The Aristocrat Group Corp. announced that it will be showcasing its award-winning RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka brand at one of the biggest and most important spirits-industry conventions in the state of Texas.

The 2015 Texas Bar & Nightclub Alliance Convention in Austin will bring together bar and nightclub owners, manager and decision makers from around the Lone Star State. RWB Vodka will have its own booth at the landmark event alongside other top names in the Texas spirits market, such as CAMPARI America, Tito’s Vodka and more.

“This convention is a prime showcase that attracts all of the most competitive and successful names in Texas’ flourishing nightlife industry,” stated ASCC CEO Robert Federowicz. “It’s an unparalleled networking opportunity for our brand.”

The Lone Star State is RWB Vodka’s most crucial marketplace. One of the premiere spirits markets in the country, Texas was the first region that ASCC targeted when launching the RWB brand two years ago.

Handcrafted, American-made RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka is made with the highest-quality Idaho potatoes and pure mountain spring water and then refined by a five-stage filtration system that produces a gluten-free high-class vodka without the high-class price. It is available online to U.S. consumers and at many retail locations, clubs, bars and restaurants.

Handcrafted, American-made RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka is made with the highest-quality, non-GMO Idaho potatoes and pure mountain spring water and then refined by a five-stage filtration system that produces a gluten-free, high-class vodka without the high-class price. It is available online to U.S. consumers and at more than 60 retail locations and 250 clubs, bars and restaurants.

For more information, visit www.aristocratgroupcorp.com/investors

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In its recent 10-Q filing, real estate-focused holding company eXp Realty International reported second-quarter and six-month revenue growth driven by an increase in agent attraction and retention. For the three months ended June 30, 2015, EXPI reported revenue of $5.5 million, an increase of 57% compared to $3.5 million for the same quarter 2014. First-half 2015 revenues increased by 52% vs the same period last year.

“As a company, from our staff, agents, brokers and the leadership team we are excited about our continued growth. Toward the end of 2014 and after the introduction of the company’s enhanced agent ownership initiatives we have seen an acceleration in agent attraction and an increase in overall agent retention which translates to a significant increase in revenue growth. We expect that this trend will continue as more and more agents look at the overall value proposition that eXp Realty represents in the industry. In addition to reduced overhead and generally higher compensation for agents and brokers, agents and brokers are attracted to education, technology, revenue sharing, and the opportunity to build an ownership stake in the public company,” reported Glenn Sanford, CEO of EXPI.

The company also reported additional growth metrics:

• Through the end of July 2015 the company has benefited from agent growth of 50% year to date, bringing the total agent count up from 467 at the beginning of 2015 to in excess of 700 agents today.
• In April of 2015 EXPI announced that Gene Frederick and a number of other agents / brokers were in the process of joining in Austin, Texas.
• Since that time eXp Realty has added 41 real estate professionals to its roster in Austin, Texas and has learned that it is now one of the fastest growing real estate brokerages in Austin.

Also noted in the filing, EXPI in June 2015 represented through its agent and broker base approximately $100 million in real estate sales, setting a new monthly sales record and positioning the company on a going forward sales run rate of $1 billion annually. Through all of 2014 the company did approximately $505 million in real estate sales.

EXPI offers agents and brokers the opportunity to earn equity awards for production and contributions to overall company growth. Similarly, eXp Realty LLC and eXp Realty of Canada, Inc. also feature an aggressive revenue sharing program.

eXp Realty, the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™, is a full-service real estate brokerage providing 24/7 access to collaborative tools, training and socialization for real estate brokers and agents through its 3-D, fully-immersive, cloud office environment. This model is designed to reduce agents’ overhead, increases their profits, and provide greater service value to consumers.

eXp Realty engages in the marketing and sale of residential real estate to become the first global real estate brokerage company delivering truly cloud-based, full-service, and around-the-clock access to collaborative tools and professional development for managing real estate brokers and agents. eXp Realty can now be found in approximately 31 states and parts of Canada.

For more information, visit: www.exprealty.com or www.investors.exprealty.com

Solar3D, a provider of solar power solutions and the developer of a proprietary high efficiency solar cell, announced that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Elite Solar, a Durham, California-based solar systems provider. The purchase is a continuation of Solar3D’s aggressive growth-by-acquisition strategy, which is intended to boost the company’s top line revenue as well as operating earnings.

Elite Solar designs and installs photovoltaic systems for residential, commercial, agricultural and municipal customers. The company is led by CEO Kirk Short, a solar power industry veteran with more than 15 years of experience in every facet of solar design and construction, on projects ranging from residential to large scale commercial and agricultural solar solutions.

Elite Solar is operating profitably and has experienced a breakthrough year. Revenue for 2015 is expected to approach $20 million, an increase of approximately 140% over the 2014 figure. Elite Solar also expects EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) to be approximately $2.2 million in 2015. Solar3D will pay $7.15 million for the company, with $2.5 million to be paid in cash and $4.65 million in common stock. The purchase agreement calls for additional consideration should certain sales and EBITDA milestones are met. The total purchase price, including earnouts, is intended to slightly over four times the trailing 12-month EBITDA for 2015. Following the acquisition, Elite Solar will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar3D-and work closely with Solar3D’s SUNworks division.

“We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with Elite Solar, a company known for its commitment to excellence and its strong leadership, which has led to the company’s tremendous sales growth,” said Jim Nelson, CEO of Solar3D. “This purchase is consistent with our plan to acquire profitable companies that give us a competitive advantage in the high-growth solar landscape. By combining Elite Solar’s experience and reach with Solar3D’s proven execution, we are significantly expanding the scale of our solar energy platform to become a leader in California’s commercial solar industry, especially within the fast growing agricultural sector. Our entire leadership team at Solar3D looks forward to working with CEO Kirk Short and his team, to enhance our company’s growth and increase the value for our shareholders.”

“The opportunity to join efforts with Solar3D and its subsidiaries provides the Elite Solar team with the opportunity and resources to drive our business even more aggressively,” said Kirk Short, CEO of Elite Solar. “We believe our expertise perfectly complements their existing leadership and solar services, and we think we will be a tremendous asset to their growth moving forward.”

The closing of the Elite Solar acquisition, as described in the definitive purchase agreement, is subject to Solar3D’s satisfactory review of the operations, financial (including an audit) and corporate records of Elite Solar. The transaction is expected to close on or before November 1, 2015.

For more information on Solar3D, visit http://www.Solar3D.com

Well Power is seeking to engage the attention of oil and gas producing companies in its operations. To accomplish this, the company is employing a two-pronged approach: (1) it is aiming to educate them about the unique micro-refinery unit it is backing; and (2) it is working on creating partnership opportunities that make these companies allies.

Well Power already has a strong ally in ME Resources (“MEC”), the license holder developing an economical, mobile and scalable Micro-Refinery Unit (the “MRU”) to process raw natural gas into clean power and green fuel (diluents, drop-in diesel and pipeline quality synthetic crude). MEC’s proposed solution works in chorus; it concurrently reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions while creating positive income streams from minimal capital spending.

The MRU has modular configuration flexibilities. The unit is scalable, mobile, cost-effective, energy efficient, high yield, single vessel, skid mounted, custom configured and being primed to turn wasted gas into clean power and engineered fuels (i.e. revenue). According to MEC’s designs, the MRU assembles proven industrial technologies with a proprietary micro-reactor system for hydrocarbon processing and catalytic reactions. A notably novel system, this process is also the key technology component that enables the unit to be easily transported and financially viable.

Designed to process raw natural gas flows of between 75 Mcf to 250 Mcf, the MRU first conditions then converts methane and condensates to Syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Following this step, a Fischer-Tropsch reaction occurs that produces power from the heat generated by exothermic reactions and combustion as well as green fuel.

In short, once the micro-refinery unit is developed, its advantages would be ample:

• Energy efficient
• High yield (C5+ > 50%)
• Improved safety
• Units > 100 MCFD
• Mobility advantages

For more information, visit www.wellpowerinc.com

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International Stem Cell Corp. recently took a significant step toward expanding its clinical pipeline when it submitted preclinical data to the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regarding its impending phase I/IIa clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. According to the submitted data, the company’s nine month study of 300 rodents resulted in no tumors being observed in any of the animal subjects, demonstrating the safety and efficacy of its human neural stem cells (hpNSCs), which were derived using ISCO’s proprietary parthenogenetic stem cell platform. The company predicts that this will be the final submittal required prior to the initiation of clinical studies.

“We expect that this study report will address the remaining safety elements necessary for regulatory approval,” Dr. Ruslan Semechkin, chief science officer of ISCO, stated in a news release. “Having provided this final submission we now look forward to receiving TGA authorization to begin our phase I/IIa clinical trial in Australia.”

If approved to begin clinical trials, ISCO will be in a strong strategic position to enter the Australian Parkinson’s disease treatment market in the future, which could provide the company with a substantial opportunity to achieve sustainable international growth. According to a report by Parkinson’s Queensland, approximately one in 350 Australians live with Parkinson’s disease, making it the country’s second most common neurodegenerative disorder. In 2011, the debilitating disease accounted for an estimated $480 million in national health system costs, further demonstrating the market potential of ISCO’s groundbreaking treatment option following regulatory approval.

ISCO’s proprietary approach to stem cell research, parthenogenesis, directly addresses many of the limiting factors typically associated with regenerative medicine. In particular, the company’s parthenogenetic homozygous stem cell line can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals with minimal risk of immune rejection following transplantation. Additionally, since its cells are derived from unfertilized eggs, ISCO avoids many of the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells without sacrificing their transformative pluripotent qualities.

For prospective shareholders, the company’s strong progress toward expanding its market share in the global regenerative medicine industry could foreshadow an opportunity for sustainable returns in the months to come. Look for ISCO to build on this progress moving forward as it eagerly awaits TGA authorization to begin its pivotal clinical development program in the Australian market.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Wisdom Homes of America, an owner and operator of manufactured homes retail centers, has positioned itself to provide homebuyers the opportunity to purchase quality, affordable manufactured homes.

“We previously stated that our goal was to expand into land/home transactions, which is exactly what we’ve done. We’re now closing land/home transactions, and our 90 day pipeline of transactions is increasingly land/home sales, and that pipeline is growing. Land/home purchases represent greater revenue, better margins and a faster closing cycle,” stated Jim Pakulis, CEO of Wisdom Homes of America, Inc. “We’re scheduling an expansive market campaign to begin in early September focusing on land/home transactions.”

“In addition to offering home buyers the opportunity to purchase a new model home from our retail centers, we’re now aligning home buyers with selected residential lots and are working on getting them into their new homes,” stated Brent Nelms, President of Wisdom Homes Manufacturing of America, Inc., a subsidiary of Wisdom Homes of America. “We’ve also increased the number of mortgage lenders that we’re working with, allowing the home buyer greater financial mortgage options when purchasing a house, whether it’s a stand-alone or as a land/home package.”

The manufactured housing industry is growing. In 2014 the sales of new manufactured homes exceeded $4.1 billion up from $3.8 billion in 2013. And that number is estimated to reach $4.5 billion in 2015. The industry growth is driven by demand for quality, affordable housing. WOFA also sees an adjacent market opportunity of approximately $10 billion annually in real estate acquisition, site preparations, ancillary services, and lending and lease communities for the manufactured housing industry that requires financing capital.

For more information on the company, visit www.wisdomhomesofamerica.com

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Giggles N’ Hugs, owner and operator of family-friendly restaurants that bring together high-end, organic food with active, cutting-edge play and entertainment for children, today reports that it has been in active negotiations for its expansion with several of the largest mall owners in the U.S., including General Growth Properties, Simon Property Group, and Westfield Group, which collectively own more than 500 properties worldwide.

Current negotiations are focused on expanding Giggles N’ Hugs’ presence on the West Coast, initially targeting five properties in markets that include Seattle and San Francisco in the north and San Diego and Orange County in the south. Lease terms have been received for the proposed properties, which will be similar in size to the company’s current locations in Los Angeles.

The company also plans on expanding its footprint nationwide. Longer term and pending additional funding, Giggles N’ Hugs expects to grow from its three existing locations in Southern California to dozens of locations in key markets across the nation.

As part of its negotiations, Giggles N’ Hugs is seeking significant rent discounts and attractive tenant allowances to reduce construction costs for each new Giggles N’ Hugs location. The company has also retained the services of Todd Star, a highly regarded and successful senior executive with nearly three decades of real estate industry experience, to aid in its negotiations and growth strategy development. Star’s experience as a senior executive for Westfield, overseeing leasing operations for over 13 years, places him as one of the most knowledgeable and best in negotiating deals with mall operators. Todd currently serves as principal at Star Retail Advisors.

“We’re very excited to enter our next phase of operations and to begin replicating the success we’ve experienced with our first three locations in Los Angeles,” commented Giggles N’ Hugs CEO Joey Parsi. “While we’re doing good in Southern California, where we’re known for our warm weather and sunny climate, we anticipate our results will be even better in markets where the weather is often less than ideal.”

Parsi noted an increase in Giggles N’ Hugs traffics when it rains and how that advantage will fare well in locations with frequent precipitation.

“When it rains … people tend to come indoors to Giggles N’ Hugs to play rather than go to the park or other outdoor spaces. The same is true with birthday parties, which are a very high-margin business for us,” he said. “People can’t do parties in their backyard or a park when it rains, so we get massive bookings on rainy days and our sales spike. This unique aspect of our business should produce higher revenues and profit margins in markets like San Francisco and Seattle, driving strong shareholder value growth as we move forward with our expansion.”

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

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On the Move Systems this morning highlighted a new industry forecast that the trucking industry will soon experience an Uber-style transformation, where shared economy platforms and apps, like the one now under development by OMVS, will play an integral component of operations and revenue-generation.

The Frost & Sullivan report predicts that by 2025 such platforms will generate $26.4 billion in freight movement revenues as trucking companies take advantage of online, on-demand offerings such as route optimization. This key advantage will enable companies to more effectively utilize equipment and human resources to ensure mileage driven produces revenue rather than hauling an empty trailer.

OMVS also points to a Forbes.com article co-written by Frost & Sullivan’s Wallace Lau, who writes that smartphone-enabled shared economy apps, “will also help the driver locate nearby freight and carry it to its destination if the truck is also headed there. At the heart of this change will be mobile devices like smartphones that will enable people to connect freight to trucks, with spare freight-carrying capacity on an on-demand, ad-hoc, networked manner.”

OMVS CEO Robert Wilson agrees, noting his growing confidence in the company’s impending platform.

“Mr. Lau is certainly speaking our language and his market research hits right on target, backing up what we’ve found and validating our business model. The shared economy is going to transform logistics, from scheduling and route optimization to the hiring of drivers. This survey shows why we’re confident of the revenue potential of our upcoming platform, now under development,” says Wilson.

OMVS recently signed a letter of intent for development for its online, on-demand trucking platform, patterned on Uber’s cutting-edge shared economy model.

For more information visit www.onthemovesystems.com

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The Aristocrat Group Corp. announced that it plans on launching RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka in Canada using the same marketing tactics that made the brand a success in the U.S.

Late last month, the company revealed that its joint venture partner in Canada, Westcoast Spirits Company, Ltd., had begun a campaign to promote RWB Vodka in British Columbia. The international market expansion is a major step forward for the brand.

After the product is picked up by Canadian distributors, the company will set up in-store promotional events featuring RWB-branded swag and complimentary tastings at British Columbia Liquor Board-operated outlets as well as independent distilled spirits stores. Future plans call for potential sponsorship of rising music stars and sporting events, too, just as the company has successfully done in the U.S.

“Canada is an important market for us, so we plan to invest heavily in RWB’s success in British Columbia in order to establish a foothold,” ASCC CEO Robert Federowicz said. “Thanks to our experience in the U.S. market, we know which promotions are most effective. We’ll be putting that knowledge to good use in Canada.”

Handcrafted, American-made RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka is made with the highest-quality, non-GMO Idaho potatoes and pure mountain spring water and then refined by a five-stage filtration system that produces a gluten-free high-class vodka without the high-class price. It is available online to U.S. consumers and at more than 60 retail locations and 250 clubs, bars and restaurants.

For more information, visit www.aristocratgroupcorp.com/investors

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Great Basin Scientific is a molecular diagnostics company developing, manufacturing and commercializing breakthrough chip-based technologies that enable cost-effective, reliable infectious disease testing. By focusing on affordability and ease-of-use, the company is working to make molecular testing available to every patient, providing the means for greatly reduced misdiagnoses while significantly limiting the spread of dangerous infectious diseases.

In the first quarter of 2015, Great Basin successfully leveraged the marketability of its innovative product portfolio to realize strong financial growth. The company’s revenue for the three month period was $458,730, which represented a 31.4 percent year-over-year improvement. This performance was attributable to Great Basin’s tremendous progress in expanding upon its established customer base. As of the end of the quarter, the company reported just over 100 U.S. customers, which was a year-over-year increase of more than 42 percent.

The company has taken considerable steps toward building on this financial growth in recent weeks, highlighted by the commercial launch of its Group B Streptococcus (GBS) test in July. Early adopters of Great Basin’s new product – which received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance in April – have hailed the test’s ease-of-use and cost savings. Shortly after its release, the company announced that more than 40 sites were in active evaluation or scheduled to evaluate the sample-to-result test, further demonstrating the immense marketability of Great Basin’s groundbreaking technology.

“Initial response to our GBS test has exceeded our expectations,” Ryan Ashton, chief executive officer of Great Basin, stated in a news release. “We believe this speaks to an unmet need in the market that Great Basin addresses by delivering simplified workflow at appropriate cost [with] the sensitivity, specificity and speed of molecular testing that our lab customers demand.”

According to industry reports, the global molecular diagnostics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.7 percent from 2013 to 2018, climbing to nearly $8 billion by the end of the period. For Great Basin, this market performance should provide a platform upon which to promote strong financial growth.

For more information, visit www.gbscience.com