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AlphaSense Corporate Office

AlphaSense

AlphaSense was founded in San Francisco in 2008 by current CEO Jack Kokko, former senior analyst with Morgan Stanley. The company makes software for international financial firms that assists analysts and fund managers analyze and keep abreast of the daily influx of of public trading information more efficiently. Software from AlphaSense acts like a financial search engine to uncover critical data points that might otherwise go unnoticed.

AlphaSense is listed as #104 on the Inc. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Companies in America. The company had a 3 year growth rate of 3,256% and annual revenue in 2014 of $3.6 million. AlphaSense has 46 employees, with 35 of these jobs being added in the past 3 years.

The company is also listed as #12 on the Inc. List of Top Software Companies and AlphaSense takes the #12 spot on the Inc. List of Top San Francisco Companies.

History

Dish Hit With Losses After Subscribers Opt Out

A spokeperson for Dish states that their net income fell 21% from 2014 to $747.1 million, which averages to about $1.61 per share. An FCC auction of wireless airwaves cost Dish $516 million in added expense, along with an asset impairment charge of $123 million also impacted their final earnings statement.

The pay-television industry has been hit hard as many younger subscribers cut the cord, or ditch the dish, and go with internet options such as Netflix and Hulu. At the end of 2015, Dish had 13.9 million subscribers to their cheaper Sling-TV, which costs a mere $20, but even this is a decline of about 81,000 subscribers from 2014.

History

As Dish subscribers opt out in droves, you have to wonder exactly what CEO Charlie Ergen is going to do with all the wireless airwaves that the company has spent billions of dollars on, stockpiling them through the years.

Dish filed an application with the FCC to see if they could possibly participate in the government’s upcoming airwave auction that is scheduled for March of 2016. While exec’s for Dish declined to discuss details of their strategy for this auction, Dish actually has spectrum that could potentially be worth $45 billion in pretax dollars or about $32 billion after tax adjustments, more or less.

For the full year, revenue grew a modest 3% to $15.07 billion, which is above what analysts expected but after deducting costs, net revenue was down $125.3 million. Dish Network is publicly traded on the NASDQ under the ticker symbol: DISH.O. Fourth quarter shares were down last quarter about 27 cents overall.

Perhaps it’s time that Dish consider selling some of their wireless airwaves and look towards the future by offering up some cheaper internet based programs that will appeal to the younger, Netflix crazed crowd.

Source: Reuters

Dish Network reported lower earnings in 2015 after a large drop in the number of paid subscribers and wireless airwaves auction expenses. This caused the #2 satellite television providers stock to drop a full 4% on Thursday. A spokeperson for Dish … [Continue reading] about Dish Hit With Losses After Subscribers Opt Out

Planet Fitness Corporate Office

Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness was founded by Michael Grondahl in 1992 when he purchased a struggling gym and dramatically lowered prices in order to compete with bigger name fitness clubs.

Planet Fitness differs from other clubs as they focus on the needs of newcomers as well as those who might have a more difficult time exercising for various reasons and the member who only comes in occasionally. Each Planet Fitness offers “Bagel Morning”, “Pizza Night”, and Tootsie Rolls are always available.

History

Planet Fitness now has more than 1,859 locations in 48 states and in the early part of 2015, they opened their first international location in Toronto, Canada.

As of January 2020, the company opened their 2,000 franchised location in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The company is listed as #14 on the Entrepreneur List of Fastest Growing Franchises in America. The company has third-party relationships to help finance start-up costs and equipment. Planet Fitness is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PLNT. In 2019, the company stock surged 38.7%.

Due to the coronavirus crisis and subsequent quarantine, nearly all Planet Fitness locations were forced to close. The company is slowly reopening certain locations as restrictions are lifted during August and September 2020.

In November 2022, the company reported that it had reached a record 16.6 million clients.

As of 2019, the company states that only 80 Planet Fitness locations are corporate-owned, the remainder are franchises.

Planet Fitness was founded by Michael Grondahl in 1992 when he purchased a struggling gym and dramatically lowered prices in order to compete with bigger name fitness clubs. Planet Fitness differs from other clubs as they focus on the needs of … [Continue reading] about Planet Fitness Corporate Office

Apple Refuses FBI Request to Unlock San Bernardino Shooters Phone

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook refused a court order that would have allowed the FBI to “unlock” the iPhone belonging to the San Berdardino, California, shooter. This sets up an “Us vs Them” theme pitting law enforcement and the FBI against the sanctity of information belonging to the average Joe.

CEO Tim Cook stated on Apple’s website that the FBI was requesting a new version of Apple’s software with a “backdoor” that would allow law enforcement access to private data. Cook calls this a frightening attack on civil liberties and privacy that would allow the government to turn on microphones and listen to calls or nearby conversations, intercept messages, emails, track your location, and even turn on your camera without your knowledge.

Companies like Apple and Google have long resisted requests for access to private information, while law enforcement insists that they need access to help fight terrorists, such as the San Bernardino shooter who left 14 dead in a terror attack in California, and other criminals.

History

Apple’s refusal is already turning into fuel for the political fires. Presidential hopeful Donald Trump told Fox News that he agreed with the courts and that Apple had no right to refuse. “Who do they think they are? They have to open it up”, The Donald was quoted as saying.

The FBI has yet to be able to unlock the iPhone owned by Syed Farook. A U.S. Magistrate judge ordered Apple to offer “reasonable technical assistance” to help unlock the phone. The FBI says they are not asking for someone to hack the phone, merely that Apple allow the FBI “unlimited” attempts to try various passwords until they find the correct one. Currently, only 10 password tries are allowed before the phone deletes all data.

With Apple’s refusal, both parties could now appeal to a district court judge. The Justice Department has not stated just how far they are willing to push the issue and whether or not they are willing to file contempt of court orders.

Cook feels that changing their software to allow law enforcement to try multiple passwords would be the same as offering them a “master key”, which would allow them access to all iPhones, as well as allowing expert hackers gain access to encrypted information. Cook states that they have assisted the FBI by providing them with all the data they had in their possession as well as offering investigators tips and ideas for discovering the password.

Source: Bloomberg

Apple's CEO Tim Cook refused a court order that would have allowed the FBI to "unlock" the iPhone belonging to the San Berdardino, California, shooter. This sets up an "Us vs Them" theme pitting law enforcement and the FBI against the sanctity of … [Continue reading] about Apple Refuses FBI Request to Unlock San Bernardino Shooters Phone

Direct Results Marketing Corporate Office

Direct Marketing Results

Founded in 2010 by Robert “Bobby” Walenta, Direct Results Marketing is a full service marketing and advertising company that focuses primarily on the automotive industry. The company provides advertising through direct mail, traditional print advertising, online programs, public relations and special events.

Direct Results Marketing is listed as # 102 on the Inc. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Companies in America. The company has a 3 year growth rate of 3,283% and annual revenue in 2014 of $5.4 million. The company currently has 10 employees with 6 of these jobs being added in the past 3 years.

The company is also listed as #16 on the Inc. list of Top Advertising and Marketing Companies, #16 on their list of Top Houston Companies and Direct Results Marketing takes the #9 spot on the Inc. List of Top Texas Companies.

History

Founded in 2010 by Robert "Bobby" Walenta, Direct Results Marketing is a full service marketing and advertising company that focuses primarily on the automotive industry. The company provides advertising through direct mail, traditional print … [Continue reading] about Direct Results Marketing Corporate Office