
In late 2005, Lake Capital had the opportunity to
work with an experienced management team, including
a former Lake CFO, to start Office Media Network (OMN),
a unique advertising and media company that has negotiated
an exclusive partnership with Dow Jones & Company.
Together, the partners launched The Wall Street Journal
Office Network (The WSJ Office Network), a service
that delivers the world's leading business news, information,
and customized announcements to office buildings on
state-of-the-art, flat-panel LCD screens. The WSJ
Office Network provides building tenants and visitors
with up-to-the-minute news from the Journal's main
sections and market indexes, weather, and scrolling
breaking-news headlines. Building owners can also
use the new medium to communicate important announcements
to tenants regarding building-related events, maintenance
and security.
Lake committed a significant amount of equity to hire
and support OMN's management team and staff, while
the company negotiated agreements with leading commercial
real estate owners to place the screens in their properties'
lobbies and then, subsequently, install the screens
-- all of which had to be complete before OMN could
begin selling advertising on the screens and realizing
revenues.
To date, OMN has partnered with more than a dozen
premier property owners and has installed screens
in more than 600 buildings in 10 major media markets.
The company plans to begin selling advertising space
later in 2007, and Lake Capital plans to continue
investing in OMN's build-out until the company ramps
up its cashflow.