Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : MRV Communications (MRVC) opinions? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam who wrote (6375)	12/13/1997 12:29:00 AM
From: Sam	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42804

Just to put a conclusion on the annual meeting. ............ I would like to thank the management and staff at MRVC. Especially Noam, Daniel, Kristi, Jeff, and the person that showed us through the MRVC building (sorry never caught the name). Their end was very professional and courteous. I just wish our end would have been that way. More on that later. There were several things I noticed on the tour and these are mainly my opinions only. First, there was nothing wasted. All the space at the facility was being used, and the additional space they should see upcoming will be well needed. This is a no-frills company folks. There isnt a plush executive room for mangers or anything extravagant throughout. I dont think I could find a wasted penny in the entire facility if I tried. They work on an equal footing with one another and the product and sale comes first and foremost. I was inspired by all the management. Their dedication was obvious. Looking forward, again in my opinion...... The one thing I would like to stress is my belief in the need for a continuing addition to R&D and sales and marketing. Its evident that MRVC has their act together. One limitation in my opinion would be the need to expand sales. They have addressed that area with the secondary and expanding the size of their sales force. With the purchase of the 33.000 sq foot building accross the street, they should be able to increase production and sales significantly in the future. I can now see how the Fibonics acquistion came into play for MRVC and appreciate more than ever their acquistion last year. With their integration of Fiber and networking products we should see even more strength in the years ahead. As of now 5% of MRVC is used to make products for NBase. I would seriously expect taht number to grow in the near future. The next area is China, While the details are yet to unfold, there is definitely something up there. Expect some news out soon and expect to see new inroads in the future. I would really like to know more in this area, but we will all know soon enough. Now to another area. There was quite an array of people attending the annual meeting. There were suits and ties to blue jeans and sneakers. I have always felt that as an investor it is my responsibility to gather whatever information I feel possible to make a sound solid decision. Attending this meeting was an extension of this responsibility, or so I thought. I appreciated several of the questions brought forward by many people that attended, however there were questions brought up mainly by one individual that were not only ridiculous stammerings but highly inappropriate. A question at this particular meeting should have been a one question with clarification if necessary and perhaps even a follow up. Unfortunately this wasnt to be by two people there, one prefacing his speech with "you may know me from the silicon investors board." Folks I hate to tell all of us this, but we have no power by posting to a board. This board is shared information. We are not analysts. Only a few are qualified as professionals or technical folks. The majority of us are novice investors and as such should know our limitations. I truly hope the professionals that attended this meeting can look back and laugh later as they laughed at the meeting, over some of the statements made before the question was asked. I mean no disrespect for the person making these statements and asking these questions even though it may sound that way in this post. He really did have a couple questions that I felt were relevant, yet he could have limited his couple of questions to prepared oneliners and left it at that. Beyond that the appropriate time would have been with a one on one basis between Noam and him or Daniel and him. In essence what I am trying to say is even if we are not professionals, we can at least act that way. Sam

To: Sam who wrote (6375)	12/13/1997 3:44:00 AM
From: signist	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42804

Sam: I attended and tape recorded today's shareholder's meeting. I appreciated your report of today's meeting on this thread; however I found your personal comments unnecessary and rude. You are entitled to express your opinion but is it necessary for you to criticize what is or isn't a bonified question or how it was stated? These investors, whom you felt like making fun of, just happen to be "Enthusiastic Individual Investors" in this company and have put their money where their/our mouths are. How many questions did you ask and did you do anything to clarify an issue? A shareholder stated that "he could have arranged to gather together 1,000 shareholders (people in his investor's group) to introduce them to MRVC but was unable to get MRVC to respond. You found this to be funny or inappropriate to bring up at today's meeting? I was the first questioner at the meeting and my statement that "some may recognize me from my posts on SI" may have sounded self-serving but I was interested in finding out how many people that post here were in attendance. Two people did come up to me and introduced themselves as SI posters. My display of Nbase's December ad in Networking magazine was to emphasize MRVC's continued lack of promoting THE COMPANY'S NAME...MRV COMMUNICATIONS, IF YOU HAPPENED TO HAVE FORGOTTEN. I have had up to $150,000 invested in this company! I think I am entitled to a few minutes at the MRVC SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING (not a meeting for Brokers or Professional traders to laugh at individual investors). The question that was asked by me..."Is Lucent a customer of MRVC" and was answered, "NO! THEY ARE A COMPETITOR" Please see below. LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES is on this list of customers in MRVC's 10-k/a. Find anything to laugh about here? sec.gov MRV COMMUNICATIONS INC 10-K/A (08/25/1997) The Company has sold its products worldwide to over 500 diverse customers a wide range of industries, primarily; data communications, telecommunications and cable TV. The Company anticipates that these customers will continue to purchase its products in the foreseeable future. No customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company's revenues in 1994, 1995 or 1996. Current customers include: 16 <PAGE> 17 NETWORK SWITCHING ----------------- COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ------------------------- ------------------- - AMP Incorporated - Ealing (Borough of London) - Data General Corporation - Federal Bureau of Investigation - Fujitsu Ltd. (Japan) - MITI (Japan) - International Business - National Security Administration Machines Corporation - Police Department of - Intel Corporation Berlin/Potsdam - Matsushita (Germany) - Social Security Administration - U B Networks - US Coast Guard BANKING, FINANCE AND INSURANCE DIVERSIFIED AND OTHER ------------------------------ --------------------- - Bankhaus Rinderknecht (Zurich) - Bayer AG - GE Capital - The Walt Disney Co. - NationsBank - Eastman Kodak - Trans America Corporation - Tele-Communications, Inc. FIBER OPTIC COMPONENTS ---------------------- DATA COMMUNICATIONS TELECOMMUNICATIONS -------------------- ------------------ - Bay Networks, Inc. - Asea Brown Boveri - Canoga Perkins - Broadband Network Inc. - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Crosscom - Connectware - Lucent Technologies Inc. - Network Systems Corporation - Photon Technology (China) - Nortel - Reltec - Optical Data Systems - Transcom VIDEO AND VOICE COMMUNICATIONS INSTRUMENTATION ------------------------------ --------------- - Augat Communication Products Inc. - EXFO - C-Cor - GN Nettest - General Instrument - Kingfisher International - Optelecom, Inc. - Noyes Fiber Systems - Tektronix - 3M If, indeed, BEST had "one of their dogs" (your quote not mine) at the meeting, I wish he or she would have come forward and corrected any misconceptions I may have had re: BEST not supporting the company. There was no mention of inside brokerage releases "being unfair" so when you have the audacity to ridicule A SHAREHOLDER's question... YOU SHOULD GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT. I found your reporting of the meeting accurate in the pertinent details. I will reserve my own comments on today's meeting for anyone that may value an individual investor's opinion. John LoBianco