Blink Charging Co. 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS. In addition to other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the following risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating our business as they may have a significant impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. If any of the following risks occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected. Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results, past financial performance should not be considered as a reliable indicator of future performance and stockholders and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods. Relating to Our Business We have a history of substantial net losses and expect losses to continue in the future; if we do not achieve and sustain profitability, our financial condition could suffer. We have experienced substantial net losses, and we expect to continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future. We incurred net losses of $55.1 million, $17.8 million and $9.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had net working capital of $176.3 million and an accumulated deficit of $242.5 million. We have not yet achieved profitability. If our revenue grows slower than we anticipate, or if our operating expenses are higher than we expect, we may not be able to achieve profitability and our financial condition could suffer. We can give no assurance that we will ever achieve profitable operations. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Whether we can achieve cash flow levels sufficient to support our operations cannot be accurately predicted. Unless such cash flow levels are achieved, we may need to borrow additional funds or sell our debt or equity securities, or some combination of both, to provide funding for our operations. Such additional funding may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Our revenue growth ultimately depends on consumers’ willingness to adopt electric vehicles in a market which is still in its early stages. Our growth is highly dependent upon the adoption by consumers of EVs, and we are subject to a risk of any reduced demand for EVs. If the market for EVs does not gain broad market acceptance or develops slower than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be harmed. The market for alternative fuel vehicles is relatively new, rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, price competition, additional competitors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, frequent new vehicle announcements, long development cycles for EV original equipment manufacturers, and changing consumer demands and behaviors. Factors that may influence the purchase and use of alternative fuel vehicles, specifically EVs, include: ● perceptions about EV quality, safety (in particular with respect to lithium-ion battery packs), design, performance and cost, especially if adverse events or accidents occur that are linked to the quality or safety of EVs; ● the limited range over which EVs may be driven on a single battery charge and concerns about running out of power while in use; ● improvements in the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine; ● consumers’ desire and ability to purchase a luxury automobile or one that is perceived as exclusive; ● the environmental consciousness of consumers; ● volatility in the cost of oil and gasoline; ● consumers’ perceptions of the dependency of the United States on oil from unstable or hostile countries and the impact of international conflicts; ● government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy; ● access to charging stations, standardization of EV charging systems and consumers’ perceptions about convenience and cost to charge an EV; and ● the availability of tax and other governmental incentives to purchase and operate EVs or future regulation requiring increased use of nonpolluting vehicles. The influence of any of the factors described above may negatively impact the widespread consumer adoption of EVs, which would materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects. 12 Changes to corporate average fuel economy standards may negatively impact the EV market and demand for our products. As regulatory initiatives have required an increase in the consumption of renewable transportation fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, consumer acceptance of electric and other alternative vehicles is increasing. To meet higher fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger vehicles, automobile manufacturers are increasingly using technologies, such as turbocharging, direct injection and higher compression ratios, which require high octane gasoline. If fuel efficiency of vehicles continues to rise, and affordability of vehicles using renewable transportation fuels increases, the demand for electric and high energy vehicles could diminish. If consumers no longer purchase EVs, it would materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects. We have global operations and face risks related to health crises that could negatively impact our financial condition. Our business, the businesses of our customers and the businesses of our charging equipment suppliers could be materially and adversely affected by the risks, or the public perception of the risks, related to a pandemic or other health crisis, such as the ongoing presence of the coronavirus COVID-19 and its variants. A significant component supplier of our Blink IQ 200 charging station is located in Taiwan and it, in turn, sources assembly parts from China, which has been particularly impacted. A significant or prolonged outbreak of contagious diseases like COVID-19 and its variants in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our EV supply equipment and related networked services and likely impact our operating results. Such events could result in the complete or partial closure of our Taiwan supplier’s manufacturing facility, the interruption of our distribution system, temporary or long-term disruption in our supply chains from Asia and other international suppliers, disruptions, or restrictions on our employees to work or travel, delays in the delivery of our charging stations to customers, and potential claims of exposure to diseases through contact with our charging stations. If the impact of an outbreak continues for an extended period, it could materially adversely impact our supply chain, access to capital and the growth of our revenues. The impact of the military action in Ukraine may affect our current and future operations in the European Union. The current invasion of Ukraine by Russia has escalated tensions among the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia. The United States and other NATO member states, as well as non-member states, have announced new sanctions against Russia and certain Russian banks, enterprises and individuals. These and any future additional sanctions and any resulting conflict between Russia, the United States and NATO countries could have an adverse impact on our current operations in Belgium, Greece and the United Kingdom, which are NATO members, and could restrict our ability to expand our operations and EV charger sites into other countries in the European Union in the future. In addition, we maintain a business relationship with a supplier of certain electronic equipment located in Ukraine, which will likely be adversely impacted. We are not currently dependent on this supplier to provide our services as there are multiple sources of supply available to us. Further, such invasion, ongoing military conflict, resulting sanctions and related countermeasures by NATO states, the United States and other countries are likely to lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions for equipment. In light of these events, we are developing a plan designed to mitigate the impact of this conflict on our business, but it is unclear if it will successfully mitigate all disruptions, which could have an adverse impact on our operations and financial performance. We rely on a limited number of vendors for our EV charging equipment and related support services. A loss of any of these partners would negatively affect our business. We rely on a limited number of vendors for design, testing and manufacturing of EV charging equipment which generally singularly sourced with respect to components as well as aftermarket maintenance and warranty services. The reliance on a limited number of vendors increases our risks, since we do not currently have proven reliable alternative or replacement vendors beyond these key parties. In the event of production interruptions or supply chain disruptions including but not limited to availability of certain key components such as semiconductors, we may not be able to take advantage of increased production from other sources or develop alternate or secondary vendors without incurring material additional costs and substantial delays. Therefore, our business would be adversely affected if one or more of our vendors is impacted by any interruption at a particular location. As the demand for public charging increases, the EV charging equipment vendors may not be able to dedicate sufficient supply chain, production, or sales channel capacity to keep up with the required pace of charging infrastructure expansion. In addition, as the EV market grows, the industry may be exposed to deteriorating design requirements, undetected faults or the erosion of testing standards by charging equipment and component suppliers, which may adversely impact the performance, reliability and lifecycle cost of the chargers. If we or our suppliers experience a significant increase in demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier, we may not be able to supplement service or replace them on acceptable terms, which may impact our ability to install chargers in a timely manner. Thus, a loss of any significant vendor would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. We may be adversely affected by inflationary or market fluctuations, including impact of tariffs, in the cost of products consumed in providing our services or our cost of labor. The prices we pay for the principal items we consume in performing our services are dependent primarily on current market prices. We have consolidated certain supply purchases with national vendors through agreements containing negotiated prospective pricing. In the event such vendors are not able to comply with their obligations under the agreements and we are required to seek alternative suppliers, we may incur increased costs of supplies. EV chargers are impacted by commodity pricing factors, including the impact of tariffs, which in many cases are unpredictable and outside of our control. We seek to pass on to customers such increased costs but sometimes we are unable to do so. Even when we are able to pass on such costs to our customers, from time to time, sporadic unanticipated increases in the costs of certain supply items due to market or economic conditions may result in a timing delay in passing on such increases to our customers. This type of spike and unanticipated increase in EV charger costs could adversely affect our operating performance, and the adverse effect could be greater if we are delayed in passing on such additional costs to our customers (e.g., where we may not be able to pass such increase on to our customers until the time of our next scheduled service billing review). We seek to mitigate the impact of an unanticipated increase in such supplies’ costs through consolidation of vendors, which increases our ability to obtain more favorable pricing. 13 Our cost of labor may be influenced by factors in certain market areas. A substantial number of our employees are hourly employees whose wage rates are affected by increases in the federal or state minimum wage rates, wage inflation or local job market adjustments. We do not have a contractual right to automatically pass through all wage rate increases resulting from wage rate inflation or local job market adjustments, and we may be delayed in doing so. Our delay in, or inability to pass such wage increases through to our customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Climate change may have a long-term impact on our business. While we seek to partner with organizations that mitigate their business risks associated with climate change, we recognize that there are inherent risks wherever business is conducted. Access to clean water and reliable energy in the communities where we conduct our business, whether for our offices or for our vendors, is a priority. Our major sites in Miami, Florida, Los Angeles, California and Tempe, Arizona are vulnerable to climate change effects. For example, in Florida, residents are facing increasing flood risk and storm intensity. This is especially evident in Miami, due to its low-lying topography, porous limestone, dense coastal development and encroaching seas. In California, increasing intensity of drought throughout the state and annual periods of wildfire danger increase the probability of planned power outages in the communities where we work and live. While this danger has a low-assessed risk of disrupting normal business operations, it has the potential impact on employees’ abilities to commute to work or to work from home and stay connected effectively. Climate-related events, including the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their impact on critical infrastructure throughout the United States and in other countries where we have operations, have the potential to disrupt our business, our third-party suppliers and/or the business of our customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, losses and additional costs to maintain or resume our EV charging operations. Computer malware, viruses, hacking, phishing attacks and spamming that could result in security and privacy breaches and interruption in service could harm our business and our customers. Computer malware, viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions could lead to interruption and delays in our services and operations and loss, misuse or theft of data. Computer malware, viruses, computer hacking and phishing attacks against online networking platforms have become more prevalent and may occur on our systems in the future. Any attempts by hackers to disrupt our website service or our internal systems, if successful, could harm our business, be expensive to remedy and damage our reputation or brand. Our network security business disruption insurance may not be sufficient to cover significant expenses and losses related to direct attacks on our website or internal systems. Efforts to prevent hackers from entering our computer systems are expensive to implement and may limit the functionality of our services. Though it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from any specific interruption or attack, any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security and availability of our products and services and technical infrastructure may harm our reputation, brand and our ability to attract customers. Any significant disruption to our website or internal computer systems could result in a loss of customers and could adversely affect our business and results of operations. We have previously experienced, and may in the future experience, service disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, third-party service providers, human or software errors and capacity constraints. If our mobile application is unavailable when customers attempt to access it or it does not load as quickly as they expect, customers may seek other services. Our platform functions on software that is highly technical and complex and may now or in the future contain undetected errors, bugs, or vulnerabilities. Some errors in our software code may only be discovered after the code has been deployed. Any errors, bugs or vulnerabilities discovered in our code after deployment, inability to identify the cause or causes of performance problems within an acceptable period of time or difficultly maintaining and improving the performance of our platform, particularly during peak usage times, could result in damage to our reputation or brand, loss of revenues, or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results. We expect to continue to make significant investments to maintain and improve the availability of our platform and to enable rapid releases of new features and products. To the extent that we do not effectively address capacity constraints, upgrade our systems and equipment as needed and continually develop our technology and network architecture to accommodate actual and anticipated changes in technology, our business and operating results may be harmed. If we do not make the necessary investments or upgrades to maintain a network capable of operating on current and future generations of broadband cellular network technology, namely the 4G and 5G systems, our business and operating results could be adversely impacted. We have a disaster recovery program to transition our operating platform and data to a failover location in the event of a catastrophe and have tested this capability under controlled circumstances. However, there are several factors ranging from human error to data corruption that could materially lengthen the time our platform is partially or fully unavailable to our user base as a result of the transition. If our platform is unavailable for a significant period of time as a result of such a transition, especially during peak periods, we could suffer damage to our reputation or brand, or loss of revenues any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results. 14 Growing our customer base depends upon the effective operation of our mobile applications with mobile operating systems, networks and standards that we do not control. We are dependent on the interoperability of our mobile applications with popular mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Google’s Android and iOS, and any changes in such systems that degrade our products’ functionality or give preferential treatment to competitive products could adversely affect the usage of our applications on mobile devices. Additionally, to deliver high quality mobile products, it is important that our products work well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks and standards that we do not control. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing products that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks or standards. If we are unable to keep up with advances in EV technology, we may suffer a decline in our competitive position. The EV industry is characterized by rapid technological change. If we are unable to keep up with changes in EV technology, our competitive position may deteriorate which would materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. As technologies change, we plan to upgrade or adapt our EV charging stations and Blink Network software in order to continue to provide EV charging services with the latest technology. However, due to our limited cash resources, our efforts to do so may be limited. For example, the EV charging network that we acquired from Ecotality was originally funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, which funding is no longer available to us. As a result, we may be unable to grow, maintain and enhance the network of charging stations that we acquired from Ecotality at the same rate and scale as Ecotality did prior to the acquisition or at levels comparable our current competitors. Any failure of our charging stations to compete effectively with other manufacturers’ charging stations will harm our business, operating results and prospects. We need to manage growth in operations to realize our growth potential and achieve expected revenues; our failure to manage growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues we expect. In order to take advantage of the growth that we anticipate in our current and potential markets, we believe that we must expand our marketing operations. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management and our operational, accounting, and information systems. We expect that we will need to continue to improve our financial controls, operating procedures and management information systems. We will also need to effectively train, motivate and manage our employees. Our failure to manage our growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues we expect. In order to achieve the above-mentioned targets, the general strategies of our company are to maintain and search for hard-working employees who have innovative initiatives, as well as to keep a close eye on expansion opportunities through merger and/or acquisition. Our growth strategy depends in part on our acquiring businesses and expanding our operations, which we may not be able to do due to the risks inherent in acquisitions. We may pursue strategic acquisitions in the future. Risks in acquisition transactions include difficulties in the integration of acquired businesses into our operations and control environment, difficulties in assimilating and retaining employees and intermediaries, difficulties in retaining the existing clients of the acquired entities, assumed or unforeseen liabilities that arise in connection with the acquired businesses, the failure of counterparties to satisfy any obligations to indemnify us against liabilities arising from the acquired businesses, and unfavorable market conditions that could negatively impact our growth expectations for the acquired businesses. Fully integrating an acquired company or business into our operations may take a significant amount of time. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in overcoming these risks or any other problems encountered with acquisitions and other strategic transactions. These risks may prevent us from realizing the expected benefits from acquisitions and could result in the failure to realize the full economic value of a strategic transaction or the impairment of goodwill and/or intangible assets recognized at the time of an acquisition. These risks could be heightened if we complete a large acquisition or multiple acquisitions within a short period of time. We have limited insurance coverage for various liabilities and damages, including potential injuries, and such insurance coverage may not be adequate in a catastrophic situation. We hold employer liability insurance generally covering death or work-related injury of employees. We hold product and general liability insurance covering certain incidents involving third parties that occur on or in the premises of our company. We do not maintain business interruption insurance. Our insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover any claim for product liability, damage to our fixed assets, inventory or employee injuries. Any liability or damage to, or caused by, our facilities or our personnel beyond our insurance coverage may result in our incurring substantial costs and a diversion of resources. Our future success is largely dependent on the performance and continued service of Michael D. Farkas, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. We presently depend to a significant extent upon the experience, abilities and continued services of Michael D. Farkas, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of Mr. Farkas’ services could prove disruptive to our daily operations, require a disproportionate amount of resources and management attention and could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. 15 Our future success also depends on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Our future success also depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Expansion of our business and the management and operation of our company will require additional managers and employees with industry experience, and our success will be highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain skilled management personnel and other employees. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain highly qualified personnel. As our industry continues to evolve, competition for skilled personnel with the requisite experience will be significant. This competition may make it more difficult and expensive to attract, hire and retain qualified managers and employees. We are in a highly competitive EV charging services industry and there can be no assurance that we will be able to compete with many of our competitors which are larger and have greater financial resources. We face strong competition from competitors in the EV charging services industry, including competitors who could duplicate our model. Many of these competitors may have substantially greater financial, marketing and development resources and other capabilities than us. In addition, there are very few barriers to entry into the market for our services. There can be no assurance, therefore, that any of our current and future competitors, many of whom may have far greater resources, will not independently develop services that are substantially equivalent or superior to our services. Therefore, an investment in our company is very risky and speculative due to the competitive environment in which we may operate. Our competitors may be able to provide customers with different or greater capabilities or benefits than we can provide in areas such as technical qualifications, past contract performance, geographic presence and driver price. Further, many of our competitors may be able to utilize substantially greater resources and economies of scale to develop competing products and technologies, divert sales away from us by winning broader contracts or hire away our employees by offering more lucrative compensation packages. In the event that the market for EV charging stations expands, we expect that competition will intensify as additional competitors enter the market and current competitors expand their product lines. In order to secure contracts successfully when competing with larger, well-financed companies, we may be forced to agree to contractual terms that provide for lower aggregate payments to us over the life of the contract, which could adversely affect our margins. Our failure to compete effectively with respect to any of these or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results. We have experienced significant customer concentration in recent periods, and our revenue levels would likely decline if any significant customer failed to purchase product from us at anticipated levels or auto manufacturers do not extend driver incentive programs. As of December 31, 2021, accounts receivable from a significant customer were approximately 18% of total accounts receivable. During the year ended December 31, 2021, sales to a significant customer represented 12% of total revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2020, sales to a significant customer represented 25% of total revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2020, sales to another significant customer represented 11% of total revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2019, sales to a significant customer represented 11% of product sales. If a third party asserts that we are infringing upon its intellectual property rights, whether successful or not, it could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation or expensive licenses, and our business may be harmed. The EV and EV charging industries are characterized by the existence of many patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. As we face increasing competition, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. Our technologies may not be able to withstand any third-party claims or rights against their use. Additionally, although we have acquired from other companies’ proprietary technology covered by patents, we cannot be certain that any such patents will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. Intellectual property infringement claims against us could harm our relationships with our customers, may deter future customers from subscribing to our services or could expose us to litigation with respect to these claims. Even if we are not a party to any litigation involving a customer and third party, an adverse outcome in any such litigation could make it more difficult for us to defend our intellectual property in any subsequent litigation in which we are a named party. Any of these results could harm our brand and operating results. Any intellectual property rights claim against us or our customers, with or without merit, could be time-consuming, expensive to litigate or settle and could divert management resources and attention. An adverse determination also could prevent us from offering our services to our customers and may require that we procure or develop substitute services that do not infringe. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim against us or our customers, we may have to pay damages or stop using technology found to be in violation of a third party’s rights. We may have to seek a license for the technology, which may not be available on reasonable terms, may significantly increase our operating expenses or require us to restrict our business activities in one or more respects. The technology also may not be available for license to us at all. As a result, we may also be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology, which could require significant effort and expense. 16 The success of our business depends in large part on our ability to protect our proprietary information and technology and enforce our intellectual property rights against third parties. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, service mark, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions, to establish and protect our proprietary rights, all of which provide only limited protection. We cannot assure you that any patents will issue with respect to our currently pending patent applications, in a manner that gives us the protection that we seek, if at all, or that any future patents issued to us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. Our currently issued patents and any patents that may issue in the future with respect to pending or future patent applications may not provide sufficiently broad protection or they may not prove to be enforceable in actions against alleged infringers. Also, we cannot assure you that any future service mark registrations will be issued with respect to pending or future applications or that any registered service marks will be enforceable or provide adequate protection of our proprietary rights. We endeavor to enter into agreements with our employees and contractors and agreements with parties with whom we do business to limit access to and disclosure of our proprietary information. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology or the reverse engineering of our technology. Moreover, others may independently develop technologies that are competitive to ours or infringe our intellectual property. The enforcement of our intellectual property rights also depends on our legal actions against these infringers being successful, but we cannot be sure these actions will be successful, even when our rights have been infringed. Further, effective patent, trademark, service mark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our services are available over the Internet. In addition, the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights in EV-related industries are uncertain and still evolving. Changes to existing federal, state or international laws or regulations applicable to us could cause an erosion of our current competitive strengths. Our business is subject to a variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations, including those with respect government incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy, electric vehicles and others. These laws and regulations, and the interpretation or application of these laws and regulations, could change. Any reduction, elimination or discriminatory application of government subsidies and economic incentives because of policy changes, fiscal tightening or other reasons may result in diminished revenues from government sources and diminished demand for our products. In addition, new laws or regulations affecting our business could be enacted. These laws and regulations are frequently costly to comply with and may divert a significant portion of management’s attention. If we fail to comply with these applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to significant liabilities which could adversely affect our business. There are many federal, state and international laws that may affect our business, including measures to regulate EVs and charging systems. If we fail to comply with these applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to significant liabilities which could adversely affect our business. There are a number of significant matters under review and discussion with respect to government regulations which may affect business and/or harm our customers, and thereby adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis. We identified certain design deficiencies in our management and analytical review controls associated with the financial close, revenue and inventory processes. These deficiencies, individually or in the aggregate, combined with inadequate compensating controls, created a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements might not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We expect to remediate these control deficiencies during 2022. Our failure to maintain appropriate and effective internal controls over our financial reporting could result in misstatements in our financial statements and potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities and could cause us to delay the filing of required reports with the SEC and our reporting of financial results. Any of these events could result in a decline in the market price of our common stock. Although we have taken steps to maintain our internal control structure as required, we cannot guarantee that a control deficiency will not result in a misstatement in the future. See Item 9A – Controls and Procedures – Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting for further information on material weaknesses. 17 If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies prove to be incorrect, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as discussed under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” included elsewhere in this Annual Report and in our consolidated financial statements included herein. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements include those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserves, impairment of goodwill, indefinite-lived and long-lived assets, pension and other post-retirement benefits, product warranty, valuation allowances for deferred tax assets, valuation of common stock warrants, and share-based compensation. Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the price of our common stock. Risks Associated with Our Securities Our common stock price has fluctuated in recent years and is likely to fluctuate significantly from its current level. The market price of shares of our common stock has fluctuated substantially in recent years and is likely to fluctuate significantly from its current level. During the 52-week period prior to the filing of this Annual Report, for example, the market closing price of our shares has ranged from a low of $17.93 per share to a high of $49.00 per share. Future announcements concerning the introduction of new products, services or technologies or changes in product pricing policies by us or our competitors or changes in earnings estimates by analysts, among other factors, could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. Also, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume volatility in the last year. This volatility has had a substantial effect on the market prices of securities of many public companies for reasons frequently unrelated to the operating performance of the specific companies. These broad market fluctuations may also cause declines in the market price of our common stock. Investors seeking short-term liquidity should be aware that we cannot assure that the stock price will continue at these or any higher levels. A possible “short squeeze” due to a sudden increase in demand of our common stock that largely exceeds supply may lead to further price volatility in our common stock. Investors may purchase shares of our common stock to hedge existing exposure in our common stock or to speculate on the price of our common stock. Speculation on the price of our common stock may involve long and short exposures. To the extent aggregate short exposure exceeds the number of shares of our common stock available for purchase in the open market, investors with short exposure may have to pay a premium to repurchase our common stock for delivery to lenders of our common stock. Those repurchases may in turn, dramatically increase the price of our common stock until investors with short exposure are able to purchase additional shares of common stock to cover their short position. This is often referred to as a “short squeeze.” A short squeeze could lead to volatile price movements in shares of our common stock that are not directly correlated to the performance or prospects of our company and once investors purchase the shares necessary to cover their short position the price of our common stock may decline. We believe that the recent volatility in our common stock may be due, in part, to short squeezes that may be temporarily increasing the price of our common stock, which could result in a loss of some or all of your investment in our common stock. We have a significant number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise or conversion of outstanding warrants, convertible preferred stock and stock options, and the issuance of such shares could have a significant dilutive impact on our stockholders. As of March 10, 2022, we had outstanding warrants to purchase 3,264,641 shares of common stock, and outstanding stock options to purchase 977,473 shares of common stock. In addition, our Articles of Incorporation permit us to issue up to approximately 400 million additional shares of common stock. Thus, we have the ability to issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock in the future, which would dilute the percentage ownership held by existing stockholders. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. If there are more shares of common stock offered for sale than buyers are willing to purchase, then the market price of our common stock may decline to a market price at which buyers are willing to purchase the offered shares of common stock and sellers remain willing to sell the shares. 18 Our executive officers and directors, including our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and his affiliates, possess significant voting power with respect to our common stock, which will limit your influence on corporate matters. As of March 10, 2022, our directors and executive officers collectively beneficially owned approximately 16% of our outstanding shares of common stock, including the beneficial ownership of Michael D. Farkas and his affiliates of approximately 15% of our outstanding shares of common stock. As a result, our insiders have the ability to significantly influence our management and affairs through the election and removal of our Board and all other matters requiring stockholder approval, including any future merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentrated voting power could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change-of-control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our stockholders. Further, this concentrated control will limit the practical effect of your influence over our business and affairs, through any stockholder vote or otherwise. Any of these effects could depress the price of our common stock. Our Articles of Incorporation grant our board the power to issue additional shares of common and preferred stock and to designate additional series of preferred stock, all without stockholder approval. We are authorized to issue 540,000,000 shares of capital stock, of which, 40,000,000 shares are authorized as preferred stock. Our Board, without any action by our stockholders, may designate and issue shares of preferred stock in such series as it deems appropriate and establish the rights, preferences and privileges of such shares, including dividends, liquidation and voting rights, provided it is consistent with Nevada law. The rights of holders of our preferred stock that may be issued could be superior to the rights of holders of our shares of common stock. The designation and issuance of shares of capital stock having preferential rights could adversely affect other rights appurtenant to shares of our common stock. Further, any issuances of additional stock (common or preferred) will dilute the percentage of ownership interest of then-current holders of our capital stock and may dilute our book value per share. Certain provisions of our corporate governing documents and Nevada law could discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition at a premium price. Certain provisions of our organizational documents and Nevada law could discourage potential acquisition proposals, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, or limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. For example, our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws permit us to issue, without any further vote or action by stockholders, up to 40,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and, with respect to each series, to fix the number of shares constituting the series and the designation of the series, the voting powers (if any) of the shares of the series, and the preferences and relative, participating, optional, and other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of the series. If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline. The trading market for our common stock will, to some extent, depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us from time to time should downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our business prospects, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline. We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, and you must rely on increases in the market price of our common stock for returns on your investment. For the foreseeable future, we intend to retain any earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock. Accordingly, stockholders and investors must be prepared to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation to earn an investment return, which may never occur. Stockholders and investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board and will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors the Board deems relevant. Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of activist shareholders, and such activism could impact the trading value of our securities. Shareholders may, from time to time, engage in proxy solicitations or advance shareholder proposals, or otherwise attempt to effect changes and assert influence on our Board of Directors and management. Activist campaigns that contest or conflict with our strategic direction or seek changes in the composition of our Board of Directors could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. A proxy contest would require us to incur significant legal and advisory fees, proxy solicitation expenses and administrative and associated costs and require significant time and attention by our Board of Directors and management, diverting their attention from the pursuit of our business strategy. Any perceived uncertainties as to our future direction and control, our ability to execute on our strategy, or changes to the composition of our Board of Directors or senior management team arising from a proxy contest could lead to the perception of a change in the direction of our business or instability which may result in the loss of potential business opportunities, make it more difficult to pursue our strategic initiatives, or limit our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results. If individuals are ultimately elected to our Board of Directors with a specific agenda, it may adversely affect our ability to effectively implement our business strategy and create additional value for our shareholders. We may choose to initiate, or may become subject to, litigation as a result of a proxy contest or matters arising from a proxy contest, which would serve as a further distraction to our Board of Directors and management and would require us to incur significant additional costs. In addition, actions such as those described above could cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based upon temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business. 19 ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS. Not applicable.