Sign Up NowThis Month's Tiny Gems - November 2012

Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. (IFMI)
Labor SMART, Inc. (LTNC)
Reed’s, Inc. (REED)

 

 

 

Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. (IFMI)

 

Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. (IFMI) is a leading investment firm specializing in credit related fixed income products and investments. Founded in 1999 as an investment firm focused on small-cap banking institutions, the company has grown into a diversified fixed income specialist. Institutional Financial Markets is now organized into two divisions: Asset Management and Capital Markets.

 

Through its Asset Management Division, Institutional Financial Markets is a leading credit fixed income investment manager with nearly $8 billion in assets under management. Its portfolio management teams specialize in a variety of innovative investment vehicles organized along asset classes. This division encompasses managing investment products, including collateralized debt obligations, permanent capital vehicles, and managed accounts.

 

The company’s Capital Markets Division provides clients with specific functional expertise while leveraging extensive financing capabilities and experience, unparalleled industry relationships, and state-of-the-art technology and analytics. This divisions consists of credit related fixed income sales and trading as well as new issue placements in corporate debt and securitized products.

 

Last week, Institutional Financial Markets reported strong Q3 2012 financial results. Revenue for the three-month period totaled $28.1 million, a substantial increase from the $20.9 million reported for the same quarter a year earlier. Net income attributable to IFMI was $2.0 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, versus net loss of $4.0 million, or $0.38 per diluted share. Daniel G. Cohen, Chairman and CEO, emphasized in a quote that the company’s focus is on increasing value for its shareholders.

 

 

 

Labor SMART, Inc. (LTNC)

 

Labor SMART, Inc. (LTNC) provides on-demand temporary labor to a variety of industries, including construction, manufacturing, hospitality, events, restoration, warehousing, retail, disaster relief, and more. With the overwhelming and consistent demand for temporary labor serving as a tailwind, the company reported Year to Date revenues of more than $5 million as of September 28, 2012. Notably, the $2 million dollar milestone in quarterly revenue was surpassed.

 

The temporary labor market has contributed more than half of gains in employment and has recovered more than 98% of the jobs lost during the most recent downturn. Large companies continue to avoid new hires in response to the weak economic outlook, turning to temporary labor for flexible staffing solutions. The high unemployment rate mixed with a weak economic outlook has helped fuel Labor SMART’s rapid revenue growth in their first full year of operations for 2012.

 

“Labor SMART has generated in excess of $2.1 million in revenue for the 3rd quarter, a new milestone for us, which puts year-to-date revenues above $5 million in 2012,” Ryan Schadel, Labor SMART’s CEO, stated in a recent press release. “Additionally, we saw consecutive weeks of new sales records in September with our highest weekly sales-to-date exceeding $230,000. At this current pace, we believe we have the potential to reach and possibly exceed our goal of $7 million in revenues for our first full year of operations in 2012.”

 

Mr. Schadel added, “We are now working feverishly in order to prepare for phase 2 of our growth model, which includes expansion plans from 6 locations in 4 states to 18 locations in 7 states. Labor SMART is currently bringing on additional staff throughout the 4th quarter in preparation of our objectives in 2013.”

 

 

 

Reed’s, Inc. (REED)

 

Reed’s, Inc. (REED) is an all-natural artisan beverage and confection company leveraging the freshest ingredients, natural sweeteners, and a penchant for ginger root to bring the world a wide variety of delicious, healthy products. From the kind of home-brewed ginger beverages made for ages in the Caribbean represented by their award-winning non-alcoholic Ginger Brews, to exceptional quality candies and ice creams, as well as an array of specialty drinks, Reed’s is serving up some of the best there is to offer.

 

The company has put together an impressive lineup of specialty beverages. Newer offerings like the champagne-quality Sonoma Line of 100% pure, sparkling juices made in a traditional fashion and the “Flying Cauldron” Butterscotch Beer, a wizard-themed brew, show that the company even has a product development mindset that can be likened to Ben & Jerry’s. The company has shown its willingness to pioneer new areas that fall within their purview, look profitable, and offer an opportunity to really engage the choice customers.

 

Emerging health risks associated with high fructose corn syrup and synthetic sweeteners like aspartame (Monsanto), neotame (NutraSweet), and sucralose (Tate & Lyle), which have even recently garnered nationwide attention as actually having the potential to cause weight gain and disrupt the body’s natural metabolic cycle, spell huge future dynamics for REED. CEO Chris Reed is a visionary in many respects and has called the push to healthier beverages well ahead of the actual move, capturing tremendous market space, brand recognition, and investor upside.

 

Most recently, the company was able to secure another key distribution deal in Chicago. The distribution agreement with Central Beverage, a fully integrated DSD, which has traction with some 3,500 customers in the eight-county Chicago Metro area, gives the popular Reed’s and Virgil’s offerings an inside track in one of the nation’s biggest markets. It is this steadfast commitment to landing target market-oriented venues, combined with the impressive flavor, quality, and health benefits of the product mix, that makes REED an exciting play.