Good morning to you all. With mixed emotions, I am writing to advise that Paul Kondakos is stepping down from AGORACOM on November 30th after 10 years of dedication to the creation of the best small-cap community on the web.

I founded AGORACOM 13 years ago and turned it into a great little business that benefited from the rise of Web 1.0. In 2000, it became clear to me that AGORACOM had the potential to become something great – but I would need someone great to help me get there. The first and only person I turned to was Paul. We had already known each other for 10 years up to that point and worked side-by-side building a powerful Hellenic Students Association at York University in the early 90’s. I counted him as one of my best friends – and it didn’t hurt that he had earned himself an MBA and law degree in the mid-90’s.

The next 10 years saw us work side-by-side creating “AGORACOM 2.0″. We knew we had an uphill battle competing with incumbent finance sites already well ahead of us in the space – but didn’t count on being hobbled by the dot-com burst, Enron, Worldcom, 9/11 and the ensuing invasion of Iraq. Suffice it to say, new business was hard to come by.

Nonetheless, we worked hard and through the night on too many occasions to count. We prevailed and AGORACOM grew to achieve success from a member satisfaction, traffic, business and recognition point of view. It was a great and remarkable ride.

I said mixed emotions at the outset because – as AGORACOM now embarks on its next stage of growth and development – it will be hard to imagine not having Paul around. He’s wicked smart and his skill sets are a perfect complement to mine. You can’t just replace that.

On the other hand, I’ve always known that Paul doesn’t / can’t stand still. 10 years in one place (other than his family) is probably at his outer limits. It’s no secret that the last 12 months provided our greatest challenge and true to his form, he stuck it out until our matter with the OSC was resolved. He is an entrepreneur and craves the challenge of new business. As such, I am happy for him and know that I don’t have to wish him luck in achieving his next success.

Regards,

George