Summary of Qualifications for AquaSol, Inc. Presented to: Submitted by: Aqua quasol, Inc. Coral Gables, FL (USA) Tel (305) 662-7134 Fax (305) 662-7139 tfrese@fishfarming.com www.fishfarming.com March 2008
AquaSol, Inc. is a United States based aquaculture consulting company that provides expert opinions, technology transfer and aquaculture project management services to new and existing aquaculture projects worldwide. The company is a Florida corporation that was established in 1997. Due to its relatively small size, the company is able to offer extremely high levels of service, customization, and dedication to a particular project. We take great pride in developing successful projects and view the success of each and every project as a direct reflection of our own company s skills and consummate reputation. Areas where we can offer the Client expert consultancy include the following: Aquaculture Investment Advisory Services Aquaculture Site Search, Selection & Analysis Water & Soil Quality Analyses Feasibility Studies Development of Regional and Country-wide Aquaculture Development Plans Due Diligence Work Environmental Impact Assessments Operational Plans & Field Training Farm Design & Construction Financial Analysis for Aquaculture Operations Business Plan Development Strategic Planning Long-term Project Management Contract Farm Management Processing Plant Design & Operations Feed Plant Design & Operations Feed Formulation R&D Designs for Aquaculture Market Research & Development Farm-raised Products Sales Mr. Tom Frese is the founder and President of AquaSol, Inc. He has more than fifteen years of experience in the field of aquaculture. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a Master of Science degree in Biology from Florida International University. Specific areas of expertise for Mr. Frese include professional aquaculture consultancy, aquaculture site search & analysis, aquaculture feasibility studies, environmental impact studies, social impact studies, fish farming technology transfer, development of innovative aquaculture production strategies, development of strategic marketing plans for farm-raised products, customized financial feasibility analysis for aquaculture projects, aquaculture business plan development, due diligence and rendering of a professional opinion on potential aquaculture investments, valuation of existing aquaculture operations, aquaculture project management, fish farm design, hatchery design, processing plant design, feed mill design, strategic planning for new and existing aquaculture operations, fish farm management, development of national aquaculture development plans and innovative design and implementation of sustainable community-based fish farming cooperatives in the developing world.
Some of the countries where Mr. Frese has provided his consulting and project management services include the United States, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Belize, Suriname, Ecuador, Turks & Caicos, Brazil, Vietnam, Uganda, Honduras, Switzerland & Guatemala. Summaries of some recent assignments that have been undertaken by AquaSol, Inc. are provided below: YEAR 2008 2007/8 2007/8 DESCRIPTION Consultant has recently been placed under retainer to investigate the feasibility of developing a 3,600 metric ton Tilapia farming project in Guatemala. Consultant is currently developing a co-operative sustainable fish farming model community to be deployed in the fight against hunger and poverty in Africa. The model will integrate traditional agriculture and clean drinking water initiatives. The program will focus on the empowerment of women who will be trained in-country by qualified personnel associated with the movement. The design will be based on a core epicenter, with additional epicenters to follow. The core epicenter will include a training program, mini feed mill and fry production facility. A microfinance program will be established and seed capital will be extended to a select and empowered co-operative of entrepreneurial fish farmers. To enable future visibility and access to funding, the web site fishfarmer.org has been reserved but is not yet developed; Consultant is currently retained by a large Central American Tilapia farming company with international operations. The Consultant works on special projects from time to time for this client. Previous areas of assistance have included the preparation of a wholesale selling price cost increase justification study, case studies research on cage culture practices operations in major producing countries, and development of company position statements and presentations on high profile issues such as organic aquaculture standards and food safety;
2007/8 2007/8 2007 2004-2006 2003/4 Consultant is assisting a well known European wealth management group that is interested in developing a set of investment vehicles that focus exclusively on publicly traded aquaculture companies. The client currently has around USD 1.5 billion in assets under management. The consultant is current providing industry expertise, creating a set of key investment screening criteria and commencing with due diligence on the entire universe of approximately sixty publicly traded aquaculture companies. Future deliverables will include site visits with key management personnel, investment recommendations and assistance in the active investment management of the newly created aquaculture investment products; Consultant is providing assistance to a development company that is investigating the feasibility of establishing a commercial recirculating aquaculture system in Highlands County, Florida; Consultant provided exclusive representation to a highly qualified US private equity investor seeking quality investment opportunities in the aquaculture industry. This client has a net worth in excess of USD 1 billion. Duties included sourcing of investment opportunities, due diligence, recommendations and ongoing advisement; Consultant to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Chemonics Corporation and a local Ugandan investor. The assignment was to prepare an in-depth feasibility study for a proposed commercial Tilapia cage culture project in Lake Victoria. Key components of the feasibility study included an exhaustive site search of Lake Victoria for sites suitable for commercial cage culture, site search for suitable land-based locations for hatchery development, site analysis of the highest potential sites, an assessment of both traditional and fish farming infrastructure, preparation of an environmental impact study, preparation of a social impact study, development of commercial production protocols, delivery of an European Union (EU) market analysis and development of a strategic marketing plan and development of a comprehensive and bankable financial feasibility analysis. Meetings were held with hundreds of key industry contacts and more than one hundred hours of time were logged on Lake Victoria; The Consultant performed an appraisal of several aquaculture assets for the largest aquaculture company in Belize. A site analysis and a feasibility study of a potential Tilapia farming venture were performed and an assessment of a non-operational shrimp farm was conducted;
2003/4 2003 2002/3 2001/2002 2000 1997-2000 The Consultant assisted a Brazilian client investigating a major investment in a greenfield Tilapia farming operation in Brazil. The Consultant investigated and prepared a detailed report on the market for farm-raised Tilapia in the United States. This in-depth report capitalized on face-to-face interviews with local seafood importers and wholesalers and an extensive telephone marketing survey of major buyers of farm-raised Tilapia in the United States. A clear picture of the market emerged and precise marketing strategies were formulated; Consulting services were extended to an existing fish farming operation in California. Advisement was given on a wide range of issues including design, construction, equipment sourcing, security, farm management, inventory management, production planning, production methods, oxygen budgeting, development of a water quality monitoring program, broodstock sourcing, hatchery development and training of existing personnel; The Consultant advised one of the largest catfish producers in Vietnam and a local seafood processor on the development of an industrial Tilapia cage culture operation on the Mekong Delta. We advised the client on all phases of development of a vertically integrated Tilapia farming industry. Areas of key advisement included commercial hatchery production, fry production, fingerling production, cage culture growout, feed formulation, processing plant safety, sanitation, HACCP protocols, US market analysis and development of a US marketing office; The Consultant developed a plan to convert two of the largest vertically integrated shrimp farming operations in Ecuador to Tilapia farming operations. Together, these two farms contained more than 4,000 hectares of farming area. A strategic plan was developed to increase production from Tilapia farming by several orders of magnitude over existing production levels. Recommendations were provided on hatchery, feed and processing, with specific reference to improvements that would be required for the major expansion into Tilapia farming. The plan was successfully implemented and the operation is now one of the largest producers of Tilapia in Latin America; The Consultant advised on a proposed 1,000-hectare Tilapia farming project in Suriname. The scope of work included a comprehensive site analysis, feasibility study, preliminary design work and development of production protocols; Complete project development and project management services for a Tilapia farming project in Venezuela. Over a three-year period, the Consultant managed this project through all phases of development. Some of the areas where expertise was provided to this project included site analysis, feasibility analyses, market analyses, development of the farm design, materials sourcing, farm construction, contract farm management, development of the production manual, financial analyses, training, water quality management, hatchery management, disease diagnosis, processing plant development and long-term strategic planning.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this brief summary of our qualifications. We look forward to the opportunity to meet you aquaculture consulting requirements. Respectfully Submitted, Tom Frese President AquaSol, Inc.