When Gary Monaghan was appointed CEO of UC Resources a few months ago, it was to usher in a new era for the company and its shareholders. Â Nonetheless, you hear that just about anytime a new coach takes over a team or a company, so some shareholders of UC Resources could have been forgiven if they didn’t hold their breath. Â Well, it’s time for them to exhale because Gary has done nothing less than exceed expectations by embracing online investor relations to create better communications and relationships with shareholders. Â Here are the highlights:
- On November 10th, UC Resources announced the sale of its interests in the highly promising McFaulds Lake (a.k.a. Ring Of Fire) region for $6,000,000 to Cliffs Natural Resources in order to focus on its Mexican production and exploration projects
- With some shareholders expressing concern over this shift away from the Ring Of Fire, Gary took to Skype just a couple of days later to communicate his specific reasons for the move and why it was in the best interests of shareholders. Â Shareholder response was overwhelmingly positive and appreciative of Gary’s proactive step to reach out and speak with them.
- On November 30th, UC issued a further press release to update shareholders on the status of the transaction AND the company’s plans upon successful close of the sale in January.
- On January 6, 2012, UC Resources announced closing of the $6,000,000 sale.
- On January 12, less than a week later, Gary announced an online Q&A in which shareholders were invited to ask questions about the company’s Mexican assets and future direction
- On January 16, Gary and the company provided answers to all of the questions asked by investors
- On January 17, Gary and UC Resources broadcast a video to update their shareholders on the sale, as well as, their Mexican Operations
Gary and UC Resources may be clients of AGORACOM – but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he simply gets online investor relations.  Specifically, though conferences and road shows are great places to meet your investors in person 3-4 times per year, online collaboration is the only way to truly collaborate with your shareholders anytime and anywhere.
This is especially important for small-cap companies that lack analyst and media coverage to fill the gaps.  As a result, shareholders heavily rely on management to go beyond press releases and actually communicate with them about the intricacies that potentially affect their investments.  Communications that are just one click away create greater confidence, turst and belief in the long-term vision of the company, leading to a greater number of shareholders becoming long-term investors and the company’s best ambassadors.
INVESTORS OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVE … Â INDUSTRY EXPERTS COVERING THE STORY
More than just lip service, look how Gary’s Q&A has shot to the top of the most favourite posts as voted by shareholders:
Moreover, his efforts are already starting to get recognized by industry experts:
Congratulations to Gary and the entire UC Resources team. We not only look forward to more of the same … we also hope this will serve as a great example for other small-cap companies to follow.
Contact AGORACOM to discuss your online investor relations program.
Regards,
George