Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following supplements the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (our “2020 Form 10-K”). The following risk factor disclosure should be read in conjunction with the risk factors described in our 2020 Form 10-K. The discussion of risk factors, as so supplemented, sets forth the material risk factors that could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. The risks described in our 2020 Form 10-K and this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our Board members, our interim Chief Executive Officer and other key personnel, each of whom would be difficult to replace. If we are unable to employ a satisfactory successor to our interim Chief Executive Officer or if we were to lose the benefit of the experience, efforts and abilities of one or more of these individuals, our operating results could suffer.
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions is dependent upon the performance of our Board of Directors, our executive officers and our other employees. A special committee of our Board is currently engaged in a search process to identify and employ a successor to our interim Chief Executive Officer who was appointed following the resignation of our former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective August 2, 2021. If we are unable to employ a satisfactory replacement Chief Executive Officer or are unable to do so on a timely basis, our operating results could suffer. Our Board of Directors establishes important policies, governance objectives and strategic goals, and our management team serves a critical role in the identification and acquisition of investments, the determination and finalization of our financing arrangements, the asset management of our investments, and the operation of our day-to-day activities. Our stockholders will have no opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments that are not described in our 2020 From 10-K or other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We rely primarily on the management ability of our executive officers and the governance by the members of our Board of Directors, each of whom would be difficult to replace. We do not have any key-person life insurance on our executive officers. Although we have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers, these employment agreements contain various termination and resignation rights. If we were to lose the benefit of the experience, efforts and abilities of these executives, without satisfactory replacements, our operating results could suffer. In addition, if any member of our Board of Directors were to resign, we would lose the benefit of such director’s governance expertise and experience, and familiarity with us and the sector within which we operate. As a result of the foregoing, we may be unable to achieve our investment objectives or to pay distributions to our stockholders.
Our recently substantially completed internal investigation into circumstances relating to reports pursuant to our whistleblower policy could result in adverse consequences that would adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
We, with the assistance of outside legal counsel, and our board’s audit committee, with the assistance of independent legal counsel, recently substantially completed an internal investigation into circumstances relating to reports pursuant to our whistleblower policy. On November 4, 2021, we filed a Current Report on Form 8-K in which we reported on the results of the internal investigation. Although we concluded that the matters that were the subject of the ongoing investigation have not had a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations, we cannot exclude the possibility of unanticipated adverse consequences of the internal investigation, including, but not limited to, the possibility that the Securities and Exchange Commission or other governmental authorities or regulators may commence investigations into the facts underlying our internal investigation; the consequences of any such government investigations, including the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; the risk that we may become subject to shareholder lawsuits, the defense of which may be costly; potential reputational harm resulting from the facts underlying the internal investigation; the possibility that executives or other employees may resign or be terminated; the impact of the investigation on historical financial statements; the effect of the internal investigation on our conclusions regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our disclosure controls and procedures and on our ability to timely file the reports we are required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Significant stockholders may attempt to effect changes at our company or acquire control over our company, which could impact the pursuit of business strategies and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We recently received communications from an investor regarding our governance and strategic direction. Other investors could take steps to involve themselves in our governance and strategic direction. Activist investors may attempt to effect changes in our strategic direction and how we are governed, or to acquire control over the company. Some investors seek to increase short-term stockholder value by advocating corporate actions such as financial restructuring, increased borrowing, special dividends, stock repurchases, or even sales of assets or the entire company. While we welcome varying opinions from all shareholders, activist campaigns that contest or conflict with our strategic direction could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition as responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist shareholders can disrupt our operations, be costly and time-consuming, and divert the attention of our board and senior management from the pursuit of business strategies. In addition, perceived uncertainties as to our future direction as a result of changes to the composition of our board may lead to the perception of a change in the direction of the business, instability or lack of continuity which may be exploited by our competitors, may cause concern to our current or potential customers, may result in the loss of potential business opportunities and may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners. These types of actions could cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.