John, thanks for pointing out Jim Courter's email address. This morning I sent him this email. I have blocked out the number of shares. The email was entitled "Suggestion from a xx,xxx share shareholder."
Jim,
I am a fairly recent shareholder who has a suggestion. Since the stock was 16, I have purchased xxxx shares of IDT and my father has purchased xxxx. I have read Howard's book and believe in IDT's "story."
I listened to yesterday's conference call (my first one). In hindsight, I wish I had taken the time to listen to the previous one before I so aggressively acquired such a large position in your Company. I only have one problem, and I say it with all due respect. Howard Jonas needs to listen to a replay of the conference call, so he will see how badly he needs to take a public speaking course or hire a coach. (It might be helpful to obtain a recording of someone else's conference call, such as MCI Worldcom's, as a comparison.)
I fear that Howard's poor presentation skills are harming IDT's valuation. It negatively affects a potential investor's perception of your Company, and certainly creates a credibility problem with The Street.
There are several excellent posts on the Silicon Investor threads It is worth reading the last 100 on IDTC to get a flavor of how what many people think about IDT. Listed below are two that address the public speaking concerns.
Message 9950927
Message 9950638
Here is one that shows how that shows how the perception of leadership is effected.
Message 9950607
While here is a post that shows how undervalued you are.
Message 9948514
Jim, I make my suggestion with all due respect. Since Howard owns 2/3 of the outstanding shares, I know IDT is run for the long-term benefit of the shareholders. But the Street obviously doesn't believe him. Regardless of how much the Company earns, it will never be accorded an MCI Worldcom type of valuation (or any of the valuations in the last SI post I listed) until Howard improves his public speaking skills.
Thanks for your consideration,
Jay Dreifus |
