Fine.com:A company SoftQuad [HoTMetaL] Inc. should be aligning with?
"...Fine.com is a Web-site developer, although Fine is quick to say his company is no mere Web-page designer because it builds e-commerce sites for major corporate customers...Tricia Reebs, portfolio manager for Seafirst Investment Counselors, isn't familiar with Fine.com but said investors haven't shown much interest in Web-site developers.
"What people are interested in is e-commerce and transactions taking
place over the Web," she said. "That's where the leverage is. Web-site
development is an awfully crowded market, and there isn't much
leverage."
To change such attitudes, Fine this week scooped up his fourth
acquisition, one he said will double revenues for this year to at least $6 million.
He's also hit the road and is touting his company's story to many of
Wall Street's research houses in hopes of generating some coverage of
Fine.com. And he said more deals are in the wings.
In a stock deal worth $1.1 million, Fine.com this week purchased Meta4
Digital Design Inc. of Livingston, N.J., an interactive Web design and
marketing company. Meta4 had sales of $2.5 million last year and counts General Electric, Fuji Film and Japan Airlines US as its largest customers.
Meta4 employs 17 and will keep its offices in New Jersey. Its founder,
Albert Blanco, will run the wholly owned subsidiary.
"I've been through 50 companies, but I didn't feel good until I found
this one," Fine said. "They have the same vision and philosophy. What
we're going after is the global 1,000. Our mission is to build
international strategies, and that could be dealing with intranets,
extranets, exporting or importing."
"We're not just designing Web pages but helping companies get a return
on investment, (and helping them learn) how to make and save money," he said..."
source: amcity.com
...this simply appears to be a superior fit/growth strategy for [many] reasons... |
