A Dallas District Court judge today blocked Stream Energy from using proprietary technology and information to launch a new mobile phone service after social commerce leader Solavei sued Stream for stealing trade secrets gathered during extensive merger talks.
Seattle-based Solavei sought the injunction to halt Stream and its marketing arm, Ignite, from using trade secrets and other intellectual property in launching a mobile phone service sold through an online direct-marketing platform – exactly the type of social commerce business pioneered and continuously innovated upon by Solavei. Stream’s mobile business was set to launch on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, at an event in Las Vegas.
“Without benefit of Solavei’s confidential information and the guidance and explanation provided during due diligence, Defendants could not launch this new business – particularly not in a matter of months,” the lawsuit states.
Solavei provides high-quality, low-cost and contract-free mobile phone service in the United States. The company’s core business strategy combines social media, referral marketing and mobile service.
Stream is a Texas company involved in the direct marketing of retail electric service. Senior Stream executives named in the lawsuit are Chairman Rob Snyder, CEO Mark “Bouncer” Schiro and CFO Renee Hornbaker along with top Stream associates who were bound by specific confidentiality agreements.
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Industry Leaders Kevin Marino And Bob Doran Join Vemma
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
Global wellness company Vemma, announced industry leaders Kevin Marino and Bob Doran have joined their affiliate marketing base.
During their combined 25 years in the industry Kevin and Bob have enjoyed significant success and become highly regarded direct selling figures. With the philosophy of helping others through servant leadership Kevin and Bob have developed a strong customer and representative base by sharing their deep passion and astute knowledge for the industry as well as effective growth and leadership mentoring efforts.
Both have expressed their excitement in joining the Vemma team. Bob referred to this move as the next chapter in their career; while Kevin went on to explain that he feels Vemma has the right business model, products that really matter to people, an extraordinary management team, as well as a great compensation plan.
In addition to the product and business opportunity Vemma offers, Bob said Vemma Founder and CEO, BK Boreyko, was a deciding factor in his choosing to find a new home at Vemma. He stated, “BK is the most passionate and charismatic leader I have met. He has his finger on the pulse of this industry. More importantly, he truly cares about those in the field making it happen, because
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Medifast Named SmartCEO Future 50 Award Winner For 4th Consecutive Year
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
Medifast, Inc. (MED), a leading United States manufacturer and provider of clinically proven, weight-loss and healthy living products and programs is proud to be recognized by SmartCEO magazine as a 2015 Future 50 Blue Chip company for the fourth consecutive year
The prestigious annual Future 50 award honors a range of growing businesses in the Baltimore region including 50 fast-growth mid-sized companies, five small Emerging Growth companies and five large Blue Chip companies. As a Blue Chip winner, Medifast was identified as one of Baltimore’s leading businesses with strong foundational leadership and an innate drive for success.
“Medifast has continued to advance as a leader in the weight-loss industry and we are pleased to again be recognized by SmartCEO,” said Mike MacDonald, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Medifast. “This past year, we expanded into new markets and product categories to reach new customers. We partnered with Fitbit™, the market leader in the connected activity tracking space, and introduced an online tool for consumers to better track their progress. Our launch of new products and programs and entry into the connected health and wellness space supports our focus on enhancing the customer experience and helping to make a healthy lifestyle a reality for our customers.”
SmartCEO Future 50 award winners
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Avon In Possible Deal Talks For A Takeover; Reports Bloomberg
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
Bloomberg Reports : Avon Products Inc. (AVP), the world’s largest seller of door-to-door cosmetics, jumped the most in almost two years after Dealreporter said the company has held talks with private equity firm TPG Capital about a possible transaction.
The report sent the shares up 15 percent to $8.66 in New York, the biggest one-day increase since February 2013. The stock declined 45 percent last year.
Avon is seen as a candidate for a leveraged buyout because it has strong cash flow, Dealreporter said, even though sales have been slumping in recent years. The takeover speculation follows the end of a six-year U.S. investigation into whether Avon’s Chinese subsidiary bribed local officials. The company pleaded guilty last month and agreed to adopt internal controls and pay $135 million in fines.
It isn’t clear if the TPG talks have advanced or whether Avon has hired advisers to consider a deal, said Dealreporter, which cited three unidentified people within the industry.
Owen Blicksilver, a spokesman for TPG, declined to comment to Bloomberg News, as did Lindsay Fox, a spokeswoman for New York-based Avon.
Avon joins Elizabeth Arden Inc., another beauty company, in spurring takeover talk. Elizabeth Arden, maker of Elizabeth Taylor and Britney Spears brand perfumes, hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. last
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Mary Kay Celebrates Record Breaking Year And 50th Anniversary
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
In a town where records are made, Mary Kay is busy breaking them.
As the beauty company kicks off their annual U.S. Leadership Conference in Nashville this week, Mary Kay reports another year of double digit growth in global sales over a record-breaking year in 2013 when the company celebrated 50 years in business.
“After our biggest year in company history, Mary Kay markets around the world continue to set sales records,” said David Holl, President and Chief Executive Officer for Mary Kay Inc. “We’re celebrating the company’s success in Nashville this week and that for more than five decades now the Mary Kay opportunity has appealed to women of all backgrounds and ages who want to pursue short-or long-term financial goals.”
The city of Nashville will play host to more than 8,500 leading Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants during the conference held Jan. 18-24 at the Nashville Music City Center. Along with iconic Mary Kay pink Cadillacs, the weeklong conference brings Nashville nearly $3 million in direct visitor spending.
“From the live music scene to the shopping centers, restaurants and hotels, we’ve grown to love Nashville and are thrilled to be back for our annual Leadership Conference this year,” said Laura Beitler,
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Kannaway Acquired By Medical Marijuana
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC Pink:MJNA), a leading industrial hemp industry innovator, is proud to announce that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% membership interest of Kannaway, LLC. The amount of the sale is undisclosed.
The valuation of Kannaway is in the range of $119.6-242.7 million.
The agreement is expected to take at least 90 days to close and will effectively make the cannabis-based network marketing company a wholly owned subsidiary of the first-ever publicly traded cannabis company.
Kannaway’s valuation was performed by none other than esteemed financial advisory and investment banking firm, Houlihan Capital. The firm has performed valuations for similar category creators including: Urban Outfitters, Redbox, Micros Systems Inc., LeapFrog Enterprises, Tootsie Roll Enterprises, U.S. Airways Inc., and more. Houlihan Capital is a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and SIPC member, committed to the highest levels of professional ethics and standards.
“Quality, ethics and accountability are hallmark principles that are the foundation for each Medical Marijuana, Inc. company,” states Michelle Sides, Chief Operating Officer of Medical Marijuana, Inc. “We are thrilled at the addition of Kannaway to Medical Marijuana, Inc.’s investment portfolio as the Company’s leadership operates under the same beliefs.
Kannaway offers Medical Marijuana, Inc. shareholders a
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Jeunesse Celebrates Record Month In December With $61 Million In Sales
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
Finishes 2014 with over $400 Million in Sales Revenue
Jeunesse is celebrating its highest annual sales since the company’s inception, closing 2014 with record-breaking sales surpassing $400 million—a huge increase over its 2013 total of $256 million.
Continuing a streak of explosive growth in its fifth year since inception, Jeunesse achieved a record $61 million in sales in December, with 68,000 new distributors joining that month and over 6,500 on December 31st alone.
This new peak occurred only two months after its previous best month in October, when the company eclipsed $50 million in sales and welcomed more than 42,000 new distributors.
These record numbers cap a remarkable year of accomplishment for Jeunesse. A total of 367,000 distributors joined Jeunesse during the year, with 32 new Diamond Directors and 9 new Double Directors achieving the rank from 2014 alone. In April, Jeunesse won six American Business Awards, including Company of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Best Corporate Sales Video.
That same month, Jeunesse won twelve Telly Awards for their innovative, distributor-friendly marketing materials and ranked at #46 on Direct Selling News’ Global 100 List—a 32-spot rise from the previous year’s rankings. June 2014 heralded the company’s inclusion in
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Empower Network Releases New Blogging Platform
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
Blogging software and Web marketing company Empower Network launched Kalatu, its new blogging platform. Kalatu features custom plugins that enhance the overall experience for its more than 260,000 customers.
The new features are part of Empower Network’s overall efforts to create a better experience for its members. The company is converting its existing blogs and platform to Kalatu, a WordPress-based platform, and setting up its new members on Kalatu. With the custom plugins and widgets they’ve developed, Empower Network removed unnecessary extra steps for its members wherever possible to make blogging fast, easy and profitable.
The custom Empower Network plugins are available exclusively on the new platform. Some of the featured new plug-ins include:
The 21-Day Blogging Challenge: This plugin walks users through the process of creating a blog post step by step; users are asked a short series of questions that are designed to help create effective posts.
Opt-in Simple: Users are able to more easily acquire visitors’ contact information to grow their contact lists.
Linkify: A user can easily shorten links using his or her own domain name, which also tracks each hit on the URL and provides a full, detailed report of where every hit originated.
Social Pop: Visitors can share users’ content with ease
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USANA Has Joined Dr. Oz Show’s Trusted Partners and Sponsors
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
When it comes to supplements, there is a company America’s doctor trusts — USANA Health Sciences, Inc.
Announced today, the global nutrition company has joined the core of The Dr. Oz Show’s Trusted Partners and Sponsors.
“For the Dr. Oz Show to call any company a Trusted Partner and Sponsor, it must meet certain criteria. Chief among them is integrity. We’ve done our research and found USANA to be an outstanding company. One that offers cutting-edge products that we here at the show would feel comfortable recommending to our wonderful audience,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon and three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning Host of the three-time Emmy Daytime Award-winning The Dr. Oz Show.
USANA began its relationship with Dr. Oz’s charitable foundation, HealthCorps, nearly three years ago with a common mission to fight for the health of America’s teenagers, especially in regard to weight issues. It is that mutual dedication to health that led to this new trusted partnership between USANA and The Dr. Oz Show.
“My relationship with USANA has grown into one of deep admiration and mutual respect. It is clear that USANA and I share a common vision to make a positive impact on the health of others. It’s a
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MonaVie Leaders Head To Europe To Talk About mynt
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
Fresh from the official launch of mynt™ in North America, MonaVie Chief Marketing Officer Paul Muehlmann and two of the company’s top distributor leaders—Crowne Black Diamond Executive Steve Merritt from Florida and Presidential Black Diamond Executive Calvin Becerra from Corona, California—are traveling to Europe over the next two weeks to share exciting company updates and provide leadership training to help entrepreneurs successfully build a home-based business.
Muehlmann kicked off the meetings in Europe with an incredible meeting in London and then was joined by Merritt in Lisbon, Portugal. During the Lisbon meeting, Muehlmann and Merritt outlined the vision behind mynt and how this new business model is coming soon to Europe! After successfully launching mynt in Brazil and North America, MonaVie is planning on launching mynt in Europe during the summer of 2015.
The big crowds in London and Lisbon quickly caught on to how mynt is creating a shift in the industry by becoming a network marketing company that welcomes and caters to all. mynt is home to consumers, sharers, promoters that are looking to earn an extra US$500 to US$1,000 a month, and, of course, it provides a great opportunity for someone to build a successful business that lasts.
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