WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The CEO Council, a non-profit organization advocating the interests of small public companies and their shareholders, will attend the 23rd Annual SEC Small Business Forum on September 20, 2004, at SEC Headquarters in Washington.
Council Executives from CorpHQ Inc. (Pink Sheets:COHQ); Cybertel Capital Corp. (OTC-BB:CYBT); and Investrend Research will actively participate in the conference and voice the concerns of all Council members to the regulatory community.
All small public company executives, directors and professionals operating within the small public company community are urged to communicate their concerns and suggestions to the CEO Council for presentation at this event.
The following are among the topics that the CEO Council expects to be discussed at the Forum:
-- Sarbanes-Oxley ("SOX") Section 404 Certification -- Do the costs
of compliance equal the benefits for smaller companies?
-- Erosion of Traditional Accountant's Role -- Will the erosion of
the traditional role of accountants as "trusted business partners"
have a disproportionate adverse impact on smaller companies?
-- Nasdaq/SEC Rules on Board and Committee Composition -- Should
smaller public companies be subject to different standards under
rules created by SOX?
-- Tiered Regulation -- If smaller public companies should be subject
to different SEC, Nasdaq or NASD standards based on size, how
should "small" size be determined?
-- Analyst Coverage of Smaller Public Companies -- Should the SEC do
something to improve analyst coverage of smaller public companies?
-- OTC Securities Markets -- Should the SEC make improvements in its
Rule 15c2-11 and other rules that would improve the efficiency of
markets like the OTC Bulletin Board and Pink Sheets LLC?
-- Finders -- Would rulemaking regarding persons who act as
occasional "finders" of investors benefit small company capital
formation while protecting investors?
The SEC hosts this annual forum to focus on the capital formation concerns of small business. This gathering has assembled annually since 1982, as mandated by the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980. A major purpose of the Forum is to provide a platform for small business to highlight perceived unnecessary impediments to the capital-raising process. Previous Forums have developed numerous recommendations seeking legislative and regulatory changes in the areas of securities and financial services regulation, taxation and state and federal assistance.
About the CEO Council:
The mission of the CEO Council is to provide a common voice and platform for officers and directors of public companies, and enable them to more effectively interpret and participate in the corporate governance and regulatory process to ensure compliance, to safeguard shareholder value and to clearly demonstrate a dedication to fair and ethical business practices.