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Thanks, Keith, for your efforts to connect with Mr. Dovgan.
DOS is working on the message we would like to communicate
to him as part of your email. I think this kind of cooperative effort will have its rewards.
I last heard from Slava four weeks ago concerning our trip to Russia. He said he could not give us any type of reply until he hears from Mr. Dovgan and the Board of Directors about sponsoring our business visas. I've sent Slava a few email letters since then, and I do expect to receive a reply soon.
Good point. What the Chinese are hoping for is that the Olympics will boost their year-round tourist trade. It is that newly sustainable foreign visitors' market all Chinese businesses are hoping to take advantage of. Of course, whatever exposure we get during the Olympics will be a springboard to boost initial sales of our product which should really take off when Aquagold initiates its widescale marketing campaign.
All systems are go, so why is the pps suffering? Looking back at the meeting, a few reasons stand out. The only signed deal is the Letter of Credit agreement with the Bank of China for $118M. That amount is rotating, based on orders, and it is projected that it may reach $500M at some point, perhaps as soon as six months after the first shipment hits the shelves. Investors thought the $500M figure was guaranteed, but alas, it was only $118M that was signed for and guaranteed by the BOC.
Another point was that shareholders had been told that Chinese investors were waiting for the ticker change before coming on board. At the meeting Aquagold admitted that there are no Chinese investors waiting and there never were. Loss of credibility.
The third problem was the change in CEO. I brought this up to Mr. Sauve before the meeting began and he said it would be discussed, but it was not cleared up during the Aquagold presentation. Getting rid of a CEO with no official farewell sent a subtle message that they were cleaning house of some sort of incompetence, or perhaps even corruption.
The fourth item had to do with financing. As of the time of the meeting, there was no concrete plan to finance future expansion except to look for investors and possibly debt financing through commercial banks. Hopefully, the Company has good credit or enough cash on hand to pay for the new molds, their installation at Iroquois bottling, and to fill and ship the first containers of Aquagold pure spring water to China for commercial sale.
Of course, there were many positives, too. For example, the slide show demonstrated how well received Marco was by the business community, and all of the auspicious ceremonies and government awards which, in China, are a 50% guarantee of success of a new enterprise.
The fact that Aquagold is not to be sold on consignment, like Evian and other imported bottled waters, is a huge plus, thanks to Mr. Tang and our support from the BOC.
There are many, many other positive signs which you have already written about here, but I would add that what impressed me at the meeting was the passion and conviction of the three execs -- Daniel, Marco and Paul -- and their dedication to making their business a great success.
The four Gold circles in the logo represent the four elements -- earth, water, fire and wind -- or so I've been told.
My last post for a while:
Just wanted to let the five guys I promised sample bottles of Aquagold pure spring water to, that they were sent out today and should be delivered to your doorstep in four to seven business days.
Have a nice weekend everybody!
You did the right thing by selling today, Rich, because you don't have faith in the Company. Judging by what has been posted these past few days, those of us who attended the meeting in NYC now feel otherwise, although many of us approached the meeting with initial skepticism.
There are problems to iron out for sure, as with all young companies, but we see that even in the past few days progress has been made to resolve some of these issues, so I believe it is just a matter of time before we begin to enjoy the fruits of our investment.
I consider myself a pretty good judge of character, and having met Daniel, Marco and Paul face-to-face, I think I can assure you that they are on the level, and are honest, hard working businessmen.
In my mind, there are primarily two unanswered questions: first, how quickly will the advertising campaign attract retail customers to purchase the product (turnover rate), and secondly, can AQUI get the financing it will need to increase production to keep up with an increasing demand
for its product. (Undercapitalization can be a killer.)
I expect these questions to be answered over the next six months. For now, I am fully loaded and looking forward to enjoying the ride back up. If you see signs of a reversal,
you may want to jump back in at that point. GLTY
If one tenth of one percent of the Chinese population spent $10 a week on Aquagold spring water, annual retail sales would well exceed $500 million.
So if every person in China drank three bottles of Aquagold
spring water daily.....
Expect pps volatility as long as this is on the pinksheets.
As far as I can see, the China side of the equation is set.
On this side, the molds of the new bottle, cap and label design should be ready in about one week. Purchase orders will come in with payment to Aquagold guaranteed through the Bank of China. Our bottles of premium spring water will be on store shelves in two months.
In the short term, I think we can expect regular PR's over the next eight weeks, and news of AQUI's factual progress in executing the business plan will support a share price higher than where we are now.
Sometimes, we have to change our plan of how to take advantage of a company we have invested in. What you once thought of here as a flip may have become a longer term investment because of changing circumstances, so you can either sell, hold or average down. The timeline may no longer be a week or two, but may now be six months to a year, if you want to see some amazing results.
This is totally correct, Doog. In fact, Paul told me what they are eventually aiming for is to become the number three seller of imported bottle water to China and at some point capture at least 20% of that total market which, in 2008, is a projected $6 billion. Again, this was off the record, best case scenario.
Marco said that 50% of the success of any enterprise in China, especially a foreign company, is in the way it starts out. Aquagold is beautifully situated through Mr. Tang and his business connections to move forward over the coming months to get this product onto the shelves of retail stores and, through a carefully planned and executed merchandising program, build brand recognition and customer demand.
What a story! It would be great for shareholders if AQUI were to include Marco's slide presentation on its newly designed website with his narration and pictures of the new bottle, family packaging, award ceremonies and so on.
Steve Weiss was present in the meeting room yesterday before any officers from the Company had arrived. He was cordial and spoke with us casually before and after the meeting. At one point, the execs called him to say they were held up in traffic.
During the entire presentation and Q&A period, Mr. Weiss sat towards the back of the room listening attentively.
IMO:
What I expect is that Aquagold will continue to work with him,
but on a shorter leash. I would expect that from this day forward there will be no overstated hype or fluff, only verifiable facts concerning Aquagold, presented in his newsletter. He probably apologized to Mr. Sauve for any exaggerations or misstatements and may even make an apology to his readers in his next newsletter.
I don't think Daniel Sauve and Co. have the time right now
to look around for a replacement IR firm, although that is likely to happen in the future, especially around the time of an uplisting to a higher exchange.
BTW, I also had the impression that Marco Hassoun was making his slide show presentation to us shareholders as a practice session and to preview the way he will introduce new investors to the Company to raise capital for future expansion. Again, this is just my own conclusion based on what I saw and heard.
Way too much hostility on this board today. I think I'll go out for some sun too. This slide will turn around in the coming days. Everyone should stay cool.
Absolutely correct. Looking at it through the eyes of company management, our retail purchase of AQUI shares has nothing to
do with the Company's inflow of cash. Paul was speaking about equity financing and debt financing of future operations. Our buying and selling of shares on the pinksheet exchange has no effect on Aquagold's balance sheet, so from the Treasurer's point of view, he said it is not an investment of cash in the Company.
Paul, in his own unique style, was saying that we may be buying and selling shares that were originally issued by the shell company's initial stock offering or a subsequent offering. The money raised from that IPO (after fees) went to the shell company, not to AQUI. Funds raised through a public offering are generally to be used as working capital, to purchase equipment, to pay off debt, and so on. Subsequent trading of those shares in the secondary market does not affect the cash flow of the issuer.
Thanks for pointing that out at the meeting yesterday, ranger.
Their guys strongly agreed with you on that.
A selloff today came as no surprise. Most pinksheet "investors" are way too impatient to wait for this story stock to unfold. I believe it will take several days for this to start building itself back up in terms of pps. As for myself, I'm loading up at this ridiculous level and will hold until we see where we are in six months.
My experience is as a bridge investor, so this is right up my alley. I can't make any future price predictions, but I have to say I liked what I saw and heard yesterday, and I'm going for the gold with this team.
This is why DaSilva is gone. Mr. Weiss may also be gone if he doesn't Weiss up.
The signed agreement is for $118M, but the Company is still projecting sales of $500M in its first year of operations if all goes as planned. The only guarantee right now, though, is the $118M Bank of China Letter of Credit.
Let's remember that unlike any other bottled water company,
Aquagold is not selling to China on consignment. Payment of all initial purchase orders is guaranteed by this LOC. This is a huge advantage for a new company entering the Chinese market.
Speaking of drinks, I have three or four more samples of Aquagold from the meeting, if anyone is interested. I told the execs I would send them to the first shareholders who respond. Send me a PM with your name and address, or email me at lfelda@aol.com. You have until midnight tonight.
Thanks for being there, jmarcg, and for letting the big three know what shareholders want to hear. I was really impressed to see how focused they were, as far as executing their business plan is concerned, and how respectful they were of the shareholders who attended the meeting.
Personally, I was very happy to be able to put a face to the names of I-Hub posters like yourself whom I have been following on this MB for months. The attendees were truly a great bunch of intelligent, experienced and worldly investors with lots of personality, and with faith and confidence in themselves.
That's right, Doog, and when I asked Paul about that after the meeting, he said not only would we be offered a chance to buy into a future share issuance or private placement, but that they would be counting on current shareholders to come forward to support future expansion.
Basically, I liked the company's executive team. They were honest and dedicated with a lot of heart and a down-to-earth business plan. They said the molds for the new bottles would be ready as soon as a week from today and that the product would be on store shelves in two months. These are things to write home about. The Letter of Credit from the Bank of China is firm,
and payment on projected sales up to $118M is guaranteed. The distribution channels are open and the next big hurdle is the marketing campaign for brand recognition.
BTW, they are going to print 100,000 beautiful posters with their gorgeous new logo. It should be posted soon on their website for all to see.
This is a start-up enterprise, but a real company with a very real product, nonetheless. The execs have great hope in their future success and they have great chemistry, too. I think they will have to straighten out Mr. Weiss, though, so serious investors will not be scared away at this point by unwanted hype and price volatility. IMO
Anvil -- Marco did say he was representing the China Group, particularly Mr. Tang, but what he meant was that he was there to speak "on behalf of" Mr. Tang. It was a slight mis-translation from French to English, in my opinion.
Paul, the dollars and cents guy, told me he is French, but he speaks very good English. You'll hear him toward the end of the recording.
English is Daniel Sauve's second language after French. Marco grew up speaking English and French so he has little if any discernable accent.
If you are listening to the audio, Marco is Mark Olivier Hassoun.
Because DaSilva was out of order to make such a call. But I spoke to Paul after the meeting. He is the "dollars and cents guy", and I asked him about uplisting to the AMEX. I will tell you the most uplifting comment I heard today. In answer to my question, he said that, considering the demand for water in China, and based on the feasibility study they had done (It was in Chinese), sales could be so great that they might actually jump directly to the NYSE. I asked if that would happen in a few years, and he said it could happen sooner. Please remember, though, that this was in our private conversation and completely off the record. It was a statement of the best case scenario.
We were given samples of the bottle pictured in the I-box. These bottles are what remains of the free samples that had been shipped earlier to China (two containers).
That's right, anvil. It sounded to me like DaSilva was shown the door. When I brought up DaSilva's projected pps of $1.00 in the near term, I was told "That's why he is no longer here."
Anybody want a sample bottle of Aquagold?
I see this more as a group effort with everyone pitching in to help in any way possible. I know I speak for DOS too when I say "Thank you" to everyone who is encouraging us to make this trip.
Now we are just waiting to see if Mr. Dovgan and the BOD
agree to receive us. If they do, it will be a great step forward for the Company in terms of investor relations and in establishing transparency and credibility in the public eye, all of which will be reflected in a rising pps.
I also received a reply from Slava this morning. He said he has sent our request to meet and visit the sites to Mr. Dovgan and the BOD.
I am definitely going to attend the meeting on Wednesday, and I will ask a couple of questions if you tell me what questions you most want answered.
Thanks so much, panning4gold, for reposting this PR. If and when we meet, as a shareholder in AURC for two and a half years, I will try to impress upon the Directors and Officers of Aurus their duty to follow through on all of the programs mentioned in this PR. Rereading it, I became somewhat convinced that they know more or less what has to be done to make AURC a viable producer of iron and precious metals and a credible investment for the Company's shareholders. The problem is that they have not kept us up-to-date on any progress made since issuing this PR.
I think DOS and I will go over all of the points mentioned in their press releases over the past six months and put questions to Mr. Dovgan, or whoever handles our visit, to express our concerns. For example, is their any news from the Canadian mining companies mentioned in the PR?
We would certainly like to see production numbers for 2007 and find out where the metals processed are being stored. Hopefully we will see shipping records and notices of receipt or proof of sale. We would like to see recent financial statements and find out what steps have been taken to uplist to a higher exchange, including the name of the accounting firm that will audit their financials. We especially want to impress upon them the absolute urgency of keeping the assets of AURC separate from all other entities that have Directors in common with Aurus Corp.
Thank you for your patience.
wjw -- can you pull up and post again the PR that included the invitation to shareholders extended by Aurus to visit their mining facilities? TIA
cfpjbs -- I have sent my expiring passport to the Dept. of State for renewal by expedited service and should have it back in 2-3 weeks. If Aurus approves our visit, and I do expect them to, I will be prepared to apply for a Russian visa and, if there are no unforeseen complications, I will be ready to leave any time after mid-May.
About a year ago, Malyshev proclaimed that the buyout value of NWOL was $100 million. He also projected a pre-split pps of .30 by Sept., 2007. Today, that would translate into a pps of $30.00, post-R/S. When Maly made his prediction, I thought I was being conservative when I projected a year end pps of .30, based on the much anticipated purchase/merger with SNGF and the expected news of a 20% increase in production over the previous year (2006). At the time, I had no idea an R/S was in the works.
None of the above happened (except the R/S), and we are now sitting at around $.13 instead of at $30.00, an unbelievably disastrous turn of events.
My sincere apologies to anyone who felt they were misled by
my overly optimistic projections.
See you there.
Thanks for the great advice, 2C. We wouldn't want to have the same disappointments you had to endure when you visited the Aurus head honchos a year or so ago.
I definitely want to communicate with the Company's Russian directors so we can plan together the details of our agenda before we get on the plane. We want to know they are as committed to raising the Company's market cap as we are.
Maybe we could pay a visit to Maly. If we do, you could try counting to twenty.
You've got less than two hours to get them in the mail and postmarked if you want to beat the deadline. I had to put about thirty individuals on extension.
I'll pack a straight jacket in case you have to be restrained.
Or, you can try counting to ten.