Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our securities involves significant risks. Certain factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Summary Of Risk Factors Relating to our Current CEA Operations
Our CEA business is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those risks discussed at length in the section below titled “Risk Factors.” These risks include, among others, the following:
Historically, we have had limited revenues and operated our business with a working capital deficit. Additionally, our operating results have fluctuated over the years.
We enter into contracts that are performed over a period of time; therefore, we have a contract backlog in differing amounts from quarter to quarter. Converting backlog to revenue depends on many factors, such as the customer obtaining financing, building permits and construction of their facility. We may not be able to convert all of our contracts representing backlog into revenue. We currently do not convert our backlog on a consistent basis quarter to quarter.
Although we are not cannabis plant or product touching, historically we have provided services and equipment to the cannabis industry segment. As a result, we may be subject to the changes within that sector and certain of the regulations and enforcement issues of the cannabis industry.
We have material weaknesses in our controls and procedures for financial reporting.
We may not be able to implement a successful growth program and, even if that is successful, we may not manage such a program effectively, which may affect our investors’ return on investment.
To the extent we continue in the CEA industry, we will need to expand our customer base, expand and develop our products and services and increase marketing and achieve timely contract execution.
Due to supply disruptions and competing demand for products, we continue to experience supply issues similar to other members of the CEA industry. International trade disputes, tariffs, international shipping and domestic trucking issues all contribute to the challenges we face in obtaining the products we need for contract performance. We have experienced and are likely to continue to experience inflationary effects on the cost of products and labor, which is likely to adversely affect our margins. The failure to procure the products we need to satisfy our customer contracts would disrupt our business, harm our reputation, result in losses and potently cause us to lose our market.
We rely on third party manufacturers to supply the equipment we sell or lease for our CEA customers. If the equipment does not perform to specifications or to our customers’ satisfaction, there may be an adverse impact on our business and our revenues.
We rely on a limited number of customers and suppliers.
The build side of the CEA industry is very competitive. To be able to compete successfully, we will need to offer a wide range of products, have adequate capital for expansion, supply and execution, and develop robust marketing.
We will need to attract and retain top quality employee talent. We are dependent on certain key sales, managerial and executive personnel for our current and future success.
Risk Factors
Risks Relating to Our Current CEA Business
Our revenues have been limited, and we will need to obtain financing for any substantive growth, and possibly our continued operations, which may not be available to us.
Historically, we have raised equity and debt capital to support our operations. We raised approximately $22 million from a public offering completed in February 2022. As of December 31, 2024, we had working capital of approximately $9,064,000 and our cash balance was approximately $9,453,000.
We expect to need additional funds in the longer term, from time to time, to complete aspects of the overall development of our business plan, such as in connection with the acquisition of Fat Panda and other strategic assets. We also anticipate needing additional funds for ongoing operating expenses. The precise amount and timing of our funding needs cannot be determined accurately at this time, and will depend on a number of factors, including demand for our products and services, the success of our product development efforts, the timing of receipts for customer payments, the management of working capital, and the continuation of normal payment terms and conditions for our purchase of goods and services. The continuation of normal payment terms and conditions with our customers and suppliers, including our ability to obtain advance payments from our customers, significantly impacts our ability to fund our ongoing operations.
Any future equity offering will result in dilution to our shareholders; obtaining borrowed capital may not be possible for us.
To the extent that we raise equity and equity linked securities in any future offerings, our existing shareholders will experience a dilution in the voting power and ownership of their common stock, and our earnings per share, if any, would be impacted. Any borrowings made to finance acquisitions and operations, could make us more vulnerable to a downturn in our operating results, a downturn in economic conditions, or increases in interest rates on borrowings that are subject to interest rate fluctuations. The amount and timing of additional financing needs will vary principally depending on the timing of new product launches, investments and/or acquisitions, and the amount of cash flow from our operations. If our resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to issue additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility.
There is no assurance that we will be able to convert our backlog related to our CEA operations into revenue or make a profit.
While we continue our CEA business, we may be unable to convert the full contract value of our backlog in a timely manner, or at all. We inconsistently convert our backlog into revenue on a quarter-to-quarter basis. The performance of our obligations under a sales contract, and the timing of our revenue recognition, is dependent upon our customers’ ability to secure funding and real estate, obtain a license and then build their cultivation facility so they can use our services and take possession of the equipment we provide. Our sales contracts currently are not time specific as to when our customers are required to take delivery of our services and equipment. More recently, we determined that some of our new construction facility projects are becoming larger and more complex and, as a result, delays were more likely due to licensing and permitting, lack of, or delay in, funding, staged facility construction, and/or the shifting priorities of certain customers with multiple facility projects in progress at one time. Even if we obtain more customers, or increase the average size of our projects, there is no guarantee that we will be able to generate a profit. Because we are a small company with limited capital, limited products and services, and limited marketing activities, we may not be to generate sufficient revenue to operate . If we cannot operate , we may have to or operations.
We may extend credit to our CEA customers in the future and, if we are unable to collect these accounts receivable, our future profitability could be adversely impacted.
Historically, we had little exposure to the collection risk on accounts receivable since we typically received payments from our customers in advance of our performance of services or delivery of equipment. However, in certain situations, especially as we expand our products and services offering for a customer’s entire facility lifecycle, we may extend credit to our customers, in which case we are at risk for the collection of account receivables. Accordingly, we will be at greater risk for the collection of account receivables. Any customer credit arrangements are negotiated and may not protect us if a customer develops operational difficulty or incurs operating losses which could lead to a bankruptcy. In these cases, we may lose most of the outstanding balance due. In addition, we are typically not able to insure our accounts receivables. The risk is that we derive our revenue and profits from selling products and services to the emerging cannabis industry. The failure of our customers to pay the full amounts due to us could negatively affect future profitability.
Because we currently do not maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of our common stock may, therefore, be adversely impacted.
Our reporting obligations as a public company place significant requirements on our management, operational and financial resources, and systems, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Annually, we are required to prepare a management report on our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting is currently not effective. In the event that our status with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) changes to that of an accelerated filer from a smaller reporting company, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to attest to and report on our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Under such circumstances, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may still decline to attest to our management’s assessment, or may issue a report that is qualified, if it is not satisfied with our controls, or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and, if we do not remediate the material weakness or are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timeliness of our financial reporting may be adversely affected.
The Company did not maintain effective controls over certain aspects of the financial reporting process because: (i) we lack a sufficient complement of personnel with a level of accounting expertise and an adequate supervisory review structure that is commensurate with our financial reporting requirements, (ii) there is inadequate segregation of duties due to the limitation on the number of our accounting personnel, and (iii) we have insufficient controls and processes in place to adequately verify the accuracy and completeness of spreadsheets that we use for a variety of purposes including revenue, taxes, stock-based compensation and other areas, and place significant reliance on, for our financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency or a combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. If we are to internal control over financial reporting, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we continue to have a material in our internal control over financial reporting, we could investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our shares could , and our reputation may be .
The inability to effectively manage our operational reorganization could harm our business and materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
If there is any growth in or reorganization of our business and operations, including integrating any acquired business and assets, it is likely to place a strain on our management and administrative resources, infrastructure and systems. We expect that in those instances we will need to further refine and expand our business development capabilities, our systems and processes and our access to financing sources. We also will need to hire, train, supervise, and manage employees. These processes are time consuming and expensive, will increase management responsibilities and will divert management attention. We cannot assure that we will be able to:
execute on our business plan and strategy;
expand our products effectively or efficiently or in a timely manner;
allocate our human resources optimally;
meet our capital needs;
identify and hire qualified employees or retain valued employees; or
effectively incorporate the components of any business or product line that we may acquire in our effort to achieve growth.
Our inability or failure to manage our company effectively could harm our business and materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly based on customer acceptance of our services and products, industry uncertainty, project financing concerns, and regulatory requirements. As a result, period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations are unlikely to provide a good indication of our future performance.
Management expects that, under typical operating conditions, we will experience substantial variations in our revenues and operating results from quarter to quarter. This variance may change with fundamental changes in our operations, such as the planned acquisition of Fat Panda.
In our CEA operations, we have been experiencing a decline in revenues, which has also affected our operating results. Our revenue recognition in our CEA operations is dependent upon shipment of the equipment portions of our sales contracts, which, in many cases, may be delayed while our customers complete permitting, prepare their facilities for equipment installation or obtain project financing. Uncertainty in the CEA industry, project financing concerns, and the licensing and qualification of our prospective customers, which are out of our control, make it difficult for us to predict when we will recognize revenue. If customers are unable to obtain licensing, permitting or financing, our sales and revenue will decline, resulting in a reduction in our operating income or possible increase in losses.
To date, the majority of our revenues have been generated from clients that operate in the legal cannabis industry in the United States and Canada.
We provide the overwhelming majority of our facility engineering design and equipment integration and solutions to facilities in the legal cannabis industry. While we are hopeful that the proportion of non-cannabis revenues might increase over time, decreases in demand from the legal cannabis industry will have a material adverse effect on our revenues and the success of our business operations.
The cannabis industry has been an emerging industry over the last several years, and cannabis has only been legalized in some states and remains illegal in other states and under U.S. federal law, making it difficult to accurately forecast the demand for our engineering and product solutions in this specific industry. Losing clients from the cannabis industry may have a material adverse effect on our revenues and the success of our business.
The cannabis industry is still developing in the United States. While the majority of U.S. states now have legal cannabis, it remains illegal under U.S. federal law, making it difficult to accurately predict and forecast the demand for our engineering and product solutions. If the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) did take action against the cannabis industry, we believe those of our clients operating in the legal cannabis industry would be lost to us.
In our operations, we rely heavily upon the various U.S. federal governmental memos issued in the past, including the memorandum issued by the DOJ on October 19, 2009, known as the “Ogden Memorandum”, the memorandum issued by the DOJ on August 29, 2013, known as the “Cole Memorandum” and other guidance, in the attempt to keep our operations acceptable to those state and federal entities that regulate, enforce, or choose to defer enforcement of certain current regulations regarding cannabis. By doing this, we seek to avoid the many possible consequences of providing grow equipment to the cannabis industry as our customers continue to comply with their state and local jurisdictional laws, rules and regulations and the interpretations of relevant authorities.
The legal cannabis industry is not yet well or fully developed, and many aspects of this industry’s development and evolution cannot be accurately predicted. Therefore, the loss of any of our current clients or our inability to capture new client contracts will have a material adverse effect on our business. While we have attempted to identify our business risks in the legal cannabis industry, you should carefully consider that there are other risks that cannot be foreseen or are not described in this report, which could materially and adversely affect our business and financial performance.
There is heightened scrutiny by Canadian regulatory authorities related to the cannabis industry.
Our existing and future operations may become the subject of heightened scrutiny by those regulators and other authorities in Canada that oversee the cannabis industry. As a result, we may become subject to direct and indirect interaction with public officials in one or both the United States and Canada. No assurance can be provided that any heightened scrutiny will not in turn lead to the imposition of restrictions on our ability to operate in Canada, in addition to those described herein.
If we do not successfully have additional products and services, or if those products and services are not successfully commercialized, we could lose revenue opportunities.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to expand our product and service offerings in our current operational sector or otherwise expand or change our operations. The processes of identifying and commercializing products are complex and uncertain, and if we fail to accurately predict customers’ changing needs and emerging technological or other trends, then our business could be harmed. We have already and may have to continue to commit significant resources to commercializing products before knowing whether our investments will result in products the market will accept. We may be unable to differentiate our products from those of our competitors, and our products may not be accepted by the market. There can be no assurance that we will successfully identify additional product opportunities, develop and bring products to market in a timely manner, or achieve market acceptance of our products or that products and technologies developed by others will not render our products or technologies obsolete or non-competitive. Furthermore, we may not execute successfully on commercializing those products because of in product planning or timing, technical hurdles that we to in a timely fashion, or a of appropriate resources. This could result in competitors providing those solutions before we do and a reduction in revenue and earnings.
Our future success depends on our ability to grow and expand our customer base. Our failure to achieve such growth or expansion could materially harm our business.
Our success depends on us achieving greater and broader acceptance of our products and services in our current and proposed business operations. This will require us to expand our commercial customer base and win larger contracts. There can be no assurance that customers will purchase our services or products or that we will continue to expand our customer base. If we are unable to effectively market or expand our product and service offerings, we will be unable to grow and expand our business or implement our business strategy. This could materially impair our ability to increase sales and revenue, and materially and adversely affect our margins, which could harm our business and cause our stock price to decline.
Our suppliers in our CEA operations could fail to fulfil our orders for parts used to assemble our products, which would disrupt our business, increase our costs, harm our reputation, and potentially cause us to lose our market.
We depend on third party suppliers around the world, including those in The People’s Republic of China, for materials used in our CEA operations, to assemble our products. Any of these suppliers could fail to produce products to our specifications or in a workmanlike manner and may not deliver the material or products on a timely basis. Our suppliers may also have to obtain inventories of the necessary parts and tools for production. Any change in our suppliers’ approach to resolving production issues could disrupt our ability to fulfil orders and could also disrupt our business due to delays in finding new suppliers, providing specifications and testing initial production.
Equipment failures or poor performance may negatively impact our business.
We rely on third party manufacturers for equipment used in CEA operations which we sell or lease. From time to time, such equipment may not perform to specifications or to our customers’ satisfaction. Such equipment deficiencies may lead to down time impacting our revenue. Further, frequent downtime at customers’ sites due to equipment failures may result in such customers generating less revenue and increasing credit default risk. In addition, these failures may also result in additional time spent by our personnel, decreasing profit margins on certain ancillary services.
The failure of equipment supplied by third parties may also result in breach of contract and warranty claims from our customers. Whether or not we will be able to pass the responsibility for equipment failures that are not of our making will depend on many factors. We, however, will take all action necessary to identify the correct responsible party and pass through any responsibility in respect of an equipment or other failure. We may not be successful in such action and may ultimately be responsible for damages.
We have a concentration of customers and suppliers, which could affect our financial results.
Two customers accounted for 45% and 10% of the Company’s revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024. Three customers accounted for 37%, 21% and 12% of the Company’s revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s accounts receivable from two customers made up 61% and 36%, respectively, of the total balance as of December 31, 2024. The Company’s accounts receivable from three customers made up 59%, 29%, and 12%, respectively, of the total balance as of December 31, 2023. One supplier accounted for 80% of the Company’s purchases of inventory for the year ended December 31, 2024, and three suppliers accounted for 34%, 17%, and 16% of the Company’s purchases of inventory for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our results of operations will be significantly affected if we lose our primary customer, or if we are not able to replace the customer at the conclusion of our services to that customer. Our operations will also be impacted negatively if we are not able to find suppliers to replace those that we currently use. Overall, our operations and, therefore, financial results are dependent on a limited number of customers and suppliers.
International trade disputes could result in tariffs and other protectionist measures that could adversely affect the Company’s business.
Tariffs could increase the cost of our products and the components and raw materials that go into making them. These increased costs could adversely impact the gross margin that we earn on sales of our products. Tariffs could also make our products more expensive for customers, which could make our products less competitive and reduce customer demand. Countries may also adopt other protectionist measures that could limit our ability to offer our products and services.
Our inability to effectively protect our intellectual property would adversely affect our ability to compete effectively, our revenue, our financial condition, and our results of operations.
We may be unable to obtain intellectual property rights to effectively protect our branding, products, and other intangible assets. Our ability to compete effectively may be affected by the nature and breadth of our intellectual property rights. While we intend to defend against any threats to our intellectual property rights, there can be no assurance that any such actions will adequately protect our interests. If we are unable to secure intellectual property rights to effectively protect our branding, products, and other intangible assets, our revenue and earnings, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
We also rely on non-disclosure and non-competition agreements to protect portions of our intellectual property portfolio. There can be no assurance that these agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or proprietary knowledge, or that third parties will not independently develop competitive products with similar intellectual property.
We may become subject to additional regulation of CEA facilities that are unrelated to cannabis.
Our engineering and design services and solutions are focused on CEA facilities that are able to grow a wide variety of crops other than that of cannabis, such as leafy greens (kale, Swiss chard, mustard, cress), microgreens (leafy greens harvested at the first true leaf stage), ethnic vegetables and small fruits (such as strawberries, blackberries and raspberries), bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Some of these crops and their growing methodologies are subject to regulation by the United States Food and Drug Administration, environmental agencies, public utility agencies and other federal, state or foreign agencies. Changes to any regulations and laws that complicate the design and engineering of a subject CEA facility, such as wastewater treatment and electricity-related mandates, make it possible that potential related zoning and enforcement could decrease the demand for our services, and in turn negatively impact our revenues and business opportunities.
The CEA industry is highly competitive, and we have less capital and resources than many of our competitors, which may give them an advantage in developing and marketing services and products similar to ours or make our services and products obsolete.
There are many competitors in the CEA industry, including some companies that focus on the cannabis industry. These companies generally offer products and services similar or the same as those offered by us. There can be no guarantees that in the future other companies will not enter this arena by developing products that are in direct competition with us or even superior in quality or price. The barriers to entry into the CEA industry are not significant. Over time we anticipate growth and intensity in our competition. Some of our current and future competition may have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger client bases and significantly greater financial, technical, sales and marketing resources. One or more of these qualities may allow them to respond more quickly than us to market opportunities. They may be able to devote greater resources to the marketing, promotion and sale of their products and/or services. Competitors may also adopt more aggressive pricing policies and make more attractive offers to clients, employees, strategic partners, distribution channels and advertisers. Increased competition is likely to result in price reductions, reduced gross margins and a potential of market share.
We will be required to have top quality talent to compete in the marketplace.
We believe our success will depend in part on our ability to have skilled managerial, product development, sales and marketing, and finance personnel. Our ability to attract and retain personnel with the requisite credentials, experience and skills will depend on several factors including, but not limited to, our ability to offer competitive wages, benefits and professional growth opportunities. There can be no assurance of success in attracting and retaining such personnel. Shortages in qualified personnel could limit our ability to increase sales of existing products and services and launch new product and service offerings.
We are dependent upon certain key sales, managerial and executive personnel for our future success. If we lose any of our key personnel, our ability to implement our business strategy could be significantly harmed.
We depend on the industry knowledge, technical and financial skill, and network of business contacts of certain key employees. Our future success will depend on the continued service of these key employees or our ability to engage others who are similarly situated in the industry. While we may have employment agreements with certain of these key employees, they are free to terminate their employment with us at any time, although they may be subject to certain restrictive covenants on their post-termination activities. We do not carry key-man life insurance on the lives of our key employees. The departure of any one of our key employees could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our business objective and maintain the specialized services that we offer our customers.
We have a limited number of employees that may not be sufficient to service our contracts.
As a result of various factors affecting the CEA industry in which we operate, we have made employee reductions from time to time in the last year. We believe we are operating as leanly as needed to be able to service our contract obligations. The mix of our current employees and their number may not be sufficient for our current needs and if we increase our business we will need additional employees, which may not be available. If we are not able to service our contract obligations, our business will suffer and we may be liable for contract damages.
System security risks, data protection breaches, cyber-attacks and systems integration issues could disrupt our internal operations or services provided to customers, and any such disruption could reduce our expected revenue, increase our expenses, damage our reputation and adversely affect our stock price.
Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate or compromise our confidential information or that of third parties, create system disruptions or cause shutdowns. Computer programmers and hackers also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs that attack or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities of the products that we may sell in the future, especially our SentryIQ® sensors, controls and automation platform. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate cyber or other security problems, bugs, viruses, worms, malicious software programs and security vulnerabilities could be significant, and our efforts to address these problems may not be successful and could result in interruptions, , cessation of service and of existing or potential customers that may our engineering, sales, manufacturing, distribution or other functions.
Portions of our IT infrastructure may also experience interruptions, delays or cessations of service or produce errors in connection with systems integration or migration work that takes place from time to time. We may not be successful in implementing new systems and transitioning data, which could cause business disruptions and be more expensive, time consuming, disruptive and resource intensive. Such disruptions could adversely impact our ability to fulfill orders and interrupt other processes. Delayed sales, lower profits, or lost customers resulting from these disruptions could adversely affect our financial results, stock price and reputation.
We incur significant costs as a result of being a public company, which will make it more difficult for us to achieve profitability.
As a public company, we incur legal, accounting and other expenses, including costs associated with the periodic reporting requirements applicable to a company whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as well as additional corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and other rules implemented by the SEC. These costs will make it more difficult for us to achieve profitability.
Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results.
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and related pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide variety of matters that are relevant to our business, such as, but not limited to, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, trade promotions, and income taxes are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by our management. Changes to these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments by our management could significantly change our reported results.
Our ability to use net operating losses to offset future taxable income may be subject to limitations.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company has U.S. federal and state net operating losses (“NOLs”) of approximately $31,985,000, of which $11,196,000 will expire, if not utilized, in the years 2034 through 2037. However, the balance of $20,789,000 NOLs generated subsequent to December 31, 2017, do not expire but may only be used against taxable income to 80%. In addition, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income or taxes may be limited. We have experienced ownership changes in the past and we may experience additional ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent changes in our stock ownership, some of which may be outside of our control. Our September 2021 and February 2022 securities sales also will have to be taken into account for determination of any “ownership change” that we have undergone during a determination period. If an ownership change occurs and our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards is materially limited, it would our post tax income by effectively increasing our future tax obligations.
We may not be able to successfully identify, consummate or integrate acquisitions or to successfully manage the impacts of such transactions on our operations.
Part of our business strategy includes evaluating and pursuing synergistic and other acquisitions. Currently, we are in the process of acquiring Fat Panda. Material acquisitions and other strategic transactions, such as the acquisition of Fat Panda involve a number of risks, including: (i) the potential disruption of our ongoing business; (ii) the distraction of management away from the ongoing oversight of our existing business activities; (iii) incurring additional indebtedness; (iv) the anticipated benefits and cost savings of those transactions not being realized fully, or at all, or taking longer to realize than anticipated; (v) an increase in the scope and complexity of our operations; (vi) the disruption of a significant reorganization of the company; and (vii) the loss or reduction of control over certain of our assets.
The pursuit of any acquisitions may pose certain risks to us. We may not be able to identify acquisition candidates that fit our criteria for growth and profitability. Even if we are able to identify such candidates, we may not be able to acquire them on terms or financing satisfactory to us. We will incur expenses and dedicate attention and resources associated with the review of acquisition opportunities, whether or not we consummate such acquisitions.
Risks Related to the Cannabis Industry
Cannabis remains illegal under federal law, and therefore, strict enforcement of federal laws regarding cannabis, particularly against our customers, would likely result in our inability to execute our business plan.
Marijuana legalization is mixed across the country. And it is constantly evolving. In four states it continues to be fully illegal. In the other states it is either legalized, available for medical uses and decriminalized, available for medical uses, decriminalized, or permitted for low-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”)/high-CBD extracts.
Under U.S. federal law, however, those activities are illegal.
Cannabis, other than hemp (defined by the U.S. government as Cannabis sativa L . with a THC concentration of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis), is a Schedule I controlled substance under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 801, et seq.) (the “CSA”). Even in states or territories that have legalized cannabis to some extent, the cultivation, possession, and sale of cannabis all violate the CSA and are punishable by imprisonment, substantial fines and forfeiture. Moreover, individuals and entities may violate federal law if they aid and abet another in violating the CSA, or conspire with another to violate the law, and violating the CSA is a predicate for certain other crimes, including money laundering laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government has the authority to regulate and criminalize the sale, possession and use of cannabis, even for individual medical purposes, regardless of whether it is legal under state law. For over six years, however, the U.S. government has not enforced those laws companies complying with state cannabis law and their vendors.
The likelihood of any future adverse enforcement against companies complying with state cannabis laws remains uncertain. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will follow established principles that govern all federal prosecutions when deciding which cannabis activities to prosecute. As a result, federal prosecutors could and still can use their prosecutorial discretion to decide to prosecute even state-legal cannabis activities. However, generally, U.S. Attorneys have not targeted state law compliant entities. The policy of not prosecuting companies complying with state cannabis laws is likely to continue under the Biden Administration.
Additionally, since 2014, versions of the U.S. omnibus spending bill have included a provision prohibiting the DOJ, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, from using appropriated funds to prevent states from implementing their medical-use cannabis laws. In USA vs. McIntosh , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the provision prohibits the DOJ from spending funds to prosecute individuals who engage in conduct permitted by state medical-use cannabis laws and who strictly comply with such laws. The court noted that, if the spending bill provision were not continued, prosecutors could enforce against conduct occurring during the statute of limitations even while the provision was previously in force. Other courts that have considered the issue have ruled similarly, although courts disagree about which party bears the burden of proof of showing compliance or noncompliance with state law.
We cannot predict the timing of any change in federal law or possible changes in federal enforcement. In the unlikely event that the federal government were to reverse its long-standing hands-off approach to the state legal cannabis markets and start more broadly enforcing federal law regarding cannabis, we would likely be unable to execute our business plan, and our business and financial results would be adversely affected.
Certain of our customers may be outside any protections extended to medical-use cannabis under the spending bill provision and more recent medical-use and research laws. This could subject them to greater and/or different federal legal and other risks as compared to businesses where cannabis is sold exclusively for medical use, which could in turn materially adversely affect our business. Furthermore, any change in the federal government’s enforcement posture with respect to state-licensed cannabis sales, including the enforcement postures of individual federal prosecutors in judicial districts where we operate, could result in our inability to execute our business plan, and we would likely suffer significant losses with respect to our customer base, which would adversely affect our operations, cash flow and financial condition.
We are and will be subject to applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and Canada that involve money laundering, financial recordkeeping and proceeds of crime, including the U.S. Currency and Foreign 125 Transactions Reporting Act of 1970 (commonly known as the Bank Secrecy Act), as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (Canada), as amended and the rules and regulations thereunder, and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by governmental authorities in the United States, Canada and internationally. Further, under U.S. federal law, banks or other financial institutions that provide a cannabis business with a checking account, debit or credit card, small business loan, or any other service could be found guilty of money laundering if certain other elements are met.
Despite these laws, the FinCEN Memorandum states that in some circumstances, it is permissible for banks to provide services to cannabis-related businesses without risking FinCEN enforcement. It refers to and incorporates supplementary Cole Memo guidance issued to federal prosecutors relating to the prosecution of money laundering offenses predicated on cannabis-related violations of the CSA on the same day.
Notwithstanding former Attorney General Sessions’ revocation of the Cole Memo, the status of the FinCEN Memorandum has not been affected, nor has the Department of the Treasury given any indication that it intends to rescind the FinCEN Memorandum itself. Though it was originally intended for the Cole Memo and the FinCEN Memorandum to work in tandem, the FinCEN Memorandum appears to remain in effect as a standalone document which explicitly lists the eight enforcement priorities originally cited in the rescinded Cole Memo. Although the FinCEN Memorandum remains intact, indicating that the Department of the Treasury and FinCEN intend to continue abiding by its guidance, it is unclear whether the current administration will continue to follow the guidelines of the FinCEN Memorandum.
We face risks related to civil asset forfeiture due to the regulatory environment of the cannabis industry in the United States.
Because the cannabis industry remains illegal under U.S. federal law, any property owned by participants in the cannabis industry, which are either used in the course of conducting such business, or are the proceeds of such business, could be subject to seizure by law enforcement and subsequent civil asset forfeiture. Even if the owner of the property were never charged with a crime, the property in question could still be seized and subject to an administrative proceeding by which, with minimal due process, it could be subject to forfeiture. As a result, the equipment that our customers acquire from us in the United States may be subject to such seizure and forfeiture. Additionally, a broad interpretation of the law could potentially result in the seizure and forfeiture of proceeds we generate from client payments who are subject to property seizure.
Public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry may have an adverse effect on our business reputation.
Government policy changes or public opinion may also result in a significant influence over the regulation of the cannabis industry in the United States, Canada, or elsewhere. Public opinion and support for medical and adult-use marijuana has traditionally been inconsistent and varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. While public opinion and support appears to be improving for legalizing medical and adult-use marijuana, it remains a controversial issue subject to differing opinions surrounding the level of legalization (for example, medical marijuana as opposed to legalization in general). A negative shift in the public’s perception of cannabis in the United States or any other applicable jurisdiction could affect future legislation or regulation. Among other things, such a shift could cause state jurisdictions to abandon initiatives or proposals to legalize medical and/or adult-use cannabis, thereby limiting the number of new state jurisdictions into which we could expand. Any inability to fully implement our expansion strategy may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or prospects.
We may have difficulty accessing bankruptcy courts.
Because cannabis is illegal under federal law, federal bankruptcy protection is currently not available to parties who engage in the cannabis industry or cannabis-related businesses. Recent bankruptcy rulings have denied bankruptcies for dispensaries upon the justification that businesses cannot violate federal law and then claim the benefits of federal bankruptcy for the same activity and upon the justification that courts cannot ask a bankruptcy trustee to take possession of and distribute cannabis assets as such action would violate the CSA. Therefore, we may not be able to seek the protection of the bankruptcy courts, and this could materially affect our business or our ability to obtain credit.
Our historical business efforts in Canada have presented opportunities, but no assurance can be given that our revenues and earnings will be improved on the basis of our addressing the Canadian business.
In addition to U.S. operations, we seek to sell products and services to CEA and cannabis growers in Canada, where medical and recreational cannabis has been legal since 2018 across the country both federally and provincially (subject to certain restrictions relating to CBD). We believe Canada, with its federal legal regime, represents a business opportunity for us, but we have noticed softening demand from Canadian prospects due, in part, to limited capital being available for new facilities and an overbuilding of cultivation capacity following federal legalization. As a result, Canada now appears to be in a period of correction. There can be no assurance that we will be able to make any additional sales of products or services in Canada.
Variations in state and local regulation and enforcement in states that have legalized cannabis may impose certain restrictions on cannabis-related activities that may adversely impact our revenue and earnings.
Variations exist among states that have legalized, decriminalized, or created medical cannabis programs. For example, Alaska and Colorado have limits on the number of cannabis plants that can be grown by an individual in the home. In most states, the cultivation of cannabis for personal use continues to be prohibited except by those states that allow small-scale cultivation by the individual in possession of cannabis for medicinal purposes or that person’s caregiver. Active enforcement of state laws that prohibit personal cultivation of cannabis may indirectly and adversely affect our revenue and earnings.
The cannabis industry could face strong opposition from other industries.
We believe that established businesses in other industries may have a strong economic interest in opposing the development of the cannabis industry. Cannabis may be seen by companies in other industries as an attractive alternative to their products, including recreational marijuana as an alternative to alcohol, and medical marijuana as an alternative to various commercial pharmaceuticals. Many industries that could view the emerging cannabis industry as an economic threat are well established, with vast economic and United States federal and state lobbying resources. It is possible that companies within these industries could use their resources to attempt to slow or reverse legislation legalizing cannabis. Any inroads these companies make in halting or impeding legislative initiatives that would be beneficial to the cannabis industry could have a detrimental impact on our clients and, in turn on our operations.
Changing legislation and evolving interpretations of law, could negatively impact our clients and, in turn, our operations.
Laws and regulations affecting the medical and adult-use marijuana industry are constantly changing, which could detrimentally affect our clients involved in that industry and, in turn, our operations. Local, state and federal cannabis laws and regulations are often broad in scope and subject to constant evolution and inconsistent interpretations, which could require our clients and ourselves to incur substantial costs associated with modification of operations to ensure compliance. In addition, violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our clients’ business and result in a material adverse effect on our operations. In addition, it is possible that regulations may be enacted in the future that will limit the amount of cannabis grown or related products that our commercial clients are authorized to produce. We cannot predict the nature of any future laws, regulations, interpretations or applications, nor can it determine what effect additional governmental regulations or administrative policies and procedures, when and if promulgated, could have on our operations.
The fact that we provide products and services to companies in the cannabis industry may impact our ability to raise adequate capital for future expansion, which could hinder our growth potential as well as our revenue and earnings.
A very large percentage of our customers are operating in an industry that is still illegal under U.S. federal law. With the lingering uncertainty of federal enforcement, many potential investors, especially institutional investors, either refuse to invest in the industry or are very reluctant to make such investments. Our inability to raise adequate capital for future expansion could substantially hinder our growth potential as well as our revenue and earnings.
Our success may be dependent on additional states legalizing recreational and/or medical cannabis use.
Continued development of the recreational and medical cannabis markets is dependent upon continued legislative authorization of cannabis at the state level for recreational and/or medical purposes. Any number of factors could slow or halt the progress. Furthermore, progress, while encouraging, is not assured, and the process normally encounters setbacks before achieving success. While there may be ample public support for legislative proposals, key support must be created in the relevant legislative committee, or a bill may never advance to a vote. Numerous factors impact the legislative process. Any one of these factors could slow or halt the progress and adoption of cannabis for recreational and/or medical purposes, which would limit the overall available market for our products and services, which could adversely impact our business, revenue and earnings.
Our customers may have difficulty accessing the service of banks, which may make it difficult for them to purchase our products and services.
As a result of the federal illegality of marijuana, many banks do not provide banking services to the cultivation and distribution segments of the cannabis industry, the argument being that they would be accepting for deposit funds derived from the operation of a federally illegal business. On February 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) released guidance to banks “clarifying Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) expectations for financial institutions seeking to provide services to marijuana-related businesses.” In addition, there have been legislative attempts to allow banks to transact business with state-authorized cannabis businesses. While these are positive developments, there can be no assurance that legislation will be successful, or that, even with the FinCEN guidance, banks will decide to do business with cannabis companies, or that, in the absence of actual legislation, state and federal banking regulators will not strictly enforce current prohibitions on banks handling funds generated from an activity that is illegal under federal law. Moreover, the FinCEN guidance may be rescinded or amended at any time in order to reconcile the now guidance of the Sessions Memo. At present, few banks have taken of the FinCEN guidance, resulting in many cannabis businesses still operating on an all-cash basis. This makes it for cannabis businesses to manage their businesses and pay their employees and taxes; in addition, having so much cash on hand creates significant public safety issues. Many ancillary businesses that service cannabis businesses have to deal with the of their clients or customers not having a bank account. The of our customers to open bank accounts and otherwise access the services of banks, including obtaining credit, may make it more and for them to operate and more for such customers to purchase our products and services, which could materially our business, revenue and earnings.
We are subject to certain federal regulations relating to cash reporting.
The BSA, enforced by FinCEN, requires us to report currency transactions in excess of $10,000, including identification of the customer by name and social security number, to the Internal Revenue Service. This regulation also requires us to report certain suspicious activity, including any transaction that exceeds $5,000 that we know, suspect or have reason to believe involves funds from illegal activity or is designed to evade federal regulations or reporting requirements and to verify sources of funds. Substantial penalties can be imposed against us if we fail to comply with this regulation. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, the imposition of a substantial penalty could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
State and municipal governments in which our customers do business or seek to do business may have or may adopt laws that adversely affect our ability to do business with such customers.
While the federal government has the right to regulate and criminalize cannabis, state and municipal governments may adopt or amend additional laws and regulations that further criminalize or adversely affect cannabis businesses. States that currently have laws that decriminalize or legalize certain aspects of cannabis, such as medical marijuana, could in the future, reverse course and adopt new laws that further criminalize or adversely affect cannabis businesses. Additionally, municipal governments in certain states may have laws that adversely affect cannabis businesses, even though there are no such laws at the state level. For example, municipal governments may have zoning laws that restrict where cannabis operations can be located and the manner and size of which they can expand and operate. These municipal laws, like the federal laws, may adversely affect our customers’ ability to do business. Also, given the complexity and rapid change of the federal, state and local laws pertaining to cannabis, our customers may incur substantial legal costs associated with complying with these laws and in acquiring the necessary state and local licenses required by their business endeavour’s. All the foregoing may impact our customers’ ability to purchase our products and services, which may adversely affect our business, revenue and earnings.
Most, if not all, of our customers are impacted by Section 280E of the Code, which limits certain expenses marijuana companies can deduct. This negative impact could affect the financial condition of our customers, which in turn may negatively affect the ability of our customers to purchase our products and services.
Section 280E of the Code forbids businesses from deducting otherwise ordinary business expenses from gross income associated with the “trafficking” of Schedule I or II substances, as defined by the CSA. The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has subsequently applied Section 280E to state-legal cannabis businesses since marijuana is still a Schedule I substance. Section 280E states that no deductions should be allowed on any amount “in carrying on any trade or business if such trade or business consists of trafficking in controlled substances.” Section 280E affects all businesses that engage in the cultivation, sale or processing of marijuana. This includes cultivators, medical dispensaries, marijuana retail stores and infused product manufacturers, as well as marijuana-derived concentrates and oil manufacturers. Because Section 280E limits certain deductions, it can have a dramatic effect on the profitability of these businesses, which in turn may adversely affect their ability to purchase our products and services. Such result may adversely impact our revenue and earnings.
There may be difficulty enforcing certain of our commercial agreements and contracts.
Courts will not enforce a contract deemed to involve a violation of law or public policy. Because cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law, parties to contracts involving the state legal cannabis industry have argued that the agreement was void as federally illegal or against public policy. Some courts have accepted this argument in certain cases, usually against the company trafficking in cannabis. While courts have enforced contracts related to activities by state-legal cannabis companies, and the trend is generally to enforce contracts with state-legal cannabis companies and their vendors, there remains doubt and uncertainty that we will be able to enforce our commercial agreements in court for this reason. We cannot be assured that we will have a remedy for breach of contract, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Due to our involvement in the cannabis industry, we may have a difficult time obtaining the various insurances that are desired to operate our business, which may expose us to additional risk and financial liability.
Insurance that is otherwise readily available, such as general liability and directors’ and officers’ insurance, is more difficult for us to find, and more expensive, because we are product and service providers to companies in the cannabis industry. There are no guarantees that we will be able to find such insurances in the future, or that the cost will be affordable to us. If we are forced to go without such insurances, it may prevent us from entering into certain business sectors, may inhibit our growth, and may expose us to additional risk and financial liabilities.
A drop in the retail price of cannabis products may negatively impact our business.
The fluctuations in economic and market conditions that impact the prices of commercially grown cannabis, such as increases in the supply of cannabis and decreases in demand for cannabis, could have a negative impact on our clients that are cannabis producers, and therefore could negatively impact our business.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our securities prices may be volatile and may decrease substantially.
The public trading prices of our securities fluctuate, in some cases substantially, and we expect that they will continue to do so. The price of our securities in the market on any particular day depends on many factors including, but not limited to, the following:
our ability to maintain the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq Stock Market, and our ability to satisfy current continued listing standards;
price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;
investor demand for our shares and warrants;
significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of companies in the cannabis industry;
variations in our operating results and market conditions specific to our business;
the emergence of new competitors or new technologies;
operating and market price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable;
changes in our Board of Directors (the “Board”) or management;
sales or purchases of our securities by insiders, including sales of our common stock issued to employees, directors and consultants under our equity incentive plans which were registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) under our S-8 registration statement;
commencement of, or involvement in, litigation;
changes in governmental regulations, in particular with respect to the cannabis industry;
actual or anticipated changes in our earnings, and fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;
market sentiments about the cannabis industry;
general economic conditions and trends; and
departures of any of our key employees.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Due to the potential volatility of our securities prices, we may therefore be the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.
In addition, if the market for equity stocks of companies in our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the market price of our securities could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition, or results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause the price of our securities to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to our Board of Directors and management.
Our Board of Directors is authorized to reclassify any unissued shares of our preferred stock into one or more classes, which could convey special rights and privileges to its owners.
Our articles of incorporation permit our Board of Directors to reclassify any authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock into one or more classes. Our Board of Directors will generally have broad discretion over the size and timing of any such classification, subject to a finding that the classification and issuance of preferred stock is in our best interests. In the event our Board of Directors opts to classify a portion of our unissued shares of preferred stock into a class of preferred stock, those preferred shares would have a preference over our common stock with respect to dividends and liquidation. The class voting rights of any preferred shares we may issue could make it more difficult for us to take some actions that may, in the future, be proposed by the Board of Directors and/or the holders of our common stock, such as a merger, exchange of securities, liquidation, or alteration of the rights of a class of our securities, if these actions were perceived by the holders of preferred shares as not in their best interests. These effects, among others, could have an adverse effect on your investment in our common stock.
Registration rights and Rule 144 sales contain risks for shareholders.
From time to time, we issue our securities on an unregistered basis, which may be eligible for resale under SEC Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act or may require us to register with the SEC the securities for resale. In the event there are securities outstanding that can be sold under Rule 144 or under a registration statement for resale, there may be market pressure on our stock to absorb the securities in respect of the then market value of the company.
We have a substantial number of options and public warrants outstanding, which if exercised for shares of common stock, may put pressure on the market price of a share.
We have sold to public investors a substantial number of warrants to purchase common stock that may be exercised from time to time over the next several years. In addition, we have a substantial number of options and public warrants outstanding held by investment bankers who provided us with underwriting and placement services that were issued warrants and employees that were issued options. To the extent that these are exercised for shares, there may be pressure on our stock price while the market absorbs them. The potential of exercise may also have the same effect. Investors should expect that the options and warrants will be exercised when the stock price is substantially above the exercise price.
We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, for the foreseeable future, to repay indebtedness and to fund our business. We do not intend to pay any dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board taking into account various factors, including our business, operating results and financial condition, current and anticipated cash needs, plans for expansion, any legal or contractual limitations on our ability to pay dividends under our loan agreements or otherwise. As a result, if our Board does not declare and pay dividends, the capital appreciation in the price of our common stock, if any, will be your only source of gain on an investment in our common stock, and you may have to sell some or all of your common stock to generate cash flow from your investment.
The market price of our securities may be adversely affected by the sale of shares by our management or large stockholders.
Sales of our shares of common stock by our officers or senior managers through 10b5-1 plans or otherwise or by large stockholders could adversely and unpredictably affect the price of our common stock. Additionally, the price of our shares of common stock could be affected even by the potential for sales by these persons. We cannot predict the effect that any future sales of our common stock, or the potential for those sales, will have on our share price. Furthermore, due to relatively low trading volume of our stock, should one or more large stockholders seek to sell a significant portion of their stock in a short period of time, the price of our stock may decline.
An active, liquid trading market for our common stock and warrants may not develop or be sustained, and as a result, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above their acquisition price, or at all .
Prior to February 10, 2022, our common stock was quoted on the OTC Markets Group, Inc., OTCQB. Trading on the OTCQB marketplace was infrequent and in limited volume. Although our common stock is now listed on Nasdaq, along with our public warrants, an active trading market for these securities may never develop or be sustained. If an active trading market does not develop, investors will have difficulty selling their shares of common stock and warrants at an attractive price, or at all. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital and may impair our ability to expand our business by using our common stock and common stock related securities as consideration in an acquisition. If we are unable to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq Market, it is possible that our securities will once again trade on the OTC with the limitations noted above.
Investors may be diluted by future issuances of preferred stock or additional common stock in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise; future sales of such shares in the public market, or the expectations that such sales may occur, could lower our stock price.
Our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue shares of our common stock and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to our common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our Board in its sole discretion. We could issue a significant number of shares of common stock in the future in connection with investments or acquisitions. Any of these issuances could dilute our existing stockholders, and such dilution could be significant. Moreover, such dilution could have a material adverse effect on the market price for the shares of our common stock.
The future issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting rights may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of shares of our common stock, either by diluting the voting power of our common stock if the preferred stock votes together with the common stock as a single class, or by giving the holders of any such preferred stock the right or ability to block an action on which they have a separate class vote, even if the action were approved by the holders of our shares of our common stock.
The future issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock, when compared to the rights of the common stockholders, could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. For example, investors in the common stock may not wish to purchase common stock at a price above the conversion price of a series of convertible preferred stock because the holders of the preferred stock would effectively be entitled to purchase common stock at the lower conversion price, causing economic dilution to the holders of common stock.
