Hi Ratdogman,
I'm usually a lurker on SI, but it seems that we have a stake in a common company, XTRN. Like you, I have been somewhat frustrated by mgt's inability or unwillingness to promote the company. I'm sure you know that the IR contact is also the CEO - never a good sign. I shot off the following email to the CEO today. I'll let the board know when (or if) I get a response. BTW, I appreciate all the good ideas emanating from this thread and specifically from you:
"Dear Mr. Dahltrop,
As a shareholder with an admittedly small stake in Xtrana, I have a couple of concerns that I would appreciate if you addressed. First, Xtrana has a contract with the NIH and has some interesting science, yet there seems to be no outward indication that the management team is interested in promoting either the company or the stock.
Of further concern is Xtrana's current litigation with Trinity Biotech. I can appreciate the need to handle litigation gingerly, but as a shareholder, it would help to see some PR indicating, at the very least, what if any progress is being made as well as some possible time frame for resolution of this matter.
This may seem silly to you, but whenever I notice that the Investor Relations contact person is also the CEO of a public company, I get the impression that the company's ability or willingness to communicate with its common shareholders is, to some degree, compromised. Given the lack of PR emanating from your Investor Relations Department (namely you), this seems to be a legitimate concern in the case of Xtrana. Granted, after some due diligence, I took a flyer on a 13 cent bulletin board stock. Though I am not staking my financial future in Xtrana, that doesn't mean that management is exonerated from its responsibilities of open communication with its shareholders as well as promoting the company.
The stock only traded 5,000 shares today. How are you going to attract shareholders if you don't generate interest in the company? With the SARS epidemic making headlines daily, it would seem that some of Xtrana's testing products could apply, if only tangentially, to this story. Maybe not, but it isn't a crime to think out of the box.
I do have one piece of advice. Hire someone to handle Investor Relations. I look forward to your reply. Thanks in advance for your time.
Sincerely,
Frank Vitulli
(a concerned shareholder)" |
