Energy Edge Technologies Corp. (fka EEDG)

[Sunnybank]

Indeed! PIZZA is a common denominator with this dude.

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Frank-Benedetto/294682333

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/print-edition/2012/03/16/pizza-fusions-would-be-buyer.html?page=all

Pizza Fusion’s would-be buyer encounters turbulent stock price
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Mar 16, 2012, 6:00am EDT
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Pizza Fusion is 45 percent owned by BFC Financial, which helped it raise $4 million.
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Pizza Fusion is 45 percent owned by BFC Financial, which helped it raise $4 million.

Kevin Gale
Editor in Chief- South Florida Business Journal
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+

Shares of Unique Pizza & Subs were hotter than a fresh, out-of-the-oven pie after it announced a deal to buy Boca Raton-based Pizza Fusion. But it might be time to get out the microwave.

Shares of Pennsylvania-based Unique Pizza (Pink Sheets: UPZS) were trading at 10 cents on March 1, but peaked at 21 cents on March 5, the first trading day after the March 2 deal was announced. Trading volume hit 13.2 million shares – a substantial amount for a company with 66.16 million shares outstanding.

Boca Raton-based StockPublisher.com was enthusiastic about the potential acquisition, sending out an email March 4 that said a couple days earlier, it had promised an announcement that might provide readers with some “SUBSTANTIAL GAINS!”

The email unveiled Unique Pizza, which on March 2 had “experienced sudden and significant volume out of nowhere and closed the day in the green.”

Indeed, the Pizza Fusion announcement was issued via PR Newswire at 5 p.m., after the stock market closed.

BigCharts.com indicates 686,200 shares of Unique Pizza traded on March 2, up from 88,600 the previous day. The spike in volume stands out because no volume had been evident since Jan. 9. Unique Pizza had soared to 34 cents after it announced Jan. 3 that it was working on a deal in China.

A March 5 email from StockPublisher said: “At today’s high UPZS was trading over 150%! UPZS was still up an impressive 100% at the market close.”

By March 12, Unique Pizza shares were back to 10 cents, but it hit 14 cents March 14.

Wesley De Souza, the registered administrative contact for StockPublisher.com, said the company, a subsidiary of ODD Marketing, was paid on behalf of Unique Pizza. However, Unique Pizza President and CEO James C. Vowler said in a phone conversation that he does not know De Souza or StockPublisher.com. He said he checked with two company consultants, and they did not pay StockPublisher.com, either.

A disclaimer at the bottom of StockPublisher’s emails says it is in the business of marketing and advertising companies for monetary compensation, and should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell.

In the world of penny stocks, promoters are sometimes paid in shares, which could incentivize them to promote shares. The phrase “pump and dump” refers to what happens when stocks are talked up and then sold by those in the know.

However, De Souza said he was paid in cash and did not have any shares of Unique Pizza.

“I have no control over the stock price, and never take any stock at all,” he said.

Frank Benedetto of Mirador Consulting in Boca Raton, which lists Unique Pizza and Pizza Fusion as clients, said he has 1.5 million shares of Unique Pizza, but is prohibited them from selling them for the six months that started in December.

Vowler said Mirador has not actually been issued the stock certificates, but he does not know why the stock traded the way it did, either.

Unique Pizza listed nine locations on its website, but phone numbers for three locations had been disconnected when the Business Journal called to check. Vowler said the website was outdated and a new one would be coming in a week to 10 days.

Pizza Fusion lists 11 locations on its website and has been written about previously by the Business Journal for its emphasis on fresh organic ingredients and environmental sustainability.

Pizza Fusion is currently 45 percent owned by Fort Lauderdale-based BFC Financial Corp. (Pink Sheets: BFCF), which helped it raise $4 million. BFC, which has a controlling interest in BankAtlantic Bancorp (NYSE: BBX), said in a December SEC filing that Pizza Fusion needed further financial support to meet its business plan, but it had no plans to make further investments.

Benedetto and Vowler were both optimistic about the combined companies, noting they have different niches. Benedetto said calls Unique Pizza “NASCAR pizza” for its bountiful portions and ingredients.

He said the combined companies could use a $5 million to $10 million investment, with a goal of eventually hitting 50 locations – a critical number to get attention in the franchising world.

http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/company?companyId=74321039&targetid=profile


Mirador Consulting , Inc. Defunct company
5499 N. Federal Hwy Suite D
Boca Raton, Florida 33487
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Company Background & Description
Revenue: $1 mil. - $5 mil.
Employees: 5 - 10
Industry: Advertising & Marketing , Business Services
SIC Codes: 2844, 8748
Company Description: Mirador strives to cultivate quality relationships that will produce long lasting benefits for our clients. Once the original plan is implemented the most important service we provide is follow up. Our knowledgeable team of professionals can provide you with a complete range of professional, financial consulting services.