Shareholder Group Initiates Election Contest for Control of LION, Inc.
June 13 2007 - 4:49PM
PR Newswire (US)
SPOKANE, Wash., June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A shareholder group known
as the LION Shareholder Committee (the "Committee") has filed a
definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") relating to the nomination and
election of the Committee's nominees to the board of directors of
LION, Inc. (OTC:LINN) (BULLETIN BOARD: LINN) at the annual meeting
of LION's shareholders to be held on Wednesday, June 20th. The
Committee is seeking to nominate and elect a majority of LION's
directors at the annual meeting. The Committee is comprised of Sam
Ringer, Kevin Kuck, Ron Matney and Art Manegre. Mr. Ringer is a
co-founder of LION and has also been nominated by LION to serve as
a director. Messrs. Kuck, Matney and Managre are all long- time
shareholders of LION, but are not otherwise associated with the
company. Biographical information concerning these persons is set
forth below: Sam Ringer, age 47, is a co-founder of LION and has
served as a director since 1989. He is also the co-architect and
author of the LION search software. Mr. Ringer has also held
several key positions at LionInc.com, including Chief Technology
Officer (from 1997 to March 2000), Chief Executive Officer (March
2000 to January 2001) and President (from 1991 through 1995, and
from 1997 to March 2000). He received his training as a computer
engineer and programmer at Spokane Falls Community College and
Gonzaga University, both of which are located in Spokane,
Washington. Prior to joining Lion, Mr. Ringer worked for two years
as a mortgage broker at MorNet Mortgage, a Seattle mortgage
brokerage firm. He has been a LION shareholder since 1988. His
business address is 1044 Mingo Mountain Road, Kettle Falls,
Washington 99141. Kevin Kuck, age 50, has been employed in various
senior management positions at 3M Corporation for 26 years,
including Vice President of the 3M Film and Materials Resource
Division (2005 to the present); Vice President and Managing
Director of 3M Germany Holdings, the company's second largest
subsidiary (2003 to 2005); Vice President of the 3M Personal Care
and Related Products Division (2001 to 2003); Operations Manager of
3M Audio/Video Products (1994 to 1996); Product and Process
Development Manager for 3M Memory Technologies Group (1992-1994;
and Senior Specialist and Lead Engineer for the 3M Magnetic Media
Group (1987 to 1991). He has extensive experience at 3M in new
business launches, product development, process technology
development, and mergers and divestitures. Mr. Kuck received a
Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Wisconsin in
1980, where he majored in engineering and finance. He has been a
LION shareholder since 1987. His business address is 3M Center,
Building 223-6S-07, St. Paul, Minnesota 55144-1000. Ron Matney, age
48, has been involved in the commercial and residential real estate
industry for over 30 years, most recently as an owner and broker of
Windermere Colville, in Colville, Washington (positions he has held
since 2005), as a realtor for Century 21 in Colville (1986 to
1996), and as the owner of Timberland & Commercial Holdings, a
family-owned property holding company (from 1974 to present).
During this period he has also served on the Colville board of
realtors (serving as its president in 1994) and numerous multiple
listing service, or MLS, committees and boards. Mr. Matney was Vice
President of Matney Lumber, a family-owned lumber company, from
1978 to 1981, and has been the trust manager of Matney Properties
since 1984. In addition to his professional positions, he has also
devoted substantial time to community and civic organizations,
including the Colville Elks Club, Rotary International, the Orient,
Washington school board (1994 to 1998), and Special Olympics (2000
to 2004). Mr. Matney has been a LION shareholder since 1987. His
business address is 790 South Main Street, Colville, Washington
99114. Art Manegre, age 62, has held various positions in
commercial and corporate banking for over 35 years, including as a
principal of Manegre Capital Resources, a financial consulting and
mortgage brokerage firm (2001 to present); Continental Wingate
Capital, Inc., a privately-held lender specializing in HUD/FHS and
FNMA loans to the senior care and retirement home industry (2000 to
2001; Senior Vice President of HMB Capital Company, a financial
consulting and mortgage brokerage firm serving the Pacific
Northwest (1998 to 2000); Senior Account Executive of Southern
Pacific Thrift and Loan, a subsidiary of Imperial Credit
Industries, Inc. (1993 to 1998); Regional Account Manager for
Foster Ousely Conley, which provides management services to
wholesale and retail lenders (1992 to 1994); Executive Vice
President of A.I.G. Incorporated (1990 to 1992); and Vide President
and Commercial Loan Officer with Seattle First National Bank(1988
to 1990). He is currently a Vice President and Senior Commercial
Loan Officer for Golf Savings Bank in Montlake Terrace, Washington.
Mr. Manegre is a graduate of Washington State University, where he
received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, and the Pacific
Coast School of Banking at the University of Washington. He has
been a LION shareholder since 1995. His business address is 11041
NE 14th, Bellevue, Washington 98004. The Committee has a website at
http://www.lionshareholdercommittee.com/ where more information
concerning the Committee, its nominees to the LION board of
directors, and other information pertaining to the election contest
can be obtained without charge. Copies of the Committee's
solicitation materials can also be obtained, without charge, at the
Commission's website, http://www.sec.gov/. DATASOURCE: LION
Shareholder Committee CONTACT: Sam Ringer of LION Shareholder
Committee, +1-509-738-2876, Banks and Brokers call collect,
+1-212-269-5550, All others call toll free, +1-800-714-3312 Web
site: http://www.lionshareholdercommittee.com/
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