SL Reports.net - (SLR) - An Introductory Message from Bo

Friday, April 03, 2009 - " ...and we're back." For those of us that rely on GMail it's a frequently encountered postscript to some operational or technical mishap within Googles infrastructure. While usually short-lived, such inconveniences typically occur at the most inopportune times, whether that's in the middle of a chat session with a client or freind, or mid-sentence in message composition. This week I've received several messages from SL freinds and associates questioning the rationale for the reorganization of SL Reports.net (SL CapEx: SLR) and my appointment as its Chairman and Chief Executive particularly given the significant conditions attached to such appointment. From afar it might appear that SLCapEx.com has just encountered a substantial mis-step of its own.

"Bo... hundreds of people rely on CapEx and this announcement could not have come at a more critical time... have you people lost your minds?" Actually dear friends, no - we believe honestly that this latest broad brushstroke is a timely and quite necessary event in our community's evolution. It's my hope that the context provided herein will put folks at ease and help readers here recognize the strategic importance of SL Reports.net to our community at large.

During my tenure as CEO of SL CapEx, (almost two years for those keeping score), most of us have relied on a handful of trusted sources for news and information regarding potential opportunities within the SL Finance Community. The majority of SL Investors have perhaps a precious few hours each week to explore and investigate the entrepreneurs and businesses that comprise our markets. Reliable and unbiased news reporting is a foundational cornerstone to any community, including SL. Over the last several months, as Scott, Chan, Cash and I talked about the challenges of CapEx, I found that a large percentage of our dialogue was centered around issues and observations that had less to do with CapEx itself than with the perception of our "industry" as a whole, its participants, our wild and wacky history and the whole host of characters that have been part of it.

Contrary to the belief of a few, operationally CapEx is in better shape now than it has ever been - its Balance Sheet is clean and debt free, its member companies and their executives are mostly stable and reliable, the codebase is secure and trustworthy and the leadership team clearly understands its role and responsibilities to both investors and the member companies it serves. Sure, CapEx could be more profitable (so could a lot of companies) and I take leave with a few loose ends still dangling - foremost the CapEx Policy re-write (which I've committed to helping finish as quickly as possible of my own accord).

In reality I'm not actually falling far from the tree - as a Board Member I will still make myself available to CapEx and its leadership for any strategic dialogue and technical things like merger backend processing, and, I will still participate in the IPO Application Review process as it has always been a BOD-level obligation. The biggest change from a CapEx standpoint is that my often outspoken opinions will not be the lightningrod focalpoint of CapEx's existance - that's probably a good thing in the long run.

For SL Reports.net, going forward my mission will be to return SLR to the respected prominence it once held within our community. Its objective shall be nothing less than to again be the single, authoritative source for news and views regarding all things SL Finance-related, and ONLY SL Finance-related.

A TALL ORDER INDEED - we'll not portend to be a social networking site, or a rag for fashionista's or some freindly coffee klatch human interest blog - there are plenty of others that do that quite well - it's just NOT OUR NICHE.

For SLR to re-earn the respect of its readers, the content must be compelling, focused and timely. Its NEWS must be diligent, investigative, objective and unbiased, and any Editorial or Opinion pieces must be presented in a balanced and professional manner. I make that commitment - not just to CapEx and its membership but to the entire Community including ACE, ISE, VSTEX and the SL private sector.

SL Business News - That's our job - plain and simple. News begets Readers. Readers begets Advertisers. Advertisers begets Revenue, Revenue begets Income. Income begets Profit. Profits begets Dividends - good ol' Capitalism at its finest.

Over the next few days I will put together a comprehensive Business Plan for SLR Shareholders including a revenue plan, a revised advertising rate sheet and a timeline for profitability. In the interim stay tuned HERE for NEWS and VIEWS. Send your tips and tidbits to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

...and we're back!

Bogart Beck
SLR Chief