Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing
in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before investing in our common stock, you should carefully consider the following
risks, together with the financial and other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December
31, 2024, and our other periodic filings with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of may become important
factors that affect us. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial conditions and operating results may be materially
and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock may decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Summary
of Risk Factors
Below
is a summary of the principal factors that make an investment in our common stock speculative or risky. This summary does not address
all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks that we face,
can be found below under the heading “Risk Factors” and should be carefully considered, together with other information in
this Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, before making an investment decision regarding our common stock.
●
We
have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, adversely
affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner, which may adversely
affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock;
●
Failure
to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting may result in us not being able to accurately report
our financial results, which could result in a loss of investor confidence and adversely affect the market price of our common stock;
●
Our
operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which makes our operating results difficult to predict and can
cause our operating results in any particular period to be less than comparable quarters and expectations from time to time;
●
Our
industry is highly competitive;
●
A
significant portion of our revenues have historically been concentrated and derived from a few customers. Material or significant
loss of business from these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results;
●
Certain
of our business units have historically generated operating losses and negative cash flows, which may result in the usage of our
cash;
●
Our
operations have been curtailed following the PCEP Sale, and we have limited sources
of revenue following such sale, which may negatively impact the value and liquidity of our common stock;
●
The
departure or loss of key personnel could disrupt our business;
●
Fluctuations
in the price and supply of materials used to manufacture our products may reduce our profits;
●
We
may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog;
●
We
are subject to pricing pressure from our larger customers;
●
Deterioration
in the credit quality of several major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition;
●
We
rely on third parties for key elements of our business whose operations are outside our control;
●
Supply
chain and shipping disruptions may result in shipping delays, a significant increase in shipping costs, and could increase product
costs and result in lost sales and reputational damage, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results
and financial condition;
●
Our
business may face cybersecurity risk generally associated with our information technology systems which could materially affect our
business, and our results of operations could be materially affected if our information technology systems (or third-party systems
we rely on) are interrupted, damaged by unforeseen events, or fail for any extended period of time;
●
Our
business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees;
●
Delaware
law and our corporate charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders
may consider favorable;
●
Our
stock price may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors;
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●
Our
risk management activities may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks;
●
Regulatory,
environmental, monetary and other governmental policies could have a material adverse effect on our profitability;
●
Global,
market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and stock price;
●
We
face risks associated with litigation and claims, which could impact our financial results and condition;
●
Offers
or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline;
●
We
are subject to financial reporting and other requirements for which our accounting, internal audit and other management systems and
resources may not be adequately prepared;
●
There
are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected;
●
Any
acquisitions that we have completed, or may complete in the future, may not perform as planned and could disrupt our business and
harm our financial condition and operations;
●
The
success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including dispositions;
●
If
we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business that we acquire, we may be required subsequently to
take write downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our
financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment;
●
We
may be unable to generate internal growth; and
●
In
the event that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted,
which could affect our market price and liquidity.
Risks
Relating to Our Business and Industry
We
have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, adversely
affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner, which may adversely
affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that public companies evaluate and report on their systems of internal control over financial
reporting. As disclosed in Part II, Item 9A, Controls and Procedures of this Comprehensive Form 10-K, our management, including our Chief
Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, has determined that we had a material weakness in our internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2024 related to the lack of sufficient accounting personnel which negatively impacted the Company’s
ability to maintain appropriate segregation of duties. As a result of this material weakness, the Company’s management, under the
supervision of the Audit Committee and with participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2024.
Although
we are working to remedy the material weakness and ineffectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and
disclosure controls and procedures, there can be no assurance as to when the remediation plan will be fully developed and implemented
or the outcome of such remediation efforts, or that in the future, additional material weaknesses will not exist, reoccur or otherwise
be discovered, a risk that is significantly increased in light of the complexity of our business. Until our remediation plan is fully
implemented, our management will continue to devote significant time, attention and financial resources to these efforts. If we do not
complete our remediation in a timely fashion, or at all, or if our remediation plan is inadequate, there will continue to be an increased
risk that our future consolidated financial statements could contain errors that will be undetected. If we continue to have this existing
material weakness, other material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future, it could create a perception that our financial
results do not fairly state our financial condition or results of operations. See “ Part II. Item 9A – Controls and Procedures. ”
This material weakness could adversely affect our business, reputation, revenues, results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.
They could also adversely affect our ability to timely file periodic reports under the Exchange Act, and limit our ability to access
the capital markets through equity or debt issuances. Additional impacts could include a decline in our stock price, suspension of trading
or delisting of our common stock by the Nasdaq Capital Market. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on the value of our
stock. For more information relating to the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, the material weakness that existed
as of December 31, 2024, and the remediation activities undertaken by us, see Part II, Item 9A, Controls and Procedures of this Comprehensive
Form 10-K. See also “— Failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting may result
in us not being able to accurately report our financial results, which could result in a loss of investor confidence and adversely affect
the market price of our common stock. ”
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Failure
to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting may result in us not being able to accurately report our
financial results, which could result in a loss of investor confidence and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We
are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, which is a process designed to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes
in accordance with U.S. GAAP (as defined below). Because we are continuing to implement remedial actions to strengthen our financial
control and management systems, our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections
of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions,
or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. A failure to prevent or detect errors or misstatements
may result in a decline in the price of our common stock and harm our ability to raise capital in the future.
If
our management is unable to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls or if material weaknesses or significant deficiencies
in our internal controls are identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence, which could harm
our business and cause a decline in the price of our common stock. As disclosed under “Item 9A. Controls and Procedures”
in this Comprehensive Form 10-K, in connection with preparing our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024, management
concluded that a material weakness existed in our internal control over financial reporting related to the lack of sufficient accounting
personnel which negatively impacted the Company’s ability to maintain appropriate segregation of duties. In addition, due to the
same material weakness, we determined that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2024. See “— We
have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, adversely affect
our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner, which may adversely affect investor
confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.”
In
addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to accurately
report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in the price of our common stock and harm our ability
to raise capital. Failure to accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis could also jeopardize our listing on the Nasdaq
Capital Market. Delisting of our common stock on any exchange would reduce the liquidity of the market for our common stock, which would
reduce the price of, and increase the volatility of, our common stock.
We
do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting will prevent all error or fraud.
A control system, no matter how well designed and implemented, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control
system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints,
and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Due to the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation
of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues within an organization will be detected. The inherent limitations
include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes.
Controls can also be circumvented by individual acts of certain persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override
of the controls. Due to the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and
may not be detected in a timely manner or at all. See also “—General Risk Factors— There are inherent limitations
in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected .” If we cannot provide reliable
financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results could be materially adversely affected, which could also cause
investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which in turn could result in a reduction in the price of our common
stock.
In
addition, acquisitions can pose challenges in implementing the required processes, procedures and controls in the new operations. Companies
that are acquired by us may not have disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting that are as thorough
or effective as those required by the securities laws that currently apply to us.
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Our
operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which makes our operating results difficult to predict and can cause
our operating results in any particular period to be less than comparable quarters and expectations from time to time.
Our
quarterly results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control
and have the potential to materially and adversely affect our results. Factors that affect our operating results include the following:
● the
size, timing and terms of sales and orders, especially large customer orders;
● variations
caused by customers delaying, deferring or canceling purchase orders or making smaller purchases
than expected;
● the
timing and volume of work under new agreements;
● the
spending patterns of customers;
● customer
orders received;
● a
change in the mix of our products having different margins;
● a
change in the mix of our customers, contracts and business;
● increases
in design and manufacturing costs;
● the
length of our sales cycles;
● the
rates at which customers renew their contracts with us;
● changes
in pricing by us or our competitors, or the need to provide discounts to win business;
● a
change in the demand or production of our products caused by severe weather conditions;
● our
ability to control costs, including operating expenses;
● losses
experienced in our operations not otherwise covered by insurance;
● the
ability and willingness of customers to pay amounts owed to us;
● the
timing of significant investments in the growth of our business, as the revenue and profit
we hope to generate from those expenses may lag behind the timing of expenditures;
● costs
related to the acquisition and integration of companies or assets;
● general
economic trends, including changes in equipment spending or national or geopolitical events
such as economic crises, wars or incidents of terrorism; and
● future
accounting pronouncements and changes in accounting policies.
Accordingly,
our operating results in any particular quarter may not be indicative of the results that you can expect for any other quarter or for
an entire year.
Our
industry is highly competitive.
The
electrical equipment manufacturing industry is highly competitive and barriers to entry to manufacture similar systems to the ones the
Company sells is easily imitated. On the service side of the Company’s business, we already compete with many other companies offering
similar services. Many of these companies have a larger geographic footprint than Pioneer and substantially greater financial resources.
A
significant portion of our revenues have historically been concentrated and derived from a few customers. Material or significant loss
of business from customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
We
historically have depended, and expect to continue to depend on a small number of customers for a large portion of our business each
quarter, due to the scope of certain projects. Any change in the level of orders from customers could have a significant impact on our
results of operations, and a loss of business from customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating
results. Approximately 22% and 13% of our sales during the year ended December 31, 2024, were made to INF Associates, LLC and British
Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, respectively. The majority of our sales to these customers and other customers in the past were made
pursuant to contract terms and conditions for each project and it is expected that future sales will similarly be made pursuant to the
relevant contract terms and conditions for future projects. See “Item 1. Business - Customers”.
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Certain
of our business units have historically generated operating losses and negative cash flows, which may result in the usage of our cash.
After
the sale of our PCEP business unit in October 2024,
we now have one business unit (Critical Power), which has been unable to earn positive income and generate positive cash flow in its
recent history. With $41,622 of cash on hand as of December 31, 2024, any such losses will negatively impact our cash balance.
Our
operations have been curtailed following the PCEP Sale, and we have limited sources of revenue following such sale, which may negatively
impact the value and liquidity of our common stock.
The
PCEP Sale has reduced the size of our business operations, and our sources of revenue are limited to our Critical Power segment following
the closing of the PCEP Sale. Although our board of directors may use a portion of the proceeds from the PCEP Sale to support the business
operations remaining following the PCEP Sale, there can be no assurance that we will be successful at carrying out the operations of
our remaining businesses, or that we will be successful at generating revenue. A failure by us to secure additional sources of revenue
following the closing of the PCEP Sale could negatively impact the value and liquidity of our common stock.
The
departure or loss of key personnel could disrupt our business.
We
depend heavily on the continued efforts of Nathan J. Mazurek, our principal executive officer, and on other senior officers who are responsible
for the day-to-day management of our operating subsidiary. In addition, we rely on our current electrical and mechanical design engineers,
many of whom are important to our operations and would be difficult to replace. We cannot be certain that any of these individuals will
continue in their respective capacities for any particular period of time. The departure or loss of key personnel, or the inability to
hire and retain qualified employees, could negatively impact our ability to manage our business.
Fluctuations
in the price and supply of materials used to manufacture our products may reduce our profits.
The
principal materials purchased by us certain electrical and engine components such as generators, transfer switches, electric vehicle
chargers and related parts from a variety of suppliers. These components are available from, and supplied by, numerous sources at competitive
prices. Unanticipated increases in component prices or disruptions in supply could increase production costs and adversely affect our
profitability. We cannot provide any assurances that we will not experience difficulties sourcing our materials in the future.
We
may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog.
We
routinely have a backlog of work to be completed on contracts representing a significant portion of our annual sales. As of December
31, 2024, our order backlog was $19,762. Orders included in our backlog are represented by customer purchase orders and service contracts
that we believe to be firm. Backlog consists of customer orders that either (1) have not yet been started or (2) are in progress and
are not yet completed. In the latter case, the revenue value reported in backlog is the remaining value associated with work that has
not yet been billed and recognized as revenue. From time to time, customer orders are canceled that appeared to have a high certainty
of going forward at the time they were recorded as new business taken. In the event of a customer order cancellation, we may be reimbursed
for certain costs but typically have no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in our backlog. In addition to us being unable
to recover certain direct costs, canceled customer orders may also result in additional unrecoverable costs due to the resulting underutilization
of our assets.
We
are subject to pricing pressure from our larger customers.
We
face significant pricing pressures in our business segment from our larger customers. Because of their purchasing size, our larger customers
can influence market participants to compete on price terms. Such customers also use their buying power to negotiate lower prices. If
we are not able to offset pricing reductions resulting from these pressures by improved operating efficiencies and reduced expenditures,
those price reductions may have an adverse impact on our financial results.
Deterioration
in the credit quality of several major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
A
significant asset included in our working capital is accounts receivable from customers. If customers responsible for a significant amount
of accounts receivable become insolvent or are otherwise unable to pay for products and services, or become unwilling or unable to make
payments in a timely manner, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. A significant deterioration in
the economy could have an adverse effect on these accounts receivable, which could result in longer payment cycles, increased collection
costs and defaults in excess of management’s expectations. Deterioration in the credit quality of our major customers could have
a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
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We
rely on third parties for key elements of our business whose operations are outside our control.
We
rely on arrangements with third-party shippers and carriers such as independent shipping companies for timely delivery of our products
to our customers. As a result, we may be subject to carrier disruptions and increased costs due to factors that are beyond our control,
including labor strikes, inclement weather, natural disasters and rapidly increasing fuel costs. If the services of any of these third
parties become unsatisfactory, we may experience delays in meeting our customers’ product demands and we may not be able to find
a suitable replacement on a timely basis or on commercially reasonable terms. Any failure to deliver products to our customers in a timely
and accurate manner may damage our reputation and could cause us to lose customers.
We
also utilize third-party distributors to sell, install and service certain of our products. While we are selective in whom we choose
to represent us, it is difficult for us to ensure that our distributors consistently act in accordance with the standards we set for
them. To the extent any of our end-customers have negative experiences with any of our distributors or manufacturer’s representatives;
it could reflect poorly on us and damage our reputation, thereby negatively impacting our financial results.
Supply
chain and shipping disruptions may result in shipping delays, a significant increase in shipping costs, and could increase product costs
and result in lost sales and reputational damage, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial
condition.
Our
third-party manufacturers and suppliers have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, supply chain disruption and shipping
disruptions, including disruptions or delays in loading container cargo in ports of origin or off-loading cargo at ports of destination,
congestion in port terminal facilities, labor supply and shipping container shortages, inadequate equipment and persons to load, dock
and offload container vessels and for other reasons. These disruptions may impact our ability to receive materials and products from
our manufacturers and suppliers, to distribute our products to our customers in a cost-effective and timely manner and to meet customer
demand, all of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that
further unforeseen events impacting the supply chain will not have a material adverse effect on us in the future. Additionally, the impacts
that supply chain disruptions have on our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are not within our control. It is not currently possible
to predict how long it will take for these supply chain disruptions to cease or ease. Prolonged supply chain disruptions that may impact
us or our manufacturers and suppliers could interrupt product manufacturing, increase raw material and product lead times, increase raw
material and product costs, impact our ability to meet customer demand and result in lost sales and reputational damage, all of which
could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our
business may face cybersecurity risk generally associated with our information technology systems which could materially affect our business,
and our results of operations could be materially affected if our information technology systems (or third-party systems we rely on)
are interrupted, damaged by unforeseen events, or fail for any extended period of time.
We
rely on information systems (“IS”) in our business to obtain, rapidly process, analyze, manage and store data to among other
things:
● receive,
process and ship orders on a timely basis; and
● manage
the accurate billing and collections from our customers.
IS
risks have generally increased in recent years, and a cyberattack that bypasses our IS security systems causing an IS security breach
may lead to a material disruption of our business operations and/or the loss of business information resulting in a material effect on
our business.
In
addition, we develop products and provide services to our customers that are technology-based, and a cyberattack that bypasses the IS
security systems of our products or services causing a security breach and/or perceived security vulnerabilities in our products or services
could also cause significant reputational harm, and actual or perceived vulnerabilities may lead to claims against us by our customers.
Perceived or actual security vulnerabilities in our products or services, or the perceived or actual failure by us or our customers who
use our products to comply with applicable legal requirements, may not only cause us significant reputational harm, but may also lead
to claims against us by our customers and involve fines and penalties, costs for remediation, and settlement expenses.
Our
IS utilize certain third-party service organizations that manage a portion of our information systems, and our business may be materially
affected if these third-party service organizations are subject to an IS security breach. Risks associated with these and other IS security
breaches may include, among other things:
● future
results could be materially affected due to theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or
release of confidential data or intellectual property;
● operational
or business delays resulting from the disruption of information systems and subsequent clean-up
and mitigation activities;
● we
may incur claims, fines and penalties, and costs for remediation, or substantial defense
and settlement expenses; and
● negative
publicity resulting in reputation or brand damage with our customers, partners or industry
peers.
We
have various insurance policies, covering risks in amounts that we consider adequate. There can be no assurance that the insurance coverage
we maintain is sufficient or will be available in adequate amounts or at a reasonable cost. Successful claims for misappropriation or
release of confidential or personal data brought against us in excess of available insurance or fines or other penalties assessed or
any claim that results in significant adverse publicity against us could have a material adverse effect on our business and our reputation.
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Our
business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees.
Our
ability to maintain our productivity and profitability will be limited by our ability to employ, train and retain skilled personnel necessary
to meet our requirements. We may experience shortages of qualified personnel. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain an
adequate skilled labor force necessary to operate efficiently and to support our growth strategy or that our labor expenses will not
increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of skilled personnel. Labor shortages, increased labor costs or loss of our most skilled
workers could impair our ability to deliver on time to our customers (thereby creating a risk that we lose our customers to competition)
and would inhibit our ability to maintain our business or grow our revenues, and may adversely impact our profitability.
An
overall tightening and increasingly competitive labor market has been observed in the United States. A sustained labor shortage or increased
turnover rates within our employee base could lead to increased costs, such as increased wage rates to attract and retain employees,
and could negatively affect our ability to efficiently operate our manufacturing facilities and overall business. If we are unable to
hire and retain employees capable of performing at a high-level, or if mitigation measures we may take to respond to a decrease in labor
availability, such as overtime and third-party outsourcing, have unintended negative effects, our business could be adversely affected.
An overall labor shortage, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation could have a material adverse impact on our operations,
results of operations, liquidity or cash flows.
Risks
Relating to Our Organization
Delaware
law and our corporate charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders
may consider favorable.
Our
board of directors is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the voting powers, preferences and
other rights and limitations of the preferred stock. Accordingly, we may issue shares of preferred stock with a preference over our common
stock with respect to dividends or distributions on liquidation or dissolution, or that may otherwise adversely affect the voting or
other rights of the holders of common stock. Issuances of preferred stock, depending upon the rights, preferences and designations of
the preferred stock, may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control, even if that change of control might
benefit our stockholders. In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Section 203 generally prohibits
a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for
a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to the
date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which
resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock
of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding
(a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants
do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer;
or (iii) on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual
or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting
stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Section
203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law could delay or prohibit mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts with respect
to us and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity
to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.
General
Risk Factors
Our
stock price may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors.
The
market price of our common stock is highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to various factors, many of which are beyond
our control, including the following:
● technological
innovations or new products and services by us or our competitors;
● additions
or departures of key personnel, including Nathan J. Mazurek, our chairman, president and
chief executive officer;
● sales
of our common stock, including management shares;
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● limited
availability of freely-tradable “unrestricted” shares of our common stock to
satisfy purchase orders and demand;
● our
ability to execute our business plan;
● operating
results that fall below expectations;
● loss
of any strategic relationship;
● industry
developments;
● economic
and other external factors;
● our
ability to manage the costs of maintaining adequate internal financial controls and procedures
in connection with the acquisition of additional businesses;
● period-to-period
fluctuations in our financial results; and
● announcements
of acquisitions.
In
addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the
operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also significantly affect the market price of our common
stock.
Our
risk management activities may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks.
Although
we maintain insurance policies for our business, these policies contain deductibles and limits of coverage. We estimate our liabilities
for known claims and unpaid claims and expenses based on information available as well as projections for claims incurred but not reported.
However, insurance liabilities are difficult to estimate due to various factors and we may be unable to effectively anticipate or measure
potential risks to our company. If we suffer unexpected or uncovered losses, any of our insurance policies or programs are terminated
for any reason or are not effective in mitigating our risks, we may incur losses that are not covered by our insurance policies or that
exceed our accruals or that exceed our coverage limits and could adversely impact our consolidated results of operations, cash flows
and financial position.
Regulatory,
environmental, monetary and other governmental policies could have a material adverse effect on our profitability.
We
are subject to international, federal, provincial, state and local laws and regulations governing environmental matters, including emissions
to air, discharge to waters and the generation and handling of waste. We are also subject to laws relating to occupational health and
safety. The operation of manufacturing plants involves a high level of susceptibility in these areas, and there is no assurance that
we will not incur material environmental or occupational health and safety liabilities in the future. Moreover, expectations of remediation
expenses could be affected by, and potentially significant expenditures could be required to comply with, environmental regulations and
health and safety laws that may be adopted or imposed in the future. Future remediation technology advances could adversely impact expectations
of remediation expenses. We can give no assurance that any lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on
our financial condition, liquidity or operating results. Types of potential litigation cases include product liability, contract, employment-related,
labor relations, personal injury or property damage, intellectual property, stockholder claims and claims arising from any injury or
damage to persons, property or the environment from hazardous substances used, generated or disposed of in the conduct of our business.
Adverse outcomes in some or all of these claims may result in significant monetary damages that could adversely affect our ability to
conduct our business.
Global,
market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and stock price.
Concerns
over inflation, geopolitical issues, the U.S. financial markets, capital and exchange controls, unstable global credit markets and financial
conditions, have led to periods of significant economic instability, declines in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, diminished
expectations for the global economy and expectations of slower global economic growth going forward, and increased unemployment rates.
Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturns, volatile business environments and continued
unstable or unpredictable economic and market conditions. If these conditions continue to deteriorate or do not improve, it may make
any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to complete, more costly, and more dilutive. In addition, there is a risk that
one or more of our current or future service providers, manufacturers, suppliers, our third-party payors, and other partners could be
negatively affected by difficult economic times, which could adversely affect our ability to attain our operating goals on schedule and
on budget or meet our business and financial objectives.
In
addition, we face several risks associated with international business and are subject to global events beyond our control, including
war, public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics, trade disputes, economic sanctions, trade wars and their collateral impacts
and other international events. Any of these changes could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition
or results of operations. There may be changes to our business if there is instability, disruption or destruction in a significant geographic
region, regardless of cause, including war, terrorism, riot, civil insurrection or social unrest; and natural or man-made disasters,
including famine, flood, fire, earthquake, storm or disease. In addition, the consequences of the ongoing conflict between Israel and
Hamas, and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including related sanctions and countermeasures, and the effects of rising
global inflation, are difficult to predict, and could adversely impact geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions, the global economy,
and contribute to increased market volatility, which may in turn adversely affect our business and operations.
13
Additionally,
since the start of the Trump Administration in 2025, U.S. policy changes have been implemented at a rapid pace and additional changes
are likely. Changes to U.S. policy implemented by the U.S. Congress, the Trump administration or any new administration have impacted
and may in the future impact, among other things, the U.S. and global economy, international trade relations, unemployment, immigration,
healthcare, taxation, the U.S. regulatory environment, inflation and other areas. Although we cannot predict the impact, if any, of these
changes to our business, they could adversely affect our business. Until we know what policy changes are made, whether those policy changes
are challenged and subsequently upheld by the court system and how those changes impact our business and the business of our competitors
over the long term, we will not know if, overall, we will benefit from them or be negatively affected by them.
We
face risks associated with litigation and claims, which could impact our financial results and condition.
Our
business, results of operations and financial condition could be affected by significant litigation or claims adverse to us. Types of
potential litigation cases include product liability, contract, employment-related, labor relations, personal injury or property damage,
intellectual property, trade secret or unfair competition claims, stockholder claims and claims arising from any injury or damage to
persons, property or the environment from hazardous substances used, generated or disposed of in the conduct of our business. We have
been involved in the past and may in the future be involved in legal proceedings.
Offers
or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.
Sales
of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public market could harm the market price of our common stock and make it
more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of common stock. Our stockholders and the holders of our options and warrants
may sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market. The availability of these shares of our common stock for resale
in the public market has the potential to cause the supply of our common stock to exceed investor demand, thereby decreasing the price
of our common stock.
In
addition, the fact that our stockholders, option holders and warrant holders can sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the
public market, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, could make it more difficult for us to raise additional financing
through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.
We
are subject to financial reporting and other requirements for which our accounting, internal audit and other management systems and resources
may not be adequately prepared.
We
are subject to reporting and other obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
including the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Section 404 requires us to conduct an annual management assessment
of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. These reporting and other obligations place significant demands
on our management, administrative, operational, internal audit and accounting resources. Any failure to maintain effective internal controls
could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and stock price.
In
addition, our internal controls will also include those of any company or business that we may acquire in the future. Acquired companies
or businesses are likely to have different standards, controls, contracts, procedures and policies, making it more difficult to implement
and harmonize company-wide financial, accounting, information and other systems. As a result, our internal controls may become more complex
and we may require significantly more resources to ensure they remain effective. Failure to implement required new or improved controls,
or difficulties encountered in their implementation, either in our existing business or in businesses that we may acquire, could harm
our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.
There
are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
The
ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require us to identify material weaknesses in internal
control over financial reporting, which is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our management, including our
chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our internal controls and disclosure controls will prevent
all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance
that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource
constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems,
no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, in our company have
been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can
occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of
two or more persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain
assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated
goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may be inadequate because of changes in conditions, such as growth
of the company or increased transaction volume, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because
of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
14
In
addition, discovery and disclosure of a material weakness, including the material weakness identified in our internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, by definition, could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Such an occurrence could discourage certain customers or suppliers from doing business with us and adversely affect how our stock trades.
This could in turn negatively affect our ability to access equity markets for capital.
Any
acquisitions that we have completed, or may complete in the future, may not perform as planned and could disrupt our business and harm
our financial condition and operations.
In
an effort to effectively compete in the specialty electrical equipment manufacturing and service businesses, where increasing competition
and industry consolidation prevail, we have sought to acquire complementary businesses in the past and will continue to do so in the
future. In the event of any future acquisitions, we could:
● issue
additional securities that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership
or provide the purchasers of the additional securities with certain preferences over those
of common stockholders, such as dividend or liquidation preferences;
● incur
debt and assume liabilities; and
● incur
large and immediate write-offs of intangible assets, accounts receivable or other assets.
These
events could result in significant expenses and decreased revenue, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
In addition, integrating acquired businesses and completing any future acquisitions involve numerous operational and financial risks.
These risks include difficulty in assimilating acquired operations, diversion of management’s attention, and the potential loss
of key employees or customers of acquired operations. Furthermore, companies acquired by us may not generate financial results consistent
with our management’s plans at the time of acquisition.
The
success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including dispositions.
We
continue to evaluate the potential disposition of assets and businesses that may no longer help us meet our objectives. When we decide
to sell assets or a business, we may encounter difficulty in finding buyers or executing alternative exit strategies on acceptable terms
in a timely manner, which could delay the accomplishment of our strategic objectives. Alternatively, we may dispose of a business at
a price or on terms that are less than we had anticipated, or with the exclusion of assets that must be divested separately. After reaching
an agreement with a buyer for the disposition of a business, the transaction remains subject to the satisfaction of pre-closing conditions,
which may prevent us from completing the transaction. Dispositions may also involve continued financial involvement in the divested business,
such as through continuing equity ownership, transition service agreements, guarantees, indemnities or other current or contingent financial
obligations. Under these arrangements, performance by the divested businesses or other conditions outside our control could affect our
future financial results.
If
we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business that we acquire, we may be required subsequently to take
write downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial
condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
As
part of our acquisition strategy, we will need to conduct a due diligence investigation of one or more target businesses. Intensive due
diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in
the due diligence process. We may have limited time to conduct such due diligence. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target
business that we acquire, we cannot assure you that this diligence will uncover all material issues relating to a particular target business,
or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues
specific to a target business or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to write-down or write-off assets,
restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in us reporting losses. Even though these charges
may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute
to negative market perceptions about us or our common stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or
other covenants that we may be subject to as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining
post-combination debt financing.
15
We
may be unable to generate internal growth.
Our
ability to generate internal growth will be affected by, among other factors, our ability to attract new customers, increases or decreases
in the number or size of orders received from existing customers, hiring and retaining skilled employees and increasing volume utilizing
our existing facilities. Many of the factors affecting our ability to generate internal growth may be beyond our control, and we cannot
be certain that our strategies will be implemented with positive results or that we will be able to generate cash flow sufficient to
fund our operations and to support internal growth. If we do not achieve internal growth, our results of operations will suffer and we
will likely not be able to expand our operations or grow our business.
In
the event that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted, which
could affect our market price and liquidity.
Our
common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. For continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we will be required to comply
with the continued listing requirements, including the minimum market capitalization standard, the minimum stockholders’ equity
requirement, the corporate governance requirements and the minimum closing bid price requirement, among other requirements. In the event
that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted. If our securities
are delisted from trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and we are not able to list our securities on another exchange or to have them
quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market, our securities could be quoted on the OTC Markets. As a result, we could face significant adverse
consequences including:
●
a
limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
●
a
determination that our common stock is a “penny stock,” which would require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere
to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
●
a
limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
●
a
decreased ability to issue additional securities (including pursuant to short-form registration statements on Form S-3 or obtain
additional financing in the future).