Just over two weeks ago, Hemp, Inc. announced the long-awaited legalization of hemp in North Carolina, the home state of its multi-purpose industrial hemp processing facility. In that release, the company outlined plans to support the local agricultural industry while encouraging non-GMO, certified organic hemp production. Yesterday, Hemp, Inc. gave prospective shareholders a preview of the tremendous market potential of this sustainable business model when it announced the execution a definitive agreement to sell its industrial hemp fiber to Hemp Blue, a premium hemp denim apparel brand. Hemp, Inc. is currently in the final stages of preparation at its processing facility, and its hemp processing operations are expected to commence in the second half of 2016.

“This is part of our long-term planning,” Bruce Perlowin, chief executive officer of Hemp, Inc., stated in a news release. “These are the kind of long-term, cutting edge companies that we believe will not only provide substantial revenue to Hemp, Inc., by purchasing our fiber, but also add great value to Hemp, Inc.”

Hemp Blue’s Kickstarter campaign highlights the clothing brand’s ambitious goals, which fall squarely in line with those of Hemp, Inc. Moving forward, the two companies will continue to spread the word about the benefits of hemp and support the rising movement to legalize industrial hemp farming across the country. This eco-friendly message has resonated with Hemp Blue’s target audience, as the brand has already received pledges for over two-thirds of its funding goal on Kickstarter since beginning the campaign earlier this month.

“Hemp Blue represents our fight for the legalization of hemp as a legal resource in the U.S. and the whole world,” Robin Lane, co-founder of Hemp Blue, stated. “We are starting the movement toward a more sustainable future.”

In addition to adding the business as its first customer, Hemp, Inc. also announced that it is currently a shareholder in Hemp Blue. Through this investment, as well as the company’s ongoing retail efforts through Hempify.com, Hemp, Inc. is establishing a formidable strategic foothold in the rapidly expanding retail segment of the industrial hemp market. In 2013, the total retail value of hemp products sold in the U.S. was estimated at $581 million, an increase of 26.5 percent over the previous year, according to the Hemp Industries Association.

As the nationwide hemp movement continues to pick up steam, Hemp, Inc. is set to benefit from the operation of the largest industrial hemp processing facility in North America. For prospective shareholders, the company’s agreement to sell hemp fiber to Hemp Blue could foreshadow an opportunity for Hemp, Inc. to realize significant financial growth in the years to come.

For more information, visit www.hempinc.com

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Avant Diagnostics, a medical technology company, continues its objective of mapping out the entire DNA sequence of a human genome. This development would benefit the entire human population as scientists would be able to treat, prevent, and cure disease. Genome is the genetic material of an organism that consists of DNA and therefore acts as a textbook of how the human body works. Scientists would be able to identify a person’s propensity of disease through testing which would promote early treatment and hopefully a cure.

Leading this innovative company as its president and CEO stands Gregg Lynn. After receiving his Master’s degree in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Pace University-New York City in 1992, he held various Senior Financial Management positions at Fortune 500 companies and also acted as Senior Financial Analyst at Shearson Lehman. During 2001-2007, Lynn held the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at various companies including Red Rock Advisors, LLC. In 2008, he became the president and managing member of Issuers Capital Advisors, LLC. Then in 2012, Lynn became the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Avant Diagnostics which led to his current position. His successful resume speaks for itself of his qualifications and promising future with Avant Diagnostics.

For the science and technology aspect of the company there is the Scientific Advisory Board where Robert Bowser, PhD sits. The Neurology and Neurobiology professor studies the causes and potential treatments for ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and more at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He’s received various federal grants and U.S. patents while lecturing extensively all over the world. Holding a graduate degree from Yale, Bowser boasts a 17-year faculty position at the University of Pittsburgh before starting at the institute. He’s also the founder of Knopp Biosciences, LLC and Iron Horse Diagnostics. Bowser’s expertise lends itself to the company’s scientific breakthroughs in medicine.

The notable leadership at Avant Diagnostics should enable the success of its scientific developments in disease prevention and treatment. Currently, the company’s OvaDx® Pre-Symptomatic Ovarian Cancer Screening Test is at the forefront of Ovarian Cancer detection. The company aims to have this product available for commercialization after FDA approval.

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

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As a cutting-edge energy storage solutions company, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions is engaged in the design, development and manufacture of high-quality cells, batteries and power systems. It may not sound exciting or “sexy,” but if there’s any reason to get excited about battery technologies, it’s what Oakridge is doing to stir up the market.

For starters, Oakridge’s product line is “Made in the USA” – a federally regulated claim that boasts of patriotism and the creation of domestic jobs. In October, Oakridge announced that the ongoing expansion of its facilities and operations would create 1,000 new jobs in the company’s home state of Florida.

Part of this three-year growth plan included a recent upgrade from the company’s 12,500-square-foot facility to a 68,718-square-foot corporate headquarters and manufacturing center in Palm Bay. Florida Governor Rick Scott, along with several local dignitaries and business entrepreneurs, celebrated the company’s progress with a major press conference at the new headquarters and acknowledged its impact on the local community with the “Governor’s Business Ambassador” medal.

If that doesn’t heat up your pipes, consider that Oakridge’s solutions are optimized to address three high-demand target markets: stationary and grid storage; motive applications, such as electric and hybrid electric fleet vehicles; and specialty applications, such as military, aerospace, marine, medical and telecom backup.

From golf carts, drones and medical uses to underwater and space applications for the consumer, government, industrial and military industries, Oakridge’s products cover the gamut of power solutions:

• Patriot Series – this small format lithium ion battery was designed with RC hobbyists and portable medical devices in mind. This series will provide on-the-go users with a more powerful, longer lasting charge in a more convenient size for travel and storage.

• Pro Series – Oakridge’s lithium ion golf cart battery systems are among the best in the industry – long-lasting and good for over 2,000 cycles, these high energy, high performance batteries will travel up to 60 miles on a single charge and feature smart charging technology and management interface tools.

• Liberty Series – batteries designed for everyday use in vehicles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, boats, jet skis, snowmobiles and more.

• The Freedom Series of Living Space Power Storage Units – powered by hi-tech lithium-ion batteries, this is one Oakridge’s the newest lines currently the product pipeline and undergoing review for commercial production.

Oakridge also maintains an international presence through its recently formed subsidiary, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions Limited, Hong Kong. This subsidiary will serve as the foundation for Oakridge’s sales efforts throughout the Asia-Pacific region, addressing tremendous international demand for its revolutionary stored energy solutions. The company also maintains a substantial interest in Leclanche S.A., a Swiss developer and manufacturer of large-sized lithium-ion batteries that was originally founded in 1909.

Leaning on the expertise of its proven management team – which includes more than 100 years of combined industry experience – Oakridge is heating up the lithium-battery market with its technologies, and plans to take its share of the $12 billion domestic battery manufacturing industry while extending its market reach in the global lithium-ion batteries market, which is expected to tip the scales at $70 billion by 2020.

If you need a little more stimulation, check out the company’s corporate videos at http://oakg.net/oakgvideo.html. For more information visit www.oakg.net

The growing amount of unused rewards cards in consumer wallets might cause hesitance when approached by more businesses-seeking new members. However, Latitude 360, Inc., an operator and developer of multi-dimensional dining venues, offers membership programs that provide faithful patrons with an array of benefits that keep them coming back. For those even casually interested, the free Latitude 360 VIP Rewards card accumulates points for each purchase, eventually totaling in amounts for free entertainment like the comedy club, dine-in movies or luxury bowling.

Helping to solidify customer relationships, the company also offers two club membership cards that have even more bonuses. Patrons who purchase the Blue Membership pay $25 a month and automatically receive double the points on every purchase. Plus, they get two comedy show tickets along with unlimited movies at the popular Cinegrille and a $25 game card to the venue’s arcade. Blue members even get free luxury bowling during the week one hour at a time. All of this comes with a personal concierge to help coordinate these fun activities and carries a monthly value of more than $200.

With the second option, the Black Membership, regulars get triple the points on every purchase. They also get 4 free comedy tickets with unlimited movie tickets through the week. Then they have 8 movie tickets for the weekends with two-free hours of luxury bowling any time. This membership also provides a personal concierge. These memberships not only work at Latitude 360 venues, but also at local businesses around their three locations. Members can get local discounts at places like LA Fitness in Jacksonville, Eden’s Market in Pittsburgh, and A Touch of Zen in Indianapolis.

Since customer loyalty is extremely valuable for businesses, issuing member-only incentives may create a lasting relationship between client and company. With so many member benefits, Latitude 360 Inc. can expect returning customers while attracting potential clients for more business.

For more information on Latitude 360 Inc., please visit www.latitude360.com

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IEG Holdings Corp. provides online unsecured consumer loans under the brand name ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ in 16 states across the country. IEGH is currently implementing an aggressive growth strategy designed to increase its coverage of the U.S. population, and it expects to obtain nine additional online state licenses by early 2016. If successful, this expansion would increase IEGH’s coverage to include roughly 80 percent of U.S. markets.

Earlier this month, IEGH gave prospective investors a preview of its growth potential when it announced that the cumulative loan volume of ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ had surpassed $10 million. According to a news release, the company is utilizing low acquisition cost lead sources and national expansion in order to build on its recent market progress and maximize financial growth. Since July 2015, IEGH has successfully added consumer loans in California, Alabama and Louisiana to its existing national footprint.

Along with its ongoing national expansion, IEGH is achieving strong financial growth. In the third quarter of 2015, IEGH realized a 272 percent year-over-year increase in total revenues, recording $539,867 for the period. As the company continues to drive loan volume growth, it’s in a strong position to build on this financial performance. When combined with its increase in net assets, which now stand at approximately $8.3 million, IEGH is rapidly emerging as a company to watch throughout the investment community, and current market conditions seem to set the stage for sustainable growth in the months to come.

According to a report by First Research, the consumer lending industry – led by major players such as Cash America (NYSE: CSH), EZCORP (NASDAQ: EZPW) and Springleaf Holdings (NYSE: LEAF) – currently accounts for combined annual revenue of about $35 billion. The report also indicates that smaller companies, such as IEGH, can compete effectively by targeting favorable locations and niche markets.

Moving forward, IEGH will lean on the considerable industry experience of its management team in order to continue expanding its foothold in the consumer lending industry. The company’s founder and chief executive officer, Paul Mathieson, previously built a business in Australia that lent approximately $48 million to over 11,500 customers before he relocated to the U.S. in 2008. Look for IEGH to benefit from this industry knowledge as it continues to implement an aggressive growth strategy under the ‘Mr. Amazing Loans’ brand.

For more information, visit www.investmentevolution.com

OurPet’s Company was featured in the November issue of The Bowser Report as the Company of the Month. Regular readers of the report are likely already familiar with OPCO, as the company has been recommended multiple times in the publication dating all the way back to May 2007. Recently, the company has caught the attention of researchers by reporting consistent and sustainable growth, and that performance has Bowser recommending OPCO as an addition to portfolios for the third time in less than a decade.

“OurPet’s, now a three-time recommendation, is the model for steady sales growth,” the report stated. “At current values, OPCO is fairly valued from a price-to-earnings perspective, but with the company’s steady growth potential, it could be a long-term winner.”

Taking a look at the markets in which OPCO operates, this growth potential is further illustrated. In 2013, the pet products and services market was valued at $71.3 billion, and additional industry growth is expected in the coming years. OPCO is capitalizing on these market conditions with a two-pronged branding strategy – including OurPets® for the pet specialty channel and PetZone® for the food, drug and mass retail channels. Through these brands, the company has secured roughly 250 distribution customers, including nationwide retailers such as Walmart (NYSE: WMT), PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM), Petco and Kroger (NYSE: KR).

In the past four years, OPCO has leveraged its defined branding strategy and extensive intellectual property portfolio to record a 20.8 percent increase in sales. Likewise, the company’s earnings have grown from $120,674 to $1.1 million since 2011. In recent months, OPCO has attempted to build on this performance by increasing the overall visibility of its stock. The company recently joined the OTCQX, the highest tier of the OTC Markets platform, in an effort to continue pushing toward new 52-week highs.

The Bowser Report has been covering the most intriguing mini-priced stocks for just under 40 years. Utilizing a proprietary rating system and investing game plan, the report highlights the most promising stocks for long-term investment. Since 1976, The Bowser Report’s effectiveness has attracted tens of thousands of investors to the subscription-only newsletter.

For more information, visit www.ourpets.com

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The world is increasingly, unarguably becoming more demanding and dependent on the incredible conveniences and advances in technology. Aligned with its vision to become a leading provider in key niches within this global progression, Alternet Systems invests in and partners with companies that are creating the future of money as it relates to technological advances.

For the last five years, Alternet has focused specifically on the high-growth, mobile value-added service industries of mobile financial services and mobile security, and in 2014 expanded its reach to include digital commerce, legacy electronic payments infrastructure, and advanced predictive data analytics applications for the mass consumer, telecommunications and financial industry.

Moving forward, the company plans to participate in several multi-billion dollar markets, including big data, which is expected to reach more than $50 billion in the next five years. In a recent QualityStocks interview (listen here: http://www.QualityStocks.net/interview-alyi.php), company chairman and CEO Henryk Dabrowski gave existing and potential shareholders a glimpse of what the company has on deck in the next several years.

For 2016, those plans include the launch of two business lines for the payment processing industry, the roll-out of a suite of solutions for the data analytics space in the U.S. and Latin American markets, and a physical corporate presence in Brazil and Mexico where the company intends to provide financial services and banking solutions to the population that doesn’t have a bank account or are not financially included.

Dabrowski said he expects 2017-2019 to be a significant period of growth driven by advances in the U.S. payment processing industry specifically with the incorporation of mobile phones and mobile devices.

With its solutions and aggressive growth strategy for the years ahead, Alternet aims to build on its current position and grow its own brand and corporate reach while helping its customers gear up to successfully navigate through a new era of digital commerce and payments, financial services and consumer information.

For more information visit www.alternetsystems.com

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With its acquisition of the zinc (atomic number: 30) mining operations in Balmat, St. Lawrence, New York, formerly owned by Hudbay Minerals (NYSE: HBM), Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS) is gearing up to take advantage of tightening supplies in the global zinc market. Since the Great Recession, zinc prices have been in the doldrums. In the U.S., they fell to a low of $0.78 per pound, according to Statista, and, of course, so did both supply and demand. With the global economy under stress, there was very little demand, and depressed prices gave no incentive to invest in new mines.

However, in a sign of things to come, the U.S. price rose, albeit unsteadily, by 38% to about $1.08 during 2015. It has since fallen again. It is now around $0.70 per pound. Yet the winds of change are blowing away output capacity, and so it’s very likely that prices will rise again.

Last year, the Australian-Chinese concern, MMG Limited, in a report on its website, announced it had shuttered its mining operations at Century in Australia. The Century mine was said to be the world’s third largest. In 2014, it produced 465,696 tonnes and accounted for around 3.5% of global zinc output in that year. In 2015, it was expected to yield about 350,000 tonnes. Also, The Economic Times of India reported that Vedanta Resources would close its Lisheen mine in October 2015. To date, it appears the mine is still in operation. Lisheen is Europe’s second-largest zinc mine with a capacity of around 175,000 tons, according to a HardAssetsInvestor story. Quoting Bloomberg Intelligence, the story said Lisheen’s closure will reduce global supplies by another 1.3%, and a Bloomberg Business report in October 2015 stated that Glencore plc would cut output from mines in Australia, Peru and Kazakhstan totalling around 500,000 metric tonnes. That’s an additional roughly 4% of production.

These are substantial falls in production if supply is considered over recent years. Statistics compiled by The International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) show that mine production of zinc in 2010 was 12,360,000 tonnes. Mine production refers to volume of ores as opposed to actual refined zinc, referred to in the trade as metal production. In 2014, it was 13,512,000 tonnes. An estimate of 2015 output based on the average monthly output for the first ten months of 2015 comes up at 13,486,000 tonnes. So taken together, the Century and Lisheen mine closures and the Glencore actions would amount to a global supply cut of close to 8.5%.

The wild card on both the demand side and the supply side is China. China leads the world in mine production of zinc, in the production of refined zinc, and in usage of zinc. In 2014, ILZSG data showed that China accounted for 37.6% of global mine production. Mine production in China rose over the 5-year period from 2010 – 2014 by an astonishing 36%. In Australia, the comparable figure was 1.9%; in Europe, it was 2.2%; in the U.S., it was 9.3%; in Canada, output fell by 46%. What happens in China will not stay in China.

Star Mountain’s President, Mark Osterberg, is not fazed. In an interview with North Country Public Radio in December 2015, he said, “The mining cycle is down, which means that assets like Balmat are available at bargain prices. So we think we bought the property at a very good price and we believe the commodity prices are going to come back up.”

Star Mountain also has community backing. Patrick Kelly, CEO of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency has said the agency is “ready to offer assistance in whatever form and for however long it takes to get this business off the ground.”

Star Mountain Resources, Inc. is a junior exploration and mining company focused on acquiring and consolidating mining claims, mineral leases, producing mines, and historic mines with production and future growth potential. Its operations are currently focused on base metal and precious metal mining acquisitions in North America, and on re-commencing mining activities at the Balmat Zinc mine in upstate New York.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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International Stem Cell Corp. this morning posted a business update along with operating results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2105. Among other results, the California-based biotech company reported an increase in quarterly revenues, along with significantly narrowed third-quarter and nine-month losses.

“Overall I am satisfied with the company’s progress in Q3. We are maintaining our position as a leader in regenerative medicine field and the overall operating income of our biomedical businesses continues to grow,” Andrey Semechkin, Ph.D., CEO and co-chairman of ISCO, stated in the news release. “We really look forward to beginning the enrolment of patients in our pending Parkinson’s disease clinical trial before the end of 2015.”

Q3 Business Highlights

Among several quarterly business highlights, ISCO in the third quarter of 2015 developed an innovative technology designed to generate functional articular cartilage from the patient’s own skin or adipose tissue with the potential to treat osteoarthritis. The company also moved into the second phase of its existing research agreement with global Japanese pharmaceutical company Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; appointed a new chief executive officer; and presented comprehensive findings from Parkinson’s disease program at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Neuroscience 2015.

In regards to its wholly owned subsidiary, ISCO in the third quarter completed clinical testing of a new compound, which the company intends to utilize in substantially new skin care products to be marketed by its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care, Inc., starting December 2015. Lifeline Skin Care launched its ProPlus+ professional line of products that will be available exclusively through Lifeline’s network of dermatologists, aestheticians and med spas.

Q3, YtD Financial Results

For the quarter ended in September 2015, ISCO reported revenues of $2.14 million, an increase of 9% over revenue of $173,000 posted in the third quarter of 2014. The company’s Lifeline Cell Technology sales increased by 22%, or $220,000, while Lifeline Skin Care sales decreased by 5%, or $47,000; both wholly owned subsidiaries remain profitable. ISCO’s consolidated net loss for the quarter was $539,000 compared to consolidated net loss of $2.0 million for the third quarter last year.

Total consolidated revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, was $5.57 million, an increase of 7%, or $373,000, vs $5.20 million in revenue reported for the comparable period of 2014. Lifeline Cell Technology sales increased by 9%, or $244,000, while Lifeline Skin Care sales decreased by 5%, or $129,000. ISCO’s consolidated net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, was $1.1 million vs a consolidated net loss of $7.9 million for the comparable nine months of last year, which the company partially attributes to the completion of multiple preclinical studies during the first six months of 2015.

ISCO ended the third quarter of 2015 with cash balance of $599,000. As of September 30, 2015, stockholders’ equity totaled $834,000.

Using its core technology, which results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs), ISCO is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell™. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com).

For more information visit at www.internationalstemcell.com.

Freedom Leaf, parent of Freedom Leaf Magazine, FreedomLeaf.com and a budding cannabis industry incubator, today announced that it has engaged the investor relations services of QualityStocks. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, QualityStocks has assisted more than 300 public companies with their efforts to broaden influence, attract growth capital and improve shareholder value.

“As we pursue effective avenues to license the Freedom Leaf brand and affiliate publications both at home and overseas, shareholder communication is of upmost importance,” stated Freedom Leaf, CEO Cliff Perry. “We’re also celebrating our first full year as a cannabis-centered multi-media news and entertainment source; forming a partnership with QualityStocks at this important mark in corporate history is an excellent way to ensure the investment community is well-aware of our ongoing achievements and of important happenings in cannabis-related news, legislation and education.”

QualityStocks will leverage its network of partners, daily and weekly newsletters, social media channels, blog and other outreach tools to launch an aggressive communications strategy to spotlight Freedom Leaf and its family of websites.

“The push toward legalization of medical and recreational marijuana is rapidly gaining steam, and Freedom Leaf is in a unique position to increase circulation of its content and achieve considerable brand recognition from the movement,” stated QualityStocks Managing Director Michael McCarthy. “As the company pursues its potential, we look forward to working with Freedom Leaf management to help the company streamline and enhance its communications efforts while introducing the company to potential investors outside its current reach.”

For more information, visit http://freedomleaf.com

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