Titan Machinery Inc. 10-K

ITEM 1. BUSINESS Our Company Titan Machinery Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, "Titan Machinery," the "Company," "we," or "our") own and operate a network of full service agricultural and construction equipment stores in the United States and Europe. We have been an authorized dealer of CNH Industrial N.V. or its U.S. subsidiaries (collectively referred to in this Form 10-K as "CNH Industrial") since our inception in 1980. CNH Industrial is a leading manufacturer and supplier of agricultural and construction equipment, which includes the Case IH Agriculture, New Holland Agriculture, Case Construction and New Holland Construction brands. Based upon information provided to us by CNH Industrial, we are the largest retail dealer of Case IH Agriculture equipment in the world, one of the largest retail dealers of Case Construction equipment in North America and one of the largest retail dealers of New Holland Agriculture and New Holland Construction equipment in the United States. In addition to the CNH Industrial brands, we sell and service equipment made by a variety of other manufacturers. We operate our business in three reportable segments, Agriculture, Construction and International, within which we engage in four principal business activities: • new and used equipment sales; • parts sales; • equipment repair and maintenance services; and • equipment rental and other activities. We offer our customers a one-stop solution by providing equipment and parts sales, equipment repair and maintenance services, and rental functions in each store. Our full service approach provides us with multiple points of customer contact and cross-selling opportunities. We believe our mix of equipment sales and recurring parts and service sales, as well as our geographic footprint, provide us with diversification, lowering our overall exposure to adverse economic cycles that affect particular geographic markets or segments. We also believe our scale, customer service, diverse and stable customer base, centralized resources, and experienced management team provide us with a competitive advantage in many of our local markets. Throughout our 40-year operating history, we have built an extensive, geographically contiguous network of 75 stores in the United States and 34 stores in Europe. Our Agriculture stores in the U.S. are located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming and include several highly productive farming regions, such as the Red River Valley in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, portions of the corn belt in Iowa, eastern South Dakota and southern Minnesota, and along the I-80 corridor in Nebraska, which sits on top of the Ogallala Aquifer. Our Construction stores are located in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Our international stores are located in the European countries of Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. We have a history of growth through acquisitions. Since January 1, 2003, we have completed the acquisition of over 50 dealerships located in 11 U.S. states and four European countries, along with establishing a new network of dealership stores in Ukraine. We believe that there will continue to be opportunities for dealership consolidation in the future, and we expect that acquisitions will continue to be a component of our long-term growth strategy. Products and Services Within each of our segments, we have four principal sources of revenue: new and used equipment sales, parts sales, equipment repair and maintenance services, and equipment rental and other business activities. New and Used Equipment Sales We sell new agricultural and construction equipment manufactured under the CNH Industrial family of brands as well as equipment from a variety of other manufacturers. The used equipment we sell is primarily acquired through trade-ins from our customers. The agricultural equipment we sell and service includes machinery and attachments for uses ranging from large-scale farming to home and garden purposes. The construction equipment we sell and service includes heavy construction machinery, light industrial machinery for commercial and residential construction, and road and highway construction machinery. Equipment sales generate cross-selling opportunities by populating our markets with equipment in need of service and parts. Equipment revenue represented 72.0%, 70.3% and 72.1% of total revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. 1 Table of Contents Parts Sales We maintain an extensive in-house parts inventory to provide timely parts and repair and maintenance support to our customers. Our parts sales provide a relatively stable revenue stream that is less sensitive to economic cycles than our equipment sales. Parts revenue represented 17.3%, 17.9% and 16.7% of total revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Equipment Repair and Maintenance Services We provide repair and maintenance services, including warranty repairs, for our customers' equipment. All of our stores have service shops staffed by trained service technicians. In addition, our technicians are able to make off-site repairs at customer locations. We provide proactive and comprehensive customer service by maintaining service histories for each piece of equipment owned by our customers, maintaining 24/7 service hours in times of peak equipment usage, providing on-site repair services, scheduling off-season maintenance activities with customers, notifying customers of periodic service requirements and providing training programs to customers in order to educate them on standard maintenance requirements. Our after-market repair and maintenance services have historically provided a high-margin, relatively stable source of revenue through changing economic cycles. Service revenue represented 7.6%, 7.6% and 6.9% of total revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Equipment Rental and Other Business Activities We rent equipment to our customers, primarily in the Construction segment, for periods ranging from a few days to seasonal rentals. We actively manage the size, quality, age and composition of our rental fleet and closely monitor and analyze customer demand and rate trends. We service our fleet through our on-site parts and services team, and market our rental equipment through our retail sales force. Our rental activities create cross-selling opportunities in equipment sales, including rent-to-own purchase options on our non-fleet rentals. We provide ancillary equipment support activities such as equipment transportation, Global Positioning System ("GPS") signal subscriptions and other precision farming products, farm data management products, and CNH Industrial finance and insurance products. Equipment rental and other revenue represented 3.1%, 4.2% and 4.3% of total revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Industry Overview Agricultural Equipment Industry Agricultural equipment is purchased primarily by commercial farmers for the production of crops used for food, fiber, feed grain and feedstock for renewable energy. Agricultural equipment is also purchased by "life-style farmers" and for home and garden applications, and for maintenance of commercial, residential and government properties. Deere & Company ("Deere"), CNH Industrial, and Agco Corporation ("AGCO") are the largest global manufacturers of agricultural equipment, and they each manufacture a full line of equipment and parts that supply the primary machinery requirements of farmers. In addition to the major manufacturers, several short-line manufacturers produce specialized equipment that satisfies various niche requirements of farmers. Agricultural equipment manufacturers typically grant dealers in the United States defined sales and marketing territories with designated store locations to distribute their products. We believe there are many factors that influence demand for agricultural equipment, parts, and repair and maintenance services, including net farm income, commodity markets, production yields, tariffs and trade policies, interest rates, government policies, European Union subvention funds and individual European country subsidies, tax policies, local growing conditions, and general economic conditions. Any of these conditions can change materially in a short time period, creating volatility in demand for our products and services. U.S federal legislation, such as the Farm Bill, attempts to stabilize the agriculture industry through various policies including (i) commodity programs consisting of direct, counter-cyclical and price support payments to farmers; (ii) conservation programs; (iii) crop insurance programs; and (iv) disaster relief programs. For the past two growing seasons, the U.S. federal government has furnished market facilitation program payments to farmers or ranchers to compensate for the adverse impact of U.S.-China trade policies, along with payments under the CARES Act, which payments have assisted our customers. We believe that these various federal policies reduce financial volatility in the agriculture industry and assist farmers in continuing to operate their farms during economic down cycles and through the adverse headwinds caused by trade policies and tariffs. 2 Table of Contents Construction Equipment Industry Construction equipment is purchased primarily for use in commercial, residential and infrastructure construction, as well as for agriculture, demolition, energy production and forestry operations. Caterpillar, Inc., Deere, Komatsu Ltd., the Volvo Group, Terex Corporation, Doosan, and CNH Industrial are some of the largest global manufacturers of construction and industrial equipment. The market for construction equipment is segmented across multiple categories including earth moving, lifting, light industrial, asphalt and paving, and concrete and aggregate equipment. As with agricultural equipment, distribution of construction equipment in the United States is accomplished primarily through manufacturer authorized dealers. CNH Industrial and industry reports show that demand for construction equipment in our markets is driven by several factors, including (i) public spending on roads, highways, sewer and water projects, and other public works projects; (ii) public and private expenditures for the energy industries, which are driven in part by demand for fossil fuels, metals and other commodities; (iii) business conditions in the agriculture industry; and (iv) general economic and market conditions of the construction sector for residential and commercial buildings. Business Strengths We believe the following attributes are important factors in our ability to compete effectively and to achieve our long-term financial objectives: Centralized Inventory Management We believe our significant scale enables us to centrally manage our inventory, permitting us to more effectively manage inventory levels at each store while still providing a significant breadth of equipment and parts inventories to our customers throughout our footprint. Moreover, our floorplan financing capacity enables us to opportunistically purchase and carry inventory to satisfy market demands. Superior Customer Service at the Local Level Our centralization of numerous administrative functions better positions our employees in the field to focus on customer service. We believe that the following capabilities enable us to better service our customers: • our ability to staff a large number of highly-trained service technicians across our network of stores, which makes it possible to schedule repair services on short notice without affecting our technician utilization rates; • our ability to staff and leverage product and application specialists across our network of stores, which makes it possible to offer valuable pre-sale and aftermarket services, including equipment training, best practices education and precision farming technology support; and • our ability to innovate and lead our industry through initiatives such as precision farming and farm data management products and services, which provide our customers with the latest advances in technology and operating practices. We spend significant time and resources training our employees to effectively service our customers in each of our local markets. Our training program involves active participation in all manufacturer-sponsored training programs, the use of industry experts for customized training programs, and a centralized training team to assist in training programs and the integration of newly-acquired dealerships. We also partner with several technical colleges to sponsor students who we plan to eventually employ as service technicians. Ability to Act on Acquisition Opportunities We believe that our experienced management team and access to capital enables us to be opportunistic in responding to accretive growth opportunities, primarily arising from the continued consolidation of the equipment dealer network. Superior Centralized Marketing Systems Our shared resource group includes a professional marketing team that supports all aspects of brand and solution awareness, customer analytics and targeting, and lead generation through multichannel campaigns that typically incorporate digital marketing (email, website, search, social and syndication), direct mail, and regional and local advertising and sponsorships. Our marketing functions also drive increased customer engagement and loyalty through participation in trade shows and industry events and communication and coordination for local store open houses, service clinics, equipment demonstrations, product showcases and customer appreciation outings. 3 Table of Contents Ability to Attract and Retain Superior Employees. We recognize that attracting and retaining talented employees is essential to achieving outstanding company performance. We strive to develop our employees through a structured training program, and to invest in our employees' development. In addition, we strive to implement a compensation system that rewards employees for high performance. We believe that our efforts in these areas will enable us to attract and retain superior employees, necessary for us to be successful in our industry. See "Human Capital" at pp. 9-10. Diverse and Stable Customer Base Reduces Market Risk Our large geographic footprint covering nine U.S. states and five European countries provides a diversified customer base. We believe that this diverse customer base reduces the potential impact of risks associated with customer concentration and fluctuations in local market conditions. During fiscal 2021, none of our customers accounted for more than 1.0% of our total revenue. Revenue from customers located outside of the United States is primarily included in our International segment, which represented 15.5%, 18.1% and 18.4% of total consolidated revenue during fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. In addition, our large geographic footprint enables us to capitalize on crop diversification and disparate weather conditions in growing regions, as well as local trends in residential, infrastructure and commercial construction. Experienced Management Team Our executive team is led by David Meyer, our Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer, who has over 40 years of industry experience. Our other executive team members, managers in the field, and equipment sales consultants also have extensive knowledge and experience in our industry. We compensate, develop and review our managers and sales employees based on an approach that aligns their incentives with the goals and objectives of our Company, including achievement of revenue, profitability, market share and balance sheet objectives. We believe the strength of our management team assists to improve our success in the marketplace. Growth Strategy We pursue the following growth strategies: Increasing Same-Store Sales and Market Share Increasing same-store sales and market share is one of our top priorities. This type of growth both enhances our current period revenue and increases our potential future revenue during the life of the sold equipment as a result of the potential for recurring parts and service business. We seek to generate growth in same-store sales and market share through the following: • employing significant marketing and advertising programs, including targeted direct mailings, internet based marketing, advertising with targeted local media outlets, participation in and sponsorship of trade shows and industry events, our Titan Trader monthly magazine, and by hosting open houses, service clinics, equipment demonstrations, product showcases and customer appreciation outings; • supporting and providing customers with training on evolving technologies, such as precision farming and farm data management, which can be difficult for small dealers to support; • maintaining state-of-the-art service facilities, mobile service trucks and trained service technicians to maximize our customers' equipment uptime through preventative maintenance programs and seasonal 24/7 service support; and • centrally managing our inventory to optimize the availability of equipment and parts for our customers. Strategic Acquisitions Since January 1, 2003, we have completed the acquisition of over 50 dealerships located in 11 U.S. states and four European countries. In addition, we have added dealership locations in Ukraine through new start-up operations. The agricultural and construction equipment dealership industries are fragmented and consist of many relatively small, independent businesses serving discrete local markets. We believe a favorable climate for dealership consolidation will continue to exist in the future due to several factors, including the competitiveness of our industry, increased dealer capitalization requirements, increased sophistication and complexity of equipment and related technologies, increased expectations from our customers and our equipment suppliers, and the lack of succession alternatives for many current owners. We intend to pursue acquisitions with the objectives of entering new markets, consolidating distribution within our existing footprint, and strengthening our competitive position. We expect that strategic acquisitions will continue to be a component of our long-term growth strategy. We regularly assess the acquisition landscape, evaluating potential acquisitions in terms of availability and alignment to our long-term growth strategy. Typically, we have acquired only the working capital and fixed assets that we believe are 4 Table of Contents necessary to run an efficient store and we do not generally assume any indebtedness. On occasion, we have acquired all of the outstanding equity of a company. Acquisitions are typically financed with available cash balances, floorplan payable line of credit capacity, and long-term debt. The consent of CNH Industrial is required to acquire any CNH Industrial dealership. Additionally, the consent of our lender group, consisting of a number of national and regional banks (the "Bank Syndicate"), is required for acquisitions meeting certain thresholds or other criteria as defined in our credit agreement. Suppliers CNH Industrial—Case IH Agriculture, Case Construction, New Holland Agriculture and New Holland Construction CNH Industrial is a publicly-traded, global leader in the agricultural and construction equipment industries. In 2020, CNH Industrial generated $13.1 billion in revenue from its equipment operations. CNH Industrial is the world's second largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment, manufacturing the Case IH Agriculture and New Holland Agriculture brands of equipment. Case IH Agriculture, recognized by the red color of its equipment, possesses over 170 years of farm equipment heritage. New Holland Agriculture, recognized by the blue color of its tractors and the yellow color of its harvesting and hay equipment, has over 120 years of farm equipment industry experience. The Case Construction and New Holland Construction brands are owned and operated by CNH Industrial. In fiscal 2021, CNH Industrial supplied approximately 74% of the new equipment sold in our Agriculture segment, 71% of the new equipment sold in our Construction segment, and 68% of the new equipment sold in our International segment. In addition, CNH Industrial provides financing and insurance products and services to our end-user customers through its affiliate CNH Industrial Capital America, LLC ("CNH Industrial Capital"). Our relationship with CNH Industrial is more than a typical supply relationship; it is strategic for both our Company and CNH Industrial. In that regard, we believe that it is in each company's interest to maintain and develop the longstanding strong relationship we share. Dealership Agreements We have entered into separate dealership agreements with CNH Industrial to sell and service the Case IH Agriculture, New Holland Agriculture, Case Construction and New Holland Construction brands (collectively the “CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements”). Separate CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements exist for each of our North American stores or store complexes, and for each of the European countries in which we operate. The structure of the North American and European agreements are very similar. Except as noted, the following discussion describes the North American CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements. Each of the CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements assign to us a geographically defined area of primary responsibility, providing us with distribution and product support rights within the identified territory for specific equipment products. Although the dealer appointment is non-exclusive, in each territory there is typically only one dealer responsible for retail sales to end-users and for after-sales product support of the equipment. If we sell certain CNH Industrial construction equipment outside of our designated sales and service areas, CNH Industrial has the right to require that we pay sales and service fees for purposes of compensating the dealer assigned to such territory. We are authorized to display and use CNH Industrial trademarks and trade names at our stores, with certain restrictions. Under our CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements, we have both the right and obligation to sell CNH Industrial equipment and related parts and products and to provide customers with repair services. The CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements impose various requirements on us regarding the location and appearance of facilities, satisfactory levels of new equipment and parts inventories, the training of personnel, adequate business enterprise and information technology system, adequate working capital, a maximum adjusted debt to tangible net worth ratio, development of annual sales and marketing goals, and furnishing of monthly and annual financial information to CNH Industrial. We must obtain the approval or consent of CNH Industrial in the event of proposed fundamental changes to our ownership, governance or business structure (defined as "change in control" events) including, among other things, (i) a merger, consolidation or reorganization, unless securities representing more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the successor corporation are immediately owned, directly or indirectly, by persons that owned our securities prior to the transaction; (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of our assets; (iii) any transaction or series of transactions resulting in a person or affiliated group acquiring 30% or more of the combined voting power of our securities or, in the case of a competitor of CNH Industrial, acquiring 20% or more of the combined voting power of our securities; (iv) a substantial disposition of shares of our common stock by certain named executives; (v) certain significant changes in the composition of our Board of Directors; and (vi) replacement of our Chief Executive Officer. The CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements do not establish mandatory minimum or maximum retail pricing for our equipment, parts, or service offerings. 5 Table of Contents The Case IH Agricultural dealership agreement and the Case Construction dealership agreement have fixed terms expiring on December 31, 2027, and renew automatically for successive 5-year terms unless either party notifies the other party of its intention not to renew or otherwise exercises its termination rights under the agreement. The New Holland dealership agreement is a 12-month agreement, with automatic 1-year renewals unless either party notifies the other party of its intention not to renew or otherwise exercises its termination rights under the agreement. CNH Industrial has the right to terminate its dealer agreements with us immediately in certain circumstances, including in the event of (i) our insolvency or bankruptcy, (ii) a material breach by us of the provisions of a CNH Industrial Dealer Agreement or (iii) our failure to secure the consent of CNH Industrial prior to the occurrence of a “change in control” event. The CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements governing Case Construction equipment grants CNH Industrial the right to terminate these CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements for any reason upon 120 days prior written notice. In addition, we have the right to terminate any of the CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements at any time, with or without cause, upon 60 days prior written notice. Subject to protections provided under state dealer protection laws, in the event that CNH Industrial offers a new dealer agreement or an amendment to the existing CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements to all authorized CNH Industrial dealers located in the state, CNH Industrial is permitted to terminate our existing CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements for stores located in that state upon at least 180 days prior written notice if we refuse or otherwise fail to enter into such new agreements or amendments. In addition, to the extent CNH Industrial determines that we are not meeting our obligations under the CNH Industrial Dealer Agreement with respect to a particular product, CNH Industrial may, upon 60 days prior written notice to us, remove such product from the authorized product list allowed to be sold or serviced by us. In the event of termination of any of the CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements, CNH Industrial is obligated to repurchase the inventory of the CNH Industrial brand applicable to the agreement being terminated. The CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements generally do not include non-compete provisions that apply during or after the term of such agreements or limit our operations apart from our designated CNH Industrial dealership store locations. Our CNH Dealer Agreements for Case Construction equipment, absent consent of CNH Industrial, restrict our ability to sell competing products (new equipment and parts) of other manufacturers at our Case dealership store locations during the term of such agreements. Our CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements require us to operate any material business activities not related to sales of CNH Industrial products or services to customers in agricultural, construction, industrial or similar markets separately from our CNH Industrial dealership business. The CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements and industry practices generally provide certain interest free terms on equipment purchased from CNH Industrial entities before being due for payment, at which time the equipment inventory is then financed through one of our floorplan payable credit facilities. Generally, parts purchased from CNH Industrial entities is due within 30 days. CNH Industrial makes available to us any floorplan programs, parts return programs, sales or incentive programs or similar plans or programs it offers to its other dealers, and provides us with promotional items and marketing materials. The CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements for our European operations, with the exception of Ukraine, grant to us exclusive territories. We are restricted in our ability to sell competing products in our assigned territories. Our CNH Dealer Agreements for our European operations do not have a fixed term. CNH Industrial can terminate these agreements immediately in certain circumstances constituting cause, and for any reason upon 24 months' prior written notice. Other Suppliers In addition to products supplied by CNH Industrial, we sell a variety of new equipment and parts supplied by other manufacturers. These products tend to address specialized niche markets and complement the CNH Industrial products we sell by filling gaps in the CNH Industrial line of products. We believe our offering of products for specialized niche markets supports our goal of being a one-stop solution for our customers' equipment needs at each of our stores. Approximately 28% of our total new equipment sales in fiscal 2021 resulted from sales of products manufactured by companies other than CNH Industrial, with our single largest manufacturer other than CNH Industrial representing approximately 2% of our total new equipment sales. The terms of our arrangements with these other suppliers vary, but most of the dealership agreements contain termination provisions allowing the supplier to terminate the agreement after a specified notice period, which is typically 30 days. Payment and financing practices with these other suppliers are similar to those practices described above with respect to CNH Industrial. Customers Our North America agriculture customers vary from small, single machine owners to large farming operations, primarily in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. In fiscal 2021, no single agriculture customer accounted for more than 1.0% of our Agriculture revenue. Our Construction customers include a wide range of construction contractors, public utilities, forestry, energy companies, farmers, municipalities and maintenance contractors, primarily in the states of Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, 6 Table of Contents Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. They vary in size from small, single machine owners to large firms. In fiscal 2021, no single construction equipment customer accounted for more than 2.0% of our Construction revenue. Our international customers vary from small, single machine owners to large farming operations, primarily in the European countries of Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. We also sell Case construction equipment in Bulgaria and Romania. In fiscal 2021, no single international customer accounted for more than 1.0% of our International revenue. Floorplan Payable Financing We attempt to maintain at each store, or have readily available at other stores in our network, sufficient new equipment inventory to satisfy customer demand. Inventory levels fluctuate throughout the year and tend to increase before the primary sales seasons for agricultural equipment. The cost of floorplan payable financing is an important factor affecting our financial results. CNH Industrial Capital offers floorplan payable financing to CNH Industrial dealers to finance the purchase of inventory from CNH Industrial and for used equipment inventory purchased on trade-ins from our customers. CNH Industrial Capital provides this financing in part to enable dealers to carry representative inventories of equipment and encourage the purchase of goods by dealers in advance of seasonal retail demand. CNH Industrial Capital charges variable market rates of interest based on the prime rate on balances outstanding after any interest-free periods and receives a security interest in inventory and other assets. Interest-free periods are generally about four months in duration for both new and used agriculture and construction equipment. As of January 31, 2021, we had a $450.0 million floorplan credit facility with CNH Industrial Capital. In addition to the CNH Industrial Capital floorplan line of credit, as of January 31, 2021, we also had a $185.0 million wholesale floorplan line of credit under the Bank Syndicate Agreement, and a $60.0 million credit facility with DLL Finance LLC that can be used to finance inventory purchases. In addition, we have other lines of credit offered by various financial institutions as well as floorplan payable financing programs offered by manufacturers and suppliers, or their third party lenders, from which we purchase equipment inventory. Sales and Marketing We currently market our products and services through: • our sales employees, who operate out of our network of local stores and call on customers in the markets surrounding each store; • our area product support managers, and our store parts managers and service managers, who provide our customers with comprehensive after-market support; • our website; • local and regional advertising efforts, including broadcast, cable, print and web-based media; and • alternative channels, such as auctions, for selling our aged equipment inventories. Equipment Sales Consultants and Centralized Support Our equipment sales employees (who we refer to as "equipment sales consultants") perform a variety of functions, such as servicing customers at our stores, calling on existing customers, and soliciting new business at farming, construction and industrial sites. We develop customized marketing programs for our sales force by analyzing each customer group for profitability, buying behavior and product selection. All members of our sales force are expected to participate in internal and external manufacturer-sponsored training sessions to develop product and application knowledge, sales techniques and financial acumen. Our shared resources group provides centralized sales and marketing support for our field operations, and coordinates centralized media buys, strategic planning, sales support and training. In addition, we enable our regional and area managers and their sales teams to develop localized sales and marketing strategies. Parts Managers and Service Managers Our parts managers and service managers at our stores are involved in our efforts to market our parts and service offerings, taking advantage of our seasonal marketing campaigns in parts and service sales. As a group, they have won multiple awards from our suppliers for their efforts benefiting both our customers and our key suppliers. Website 7 Table of Contents Our used equipment inventories are marketed on our website, www.titanmachinery.com, through an equipment search feature which allows users to search by equipment type, manufacturer, price and/or store. A picture of each piece of equipment is shown, along with the equipment specifications, price and store location. Parts manufactured by the CNH Industrial brands are marketed and can be purchased directly through our website. Other sales and financing programs are also marketed through our website. Finally, our website provides dealer locator search functions and provides the contact information for the various departments at each of our stores. Print, Broadcast and Web-Based Advertising Campaigns Each year we initiate several targeted direct mail, print and broadcast advertising and marketing campaigns. CNH Industrial and other suppliers periodically provide us with advertising funds, which we primarily use to promote new equipment, parts and financing programs. We will continue to explore and launch additional sales channels as appropriate, including, for example, additional internet-based efforts. Channels for Selling Aged Equipment Inventory In certain circumstances, we sell aged equipment inventories through the use of alternative channels such as onsite and online auctions. Competition The agricultural and construction equipment sales and distribution industries are highly competitive and fragmented, with large numbers of companies operating on a regional or local scale. Our competitors range from multi-location, regional operators to single-location dealers and include dealers and distributors of competing equipment brands, including Deere, Caterpillar and the AGCO brands, as well as other dealers and distributors of the CNH Industrial family of brands. Competition among equipment dealers, whether they offer agricultural or construction products or both, is primarily based on the price, value, reputation, quality and design of the products, technology, customer service including repair and maintenance service provided by the dealer, the availability of equipment and parts, and the accessibility of stores. While we believe we compete favorably on each of these competitive factors, our sales and margins may be impacted by (i) aggressive pricing competition by equipment manufacturers or their dealers, (ii) our ability to obtain higher service margins based on our service quality and reputation, and (iii) our ability to attract new and maintain existing customers based on the availability and quality of the products we offer and our local relationships and reputation. We are one of the established regional-scale agricultural and construction equipment dealers in the United States and Europe. The number of other agricultural and construction equipment dealers operating on a regional scale is limited. Our primary regional-scale competitors include RDO Equipment Co., Butler Machinery, Ziegler Inc., Brandt Holdings Co., Wagner Equipment Co., 21st Century Equipment, LLC, AKRS Equipment, C & B Operations, LLC, and Van Wall Equipment. Corporate Information We were incorporated as a North Dakota corporation in 1980 and reincorporated in Delaware in December 2007 prior to our initial public offering. Our executive offices are located at 644 East Beaton Drive, West Fargo, ND 58078-2648. Our telephone number is (701) 356-0130. We maintain a website at www.titanmachinery.com . Our SEC filings are available on the Investor Relations page of our website or at www.sec.gov. Intellectual Property We have registered trademarks for certain names and designs used in our business and have trademark applications pending for certain others. We operate each of our stores under the Titan Machinery name. Case IH, Case and New Holland are registered trademarks of CNH Industrial, which we are authorized to use pursuant to the terms of the CNH Industrial Dealer Agreements. We also license trademarks and trade names from other suppliers of equipment to us. Product Warranties Product warranties for new equipment and parts are provided by the original equipment manufacturer ("OEM"). The term and scope of these warranties vary greatly by OEM and by product. At the time equipment is purchased, we also offer customers the option of purchasing extended warranty protection provided by the OEM or through various third-party warranty providers. We are paid by the OEM for repairs we perform on equipment under warranty. We generally sell used equipment "as is" and without OEM warranty unless the original warranty period has not expired and is transferable. We also offer extended warranty programs on certain used equipment through various third-party warranty providers. 8 Table of Contents Seasonality & Weather The agricultural and construction equipment businesses are highly seasonal, which causes our quarterly results and our cash flow to fluctuate during the year. Our customers generally purchase and rent equipment in preparation for, or in conjunction with, their busy seasons. For farmers, the busy seasons are spring planting and fall harvesting. For construction customers, the busy season is typically the second and third quarters of our fiscal year for much of our Construction footprint, subject to weather conditions. Our parts and service revenues are typically highest during our customers' busy seasons as well, due to the increased use of their equipment during this time, which generates the need for more parts and service work. Weather conditions impact the timing of our customers' busy times, which may cause our quarterly financial results to differ between fiscal years. In addition, the fourth quarter typically is a significant period for equipment sales in the U.S. because of our customers’ year-end tax planning considerations, the timing of dealer incentives and the increase in availability of funds from completed harvests and construction projects. Seasonal weather trends, particularly severe wet or dry conditions, can have a significant impact on regional agricultural and construction market performance by affecting crop production yields and the ability to undertake construction projects. Weather conditions that adversely affect the agricultural or construction markets would have a negative effect on the demand for our products and services. In addition, numerous external factors such as credit markets, commodity prices, production yields, and other circumstances may disrupt normal purchasing practices and buyer sentiment, further contributing to the seasonal fluctuations. Human Capital We recognize that our success is highly dependent upon the talents and dedication of our employees. As a result, we are committed to attracting, developing and retaining a team of highly talented and motivated employees. Employee Recruitment We strive to attract the best talent from a variety of sources to meet the current and future needs of our business. We have established relationships with multiple trade schools and colleges across our footprint, which we utilize as a source for entry-level talent. Additionally, we believe it is incumbent upon all of our managers to continuously monitor their local markets for experienced individuals who might be successful additions to our organization. We seek a workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate, and strive to create diverse, equal and inclusive workplaces where our employees have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Compensation Programs and Employee Benefits We conduct regular assessments of our pay and benefit practices to help ensure that employees are compensated fairly and competitively. Our compensation programs are designed to attract, retain, motivate and reward employees who must operate in a highly competitive, fast-paced environment. In general, our compensation programs consist of a base salary or hourly rate, commissions for employees in front-line customer facing sales roles, cash performance bonuses, health, and dental insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, a 401k plan, paid time off, family leave, an employee assistance program, tuition assistance, and other benefit programs. Training and Development We devote significant resources to staff training and development, including tuition assistance for career-enhancing academic programs. Our training and development programs are designed to facilitate the development and advancement of talent from within our organization to ensure we continuously fill our ranks with qualified employees for critical positions in the organization. Members of our training and development team collaborate with employees from our various operations teams to identify our strategic training needs and prioritize the development of appropriate training content. Employee Engagement and Retention We conduct periodic comprehensive employee engagement surveys designed to measure organizational culture and engagement. The purposes of the survey are to monitor overall employee engagement, identify actions that can be taken to improve our employee engagement and motivation, and to continuously improve employee retention. Data collected in each annual employee engagement survey is maintained and used to track our progress against our internal goals. Management continually monitors employee turnover data, which is supplemented with additional data from exit surveys, to assist in determining the reasons for voluntary employee terminations. The turnover rate of our service technicians is also monitored closely by management, as the retention of skilled service technicians is critical to our success. Demand for service technicians across the country is very high, and turnover in this role is also traditionally high for all equipment dealers. 9 Table of Contents Health and Safety; Employee Wellness Program Employee health and safety is of paramount importance to us. We believe it is our responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy workplace in each of our facilities and to make continuous improvements in this area. We do this by embedding safety into every level of the organization as a top priority. We ensure that safety performance data is tracked, aggregated, and reviewed on an ongoing basis across our organization. Our corporate safety team collects data on recordable injury rates, serious injury rates, and near misses from each of our facilities, and engages in a root cause analysis and identifies corrective action to prevent future occurrences. This data is reviewed monthly by the executive leadership team and shared with the Company's Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. Safety meetings are also held at each of our facilities on a regular basis. We are also committed to improving the health and well-being of our employees. Our U.S. wellness program was established in 2017 and is continuously evolving to better educate, motivate and reward our employees for maintaining and achieving healthy measures. Performance Management We have developed an employee performance management program that is consistently applied throughout our U.S. operations. The core goal of our performance management process is to develop and maintain a high-performing organization that is positioned to meet our business objectives. Our performance management program focuses on enabling staff employees and their managing supervisors to gain alignment through: a. a structured annual goal-setting process where managers and associates work collaboratively to develop specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound (SMART) goals that align with our overarching business objectives and our Company values; b. clear, organization-wide expectations that managers and staff employees monitor progress toward completion of their SMART goals with regular coaching sessions and periodic evaluations; and c. an annual performance assessment that provides a direct link between the associate’s pay and performance, considering market compensation data. Commitment to Core Values and Ethical Culture In addition to our focus on performance, our employees are also guided by our corporate core values of: “Our People”, “Integrity”, “Excellence”, and “Teamwork.” We continue to promote these values from the top down. In addition, we promote a commitment to ethics and compliance among our global workforce through our Code of Ethics and related training programs. Community Engagement As a Company, we believe that our value of responsibility requires community engagement, and we encourage our employees to share in our commitment to the communities where we operate. We offer paid time off for employees to volunteer their time to community efforts. Employees As of January 31, 2021, we employed 2,249 people on a full-time basis, 1,592 in the U.S. and 657 in Europe, and an additional 134 part-time employees. We do not regularly use independent contractors in our business operations. To date, we have not experienced any work stoppages as a result of labor disputes, and we consider our relationship with our employees to be good. Our employees are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Environmental and Other Governmental Regulation We are subject to a wide range of environmental laws and regulations, including those governing discharges into water, air emissions, storage of petroleum substances and chemicals, handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, remediation of various types of contamination, and otherwise relating to health, safety and protection of the environment. Our business involves the generation, use, handling, and disposal of hazardous or toxic substances and wastes and the use of above ground and underground storage tanks (ASTs and USTs). Operations involving the management of wastes and the use of ASTs and USTs are subject to requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, analogous state statutes, and their implementing regulations. Pursuant to these laws, federal and state environmental agencies have established approved methods for handling, storing, treating, transporting, and disposing of regulated substances and wastes with which we must comply. 10 Table of Contents We also are subject to laws and regulations governing responses to any releases of contamination at or from our facilities or at facilities that receive our hazardous wastes for treatment or disposal. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA") and similar state statutes, can impose strict and joint and several liability for cleanup costs on those that are considered to have contributed to the release of a "hazardous substance." We also are subject to the Clean Water Act, analogous state statutes, and their implementing regulations which, among other things, prohibit discharges of pollutants into regulated waters without permits, require containment of potential discharges of oil or hazardous substances, and require preparation of spill contingency plans. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, costs and capital expenditures to comply with these environmental laws and regulations. We believe that our operations currently are conducted in substantial compliance with all applicable regulations. None of our dealerships have been subject to any material liabilities in the past, nor do we know of any fact or condition that would result in any material liabilities being incurred in the future. In addition to the environmental regulations discussed above, we are subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws regulating the conduct of our business, including those relating to sales and marketing, taxation, employment practices, working conditions, data privacy, and corruption. The foreign countries and domestic states that we operate in, subject us to a significant number of regulatory jurisdictions. We believe that we are currently in material compliance with laws and regulations applicable to our business operations.