I read a lot of business-news-wire stuff that is geographically/industrially related to our client's business and ran across this amazing story:

SEC halts trading of Rocky Mount company’s shares

Regulators said Friday they suspended trading in Roanoke Technology Corp. until Dec. 20 due to “a lack of current and accurate information concerning the company.” Roanoke hasn’t filed any documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission since February and hasn’t filed a quarterly or annual report since September 2005.

Wait, it gets better:

Friday’s action is the company’s second major run-in with the SEC in recent years. In 2006, former CEO David L. Smith Jr. settled an SEC complaint that he improperly issued stock to “consultants” who sold the shares for $7 million and kicked back $4 million to Smith.

So what?

Roanoke, a consulting firm that helps other companies or individuals boost their standing on online search engines such as Google, trades on the Pink Sheets under the ticker "RNKE."

Side note: loved this gem from their About Us page:  "We are an ethical, whitehat SEO, SEM, PPC and website design company."

Ok, it's funny, but not as funny as What Happens in Vegas.

But it's better than funny - here are 10 juicy linkbaitalicious reasons to rejoice:

1. Reconnect with dormant or ex clients using this as the driver.
2. Bait a hook with this and reel in prospects so you can close business.
3. Flag down a local reporter - flog a human interest story about how this taints the industry but you, the local underdog, are different.
4. Take this to the local MBA school so you can give a business ethics presentation.  (Extra Moz points if you score the weekend/executive MBA group!)
5. Use it as a pivot for a chamber of commerce presentation.  Do it in a breakfast meeting. Or two.  You got more than one town nearby? Recycle it like wiki content.
6. Got talk radio?  This is a 15 minute segment with you as the local expert.
7. It's high ground - If you're a company, go after the sole practitioners clients.  "Get someone big enough to trust!"
8. Use the leverage - If you're solo, don the shining armor of individualistic responsibility and go after the clients of your bigger competitors.
9. Realize that you have larger and smaller competitors and use BOTH the high ground and leverage.
10. Do all of the above.

That story is money in the bank.