The report, Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: Multifamily Housing and Utilities, indicates that upgrades can generate energy cost savings of 15% to 30% in buildings with five or more residential units. The report also found that energy utilities play a critical role in unlocking these savings through the use of rebate programs and other financial incentives. Utilities’ contributions to energy efficiency programs are expected to increase from $4.3 billion in 2009 to as much as $12 billion annually by 2020.

Apartment buildings represent only a tiny fraction of the untapped opportunity available in the energy efficiency sector. An estimated $130 billion worth of energy-saving opportunities go unrealized in the U.S. each year, according to a 2009 McKinsey & Company report.

Much of this untapped opportunity exists in the commercial sector. Commercial buildings account for about 20% of energy use in the U.S. and are frequently eligible for utility rebate programs. As businesses nationwide seek to reign in their operating costs, many are requesting energy efficiency makeovers from companies such as Blue Earth, Inc. (OTC BB: BBLU).

BBLU provides lighting, refrigeration and HVAC retrofits for commercial buildings. The Company is growing through an M&A strategy in which it acquires companies with established customer bases in one technology area and then cross-sells its other technologies to those customers. BBLU’s most recent acquisition, Xnergy, has a blue-chip client base that includes Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX).

BBLU signed two agreements in late 2011 that should accelerate revenue growth this year. The Company will work with US Energy Affiliates to provide energy efficiency upgrades to gas stations and hotels in California. BBLU is also partnered with Gexpro and eCORE Technology on a $60 million program to retrofit more than 2,000 gas stations and convenience stores with energy-saving technology.

You can learn more about BBLU by watching an interview with its CEO, Dr. Johnny R. Thomas, from RedChip’s Small-Cap New York Conference. BBLU is also scheduled to present at our virtual conference, taking place February 15-16, 2012. Register today to reserve your spot.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

FSPI offers investors an opportunity to invest in a fast-growing, dividend-paying, profitable company in the healthcare sector. RedChip has initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a 12-month price target of $3.00, a potential upside of nearly 100%. Click here to download the report.

RedChip Research also issued a quarterly update on China Bilingual Technology & Education Group Inc. (OTC BB: CBLY), which operates three private boarding schools serving K-12 students in China. CBLY’s recent acquisition of its third school is expected to drive strong revenue and EPS growth as the Company ramps up enrollment at the new facility. RedChip analysts have raised the target price on CBLY from $4.40 to $5.00, a potential upside of more than 400% from the current share price. The research update is available for download here.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

Today on Barchart.com, a leading market data distributor founded in 1934, Cross Border Resources (OTCQX: XBOR) registered a buy rating across 12 of 13 technical indicators used by the site. These indicators provide insight into the short-, medium-, and long-term prospects for equities and commodities.

XBOR is an oil and gas exploration and exploitation company utilizing a non-operated business model focusing on opportunities with proven operators within the Permian Basin. XBOR has more than 800,000 gross (approximately 300,000 net) mineral and lease acres primarily within the state of New Mexico. The Company’s resource assets target various emerging plays including the Wolfberry acreage located in West Texas and the 1st and 2nd Bone Spring, and more conventional plays such as the Abo, Yeso, and San Andres. XBOR currently owns approximately 31,000 net acres within the Permian Basin.

With Barchart.com’s medium- and long-term technical indicators now 100% to the buy side, XBOR represents a compelling opportunity for fast-acting investors. This could be the beginning of the move to the $5.00 price target our analysts put on the stock in early December.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

A Reuters poll of precious metal analysts showed that most expect gold to perform strongly in 2012. Goldman Sachs expects gold futures to advance to $1,940 an ounce in 12 months, and Morgan Stanley projects that gold will reach a record average $2,175 in 2013, according to Bloomberg.

One way to play the gold rally is Andover Mining Corp. (TSX-V: AOX) (OTC BB: AOVTF), a Canadian junior mining company with holdings in Utah and Alaska.

AOX has enormous upside potential in the Sun deposit, its 45,920-acre copper-silver-lead-zinc-gold VMS (volcanogenic massive sulfide) prospect in the Ambler Mining District of Alaska. The Sun deposit is believed to be the second-largest known deposit in the region after NovaGold’s (NYSE Amex: NG) nearby Arctic deposit.

The Company plans to drill 21 holes or 19,000 feet at the Sun property this spring. The Sun deposit currently has 76 drill holes or approximately 49,000 feet of historic drilling; the results of Andover’s 2011 drill program led geologists to believe they had pierced the main vent. AOX expects the 2012 program to add substantial resources to the property’s resource base.

As we previously discussed, AOX is also set to begin gold production this year at its Trixie mine in Utah’s East Tintic Mining District, which should provide a major near-term catalyst for its stock. The Trixie mine previously recorded production of approximately 200 tons per day of gold and silver ore, and the mine’s previous operators left a stockpile of approximately 4,500 ounces of gold and 38,000 ounces of silver on the surface to be processed.

AOX also has a stake in the Burgin project of Utah, a past base metal producer targeting 2.3 million tons with gross metal values exceeding $1.5 billion. According to a NI-43 101 preliminary economic assessment released in December 2011, the Burgin Extension Deposit has indicated resources of 23,000 ounces of gold and inferred resources of 17,000 ounces of gold.

AOX is a rarity among junior miners: The Company is gearing up for near-term production, holds tremendous resources in geopolitically safe areas, and currently trades at rock-bottom prices, offering investors a strong profit opportunity in the current gold bull market. For more information on AOX, you can download the most recent RedChip Research update on the Company or view AOX’s presentation from our latest virtual conference.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

“Advertisers’ comfort level with integrated marketing is greater than ever, and this is helping more advertisers—and more large brands—put a greater share of dollars online,” said David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst.

Print advertising in newspapers and magazines will continue to decline while Internet ad spending rises. Online advertising is expected to reach $62 billion by 2016, nearly double the $32 billion anticipated for print ads in the same year. When compared to the TV ad market, which is expected to see modest gains in the years ahead, the gap between online ad spending and TV ad spending, which was nearly 100% in 2011, is expected to significantly narrow, closing in on 15% by 2016.

Local.com Corp. (NASDAQ: LOCM), a local-oriented media company that enables brick-and-mortar businesses to connect with online customers, is a major beneficiary of the secular trend toward online ad spending. Well-positioned in a high-growth niche of this trend, LOCM gives investors a unique opportunity to profit from the evolutionary changes in advertising.

“Local marketing is quickly emerging as one of the biggest opportunities in the shifting marketing landscape,” said Shane Vaughan, vice president of marketing for Balihoo, an Inc. 5000 local marketing automation firm.

LOCM is a leader in the local search advertising business, where companies pay triple-digit premiums for local keywords. Through December 2010, the majority of this business was generated in partnership with Yahoo. More recently the Company has added a relationship with Google, which provided a boost to third quarter results and is anticipated to drive further growth in the soon-to-be-reported fourth quarter numbers.

Beginning in early 2011, the Company embarked on a series of acquisitions and new product launches, leveraging its core customer base and diversifying its revenue stream. With these initiatives, LOCM now distributes daily deals to hundreds of thousands of email subscribers in 14 markets via Spreebird, rich media ads via Rovion, and real-time product inventory information from more than 60,000 retailers nationwide via Krillion. Together with ExactMatch, the Company’s suite of website design services, hyperlocal display ads, and social media marketing services, LOCM is now a one-stop shop for online advertising solutions.

As the online ad spending trend continues to strengthen, LOCM shares are set to move higher. Broker-dealers Canaccord Genuity and Morgan Joseph have buy ratings on LOCM with a median price target of $4.90.

With the Company expected to exit 2011 with a record run-rate of $96 million in revenues, now is the time to build a position in LOCM shares. For more information, please download our research report on LOCM and view the Company’s recent presentation from our virtual conference.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

As technology advances over the next few years, complex procedures such as fracture surgery and arthroscopic hip reconstruction will increasingly move to the ASC setting. One way for investors to capitalize on this long-term trend is through First Surgical Partners Inc. (OTC BB: FSPI), an operator of two ambulatory surgery centers and a general acute care hospital in the Houston area.

FSPI employs some of the top surgeons in the United States. The Company’s reputation for providing high-quality healthcare enabled FSPI to grow revenues 44% and net income 77% year-over-year for the most recent reported quarter. FSPI plans to expand beyond the Houston market by adding four surgical centers over the next two years, which should help drive 25% annual revenue growth through 2013.

Another reason to invest in FSPI: the Company pays a dividend, a rarity among emerging growth companies. The Company declared its third consecutive quarterly dividend in November. With the Company’s nearly 40 physician shareholders owning a large percentage of the shares outstanding, it’s highly likely the attractive dividend payments, which many view as part of their compensation, will continue well into the future.

First Surgical provides investors with an opportunity to participate in a fast-growing, profitable, dividend-paying company that capitalizes on a major long-term healthcare trend. To learn more about FSPI, you can view the Company’s corporate presentation from our New York conference, where we conducted a video interview with FSPI’s chairman, Dr. Jacob Varon.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

Growth in domestic consumption is being driven by China’s smaller cities. “The China story is increasingly about Tier Three cities,” Andy Rothman, the China macro strategist for CLSA, said to CNBC. “It’s where much of the growth is coming from, and where a lot of spending on public projects and low-income housing is going.”

While there is no specific definition of what is a third-tier city, it’s generally accepted that first-tier cities are represented by Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. According to international property brokerage Knight Frank, China’s second-tier cities have populations greater than three million and minimum per-capita GDPs of $2,000 (USD). By this definition, there would be some 60 second-tier cities. With more than 650 cities across China, this means nearly 600 would fall into the categories of third- and fourth-tier cities.

China’s ongoing urbanization trend continues to fuel growth in its third- and fourth-tier cities, and in central and western provinces, China’s “Go West” policy continues to gain traction. The confluence of these trends is resulting in substantial growth amongst China’s middle class, creating strong demand for affordable housing options in these regions.

One way to play this new growth driver is through leading third-tier and fourth-tier city property developer China HGS Real Estate, Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSH). The dominant player in its home market of Hanzhong, HGSH attained National Grade-I certification in October 2011, allowing it to expand into lucrative markets in other central and western provinces in China.

HGSH has completed and fully sold seven projects totaling an aggregate gross floor area (GFA) of 6.7 million square feet. Its completed projects have included low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise residential offerings.

The Company maintains a robust project pipeline, currently totaling an aggregate GFA of 6.4 million square feet across four projects. While past projects have included small-scale integrated commercial developments, such as retail offerings in lower levels of high-rise buildings, HGSH is now moving toward larger-scale mixed-use developments that will combine hotels, restaurants, and expanded shopping into its residential communities.

While inflated property prices in China’s top-tier cities grab regular headlines, housing remains substantially more affordable in the third-tier and fourth-tier cities of the country’s central and western provinces. A driver behind this variance is the heavy use of mortgage financing in the mega-cities versus the more typical high down payment or all-cash purchases in smaller cities. Approximately 70% of HGSH property buyers complete all-cash transactions, reducing sales volatility from policy changes impacting the mortgage market.

There is no question the next wave of China’s growth will be fueled by rising standards of living in third-tier and fourth-tier cities, and much of this growth will take place in the country’s central and western provinces.  In fact, per capita GDP in the Company’s home province of Shaanxi is forecasted to increase more than 100% by 2020.

HGSH provides a great way to play this monster trend. With a price-to-earnings ratio of less than two, a nearly 35% operating margin, and a robust pipeline of projects to fuel growth, the Company’s shares represent a tremendous opportunity for investors who act fast. Moreover, as a NASDAQ-listed company, HGSH must take action to regain a share price of $1 to maintain its listing. With the effort the Company has expended to get listed in the first place, we believe HGSH has every reason to make sure this happens very soon. This alone represents nearly 50% upside, and even then, HGSH shares will remain dramatically undervalued by any typical measure.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

Photo by: mao_lini

When RedChip followers were first introduced to Asure Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASUR) at our November Small-Cap New York Conference, the Company’s stock was trading under $4. Since then, ASUR’s share price has more than doubled, reaching a closing high of $8.85 on January 11.

Those familiar with ASUR’s story shouldn’t be surprised that the market is beginning to assign the Company’s stock a more fair valuation. Asure, based in Texas, provides cloud-based workplace software solutions that manage and automate functions such as time and attendance tracking and enterprise meeting room scheduling.

Below are three reasons why investors should consider building a position in ASUR:

Huge market opportunity: The human capital management (HCM) applications market is expected to surpass $8.1 billion by 2015, according to IDC.

Time and attendance systems represent approximately $1.5 billion of the broader HCM market. Approximately $500 million of the market is composed of small and mid-sized businesses using outdated technology. This sweet spot is ripe for cloud-based solutions such as that offered by Asure.

Another area where the Company is quickly gaining market share is the meeting room scheduling market, which is currently estimated to account for $150 million of the broader HCM market and lacks a dominant player.

ASUR is strengthening its position in the HCM market through strategic acquisitions that expand its industry penetration, improving the Company’s ability to generate referral business from leading partners such as payroll processing vendors.

In the fourth quarter, the Company acquired ADI Time and Legiant, providers of cloud computing time and attendance software and management services. These acquisitions give ASUR penetration into industries that the Company hadn’t yet reached and add further client depth in industries they already serviced.

High-profile client base: ASUR’s products are used by numerous blue-chip multinationals such as Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), GE (NYSE: GE), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), and McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD). ASUR’s clients also include well-known legal, education, and healthcare organizations, including the American Red Cross, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cornell University, and Duke University.

Classic turnaround story: When its current management took over in late 2009, they took ASUR from a substantial operating loss to profitability by divesting nonperforming business lines and implementing other cost-control measures. This impressive turnaround reflects the skill and expertise of ASUR’s executive team. With these measures in place, 2012 should be an even stronger year for ASUR. The Company recently raised its 2012 revenue and EBITDA guidance to $18.0 million and $4.0 million, respectively.

While the market is beginning to recognize these catalysts, as evidenced by the recent run-up in the Company’s share price, ASUR still trades at a steep discount to its peers. In fact, at today’s prices the Company trades for barely more than 2x its trailing sales while companies such as Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) and Concur Technologies (NASDAQ: CNQR) trade at 6x to 7x trailing sales.

Going forward, ASUR expects to achieve annual organic revenue growth of 20% to 25% with gross margins of 20% to 25%. With more than 80% of ASUR’s revenues being recurring payments from customers, the Company has a stable foundation from which to grow market share.

ASUR’s high growth potential, blue-chip client base, and intriguing turnaround story make a strong case for investing in this rising tech stock. You can learn more about ASUR by watching the Company’s presentation from our latest virtual conference.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

Pat Goepel, Asure’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “As we enter a period of strong revenue and earnings growth, we believe it’s time to take a more proactive approach to our investor outreach efforts. Having firsthand experience using RedChip’s conference platform, we are pleased to have selected their organization to spearhead this initiative. Since my first interaction with RedChip I have been impressed with the professionalism of their organization and the quality of the retail and institutional investors they introduced. They have a solid track record of success in building long-term investor relationships for small-cap companies, and we are confident their robust communications platform will have a positive impact for Asure.”

Dave Gentry, President of RedChip, stated, “Asure is positioned for strong growth in the human capital management applications market, which is expected to grow considerably over the next few years to surpass $8.1 billion by 2015. The Company’s products improve workplace efficiency for its corporate clients, which include numerous blue-chip multinationals such as Microsoft, GE, Nike and McDonald’s. We look forward to launching an effective investor relations campaign and introducing the Company to our retail and institutional investor network.”

You can learn more about Asure Software by viewing the Company’s presentation from our recent Small-Cap New York Conference. An interview with CEO Pat Goepel is available via the same link.

Disclosure: The subject security is a client of RedChip Companies, Inc. RedChip Companies, Inc., employees and affiliates may have positions and affect transactions in the securities or options of the issuers mentioned herein. For full financial disclosures for all RedChip clients, please visit http://www.redchip.com/disclosures.asp?src=rcv.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, an audit watchdog organization overseen by the SEC, wants U.S. and Chinese inspectors to conduct joint reviews of Chinese audit firms, including Big Four affiliates located in China.

As the China small-cap sector continues to rebound from last year’s implosion, investors should keep an eye on this interesting development in the weeks ahead.