Good work, Craig. A couple of cautions:
1) Do NOT distract mgmt while they're in NY. As much as all of us want Cymer to shoot through the sky, we're not the ones who are going to convince institutions and brokers to turn this puppy around single handedly. On the other hand, a few positive analyst recommendations can -- especially if today's action was the beginning of a reversal. If CYMI mgmt is there to meet with analysts to do what we all want them to do, then let them focus on that.
2) We have to be VERY careful how we present this meeting with CYMI mgmt to the rest of the world. As a practicing PR guy, I agree 100 percent with former PR guy Chaz. Any adversarial stance at this point would play right into the shorts' rumor machine. Picture this nightmare -- "Cymer shareholders threaten company unless..." Talk about a road to hell being paved with good intentions! Remember, media feeds on conflict -- good guys vs. bad guys. And they love an underdog. Cymer is our underdog, standing with dignity against a crew of unscrupulous shorters/pseudo-investors.
I suggest that instead of going there for a Q&A session with mgmt (which sounds like we don't really trust them), we appoach this as a reassuring visit from a group of supportive shareholders -- who, by the way, gathered through this nifty IR chat site (which is the news angle). Maybe we can even take them a cheer-me-up gift. Imagine what that'll do to employee morale -- knowing that a lot of investors are in their court cheering them on. We can't afford to have anyone at Cymer lose faith, much as some of us have been tempted to in the last few weeks.
What we're doing here is revolutionary. It's strong "column one" material. But we have to keep our emotions in check and think strategically and for the long term. We want institutions, analysts and the media to think of Cymer as a company with a rock solid shareholder base, not a bunch of winers who go into knee-jerk hysterics whenever somebody pokes them in the eye (or wallet). It's in all of our long-term interest.
You've got my vote and my very long 4,500 shares backing you on this project. You've done a great job organizing something that would not have been possible a few years ago. Now let's make sure that we don't put out our eye just to swat a fly off our cheek. |
