Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following discussion of "Risk Factors" identifies factors that may adversely affect our business, operations, financial condition or future performance. This information should be read in conjunction with "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and related notes. The following discussion of risks is not all-inclusive but is designed to highlight what we believe are the material factors to consider when evaluating our business and expectations. These factors could cause our future results to differ materially from our historical results and from expectations reflected in forward-looking statements.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations and the Company’s ability to access current or obtain new lending facilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic and preventative measures taken to contain or mitigate the pandemic have caused, and are continuing to cause, business slowdowns or shutdowns in affected areas and significant disruption in the financial markets both globally and in the United States, which could lead to a decline in discretionary spending by consumers, and in turn impact, possibly materially, the Company business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. The impacts include, but are not limited to:
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the possibility of renewed retail store closures or reduced operating hours and/or decreased retail traffic; |
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disruption to the Company’s distribution centers and other vendors, including the effects of facility closures as a result of outbreaks of COVID-19 or measures taken by federal, state or local governments to reduce its spread, reductions in operating hours, labor shortages, and real time changes in operating procedures, including for additional cleaning and disinfection procedures; and |
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significant disruption of global financial markets, which could have an adverse impact on the Company's ability to access capital in the future. |
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the global supply chain, with restrictions and limitations on related activities causing disruption and delay. These disruptions and delays have strained certain domestic and international supply chains, which have affected and could continue to adversely affect the flow or availability of certain products. As a result, the Company has experienced, and could continue to experience, disruptions and higher costs in manufacturing, supply chain, logistical operations, and shortages of certain Company products in distribution channels.
The further spread of COVID-19, and the requirements to take action to help limit the spread of the illness, could impact the Company’s ability to carry out its business as usual and may materially adversely impact global economic conditions, the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. The extent of the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s business and financial results will depend on future developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak (including new variants) within the markets in which the Company operates, the related impact on consumer confidence and spending, and the effect of governmental regulations imposed in response to the pandemic, all of which are highly uncertain and ever-changing. The sweeping nature of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it extremely difficult to predict how the Company’s business and operations will be affected in the longer run. Any of the foregoing factors, or other cascading effects of the coronavirus pandemic, could materially increase the Company’s costs, adversely impact the Company’s sales and damage the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations, possibly to a significant degree. The duration of any such impacts cannot be predicted.
Unfavorable economic conditions could have an adverse impact on consumer discretionary spending and therefore adversely impact the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s products are recreational in nature and are therefore discretionary purchases for consumers. Consumers are generally more willing to make discretionary purchases of automotive products during favorable economic conditions and when consumers are feeling confident and prosperous. Discretionary spending is also affected by many other factors, including general business conditions, inflation, interest rates, inflation, the availability of consumer credit, taxes, and consumer confidence in future economic conditions. Purchases of the Company’s products could decline during periods when disposable income is lower, or during periods of actual or perceived unfavorable economic conditions. A significant or prolonged decline in general economic conditions or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects that adversely affect consumer discretionary spending, whether in the United States or in the Company’s international markets, could result in reduced sales of the Company’s products, which in turn would have an adverse impact on the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
A severe or prolonged economic downturn could adversely affect the Company’s distributors’ financial condition, their levels of business activity and their ability to pay trade obligations.
The Company primarily sells its products to retailers directly and through its domestic and foreign subsidiaries, and to foreign distributors. The Company generally requires no collateral from its customers. However, a severe or prolonged downturn in the general economy could adversely affect the retail market, which in turn, would adversely impact the liquidity and cash flows of the Company’s customers, including the ability of such customers to obtain credit to finance purchases of the Company’s products and to pay their trade obligations. This could result in increased delinquent or uncollectible accounts for some of the Company’s customers. A failure by the Company’s customers to pay on a timely basis a significant portion of outstanding account receivable balances would adversely impact the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
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Failure to compete effectively could reduce the Company’s market share and significantly harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s industry is highly competitive, and the Company’s success depends on the Company’s ability to compete with suppliers of automotive aftermarket products, some of which may have substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than the Company does. Due to the diversity of the Company’s product offering, the Company competes with several large and medium-sized companies and a large number of smaller regional and specialty companies and numerous category-specific competitors. In addition, the Company faces competition from original equipment manufacturers, which, through their automotive dealerships, supply many of the same types of replacement parts the Company sells. Existing competitors may expand their product offerings and sales strategies, and new competitors may enter the market.
Some of the Company’s competitors may have larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than the Company does. These factors may allow the Company’s competitors to:
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respond more quickly than the Company can to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements by devoting greater resources than we can to the development, promotion and sale of automotive aftermarket products; |
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engage in more extensive research and development; and |
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spend more money and resources on marketing and promotion. |
Increased competition could put additional pressure on the Company to reduce prices or take other actions, which may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. The Company may also lose significant customers or lines of business to competitors.
If the Company is unable to successfully design, develop and market new products, the Company’s business may be harmed.
To maintain and increase sales, the Company must continue to introduce new products on a timely basis to respond to new and evolving consumer preferences and improve or enhance the Company’s existing products. The success of the Company’s new and enhanced products depends on many factors, including anticipating consumer preferences, finding innovative solutions to consumer problems, differentiating the Company’s products from those of the Company’s competitors, and maintaining the strength of the Company’s brands. The design and development of the Company’s products is costly, and the Company typically has several products in development at the same time. Problems in the design or quality of the Company’s products, or delays in product introduction, may harm the Company’s brands, business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. Any new products that the Company develops and markets may not generate sufficient revenues to recoup their development, production, marketing, selling and other costs.
A drive toward electric vehicles or away from vehicle ownership in general could impact the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The automotive industry is increasingly focused on the development of hybrid and electric vehicles and of advanced driver assistance technologies, with the goal of developing and introducing a commercially viable, fully automated driving experience, and many manufacturers have announced plans to transition from internal- combustion engines into electric vehicle platforms over the coming years. There has also been an increase in consumer preferences for mobility on demand services, such as car and ride sharing, as opposed to automobile ownership, which may result in a long-term reduction in the number of vehicles per capita. Accordingly, if we do not continue to innovate and develop, or acquire, new and compelling products that capitalize upon new technologies in response to original equipment manufacturer and consumer preferences, or if there is a future shift in consumer preferences towards ownership of more utilitarian vehicles or vehicles that are otherwise less interesting to a large portion of the Company’s customers who are automotive enthusiasts, or if there is otherwise a future shift away from automobile ownership among consumers in general, the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business, sales, financial condition and results of operations could be impacted.
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The Company’s business depends on maintaining and strengthening its brands to generate and maintain ongoing demand for its products, and a significant reduction in such demand could harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s success depends on the value and reputation of the Company’s brands, which, in turn, depends on factors such as the quality, design, performance, functionality, and durability of the Company’s products, the image of the Company’s e-commerce platform and retail partner floor spaces, the Company’s communication activities, including advertising, social media, and public relations, and the Company’s management of the customer experience, including direct interfaces through customer service. Maintaining, promoting, and positioning the Company’s brands are important to expanding its customer base, and will depend largely on the success of the Company’s marketing and merchandising efforts and the Company’s ability to provide consistent, high-quality customer experiences. The Company intends to continue making investments in these areas in order to maintain and enhance the Company’s brands, and such investments may not be successful. Ineffective marketing, negative publicity, product diversion to unauthorized distribution channels, product or manufacturing defects, counterfeit products, unfair labor practices, and failure to protect the intellectual property rights in the Company’s brands are some of the potential threats to the strength of the Company’s brands, and those and other factors could rapidly and severely diminish customer confidence in us. Furthermore, these factors could cause the Company’s customers to lose the personal connection they feel with the Company’s brands. The Company believes that maintaining and enhancing the image of the Company’s brands in its current markets and in new markets where it has limited brand recognition is important to expanding its customer base. If the Company is unable to maintain or enhance its brands in current or new markets, the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
If the Company inaccurately forecasts demand for its products, it may manufacture either insufficient or excess quantities, which, in either case, could adversely affect its financial performance.
The Company plans its manufacturing capacity based upon the forecasted demand for its products. Forecasting the demand for the Company’s products is very difficult given the manufacturing lead time and the amount of specification involved. Forecasting demand for specific automotive part goods can also be challenging due to changing consumer preferences and competitive pressures and longer supply lead times. The nature of the Company’s business makes it difficult to adjust quickly its manufacturing capacity if actual demand for its products exceeds or is less than forecasted demand. If actual demand for its products exceeds the forecasted demand, the Company may not be able to produce sufficient quantities of new products in time to fulfill actual demand, which could limit the Company’s sales and adversely affect its financial performance. On the other hand, if actual demand is less than the forecasted demand for its products, the Company could produce excess quantities, resulting in excess inventories and related obsolescence charges that could adversely affect the Company’s financial performance.
The Company may not be able to effectively manage its growth.
As the Company grows its business, slower growing or reduced demand for the Company’s products, increased competition, a decrease in the growth rate of the Company’s overall market, failure to develop and successfully market new products, or the maturation of the Company business or market could harm the Company’s business. The Company has made and expects to continue to make significant investments in the Company’s research and development and sales and marketing organizations, expand the Company’s operations and infrastructure both domestically and internationally, design and develop new products, and enhance the Company’s existing products. In addition, in connection with operating as a public company, the Company will incur significant additional legal, accounting, and other expenses that the Company did not incur as a private company. If the Company’s sales do not increase at a sufficient rate to offset these increases in the Company’s operating expenses, its profitability may decline in future periods.
The Company only has a limited history operating the Company’s business at its current scale. Consequently, if the Company’s operations grow at a rapid pace in the future, the Company may experience difficulties in managing this growth and building the appropriate processes and controls. Future rapid growth may increase the strain on the Company’s resources, and the Company could experience operating difficulties, including difficulties in sourcing, logistics, recruiting, maintaining internal controls, marketing, designing innovative products, and meeting consumer needs. If the Company does not adapt to meet these evolving challenges, the strength of the Company’s brands may erode, the quality of the Company’s products may suffer, the Company may not be able to deliver products on a timely basis to the Company’s customers, and the Company’s corporate culture may be harmed.
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If the Company fails to attract new customers, or fails to do so in a cost-effective manner, the Company may not be able to increase sales.
The Company’s success depends, in part, on its ability to attract customers in a cost-effective manner. In order to expand the Company’s customer base, the Company must appeal to and attract customers ranging from automotive enthusiasts to individuals who simply value products of uncompromising quality and design. The Company has made, and the Company expects that the Company will continue to make, significant investments in attracting new customers, including through the use of traditional, digital, and social media and participation in, and sponsorship of, community events. Marketing campaigns can be expensive and may not result in the cost- effective acquisition of customers. Further, as the Company’s brands becomes more widely known, future marketing campaigns may not attract new customers at the same rate as past campaigns. If the Company is unable to attract new customers, or fails to do so in a cost-effective manner, the Company’s growth could be slower than it expects and the Company’s business will be harmed.
The Company’s growth depends, in part, on expanding into additional consumer markets, and the Company may not be successful in doing so.
The Company believes that its future growth depends not only on continuing to reach its current core demographic, but also continuing to broaden its retail partner and customer bases. The growth of the Company’s business will depend, in part, on the Company’s ability to continue to expand its retail partner and customer bases in the United States, as well as in international markets. In these markets, the Company may face challenges that are different from those the Company currently encounters, including competitive, merchandising, distribution, hiring, and other difficulties. The Company may also encounter difficulties in attracting customers due to a lack of consumer familiarity with or acceptance of the Company’s brands, or a resistance to paying for premium products, particularly in international markets. The Company continues to evaluate marketing efforts and other strategies to expand the customer base for its products. In addition, although the Company is investing in sales and marketing activities to further penetrate newer regions, including expansion of its dedicated sales force, the Company cannot ensure that it will be successful. If the Company is not successful, its business, sales, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.
Competitors have attempted, and will likely continue to attempt to, imitate the Company’s products and technology. If the Company is unable to protect or preserve the image of the Company’s brands and proprietary rights, the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.
As the Company’s business continues to expand, its competitors have imitated or attempted to imitate, and will likely continue to imitate or attempt to imitate, the Company’s product designs and branding, which could harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. Only a portion of the intellectual property used in the manufacture and design of the Company’s products is patented, and the Company therefore relies significantly on trade secrets, trade and service marks, trade dress, and the strength of the Company’s brands. The Company regards its patents, trade dress, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and similar proprietary rights as critical to its success. The Company also relies on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with its employees, consultants, suppliers, manufacturers, and others to protect its proprietary rights. Nevertheless, the steps the Company takes to protect its proprietary rights against infringement or other violations may be inadequate, and it may experience difficulty in effectively limiting the unauthorized use of its patents, trademarks, trade dress, and other intellectual property and proprietary rights worldwide. The Company also cannot guarantee that others will not independently develop technology with the same or similar function to any proprietary technology the Company relies on to conduct its business and differentiate itself from its competitors. Unauthorized use or invalidation of its patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade dress, trade secrets, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights may cause significant damage to the Company’s brands and harm its business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
While the Company actively develops and protects its intellectual property rights, there can be no assurance that the Company will be adequately protected in all countries in which the Company conducts its business or that the Company will prevail when defending its patent, trademark, and proprietary rights. Additionally, the Company could incur significant costs and management distraction in pursuing claims to enforce its intellectual property rights through litigation and defending any alleged counterclaims. If the Company is unable to protect or preserve the value of its patents, trade dress, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights for any reason, or if the Company fails to maintain the image of the Company’s brands due to actual or perceived product or service quality issues, adverse publicity, governmental investigations or litigation, or other reasons, the Company’s brands and reputation could be damaged, and the Company’s business may be harmed.
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The Company’s profitability may decline as a result of increasing pressure on pricing.
The Company’s industry is subject to significant pricing pressure caused by many factors, including intense competition, consolidation in the retail industry, pressure from retailers to reduce the costs of products, and changes in consumer demand. These factors may cause the Company to reduce its prices to retailers and customers or engage in more promotional activity than the Company anticipates, which could adversely impact its margins and cause the Company’s profitability to decline if it is unable to offset price reductions with comparable reductions in the Company’s operating costs. This could materially harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, ongoing and sustained promotional activities could harm the image of the Company’s brands.
A significant disruption in the operations of the Company’s manufacturing facilities or distribution centers could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
A significant disruption at any of the Company’s manufacturing facilities or distribution centers could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. The Company’s manufacturing facilities and distribution centers are highly automated, which means that their operations are complicated and may be subject to a number of risks related to computer viruses, the proper operation of software and hardware, electronic or power interruptions, and other system failures, including failures caused by factors outside of our control, such as hostilities, political unrest, terrorist attacks, war (including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine), natural disasters or extreme weather (including events that may be caused or exacerbated by climate change). Risks associated with upgrading or expanding these facilities may significantly disrupt or increase the cost of the Company’s operations, which may have an immediate, or in some cases prolonged, impact on the Company’s margins. Our risk management, business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not be effective at preventing or mitigating the effects of such disruptions, particularly in the case of catastrophic events or longer term developments, such as the impacts of climate change.
Increases in cost, disruption of supply or shortage of raw materials or components used in the Company’s products could harm its business and profitability.
The Company’s products contain various raw materials, including corrosion-resistant steel, non-ferrous metals such as aluminum and nickel, and precious metals such as platinum and palladium. The Company uses raw materials directly in manufacturing and in components that the Company purchases from its suppliers. The Company generally purchases components with significant raw material content on the open market. The prices for and availability of these raw materials fluctuate depending on market conditions. Volatility in the prices of raw materials such as steel, aluminum and nickel could increase the cost of manufacturing the Company’s products. The Company may not be able to pass on these costs to its customers, and this could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. Even in the event that increased costs can be passed through to customers, the Company’s gross margin percentages would decline. Additionally, the Company’s suppliers are also subject to fluctuations in the prices of raw materials and may attempt to pass all or a portion of such increases on to the Company. In the event they are successful in doing so, the Company’s margins would decline.
The Company’s current and future products may experience quality problems from time to time that can result in negative publicity, litigation, product recalls, and warranty claims, which could result in decreased sales and operating margin, and harm to the Company’s brand.
Although the Company extensively and rigorously tests new and enhanced products, there can be no assurance the Company will be able to detect, prevent, or fix all defects. Defects in materials or components can unexpectedly interfere with the products’ intended use and safety and damage the Company reputation. Failure to detect, prevent, or fix defects could result in a variety of consequences, including a greater number of product returns than expected from customers and retail partners, litigation, product recalls, and credit claims, among others, which could harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. The occurrence of real or perceived quality problems or material defects in the Company’s current and future products could expose the Company to product recalls, warranty, or other claims. In addition, any negative publicity or lawsuits filed against the Company related to the perceived quality and safety of the Company products could also harm the Company brand and decrease demand for the Company’s products.
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The Company’s reliance on foreign suppliers for some of the automotive parts the Company sell to its customers or included in its products presents risks to the business.
A portion of automotive parts and components the Company uses in its manufacturing process are imported from suppliers located outside the U.S. As a result, the Company is subject to various risks of doing business in foreign markets and importing products from abroad, such as:
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significant delays in the delivery of cargo due to port security considerations; |
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imposition of duties, taxes, tariffs or other charges on imports; |
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potential recalls or cancellations of orders for any product that does not meet the Company’s quality standards; |
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disruption of imports by labor disputes or strikes and local business practices; |
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heightened terrorism security concerns, which could subject imported goods to additional, more frequent or more thorough inspections, leading to delays in deliveries or impoundment of goods for extended periods; |
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political tensions, conflicts, and wars, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine; |
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natural disasters, disease, epidemics and health related concerns, which could result in closed factories, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials and scrutiny or embargoing of goods produced in infected areas; |
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inability of the Company’s non-U.S. suppliers to obtain adequate credit or access liquidity to finance its operations; and |
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the Company’s ability to enforce any agreements with its foreign suppliers. |
Any of the foregoing factors, or a combination of them, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of products available to the Company and materially and adversely impact the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company depends on retail partners to display and present its products to customers, and the Company’s failure to maintain and further develop the Company’s relationships with retail partners could harm the Company’s business.
The Company sells a significant amount of its products through knowledgeable national, regional, and independent retail partners. The Company’s retail partners service customers by stocking and displaying the Company’s products, explaining the Company product attributes, and sharing the story of the Company’s brands. The Company’s relationships with these retail partners are important to the authenticity of the Company’s brands and the marketing programs the Company continues to deploy. The Company’s failure to maintain these relationships with its retail partners or financial difficulties experienced by these retail partners could harm its business.
The Company has key relationships with national retail partners. If the Company loses any of the Company’s key retail partners or any key retail partner reduces its purchases of the Company’s existing or new products or its number of stores or operations or promotes products of the Company’s competitors over the Company’s, the Company’s sales would be harmed. Because the Company is a premium brand, its sales depend, in part, on retail partners effectively displaying its products, including providing attractive space and point of purchase displays in their stores, and training their sales personnel to sell its products. If the Company’s retail partners reduce or terminate those activities, the Company may experience reduced sales of its products, resulting in lower gross margins, which would harm its business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
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If the Company’s plans to increase sales through its DTC channel are not successful, the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
For 2021, the Company generated through its DTC channel approximately $117 million in gross sales. Part of the Company’s growth strategy involves increasing sales through its DTC channel. The level of customer traffic and volume of customer purchases through the Company’s website is substantially dependent on the Company’s ability to provide a content-rich and user-friendly website, a hassle- free customer experience, sufficient product availability, and reliable, timely delivery of the Company’s products. If the Company is unable to maintain and increase customers’ use of its website, allocate sufficient product to the Company’s website, and increase any sales through its website, the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
The Company’s future success depends on the continuing efforts of the Company’s management and key employees, and on the Company’s ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel and senior management.
The Company depends on the talents and continued efforts of its senior management and key employees. The loss of members of management or key employees may disrupt the Company’s business and harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the Company’s ability to manage further expansion will require it to continue to attract, motivate, and retain additional qualified personnel. Competition for this type of personnel is intense, and the Company may not be successful in attracting, integrating, and retaining the personnel required to grow and operate its business effectively. There can be no assurance that the Company’s current management team or any new members of the management team will be able to successfully execute the Company’s business and operating strategies.
The Company relies on complex information systems for management of its manufacturing, distribution, sales and other functions. If the Company’s information systems fail to perform these functions adequately or if the Company experiences an interruption in their operation, including a breach in cyber security, its business, sales, financial condition and results of operations could suffer.
All of the Company’s major operations, including manufacturing, distribution, sales and accounting, are dependent upon the Company’s complex information systems. The Company’s information systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from:
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earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane and other natural disasters; |
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power loss, computer systems failure, Internet and telecommunications or data network failure; and |
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hackers, computer viruses, software bugs or glitches. |
Any damage or significant disruption in the operation of such systems, the failure of the Company’s information systems to perform as expected, the failure to successfully integrate the information technology systems of the businesses that the Company has recently acquired or any security breach to the information systems (including financial or credit/payment frauds) would disrupt the Company’s business, which may result in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, excess inventory and product shortages and otherwise adversely affect the Company’s reputation, operations, financial performance and condition.
Our information systems are subject to security threats and sophisticated cyber-based attacks, including, but not limited to, denial-of-service attacks, hacking, “phishing” attacks, computer viruses, ransomware, malware, employee or insider error, malfeasance, social engineering, or physical breaches, that can cause deliberate or unintentional damage, create system disruptions, unauthorized acquisition of our or customer information, or destruction or misuse, manipulation, denial of access to or disclosure of confidential or important information. We have experienced, and expect to continue to confront, efforts by hackers and other third parties to gain unauthorized access or deny access to, or otherwise disrupt, our information systems. For example, we were the target of an external cyber-attack in third quarter 2021, which resulted in a temporary suspension of services to our customers. To date these incidents have not had a material impact on the Company’s reputation, operations, financial performance and condition; however, there is no assurance that such impacts will not be material in the future, and such incidents have in the past and may in the future have the impacts discussed below. Any future successful cyber-attack or catastrophic natural disaster could significantly affect our operating and financial systems and could temporarily disrupt our ability to provide services to our customers, impact our ability to manage our operations and perform vital financial processes, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
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Moreover, the threat of cyber-attacks is constantly evolving, thereby increasing the difficulty of successfully defending against them or implementing adequate preventative measures and we cannot ensure that we will be able to identify, prevent or contain the effects of future cyber-attacks or other cybersecurity risks that bypass our security measures or disrupt our information technology systems or business. While we have security technologies, processes and procedures in place to protect against cybersecurity risks and security breaches, the hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design, manufacturer defects or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. In addition, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems change frequently, are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and may not immediately produce signs of intrusion, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques, timely discover or counter them or implement adequate preventative measures.
As a result of any such incidents, we could be subject to litigation and regulatory risk, civil and criminal penalties, additional costs and diversion of management attention due to investigation, remediation efforts and engagement of third party consultants and legal counsel in connection with such incidents, payment of “ransoms” to regain access to our systems and information, loss of customers, damage to customer relationships, reduced revenue and profits, refunds of customer charges and damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. While we have contingency plans and insurance coverage for potential liabilities of this nature, they may not be sufficient to cover all claims and liabilities and in some cases are subject to deductibles and layers of self-insured retention.
Cyber-attacks, unauthorized access to, or accidental disclosure of, consumer personally-identifiable information including credit card information, that the Company collects through its websites may result in significant expense and adversely impact the Company’s reputation and business.
There is heightened concern and awareness over the security of personal information transmitted over the Internet, consumer identity theft and user privacy. While the Company has implemented security measures, the Company’s computer systems may nevertheless be susceptible to electronic or physical computer break-ins, viruses and other disruptions and security compromises. Any perceived or actual unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure of personally-identifiable information, whether through a compromise of the Company’s network by an unauthorized party, employee theft, misuse or error or otherwise, could harm the Company’s reputation, impair the Company’s ability to attract website visitors, or subject the Company to claims or litigation arising from damages suffered by consumers, and adversely affect the Company’s operations, financial performance and condition.
The Company depends on cash generated from its operations to support its growth, and the Company may need to raise additional capital, which may not be available on terms acceptable to the Company or at all.
The Company primarily relies on cash flow generated from its sales to fund its current operations and growth initiatives. As the Company expands its business, the Company will need significant cash from operations to purchase inventory, increase product development, expand its manufacturer and supplier relationships, pay personnel, pay for the increased costs associated with operating as a public company and further invest in sales and marketing efforts. If the Company’s business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fund these activities and sufficient funds are not otherwise available from the Company’s current or future credit facility, the Company may need additional equity or debt financing. If such financing is not available to the Company on satisfactory terms, the Company’s ability to operate and expand the Company’s business or to respond to competitive pressures could be harmed. Moreover, if the Company raises additional capital by issuing equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, the ownership of the Company’s existing stockholders may be diluted. The holders of new securities may also have rights, preferences or privileges which are senior to those of existing holders of the Common Stock. In addition, any indebtedness the Company incurs may subject the Company to covenants that restrict the Company’s operations and will require interest and principal payments that could create additional cash demands and financial risk for the Company.
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Indebtedness of the Company and its subsidiaries may limit the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to invest in the ongoing needs of its business and if the Company and its subsidiaries are unable to comply with the covenants in its current credit agreements, the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business, sales, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
On November 18, 2021, the Company entered into a new credit facility with a syndicate of lenders and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent for the lenders, letter of credit issuer and swing line lender (the "Credit Agreement"). The financing consists of a seven-year $600 million first-lien term loan, a five-year $125 million revolving credit facility, and a $100 million delayed draw term loan. The Company is required to make quarterly payments of principal plus accrued interest. As of December 31, 2021, $655 million in principal was outstanding under the credit facility, including $600 million for the first-lien term loan, $30 million for the delayed draw term loan, and $25 million under the revolving credit facility. The Credit Agreement imposes various restrictions and contains customary affirmative and restrictive covenants, including, without limitation, certain reporting obligations and certain limitations on restricted payments; and limitations on liens, encumbrances and indebtedness. In addition, borrowings under the Credit Agreement are jointly and severally guaranteed by the Company and certain of its wholly-owned material subsidiaries and the Company’s future subsidiaries that become guarantors (collectively the “Loan Parties"). The First Lien Credit Agreement is secured by a first-priority lien on substantially all of the Loan Parties’ assets, in each case subject to certain customary exceptions. If we fail to comply with the covenants or payments specified in the Credit Agreement, the lender could declare an event of default, which would give it the right to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable.
The Credit Agreement places certain conditions on the Company, including, subject to certain conditions, reductions and exceptions, requiring the Company to utilize a portion of its and its subsidiaries’ cash flow from operations to make payments on its and its subsidiaries’ indebtedness, reducing the availability of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, development activity, return capital to the Company’s stockholders, and other general corporate purposes. The Company’s and its subsidiaries’ compliance with this condition may limit the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to invest in the ongoing needs of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business. For example, complying with this condition:
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increases the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ vulnerability to adverse economic or industry conditions; |
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limits the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business or markets; |
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makes the Company and its subsidiaries more vulnerable to increases in interest rates, as borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at variable rates; |
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limits the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital or other purposes; and |
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potentially places the Company and its subsidiaries at a competitive disadvantage compared to the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ competitors that have less indebtedness. |
The Credit Agreement places certain limitations on the Company’s and certain of its subsidiaries’ ability to incur additional indebtedness. However, subject to the certain exceptions and baskets in the Credit Agreement, the Company and its subsidiaries may incur substantial additional indebtedness under and outside of such credit agreement. The Credit Agreement also limits or prohibits, among other things, and in each case, subject to exceptions, materiality thresholds and baskets, the Company’s and certain of its subsidiaries’ ability to: (a) pay dividends on, redeem or repurchase stock, or make other distributions; (b) incur or guarantee additional indebtedness; (c) sell stock in certain of the Company’s subsidiaries; (d) create or incur liens; (e) make acquisitions or investments; (f) transfer or sell certain assets or merge or consolidate with or into other companies; (g) make certain payments or prepayments of indebtedness subordinated to the Company’s obligations under the Credit Agreement; and (h) enter into certain transactions with the Company’s affiliates.
In addition to the restrictions described above, the Credit Agreement requires the Company and certain of its subsidiaries to comply with certain other covenants, including a financial maintenance covenant regarding the Company’s total net leverage ratio on the last day of each fiscal quarter, with step downs to lower total net leverage ratio levels at specified times as set forth therein. Failure to comply with these covenants and certain other provisions of the Credit Agreement, or the occurrence of a change of control, could result in an event of default and an acceleration of the Loan Parties’ obligations under the Credit Agreement or other indebtedness that the Company and its subsidiaries may incur in the future.
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If such an event of default and acceleration of the Loan Parties’ obligations occurs, subject to intercreditor agreements agreed to by the lenders, the lenders under the Credit Agreement would have the right to proceed against the collateral the Loan Parties granted to them to secure such indebtedness. If the debt under the Credit Agreement were to be accelerated, the Company and its subsidiaries may not have sufficient cash or be able to sell sufficient collateral to repay this debt, which would immediately and materially harm the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. The threat of the Company’s debt being accelerated in connection with a change of control could make it more difficult for the Company to attract potential buyers or to consummate a change of control transaction that would otherwise be beneficial to the Company’s stockholders.
The announced upcoming discontinuance of publishing LIBOR rates may impact the cost or availability of financing for us.
A large portion of our variable rate indebtedness ($655 million of outstanding principal as of December 31, 2021) references the London interbank offered rates ("LIBOR") as a benchmark for establishing the interest rate. LIBOR is expected to be phased out by June 2023. Although our LIBOR-based borrowings under the new credit facility contemplate a transition from LIBOR to an alternative index, uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes or other reforms to LIBOR may adversely impact our interest expense, in which event our available cash flow for general corporate requirements maybe adversely affected.
The Company’s failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could harm us.
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls over financial reporting. Internal controls over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). Under standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), a deficiency in internal controls over financial reporting exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or personnel, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. The PCAOB defines a material weakness as a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal controls over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis. The PCAOB defines a significant deficiency as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal controls over financial reporting that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of a registrant’s financial reporting.
As a public company, we are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. As an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the date we are no longer an emerging growth company. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event that it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.
To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing additional internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. The efforts required to ensure that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis, and to remediate any existing material weakness, are costly and time-consuming, and may need to be re-evaluated frequently. Implementing appropriate changes to our internal controls may take a significant amount of time to complete, including that of directors, officers and employees, and may entail substantial costs in order to modify existing accounting systems.
Additionally, we may experience material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. For example, as previously disclosed we identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting related to Empower Ltd.’s accounting and reporting of complex financial instruments, including application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to the Company’s accounting classification of public shares. Remediation efforts can be time-consuming and expensive and can place a significant burden on management, thereby increasing pressure on our financial resources and processes. We may not be successful in making the improvements necessary to remediate the existing or any future material weakness, or in doing so in a timely and cost-effective manner.
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Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting, or any failure to fully remediate the existing or any future material weaknesses that may be found to exist, could inhibit our ability to accurately and on a timely basis report our cash flows, results of operations or financial condition in compliance with applicable securities laws. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our Common Stock and Warrants could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by NYSE, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remediate any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets and negatively impact the price and trading market for our Common Stock and Warrants.
The Company may acquire or invest in other companies, which it may not be able to integrate successfully, and which could divert the Company management’s attention, result in dilution to the Company’s stockholders, and otherwise disrupt the Company’s operations and harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company's recent growth has depended, and its future growth is likely to continue to depend, in part, on its acquisition strategy and the successful integration of acquired businesses into its existing operations. The Company intends to continue to seek acquisition opportunities both to expand into new markets and to enhance its position in existing markets. The Company cannot assure that it will be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses into its existing operations or expand into new markets. In addition, the Company cannot assure that any acquisition, once successfully integrated, will perform as planned, be accretive to earnings, or prove to be beneficial to the Company's results of operations or cash flow.
In the future, the Company may acquire or invest in businesses, products, or technologies that the Company believe could complement or expand its business, enhance its capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. The pursuit of potential acquisitions may divert the attention of management and cause the Company to incur various costs and expenses in identifying, investigating, and pursuing suitable acquisitions, whether or not they are consummated.
In any future acquisitions, the Company may not be able to successfully integrate acquired personnel, operations, and technologies, or effectively manage the combined business following the acquisition. The success of the Company's acquisition strategy is subject to other risks and uncertainties, including:
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an ability to realize operating efficiencies, synergies or other benefits expected from an acquisition, and possible delays in realizing the benefits of the acquired company or products; |
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the risks associated with the assumption of product liabilities or contingent or undisclosed liabilities of the acquired company; |
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difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies throughout acquired companies; |
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diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; |
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difficulties in retaining key employees, customers or suppliers of the acquired business; or |
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the ability to generate future cash flows or the availability of financing. |
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the incurrence of acquisition-related costs; |
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the issuance of dilutive equity securities, the incurrence of debt, or the use of cash to fund such acquisitions. |
In addition, an acquisition could adversely impact the Company's operating performance as a result of the incurrence of acquisition-related debt, pre-acquisition potential tax liabilities, acquisition expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, or possible future impairment of goodwill or intangible assets associated with the acquisitions.
The Company may also face liability with respect to acquired businesses for violations of environment laws occurring prior to the date of acquisition, which may not be covered by environment insurance secured to mitigate the risk or by indemnification from the sellers of the acquired businesses. The Company could also incur significant costs, including, but not limited to, remediation costs, natural resources damages, civil or criminal fines and sanctions, and third-party claims, as a result of past or future violations of, or liabilities, associated with environmental laws.
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Most members of the Company’s management team do not have prior experience in operating a public company.
Most members of the Company’s management team do not have prior experience in managing a publicly traded company. As such, the management team may encounter difficulties in successfully or effectively managing its transition to a public company and in complying with its reporting and other obligations under federal securities laws and other regulations and in connection with operating as a public company. Their lack of prior experience in dealing with the reporting and other obligations and laws pertaining to public companies could result the management of the Company being required to devote significant time to these activities which may result in less time being devoted to the management and growth of the Company. In addition, the Company is hiring additional personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience, and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal controls over financial reporting required of public companies. The Company may be required to incur significant expense in connection with these efforts.
If the Company’s goodwill, other intangible assets, or fixed assets become impaired, the Company may be required to record a charge to its earnings.
The Company may be required to record future impairments of goodwill, other intangible assets, or fixed assets to the extent the fair value of these assets falls below their book value. The Company’s estimates of fair value are based on assumptions regarding future cash flows, gross margins, expenses, discount rates applied to these cash flows, and current market estimates of value. Estimates used for future sales growth rates, gross profit performance, and other assumptions used to estimate fair value could cause the Company to record material non-cash impairment charges, which could harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
Global climate change and related regulations could negatively affect our business.
The effects of climate change, such as extreme weather conditions, create financial risks to our business. For example, the demand for our products may be affected by unseasonable weather conditions. The effects of climate change could also disrupt our operations by impacting the availability and cost of materials needed for manufacturing and could increase insurance and other operating costs. We could also face indirect financial risks passed through the supply chain and disruptions that could result in increased prices for our products and the resources needed to produce them.
Climate change is continuing to receive ever increasing attention worldwide, which could lead to additional legislative and regulatory efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. For example, new federal or state restrictions on emissions of carbon dioxide that may be imposed on vehicles and automobile fuels could adversely affect demand for vehicles, annual miles driven or the products we sell or lead to changes in automotive technology. Compliance with any new or more stringent laws or regulations, or stricter interpretations of existing laws, could require increased capital expenditures to improve our product portfolio to meet such new laws, regulations and standards. While we have been committed to continuous improvements to our product portfolio to meet anticipated regulatory standard levels, there can be no assurance that our commitments will be successful, that our products will be accepted by the market, that proposed regulation or deregulation will not have a negative competitive impact or that economic returns will reflect our investments in new product development.
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Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks Related to Our Business
The Company may become involved in legal or regulatory proceedings and audits.
The Company’s business requires compliance with many laws and regulations, including labor and employment, sales and other taxes, customs, and consumer protection laws and ordinances that regulate retailers generally and/or govern the importation, promotion, and sale of merchandise, and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject the Company to lawsuits and other proceedings, and could also lead to damage awards, fines, and penalties. The Company may become involved in a number of legal proceedings and audits, including government and agency investigations, and consumer, employment, tort, and other litigation. The outcome of some of these legal proceedings, audits, and other contingencies could require the Company to take, or refrain from taking, actions that could harm the Company’s operations or require the Company to pay substantial amounts of money, harming the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, defending against these lawsuits and proceedings may be necessary, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, harming the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations. Any pending or future legal or regulatory proceedings and audits could harm the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company may become subject to intellectual property claims or lawsuits that could cause it to incur significant costs or pay significant damages or that could prohibit it from selling its products.
The Company’s competitors also seek to obtain patent, trademark, copyright or other protection of their proprietary rights and designs for automotive products. From time to time, third parties have claimed or may claim in the future that the Company’s products infringe upon their proprietary rights. The Company evaluates any such claims and, where appropriate, has obtained or sought to obtain licenses or other business arrangements. To date, there have been no significant interruptions in the Company’s business as a result of any claims of infringement. However, in the future, intellectual property claims could force the Company to alter its existing products or withdraw them from the market or could delay the introduction of new products.
Various patents have been issued to the Company’s competitors in the automotive parts industry and these competitors may assert that the Company’s products infringe their patent or other proprietary rights. If the Company’s products are found to infringe third-party intellectual property rights, the Company may be unable to obtain a license to use such technology, and it could incur substantial costs to redesign its products, withdraw them from the market, and/or to defend legal actions.
Sales of the Company’s products by unauthorized retailers or distributors could adversely affect the Company’s authorized distribution channels and harm the Company’s reputation.
Some of the Company’s products may find their way to unauthorized outlets or distribution channels. This “gray market” for the Company’s products can undermine authorized retailers and foreign wholesale distributors who promote and support the Company’s products, and can injure the Company’s brands in the minds of its customers and consumers. On the other hand, stopping such commerce could result in a potential decrease in sales to those customers who are selling the Company’s products to unauthorized distributors or an increase in sales returns over historical levels. While the Company has taken some lawful steps to limit commerce of its products in the “gray market” in both the United States and abroad, it has not stopped such commerce.
The Company is subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, which could subject the
Company to liabilities, increase its costs or restrict its operations in the future.
The Company’s properties and operations are subject to a number of environmental, health and safety laws and regulations in each of the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, including, among others, regulations of the California Air Resources Board. These laws and regulations govern, among other things, air emissions, water discharges, handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and wastes, soil and groundwater contamination and employee health and safety. The Company’s failure to comply with such environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could result in substantial civil or criminal fines or penalties or enforcement actions, including regulatory or judicial orders enjoining or curtailing operations or requiring remedial or corrective measures, installation of pollution control equipment or other actions.
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The Company may also be subject to liability for environmental investigations and cleanups, including at properties that the Company currently or previously owned or operated, even if such contamination was not caused by the Company, and the Company may face claims alleging harm to health or property or natural resource damages arising out of contamination or exposure to hazardous substances. The Company may also be subject to similar liabilities and claims in connection with locations at which hazardous substances or wastes the Company has generated have been stored, treated, otherwise managed, or disposed. Environmental conditions at or related to the Company’s current or former properties or operations, and/or the costs of complying with current or future environmental, health and safety requirements (which have become more stringent and complex over time) could materially adversely affect the Company’s business, sales, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in, or any failure to comply with, privacy laws, regulations, and standards may adversely affect the
Company’s business.
Personal privacy and data security have become significant issues in the United States, Europe, and in many other jurisdictions in which the Company operates. The regulatory framework for privacy and security issues worldwide is rapidly evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, federal, state, or foreign government bodies or agencies have in the past adopted, and may in the future adopt, laws and regulations affecting data privacy, all of which may be subject to invalidation by relevant foreign judicial bodies.
Industry organizations also regularly adopt and advocate for new standards in this area. In the United States, these include rules and regulations promulgated under the authority of federal agencies and state attorneys general and legislatures and consumer protection agencies, including, but not limited to, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). Internationally, many jurisdictions in which the Company operates have established their own data security and privacy legal framework with which the Company or its customers must comply, including but not limited to, the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which imposes certain privacy-related obligations and potential penalties and risks upon the Company’s business. In many jurisdictions, enforcement actions and consequences for noncompliance are also rising. In addition to government regulation, privacy advocates and industry groups may propose new and different self-regulatory standards that either legally or contractually apply to the Company. Any inability or perceived inability to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or comply with applicable privacy and data security laws, regulations, and policies, could result in additional cost and liability to the Company, damage its reputation and adversely affect its business.
The Company’s insurance policies may not provide adequate levels of coverage against all claims and the Company may incur losses that are not covered by its insurance.
The Company maintains insurance of the type and in amounts that the Company believes is commercially reasonable and that is available to businesses in its industry. The Company carries various types of insurance, including general liability, auto liability, workers’ compensation, cyber, and excess umbrella, from highly rated insurance carriers. Market forces beyond the Company’s control could limit the scope of the insurance coverage that the Company can obtain in the future or restrict its ability to buy insurance coverage at reasonable rates. The Company cannot predict the level of the premiums that the Company may be required to pay for subsequent insurance coverage, the level of any deductible and/or self-insurance retention applicable thereto, the level of aggregate coverage available or the availability of coverage for specific risks. In the event of a substantial loss, the insurance coverage that the Company carries may not be sufficient to compensate the Company for the losses the Company incurs or any costs the Company is responsible for.
The Company previously identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for complex financial instruments at Empower Ltd., which existed prior to the Business Combination. During 2021, the Company completed a series of actions that effectively remediated the material weaknesses. Subsequent to the Business Combination on July 16, 2021, and upon filing the 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 26, 2021, the internal controls over financial reporting of Holley Inc. took the place of the internal controls over financial reporting of Empower Ltd. As a result, the internal control structure of Empower Ltd. is no longer in operation and, instead, the relevant internal control structure after completion of the Business Combination is that of Holley Inc. As of December 31, 2021 management has concluded that its internal control over financial reporting was effective. See Item 9A. – “Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K.
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The existence of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of us, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our shares. We can give no assurance that additional material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls, and in the future our controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify irregularities or errors or to facilitate the fair presentation of our financial statements.
The Company may face litigation and other risks as a result of Empower’s restatement of its historical financial statements and related matters.
On April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”)” (the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on certain settlement terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the Warrant Agreement, dated October 6, 2020, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant agent, and Empower (the “Warrant Agreement”). Following the issuance of the SEC Statement, after consultation with Empower’s independent registered public accounting firm, Empower’s management and audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate its previously issued audited financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and for the period from August 19, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020. As part of the restatement, Empower identified a material weakness in its internal controls over financial reporting.
Subsequent to the filing of Amendment No. 1 to Empower’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, based on SEC guidance, we identified a material weakness in Empower’s internal control over financial reporting related to Empower’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the Empower Class A Shares. On December 14, 2021, our audit committee and management concluded that Empower’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2020, and, accordingly, our audit committee authorized management to restate Empower’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, where we concluded that the control deficiency that resulted in the incorrect classification of Empower Class A Shares constituted a material weakness as of December 31, 2020, resulting in the filing of Amendment No. 2 to Empower’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, filed with the SEC on February 4, 2022, and for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021, resulting in the filing of Amendment No. 1 to Empower’s Quarterly Report for the period ended March 31, 2021 on Form 10-Q/A, filed with the SEC on February 4, 2022 and the filing of Amendment No. 1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report for the period ended June 30, 2021 on Form 10-Q/A, filed with the SEC on February 4, 2022 . Historically, a portion of the Empower Class A Shares was classified as permanent equity to maintain stockholders’ equity greater than $5 million on the basis that Empower would not redeem its Empower Class A Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, as described in Empower’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Pursuant to the Company’s re-evaluation of Empower’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of Empower Class A Shares, the Company’s management has determined that the Empower Class A Shares include certain provisions that require classification of all Empower Class A Shares as temporary equity regardless of the net tangible assets redemption limitation contained in Empower’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
As a result of such material weaknesses, the restatements, the change in accounting for the Warrants and the A&R FPA, reclassification of Empower Class A Shares, and other matters raised or that may in the future be raised by the SEC, the Company faces potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others, claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the restatement and material weaknesses in Empower’s internal control over financial reporting and the preparation of Empower’s financial statements. As of the date of this annual report, the Company has no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute. However, the Company can provide no assurance that such litigation or dispute will not arise in the future. Any such litigation or dispute, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Changes in tax laws or unanticipated tax liabilities could adversely affect the Company’s effective income tax rate and profitability.
The Company is subject to income taxes in the United States (federal and state) and various foreign jurisdictions. The Company’s effective income tax rate could be adversely affected in the future by a number of factors, including changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws and regulations or their interpretations and application, and the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world. In particular, the Biden administration has proposed increases to the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28% and made other proposals. If any of these (or similar) proposals are ultimately enacted into law, in whole or in part, they could have a negative impact on our effective tax rate. We cannot predict the likelihood, timing or substance of U.S. tax proposals and will continue to monitor the progress of such proposals, as well as other global tax reform initiatives.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities
Certain of the Company’s stockholders, including the Holley Stockholder and the Sponsor, may have conflicts of interest with other stockholders and may limit your ability to influence corporate matters.
As of December 31, 2021, Holley Parent Holdings, LLC (the “Holley Stockholder”) and Empower Sponsor Holdings LLC (the "Sponsor") (together with its affiliates) beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 67.8% of our shares of Common Stock, excluding any warrants exercisable for Common Stock held by Sponsor or its affiliates (or 69.5% inclusive of shares of Common Stock underlying Warrants held by Sponsor and its affiliates). As a result of this concentration of stock ownership, these parties acting together and, in the case of the Holley Stockholder, on its own, have sufficient voting power to effectively control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including director elections and proposed amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. On July 16, 2021, (the “Closing” and such date, the “Closing Date”), the Company, the Sponsor, the Sponsor Investors, the Holley Stockholder and the Sentinel Investors entered into the Stockholders’ Agreement, pursuant to which the Holley Stockholder and the Sponsor have the right to designate nominees for election to the Company’s board of directors subject to certain beneficial ownership requirements.
In addition, this concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a merger, consolidation or other business combination or change in control of our Company and make some transactions that might otherwise give you the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our securities more difficult or impossible without their support. Because we have opted out of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) regulating certain business combinations with interested stockholders, these parties may transfer their shares of Common Stock and such control of us to a third party, which would not require the approval of our board of directors or other stockholders and may limit the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for shares of our Common Stock. The interests of these parties may not always coincide with our interests as a company or the interests of other stockholders. Accordingly, these parties could cause us to enter into transactions or agreements of which you would not approve or make decisions with which you would disagree. This concentration of ownership may also adversely affect the trading prices of our securities.
Each of the Holley Stockholder and the Sponsor is in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with the Company. The certificate of incorporation provides that none of the Holley Stockholder, the Sponsor, any of their affiliates or any director who is not employed by the Company (including any non-employee director who serves as one of the Company’s officers in both his or her director and officer capacities) or his or her affiliates will have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which the Company operates. Each of the Holley Stockholder and the Sponsor also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to the Company’s business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to the Company.
Warrants are exercisable for Common Stock, which could increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
The Company has an aggregate of 14,666,644 Warrants issued and outstanding, representing the right to purchase an equivalent amount shares of Common Stock. The Warrants became exercisable on October 9, 2021. The exercise price of the Warrants is $11.50 per share. To the extent such Warrants are exercised, additional shares of Common Stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to our stockholders and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such Warrants may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. However, there is no guarantee that the Warrants will ever be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Warrants may expire worthless.
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The Warrants may expire worthless and the terms of the Warrants may be amended in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding Warrants approve of such amendment.
The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of the Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the Warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a Warrant.
The market price and trading volume of Common Stock and Warrants may be volatile.
Stock markets, including the NYSE, have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. Even if an active, liquid and orderly trading market develops and is sustained for Common Stock and Warrants, the market price of Common Stock and Warrants may be volatile and could decline significantly, whether or not any price changes are related to matters specific to the Company. In addition, the trading volume in Common Stock and Warrants may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of Common Stock and Warrants declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares of Common Stock and Warrants at or above the market price of Common Stock and Warrants. We cannot assure you that the market price of Common Stock and Warrants will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following:
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the realization of any of the risk factors presented in this annual report; |
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actual or anticipated differences in the Company’s estimates, or in the estimates of analysts, for the Company’s revenues, results of operations, level of indebtedness, liquidity or financial condition; |
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additions and departures of key personnel; |
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failure to comply with the requirements of the NYSE; |
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failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or other laws or regulations; |
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future issuances, sales or resales, or anticipated issuances, sales or resales, of Common Stock; |
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perceptions of the investment opportunity associated with Common Stock relative to other investment alternatives; |
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the performance and market valuations of other similar companies; |
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future announcements concerning the Company’s business or its competitors’ businesses; |
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broad disruptions in the financial markets, including sudden disruptions in the credit markets; |
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speculation in the press or investment community; |
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actual, potential or perceived control, accounting or reporting problems; |
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changes in accounting principles, policies and guidelines; and |
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general economic and political conditions, such as the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, recessions, interest rates, local and national elections, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations, corruption, political instability and acts of war (such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine) or terrorism. |
In the past, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert the Company’s management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
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Reports published by analysts, including projections in those reports that differ from our actual results, could adversely affect the market price and trading volume of Common Stock and Warrants.
The market for Common Stock and Warrants depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about the Company or its business. Securities research analysts may establish and publish their own periodic projections for Holley. These projections may vary widely and may not accurately predict the results we actually achieve. Our share price may decline if our actual results do not match the projections of these securities research analysts. Similarly, if one or more of the analysts who write reports on us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for Common Stock and Warrants could decrease, which might cause the market price and trading volume of our Common Stock and Warrants to decline significantly.
Future sales of our Common Stock and Warrants in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.
The Holley Stockholder and the Sponsor (together with its affiliates) beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 67.8% of our shares of Common Stock, excluding any warrants exercisable for Common Stock held by Sponsor or its affiliates (or 69.5% inclusive of shares of Common Stock underlying Warrants held by Sponsor and its affiliates). All shares held by our affiliates are eligible for resale in the public market, subject to applicable securities laws, including the Securities Act. Therefore, unless shares owned by any of our affiliates are registered under the Securities Act, these shares may only be resold into the public markets in accordance with the requirements of an exemption from registration or safe harbor, including Rule 144 and the volume limitations, manner of sale requirements and notice requirements thereof. However, pursuant to the terms the A&R Registration Rights Agreement, the Sponsor and the Holley Stockholder have the right to demand that we register their shares under the Securities Act as well as the right to include their shares in any registration statement that we file with the SEC, subject to certain exceptions. The registration statement, which was filed pursuant to these registration rights, and any registration of other shares we may file in the future, enables those securities to be sold in the public market. Any sale by the Holley Stockholder, the Sponsor or other affiliates and stockholders, or any perception in the public markets that such a transaction may occur could cause the market price of our Common Stock and Warrants to decline materially.
The Company is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE Listed Company Manual and, as a result, qualifies for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. If we rely on such exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.
The Holley Stockholder owns a majority of our Common Stock, meaning that the Company is a controlled company within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, company or group of persons acting together is a controlled company and may elect not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
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a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors; |
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the nominating and governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and |
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the compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities. |
These requirements will not apply to us as long as we remain a controlled company. We are not utilizing these exemptions; however, if in the future we decide to rely on such exemptions, we may elect not to comply with the foregoing NYSE corporate governance requirements and, if we do, investors in our securities may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements.
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The Company may redeem your unexpired Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your Warrants worthless.
The Company has the ability to redeem outstanding Warrants at any time prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per Warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the Warrant holders. If and when the Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may not exercise its redemption right if the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or it is unable to effect such registration or qualification. The Company will use its best efforts to register or qualify such shares of Common Stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the Warrants were offered. Redemption of the outstanding Warrants could force you (i) to exercise your Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Warrants. None of the Private Warrants will be redeemable by the Company so long as they are held by the Sponsor, or its permitted transferees.
The NYSE may delist the Company’s securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit stockholders’ ability to make transactions in its securities and subject the Company to additional trading restrictions.
Our Common Stock and Warrants are currently listed on NYSE. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE, the Company will be required to maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, the Company will be required to maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity.
If the NYSE delists our securities from trading on its exchange for failure to meet the listing standards, we and our stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
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reduced liquidity for our securities; |
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a determination that our Common Stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Common Stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Since the Company’s Common Stock and Warrants are listed on the NYSE, they are covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of its securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. Further, if the Company was no longer listed on the NYSE, its securities would not be covered securities and it would be subject to regulation in each state in which it offers its securities.
Future issuances of debt securities and equity securities may adversely affect the Company, including the market price of Common Stock and may be dilutive to existing stockholders.
There is no assurance that the Company will not incur debt or issue equity ranking senior to Common Stock. Those securities will generally have priority upon liquidation. Such securities also may be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting its operating flexibility. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that the Company issues in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of Common Stock. Separately, additional financing may not be available on favorable terms, or at all. Because the Company’s decision to issue debt or equity in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond the Company’s control, it cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature or success of the Company’s future capital raising efforts. As a result, future capital raising efforts may reduce the market price of Common Stock and be dilutive to existing stockholders.
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The Company does not intend to pay cash dividends for the foreseeable future.
The Company currently intends to retain its future earnings, if any, to finance the further development and expansion of its business and does not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of the Company’s board of directors and will depend on its financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, restrictions contained in future agreements and financing instruments, business prospects and such other factors as its board of directors deems relevant.
The JOBS Act permits “emerging growth companies” like us to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
The Company qualifies as an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including (i) the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements with respect to internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) the exemptions from say-on-pay, say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of the Common Stock and Warrants that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our prior second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the exemption from complying with new or revised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act as long as we are an emerging growth company. An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected to avail ourselves of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
We cannot predict if investors will find the Common Stock and Warrants of the Company less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find the Common Stock and Warrants of the Company less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for the Common Stock, and Warrants of the Company and more stock price volatility.
Delaware law and the Company’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain certain provisions, including anti-takeover provisions that limit the ability of stockholders to take certain actions and could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.
The certificate of incorporation, bylaws and the DGCL contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Common Stock, and therefore depress the trading price of Common Stock. These provisions could also make it difficult for stockholders to take certain actions, including electing directors who are not nominated by the current members of the Company’s board of directors or taking other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. Among other things, the certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions regarding:
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a classified board of directors with staggered, three-year terms; |
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prevent stockholders from acting by written consent; |
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limit the ability of stockholders to amend our certificate of incorporation; |
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limit the ability of stockholders to remove directors; |
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prevent stockholders from calling special meetings of stockholders; |
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the ability of the board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock, including “blank check” preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder; |
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the certificate of incorporation prohibits cumulative voting in the election of directors; |
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the limitation of the liability of, and the indemnification of, the Company’s directors and officers; |
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the ability of the board of directors to amend the bylaws; and |
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advance notice procedures with which stockholders must comply to nominate candidates to the board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting. |
These provisions, alone or together, could discourage, delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control, including transactions in which the acquirer may offer a premium price for our Common Stock and Warrants, or changes in the Company’s board of directors or management.
In addition, our Incentive Plan provides for accelerated vesting of awards that are assumed or substituted in connection with a change in control of the Company as a result of the change in control if a participant experiences a qualifying termination within two years following the change in control, which could discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition at a premium price.
The provisions of the certificate of incorporation requiring exclusive forum in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
The certificate of incorporation provides that, unless the Company selects or consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law: (a) the sole and exclusive forum for any complaint asserting any internal corporate claims, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and subject to applicable jurisdictional requirements, shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have, or declines to accept, jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located within the State of Delaware); and (b) the sole and exclusive forum for any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall be the federal district courts of the United States of America. For purposes of the foregoing, “internal corporate claims” means claims, including claims in the right of the Company that are based upon a violation of a duty by a current or former director, officer, employee or stockholder in such capacity, or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction upon the Court of Chancery. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of Common Stock will be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the certificate of incorporation’s exclusive forum provision (an “FSC Enforcement Action”), and (ii) having service of process made upon such holder of Common Stock in any such FSC Enforcement Action by service upon such holder of Common Stock’s counsel in such action as agent for such holder of Common Stock.
These provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against the Company’s directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against the Company, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in the certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.
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