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D · Guest

He treats subordinates like slaves, and as a result his dept. had experienced such tremendous turnover they eventually had to fire him.

BB · Guest

misrepresnted company and lured senior executives to join with promises of substantail rewards then breached agreements and pocketed profits. Threatened to punish to secure more revenue.

Camila · Guest

BB wrote:

misrepresnted company and lured senior executives to join with promises of substantail rewards then breached agreements and pocketed profits. Threatened to punish to secure more revenue.

What a tricky try...

Curious · Guest

I see these comments come up for several executives at CoActive:

1. Roland Grybauskas
2. Erwin Mevorah
3. Brian Murphy

Who exactly are we talking about here, and why would comments about one executive come up under another executive at the same company? I'm also a former exec and wante to leave a comment, but I want to be sure it goes under the right individual.

Me too · Guest

I'd also like to know which executive is being discussed. Anyone?

root · Site Admin Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 36

to post under a specific executive go back to this page http://www.hotstocked.com/companies/c/coactive-mktg-CMKG-52281.html then click on the executives name under "Key Executives"

anonymous · Guest

The stock price of this company has been stagnant for more than 8 months. Prior to that it had been trading down under $2.00 for a year or two.

The new management team brought in by the board of directors last year has caused this company to loose clients and shed revenue.

Unless the next quarterly call shows any improvement then I would run from this company as fast as possible.

Just reading the comments here regarding misrepresentation to perspective employees and false incentives is disturbing.

insider · Guest

The executive management listed on this site and the company's website has changed.

The executive team is now comprised of:
Charlie Tarzian, CEO
Fred Kassif, CFO
James Ferguson, President, Optimum Group
Neil Callahan, President, Digital (also CEO of outside interest Sitaro Group, llc)
Marc Particelli, Chairman of the Board

The following are no longer with CMKG:
Paul A. Amershadian - Terminated in 2007
Erwin I. Mevorah - Terminated in 2007
Brian Murphy - Terminated in 2007
Roland Grybauskas - Terminated in 2006

The great senior executive shakeup of 2006/2007 has yet to show anything indicative of a turnaround in this company.

There has been tremendous erosion of middle management with this company over the past two years. The majority of middle management (day to day direct client contact) has turned over as well, most taking clients with them.

The current management team has limited experience with public company's and no track record of success. Expect this stock to be liquidated or in bankruptcy within 18 months, possibly sooner.

Kol · Guest

Thank you for a very detailed information in the changes of the company.

Is there anyone who owns CMKG shares in here? I see a possible rise in the nearest future.

inmubechy · Guest

Kol wrote:

Thank you for a very detailed information in the changes of the company.

Is there anyone who owns CMKG shares in here? I see a possible rise in the nearest future.

Why bother? This dog is going nowhere fast. You're best bet is to short this POS.

Kol · Guest

Immunbechy, you are really pessimistic. Why are you of such an opinion?
Yesterday the share price float to $2.93 per share. During one day, I think this is a great start! I suspected this float up.

the Ghost In the Machine · Guest

Here is the real truth as seen from the inside.....

The existing leadership made a lot of promises but reality is none were kept.

we were told about trimming the fat and getting more for less, well they have hired more people but less real work is coming in. The multitude of new employees are all junior people playing senior roles. All of them grossly overpaid. Funny how most of them have worked with Mr. Tarzian in the past in other companies which have also really not gone any where from what i can see.

Higher management makes the big bucks and takes credit for the hard work of the junior employees. the same employees who work ridiculous hours to meet unrealistic goals set on them in fear of losing their jobs while the bosses all go home at 5:30. Blackberry commandos barking orders while getting fat on the blood and sweat of others.

Rash decisions are made in haste to fill holes they themselves have created, but pass the blame to others.

Once they drain the company of money, clients, and resources they will move on to the next gig they fool into hiring them and start this all over again, and the sad part is the workers are the ones who will suffer!javascript:emoticon(' Mad

')

Margareth · Guest

I see your opinion...
Do you have any shares of this company?

The Ghost In The Machine · Guest

If you are asking me, yes i do. do you?

Margareth · Guest

Yes, The Ghost In The Machine, I was asking you the question. How many shares have you got?
I personally have only 350.

2 cents · Guest

I have to agree with some of the comments here. While i do not know about the detailed business plan of the company, i do know that indeed the majority of middle managers have gotten fed up enough to quit, some taking their clients with them right away or working on the next RFP's for them and surely win them then. In some cases entire departments have resigned in the latest example the I.T. Department has all quit leaving a mish mash of consultants in place. We have many passionate employees who work for us!! but i fear what will happen if we continue to lose them under these circumstances. We can hire new employees with excellent credentials but getting up to speed fast enough to not show a problem is not happening. There is definitely some problems we need to fix here, i just don't know where we need to begin.

Margie · Guest

2 cents, you must be the insider of this company. Am I right? Rolling Eyes

2 cents · Guest

yes i am

Margareth · Guest

In this case, executives from your company should do something about the business. I like your company very much but I am disappointed about the things which are going on in there.

2 cents · Guest

part of the problem is some of the executives and the decisions and actions they make. Most of us are worried about backlash by going against the grain or taking on the click. Most will just leave in frustration and that is where it will hurt us the most.
Sad

Margareth · Guest

Yeah, that really sounds to be a great problem in this case Rolling Eyes

I am not sure what could be done that such things would not repeat...the board must be reorganized then...but it is really heavy..

2 cents · Guest

i have met most if not all the members of the board and in a professional setting they are all very successful smart men. It is public knowledge that they own a good majority of the company's stock so i am guessing they want to make this successful as well but i think they did not think this one out thoroughly. In their haste to relieve the prior administration they put in a set of new leaders that i don't think were the correct choice for CoActive Marketing.

Like most of the "new and improved" people present management have put into place. just because you can speak the language doesn't make you a native to the land! They are replacing unpolished hard workers with polished storytellers. and we all know actions speaks louder than words.

So what story are they going to tell us next?

Driver · Guest

This is wierd. Who is posting all of the Charlie quotes? Can only be him.

AAA · Guest

You're right. Looks like someone is trying to bury the negative comments about management.

Same Old Story · Guest

Seems the only thing being buried is their heads in the sand. How can they really think they are not being watched? How can they think people are not talking about them or their actions? Can they not hear the chatter in the halls? The cubicles are watching. Only difference is in this public forum they are not a threat unlike at work where they just fire who they don't like.

There is such potential here to be a huge company but we are losing all of our talented people and are being replaced by storytellers and hacks.

Doesn't matter how many copies of the articles you post, how many stories you spin. Your best days are behind you! Hopefully the people and the board realize this in time to save the company. Long live the king.

Truth be told · Guest

You don't work for the company. There's a mistake in your description of the office. The truth is, you were never even there, right? I'm sure you can't tell anything about what the place looks like right now.

The stock is up some 33% The chart looks like a stairway to heaven -- up, up, up!

Why are you lying? Did you bet the wrong way? Do you think that by being a keyboard liar you can make up for a big mistake in a short? You better bite the bullet and go long right now! The more you wait, the higher the stock price will go. But you don't have to listen to me. Maybe you like being a loser. Better talk with your therapist about that.

Sunshine · Guest

Although the stock is up when you look at managements press release at the end of the last fiscal it looks like there should not be a good bit of recurring cost, severance and other charges, about $1.3mm in total, so we would expect to see the stock rise.

It looks flat--where's the growth?

Seems like a lot of concern around organization.

I hope it does turn around.

Face The Truth · Guest

What lies? What description was wrong? or is this another feeble attempt to cover the truth?
I haven't been where? I can't describe what? Here i will play your game. Open 3/4 height cubicle layout 4 to a square, main executive offices facing south side encased in glass fronts(wood doors). 3 conference rooms, Luxe Bar, a Gym (barely used), bathrooms in the rear (handicap), bathrooms near front (horrible sinks), large open lobby, cafeteria right past reception....... should i continue? Want me to break it down by department? I bet others here in the know will agree this description is correct? It would be perfect if it wasn't for the constant construction in the building and some fresh paint.

Let's get back to reality here, Keep pretending everything is alright. Talk to employees instead of treating them like expendable pawns! Get back on track with the clients, bring in new clients instead of putting all your faith one 2 or 3.

I am not here to argue with you. I am here to tell you that there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. Simple as that! You take it how you want, but you can not argue the facts!

New to this · Guest

Is anything going well? Are there any clients/projects/managers that are doign a good job?

wondering · Guest

I'm just wondering why we don't have any new business?

Chilly mo · Guest

I'm just glad they fired Erwin! He was a damn slave driver!

control · Guest

it doesn't seem like the controls are in place--jobs closed out etc. bills paid and all that goes with that

It Is More than That · Guest

It is a deterioration of any type of command structure. A "flat" company does not work in this day and age. proven many times over. People need someone to look up to and lead them.

A lack of experienced leaders put into place to fill emptying roles. with no understanding of the position other then " he can do it. He is a good leader." A leader is made by the people who follow him. no followers hence no leaders.

Talent leaving left and right.

No one is minding the store. No accountability

And before you claim your stairway to heaven think about this. These are not the numbers that were promised almost 2 years ago. and for all the planning, shifting, firing and the amount some of these guys get paid you would expect at least double the numbers present in the stock. doesn't look like that to me.

Bad planning brings bad results. seems like a poor example from a so called results driven company?

Hope the PR company can whitewash this one as well.

don't be surprised · Guest

don't be surprised to see staff cuts for us. With no growth in sight it might be the only thing these guys know how to do---more moral decline on the way.

question · Guest

does anyone think management will be replaced? maybe even some of the board?

Lost in NYC · Guest

where are 4th quarter and fiscal year results? the delay seems suspicious.

seriously Now? · Guest

$187k bonus?? C'mon now, what for? this company is not that big to hand out a bonus that large to one person. The average employee if they receive a bonus at all gets anywhere from $1 - 5k and they are the real workers of the company!

What was done to deserve this? so the stock went up 30 cents or whatever it has done recently, but other than that its flat. look at the graph nothing, nothing is moving here people. Only stocks being purchased are by they themselves.

And now the rumor is possibly layoffs because of money? That cant be true? Is it? Or will you masquerade it and call it a "Restructure to better align the company with client demands"? Question......What clients? seems you are losing more clients lately then you are bringing in. Oh Yea! thats right you said you were letting go of clients that did not fit with where you were going? Where are you going?

What happened to the numbers that were promised? hat happened to this vision that was sold to us that is no longer really looking all that sharp.

Someone mentioned in another post on here "Cleaning up the books, going as lean as possible for the upcoming sale of the company. Sounds like a very familiar strategy." this sounds crazy, is it true? what do you guys have planned?

We know you have to be trolling the board, lurking in the shadows reading all of this. Why dont you answer some of these questions people have? Seems to me the lack of communication pretty much seals the case.

What a shame!

Evil or Very Mad

Guest · Guest

I'm not a big fan. So hold your fire.

BUT, CEO compensation is the least of the worries. He's not well compensated by comparison to others at companies this size, in this industry. And don't kid yourself, "bonuses" at this level are hardly objective. Part of the bigger compensation plan but it's all loaded and everyone knows it.

I, too, want concrete answers. Much mention of new client business but no one is naming names. WHO?

might not.... · Guest

be a worry but should be a thought. If the company is not where they want to be financially then a bonus of that amount should not be issued. Simple as that. If he is not making the correct salary for a company that size then it makes you wonder why he took the job? Unless there is more to gain by it?

lots of questions, no answers.

Or do we have to wait till next week when they make their big announcements? Will this answer anything? or more story telling?

i have heard rumors of 1 or 2 clients and were not from direct chase but from other sources. Once again are you going to bank the company's future on 2 clients?

what is this new business you have won? no mention of it at the last conference call.

Eventually you will have to answer, what happened? did you forget to pay the PR firm and they wont write up a response?

Just because you wont acknowledge this it does not mean it doesn't exist.

truth be told · Guest

dramatically off plan

no new clients

no pipeline (what happened to all the talk in prior quarters about the "strong" pipeline--it did not materialize because it wasn't there--just misleading talk

Sloppy, late and incomplete results press release

A lot of spin

Soothsayer · Guest

The pipeline was there last year. Just Sr. Management fired or scared away those responsible for making those deals happen. Those clients have now given business to other agencies where former CoActive people have landed.

There's a internally facing plan that Tarzian spews to the dribbling masses within the company to get them excited to follow him. Then there is the backroom strategy where he and the board of directors figure out how to slap lipstick on this pig to sell it. Then there's the deeper, more sinister back room where Tarzian is figuring out how he can profit in the short term by cleaning up books, laying off staff, adjusting vacation policies, etc so that he can claim some cash for a spot bonus.

Then there is the upcoming merger/acquisition. The company is one that very few have heard of. Even then, the public facing part of the acquisition is shrouded in mystery. They have very little press or trade coverage. They do not talk about who their clients are. And there business is very very fuzzy.

The merger's been rumored about internally since mid-2007. Supposedly, it's something that one of the previous (now long gone) executives had cooked up.

My predictions:
With this acquisition, Tarzian will face some internal competition. There will be more staff cuts. The Cincinnati office will be closed. The flagship client, Diageo, will continue to give the events business to other agencies with stronger capabilities. The books will be audited and inconsistencies will be discovered leading to more refillings.

Give it a rest already! · Guest

The company's for sale! The company's for sale! You make Chicken Little look like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Your inside track turns out to be hogwash. The announcement today wasn't that the company was sold but that another outfit was BOUGHT! The firm is G R O W I N G!

And "And there (sic) business is very very fuzzy?" Is that something like "There be Dragons?"

it is positive · Guest

but it's buying revenue and management to play catch up

the increased Ebit was largely a function of the non repeating severance and other extroidinary charges totaling $1.3mm they mentioned in an earlier release. Last years EBIT was about $1.9mm , add the non recurring $1.3mm and your about flat to last year with everything looking flat or declining into this year.
so this acquisition will add to the revenue and hopefully create change

it's a positive needed step

I've never seen such negative comments coming out of a company from its employees

Guest

holy crap! looks like you hit a nerve and went and pissed ol' charlie off, that he actually came and finally responded to something.

But like usual you did not pay attention. what was said was that you were acquiring someone else. which you did. so you went and spent more money and this will go nowhere as well. Did you not swallow up another company over a year ago that has also failed to do anything worth talking about but barely break even and grow stale?

And everyone knows the only reason you purchased this new outfit was because you wanted their clients being you have not brought in any of your own since taking over. Word on the streets is the big possibility these clients might not even stick around.

The company is growing? did you not also say the stock would triple by this time? Yea that is what i thought.

ooohhhhhh and looks like finance decided to make an appearance as well to throw more meaningless numbers at us.

Skippy · Guest

Wow. Suddenly it got awfully quiet in here. Maybe the merger has everyone on their toes....

So, does anybody know when they'll be shutting down the Cincinnati operation? Or when the layoffs in the special events group will commence?

all about numbers · Guest

The reason the stock has dipped on the news of the 4th quarter, year end results and the news of the acquisition is that people don't trust yet the results. The 4th quarter did not deliver " a leveling of earnings" that management promised. a "tight" financial team had miscalculated basic taxes--- looks like we struggled to deliver a penny in the quarter. It was also not a big annual increase from last year given the prior news that management released (07 severance etc). Oddly, the release was wierd--although accreative they did not release mktgpartners EBIT as they did for CMKG. That'd s red flag for weak earnings. Also cash was down on the balance sheet

I heard Charlie said the company will make 15%-20% this year. That should be organic to the MKTGPartnders deal . That should mean an EBIT of about $4.5 million or so if the MKTG deal is worth anything

Lets see how it pans out.

??????? · Guest

There is no reason to close down Cinncinatti. Aren't we profitable? I think people are worried about layoffs given the over all lack of new sales and clients. Also rumour about Diageo cutting back on client service staff.

Glad the acquisition is on board to help.

Fake! · Guest

The posing that happens on this discussion board is amazing. NO ONE from Cincinnati would butcher the city name that badly. It is no a small, insignificant typo. It is someone trying to fake there way through a comment/post. RIDICULOUS. If you have something to say, at least say it from your own perspective! Rolling Eyes

your right · Guest

I am in NY not Cincci. I was speaking from a "one company" position. The problem is not out there but here. I think the acquisition will help us with new business.