Conversation with CEO Kevin Kowbel (Part 1)
From "edm872" on the Yahoo board:
As a large shareholder of HDC (@9m shares between family and friends) I was very concerned about the firing of John Norris as it appeared out of the blue, especially following the shareholder's meeting of July 25. Out of concern, I contacted the company and set up a call with Kevin Kowbel, HDC's new CEO. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with Mr. Kowbel and came away quite impressed. I am going to relay several thoughts about our conversation and the company going forward:
- First and foremost, Mr. Kowbel is a shareholder just like us; he is only concerned about the shareholders and shareholder value, not simply picking up a paycheck until the next venture comes along. To prove this, he is working for free, which is what a good CEO does with a start up or a company facing financial issues.
- Mr. Kowbel has owned stock in HDC for @10 years and has intimately followed every step of the company along the way; he knows HDC's business in and out and he has strong ideas to make HDC a more viable entity; I believe that when Mr. Kowbel says something is going to happen he means it, not the lip service previous CEO's have paid us.
- Mr. Kowbel appreciates the obstacles that HDC faces, but he believes that our technology is game-changing and that our relationships with Neogenomics and Lucena Research via SVM Capital are key components of potential success; furthermore, he understands that these relationships need to be mutually beneficial therefore he wants to continue to build healthy relationships with these companies (and others) by being a good partner who listens and asks meaningful questions.
- Mr. Kowbel wants to take better care of the those at HDC who contribute the most to the company's potential success. He pointed out three individuals who continue to play vital roles at HDC and are key contributors to the company: Marty Delmonte, Mark Moore and Hong Zhang. He believes that if, and when, the company is financially secure these men deserve better.
