RE: Sad to see Gary leavesThere are a large number of shareholders that are sorry that Gary has left the company. There will be a replacement, and I expect that those that choose the replacement will do their best to see he is well qualified. In my opinion they will not find a replacement that provided the comfort level that Gary Nash did, to me, and a number of other minority shareholders. Gary lived and breathed LBE. He was there from the time it was rescued from those former principals, through it's exploration and development, mill construction, global meltdown, Jilin Jien financing and control, to within months of profitable production. Through that time, he operated the company like it was his own money involved, and he did have a meaningful stake. He was open to anyone in providing information on the company, within the regulations - and it didn't matter whether the person was a large, small or prospective shareholder. For those that were invested in LBE at the time of the global financial meltdown, his persistence resulted in avoiding an insolvency that would have made their shares worthless, and prevented them from participating in the future potential of what he had developed.
Some are of the opinion that Gary's departure signals the end of LBE for the ordinary investor. The share price slide seems to support that a number are taking this stance. Others feel the table was set, and that new management has been handed a chance to show great results. The volume during the price slide also supports that a number are seeing this as an opportune time to enter or add to their position.
Time will tell. But, In either case, Gary's departure is a low point for many. He operated with an integrity and openness that is too often missing, particularly in this industry, but in public companies in general. On these forums there are any number of self anointed experts that will second guess management decisions - none of which have been in that position themselves. But there is no one that can say that he did not have the best interests of the company and its shareholders in mind, at all times.