The Leeds Group Launches RelyLocal in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, CA

"The Leeds Group announced today the acquisition of the RelyLocal territory rights for Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, California, bringing together local business leaders and local residents in a community campaign to support local business first."

NEWPORT BEACH, CA, July 27, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On July 26th, The Leeds Group announced it had acquired the territory rights to RelyLocal in the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa markets, making it the 101st region to join the rapidly expanding list of communities that are part of a nationwide effort to strengthen their local economies. RelyLocal - Newport-Mesa, as it is called, starts its soft launch today and already is seeing great response from local business leaders.

The Leeds Group's CEO, Trevor Leeds, remarks, "We are proud to be a part of this rapidly expanding company. RelyLocal offers us the precise platform and community movement we were looking for on a marketing and business development level." He adds, "Finding ways for us to apply our strategic marketing and business development resources at a local business level, while helping improve our local community and stimulate our local economy brings us great satisfaction."

RelyLocal was born in response to the economic problems that have plagued our country. The idea for RelyLocal was very simple - empower local business owners to stabilize their local economy, while educating residents on the important role that local business plays in the overall health of the community. The company began with three main goals; 1) To provide new, locally-driven, cost-effective marketing resources to small businesses, 2) To develop a grass roots campaign, uniting business owners and residents in a fight for the economic health of their community, and 3) To create as many new jobs across the country as possible.

"RelyLocal's mission and business model really has struck a chord across the country. Having local business leaders like The Leeds Group involved with our growing company shows how passionate people are to make a difference in their local communities and in their local economy," states RelyLocal's Co-Founder, Steve Ramsey.

The Leeds Group, who has developed their entire marketing and business development firm around strong local relationships, social media, public relations and innovative marketing solutions, sees the RelyLocal platform as the "silver-bullet" for local businesses marketing needs.

At RelyLocal's core is a powerful, location-specific online directory devoted to locally owned and operated businesses. In addition to the website's core feature set of maps, photos, reviews, job-board and coupons, local businesses are promoted through search engine marketing, social media platforms, co-op advertising, old-fashioned networking, and locally driven grass roots campaigns. RelyLocal jokingly refers to this approach as "Word of Mouth Marketing 2.0".

The Leeds Group's business plan is simple, bring this very effective marketing platform that RelyLocal has created for local businesses, combine it with their strategic marketing solutions and strong local business network and create a grass-roots campaign uniting local business owners and residents in a fight for the economic health of the Newport-Mesa community.

"Having lived and worked in the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa area for more than 25 years, we have always advocated local business first. RelyLocal really gives us the platform to get that message out to community residents," says The Leeds Group's COO, Bruce Kelber, who is jokingly referred to as the "Mayor" in the office because of his longstanding relationships and community ties in the Newport-Mesa areas. "RelyLocal - Newport-Mesa has some really exciting plans to bring together the best of what Newport Beach and Costa Mesa have to offer. We believe residents will be drawn to the RelyLocal movement as their source for local business information and community and entertainment updates, especially knowing that 90% of the local revenues we're creating are staying in our local economy."

About The Leeds Group:
The Leeds Group is a strategic marketing and business development firm located in Orange County, California, USA and independently owns and operates RelyLocal - Newport-Mesa under regional licensing rights. The Leeds Group helps develop unique business opportunities, builds lasting corporate ventures and implements strategic marketing solutions, all of which enhance their partner's business with increased visibility and sales. With both domestic and international reach, The Leeds Group has clientele in multiple categories, including technology, the building industry, financial sectors, manufacturing, and sports and entertainment. The company's website is www.LeedsGroup.net.

About RelyLocal:
RelyLocal is a location-specific online directory devoted to locally owned and operated businesses. Powered by an 'open-source' technology, RelyLocal features maps, photos, reviews, coupons, social media connections and more and is heavily promoted on a regional basis by local territory owners through search engine marketing, social media, co-op advertising, old-fashioned networking and locally driven grassroots campaigns. RelyLocal licenses its 'open-source' business platform to select territory owners across the US and currently is in over 100 markets. The company's website is www.RelyLocal.com.

BioLargo Featured in Supply Chain Solutions Magazine

As seen in: www.supplychain-solution.com...

Smell of Success

BioLargo Inc. helps pet owners love their furry friends even more with odor-control products.

Animal owners who face the challenge of providing a safe, clean living environment now have the answer to their problems with BioLargo Inc.’s Odor-No-More products.

Odor-No-More is a multi-line brand of products proven to eliminate odor and moisture within animal enclosures. The products have pro­ven to reduce flies and promote better respiratory and foot health to create a cleaner, dryer, safer and healthier enclosure. Odor-No-More drastically reduces the amount of bedding consumed and replaced in animal enclosures, saving time and money.

The products are sprinkled in the bedding and litter box. The urine is quickly absorbed and the ammonia is rapidly eliminated, eliminating unpleasant odors. In turn, animals will not have to live in urine-soaked enclosures and the products promote healthier feet and skin. “It’s about odor and moisture control, and it applies to a multitude of industries,” President Dennis Calvert says.

Once the three-core products found the path to market, new markets began to open up. BioLargo found a strategic partner in E.T. Horn and agreed to work with the company as a nonexclusive contract manufacturer and master distributor in 2009.

“Their products fit our animal wellness profile and channels to market,” says E.T. Horn Vice President of Sales Lisa Alley-Zarkades. “BioLargo and its wholly-owned subsidiary Odor-No-More Inc. are innovators and leaders with new technology that we believe will revolutionize various waste management practices for animals.”

Odor-No-More received a Best New Product award in 2009 at SuperZoo, the pet industry’s largest show. Since then, the core products have been picked up by major suppliers and retail locations in addition to being used by veterinarians.

Natural Solutions
BioLargo is an intellectual property company that features the applications of its natural technologies. The company strives to harness and deliver what it calls “Nature’s Best Solution” – free-iodine – in a safe, efficient, environmentally sensitive and cost-effective manner. It works by combining micronutrient salts with liquid from any source to deliver free-iodine on demand, in controlled dosages, to balance efficacy of performance with concerns about toxicity.

“Our primary focus is to find commercial partners who want to make products better,” Calvert says. “Our technologies primarily serve as disinfectants and for odor and moisture control.”

BioLargo focuses on finding product applications for its patent-protected chemistry. The cost-effective, inorganic compounds are embedded in absorbent products that can be used for bed pads, diapers, surgical drapes, transportation packages for hazardous materials, wound dressings and bandages. The technology also can be delivered in just about any physical form – liquids, tablets, powders, sprays, washes and gas phase delivery systems – making it flexible for just about any need an industry may have.

“It is a rare find to have such a simple, environmentally-friendly and effective solution to so many applications for odor, contamination, cleaning and overall health improvement for animals and their owners,” Alley-Zarkades says.

“Iodine is nature’s cleanser for the Earth,” Calvert says. It’s a natural disinfectant. Our discovery isn’t iodine. The discovery is we can easily deliver and control the free-iodine for use in products. What we bring into the marketplace is our natural chemistry that is safe and effective, non-staining and has no known acquired resistance capability.”

‘Culture of Collaboration’
The global financial crisis makes getting capital difficult, Calvert says. Another challenge is finding the best way to market its unique products. “These are two very common issues for a company like ours,” Calvert says. “Fortunately, our first commercial product focus and our strategic partnership with the ET Horn Company gave us the resources to push through and make things successful.

“The key is finding the right areas to focus on and make sure we found the right partner,” he adds. “Supply chain success and a culture of collaboration are critical.”

Like any new relationship, a company must anticipate the needs of the other party, Calvert explains. He describes partnerships as valuable assets in a strategy, such as the synergy between BioLargo and E.T. Horn. “We are thankful for what they do for us,” he says.

For E.T. Horn, the sentiment is mutual. “Since E.T. Horn is a cutting-edge technology and science-based raw material supplier, the relationship with BioLargo and Odor-No-More is a perfect match,” Alley-Zarkades says. “BioLargo has put an amazing investment into the science and technology market over the years.

“Plus, we understand each other very well,” she adds. “E.T. Horn is very scientifically-based with a high level of expertise in chemistry, scientific process and a technical sales approach across all our divisions. We are working hard to get the message to the industry, customers and channels that will help their BioLargo’s products expand their presence within main stream retail. Once an end-consumer sees the product perform, it is an immediate sale. There is simply nothing in the marketplace that can outperform these products.”