed to enhance net stockholders’ equity.

“This package of initiatives will serve as a blueprint to acquire and attract investment and equity into our company,” said Patrick Johnson, CEO of Cherubim Interests Inc. “As we further prove our hybrid business model, we will escalate our game-plan with the Forward Acquisition of numerous undervalued assets and this program will only enhance the processes in doing so.”

The company’s strategy was laid out as follows:

– maintain its public disclosure on OTC Markets by remaining current in its filing obligations;
– amend its Articles of Incorporation and Corporate Bylaws to create a series of Anti-Dilutive, Convertible Preferred Shares to protect its majority stakeholders;
– insulate the stockholders from past, present, or future dilution in the open market by providing these anti-dilutive securities as a dividend payment;
– use convertible preferred securities as currency to exchange its derivative liabilities that exist on the financial statements in the form of affiliate and non-affiliate debt;
– execute an S-1 filing so that its new preferred stockholders, who have converted into a predetermined amount of common stock, can see their securities become free trading.

According to the press release, securities will soon become available to the common shareholders, pending FINRA approval. The equity derivatives are restricted for one year and will turn into a predetermined amount of common stock through issuance resolutions on the part of management, and convert at the par value of the public company.

“We will further strengthen investor confidence by committing ourselves to stock and cash dividends and by removing both affiliate and non-affiliate debt as this program will build net stockholders’ equity on the balance sheet and bolster current and future investor confidence,” added Johnson.

It is expected that a significant portion of the company’s principal affiliate debt will be retired for these instruments, while the interest will be converted into restricted common stock. The defaulted interest portion of the mature, secured, third-party non-affiliate debt will be assigned and converted into equity by their bond holders to remove any future compounding derivative liabilities on the balance sheet.

“This is a process we are committed to, and our resolve to complete these milestones will be a function of effort, teamwork, and time,” concluded Johnson. “Throughout this process we will maintain a transparent dialogue with our investors as to the clarity of implementing those objectives. And as we meet certain milestones, the investment community will be more thoroughly aware of this through our disclosures and public records.”

For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com

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Looks like LA success story Giggles N’ Hugs, a family-friendly eatery focused on providing organic, locally-sourced menu items, in combination with a giant (typically around 2,5000 square feet) Gymboree-style supervised play area for kids and an upscale casual dining area for parents, is now at a major turning point in the company’s evolution. Poised to expand nationwide, with 12 company-owned locations slated for development by the end of 2017, GIGL is also looking to franchise its already proven business model and has some of the biggest national and international names in mall ownership knocking on its door, including General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP), Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG), and the Westfield Group (ASX: WDC).

Having established its existing footprint of three locations in LA at some of the area’s hottest upscale shopping centers, GIGL has really made a name for itself over the past few years of operation, landing an A-list celebrity clientele that includes such media attention-grabbing stars as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Alba, and Colombian pop star (turned reality television singing competition star) Shakira. The company has quite naturally received its fair share of media coverage and then some, with features in such widely-consumed celebrity and human-interest publications as Time’s (NYSE: TIME) People, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA; CMCSK) subsidiary NBCUniversal’s E! Online, and Hollywood Life, as well as such publications as Bloomberg Businessweek, the Los Angeles Times, and News Corp’s (NASDAQ: NWSA) The Wall Street Journal. Giggles N’ Hugs was even rated the number one place for both pizza and birthday parties in LA by children’s television network Nickelodeon, as well as being voted the best indoor playspace by social media savvy Red Tricycle, an online community for parents who like to have fun with their kids that single-handedly drives huge word-of-mouth traffic, with over five million people a month connecting across its ever-growing digital media footprint.

Given the attractiveness of the business model to shopping centers and malls, GIGL is able to boast such expansion-driving advantages as 75 percent discounts on average when it comes to commercial space outlays for rent, and as much as $750,000 in up-front cash tenant allowances to cover new location build-outs. Little wonder when you consider that, beyond being one of the most exciting concepts in family-friendly dining to ever emerge, GIGL also offers such first-of-its-kind features as a drop-off service for parents. The drop-off service is an incredibly ingenious feature that speaks directly to the hearts and minds of increasingly time-strapped parents, allowing them to rest easy knowing the kids are safe, having fun and getting healthy play time in a supervised environment, and thus enabling them to focus on some serious “me time” shopping, either alone or with friends. A group of moms, for instance, can take their kids to Giggles N’ Hugs, drop them off, and be free to shop at their leisure for an extended period of time without worry or the hassle of having kids in tow. It is this kind of synergistic amenity offering that has mall owners aggressively courting the company to open new locations, eager to draw in consumers with such perks and up their shopping center’s overall business volume.

The real beauty of Giggles N’ Hugs is that it offers parents of under 12 children entirely new options when it comes to eating out. Instead of dragging the kids to some upscale restaurant where they are forced to behave in a fashion that most kids under 12 simply do not understand, or going to eat comparatively unhealthy food at someplace like McDonalds (NYSE: MCD), Giggles N’ Hugs gives parents the option to go someplace they know the food is fresh and delicious, with a wide selection of gluten free and organic choices readily available for themselves and their children, where the kids can be at ease, and just be themselves. Giggles N’ Hugs is a restaurant where young kids can act their age without fear of being scolded, or there being any kind of embarrassing imposition on parents if they are rambunctious. It is a restaurant where parents can eat a high-end organic meal and even have have a beer or glass of wine, all while the kids romp around in a custom-crafted playspace full of climbers, ball pits and themed elements like castles, dragons and pirate ships. Giggles N’ Hugs even has periodic entertainment like puppet shows, musical sing-a-longs, or arts and crafts, and a trained staff is always on hand to keep a not-too-tight lid on all the action.

Solid Q2 performance figures released by the company in August, including a 5.5 percent YOY uptick in sales at the Glendale Galleria location and a 3.4 percent YOY increase in private party rentals and other sales, underscores an expansion strategy that starts with backfilling the prime target markets throughout Southern California, before growing into other key markets on a per-location basis, in similarly receptive regions such as the Pacific Northwest, and the East Coast. The company has some serious muscle with proven track records in the industry on deck too, in order to help seal the deal when it comes to expansion plans, such as the company’s president, John Kaufman, and the CFO, Philip Gay. These two men were instrumental in growing California Pizza Kitchen from its humble roots, into a multimillion dollar a year operation with over 100 locations, a success story that was subsequently bought up by PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP). No surprise then that the company is getting nods for its delicious pizzas and organic menu options, what with a deep bench of industry veterans at its disposal. Kaufman is also the guy who went on from California Pizza Kitchen to become president of Luby’s (NYSE: LUB) Koo Koo Roo Chicken Bistro, one of the hottest restaurant brands on the west coast.

To take a closer look, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Hemp, Inc. this morning highlighted ongoing hemp industry media coverage as the State of Pennsylvania shows favorable interest in legalizing industrial hemp and North Carolina awaits the signature of approval from Governor Pat McCrory to legalize industrial hemp. More states are recognizing the enormous environmental and economic benefits of industrial hemp, and in response, state officials are positioning their states to reap the economic rewards.

The buzz surrounding the legislation also provides an important measure of public education on how industrial hemp can boost the economy.

“As more people become educated on the myriad benefits of industrial hemp, including how it can help the economy, I believe many more states will vote in favor of legalizing hemp,” Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc., stated in the news release. “Our multipurpose hemp processing plant is the first and only commercial factory to be built in the United States in almost a century. We have been meticulously building the infrastructure to be able to vertically integrate growing, decortication, and milling and this is no small feat. We aim to spark a new clean green American Agricultural and Industrial Hemp Revolution for the American farmers and hemp product manufacturers.”

As the Richmond County Daily Journal pointed out in the article below, “Linking hemp and marijuana was a knee-jerk reaction based on misinformed public sentiment rather than science.” Thus, “Allowing industrial hemp cultivation corrects that mistake.”

If you missed the latest news covering the industrial hemp industry, read the re-prints below:

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives Loves Hemp Posted on October 9, 2015 by DJ Pangburn

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives loves hemp. Industrial hemp. In fact, they love it so much that the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee approved the newly-introduced House Bill 967 within minutes of introduction, sending it to the house floor for debate and vote.

House Bill 967, introduced by Representative Russ Diamond on Tuesday (October 6), would allow industrial hemp to be grown or cultivated by special programs in Pennsylvania. Currently, American companies must import industrial hemp from countries such as Canada and China, blockading what has historically been one of America’s largest markets.

Pennsylvania’s move, which mirrors those taken by other states, could potentially open up a number of doors for commercial uses, which would benefit the planet given hemp’s low impact on the environment.

“The feds are catching on to the enormous environmental and economic benefits of the use of industrial hemp, and this pilot program anticipates the full legalization of hemp crops for industrial purposes in the future,” said Diamond in a statement. “My bill will put Pennsylvania in a position to reap the economic rewards that will come when further barriers are removed.”

Hemp, an incredibly resilient crop, can grow in a number of climate and soil types, and is largely pest-resistant. It can be used in everything from clothing and home installation to oils (including fuel), food items and paper production. In fact, paper products can be made with very few chemicals unlike with conventional paper mills, which use chlorine bleach to brighten products. A bit more obviously, hemp grows much faster than trees used in paper products, which would be a major coup for the environment. And these are just a small fraction of its existing and potential uses.

As with other states, Pennsylvania’s House Bill 967 grew out of an amendment to the 2014 federal Farm Bill. Signed into law by President Obama, this bill legally redefined industrial hemp as distinct from marijuana, opening the doors for states to pursue academic, state department and commercial research into its benefits as an agricultural crop.

If House Bill 967 passes the Pennsylvania house, the state will join 24 other states in industrial hemp research, including California, Hawaii, West Virginia and New York, amongst others.

OUR VIEW: Hemp holds promise for N.C. farmers Posted: October 9th, 2015 By: A Daily Journal Editorial

North Carolina lawmakers cooked up an appetizing bit of sausage in the closing days of their marathon regular session last month, though the process used to make it left us feeling a little queasy. Senate Bill 313, which is awaiting Gov. Pat McCrory’s signature, clears the way for farmers to grow industrial hemp after obtaining a permit from a state study commission. The bill also rewrites the N.C. Controlled Substances Act to distinguish hemp from marijuana.

The move is a leap forward for agriculture, already our state’s No. 1 industry. A versatile and sustainable crop, hemp is grown for its fibers, which are used to make paper, rope, building materials and clothing.

Hemp grows without the use of chemical pesticides and the plant even filters out toxins already in the soil, according to the North American Industrial Hemp Council, an advocacy group. The United States banned its cultivation “based on its biological connection to marijuana,” the council notes, a blunder that shows ignorance of plant science.

Though the crops are cannabis cousins, hemp contains only infinitesimal amounts of the THC found in marijuana that creates the drug’s psychoactive effect. Smoking hemp will not produce a “high.” It is grown by farmers for commercial use, not by users of medicinal or recreational marijuana.

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which marked the U.S. government’s first step to regulate the drug, lumped hemp in with marijuana for no good reason. The feds followed suit with the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, and state legislatures largely mirrored the congressional template in their own drug laws.

Hemp is not, as some would suggest, a Trojan horse that will inevitably lead to the wholesale legalization of marijuana. It is a cash crop grown throughout the world, and struggling farmers in Richmond County and throughout North Carolina deserve the opportunity to see it sprout in their fields.

Linking hemp and marijuana was a knee-jerk reaction based on misinformed public sentiment rather than science. Allowing industrial hemp cultivation corrects that mistake.

In its first iteration, SB 313 was an innocuous bill introduced to add five more specialty license plates to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ already long list of customized tags. The full text was replaced with the unrelated hemp bill as a House Rules Committee substitute on Sept. 28.

Rules Chairman David Lewis, R-Harnett, is a farmer and farm equipment dealer. We’re sure he understands the value and importance of industrial hemp. A stand-alone bill would have been preferable, but the end may yet justify the means.

Though the practice of hollowing out a bland bill and using it to pass legislation that might not survive full debate is common in the General Assembly, this legislative legerdemain undermines the function of representative government and deprives residents of the chance to weigh in.

The sausage-making isn’t pretty, but the end result in this case is palatable. We urge McCrory to sign the bill and add hemp to North Carolina’s agricultural roster.

2016 Industrial Hemp Project Applications Sought Posted: Oct 09, 2015 By: WBKO.com

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WBKO) – Farmers, processors, universities, and others interested in conducting an industrial hemp pilot project in 2016, are invited to apply, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has announced.

“The industrial hemp pilot projects have yielded valuable information the past two years,” Commissioner Comer said. “We look forward to another successful round of projects and encourage applicants to submit proposals to research hemp production, processing, manufacturing, and marketing. This work will help establish Kentucky as the epicenter of America’s industrial hemp industry once the remaining legal barriers to hemp production are removed.”

Applicants must complete an application and submit it to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture no later than Nov. 5, 2015. Applications and instructions are available on the KDA’s website at www.kyagr.com/hemp.

The department received 326 applications and approved 121 in 2015.

This year’s planting intentions totaled more than 1,700 acres, of which more than 922 acres were planted. In 2014, the first year of industrial hemp pilot projects, projects totaled just over 30 acres. The 2014 federal farm bill permits industrial hemp pilot programs in states where hemp production is permitted by state law. Legislation passed in the 2013 Kentucky General Assembly established a regulatory framework for industrial hemp production in Kentucky. Commissioner Comer led a bipartisan effort in support of the legislation, known as Senate Bill 50.

For more information, contact the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Program at (502) 573-0282, Option 1, or hemp@ky.gov.

Hemp Harvest Posted: Oct. 9, 2015 By: Bette McFarren (bmcfarren@ljtdmail.com)

On 30 acres of land just south of Swink, David Williams and Billy Seamons are harvesting hemp, first the seeds and later the stalks, to be used in a variety of ways.

“I have 30 acres in hemp. We are all clear with the state inspection, which means we can sell our seeds,” said David Williams, a farmer just south of Swink. Hemp has to have less than .3 percent of THC (the intoxicating element in marijuana) to be legal in Colorado. Hemp cultivation is now legal in Colorado, California, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia, for the purposes of academic research and marketing. “We would have had to plow it under if it didn’t pass,” said Williams. Williams’ partner in the venture is Billy Seamons, and he is also good friends with the folks at Whole Hemp in La Junta, although their cultivation methods differ.

Whole Hemp’s seeds are being used to extract the medicinal oil, which is high in cannabidiol, an ingredient in many drugs used to treat such conditions as epilepsy, multiple scleroses and skin cancer (experimentally).

Leading the movement to legalize hemp cultivation is Ryan Loflin of Springfield, son of Sheila LeRoy of La Junta. “He has been planting hemp for five years now,” said LeRoy. Loflin has attracted the attention of national media for his experimental work. He believes hemp could be the financial boon to take southeastern Colorado out of its economic slump.

“Hemp is the new superfood,” said Hal Holder, retired farmer and wholesaler, who is helping Williams and Seamons with the farming operation. “Hemp seed is 28 percent protein. It is higher in omega oils than fish.” The Williams/Seamons crop now being harvested will be dried and separated in Rocky Ford with equipment manufactured by Oliver. This seed is destined primarily for planting.

Hemp seed is still expensive because its transport among the states is difficult due to federal regulations. Dwayne Sims, who did the testing on these fields for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, likes this operation because it is real farming, said Williams.

The seed being harvested in the Swink fields now is just the first crop. Inside the stalks, now drying in the fields, is a white substance called hurd. It will be chopped and marketed to high-end automobile manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes Benz for use in dashboards. “They are working on an all-hemp car,” said Williams. It is mixed with an adhesive and becomes an extremely hard and durable substance after it has been molded into the desired shapes.

Hurd is also used to plug fracking wells that are producing too much oil and running over. “They like to use it,” said Williams, “because it is a natural substance which will not harm the soil around it.” It expands naturally to form the plug. Hemp fibers are used to make rope, which is durable, flexible and resistant to salt water damage. Hemp may also be used to manufacture durable cloth, building materials of all sorts and paper.

The planting season begins traditionally on Mother’s Day, which is the day on which George Washington planted his hemp fields. “Probably Thomas Jefferson, too,” said LeRoy. Here’s hoping a lot of seed from Otero County will be going into the ground next May. Williams expressed his gratitude to the Otero County Commissioners (Kevin Karney, Keith Goodwin and Jim Baldwin) for their encouragement in getting the industry started here.

For more information visit www.hempinc.com

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Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, developer and manufacturer of energy storage products, was the center of attention when Florida Governor Rick Scott held a press conference at the company’s new corporate headquarters and manufacturing center to celebrate its upcoming expansion plans and their positive impact on the local community.

The event took place October 6 when Governor Scott, along with Space Coast Economic Development Commission CEO Lynda Weatherman, City of Palm Bay Mayor William Capote, and several local dignitaries and business entrepreneurs, visited Oakridge’s new facility in Palm Bay, Florida, to highlight the company’s expansion and subsequent creation of 1,000 new jobs in the community.

The expansion is part of Oakridge’s existing and ongoing $270 million investment in its Brevard County lithium ion battery development and sprawling new 68,718-square-foot facility – a necessary upgrade from the company’s previous 12,500-square-foot building.

After his tour of the new facility, Governor Scott addressed the throng of major media outlets from Central Florida, stating, “Oakridge Global Energy Solutions could have moved their headquarters anywhere in the world and I am proud to announce that they chose to remain in Florida and create 1,000 new jobs. Growing businesses like Oakridge…create opportunities for Floridians to provide for their families and build great careers, and that is why we will work with the Legislature to fully fund Enterprise Florida so more businesses have the opportunity to grow in Florida.”

The governor also bestowed the prestigious “Governor’s Business Ambassador” Medal to Oakridge executive chairman and CEO Steve Barber, who commented, “I am excited to receive such a distinction from Governor Scott and his strong backing for what we are doing at Oakridge on the Space Coast. In Governor Scott, the State of Florida has a great leader committed to job creation, and I know that we have made the right decision to continue our growth strategy for Oakridge by staying in Florida, especially on the Space Coast and in Palm Bay. Few things matter more to families than well-paying jobs. This celebration today is really about 1,000 Florida families who are now going to have good jobs in the future for the long term at Oakridge. The ‘Governor’s Business Ambassador’ medal will hang proudly in my office as we create those jobs.

“We really appreciate the support of Governor Scott, Enterprise Florida, the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast, and our local partners at the City of Palm Bay, especially Major Capote, as we begin this great expansion. Oakridge is proud to be a Florida business that offers high quality, ‘Made in America’ products to customers across the world.”

Bill Johnson, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, also attended the event and noted the significance of new job creation to the local economy.

“Oakridge Global Energy Solutions’ expansion and creation of 1,000 new jobs is exciting news for our state. As we continue to diversify our economy and market, Florida is the best state for business. Projects like Oakridge are great examples of what we can accomplish as a state,” he said.

Oakridge’s planned jobs growth and corporate expansion will start immediately and continue to roll-out throughout the course of approximately three years.

For more information visit www.oakg.net

Let us hear your thoughts: Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. Message Board

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