From the President of Belmont Partners

2008’s Alternative Public Strategies Conference is May 8th and we look forward to seeing you there. Dr. Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, will deliver the keynote address. In this intimate venue, we offer attendees a rare opportunity to ask Dr. Greenspan their questions.

Belmont Partners continues to dedicate its resources in China. Checkout our China update for the latest news and to learn about the upcoming All Cap All China Conference, in New York City May 19th and 20th.

Attention all reverse merger professionals! The Reverse Merger Association of America (RMAA) will accept membership applications later this summer. We urge you to join. Membership is free and information will be available at the APS Conference.

This first quarter 2008 APS Update features guest articles by two experts in their fields. Dian Griesel, noted author, founder and CEO of The Investor Relations Group (IRG), contributed Steady Navigation In An “Age of Turbulence”—Investor and Public Relations Programs Provide A Fixed Compass During Rocky Waters. IRG is a sponsor of the APS conference and Dian will participate in its panel on investor relations. David Schaefer, a Principal of AH&T Insurance and a pioneer in Directors and Officers Insurance, contributed Securing D&O Liability Insurance—12 Key Coverage Considerations, which we believe will become the definitive piece on D&O. Thank you Dian and David.

Belmont Partners is an international financial consulting firm and a leading provider of shell public vehicles for reverse merger transactions. We look forward to serving you.

Please direct newsletter inquiries or suggestions to Belmont Partners at; (540) 675-3149 or info@belmontpartners.net.

For more information on Belmont Partners, please visit the corporate website at belmontpartners.net or
alternativepublicstrategies.com

Kind regards,

Joseph Meuse
Director

Steady Navigation In An “Age of Turbulence” —
Investor and Public Relations Programs Provide A Fixed Compass During Rocky Waters

By Dian Griesel
The Investor Relations Group

When markets get rough, management tends to rein in. Investor and public relations budgets are often the first line items to get slashed. However, especially during down turned markets it becomes more essential than ever to provide investors, the media, and the public at large, with the information they need in order to find your organization and learn more about your products and services.

Management teams of smaller public companies often express frustration due to the lack of dollar trading volume of their stock. Consistent daily liquidity is essential for attracting the attention of serious, long-term shareholders who provide a foundation for growth. Increased liquidity and, ultimately, share price, allow a company to use its shares as a financial tool for acquisitions, employee retention, partnerships, incentives, and leverage. It is reaching this equation of “volume = stability + growth” that allows share price to ultimately rise to the level that truly reflects the inherent value of a publicly traded company. Underscoring that equation is the clarity and consistency of a company’s corporate messaging.

Every business is ultimately in the communications business. Above and beyond SOX and FINRA reporting requirements, a vigorous IR and PR campaign ensures that each piece of corporate communications— every single message issued by a publicly traded company—is crafted with the achievement of one or more of the following goals in mind:

News cycles never cease, in good markets or bad. And, by definition, public companies are in the public eye. In a relentless, 24/7 media culture, good business governance dictates the importance of being news leaders, not followers. Silence sends a ruinous message: lack of news can create an inaccurate impression that a company is stagnant or that it has little to contribute to the industry dialogue. Especially during conservative market cycles, no news is bad news. Proactive IR and PR strategies will root out inventive ways to get your company in the news and keep you there.

A consistent stream of high-quality, fact-driven news releases and public relations media pitches can help accomplish these goals by branding your company a vital market player, presenting executive leadership as industry experts, and reinforcing the image of the company as a trusted information resource. Moreover, carefully constructed press releases with embedded hotlinks and key words can help raise a company’s rank on all-important Internet search engines, attracting new potential consumers and investors to your website and, in general, expanding a company’s footprint in cyberspace.

If it can be said that one of the primary tasks of modern presidential administrations is to create a five-minute news segment each and every day, a similar statement can be made concerning public companies. Rather than merely reporting news and filing statements in a timely manner, it is imperative for publicly traded companies to think of themselves as thought leaders and news generators.