Sign Up NowThis Month's Tiny Gems - March 2012

Heckmann Corp. (HEK)
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (PRXI)
rVue Holdings, Inc. (RVUE)
Spine Pain Management, Inc. (SPIN)

 

 

 

Heckmann Corp. (HEK)

 

Heckmann Corp. (HEK) was created to act as a holding company, providing a lightweight, yet powerful, framework for growing a network of services-based companies organized to provide total water solutions for oil and gas (especially shale) operators. HEK's wholly-owned Heckmann Water Resources Corp. (HWR) company handles all operations and provides a full-spectrum water services package, ranging from disposal and treatment to fluid handling, trucking, pipeline transport facilities, and turnkey water infrastructure.

 

Being able to offer operators a full service water program for their hydraulic fracturing needs has cemented the company's reputation within the industry and the Jan 30, 2010, completion of a 100k barrel/day, 50-mile water disposal pipeline in the Haynesville Shale really put HEK on the map. The subsequent joint venture (Feb 9, 2010) with Energy Transfer, owner/operator of a diverse portfolio of energy assets (from gas gathering/treatment/processing to marketing and transport) to handle water gathering and treatment infrastructure needs in support of complex Marcellus and Haynesville operations has placed Heckmann at the nexus of a key hydrocarbon artery.

 

The HWR Haynesville fresh water pipeline is ideally positioned for access to both the Red and Sabine Rivers, with multiple strategically located reservoirs along the line to meet high-volume demands during peak frac intervals. Multiple sources, combined with the pipeline, and supplemented by HWR's comprehensive ability to utilize transmission lines and trucks, constitutes a cost-effective yet robust solution. HWR customers in the Haynesville area benefit greatly from the enhanced total water solutions package the pipeline enables and 2012 is expected to see the reinforcing of Haynesville infrastructure.

 

Extension/expansion of the adjacent produced water pipeline in 2012 will extend the service envelope further to encompass full service options for fresh water, storage, temporary piping, and produced water transfer, through to disposal/recycle/treatment. Because HEK owns a fleet of several hundred semis and frack tanks, along with the temporary, portable piping required to handle rapid deployment in unconventional areas, the full service package the company offers is really attractive to operators.

 

 

 

Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (PRXI)

 

Touring exhibitions are becoming an important source of traffic for museums and exhibition centers, but putting together and deploying such traveling exhibitions, on a worldwide basis, is daunting. Premier Exhibitions (PRXI) is a Georgia based company that has become a recognized leader in developing and managing such exhibitions, involving authentic artifacts presented in stunning environments. The company serves museums, exhibition centers, and non-traditional venues. To date, Premier's exhibit titled Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, presented through the company's wholly owned subsidiary RMS Titanic, Inc., has been seen by more than 18 million visitors, and continues to break attendance records.

 

Premier Exhibitions is constantly building its exhibition portfolio, focusing on the most compelling properties in science, technology, social history, and the fine arts. But Premier's strength is that they do far more than simply show fascinating artifacts. They structure the exhibition to tell a story, as in the Titanic exhibition which takes the visitor all the way from the ships initial construction in Belfast to the gangway of the ship as it gets ready for its maiden voyage. Visitors are able to walk down the ship's first class hallway, visit a third-class cabin, and view the night sky as it appeared exactly when the ship sank in April of 1912. The upcoming 100th anniversary of that event is expected to draw record crowds.

 

In the case of the Titanic artifacts, Premier was granted rights to the wreck of the Titanic by a U.S. Federal District Court order, including the exclusive rights to recover artifacts from the wreck site. To date, more than 5,000 artifacts have been brought up and given new life, offering people all over the world an exciting and personal look at one of history's most unforgettable stories.

 

 

 

rVue Holdings, Inc. (RVUE)

 

As digital technology continues to develop a dominating role in modern society, its growing application to advertising and mass communication has been ongoing and inevitable. Perhaps the best example is the spread of digital out-of-home, which includes digital signage and other advanced electronic displays. Today, it's one of the fastest growing media, simply because it has so many advantages over traditional forms of display. It can better engage the viewer with changing and moving images. It's easy and quick to modify or switch out even a large number of displays. And, perhaps most important, it can be set up to target presentations to specific audiences, zeroing in on demographics or virtually any parameter for which there is meaningful data. Add in the possibility of viewer interactivity, and the quantum leap in communication becomes obvious.

 

The problem rests not in the lack of digital networks, or vendors anxious to use them, but rather in the overwhelming and largely disorganized volume of opportunities on both sides. Owners of individual networks of displays somehow have to identify and reach the local, regional, or national vendors that would be interested in getting their message out to those viewers. Individual vendors have to wade through the constantly growing and changing universe of networks to find the mix of displays that works best for them.

 

Enter rVue Holdings (RVUE), a Florida based company that has, in their own words, "developed the only gateway for buyers and sellers to transact in a digital marketplace." For advertisers, rVue offers the most comprehensive one-stop solution for the planning and buying of digital out-of-home media. Their Demand-Side Platform simplifies the planning, buying, and implementation of digital campaigns, offering up hundreds of millions of daily impressions, representing over 160 U.S. and Canadian networks, covering a range of demographic profiles. For network owners and operators, rVue is a no-subscription, no enrollment fee way to reach a world of interested vendors.

 

The bottom line is that rVue Holdings represents a unique service offering to a market that continues to experience double digit growth. Not a bad combination.

 

 

 

Spine Pain Management, Inc. (SPIN)

 

It's well known that one of the biggest headaches doctors and healthcare givers have is dealing with the variety of patient healthcare plans in order to maintain a timely and healthy cash flow. Cash flows for doctors have been significantly affected by government programs and insurance companies, forcing many providers into a cash flow crisis. It's a problem that has compromised not only the financial health of providers, but also the quality of medical care they provide. The result has been a clear and growing need for a system that removes much of the cash flow burden and risk from doctors, replacing it with predictable income for doctors and an efficient support program for patients that ensures the best results for everyone involved. It's a gap being filled successfully by Texas-based Spine Pain Management (SPIN).

 

From the medical provider's perspective, Spine Pain Management is a medical, management, billing, and collection service, that functions essentially as a medical receivables purchase company. Doctors in affiliated centers contract with SPIN to shift financial risk in the collection of accounts receivables. SPIN pays these providers a percentage of the gross billing up-front, upon completion of each covered medical procedure, giving them immediate and predictable cash flow. SPIN thus assumes the risk and time involved in final collection.

 

For patients involved in work related injuries or other accidents, SPIN represents a managed support and advocacy program to assist injured patients in receiving the appropriate treatment needed to maximize outcome. SPIN coordinates financial programs with the patient's doctor, facilitating the selection of optimum diagnostic and treatment procedures.

 

In the U.S. alone, spine treatment represents an expanding multi-billion dollar market, with rapid growth expected to continue for the foreseeable future. SPIN plans to continue rolling out its well-received business model across the U.S. into major metropolitan cities through affiliates comprised of established spine clinics.