NANUET, N.Y. -- Little Scoops, the retro 50's themed children's birthday party franchise, will be exhibiting for the first time at the National Franchise & Business Opportunities trade show at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey on March 17-18, 2007, it was announced today by Michelle Violetto and Tanya Ehrlich, co-founders of LS Franchise Corp.

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Costa Mesa-based BandCon, the leading peering network provider for large content sites, today announced that Todd Braning has joined the company as Vice President of Peering and Backbone operations. Braning is responsible for the company's peering and backbone services and operations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Dr. Fred Haney, a venture capital veteran with a reputation for success joined forces today with ElectionMall Technologies, Inc. (www.electionmall.com), a nonpartisan worldwide provider of campaign technology solutions. Fred was the founder of 3i Ventures California in the 1980s, a highly successful venture fund and later was a founding member of the Tech Coast Angels, the largest group of angel investors in the country.

ST. CHARLES, Ill. -- Chicago-based property tax consulting firm Advantax(R) Group announced today the appointment of Sam Kinslow as National Director of Real Property Consulting Services. Mr. Kinslow has 13 years of experience in the fields of property valuation, consulting, and tax assessment.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Gameshastra, a leading provider of Game Outsource Services, announced today the appointment of Geoff Mulligan to its Advisory Board. Geoff will assist the company in formulating its strategic vision and corporate strategy to become a global leader in outsourcing services for the games industry.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two West, Inc. is a branding and communications firm providing research-driven, strategic consulting services and agency solutions for high-growth companies and products. While the firm offers experience in select verticals including telecommunications, retail, automotive, human and animal health, and professional services, it has also developed horizontal expertise in brand strategy for companies needing next-level marketing guidance.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Authernative, Inc., the developer of innovative user authentication and identity management technologies, announced today that the European Patent Office has granted the company its patent for a user authentication method.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Gameshastra, a leading provider of Game Outsource Services, announced today the appointment of Jason Wong as Vice President - Quality Assurance. In this position, Mr. Wong will be responsible for overseeing all of Gameshastra's outsource testing operations, including their offshore testing facility in Hyderabad, India.

TRIPOLI, Libya -- According to Phoenicia Group, the U.S.-Libyan diversified business group, which is a strategic partner to several U.S. and international companies in Libya, business opportunities in the oil services sector is rocketing as E&P majors ratchet up their drilling schedules in Libya's much sought oil fields, with hundreds of wells estimated to be drilled in the next few years.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- GSP Consulting, a fast-growing government affairs and economic architecture consulting firm today announced the expansion of their Federal Government Affairs practice in Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh.