Edgewater Technology, Inc. (EDGW) Subsidiary Recognized as Third-Largest Women-Led Business in South Florida

Today, Edgewater Ranzal announced that it has been recognized by the Commonwealth Institute and Moore Research as the third largest woman-led business in South Florida. Edgewater Ranzal is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edgewater Technology.

Edgewater Ranzal was recognized at the 8th Annual Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on March 19th at Jungle Island. The ceremony, which includes a luncheon and silent auction, honors South Florida’s top women-led businesses and top women leaders. This isn’t the first time Edgewater Ranzal has been honored by the Commonwealth Institute and Moore Research; the company was recognized as the eighth largest women-led business in 2011, but has since climbed to the number three spot.

Robin Ranzal-Knowles, the company’s president, remarked, “I’m honored to be ranked as one of the top women-led businesses in Florida. This achievement is a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and unmatched expertise that our team brings to each and every project.”

Ms. Ranzal Knowles founded Ranzal & Associates in 1996, and has grown the organization into a premier Enterprise Performance Management consulting firm, now known as Edgewater Ranzal. Since 1996, Edgewater Ranzal has grown from a small Hyperion shop to one of the largest Oracle Platinum EPM implementation partners, with offices in the US and UK, and clients across the globe.

Ms. Ranzal Knowles is recognized as an authority on Oracle Hyperion’s Essbase (OLAP) technology. She frequent speaks at Oracle Hyperion events, including Oracle Hyperion’s User Conferences, and has served as a panel expert for Business Performance Management Magazine. She has also played crucial roles in Edgewater Ranzal’s Oracle Hyperion client implementations in the Healthcare, Consumer Packaged Goods, Finance, Insurance, and Retail industries.

For more information, visit www.edgewater.com

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The Case for Small Caps

Historically, small-cap stocks have outperformed their larger counterparts, and in modern-day, the performance of the segment is keeping up its pace. Research shows that small-caps have outperformed large-caps by roughly 40% in seven of the past 10 years. A 2011 study weighing the annualized return of the S&P 500, the Russell 2000, and the Russell 2000 Value over the course of a year found that the S&P yielded returns of 0.50% while the Russell indexes generated 4.61% and 8.30%, respectively. For faring so well, the small-cap segment is generally overlooked by many investors, which bodes well for those who can spot an emerging growth opportunity and want to get in from the ground up.

Small-cap Challenges

The lack of transparency has tarnished the reputation of the small-cap segment. Information on many small-cap companies can be hard to find, especially for those stocks listed on the Bulletin Boards or Pink Sheets. This leaves many investors wary of the legitimacy and performance of some of these companies, and investors are often time stuck with many unanswered questions. But it’s important to note that a lack of information doesn’t necessarily equate to illegitimacy. Small companies may not have access to the capital needed to create and maintain an attractive and informative Web site, may opt to not spend the time and resources to fully report financials, and some haven’t yet established effective public and/or investor relations campaigns.

Small-cap stocks also receive less analyst coverage than large caps, which reduces the stocks’ visibility and credibility among investors who heavily weigh recommendations when deciding where to invest their money. Because of this, small companies not only miss out on the actual coverage, but also receive less brand promotion, which in essence can serve as a free advertisement. On the other hand, the stocks aren’t subject to whipsaw trading at the mercy of a rating cut or other analyst action.

Large companies, due to their own recognizance, powerful PR tools, and sheer size, receive valuable media coverage that provide investors with pertinent information that sometimes cannot be dredged up by due diligence alone. The limelight can be a big payout, but it can also deepen damage in the event of a company crisis. Smaller companies facing a crisis can often clean-up the mess before the situation is broadcast to a broader audience.

Room to Grow

Investors like growth. And there’s plenty of breathing room in the small-cap segment. Small companies experience higher average growth rates compared to larger ones as they launch new ideas and get a handle on unique and untapped niches. Often, the company is developing a proprietary product or service that hasn’t yet reached its potential, and the company hasn’t fully realized the various applications of the product. Growth is in the making.

Discovering these new applications often calls for continued product development, which can quickly result in additional growth and enhance value, making the company an attractive target for big companies seeking out merger and acquisition opportunities. Small-cap companies have nestled into niches that attract bigger companies looking for entrance opportunities and fresh ways to grow their own bottom line.

Many small-cap stocks have significant insider ownership, which demonstrates executive commitment to the company and creates an aligned interest with shareholders. If the company’s management is willing to vest a personal stake in the company, it is more likely to earn the trust of outside investors as well.

As more of the business world picks up on the increasing and high-potential opportunities of the small-cap market, it becomes easier to find these stocks. There are hundreds of newsletters and small-cap-focused Web sites that constantly highlight emerging and established companies, though all sources are not to be trusted. The key for success in this market is a roving eye and proper due diligence, both of which can be strengthened by practice and enlightened market knowledge.

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Wave Systems Corp. (WAVX) Safend Data Protection Suite Selected by Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust

Wave Systems, the Trusted Computing Company, announced that the Safend Data Protection Suite (consisting of Safend Encryptor, Protector, and Reporter) has been chosen by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a replacement for existing technologies that perform data encryption, port device control, removable media encryption, and advanced monitoring.

The IT team from the Trust chose the Data Protection Suite specifically for transparent encryption, port control, and removable media encryption to protect data downloaded on USB sticks. Protector has the capability to provide traffic monitoring, as well as apply customized, highly granular security policies over all physical wireless and external devices. The Safend Reporter extends an additional layer of governance by enabling heightened visibility into what data was downloaded and when.

The Data Protection Suite has delivered increased security and convenience across the board, as well as provides transparency valued by users. IT also benefits from the increased protection, problem reduction, and the peace of mind of greater visibility. For example, Safend Encryptor aided in the standardization of the laptop experience, whether using a laptop inside one of the Trust hospitals or using one at home. IT was able to keep a cached copy of the staff’s H drives so they could work on the road with equivalent access, as if it were a local device.

Nigel Hall, ICT Infrastructure Manager of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals, said, “The Trust has a reputation for excellence in healthcare. We are here to implement an IT strategy that benefits the business function. The Safend technology has allowed our staff to use their devices with the confidence that they are secure. The IT department is now more centralised than before and that suits staff and patients alike.”

The awareness and training requirements of staff have been minimized since the introduction of Safend. For instance, while Safend Encryptor is transparent to the end user, it results in a negligible impact on performance because it bypasses unnecessary encryption of the operating system. The migration reinforces Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals’ information governance message to its staff through Safend and Laptop user documentation. The nonstop communication in real time between the central server and remote assets guarantees that the entire contents of the laptop are consistently protected.

The Safend Data Protection Suite helps it comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Information Governance Toolkit, and the Department of Health’s mandate that all mobile data must be encrypted.

Joseph Souren, Vice President and GM Wave Systems EMEA commented, “Organisations in the public sector are becoming increasingly scrutinised for their IT practices and protection of data in particular. Safend Encryptor, Protector and Reporter are proven technologies and are able to provide the Trust functionality to help ensure the safety of patient and clinical data, as well as providing the workforce with a suitably flexible and secure means to work.”

For further information, visit www.wave.com

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Velti (VELT) Announces Launch of New Ad Network, Velti Media

Velti, a leading global provider of mobile marketing and advertising technology, announced the launch of a new mobile advertising network, Velti Media, which connects marketers to its 1.4 billion highly engaged consumers throughout the world. Velti is currently the only media company to combine mobile advertising and marketing solutions in a single technology platform across a unified data model, enabling the company to provide the most comprehensive suite of capabilities for brands to reach consumers on any device.

Velti is also unveiling its new technology, Multi-Channel Targeting (MCT), the first universal mobile analytics platform that allows brands to target consumers with relevant advertising and marketing interactions on smartphones, tablets, and PCs, allowing the company to more easily identify and reach the same consumers across any device or platform. Additionally, this allows advertisers to continue delivering deeper levels of engagement as consumers switch to other devices.

Velti is able to make recommendations to brands on the best types of campaigns to run in order to achieve a specific set of goals by combining advertising and marketing with performance data and predictive analysis. In the past, advertisers required the use of multiple solution providers in order to build their brand, drive conversion, and increase frequency and customer loyalty. However, with the advent of Velti’s technology, brands can now drive new consumers into the marketing funnel through advertising as well as make more money, increase engagement, and manage customer lifecycle management.

“As consumer device usage becomes increasingly fragmented, there is a growing urgency for all media and data to work together to deliver a consistent message to the consumer across all devices,” stated Alex Moukas, CEO of Velti. “Velti Media eliminates a major pain-point for marketers by giving them access to the consumer they want to target and providing them with the tools to reach them most effectively.”

Based in New York, Michael Hess leads the Velti Media sales team and joined the company in 2012 as SVP Advertising Sales, having previously held the position of SVP of Global Sales at Say Media. Hess also previously held positions at The New Yorker and Rolling Stone magazine.

For more information on Velti, visit www.velti.com

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Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. (HOTR) Taps into Highly Experienced Management Team to Execute International Expansion Goals

Chanticleer Holdings is the owner and operator of the Hooters casual dining restaurant brand. In 2009, the company launched an aggressive international expansion campaign to take Hooters abroad, establishing one Hooters restaurant in South Africa each year in 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2012, Chanticleer accelerated its campaign and opened three new locations, one in Australia, one in South Africa, and one in Europe. Looking ahead, management expects to ramp-up expansion and open four stores by year-end 2013. Chanticleer is led by a management team with a diverse line-up of industry experience that will support this ardent roll-out strategy.

Chanticleer CEO Michael Pruitt is a long-time entrepreneur with keen knowledge on how to evaluate potential investments, form key relationships, and recognize a strong management team. His background includes founding Avenel Financial Group, a boutique financial services firm, and Avenel Ventures, an innovative technology investment and business development company. His track record includes the ability to generate significant revenue growth and help public and private companies raise capital, structure and recruit an efficient management team, and prepare companies for the public market or sale.

Alex Hemingway serves as director of Chanticleer Europe where he utilizes his domestic and international executive management experience and leverages his past successes in the Central European QSR industry. Hemingway also founded and served as the director of the Fast Food Association of Hungary.

A sound financial strategy is imperative to Chanticleer’s international achievements, and the company taps into the expertise of its CFO Eric Lederer to ensure financial stability and success. Lederer previously was the Controller of PokerTek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEK), where he was responsible for day-to-day accounting functions and preparing SEC filings.

Amber Harrison serves as Chanticleer’s corporate counsel, bringing to the table a strong legal background with experience in federal law, torts, and contract disputes, employment law, complex business litigation, contract law, anti-trust, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate law.

Chanticleer’s accountant/corporate secretary Michelle Arcidiacono has an MBA from Winthrop University and is a member of the South Carolina Association of Public Accountants. Prior experience includes serving as accounting manager for a real estate development company and as a staff accountant for a local CPA firm which she specialized in corporate taxation.

Matthew Miller serves Chanticleer as co-portfolio manager. Miller graduated with honors from Coastal Carolina University where he earned a bachelor degree in business administration with a concentration in finance, and was a member of the distinguished Wall Fellows Program. In 2004, he was named a Financial Executives International Scholar. His background includes prospecting efforts for the Pyle/Cunningham Investment Consulting Group and employment with Hennecke GmbH in Sankt Augustin in Germany.

Co-portfolio manager Joseph T. Koster has worked with Chanticleer since 2005. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Coastal Carolina University and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. He was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society and the Wall Fellows Program at CCU.

For more information, visit www.chanticleerholdings.com

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NeoStem, Inc. (NBS) Receives Second-Year NIAID Grant Award for Developing VSEL Technology to Treat Radiation Exposure

Today, cellular therapy leader NeoStem announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded the company the second year of a two-year grant for “Development of Human, Autologous, Pluripotent Very Small Embryonic Like (VSELs) Stem Cells as a Countermeasure to Radiation Threat,” Grant Number 5R43AI098325-02. The two-year grant will total $595,252.

A peer-reviewed grant, the grant was given in support of research to be headed by NeoStem Director of Stem Cell Science Denis O. Rodgerson, Ph.D., and Mariusz Ratajczak, M.D., Ph.D., who is head of the stem cell biology program at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center and the co-inventor of VSELTM Technology.

The award will fund studies investigating the potential of very small, embryonic-like stem cells as a countermeasure for radiological and nuclear threat. The product candidate, an autologous stem cell therapy derived from a patient’s own stem cells, will be developed both as a rescue measure for patients who have been exposed to radiation through nuclear accident or terrorist threat and as a treatment for cancer patients who have undergone radiation therapy and have resultantly compromised immune systems.

Persons exposed to high doses of radiation, either through cancer treatment or nuclear exposure, have compromised immune systems that make them much more vulnerable to the virulence and infectivity of biological agents. Following radiation exposure, death can occur within one to six weeks. A rescue through stem cell transplantation is currently the only intervention that can save a fatally irradiated person. VSELs may represent an ideal cell therapy for regenerating the body’s immune system and repairing other tissues damaged by exposure to radiation, as early studies have shown that VSELs are resistant to lethal radiation, which destroys other immune system-restoring stem cells in the body. This makes post-exposure autologous treatment possible.

The grant award consisted of $295,252 for the first year of the project and now includes an additional $300,000 for the second year.

“We are very pleased that our research has met its interim requirements and been awarded its second year of funding,” said Dr. Dennis O. Rodgerson.

“NeoStem is pleased that the NIAID is continuing to fund this cutting-edge technology that we hope will reinvent the treatment landscape for acute radiation syndrome,” added NeoStem Chairman and CEO Dr. Robin L. Smith. “We also expect to file an IND with the FDA in late 2013 or early 2014 to initiate a NIH-funded human clinical study treating periodontitis with VSELTM.”

For more information about NeoStem, visit www.neostem.com

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Local Corp. (LOCM) Launches Premium Ad Network

Leading local online media company, Local Corp. announced that it has launched “Fusion by Local,” a new premium ad network for advertisers and brand marketers. Fusion by Local helps advertisers reach targeted customers in local markets through premium display advertising inventory across some of the top media properties in the country, including in the company’s established network of over 1,000 regional media sites.

Local Corporation’s new platform has launched at a promising time¬. With local display advertising on the rise and expected to grow 18.2 percent this year, advertisers are seeking ways to more effectively engage target audiences on a local level. National and regional brands are also seeking premium ad positioning for their campaigns near relevant content, with high quality publishers and media sites. Fusion by Local offers both by combining its precision-based audience targeting with premium advertising inventory that takes the manual process out of local buying.

Fusion by Local also eliminates the process of contacting publishers, negotiating multiple contracts, submitting insertion orders, and tracking performance metrics for each media property. The platform offers a variety of standard and customized ad units across various ad formats, including mobile and rich media, through a single integrated process with one point of contact.

Lori Chavez, Local Corporation’s VP-Marketing, remarked, “Implementing local campaigns is a labor-intensive process that involves manually engaging with hundreds of media sites across the U.S. Fusion by Local removes this burden from advertisers by allowing them to leverage our existing relationships with these valuable regional media publishers so they can focus their time on campaign strategy not campaign implementation. Fusion by Local further expands our local ecosystem and directly supports our mission of connecting local consumers with businesses of all sizes online.”

For more information, visit www.local.com

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Goldfield Corp. (GV) Achieves Record Results for 2012

Yesterday, the Goldfield Corporation, a leading provider of construction services to electric utilities through its Southeast Power Corporation subsidiary, announced record results for the year ending Dec. 31, 2012. These record results were the result of substantial growth in the company’s electrical construction business.

Goldfield’s net income for the year ending Dec. 31 was $12 million dollars, or $0.47 per share, having increased from $874,000, or $0.03 per share, for the same period of 2011. The company’s revenue for the year ending Dec. 31 was $81.6 million, as compared with $32.8 million in 2011. Goldfield’s 2012 revenue and net income were the highest the company has ever recorded in its entire 106-year history.

Goldfield’s net income for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, 2012 was $4.2 million, or $0.17 per share, as compared to $1.6 million, or $0.06 per share, for the same period of the previous year. The company’s revenue for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31 was $25.7 million, as compared with $11.4 million for the same period of 2011.

These record results are a reflection of the dramatic increase in service demand by utilities that are upgrading and expanding their transmission and distribution infrastructure, as well as the strengthening of Goldfield’s capability in a larger service area.

“Our strategy of moving beyond our historic Florida base – and expanding our operations in Texas, the Carolinas and Virginia – has paid handsome dividends,” said Goldfield President and CEO John H. Sottile.

“Southeast Power’s fine reputation in the industry, together with our growth, has enabled us to attract very experienced and highly regarded new leadership,” Sottile added.

As announced previously, former Southeast Power CEO John Davis took over as president of Southeast Power on Jan. 1, 2013. Joining the Southeast Power team to oversee new business development is John E. White, former vice president of one of the largest electrical construction companies in the nation.

“With the strong team we have assembled, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of future opportunities to build on our record growth,” Davis said.

Southeast Power’s construction backlog was $40.9 million on Dec. 31, as compared with $12.2 million at the end of 2011. This 2012 backlog included $23.8 million associated with a project that is scheduled for completion in August 2013.

“We believe we will meet the challenge of generating new business more than sufficient to offset completion of this project,” Davis said.

For more information, visit www.goldfieldcorp.com

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UQM Technologies, Inc. (UQM) Powers Audi Test Expansion

UQM Technologies announced that the company will be providing the systems that Audi will be testing in its A1 e-tron extended range electric vehicles. UQM’s PowerPhase systems will be used in testing that will occur through 2013 in Germany’s National Platform of Electrification; the NPE is promoting this program to demonstrate and further develop the viability of electric vehicles.

Longmont, CO-based UQM is focused on developing and manufacturing power-dense, high-efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the automotive, commercial truck, bus, marine, and military markets. In addition, UQM is developing propulsion systems for electric, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and fuel cell electric vehicles.

Extended-range vehicles rely on the electric powertrain for propulsion and use an internal combustion engine to charge the battery pack. For example, the Audi A1 e-tron extended-range all-electric test-fleet vehicles use UQM PowerPhase Select 125 systems to drive the wheels at all times. The combustion engine in the car is used to generate electricity to extend the range as needed. The maximum all-electric range of the A1 e-tron is 30 miles (50 km), while the maximum combined range in the New European Driving Cycle is 155 miles (250 km).

Eric R. Ridenour, President and CEO of UQM, said, “The key attributes of our electric motors and controllers offer the same advantages in extended-range electric vehicles as they do in electric-only applications. Our higher efficiency systems provide the potential for longer all-electric mode and an overall improved fuel economy in extended-range vehicles.”

For more information, visit www.uqm.com

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VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (VSTA) Uses Stem Cells to Build a Better Scientific Model for Drug Development

Why do pharmaceutical drugs cost so much? Because pharmaceutical companies waste so much money and time developing them.

But these companies can be excused for wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and years of work developing drugs that won’t be approved for use. The conventional method for initially testing the effectiveness and toxicity of these drugs – testing on animals – is terribly ineffective.

While scientific models like animals can provide a clue of how a drug might affect a human, they can never truly replicate the effects of giving the drug to people. Drugs that might not work in animal models – or even cause harmful effects – could produce an entirely different outcome when given to humans. But before government regulators will allow a drug to be tested on humans, it has to be proven safe in costly clinical trials with animal models or in vitro cell culture testing systems.

Drugs are scrapped every year by pharmaceutical companies after toxicity issues are discovered. The drugs are soon forgotten as the companies move on to find the next “wonder drug.” If scientists had a more accurate scientific model to perform initial tests on, they would be able to better predict which drugs are safe and which aren’t long before large investments are made.

A San Francisco-based biotechnology company, VistaGen Therapeutics, is focused on changing all of this through its novel platform Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™. The platform uses proprietary and exclusively-licensed stem cell technologies, some co-developed by Dr. Gordon Keller, a world renowned stem cell scientist.

In addition to providing toxicity predations for new drugs, the platform is designed to “rescue” once-promising small molecule drug candidates that were shelved because they exhibited negative effects in studies using conventional scientific models. Development of these drug candidates are often halted due to signs of heart or liver toxicity or metabolism issues during tests using scientific models like animals or in vitro cell culture testing systems.

The Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube platform enables controlled differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into mature human cells, which are a more accurate model for clinical trials. The platform helps scientists determine if the negative effects experienced in previous trials with conventional models apply to humans. It can also be used to help generate new, safer variants in combination with modern medicinal chemistry.

By developing scientific models which more closely approximate human biology, VistaGen is helping pharmaceutical companies more accurately assess how new drug therapies will perform in clinical trials. The Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube platform also provides useful clinical data earlier in the drug development process – so drug companies will know sooner which drugs might work … and which drugs won’t. Having this information much sooner in the development cycle will help increase the efficiency of clinical trials and eliminate the waste of valuable resources.

For more information, visit VistaGen at www.VistaGen.com

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Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (CPRX) Receives Recommendation from Data Monitoring Committee Regarding Phase III Clinical Trial of Firdapse

Today, specialty pharmaceutical company Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners announced that the independent data monitoring committee (DMC) overseeing its ongoing pivotal Phase III clinical trial of Firdapse recommended on March 25 that the company continue the trial as planned based on the committee’s review of safety and clinical data from the trial. Firdapse is currently being evaluated in the United States and Europe to treat Lambert-Easton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS).

The DMC is comprised of experts who are responsible for independently reviewing accumulated clinical safety and efficacy data obtained in Catalyst’s clinical trial, for the safety of participants and future patients. The committee considers data that is specific to the study, as well as pertinent background knowledge about the disease, test agent, or patient population being studied.

The Phase III clinical trial of Firdapse is designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled discontinuation trial consisting of 30 enrolled patients who have been diagnosed with LEMS. The trial is taking place at sites within the U.S. and Europe. The company plans to add up to 20 more sites in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and South America and anticipates completing enrollment in the trial by the end of 2013’s fourth quarter. Catalyst plans to announce topline data from the trial during the second quarter of 2014.

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners is a specialty pharmaceutical company with its focus on developing and commercializing prescription drugs that target rare (orphan) neuromuscular and neurological diseases and disorders, including Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, infantile spasms, and Tourette’s syndrome. Firdapse is the company’s lead candidate.

For more information, visit www.catalystpharma.com

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Peter J. Goldstein Announced as Chairman of Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF)

Staffing 360 Solutions, an emerging growth public company engaged in the provision of international staffing services in IT, financial, accounting, healthcare, and banking industries, today announced that the company has elected Peter J. Goldstein as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. Allan Hartley, Chief Executive Officer for Staffing 360 Solutions, made the announcement, noting that in addition to Mr. Goldstein’s position as Chairman, he also assumes the position of Treasurer and Secretary of the company.

“Peter Goldstein is a world class M&A executive whose advisory activities to date on behalf of the company have been enormously effective,” said Mr. Hartley. “We believe that his more active involvement as Chairman will accelerate the execution of our consolidation strategies, both in the U.S. and internationally.”

With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Goldstein is a seasoned financier and entrepreneur and has held the positions of chief architect, placement agent, and Investment Banker with extensive domestic, international, and multinational cross border M&A activity and capital raises throughout his career. Mr. Goldstein has actively participated in capital formation, including initial public offerings (IPO), alternative public offerings (APO), and private placements by effectively raising funds for companies in diverse industries by utilizing his strengths in M&A, strategic planning, and transaction structuring. He is also currently Principal and Co-Founder of TRIG Capital Group. Additionally, Mr. Goldstein is the founder, Chairman and CEO of Grandview Capital Partners, Inc., operating as an office of supervisory jurisdiction at Blackwall Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA registered Broker Dealer and investment bank.

A.J. Cervantes, President of Staffing 360 Solutions, stated, “I have known Peter in a number of capacities over the last several years. First as Chairman of Grandview, and more recently as Co-Founder with me of TRIG Capital Group, our burgeoning private equity firm. With a broad array of strengths ranging from financial architect and innovative financier to an extraordinary work ethic and team builder, he is the kind of executive with the strength, experience and intelligence who can drive the company’s worldwide growth.”

“It is clear to me that Staffing 360 Solutions has the potential to become a preeminent force in the staffing industry in the U.S. and internationally,” commented Mr. Goldstein. “Working side-by-side with the senior management of Staffing 360 I look forward to executing the pipeline of accretive acquisitions we have developed to date and positioning Staffing 360 Solutions as an emerging growth public company that can deliver superior results as part of our commitment to growth in revenue, earnings and, ultimately, shareholder value.”

Initially launching is career as an entrepreneur, Mr. Goldstein has served as a Director, Chief Executive Officer, Advisor and consultant to public, private, and emerging companies within the United States and international markets since 1996. He holds an MBA in International Business which he obtained from the University of Miami, and currently has his 7, 24, 79, 99 and 66 registrations with FINRA. Mr. Goldstein is also a member of the National Investment Banking Association.

For more information on Staffing 360 Solutions, visit www.staffing360solutions.com

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Pendrell Corp. (PCO) Announces Acquisition of Foundational Memory Technology Patent Portfolios from Nokia

Pendrell, a fully integrated intellectual property (IP) investment, advisory services, and asset management firm, announced it has acquired several fundamental patent portfolios from Nokia. The portfolios include a broad range of fundamental memory technologies for electronic devices, consisting of 125 patents and patent applications across the globe. Nokia has declared 81 patents within the acquisition as essential to applicable standards.

Over 15 years of pioneering research and development by Nokia are represented within the global patent portfolios, including secure digital cards, embedded flash, and universal flash storage capabilities. The global market for these combined memory technologies is projected to exceed $12 billion in 2013, and industry analysts project just the SD market to exceed $21 billion in 2018.

Pendrell will further the innovative efforts initiated by Nokia and enable more widespread use of these technologies via a global licensing program within a new wholly owned subsidiary, Helsinki Memory Technologies, Oy (HMT), created solely for these purposes. After the acquisition is completed, Nokia will receive a license for every patent passed to HMT, as well as for every new IP developed by HMT. A portion of the proceeds from patent licensing regarding the acquired memory portfolios will be reinvested to fund ongoing innovation.

“Our acquisition of these Nokia patents together with the formation of Helsinki Memory Technologies uniquely illustrates the deep connection that strong, transferrable and enforceable IP rights have with promoting investment in research and development,” commented Joseph Siino , chief intellectual property officer for Pendrell. “As with our other portfolios, the patents we have acquired from Nokia provide the basis for ongoing innovation, and also allow us to offer these inventions to IP-respecting companies worldwide on fair and reasonable terms.”

Nokia has been a pioneer in the development and evolution of portable and embedded memory technologies, which are used in an estimated 8,000 different consumer electronics devices by more than 400 brands worldwide, including mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, tablets, digital cameras, video recorders, printers, set top boxes, and others. Furthermore, these particular portfolios represent an important portion of all patents that are relevant to the field, representing inventions currently in use as well as those that are essential for the next generation of memory standards that are on the horizon.

“We are pleased that our patent sale to Pendrell has enabled the launch of Helsinki Memory Technologies here in Finland to continue the fundamental research and development work that Nokia has done over the past fifteen years,” commented Paul Melin, chief intellectual property officer for Nokia. “We expect that Pendrell’s world-class expertise in IP strategy and licensing will also create a meaningful path to further commercialization of these technologies, with proceeds enabling continuing investment in R&D by Helsinki Memory Technologies.”

Helsinki Memory Technologies’ R&D program will be based in Finland and will be led by Kimmo Mylly, an award-winning senior technologist and inventor who previously led Nokia’s memory technologies program. Mr. Mylly previously chaired an industry-wide task group whose work led to the adoption of standards relating to memory storage for portable devices.

“The opportunity to acquire technologies as foundational and relevant as those represented by these portfolios is rare. This acquisition represents a unique opportunity to expand our licensing initiatives, as these patents are relatively unencumbered, only a handful of IP portfolios cover these technologies globally, and an established licensing ecosystem is already in place,” said Mario Obeidat , vice president of licensing for Pendrell.

For further information, please visit www.pendrell.com

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Discover Hidden Trading Opportunities with TinyGems

It turns out, well-run small companies are not inherently risky. It’s one of the best kept secrets on Wall Street!

TinyGem’s Hidden Gems Newsletter features undiscovered, undervalued companies on a regular basis. Each month, subsribers receive a summary of the team’s research.

If you would like sign up for the TinyGems Monthly Newsletter and discover new, undiscovered small-cap companies, visit www.tinygems.net

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ZaZa Energy Corp. (ZAZA) Secures Huge Joint Venture Deal, Immediate Development on Eaglebine

ZaZa Energy, the Houston-based E&P with a combined 92k net acre footprint smack in the heart of the Texas Eagle Ford/Eaglebine plays, reported inking a major joint exploration and development agreement today aimed at developing the Eaglebine assets, in conjunction with one of the top independent crude oil and natural gas firms in the U.S.

This is a sizeable agreement and will allow ZAZA to jump start development on the highly prospective land, with the JV partner acquiring as much as 75% WI in 55k net acres and ultimately being responsible for operating the 73k total net acres covered under the JV (ZAZA retains 25% on these lands). The wholly-owned lands covered by the agreement include those inside Grimes, Madison, Montgomery, Trinity, and Walker counties. Also among the acreage in this deal are certain lands covered under the participation agreement with Range Resources Corp. wholly-owned subsidiary, Range Texas Production, LLC.

President and CEO of ZAZA, Todd Brooks, beamed with excitement at the prospect of partnering like this with one of the biggest unconventional and oil-focused operators going. Brooks boldly pointed to how the realization of this deal underwrites the company’s Eaglebine work program thus far and further emphasized how the JV will accelerate near-term production and introduce economies of scale to the development/production envelope, also confirming to markets that initial phases would focus heavily on optimization of oilfield development.

With early-stage Phase I drilling already well underway on the first two JV wells, ZAZA is looking forward to capitalizing on this dynamic new JV and confidence is high that the undisclosed partner will have drilled the first three earning wells by January of next year. Plans for development are currently broken up into three phases, each one marked by a three-well punch and associated cash payments, with the second two phases being elective and according to the JV partner’s discretion upon satisfaction of work obligations in the preceding phase(s).

ZAZA’s utilization of a robust battery of advanced analytical tools helped land this deal. Fusing together open-hole logging, integrated core/sample lab data, and micro-seismic methodologies to drive rich 3D mapping and design/viz efforts. The company goes beyond extensive review of formation sampling and rock analysis, right to the bleeding-edge of the most innovative tech in the industry today. Top shelf resource visualization is about to come together with leading industry development muscle through this JV and markets will be chomping at the bit to get a look at upcoming well data on the Eaglebine properties.

Solid move really, post the sale of the company’s French assets to Vermilion Energy Inc. (Dec 27, 2012). ZAZA is now able to focus on their exceptional position in Texas from a much better balance sheet position, armed with better capitalization and the confidence that comes from having paid down over two-thirds of the company’s senior secured debt in less than a year.

For more information on ZaZa Energy, visit www.ZaZaEnergy.com

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The Channel Marketing Plan of GlobalWise Investments, Inc. (GWIV)

GlobalWise Investments, provider of ECM (Enterprise Content Management) systems to businesses and organizations through its subsidiary Intellinetics, has a stated goal of moving away from direct sales into a channel sales orientation. As such, Intellinetics is always interested in finding qualified partners looking to add value to their own offerings by incorporating the Intellivue electronic content management solution.

Intellinetics solutions are already serving a diverse collection of industries, such as education, healthcare, automotive, government, retail, and financial services, and the company is aware of the unique requirements every industry has when it comes to automated records management. To address this, the company supports reseller partners in a variety of ways to best get the appropriate message out to customers, including the following:

• Customer calls (on-site and via WebEx) – Each partner/reseller is assigned their own experienced Intellinetics Business Development Manager for assistance and help on customer calls and WebEx’s.
• Weekly WebEx General Knowledge and Demo Sessions – Webinars can be set up and made available to a partner’s client base, showing Intellivue’s advantages and addressing particular customer needs.
• Telemarketing Campaigns – Telemarketing scripts and questions to ask during telemarketing campaigns and calls are provided by Intellinetics for assistance and as guidelines.
• Web Marketing Campaigns – Intellinetics information, including Intellinetics related news and events, can be set up on a partner’s website.
• Email Marketing – Intellinetics provides information, ads, and additional cobranded material that partners can use to launch powerful email marketing campaigns.
• Trade Shows – Intellinetics Business Development Managers are available to attend and speak at trade shows, customer events, and/or open houses hosted for clients.

Intellinetics can also provide direct sales rep support and coaching, weekly status calls, and even demonstration software, all to help partners get the most out of their relationship with Intellinetics.

For additional information on GlobalWise and its subsidiary, Intellinetics, visit www.GlobalWiseInvestments.com and www.Intellinetics.com

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Wave Systems Corp. (WAVX) Division Selected by Florida Peninsula Insurance to Automate Insurance Processes for Agents and Consumers

Today, eSignSystems, a division of Wave Systems, announced that Florida Peninsula Insurance (FPI) will be integrating its signing and management technology. This decision will directly benefit both independent agents and consumer policy holders served by Florida Peninsula, enabling them to remotely review, sign, and administrate policies from any convenient location. FPI will also receive the benefit of full electronic capture and document access, which will streamline compliance with changing insurance regulations and ensure the speediest response when policyholders are filing claims.

FPI has become one of Florida’s largest homeowner insurers since the company was founded in 2005. FPI serves more than 140,000 policyholders, and in a challenging industry and a state that is prone to hurricanes, the company credits its growth and success to a dedicated approach of partnering with independent agents and policyholders. The company is dedicated to meeting the needs of agents and policyholders and investing in its people and technology to continually improve insurance.

The implementation of eSignSystems’ SmartSAFE will enable electronic signatures that are faster, legally binding and securely delivered, which will resultantly reduce costs and processing time for online insurance application submissions, streamline underwriting, and speed up claims processing for consumers. Independent agents will be able to remotely sign and complete insurance policies from the office or a client’s home – thereby maximizing the use of tablets and laptops. Agents will gain improved document integrity and simultaneously reduce repetitive data re-keying and the tedious review of illegible faxes.

“Our partnership with eSignSystems provides excellent technology for our agents and insureds,” said FPI Director of Operations Chris Chandler. “To get a policy, file a claim or make changes to a policy all from the comfort of your home fits well with our pledge to provide fast, fair and friendly service. We continually strive to raise the technology bar, and our network of independent agents appreciate the ease of doing business with Florida Peninsula. With electronic signature, agents will gain additional efficiencies and make doing business with us that much easier.”

FPI’s transition to electronic document signing and management is further strengthened by the company’s policy administration system, which provides full e-document management throughout the life of a policy, including secure transmission and storage of the signed and completed document within easy searching capabilities of FPI’s policy administration system. This enables easy claims access without the need to search a warehouse or independent agent file cabinets, and it also provides a complete audit trail for proof of compliance as well as flexibility to adapt to new regulations in an industry that continues to improve its governance.

For more information, visit www.esignsystems.com

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China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (CSUN) Wins Australian Award

China Sunergy announced that several members of its team have jointly won this year’s Advance Global Australian Award for the clean technology category, and are the first Chinese-Australians to receive the award. Sunergy’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Jianhua Zhao, and its Head of Research and Vice President, Dr. Aihua Wang, were the recipients. The awards ceremony was held in Sidney on March 21.

Founded in 2004 and based in China and Turkey, China Sunergy is focused on developing and manufacturing solar cells and modules; the company also invests in other solar projects. Doctors Zhao and Wang have broken the record they set in 1989 for highest lab efficiency of solar cells several times, and now lead Sunergy’s participation in a National High Technology Research and Development Program in China that supports and encourages the development and commercialization of solar cells with a high efficiency rate (over 20%) and a low production cost.

The purpose of the Advance Global Australian Awards is to recognize and honor Australians that live overseas and exhibit remarkable talent, exceptional vision, and ambition. Zhao and Wang were nominated by Professor Martin Green, a pioneer in the solar photovoltaic field. Zhao and Wang also received, during the same ceremony, the Australia in the Asian Century Award, for their contribution in the Asia region.

Mr. Lu Tingxiu, chairman of China Sunergy, said, “We are excited and happy for the couple to receive this award, which is an important recognition for their contributions to drive solar technology forward. We are proud of their contributions to the industry as well as to China Sunergy. As co-founders of China Sunergy, they have shaped the company’s advanced technology and allowed us to provide customers with efficient and cost-effective products. We remain heavily committed to research and technological innovation under their leadership.”

“We are greatly honored and pleased to receive this award. We have been deeply involved in this industry and will continue to focus on research and development projects at China Sunergy that will further advance the efficiency and quality of our products,” Dr. Zhao and Dr. Wang remarked.

For more information, visit www.chinasunergy.com

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Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ASTX) Video Chart for Monday, March 25, 2013

ASTX has formed a flag pattern following a run from around $3.00 to a new resistance at $4.58. The chart shifted gears from a retracement to close up on Friday, giving hints that the stock may be ready to take another run at the top of the flag.

To view the video chart, visit the following link: http://www.missionir.com/videos.html

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Calpian, Inc. (CLPI) is “One to Watch”

Calpian, headquartered in Dallas, has put together an incredibly powerful two-pronged assault strategy for capturing significant market share in two very distinct operating areas by combining stable, near-term recurring revenue streams from credit card processing fees in the U.S. with the explosive growth potential of an m-wallet service using mobile phones in India.

On the one hand we have immediate cash-flow generation via wholly-owned subsidiary, Calpian Commerce, which is an agile, well-positioned intermediary in the credit card processing services field. Calpian offers small U.S. retail merchants a one-stop-shop solution to hooking up with the large payment processors and then making credit card point-of-sale (POS) transactions a snap. Calpian essentially goes around, acquiring merchants from the pool of some 2M small merchants handled by the roughly 10k domestic ISOs (independent sales agents), who sell the small merchants the payment-processing solutions and POS hardware they need to do business with the big credit card processing companies. This space is worth around $1B in annual residuals and Calpian has thus far carved out a healthy slice of the overall pie, acquiring revenue streams from credit card processing fees and making a name for itself by providing superior quality of service to the merchant customers.

Through a sophisticated array of agent banks, ISOs, and a direct sales force, Calpian has planted deep roots in the merchant community and continues to grow via portfolio acquisitions on the strength of their fully integrated software-enabling products and payment servicing capabilities. Backed up by an adroit sales force, Calpian represents a strong, cash flow-positive core business for the company here in the U.S. built out of small retail store contracts, making for an extremely resilient home base footprint. CLPI is looking for around $5M in growth (EBITDA) per annum moving forward on roughly four to eight acquisitions per year and has the high ground as a leading buyer in this growing (roughly $1B) space.

On the other hand we have the insane growth potential of Mumbai-headquartered Money-on-Mobile (MoM), often referred to as the “PayPal” of India, which stands poised to revolutionize transactions across the massive, especially underserved, poorer populations of this sprawling country via a simple, easy-to-implement methodology using money loaded onto the mobile phone. It seems like everyone in India has a cell phone these days (even people who can afford little else) and thus the underlying metrics for this business are unquantifiably vast. Moreover, as the poorest often lack suitable means of transferring money due to a variety of logistical factors, with travel and wait time for a bank trip alone often taking hours, this is a sociological game-changing technology as well. The appeal of a stored-value mobile payments service can be grasped immediately by anyone, no matter what country you live in and CLPI’s March 2012 ownership acquisition of MoM (74%) brings the company’s seasoned industry captains to the helm of a project that is ready to pop.

Taking into account the fact that transaction momentum is actually highest among the poorest people, who are also often unbanked/underbanked (only 200M bank accounts out of 1.2B consumers), or who choose not to use existing systems because of the inordinately high direct costs of 1%-5% charged on transfers/transactions in most cases, it should be clear to even the lay observer that the iron is hot for a cheap, easy-to-use solution like MoM. It is basically an end run on the entire bottlenecked payment system in India and one which renders state to the consumers/merchants, allowing transactions to occur as long as both parties are registered with the service and granting additional, even transaction/transaction type-specific security benefits in the process.

Some 72% of clients surveyed in India cited security as a primary factor when choosing a means of money transfer, with the risk of being robbed while traveling or at transaction points, as well as the risk of informal money transaction methods weighing most heavily on their minds. Countless means exist via the mobile commerce solution for preventing such theft, from limiting transaction interval amounts to algorithm-based triggers that can spot abnormal transactions and alert personnel or the user. Carrying around a tiny bank that can’t be easily robbed and can be used to conduct person to person or business to consumer transactions is an ingenious solution to the numerous problems which have plagued increasingly wealthy Indian consumers.

Immediate comparisons can be drawn to the first mobile money system, M-PESA, which was rolled out in Kenya and coped exceptionally well with the daunting logistical pitfalls of an unstable government, society, and economy. By allowing poor people with little or no access to banks, a means of saving small amounts of money and transacting daily business, the metrics went thermonuclear almost overnight, growing subsequently in the space of only half a decade to represent some 25% of GDP transaction volume, a truly staggering figure. MoM is out ahead of the game too, being roughly three times the size of the next nearest competitor. With better financing, the only full suite of services ready to go/easy to use, and CLPI’s veteran management team, stepped in the payment processing sector’s ins and outs, this MoM rocket ship is headed for new worlds.

Think about it, being able to transfer money from device to device, or transact business like paying for pre-paid cell phone or TV, utility bills, and tickets, or being able to buy food or other items while out shopping, all via the mobile device. For millions in India today who don’t even have access to a bank, this changes everything. The number of unique phone users registered has shot up from under 5M at CPLI’s first investment (Apr 2012) to over 30M at the close of 2012, and the retailer network has blossomed in a similar fashion (again more than doubling), from just under 50k at the time of the initial investment to just shy of 120k in December of last year. Domestic remittance metrics will likely swell processing volumes even further and said volumes have already doubled over the same interval as the above user and retailer data.

Calpian masters the automated clearing house, credit/debit card processing, mobile acceptance, and gateway payment solutions game domestically, while MoM taps the massive growth potential in India’s consumer market by allowing individuals to handle everyday payments and transfers using simple SMS text functionality over their mobile – this is a winning formula. The difficulties of transportation in India should leap right out at investors when it comes to the MoM side of CLPI’s operation, and Calpian has done a superb job of engaging relevant markets via their Transaction World Magazine (TWM) with high-value actionable intelligence on emerging markets and developing industry trends, a key aspect of the company’s success so far.

For more information on Calpian, visit www.Calpian.com

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Sequenom, Inc. (SQNM) Launches Heredi-T Cystic Fibrosis Carrier Screening Test

Yesterday, life sciences company Sequenom announced that the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (SCMM) has launched Heredi-T, an advanced new cystic fibrosis carrier screen test. This laboratory-developed test (LDT) is available as a testing service to ordering physicians.

The Heredi-T cystic fibrosis test analyzes 136 mutations and five variants that have been proven clinically relevant in causing cystic fibrosis, and the test integrates disease-causing mutations that have been selected from the Johns Hopkins CFTR2 database (www.cftr2.org). Analyzing nearly six times the number of mutations currently available in other screening methods, the LDT can be performed preconception or at any time during pregnancy with a DNA sample obtained from a buccal swap.

“The Heredi-T test provides significant new clinical value, offering highly reliable information about a patient’s risk of being a cystic fibrosis carrier,” said Sequenom President and COO Bill Welch. “This introduction adds to Sequenom CMM’s leadership in prenatal testing and supports our mission to help healthcare providers and their patients make more informed clinical decisions through the use of advanced genetics.”

It is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that all patients receive cystic fibrosis carrier screening. Additional screening consideration should also be given, according to ACOG, to patients with a family history of cystic fibrosis or a partner with a family history of cystic fibrosis; ultrasound findings indicating an increased risk for cystic fibrosis; bowel or dilated loops of bowel; or history of male infertility – as these clinical indicators increase the risk of cystic fibrosis.

Heredi-T cystic fibrosis test results are delivered to the physician within an average of seven business days. A positive test result indicates the patient has one copy of a genetic mutation known to cause cystic fibrosis and should be advised to consider genetic counseling or further testing. A negative test result indicates a low risk for cystic fibrosis but does not completely eliminate the risk, as the test does not screen for all possible cystic fibrosis mutations.

For more information, visit www.sequenom.com

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Star Scientific, Inc. (STSI) Anatabloc® Recognized by GNC as a Top Vendor of 2012

Star Scientific, a technology-oriented company with a mission to promote maintenance of a healthy metabolism and lifestyle, announced that the company’s dietary supplement, Anatabloc®, has been selected as the recipient of the annual GNC Top Vendor Awards. Specifically, Anatabloc® was selected by GNC as the Wellness Winner in the category of Best Product Innovations for 2012. GNC announced the award recipients via its social media outlets and recognized them at the 2014 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

GNC selected Anatabloc® as the award recipient based on several criteria, including: success in bringing a product into a mature, competitive category; success in establishing the product with effective marketing, sampling, and trial drivers; and success in becoming a best-selling new product.

“We could not ask for a better partner than GNC,” said David Dean, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Star Scientific, Inc. “The growth of Anatabloc® and increase in awareness of the product over the past year could not have happened without the support of GNC. We are honored to have been chosen for this award.”

Tom Dowd, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer & General Manager of GNC, commented, “Sales of Anatabloc® continue to surpass our expectations. We are proud to recognize Star Scientific and Anatabloc® with the 2012 GNC Top Vendor Award for Best Product Innovation in the Wellness category.”

STSI recently increased the number of lozenges/tablets in both its Anatabloc® and Anatabloc® Unflavored products by 50% of the former quantity, from 200 to 300. This number was altered to reflect a change in usage of the products after researchers for the company developed a new recommended dosage based on body weight. The newly formulated weight classification and usage recommendation chart is now displayed on Anatabloc® packaging and on the Anatabloc® website (www.anatabloc.com). The transition in dosage and increased lozenges per bottle will be complete in all GNC stores during the month of April.

GNC also announced that its Anatabloc® Rare Cellular Facial Creme is now available for sale on the company’s website (www.GNC.com), as well as on the Anatabloc® website (www.anatabloc.com). The company additionally revealed that an Anatabloc® facial cleanser and serum are currently in development.

For more information on Star Scientific, visit www.starscientific.com

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Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (HALO) and Baxter Announce Receipt of Positive Opinion from the EMA CHMP for HyQvia

Today, Halozyme Therapeutics and Baxter International announced that Baxter has been granted a Positive Opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (EMA CHMP) for the use of HyQvia (solution for subcutaneous use) as replacement therapy for adult patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiencies. HyQvia is a combination of human normal immunoglobulin (IGSC, 10%) and recombinant human hyaluronidase, which facilitates the dispersion and absorption of the IGSC.

Receiving this recommendation from the EMA CHMP supports the combined efforts of Halozyme and Baxter to improve overall patient care quality. Once approved by the European commission, the therapy will give patients the option to administer their therapy at home every three to four weeks via a single subcutaneous site. This will potentially result in lower systemic adverse reactions as compared with intravenous treatments.

“We look forward to introducing HyQvia as a new patient-friendly therapeutic option for immunodeficient patients,” said Ludwig Hantson, Ph.D., president of Baxter’s BioScience business.

This application was based on the results of a Phase III, prospective, open-label, non-controlled design clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HyQvia in preventing acute serious bacterial infections, as well as the pharmacokinetic parameters compared with intravenously administered immunoglobulin. The study’s objective was to infuse a three-week or four-week dose of the therapy in a single subcutaneous site. In the study, the acute serious bacterial infection rate was 0.025 per patient per year, which is below the required efficacy threshold of 1.0 (serious bacterial infections per patient per year). In HyQvia’s tolerability assessment, the adverse reactions most frequently reported were infusion site reactions, occurring in 20% of infusions; headache, occurring in 3% of infusions; fatigue, occurring in 1% of infusions; and pyrexia, or fever, occurring in 1% of infusions.

Baxter plans to launch HyQvia in selected countries within the European Union later this year, after marketing authorization has been received from the European Commission.

“Recognizing that the path to approval for any biologic is a long journey, I would like to thank and congratulate the teams at Halozyme and Baxter who have worked tirelessly to advance this therapeutic option for patients,” said Halozyme Therapeutics President and CEO Gregory I. Frost, Ph.D.

For more information, visit www.halozyme.com

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Hong Zhao Appointed as SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SCLN) CEO–China Operations

Mr. Hong Zhao is joining SciClone Pharmaceuticals as its new Chief Executive Officer¬–China Operations. An accomplished industry executive, Mr. Zhao has over 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry and has led the commercial operations, market expansion, and growth of several multi-national companies throughout China.

Mr. Zhao joins SciClone from Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, a leading pharmaceutical company specializing in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of branded and proprietary pharmaceuticals. As the company’s Executive Vice President, his responsibilities included leading a sizeable sales team and managing multiple business units, and had direct reporting responsibility for medical affairs, market access, marketing and sales operations, training, and personnel development.

Prior to Simcere, he held various senior positions at Novartis China, including Regional Sales Manager, National Sales Director, Vice President, Senior Vice President of Novartis Greater China and General Manager of Novartis Shanghai. Mr. Zhao also served with Xi’an Janssen Pharmaceutical, where he rose quickly from Medical Representative to District Sales Manager. Mr. Zhao holds a Bachelor of Medicine degree from Nanjing Medical College and an Executive Masters of Business Administration degree from China European International Business School (CEIBS). He is fluent in Mandarin and in English.

“Hong Zhao is a skilled executive with proven ability to exceed aggressive performance goals, deliver strong top and bottom-line performance, manage and inspire effective sales organizations, establish productive relationships with industry partners and implement innovative and effective corporate strategies,” said Friedhelm Blobel, Ph.D., SciClone’s Chief Executive Officer. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated the ability to bring new ways of thinking into his companies, implement effective sales force management strategies, incentives and performance measures, align organizations toward growth and leverage the full potential of individuals and teams. SciClone’s board of directors and management team join me in welcoming Hong to our Company. We look forward to working together to lead SciClone to its next level of performance in China.”

“I believe that SciClone has significant potential to enhance its stature and reputation as a growth-focused mid-size pharmaceutical company with a high quality, differentiated marketed product portfolio, led by ZADAXIN®, one of the most respected brands among patients and physicians in China,” added Mr. Zhao. “I look forward to working with Friedhelm and the talented SciClone team to build a consistently top-performing commercial organization, strengthen our focus on ensuring compliance and integrity throughout our operations and continue to deliver value to all of our stakeholders.”

For more information, visit www.sciclone.com

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