RISK FACTORS.
−Removed: Before deciding
−Removed: to purchase, hold or sell our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other information
−Removed: contained in this report and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q
+Added: deciding to purchase, hold or sell our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other
+Added: information contained in this Report and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including subsequent reports
+Added: on Forms 10-Q and 8-K.
The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face.
−Removed: Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known
−Removed: to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business.
−Removed: If any of these known or unknown risks or uncertainties actually
−Removed: occurs with material adverse effects on Alto Ingredients, our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity could
−Removed: be seriously harmed.
−Removed: In that event, the market price for our common stock will likely decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
−Removed: Risks Related to our Business
−Removed: The effects of the coronavirus pandemic, or its abatement,
−Removed: may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and liquidity.
−Removed: The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in businesses
−Removed: suspending or substantially curtailing operations and travel, quarantines, and an overall substantial slowdown of economic activity.
−Removed: state and foreign governments have implemented measures to contain the virus, including social distancing requirements, travel restrictions,
−Removed: border closures, limitations on public gatherings, work-from-home orders, and closure of non-essential businesses.
−Removed: Many of these measures
−Removed: remain or have been curtailed only partially.
−Removed: Transportation fuels in particular, including fuel-grade ethanol, experienced significant
−Removed: price declines and reduced demand.
−Removed: A further or extended ongoing downturn in global economic activity, or recessionary conditions in general,
−Removed: would likely lead to poor demand for, and negatively affect the prices of, fuel-grade ethanol, materially and adversely affecting our
−Removed: business, results of operations and liquidity.
−Removed: Furthermore, to protect the health and well-being
−Removed: of our employees and customers, we have implemented work-from-home requirements, made substantial modifications to employee travel policies,
−Removed: and cancelled or shifted marketing and other corporate events to virtual-only formats for the foreseeable future.
−Removed: While we continue to
−Removed: monitor our circumstances and may adjust our current policies as more information and public health guidance become available, these precautionary
−Removed: measures could negatively affect our sales and marketing efforts, delay and lengthen our sales cycles, or create operational or other
−Removed: challenges, any of which could harm our business and results of operations.
−Removed: In addition, if one or more of our employees or
−Removed: customers becomes ill from coronavirus and attributes their infection to us, including through exposure at one of our offices or production
−Removed: facilities, we could be subject to allegations of failure to adequately mitigate the risk of exposure.
−Removed: Such allegations could harm our
−Removed: reputation and expose us to the risks of litigation and liability.
−Removed: Our specialty alcohols business has benefitted
−Removed: significantly from the coronavirus pandemic due to a substantial increase in demand for alcohol-based sanitizers and disinfectants.
−Removed: the coronavirus pandemic abates, demand for alcohol-based sanitizers and disinfectants has declined, exerting downward pressure on prices
−Removed: for our specialty alcohols used in those products.
−Removed: In addition, higher industry production levels in response to the coronavirus pandemic
−Removed: and higher specialty alcohol supplies for sanitizers and disinfectants have exerted downward pressure on prices.
−Removed: Reduced demand and prices
−Removed: for our specialty alcohols used in sanitizers and disinfectants, or industry oversupply of those specialty alcohols, may materially and
−Removed: adversely affect our business, results of operations and liquidity.
−Removed: Our results of operations and our ability to operate
−Removed: at a profit are largely dependent on our ability to manage the costs of corn, natural gas and other production inputs, with the prices
−Removed: of our alcohols and essential ingredients, all of which are subject to volatility and uncertainty.
−Removed: Our results of operations are highly impacted by
−Removed: commodity prices, including the cost of corn, natural gas and other production inputs that we must purchase, and the prices of alcohols
−Removed: and essential ingredients that we sell.
−Removed: Prices and supplies are subject to and determined by market and other forces over which we have
−Removed: no control, such as weather, domestic and global demand, supply shortages, export prices and various governmental policies in the United
−Removed: States and throughout the world.
−Removed: Price volatility of corn, natural gas and other
−Removed: production inputs, and alcohols and essential ingredients, may cause our results of operations to fluctuate substantially.
−Removed: to generate expected levels of net sales and profits even under fixed-price and other contracts for the sale of specialty alcohols used
−Removed: in consumer products.
−Removed: Our customers may not pay us timely or at all, even under longer-term, fixed-price contracts for our specialty alcohols,
−Removed: and may seek to renegotiate prices under those contracts during periods of falling prices or high price volatility.
−Removed: Over the past several years, for example, the spread
−Removed: between corn and fuel-grade ethanol prices has fluctuated significantly.
−Removed: Fluctuations are likely to continue to occur.
−Removed: A sustained narrow
−Removed: spread, whether as a result of sustained high or increased corn prices or sustained low or decreased alcohol or essential ingredient prices,
−Removed: would adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.
−Removed: Revenues from sales of alcohols, particularly fuel-grade ethanol,
−Removed: and essential ingredients could decline below the marginal cost of production, which may force us to further suspend production, particularly
−Removed: fuel-grade ethanol production, at some or all of our facilities.
−Removed: In addition, some of our fuel-grade ethanol marketing
−Removed: activities will likely be unprofitable in a market of generally declining prices due to the nature of our business.
−Removed: For example, to satisfy
−Removed: customer demands, we maintain certain quantities of fuel-grade ethanol inventory for subsequent resale.
−Removed: Moreover, we procure much of our
−Removed: fuel-grade ethanol inventory outside of third-party marketing arrangements and therefore must buy fuel-grade ethanol at a price established
−Removed: at the time of purchase and sell fuel-grade ethanol at an index price established later at the time of sale that is generally reflective
−Removed: of movements in the market price of fuel-grade ethanol.
−Removed: As a result, our margins for fuel-grade ethanol sold in these transactions generally
−Removed: decline and may turn negative as the market price of fuel-grade ethanol declines.
−Removed: We can provide no assurance that corn, natural
−Removed: gas or other production inputs can be purchased at or near current or any particular prices, or that our alcohols or essential ingredients
−Removed: will sell at or near current or any particular prices.
−Removed: Consequently, our results of operations and financial position may be adversely
−Removed: affected by increases in the prices of corn, natural gas and other production inputs or decreases in the prices of our alcohols and essential
−Removed: Increased alcohol or essential ingredient production
−Removed: or higher inventory levels may cause a decline in prices for those products, and may have other negative effects, adversely impacting
−Removed: our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
−Removed: The prices of our alcohols and essential ingredients
−Removed: are impacted by competing third-party supplies of those products.
−Removed: For example, we believe that the most significant factor influencing
−Removed: the price of fuel-grade ethanol has been the substantial increase in production.
−Removed: According to the Renewable Fuels Association, domestic
−Removed: fuel-grade ethanol production capacity increased from an annualized rate of 1.5 billion gallons per year in January 1999 to a record 16.1
−Removed: billion gallons in 2018.
−Removed: In addition, if fuel-grade ethanol production margins improve, we anticipate that owners of production facilities
−Removed: operating at below capacity, or owners of idled production facilities, will increase production levels, thereby resulting in more abundant
−Removed: fuel-grade ethanol supplies and inventories.
−Removed: Increases in the supply of alcohols and essential ingredients may not be commensurate with
−Removed: increases in demand for alcohols and essential ingredients, thus leading to lower prices.
−Removed: Moreover, higher industry production levels
−Removed: in response to the coronavirus pandemic and any resulting oversupply of alcohols for sanitizers and disinfectants, and corresponding oversupply
−Removed: of essential ingredient co-products, may also exert downward pressure on prices.
−Removed: Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect
−Removed: on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
−Removed: The prices of our products are volatile and subject
−Removed: to large fluctuations, which may cause our results of operations to fluctuate significantly.
−Removed: The prices of our products are volatile and subject
−Removed: to large fluctuations.
−Removed: For example, the market price of fuel-grade ethanol is dependent upon many factors, including the supply of ethanol
−Removed: and the price of gasoline, which is in turn dependent upon the price of petroleum which itself is highly volatile and difficult to forecast.
−Removed: Our fuel-grade ethanol sales are tied to prevailing spot market prices rather than long-term, fixed-price contracts.
−Removed: Fuel-grade ethanol
−Removed: prices, as reported by the CBOT, ranged from $0.81 to $1.62 per gallon in 2020 and from $1.25 to $1.70 per gallon in 2019.
−Removed: even under longer-term, fixed-price contracts for our specialty alcohols, our customers may seek to renegotiate prices under those contracts
−Removed: during periods of falling prices or high price volatility.
−Removed: Fluctuations in the prices of our products may cause our results of operations
−Removed: to fluctuate significantly.
−Removed: Disruptions in our production or distribution may
−Removed: adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
−Removed: Our business depends on the continuing availability
−Removed: of rail, road, port, storage and distribution infrastructure.
−Removed: In particular, due to limited storage capacity at our production facilities
−Removed: and other considerations related to production efficiencies, our facilities depend on just-in-time delivery of corn.
−Removed: The production of
−Removed: alcohols also requires a significant and uninterrupted supply of other raw materials and energy, primarily water, electricity and natural
−Removed: Local water, electricity and gas utilities may fail to reliably supply the water, electricity and natural gas that our production
−Removed: facilities need or may fail to supply those resources on acceptable terms.
−Removed: In the past, poor weather has caused disruptions in rail transportation,
−Removed: which slowed the delivery of fuel-grade ethanol by rail, the principal manner by which fuel-grade ethanol from our facilities located
−Removed: in the Midwest is transported to market.
−Removed: In addition, in 2020, we experienced closure of the Illinois River for lock repairs which required
−Removed: greater use of less cost-effective modes of product transport such as via rail and truck, which resulted in higher costs and negatively
−Removed: affected our results of operations.
−Removed: Disruptions in production or distribution, whether
−Removed: caused by labor difficulties, unscheduled downtimes and other operational hazards inherent in the alcohol production industry, including
−Removed: equipment failures, fires, explosions, abnormal pressures, blowouts, pipeline ruptures, transportation accidents and natural disasters
−Removed: such as earthquakes, floods and storms, or human error or malfeasance or other reasons, could prevent timely deliveries of corn or other
−Removed: raw materials and energy, and could delay transport of our products to market, and may require us to halt production at one or more production
−Removed: facilities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
−Removed: Some of these operational hazards may also cause
−Removed: personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment or environmental damage, and may result in
−Removed: suspension of operations and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
−Removed: Our insurance may not fully cover the potential hazards described
−Removed: above or we may be unable to renew our insurance on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
−Removed: We may engage in hedging transactions and other risk
−Removed: mitigation strategies that could harm our results of operations and financial condition.
−Removed: In an attempt to partially offset the effects of
−Removed: volatility of our product prices, in particular fuel-grade ethanol, corn and natural gas costs, we may enter into contracts to fix the
−Removed: price of a portion of our production or purchase a portion of our corn or natural gas requirements on a forward basis.
−Removed: In addition, we
−Removed: may engage in other hedging transactions involving exchange-traded futures contracts for corn, natural gas and unleaded gasoline from
−Removed: time to time.
−Removed: The financial statement impact of these activities is dependent upon, among other things, the prices involved and our ability
−Removed: to sell sufficient products to use all of the corn and natural gas for which forward commitments have been made.
−Removed: Hedging arrangements
−Removed: also expose us to the risk of financial loss in situations where the other party to the hedging contract defaults on its contract or,
−Removed: in the case of exchange-traded contracts, where there is a change in the expected differential between the underlying price in the hedging
−Removed: agreement and the actual prices paid or received by us.
−Removed: In addition, our open contract positions may require cash deposits to cover margin
−Removed: calls, negatively impacting our liquidity.
−Removed: As a result, our hedging activities and fluctuations in the price of corn, natural gas, fuel-grade
−Removed: ethanol and unleaded gasoline may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
−Removed: The industries in which we operate are extremely competitive.
−Removed: Many of our significant competitors have greater production and financial resources and could use their greater resources to gain market
−Removed: share at our expense.
−Removed: The industries in which we operate are extremely
−Removed: Many of our significant competitors have substantially greater production and financial resources than we do.
−Removed: our competitors may be able to compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time.
−Removed: Successful competition
−Removed: will require a continued high level of investment in facility maintenance.
−Removed: We may fail to anticipate or respond adequately to new industry
−Removed: developments and other competitive pressures due to our limited resources relative to many significant competitors.
−Removed: This failure could
−Removed: reduce our competitiveness and cause a decline in market share, sales and profitability.
−Removed: Even if sufficient funds are available, we may
−Removed: not be able to make the modifications and improvements necessary to compete successfully.
−Removed: We also face competition from international suppliers,
−Removed: particularly of fuel-grade ethanol, many of whom have cost structures substantially lower than ours.
−Removed: An increase in domestic or foreign
−Removed: competition could force us to reduce our prices and take other steps to compete effectively, which could adversely affect our business,
−Removed: financial condition and results of operations.
−Removed: We incur significant expenses to maintain and upgrade
−Removed: our production facilities and operating equipment, and any interruption in our operations would harm our operating performance.
−Removed: We regularly incur significant expenses to maintain
−Removed: and upgrade our production facilities and operating equipment.
−Removed: The machines and equipment we use to produce our alcohols and manufacture
−Removed: our essential ingredients are complex, have many parts, and some operate on a continuous basis.
−Removed: We must perform routine equipment maintenance
−Removed: and must periodically replace a variety of parts such as motors, pumps, pipes and electrical parts.
−Removed: In addition, our production facilities
−Removed: require periodic shutdowns to perform major maintenance and upgrades.
−Removed: These scheduled shutdowns result in lower sales and increased costs
−Removed: in the periods during which a shutdown occurs and could result in unexpected operational issues in future periods as a result of changes
−Removed: to equipment and operational and mechanical processes made during shutdown.
−Removed: Risks Related to our Finances
−Removed: We have incurred significant losses and negative operating
−Removed: cash flow in the past and we may incur losses and negative operating cash flow in the future, which may hamper our operations and impede
−Removed: us from expanding our business.
−Removed: We have incurred significant losses and
−Removed: negative operating cash flow in the past.
−Removed: For the three months ended September 30, 2021, we incurred consolidated net losses of
−Removed: approximately $3.1 million.
−Removed: For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we incurred consolidated net losses of approximately
−Removed: $17.3 million and $101.3 million, respectively.
−Removed: For the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and for the year ended December 31,
−Removed: 2019, we incurred negative operating cash flow of approximately $19.7 million and $23.4 million, respectively.
−Removed: We may incur losses
−Removed: and negative operating cash flow in the future.
−Removed: We expect to rely on cash on hand, cash, if any, generated from our operations,
−Removed: borrowing availability under our lines of credit and proceeds from our future financing activities, if any, to fund all of the cash
−Removed: requirements of our business.
+Added: Additional risks and uncertainties
+Added: not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business.
+Added: If any of these known or unknown risks or
+Added: uncertainties actually occurs with material adverse effects on Alto Ingredients, our business, financial condition, results of operations
+Added: and/or liquidity could be seriously harmed.
+Added: In that event, the market price for our common stock will likely decline, and you may lose
+Added: all or part of your investment.
+Added: Related to our Business
+Added: results of operations and our ability to operate at a profit are largely dependent on our ability to manage the costs of corn, natural
+Added: gas and other production inputs, with the prices of our alcohols and essential ingredients, all of which are subject to volatility and
+Added: results of operations are highly impacted by commodity prices, including the cost of corn, natural gas and other production inputs that
+Added: we must purchase, and the prices of alcohols and essential ingredients that we sell.
+Added: Prices and supplies are subject to and determined
+Added: by market and other forces over which we have no control, such as weather, domestic and global demand, supply shortages, export prices
+Added: and various governmental policies in the United States and throughout the world.
+Added: volatility of corn, natural gas and other production inputs, and alcohols and essential ingredients, may cause our results of operations
+Added: to fluctuate substantially.
+Added: We may fail to generate expected levels of net sales and profits even under fixed-price and other contracts
+Added: for the sale of specialty alcohols used in consumer products.
+Added: Our customers may not pay us timely or at all, even under longer-term,
+Added: fixed-price contracts for our specialty alcohols, and may seek to renegotiate prices under those contracts during periods of falling
+Added: prices or high price volatility.
+Added: the past several years, for example, the spread between corn and fuel-grade ethanol prices has fluctuated significantly.
+Added: are likely to continue to occur.
+Added: A sustained narrow spread, whether as a result of sustained high or increased corn prices or sustained
+Added: low or decreased alcohol or essential ingredient prices, would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: from sales of alcohols, particularly fuel-grade ethanol, and essential ingredients could decline below the marginal cost of production,
+Added: which may force us to suspend production, particularly fuel-grade ethanol production, at some or all of our facilities.
+Added: addition, some of our fuel-grade ethanol marketing and distribution activities will likely be unprofitable in a market of generally
+Added: declining prices due to the nature of our business.
+Added: For example, to satisfy customer demands, we maintain certain quantities of
+Added: fuel-grade ethanol inventory for subsequent resale.
+Added: Moreover, we procure much of our fuel-grade ethanol inventory outside of
+Added: third-party marketing and distribution arrangements and therefore must buy fuel-grade ethanol at a price established at the time of
+Added: purchase and sell fuel-grade ethanol at an index price established later at the time of sale that is generally reflective of
+Added: movements in the market price of fuel-grade ethanol.
+Added: As a result, our margins for fuel-grade ethanol sold in these transactions
+Added: generally decline and may turn negative as the market price of fuel-grade ethanol declines.
+Added: can provide no assurance that corn, natural gas or other production inputs can be purchased at or near current or any particular prices,
+Added: or that our alcohols or essential ingredients will sell at or near current or any particular prices.
+Added: Consequently, our results of operations
+Added: and financial condition may be adversely affected by increases in the prices of corn, natural gas and other production inputs or decreases
+Added: in the prices of our alcohols and essential ingredients.
+Added: including as a result of commodity price inflation or supply chain constraints due to the war in Ukraine, may adversely impact our results
+Added: of operations.
+Added: have experienced inflationary impacts on key production inputs, wages and other costs of labor, equipment, services, and other business
+Added: Commodity prices in particular have risen significantly over the past year.
+Added: Inflation and its negative impacts could escalate
+Added: in future periods.
+Added: is the third largest exporter of grain in the world.
+Added: Russia is one of the largest producers of natural gas and oil and is the
+Added: largest exporter of fertilizers.
+Added: The commodity price impact of the war in Ukraine has been a sharp and sustained rise in grain and
+Added: energy prices, including corn and natural gas, two of our primary production input commodities.
+Added: In addition, the war in Ukraine has
+Added: adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect global supply chains resulting in further commodity price inflation for our
+Added: production inputs.
+Added: Lower fertilizer supplies may also impact future growing seasons, further impacting grain supplies and prices.
+Added: Also, given high global grain prices, U.S.
+Added: farmers may prefer to lock in prices and export additional volumes, reducing domestic
+Added: grain supplies and resulting in further inflationary pressures.
+Added: may not be able to include these additional costs in the prices of the products we sell.
+Added: As a result, inflation may have a material adverse
+Added: effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: alcohol or essential ingredient production or higher inventory levels may cause a decline in prices for those products, and may have
+Added: other negative effects, adversely impacting our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
+Added: prices of our alcohols and essential ingredients are impacted by competing third-party supplies of those products.
+Added: For example, we believe
+Added: that the most significant factor influencing the price of fuel-grade ethanol has been the substantial increase in production.
+Added: to the Renewable Fuels Association, domestic fuel-grade ethanol production capacity increased from an annualized rate of 1.5 billion
+Added: gallons per year in January 1999 to a record 16.1 billion gallons in 2018.
+Added: In addition, if fuel-grade ethanol production margins improve,
+Added: we anticipate that owners of production facilities operating at below capacity, or owners of idled production facilities, will increase
+Added: production levels, thereby resulting in more abundant fuel-grade ethanol supplies and inventories.
+Added: Increases in the supply of alcohols
+Added: and essential ingredients may not be commensurate with increases in demand for alcohols and essential ingredients, thus leading to lower
+Added: Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our results
+Added: of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
+Added: prices of our products are volatile and subject to large fluctuations, which may cause our results of operations to fluctuate significantly.
+Added: prices of our products are volatile and subject to large fluctuations.
+Added: For example, the market price of fuel-grade ethanol is dependent
+Added: upon many factors, including the supply of ethanol and the price of gasoline, which is in turn dependent upon the price of petroleum
+Added: which itself is highly volatile and difficult to forecast.
+Added: Our fuel-grade ethanol sales are tied to prevailing spot market prices rather
+Added: than long-term, fixed-price contracts.
+Added: Fuel-grade ethanol prices, as reported by the CBOT, ranged from $2.00 to $2.58 per gallon in the
+Added: three months ended March 31, 2022, $1.48 to $3.75 per gallon in 2021, from $0.81 to $1.62 per gallon in 2020 and from $1.25 to $1.70
+Added: per gallon in 2019.
+Added: In addition, even under longer-term, fixed-price contracts for our specialty alcohols, our customers may seek to
+Added: renegotiate prices under those contracts during periods of falling prices or high price volatility.
+Added: Fluctuations in the prices of our
+Added: products may cause our results of operations to fluctuate significantly.
+Added: in our production or distribution may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: business depends on the continuing availability of rail, road, port, storage and distribution infrastructure.
+Added: In particular, due to limited
+Added: storage capacity at our production facilities and other considerations related to production efficiencies, our facilities depend on just-in-time
+Added: delivery of corn.
+Added: The production of alcohols also requires a significant and uninterrupted supply of other raw materials and energy,
+Added: primarily water, electricity and natural gas.
+Added: Local water, electricity and gas utilities may fail to reliably supply the water, electricity
+Added: and natural gas that our production facilities need or may fail to supply those resources on acceptable terms.
+Added: In the past, poor weather
+Added: has caused disruptions in rail transportation, which slowed the delivery of fuel-grade ethanol by rail, the principal manner by which
+Added: fuel-grade ethanol from our facilities located in the Midwest is transported to market.
+Added: In addition, in 2020, we experienced closure
+Added: of the Illinois River for lock repairs which required greater use of less cost-effective modes of product transport such as via rail
+Added: and truck, which resulted in higher costs and negatively affected our results of operations.
+Added: in production or distribution, whether caused by labor difficulties, unscheduled downtimes and other operational hazards inherent in
+Added: the alcohol production industry, including equipment failures, fires, explosions, abnormal pressures, blowouts, pipeline ruptures, transportation
+Added: accidents and natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and storms, or human error or malfeasance or other reasons, could prevent
+Added: timely deliveries of corn or other raw materials and energy, and could delay transport of our products to market, and may require us
+Added: to halt production at one or more production facilities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
+Added: operations and financial condition.
+Added: of these operational hazards may also cause personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment
+Added: or environmental damage, and may result in suspension of operations and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
+Added: Our insurance
+Added: may not fully cover the potential hazards described above or we may be unable to renew our insurance on commercially reasonable terms
+Added: effects of the coronavirus pandemic may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and liquidity.
+Added: coronavirus pandemic has resulted in businesses suspending or substantially curtailing operations and travel, quarantines, and an overall
+Added: substantial slowdown of economic activity.
+Added: Federal, state and foreign governments have implemented measures to contain the virus, including
+Added: social distancing requirements, travel restrictions, border closures, limitations on public gatherings, work-from-home orders, and closure
+Added: of non-essential businesses.
+Added: Many of these measures remain or have been curtailed only partially.
+Added: Transportation fuels in particular,
+Added: including fuel-grade ethanol, experienced significant price declines and reduced demand.
+Added: A further or extended ongoing downturn in global
+Added: economic activity, or recessionary conditions in general, would likely lead to poor demand for, and negatively affect the prices of,
+Added: fuel-grade ethanol, materially and adversely affecting our business, results of operations and liquidity.
+Added: may engage in hedging transactions and other risk mitigation strategies that could harm our results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: an attempt to partially offset the effects of volatility of our product prices, in particular fuel-grade ethanol, corn and natural gas
+Added: costs, we may enter into contracts to fix the price of a portion of our production or purchase a portion of our corn or natural gas requirements
+Added: on a forward basis.
+Added: In addition, we may engage in other hedging transactions involving exchange-traded futures contracts for corn, natural
+Added: gas and unleaded gasoline from time to time.
+Added: The financial statement impact of these activities is dependent upon, among other things,
+Added: the prices involved and our ability to sell sufficient products to use all of the corn and natural gas for which forward commitments
+Added: have been made.
+Added: Hedging arrangements also expose us to the risk of financial loss in situations where the other party to the hedging
+Added: contract defaults on its contract or, in the case of exchange-traded contracts, where there is a change in the expected differential
+Added: between the underlying price in the hedging agreement and the actual prices paid or received by us.
+Added: In addition, our open contract positions
+Added: may require cash deposits to cover margin calls, negatively impacting our liquidity.
+Added: As a result, our hedging activities and fluctuations
+Added: in the price of corn, natural gas, fuel-grade ethanol and unleaded gasoline may adversely affect our results of operations, financial
+Added: condition and liquidity.
+Added: Related to our Finances
+Added: have incurred significant losses and negative operating cash flow in the past and we may incur losses and negative operating cash flow
+Added: in the future, which may hamper our operations and impede us from expanding our business.
+Added: have incurred significant losses and negative operating cash flow in the past.
+Added: For example, for the three months ended March 31, 2022
+Added: and year ended December 31, 2020, we incurred consolidated net losses of approximately $2.6 million and $17.3 million, respectively.
+Added: We may incur losses and negative operating cash flow in the future.
+Added: We expect to rely on cash on hand, cash, if any, generated from our
+Added: operations, borrowing availability under our lines of credit and proceeds from our future financing activities, if any, to fund all of
+Added: the cash requirements of our business.
Additional losses and negative operating cash flow may hamper our operations and impede us from
expanding our business.
−Removed: Our ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards
−Removed: and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
−Removed: Federal and state income tax laws impose restrictions
−Removed: on our use of net operating loss, or NOL, and tax credit carryforwards in the event that an “ownership change” occurs for
−Removed: tax purposes, as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, or Code.
−Removed: In general, an ownership change occurs when stockholders
−Removed: owning 5% or more of a corporation entitled to use NOL or other loss carryforwards have increased their ownership by more than 50 percentage
−Removed: points during any three-year period.
−Removed: The annual base limitation under Section 382 of the Code is calculated by multiplying the corporation’s
−Removed: value at the time of the ownership change by the greater of the long-term tax-exempt rate determined by the Internal Revenue Service in
−Removed: the month of the ownership change or the two preceding months.
−Removed: Our ability to utilize our NOL and other loss carryforwards may be substantially
−Removed: These limitations could result in increased future tax obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial
−Removed: condition and results of operations.
−Removed: Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Matters
−Removed: Future demand for fuel-grade ethanol is uncertain
−Removed: and may be affected by changes to federal mandates, public perception, consumer acceptance and overall consumer demand for transportation
−Removed: fuel, any of which could negatively affect demand for fuel-grade ethanol and our results of operations.
−Removed: Although many trade groups, academics and governmental
−Removed: agencies have supported fuel-grade ethanol as a fuel additive that promotes a cleaner environment, others have criticized fuel-grade ethanol
−Removed: production as consuming considerably more energy and emitting more greenhouse gases than other biofuels and potentially depleting water
−Removed: Some studies have suggested that corn-based ethanol is less efficient than ethanol produced from other feedstock and that it
−Removed: negatively impacts consumers by causing increased prices for dairy, meat and other food generated from livestock that consume corn.
−Removed: Additionally,
−Removed: critics of fuel-grade ethanol contend that corn supplies are redirected from international food markets to domestic fuel markets.
−Removed: views of corn-based ethanol production gain acceptance, support for existing measures promoting use and domestic production of corn-based
−Removed: ethanol as a fuel additive could decline, leading to a reduction or repeal of federal ethanol usage mandates, which would materially and
−Removed: adversely affect the demand for fuel-grade ethanol.
−Removed: These views could also negatively impact public perception of the fuel-grade ethanol
−Removed: industry and acceptance of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
−Removed: There are limited markets for fuel-grade ethanol
−Removed: beyond those established by federal mandates.
−Removed: Discretionary blending and E85 blending (i.e., gasoline blended with up to 85% fuel-grade
−Removed: ethanol by volume) are important secondary markets.
−Removed: Discretionary blending is often determined by the price of fuel-grade ethanol versus
−Removed: the price of gasoline.
−Removed: In periods when discretionary blending is financially unattractive, the demand for fuel-grade ethanol may decline.
−Removed: Also, the demand for fuel-grade ethanol is affected by the overall demand for transportation fuel.
−Removed: Demand for transportation fuel is affected
−Removed: by the number of miles traveled by consumers and vehicle fuel economy.
−Removed: Lower demand for fuel-grade ethanol and co-products would reduce
−Removed: the value of our ethanol and related products, erode our overall margins and diminish our ability to generate revenue or to operate profitably.
−Removed: In addition, we believe that consumer acceptance of E15 and E85 fuels is necessary before fuel-grade ethanol can achieve any significant
−Removed: growth in market share relative to other transportation fuels.
−Removed: The United States fuel-grade ethanol industry is highly
−Removed: dependent upon various federal and state laws and any changes in those laws could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations,
−Removed: cash flows and financial condition.
−Removed: The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has
−Removed: implemented the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
−Removed: The RFS program sets annual quotas for the quantity of renewable fuels (such as fuel-grade ethanol) that must be blended into motor fuels
−Removed: consumed in the United States.
−Removed: The domestic market for fuel-grade ethanol is significantly impacted by federal mandates under the RFS
−Removed: program for volumes of renewable fuels (such as ethanol) required to be blended with gasoline.
−Removed: Future demand for fuel-grade ethanol will
−Removed: largely depend on incentives to blend ethanol into motor fuels, including the price of ethanol relative to the price of gasoline, the
−Removed: relative octane value of ethanol, constraints in the ability of vehicles to use higher ethanol blends, the RFS, and other applicable environmental
−Removed: requirements.
−Removed: Under the provisions of the Clean Air Act, as amended
−Removed: by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the EPA has limited authority to waive or reduce the mandated RFS requirements, which
−Removed: authority is subject to consultation with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, and based on a determination that there is inadequate
−Removed: domestic renewable fuel supply or implementation of the applicable requirements would severely harm the economy or environment of a state,
−Removed: region or the United States in general.
−Removed: Our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely impacted if the
−Removed: EPA reduces the RFS requirements from the statutory levels specified in the RFS.
−Removed: Various bills in Congress introduced from time
−Removed: to time are also directed at altering existing renewable fuels energy legislation, but none has passed in recent years.
−Removed: Some legislative
−Removed: bills are directed at halting or reversing expansion of, or even eliminating, the renewable fuel program, while other bills are directed
−Removed: at bolstering the program or enacting further mandates or grants that would support the renewable fuels industry.
−Removed: Our results of operations,
−Removed: cash flows and financial condition could be adversely impacted if any legislation is enacted that reduces the RFS volume requirements.
−Removed: We may be adversely affected by environmental, health
−Removed: and safety laws, regulations and liabilities .
−Removed: We are subject to various federal, state and local
−Removed: environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to the discharge of materials into the air, water and ground, the generation,
−Removed: storage, handling, use, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes, and the health and safety of our employees.
−Removed: addition, some of these laws and regulations require us to operate under permits that are subject to renewal or modification.
−Removed: regulations and permits often require expensive pollution control equipment or operational changes to limit actual or potential impacts
−Removed: to the environment.
−Removed: A violation of these laws and regulations or permit conditions can result in substantial fines, natural resource damages,
−Removed: criminal sanctions, permit revocations and/or production facility shutdowns.
−Removed: In addition, we have made, and expect to make, significant
−Removed: capital expenditures on an ongoing basis to comply with increasingly stringent environmental laws, regulations and permits.
−Removed: We may be liable for the investigation and cleanup
−Removed: of environmental contamination at each of our production facilities and at off-site locations where we arrange for the disposal of hazardous
−Removed: substances or wastes.
−Removed: If these substances or wastes have been or are disposed of or released at sites that undergo investigation and/or
−Removed: remediation by regulatory agencies, we may be responsible under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
−Removed: of 1980, or other environmental laws for all or part of the costs of investigation and/or remediation, and for damages to natural resources.
−Removed: We may also be subject to related claims by private parties alleging property damage and personal injury due to exposure to hazardous
−Removed: or other materials at or from those properties.
−Removed: Some of these matters may require us to expend significant amounts for investigation,
−Removed: cleanup or other costs.
−Removed: In addition, new laws, new interpretations of existing
−Removed: laws, increased governmental enforcement of environmental laws or other developments could require us to make significant additional expenditures.
−Removed: Continued government and public emphasis on environmental issues will likely result in increased future investments for environmental
−Removed: controls at our production facilities.
−Removed: Present and future environmental laws and regulations, and interpretations of those laws and regulations,
−Removed: applicable to our operations, more vigorous enforcement policies and discovery of currently unknown conditions may require substantial
−Removed: expenditures that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
−Removed: The hazards and risks associated with producing
−Removed: and transporting our products (including fires, natural disasters, explosions and abnormal pressures and blowouts) may also result in
−Removed: personal injury claims or damage to property and third parties.
−Removed: As protection against operating hazards, we maintain insurance coverage
−Removed: against some, but not all, potential losses.
−Removed: However, we could sustain losses for uninsurable or uninsured risks, or in amounts in excess
−Removed: of existing insurance coverages.
−Removed: Events that result in significant personal injury or damage to our property or third parties or other
−Removed: losses that are not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
−Removed: Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock
−Removed: of substantial amounts of our common stock, or perceptions that those sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our
−Removed: common stock and our ability to raise capital.
−Removed: Future sales of substantial
−Removed: amounts of our common stock into the public market, including up to 8.9 million shares of our common stock that may be issued upon the
−Removed: exercise of outstanding warrants, or perceptions that those sales could occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our
−Removed: common stock and our ability to raise capital.
−Removed: Our stock price
−Removed: is highly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors purchasing shares of our common stock and in litigation against
−Removed: The market price of our common
−Removed: stock has fluctuated significantly in the past and may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future.
−Removed: The market price of our common
−Removed: stock may continue to fluctuate in response to one or more of the following factors, many of which are beyond our control:
−Removed: ● fluctuations in the market prices of our products;
−Removed: ● fluctuations in the costs of key production input commodities such as corn and natural gas;
−Removed: ● the volume and timing of the receipt of orders for our products from major customers;
−Removed: ● the coronavirus pandemic, including governmental and public responses to the pandemic;
+Added: incur significant expenses to maintain and upgrade our production facilities and operating equipment, and any interruption in our operations
+Added: would harm our operating performance.
+Added: regularly incur significant expenses to maintain and upgrade our production facilities and operating equipment.
+Added: The machines and equipment
+Added: we use to produce our alcohols and manufacture our essential ingredients are complex, have many parts, and some operate on a continuous
+Added: We must perform routine equipment maintenance and must periodically replace a variety of parts such as motors, pumps, pipes and
+Added: electrical parts.
+Added: In addition, our production facilities require periodic shutdowns to perform major maintenance and upgrades.
+Added: scheduled shutdowns result in lower sales and increased costs in the periods during which a shutdown occurs and could result in unexpected
+Added: operational issues in future periods as a result of changes to equipment and operational and mechanical processes made during shutdown.
+Added: ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
+Added: and state income tax laws impose restrictions on our use of net operating loss, or NOL, and tax credit carryforwards in the event that
+Added: an “ownership change” occurs for tax purposes, as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, or Code.
+Added: an ownership change occurs when stockholders owning 5% or more of a corporation entitled to use NOL or other loss carryforwards have
+Added: increased their ownership by more than 50 percentage points during any three-year period.
+Added: The annual base limitation under Section 382
+Added: of the Code is calculated by multiplying the corporation’s value at the time of the ownership change by the greater of the long-term
+Added: tax-exempt rate determined by the Internal Revenue Service in the month of the ownership change or the two preceding months.
+Added: to utilize our NOL and other loss carryforwards may be substantially limited.
+Added: These limitations could result in increased future tax
+Added: obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
+Added: Related to Legal and Regulatory Matters
+Added: may be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and liabilities .
+Added: are subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to the discharge of materials
+Added: into the air, water and ground;
+Added: the generation, storage, handling, use, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes;
+Added: and the health and safety of our employees.
+Added: In addition, some of these laws and regulations require us to operate under permits that
+Added: are subject to renewal or modification.
+Added: These laws, regulations and permits often require expensive pollution control equipment or operational
+Added: changes to limit actual or potential impacts to the environment.
+Added: A violation of these laws and regulations or permit conditions can result
+Added: in substantial fines, natural resource damages, criminal sanctions, permit revocations and/or production facility shutdowns.
+Added: we have made, and expect to make, significant capital expenditures on an ongoing basis to comply with increasingly stringent environmental
+Added: laws, regulations and permits.
+Added: may be liable for the investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination at each of our production facilities and at off-site locations
+Added: where we arrange for the disposal of hazardous substances or wastes.
+Added: If these substances or wastes have been or are disposed of or released
+Added: at sites that undergo investigation and/or remediation by regulatory agencies, we may be responsible under the Comprehensive Environmental
+Added: Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, or other environmental laws for all or part of the costs of investigation and/or remediation,
+Added: and for damages to natural resources.
+Added: We may also be subject to related claims by private parties alleging property damage and personal
+Added: injury due to exposure to hazardous or other materials at or from those properties.
+Added: Some of these matters may require us to expend significant
+Added: amounts for investigation, cleanup or other costs.
+Added: addition, new laws, new interpretations of existing laws, increased governmental enforcement of environmental laws or other developments
+Added: could require us to make significant additional expenditures.
+Added: Continued government and public emphasis on environmental issues will likely
+Added: result in increased future investments for environmental controls at our production facilities.
+Added: Present and future environmental laws
+Added: and regulations, and interpretations of those laws and regulations, applicable to our operations, more vigorous enforcement policies
+Added: and discovery of currently unknown conditions may require substantial expenditures that could have a material adverse effect on our results
+Added: of operations and financial condition.
+Added: hazards and risks associated with producing and transporting our products (including fires, natural disasters, explosions and abnormal
+Added: pressures and blowouts) may also result in personal injury claims or damage to property and third parties.
+Added: As protection against operating
+Added: hazards, we maintain insurance coverage against some, but not all, potential losses.
+Added: However, we could sustain losses for uninsurable
+Added: or uninsured risks, or in amounts in excess of existing insurance coverages.
+Added: Events that result in significant personal injury or damage
+Added: to our property or third parties or other losses that are not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our
+Added: results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: demand for fuel-grade ethanol is uncertain and may be affected by changes to federal mandates, public perception, consumer acceptance
+Added: and overall consumer demand for transportation fuel, any of which could negatively affect demand for fuel-grade ethanol and our results
+Added: of operations.
+Added: many trade groups, academics and governmental agencies have supported fuel-grade ethanol as a fuel additive that promotes a cleaner environment,
+Added: others have criticized fuel-grade ethanol production as consuming considerably more energy and emitting more greenhouse gases than other
+Added: biofuels and potentially depleting water resources.
+Added: Some studies have suggested that corn-based ethanol is less efficient than ethanol
+Added: produced from other feedstock and that it negatively impacts consumers by causing increased prices for dairy, meat and other food generated
+Added: from livestock that consume corn.
+Added: Additionally, critics of fuel-grade ethanol contend that corn supplies are redirected from international
+Added: food markets to domestic fuel markets.
+Added: If negative views of corn-based ethanol production gain acceptance, support for existing measures
+Added: promoting use and domestic production of corn-based ethanol as a fuel additive could decline, leading to a reduction or repeal of federal
+Added: ethanol usage mandates, which would materially and adversely affect the demand for fuel-grade ethanol.
+Added: These views could also negatively
+Added: impact public perception of the fuel-grade ethanol industry and acceptance of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
+Added: are limited markets for fuel-grade ethanol beyond those established by federal mandates.
+Added: Discretionary blending and E85 blending (i.e.,
+Added: gasoline blended with up to 85% fuel-grade ethanol by volume) are important secondary markets.
+Added: Discretionary blending is often determined
+Added: by the price of fuel-grade ethanol versus the price of gasoline.
+Added: In periods when discretionary blending is financially unattractive,
+Added: the demand for fuel-grade ethanol may decline.
+Added: Also, the demand for fuel-grade ethanol is affected by the overall demand for transportation
+Added: Demand for transportation fuel is affected by the number of miles traveled by consumers and vehicle fuel economy.
+Added: for fuel-grade ethanol and co-products would reduce the value of our ethanol and related products, erode our overall margins and diminish
+Added: our ability to generate revenue or to operate profitably.
+Added: In addition, we believe that consumer acceptance of E15 and E85 fuels is necessary
+Added: before fuel-grade ethanol can achieve any significant growth in market share relative to other transportation fuels.
+Added: United States fuel-grade ethanol industry is highly dependent upon various federal and state laws and any changes in those laws could
+Added: have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
+Added: Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has implemented the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and
+Added: the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
+Added: The RFS program sets annual quotas for the quantity of renewable fuels (such as fuel-grade
+Added: ethanol) that must be blended into motor fuels consumed in the United States.
+Added: The domestic market for fuel-grade ethanol is significantly
+Added: impacted by federal mandates under the RFS program for volumes of renewable fuels (such as ethanol) required to be blended with gasoline.
+Added: Future demand for fuel-grade ethanol will largely depend on incentives to blend ethanol into motor fuels, including the price of ethanol
+Added: relative to the price of gasoline, the relative octane value of ethanol, constraints in the ability of vehicles to use higher ethanol
+Added: blends, the RFS, and other applicable environmental requirements.
+Added: the provisions of the Clean Air Act, as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the EPA has limited authority to
+Added: waive or reduce the mandated RFS requirements, which authority is subject to consultation with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy,
+Added: and based on a determination that there is inadequate domestic renewable fuel supply or implementation of the applicable requirements
+Added: would severely harm the economy or environment of a state, region or the United States in general.
+Added: Our results of operations, cash flows
+Added: and financial condition could be adversely impacted if the EPA reduces the RFS requirements from the statutory levels specified in the
+Added: bills in Congress introduced from time to time are also directed at altering existing renewable fuels energy legislation, but none has
+Added: passed in recent years.
+Added: Some legislative bills are directed at halting or reversing expansion of, or even eliminating, the renewable
+Added: fuel program, while other bills are directed at bolstering the program or enacting further mandates or grants that would support the
+Added: renewable fuels industry.
+Added: Our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely impacted if any legislation
+Added: is enacted that reduces the RFS volume requirements.
+Added: Related to Ownership of our Common Stock
+Added: stock price is highly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors purchasing shares of our common stock and in litigation
+Added: market price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly in the past and may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future.
+Added: The market price of our common stock may continue to fluctuate in response to one or more of the following factors, many of which are
+Added: beyond our control:
+Added: fluctuations in the market
+Added: prices of our products;
+Added: fluctuations in the costs
+Added: of key production input commodities such as corn and natural gas;
+Added: the volume and timing of the
+Added: receipt of orders for our products from major customers;
+Added: the coronavirus pandemic,
+Added: including governmental and public responses to the pandemic;
competitive pricing pressures;
−Removed: ● anticipated trends in our financial condition and results of operations;
−Removed: ● changes in market valuations of companies similar to us;
−Removed: ● stock market price and volume fluctuations generally;
−Removed: ● regulatory developments or increased enforcement;
−Removed: ● fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results;
−Removed: ● additions or departures of key personnel;
−Removed: ● our ability to obtain any necessary financing;
−Removed: ● our financing activities and future sales of our common stock or other securities;
−Removed: ● our ability to maintain contracts that are critical to our operations.
−Removed: The price at which you purchase
−Removed: shares of our common stock may not be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market.
−Removed: You may be unable to sell your
−Removed: shares of common stock at or above your purchase price, which may result in substantial losses to you and which may include the complete
−Removed: loss of your investment.
−Removed: In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following periods of
−Removed: high stock price volatility.
+Added: anticipated trends in our
+Added: financial condition and results of operations;
+Added: changes in market valuations
+Added: of companies similar to us;
+Added: stock market price and volume
+Added: fluctuations generally;
+Added: regulatory developments or
+Added: increased enforcement;
+Added: fluctuations in our quarterly
+Added: or annual operating results;
+Added: additions or departures of
+Added: key personnel;
+Added: our ability to obtain any
+Added: necessary financing;
+Added: our financing activities and
+Added: future sales of our common stock or other securities;
+Added: our ability to maintain contracts
+Added: that are critical to our operations.
+Added: price at which you purchase shares of our common stock may not be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market.
+Added: may be unable to sell your shares of common stock at or above your purchase price, which may result in substantial losses to you and
+Added: which may include the complete loss of your investment.
+Added: In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against
+Added: a company following periods of high stock price volatility.
We may be the target of similar litigation in the future.
−Removed: Securities litigation could result in substantial
−Removed: costs and divert management’s attention and our resources away from our business.
−Removed: Any of the risks described
−Removed: above could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, the price of our common stock, or both.
−Removed: do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the near future, our stockholders will not be able to receive
+Added: Securities litigation
+Added: could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and our resources away from our business.
+Added: of the risks described above could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, the price of our common stock, or both.
+Added: we do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the near future, our stockholders will not be able to receive
a return on their shares unless and until they sell them.
−Removed: We intend to retain a significant
−Removed: portion of any future earnings to finance the development, operation and expansion of our business.
−Removed: We do not anticipate paying any cash
−Removed: dividends on our common stock in the near future.
−Removed: The declaration, payment, and amount of any future dividends will be made at the discretion
−Removed: of our board of directors, and will depend upon, among other things, our results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition, operating
−Removed: and capital requirements, and other factors as our board of directors considers relevant.
−Removed: There is no assurance that future dividends
−Removed: will be paid, and, if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividend.
−Removed: Unless our board of directors
−Removed: determines to pay dividends, our stockholders will be required to look to appreciation of our common stock to realize a gain on their
−Removed: There can be no assurance that this appreciation will occur.
−Removed: Our bylaws contain an exclusive forum provision, which
−Removed: could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees
−Removed: Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing
−Removed: to the selection of an alternative forum, the Delaware Court of Chancery shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative
−Removed: action or proceeding brought on behalf of us, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer
−Removed: or other employee of us to us or our stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware
−Removed: General Corporation Law, or (d) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine.
−Removed: For the avoidance of doubt, the exclusive forum
−Removed: provision described above does not apply to any claims arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or
−Removed: the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
−Removed: Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction
−Removed: over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section
−Removed: 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability
−Removed: created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
−Removed: The choice of forum provision in our bylaws may
−Removed: limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors,
−Removed: officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, employees and agents even though
−Removed: an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders.
−Removed: The applicable courts may also reach different judgments or results than would
−Removed: other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action,
−Removed: and such judgments or results may be more favorable to us than to our stockholders.
−Removed: With respect to the provision making the Delaware
−Removed: Court of Chancery the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions, stockholders who do bring a claim in the Delaware Court of
−Removed: Chancery could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near Delaware.
−Removed: if a court were to find this provision of our bylaws inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types
−Removed: of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could have
−Removed: a material adverse effect on us.
−Removed: General Risk Factors
−Removed: Cyberattacks through security vulnerabilities could
−Removed: lead to disruption of business, reduced revenue, increased costs, liability claims, or harm to our reputation or competitive position.
−Removed: Security vulnerabilities may arise from our hardware,
−Removed: software, employees, contractors or policies we have deployed, which may result in external parties gaining access to our networks, data
−Removed: centers, cloud data centers, corporate computers, manufacturing systems, and/or access to accounts we have at our suppliers, vendors,
−Removed: and customers.
−Removed: External parties may gain access to our data or our customers’ data, or attack the networks causing denial of service
−Removed: or attempt to hold our data or systems in ransom.
−Removed: The vulnerability could be caused by inadequate account security practices such
−Removed: as failure to timely remove employee access when terminated.
−Removed: To mitigate these security issues, we have implemented measures throughout
−Removed: our organization, including firewalls, backups, encryption, employee information technology policies and user account policies.
−Removed: there can be no assurance these measures will be sufficient to avoid cyberattacks.
−Removed: If any of these types of security breaches were to
−Removed: occur and we were unable to protect sensitive data, our relationships with our business partners and customers could be materially damaged,
−Removed: our reputation could be materially harmed, and we could be exposed to a risk of litigation and possible significant liability.
−Removed: Further, if we fail to adequately maintain our
−Removed: information technology infrastructure, we may have outages and data loss.
−Removed: Excessive outages may affect our ability to timely and efficiently
−Removed: deliver products to customers or develop new products.
−Removed: Such disruptions and data loss may adversely impact our ability to fulfill orders
−Removed: and interrupt other processes.
−Removed: Delayed sales or lost customers resulting from these disruptions could adversely affect our financial results,
−Removed: stock price and reputation.
−Removed: The State of California enacted the California
−Removed: Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or CCPA, effective on January 1, 2020.
−Removed: Our and our business partners’ or contractors’ failure
−Removed: to fully comply with the CCPA and other laws could lead to significant fines and require onerous corrective action.
−Removed: In addition, data
−Removed: security breaches experienced by us or our business partners or contractors could result in the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual
−Removed: property, public disclosure of sensitive commercial data, and the exposure of personally identifiable information (including sensitive
−Removed: personal information) of our employees, customers, suppliers, contractors and others.
−Removed: Unauthorized use or disclosure of, or access to,
−Removed: any personal information maintained by us or on our behalf, whether through breach of our systems, breach of the systems of our suppliers
−Removed: or vendors by an unauthorized party, or through employee or contractor error, theft or misuse, or otherwise, could harm our business.
−Removed: If any such unauthorized use or disclosure of, or access to, such personal information was to occur, our operations could be seriously
−Removed: disrupted, and we could be subject to demands, claims and litigation by private parties, and investigations, related actions, and penalties
−Removed: by regulatory authorities.
−Removed: In addition, we could incur significant costs in notifying affected persons and entities and otherwise complying
−Removed: with the multitude of foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the unauthorized access to, or use or disclosure
−Removed: of, personal information.
−Removed: Finally, any perceived or actual unauthorized access to, or use or disclosure of, such information could harm
−Removed: our reputation, substantially impair our ability to attract and retain customers and have an adverse impact on our business, financial
−Removed: condition and results of operations.
+Added: intend to retain a significant portion of any future earnings to finance the development, operation and expansion of our business.
+Added: We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the near future.
+Added: The declaration, payment, and amount of any
+Added: future dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, and will depend upon, among other things, our results of
+Added: operations, cash flows, and financial condition, operating and capital requirements, and other factors as our board of directors
+Added: considers relevant.
+Added: There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and, if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with
+Added: respect to the amount of any such dividend.
+Added: Unless our board of directors determines to pay dividends, our stockholders will be
+Added: required to look solely to appreciation in the value of our common stock to realize any gain on their investment.
+Added: There can be no
+Added: assurance that any such appreciation will occur.
+Added: bylaws contain an exclusive forum provision, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for
+Added: disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
+Added: bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Delaware Court of Chancery shall be
+Added: the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action asserting a
+Added: claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of us to us or our stockholders, (c) any action
+Added: asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (d) any action asserting a claim
+Added: governed by the internal affairs doctrine.
+Added: the avoidance of doubt, the exclusive forum provision described above does not apply to any claims arising under the Securities Act of
+Added: 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
+Added: Section 27 of the Exchange
+Added: Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the
+Added: rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over
+Added: all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
+Added: choice of forum provision in our bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find
+Added: favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our
+Added: directors, officers, employees and agents even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders.
+Added: The applicable courts
+Added: may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may
+Added: be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to us than to our stockholders.
+Added: With respect to the provision making the Delaware Court of Chancery the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions, stockholders
+Added: who do bring a claim in the Delaware Court of Chancery could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly
+Added: if they do not reside in or near Delaware.
+Added: Finally, if a court were to find this provision of our bylaws inapplicable to, or unenforceable
+Added: in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving
+Added: such matters in other jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
+Added: through security vulnerabilities could lead to disruption of our business, reduced revenue, increased costs, liability claims, or
+Added: harm to our reputation or competitive position.
+Added: vulnerabilities may arise from our hardware, software, employees, contractors or policies we have deployed, which may result in
+Added: external parties gaining access to our networks, data centers, cloud data centers, corporate computers, manufacturing systems,
+Added: and/or access to accounts we have at our suppliers, vendors or customers.
+Added: External parties may gain access to our data or our
+Added: customers’ data, or attack the networks causing denial of service or attempt to hold our data or systems in ransom.
+Added: vulnerability could be caused by inadequate account security practices such as failure to timely remove employee access when
+Added: To mitigate these security issues, we have implemented measures throughout our organization, including firewalls,
+Added: backups, encryption, employee information technology policies and user account policies.
+Added: However, there can be no assurance that
+Added: these measures will be sufficient to avoid cyberattacks.
+Added: If any of these types of security breaches were to occur and we were unable
+Added: to protect sensitive data, our relationships with our business partners and customers could be materially damaged, our reputation
+Added: could be materially harmed, and we could be exposed to a risk of litigation and possible significant liability.
+Added: if we fail to adequately maintain our information technology infrastructure, we may have outages and data loss.
+Added: Excessive outages may
+Added: affect our ability to timely and efficiently deliver products to customers or develop new products.
+Added: Such disruptions and data loss may
+Added: adversely impact our ability to fulfill orders and interrupt other processes.
+Added: Delayed sales or lost customers resulting from these disruptions
+Added: could adversely affect our financial results, stock price and reputation.
+Added: Our and our business partners’ or contractors’ failure to fully comply with applicable data privacy or similar laws
+Added: could lead to significant fines and require onerous corrective action.
+Added: In addition, data security breaches experienced by us or our
+Added: business partners or contractors could result in the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, public disclosure of
+Added: sensitive commercial data, and the exposure of personally identifiable information (including sensitive personal information) of our
+Added: employees, customers, suppliers, contractors and others.
+Added: use or disclosure of, or access to, any personal information maintained by us or on our behalf, whether through breach of our systems,
+Added: breach of the systems of our suppliers or vendors by an unauthorized party, or through employee or contractor error, theft or misuse,
+Added: or otherwise, could harm our business.
+Added: If any such unauthorized use or disclosure of, or access to, such personal information was to
+Added: occur, our operations could be seriously disrupted, and we could be subject to demands, claims and litigation by private parties, and
+Added: investigations, related actions, and penalties by regulatory authorities.
+Added: In addition, we could incur significant costs in notifying
+Added: affected persons and entities and otherwise complying with the multitude of foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating
+Added: to the unauthorized access to, or use or disclosure of, personal information.
+Added: Finally, any perceived or actual unauthorized access to,
+Added: or use or disclosure of, such information could harm our reputation, substantially impair our ability to attract and retain customers
+Added: and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.