BHTG BioHiTech Global Inc

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects are subject to the following risks. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently foreseeable to us may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and our stockholders may lose all or part of their investment in the shares of our common stock.

This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “believes,” “estimates,” “intends”, “plans”, “could,” “possibly,” “probably,” anticipates,” “projects,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” or “should,” “designed to,” “designed for,” or other variations or similar words or language. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

SHOULD ONE OR MORE OF THE FOREGOING RISKS OR UNCERTAINTIES MATERIALIZE, OR SHOULD THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS PROVE INCORRECT, ACTUAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THOSE ANTICIPATED, BELIEVED, ESTIMATED, EXPECTED, INTENDED OR PLANNED

Risks Related to Pandemics

The recent COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) may adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flow.

While the full impact on our business from the recent outbreak of COVID-19 is unknown at this time and difficult to predict, various aspects of our business have been impacted and could be adversely affected by it.

As of the date of this Annual Report, COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has been declared a National Emergency by the United States Government and has resulted in all states being designated disaster zones. COVID-19 has caused significant volatility in global markets, including the market price of our securities. The spread of COVID-19 has caused public health officials to recommend precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus, especially as to travel and congregating in large numbers. In addition, states and municipalities have enacted quarantining and “shelter-in-place” regulations which severely limit the ability of people to move and travel, and require non-essential businesses and organizations to close.

It is unclear how such restrictions, which will contribute to a general slowdown in the global economy, will affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and our future strategic plans.

The digester line of our business has historically been marketed to large organizations such as food distributors, convention centers, hotels, restaurants, stadiums, municipalities and academic institutions. It is unclear how a prolonged outbreak with travel, commercial and other similar restrictions, may adversely affect our business operations and the business operations of our customers and suppliers; a disruption for a prolonged period will have a negative effect on our business operations.

Recent shelter-in-place and essential-only travel regulations have negatively impacted many of our customers. In addition, while our digesters are manufactured in the United States, we still could experience significant supply chain disruptions due to interruptions in operations at any or all of our suppliers’ facilities. If we experience significant delays in receiving our products we will experience delays in fulfilling orders and ultimately receiving payment, which could result in loss of sales and a loss of customers, and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

The HEBioT line of our business is classified as a public service in the state in which it is located and is expected to remain operating regardless of restrictions that may be imposed on other businesses in its area. The facility relies upon other entities to pick up and deliver municipal solid waste, which are also classified as public service entities, and is reliant upon customers in the cement kiln industry to purchase its solid recovered fuel. The inability to receive MSW or sell it to its customers would adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Specific to Our Business

We have a history of operating losses and there can be no assurance that we can achieve or maintain profitability.

We have a history of operating losses and may not achieve or sustain profitability due to the competitive and evolving nature of the industries in which we operate. Our failure to sustain profitability could adversely affect the Company’s business, including our ability to raise additional funds.

We may not be able to continue as a going concern.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company had a consolidated net loss of $10,280,061, incurred a consolidated loss from operations of $7,535,214 and used net cash in consolidated operating activities of $7,134,600. At December 31, 2019, consolidated total stockholders’ equity amounted to $7,369,725, consolidated stockholders’ equity attributable to parent amounted to $2,024,143 and the Company had a consolidated working capital deficit of $5,351,686. The Company does not yet have a history of financial profitability. Historically, the principal source of liquidity has been the issuance of debt and equity securities. Presently, the Company does not have firm commitments to fully fund its future operational and strategic plans, although subsequent to December 31, 2019 the Company raised $1,565,000 from the issuance of Series F Redeemable, Convertible Preferred Stock and warrants. The Company was funded $421,300 on May 13, 2020 through the Paycheck Protection Program and has applied for an additional $200,000, which has not yet been approved. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. 

The Company is presently in the process of raising additional debt for general operations and to support its leasing activities. The Company may also raise capital through its Registration Statement on Form S-3 declared effective on July 11, 2018, by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Shelf Registration”) for investment in several strategic initiatives. The Shelf Registration was utilized during September 2019 to raise net proceeds of $3,035,557 through a confidentially marketed public offering of common shares. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to raise sufficient capital or debt to sustain operations or to pursue other strategic initiatives or that such financing will be on terms that are favorable to the Company.

We face substantial competition in the waste services industry, and if we cannot successfully compete in the marketplace, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

The waste services industry is highly competitive, has undergone a period of consolidation and requires substantial labor and capital resources. Some of the markets in which we compete are served by one or more of large, established companies, that are more well-known and better financed than we are. Intense competition exists not only to provide services to customers, but also to develop new products and services and acquire other businesses within each market. Some of our competitors have significantly greater financial and other resources than we do.

In our waste disposal markets, we also compete with operators of alternative disposal and recycling facilities. We also increasingly compete with companies that seek to use waste as feedstock for alternative uses. Public entities may have financial advantages because of their ability to charge user fees or similar charges, impose tax revenues, access tax-exempt financing and, in some cases, utilize government subsidies.

If we are unable to successfully compete in the marketplace, our business and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

The waste services industry is subject to extensive and rapidly-changing government regulation. Changes to one or more of these regulations could cause a decrease in the demand for our products and services.

Stringent government regulations at the federal, state and local level in the U.S. have a substantial impact on the waste industry and compliance with such regulations is costly. A large number of complex laws, rules, orders and interpretations govern environmental protection, health, safety, land use, zoning, transportation and related matters. Among other things, governmental regulations and enforcement actions may restrict operations within the waste industry and may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We believe the demand for our digester product is created directly in response to recent laws and regulation prohibiting certain large, commercial food manufacturers, retailers and hospitality enterprises from discarding food wastes to landfills. Our digesters are just one solution for these businesses to comply with these regulations and other regulations. If there was a change to or elimination of these regulations, the demand for our product would almost certainly be greatly reduced and our income would, as a result, be adversely affected.

Currently, the microorganisms we employ in our digesters are approved for use to reduce food waste and to be poured into conventional sewer systems. However, if it was determined that we could no longer use these microorganisms, there is no guarantee that we could develop a replacement process to assure that we could continue to sell our products. Also, we would likely face claims from current customers were they unable to use our digesters for food waste disposal.

We may also incur the costs of defending against environmental litigation brought by governmental agencies and private parties. We may be in the future a defendant in lawsuits brought by parties alleging environmental damage, personal injury, and/or property damage, or which seek to overturn or prevent authorization of our products, all of which may result in us incurring significant liabilities. 

We may be negatively impacted by landfills and certain long-term disposal trends.

In connection with the MBT line of business, there is competition from other landfills, including large, out-of-state landfills to secure municipal solid waste (“MSW”) feedstock. Such facilities may legally drop prices to maintain market share forcing the Company to compete on price for feedstock delivered by suppliers, which may cause a negative impact to the anticipated financial performance of the projects. 

Waste policies may incentivize additional renewable energy plants to be built, in such an event, the MBT facilities would be competing with such future renewable energy plants for feedstock. Furthermore, other zero waste policies, increased local recycling and reuse, augmented by composting and other future waste policies intended to eliminate and/or reduce the waste may mean less MSW will be available for the Company’s MBT projects.

The recovered recycled materials market is volatile.

The Company’s MBT projects and its waste collections business anticipate a minimum return on recycled materials. Should conditions change such that the minimum returns cannot be recovered, they may have a negative impact on the financial performance of the projects and businesses.

The market for solid recovered fuel (“SRF”) is not developed.

The Company’s MBT projects rely upon the ability to sell SRF to appropriate industrial users at economically reasonable prices. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to contract on either a long-term or spot-market basis with such consumers. 

We may engage in acquisitions in the future with the goal of complementing or expanding our business, including developing additional disposal products and complementary services. However, we may be unable to complete these transactions and, if executed, these transactions may not improve our business or may pose significant risks and could have a negative effect on our operations.

We may in the future, make acquisitions in order to acquire or develop additional disposal products and complementary services. In addition, from time to time we may acquire businesses that are complementary to our core business strategy. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates. If we identify suitable acquisition candidates, we may be unable to successfully negotiate acquisitions at a price or on terms and conditions acceptable to us, including as a result of the limitations imposed by our debt obligations. Further, we may be unable to obtain the necessary regulatory approval to complete potential acquisitions.

Our ability to achieve the benefits of any potential future acquisition, including cost savings and operating efficiencies, depends in part on our ability to successfully integrate the operations of such acquired businesses with our operations. The integration of acquired businesses and other assets may require significant management time and resources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing management of our existing operations. In addition, to the extent any future acquisitions are completed, we may be unsuccessful in integrating acquired companies or their operations, or if integration is more difficult than anticipated, we may experience disruptions that could have a material adverse impact on future profitability. Some of the risks that may affect our ability to integrate, or realize any anticipated benefits from, acquisitions include:

Our business and strategic plans may require funding.

Our current business and strategic plans require additional funding. Our ultimate success may depend on our ability to raise additional financing and capital. In the absence of additional financing or significant revenues and profits, the Company will have to approach its business plan from a much different and much more restricted direction, attempting to secure additional funding sources to fund its growth, borrowing money from lenders or elsewhere or to take other actions to attempt to provide funding. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain sufficient additional funds when needed, or that such funds, if available, will be obtainable on terms satisfactory to us.

We expect that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future, and such capital raising may be costly or difficult to obtain and can be expected to dilute current stockholders’ ownership interests.

Based upon present strategic investment plans, we expect that we will need to raise additional capital in the future. Such additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. We may need to raise additional funds through borrowings or public or private debt or equity financings to meet various objectives including, but not limited to:

Our limited operating history does not afford investors a sufficient history on which to base an investment decision.

We are currently expanding our businesses. Our operations are subject to all the risks inherent in the establishment of an expanding business enterprise. The likelihood of success must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications and delays that are frequently encountered in expanding companies. There can be no assurance that at this time that we will operate profitably or will have adequate working capital to meet our obligations as they become due. 

Investors must consider the risks and difficulties frequently encountered by expanding companies, particularly in rapidly evolving markets. Such risks include the following:

We cannot be certain that our business strategy will be successful or that we will successfully address these risks. In the event that we do not successfully address these risks, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and we may not have the resources to continue or expand our business operations.

We rely on highly skilled personnel and, if we are unable to retain or motivate key personnel or hire additional qualified personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively.

Our performance is largely dependent on the talents and efforts of highly skilled individuals. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate, and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to retain and motivate existing employees. Due to our reliance upon its skilled professionals and laborers, the failure to attract, integrate, motivate, and retain current and/or additional key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

If we fail to manage growth or to prepare for product scalability and integration effectively, it could have an adverse effect on our employee efficiency, product quality, working capital levels and results of operations.

Any significant growth in the market for our products or our entry into new markets may require an expansion of our employee base for managerial, operational, financial, and other purposes. During any period of growth, we may face problems related to our operational and financial systems and controls, including quality control and delivery and service capacities. We would also need to continue to expand, train and manage our employee base. Continued future growth will impose significant added responsibilities upon the members of management to identify, recruit, maintain, integrate, and motivate new employees.

Aside from increased difficulties in the management of human resources, we may need increased liquidity to finance the expansion of our existing business, the development of new products, and the hiring of additional employees. For effective growth management, we will be required to continue improving our operations, management, and financial systems and controls. Our failure to manage growth effectively may lead to operational and financial inefficiencies that will have a negative effect on our profitability. We cannot assure investors that we will be able to timely and effectively meet that demand and maintain the quality standards required by our existing and potential customers.

Our management team may not be able to successfully implement our business strategies.

If our management team is unable to execute on its business strategies, then our development, including the establishment of revenues and our sales and marketing activities, would be materially and adversely affected. In addition, we may encounter difficulties in effectively managing the budgeting, forecasting and other process control issues presented by any future growth. We may seek to augment or replace members of our management team or we may lose key members of our management team, and we may not be able to attract new management talent with sufficient skill and experience.

If we are unable to retain key executives and other key affiliates, our growth could be significantly inhibited, and our business harmed with a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success is, to a certain extent, attributable to the management, sales and marketing, and operational and technical expertise of certain key personnel. Frank E. Celli, our Chief Executive Officer, Robert Joyce, our Chief Operating Officer and Brian C. Essman, our Chief Financial Officer, perform key functions in the operation of our business. The loss of any of these could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, and results of operations. If we lose the services of any senior management, we may not be able to locate suitable or qualified replacements and may incur additional expenses to recruit and train new personnel, which could severely disrupt our business and prospects. 

Our financial results may not meet the expectations of investors and may fluctuate because of many factors and, as a result, investors should not rely on our revenue and/or financial projections as indicative of future results.

Fluctuations in operating results or the failure of operating results to meet the expectations investors may negatively impact the value of our securities. Operating results may fluctuate due to a variety of factors that could affect revenues or expenses in any particular quarter. Fluctuations in operating results could cause the value of our securities to decline. Investors should not rely on revenue or financial projections or comparisons of results of operations as an indication of future performance. As a result of the factors listed below, it is possible that in future periods results of operations may be below the expectations of investors. This could cause the market price of our securities to decline and negatively impact our ability to raise debt and capital. Factors that may affect our operating results include:

Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2019. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission or the SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, adopted rules requiring every public company to include a management report on the effectiveness of such company’s internal control over financial reporting in its annual report. Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, effectively prevent fraud and operate as a public company.

Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2019. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our company's financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. Based on their evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2019 to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Because of our limited operations we have a small number of employees which prohibits a segregation of duties. As we grow and expand our operations, we will engage additional employees and experts as needed. However, there can be no assurance that our operations will expand.

Our failure to remediate the material weakness or our failure to discover and address any other material weaknesses or deficiencies may result in inaccuracies in our financial statements, delay in the preparation of our financial statements, and the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could negatively influence the trading price of our Common Stock. Ineffective internal control over financial reporting could also expose us to increased risk of fraud or misappropriations of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which our Common Stock is listed, regulatory investigations or civil or criminal sanctions. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We are operating in a highly competitive market and we are unsure as to whether there will be any consumer demand for our services.

Some of our competitors are much larger and better capitalized than we are. It may be that our competitors will better address the same market opportunities that we are addressing. These competitors, either alone or with collaborative partners, may succeed in developing business models that are more effective or have greater market success than our own. The Company is especially susceptible to larger companies that invest more money in marketing. Moreover, the market for our services is potentially large but highly competitive. There is little or no hard data that substantiates the demand for our services or how this demand will be segmented over time.

There is no assurance that the Company will operate profitably or will generate positive cash flow.

The Company is continuing to develop and expand its lines of business, customer base and recurring revenues and it is anticipated that it may continue to incur losses in the future as it carries on this process. In addition, the Company’s operating results in the future may be subject to significant fluctuations due to many factors not within our control, such as the level of competition, regulatory changes and general economic conditions.

We may be unsuccessful in our efforts to use digital and other viral marketing to expand consumer awareness of our service.

If we are unable to maintain or increase the efficacy of our digital and other viral marketing strategy or if we otherwise decide to expand the reach of our marketing through use of costlier marketing campaigns, we may experience an increase in marketing expenses that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in maintaining or expanding our customer base and failure to do so would materially reduce our revenue and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may be negatively impacted by permitting and construction risks.

In connection with the MBT line of business, the Company will have to maintain or acquire specialized permits and have regulatory approvals from various state and local regulatory authorities for their operations or the construction of facilities. The failure of having such may delay or prevent the construction or operation of the planned MBT facilities. In addition, there are significant risks related to the construction of a specialized facility. These risks may delay, postpone or cause a negative impact to the anticipated financial performance of the projects.

Risks Related to Securities Markets and Investments in Our Securities

General securities market uncertainties resulting from COVID-19.

Since the outset of COVID-19 the US and worldwide national securities markets have undergone unprecedented stress due to the uncertainties of COVID-19 and the resulting reactions and outcomes of government, business and the general population. These uncertainties have resulted in declines in all market sectors, increases in volumes due to flight to safety and governmental actions to support the markets. As a result, until COVID-19 has stabilized, the markets may not be available to the Company for purposes of raising required capital. Should we not be able to obtain financing when required, in the amounts necessary to execute on our plans in full, or on terms which are economically feasible we may be unable to sustain the necessary capital to pursue our strategic plan and may have to reduce the planned future growth and scope of our operations.

Our executive officers and certain stockholders possess significant voting power, and through this ownership, could influence our Company and our corporate actions.

Our current executive officers, directors and their affiliates, hold approximately 27% of the voting power of the outstanding shares as of the date of December 31, 2019. These officers, directors, affiliates and certain stockholders may have a controlling influence in determining the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors, and other significant corporate actions. As such, our executive officers have significant influence to prevent or cause a change in control; therefore, without their consent we could be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us.  The interests of our executive officers and certain shareholders may give rise to a conflict of interest with the Company and the Company’s stockholders. For additional details concerning voting power please refer to the section below entitled “Description of Securities.”

Liquidity of our common stock has been limited.

On February 12, 2016 the Company uplisted from OTCBB (also known as OTC Pink) to the OTCQB. On April 9, 2018 the Company uplisted from OTCQB to the Nasdaq Capital Market. The liquidity of our common stock has been mixed and there is no assurance that liquidity will continue or that the trade prices of our securities could not be reduced due to excess sellers of our stock over buyers. Active trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and more efficient execution of buy and sell orders. Absence of an active trading market reduces the liquidity of the shares traded.

The trading volume of our common stock may be limited and sporadic. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including the fact that we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they may tend to be risk-averse and would be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we became more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, there may be periods when trading activity in our shares is minimal, as compared to a seasoned issuer that has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price.  We cannot give any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained, or that current trading levels will be sustained.

Our stock price may be volatile.

The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following:

Many of these factors are beyond our control and may decrease the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. We cannot make any predictions or projections as to what the prevailing market price for our common stock will be at any time, including as to whether our common stock will sustain current market prices, or as to what effect that the sale of shares or the availability of common stock for sale at any time will have on the prevailing market price.

In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies.  These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. 

Our common stock is subject to price volatility unrelated to our operations.

The market price of our common stock could fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including market perception of our ability to achieve our planned growth, quarterly operating results of other companies in the same industry, trading volume in our common stock, changes in general conditions in the economy and the financial markets or other developments affecting the Company’s competitors or the Company itself.

A decline in the price of our common stock could affect our ability to raise working capital and adversely impact our ability to continue operations.

A prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital.  A decline in the price of our common stock could be especially detrimental to our liquidity, our operations and strategic plans.  Such reductions may force us to reallocate funds from other planned uses and may have a significant negative effect on our business plan and operations, including our ability to develop new services and continue our current operations.  If our common stock price declines, we can offer no assurance that we will be able to raise additional capital or generate funds from operations sufficient to meet our obligations.  If we are unable to raise sufficient capital in the future, we may not be able to have the resources to continue our normal operations.

Concentrated ownership of our common stock creates a risk of sudden changes in our common stock price.

The sale by any shareholder of a significant portion of their holdings could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. 

Sales of our currently issued and outstanding stock may become freely tradable pursuant to Rule 144 and may dilute the market for your shares and have a depressive effect on the price of the shares of our common stock.

Approximately 41% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (“Rule 144”).  As restricted shares, these shares may be resold only pursuant to an effective registration statement or under the requirements of Rule 144 or other applicable exemptions from registration under the Securities Act and as required under applicable state securities laws. Rule 144 provides in essence that a non-affiliate who has held restricted securities for a period of at least six months may sell their shares of common stock.  Under Rule 144, affiliates who have held restricted securities for a period of at least six months may, under certain conditions, sell every three months, in brokerage transactions, a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of 1% of a company’s outstanding shares of common stock or the average weekly trading volume during the four calendar weeks prior to the sale.  A sale under Rule 144 or under any other exemption from the Securities Act, if available, or pursuant to subsequent registrations of our shares of common stock, may have a depressive effect upon the price of our shares of common stock in any active market that may develop.

If we issue additional shares or derivative securities in the future, it will result in the dilution of our existing stockholders.

Our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, authorizes the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share. Our board of directors may choose to issue some or all of such shares, or derivative securities to purchase some or all of such shares, to provide additional financing in the future.

We do not plan to declare or pay any dividends to our stockholders in the near future.

We have not declared any Common Stock dividends in the past, and we do not intend to distribute dividends in the near future. The declaration, payment and amount of any future dividends will be made at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, the results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, operating and capital requirements, and other factors as the board of directors considers relevant.  There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividend.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and distract management.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), the Securities Act of 1933 and as well as the governance rules of Nasdaq. These rules, regulations and requirements are extensive. We may incur significant costs associated with our public company corporate governance and reporting requirements.  This may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  We also expect that these applicable rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage.  As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers.

Future changes in financial accounting standards or practices may cause adverse unexpected financial reporting fluctuations and affect reported results of operations.

A change in accounting standards or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective.  New accounting standards and varying interpretations of accounting standards have occurred and may occur in the future.  Changes to existing rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct business.

“Penny Stock” rules may make buying or selling our common stock difficult.

Trading in our common stock has previously been subject to the “penny stock” rules. The SEC has adopted regulations that generally define a penny stock to be any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. These rules require that any broker-dealer that recommends our common stock to persons other than prior customers and accredited investors, must, prior to the sale, make a special written suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to execute the transaction. Unless an exception is available, the regulations require the delivery, prior to any transaction involving a penny stock, of a disclosure schedule explaining the penny stock market and the risks associated with trading in the penny stock market. In addition, broker-dealers must disclose commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities they offer. The additional burdens imposed upon broker-dealers by such requirements may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our common stock, which could severely limit the market price and liquidity of our common stock.