PPOL Expands Board of Directors; Majority Independent Board Members Added
July 12 2004 - 5:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
PPOL Expands Board of Directors; Majority Independent Board Members
Added ORANGE, Calif., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PPOL, Inc.
(OTC:PPLC) (BULLETIN BOARD: PPLC) today announced the addition of
Robert Brasch, 66, Naota Hamaguchi, 44, Lowell Hattori, 66, and
Yoshikazu Ohashi, 63, to the Board of Directors of PPOL, Inc. These
additions bring the total number of directors to seven, with a
four-member independent majority. This is an important move that
aligns the Company's corporate governance practices into compliance
with national stock exchange guidelines and in general conforms the
Board to best corporate governance practices. PPOL's Board of
Directors Mr. Robert Brasch has over 30 years of business and
banking experience. He began his career in banking and in 1983
became the founding president and CEO of World Trade Bank. In 1987
Mr. Brasch founded Pacific Partners, Inc. where he continues today
as its President to identify and develop new business opportunities
for Asian companies in the United States and for American companies
in Asia, particularly focusing on strategic alliances between
Japanese and American companies. Mr. Brasch is a graduate of
Columbia University and is fluent in English, German and Japanese.
Mr. Naota Hamaguchi is Founder, President and CEO of JCI, an
international consulting firm with offices in Tokyo, Japan and
Dallas Texas, specializing in assisting companies conduct business,
primarily in Japan and the U.S., and startups expanding their
business on a global business. He has also assisted 15 startups go
public in the US and Japan. Prior to forming JCI in July, 1992, he
was associated with Price Waterhouse for two years and KPMG Peat
Marwick for eight years in Dallas, Texas where he assisted Japanese
companies doing business in the US. He serves as Board member on
various non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting business
and friendship between the US and Japan. Mr. Hamaguchi received his
Masters degree from the University of Texas in Management and
Administrative Sciences and his BBS from Soka University. Mr.
Lowell Hattori is the Founder and Principle of Hattori &
Associates which provides international trade and business
consultation to firms seeking diversification into overseas
markets. Mr. Hattori is a CPA with in depth knowledge in financial,
planning and operational matters gained in his public accounting
and private industry experiences. Mr. Hattori led Fortin
Industries, Inc. into the U.K, France and Tokyo after which
Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired the company due to its
success. Mr. Hattori was also a Director of the Japanese Practice
Unit of Price Waterhouse where his main function was business
development of Japanese companies in the United States. Mr. Hattori
earned an MBA from UCLA and holds a BS degree from Widener
University. Mr. Nobuo Takada joined Daiwa Securities in 1970 as a
staff analyst in the Research department and has held various
positions in research, corporate finance, trading and information
systems at Daiwa Securities offices in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Geneva,
Switzerland. In 1992, Mr. Takada founded Aston Holdings, an
investment firm in Tokyo, Japan. In 1996, Mr. Takada formed Boston
Advisory Services, an investment advisory firm in Tokyo, Japan,
where he currently serves as its CEO. Mr. Takada is the CEO of Leo
Global Fund, which holds approximately 36% of PPOL's common shares.
Mr. Takada holds an MBA from Indiana University and a B.S. in
Economics from Doshisha University. Mr. Yoshihiro Aota has been the
President and a director of AJOL since 1994 and is a driving force
behind AJOL's membership growth in the Acube community. Prior to
AJOL, Mr. Aota worked for Forval Corporation which is the majority
shareholder in PPOL, Inc. While at Forval Corporation, Mr. Aota
directed Forval's business strategy, PC business and NW business.
Prior to Forval Corporation, Mr. Aota was in charge of business
planning and administration of Katena Corporation, a Japanese
Corporation. Mr. Aota holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Tokyo
University. "We are pleased with the quality of independent board
members that have joined the Company at this important period as we
begin execution of our new growth strategy and prepare to launch
our first partnered technology in Japan," said Nobuo Takada,
chairman and chief executive officer. "Messrs. Brasch, Hamaguchi,
Hattori, and Ohashi, bring significant business experience to PPOL
and their support will be key to our future growth." About PPOL
PPOL, Inc. is a California-based holding company whose primary
asset is AJOL of Tokyo, Japan. AJOL actively promotes the
interactions of the members of organization, Acube, which is
sponsored by AJOL through conferences and speaking engagements
conducted by AJOL's President and CEO, Yoshihiro Aota. In addition,
through their own interactions, Acube members spread the word about
MOJICO hardware and drive growth of related services. Many members
serve as MOJICO hardware distributors of Acube and MOJICO hardware
and develop membership businesses featuring interaction and
distribution of related products and services among all members.
Through the use of AJOL's MOJICO hardware, members can network and
communicate using hand-written Japanese characters, including Kanji
whose full meaning cannot be adequately communicated through the
present fonts of a computer. Members across Japan use the service
to find other subscribers and to establish interpersonal
relationships, and access other services such as insurance unique
to Acube, mail order purchases, the handling of partner-affiliated
services, event planning, as well as products and services offered
under AJOL's Kamome brand. In April 2004, PPOL announced its new
strategy to grow the Company through the early stage identification
of proven and promising low-cost target U.S.- and
European-developed technologies that it can be quickly introduced
into Japan thereby creating a significant lead over competitors.
Via PPOL's network in Japan, software products can be localized and
sold with local support provided either by PPOL staff or its
marketing partners. Certain information contained herein includes
information that is forward- looking. The matters referred to in
forward-looking statements may be affected by the risks and
uncertainties involved in the Company's business. These
forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the
cautionary statements contained in the Company's Securities and
Exchange Commission filings. Shareholders, potential investors and
other readers are urged to consider these factors in evaluating the
forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking
statements included herein are only made as of the date of this
news release, and PPOL undertakes no obligation to publicly update
such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances, except as required under applicable laws. Investor
Relations Contacts: Ina McGuinness/Zachary Bryant Lippert/Heilshorn
& Associates (310) 691-7100 DATASOURCE: PPOL, Inc. CONTACT: Ina
McGuinness, or Zachary Bryant, , both of Lippert-Heilshorn &
Associates, +1-310-691-7100, for PPOL, Inc. Web site:
http://www.ppolusa.com/
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