AAST is a penny stock mining company just like a thousand others , including countless exploratory oil companies, that started out ,and hundreds of biotechs,and pharma's. The list is endless .They don't all make to the big time , but they should not be faulted for trying , nor do they have to go public unless there is a need for capitalization.If thats the route that company management chose, then that's where they will start, and hopefully continued growth will follow.