ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
Our business is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described below. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all other information included in this report, including information contained in the “Business,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” sections. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected by the occurrence of any of these events, which could cause actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results, and the trading price of our common stock could decline.
Risks Related to Our Business
Economic downturns in the markets in which we operate may materially and adversely affect our business because our business is dependent on levels of construction activity.
The demand for our services is dependent upon the existence of construction projects and service requirements within the markets in which we operate. Any period of economic recession affecting a market or industry in which we transact business is likely to adversely impact our business. Many of the projects we work on have long lifecycles from conception to completion, and the bulk of our performance generally occurs late in a construction project’s lifecycle. We experience the results of economic trends well after an economic cycle begins and therefore have generally continued to experience the results of an economic recession well after conditions in the general economy have improved.
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The industries and markets in which we operate have been and will continue to be vulnerable to macroeconomic downturns because they are cyclical in nature. When there is a reduction in demand, it often leads to greater price competition as well as decreased revenue and profit. The lasting effects of a recession can also increase economic instability with our vendors, subcontractors, developers, and general contractors, which can increase our liability exposure and result in us not being paid in full or at all on some projects, thus decreasing our revenue and profit. Further, to the extent some of our vendors, subcontractors, developers, or general contractors seek bankruptcy protection, we will likely incur additional attorneys’ fees and other professional consultant fees and expenses in connection with pursuing payment in such bankruptcy proceedings, and such increased expenses will likely result in decreased revenue and profit. Additionally, because 5.0% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 was attributable to projects in the government sector, a reduction in federal, state, or local government spending in our industries and markets could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Because we bear the risk of cost overruns in most of our contracts, we may experience reduced profits or, in some cases, losses under these contracts if costs increase above our estimates.
Our contract prices are established largely based on estimates and assumptions regarding our projected costs, including assumptions about: future economic conditions; prices, including commodity prices and inflation; availability of labor, including the costs of providing labor, equipment, and materials; and other factors outside our control. If our estimates or assumptions prove to be inaccurate, circumstances change in a way that renders our assumptions and estimates inaccurate or we fail to successfully execute the work, cost overruns may occur, and we could experience reduced profits or a loss for affected projects. For instance, unanticipated technical problems may arise, we could have difficulty obtaining permits or approvals, local laws, labor costs or labor conditions could change, bad weather could delay construction, raw materials prices could increase, our suppliers or subcontractors may fail to perform as expected or site conditions may be different than we expected. Further, rising inflation may result in higher costs for labor and materials needed to complete our contracts, and we may be unable to pass these heightened costs to our customers. We are also exposed to increases in energy prices, particularly as they relate to gasoline prices. Additionally, in certain circumstances, we guarantee project completion or the achievement of certain acceptance and performance testing levels by a scheduled date. Failure to meet schedule or performance requirements typically results in additional costs to us, and in some cases, we may also create liability for consequential and liquidated damages. Performance problems for existing and future projects could cause our actual results of operations to differ materially from those we anticipate and could damage our reputation within our industry and our customer base.
Our backlog is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations, which means that amounts included in our backlog may not result in actual revenue or translate into profits.
Backlog reflects revenue still to be recognized under contracted or committed installation and replacement project work. Our backlog as of December 31, 2025 was $11.94 billion. The predictive value of backlog information is limited to indications of general revenue direction over the near term, and we cannot guarantee that the revenue projected from our backlog will be realized or, if realized, will be profitable. Projects may remain in our backlog for an extended period of time, or project cancellations or scope adjustments may occur with respect to contracts reflected in our backlog. Such changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The loss of one or a few customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
A limited number of customers have in the past and may in the future account for a significant portion of our revenue. For example, in 2025, one customer represented approximately 12.8% of our consolidated revenue. Although we have long - standing relationships with many of our significant customers and believe that our portfolio of customers is reasonably diverse, one or more of our significant customers may reduce, fail to renew, or terminate their contracts with us in the future. A loss of business from a significant customer, or a number of significant customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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Rising inflation, interest rate volatility and an economic recession or downturn may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
The global economy has recently experienced high rates of inflation, which increased our costs for labor, materials, utilities and other goods and services. In order to combat inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates multiple times in recent years and may do so again in 2026 (or may slow any rate reductions from what the market currently anticipates). Economic factors, including inflation and interest rate volatility, may have a negative impact on our business. For instance, we have exposure to changes in interest rates under our revolving credit facility, and as interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on our variable rate indebtedness will increase even though the amount borrowed remains the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, may correspondingly decrease. The cost of our materials, labor, utilities and other goods and services may continue to rise as a result of inflation and interest rate hikes, and we may not be able to offset such higher costs through price increases. Further, there are concerns that the United States economy could experience a recession. As a result, these conditions have, and they or any similar future conditions may continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Intense competition in our industry could reduce our market share and our profit.
The markets we serve are highly fragmented and competitive. Our industry is characterized by many small companies whose activities are geographically concentrated. We compete on the basis of our technical expertise and experience, financial and operational resources, nationwide presence, industry reputation and dependability. While we believe our customers consider a number of these factors in awarding contracts, a large portion of our work is awarded through a bid process. Consequently, price is often the principal factor in determining which contractor is selected, especially on smaller, less complex projects. Smaller competitors are sometimes able to win bids for these projects based on price alone due to their lower cost and financial return requirements. We expect competition to continue in our industry, presenting us with significant challenges in our ability to maintain strong growth rates and acceptable profit margins. We also expect increased competition from in-house service providers because some of our customers have employees who perform service work similar to the services we provide. Vertical consolidation could also contribute to competition in our industry. Moreover, if we do not employ new technologies as quickly or efficiently as our competitors, or if our competitors develop or utilize more cost-effective or customer-preferred technologies (such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and other new and emerging technologies) that give them a competitive advantage in the proposal bidding and selection process, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to win and retain business from customers. If we are unable to meet these competitive challenges, we will lose market share to our competitors and experience an overall reduction in our profits. In addition, our profitability would be impaired if we have to reduce our prices to remain competitive.
Our recent and future acquisitions may not be successful.
We expect to continue to pursue selective acquisitions of businesses. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to identify acquisitions or that we will be able to consummate transactions on terms and conditions acceptable to us, or that acquired businesses will be profitable. Acquisitions may expose us to additional business risks different than those we have traditionally experienced. We also may encounter difficulties integrating acquired businesses and successfully managing the growth we expect to experience from these acquisitions.
We may choose to finance future acquisitions with debt, equity, cash or a combination of the three. Future acquisitions could dilute earnings or disrupt the payment of a stockholder dividend. To the extent we make acquisitions, a number of risks will result, including:
the assumption of material liabilities (including for environmental-related costs);
failure of due diligence to uncover situations that could result in legal exposure or to quantify the true liability exposure from known risks;
the diversion of management’s attention from the management of daily operations to the integration of operations;
difficulties in the assimilation and retention of employees, in the assimilation of different cultures and practices, in the assimilation of broad and geographically dispersed personnel and operations, and the retention of employees generally;
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the risk of additional financial and accounting challenges and complexities in areas such as tax planning, treasury management, financial reporting and internal controls; and
we may not be able to realize the cost savings, other financial benefits or synergies we anticipated prior to the acquisition.
The failure to successfully integrate acquisitions could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Third parties contribute significantly to our completion of many projects and labor shortages or increased labor costs from third parties could adversely impact our results of operations.
We hire third-party subcontractors to perform work and depend on third-party suppliers to provide equipment and materials necessary to complete our projects. If we are unable to retain qualified subcontractors or suppliers, or if our subcontractors or suppliers do not perform as anticipated for any reason, our execution, reputation and profitability could be harmed.
Recent labor shortages may also lead to higher wages for employees and higher costs to purchase the services of third parties. Increases in labor costs, such as increases in minimum wage requirements, wage inflation and/or increased overtime, reduce our profitability and that of our customers. Increases in such labor costs for a prolonged period of time could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Earnings for future periods may be impacted by impairment charges for goodwill and intangible assets.
We carry a significant amount of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Goodwill is the excess of purchase price over the fair value of the net assets of acquired businesses. We assess goodwill for impairment each year, and more frequently if circumstances suggest an impairment may have occurred. We have determined in the past and may again determine in the future that a significant impairment has occurred in the value of our unamortized intangible assets, which could require us to write off a portion of our assets and could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our use of the cost-to-cost input method of accounting could result in a reduction or reversal of previously recorded revenue or profits.
A material portion of our revenue is recognized using the cost-to-cost input method of accounting, which results in our recognizing contract revenue and earnings ratably over the contract term in the proportion that our actual costs bear to our estimated contract costs. The earnings or losses recognized on individual contracts are based on estimates of contract revenue, costs and profitability. We review our estimates of contract revenue, costs and profitability on an ongoing basis. Prior to contract completion, we may adjust our estimates on one or more occasions as a result of change orders to the original contract, collection disputes with the customer on amounts invoiced or claims against the customer for increased costs incurred by us due to customer-induced delays and other factors. Contract losses are recognized in the fiscal period when the loss is determined. Contract profit estimates are also adjusted in the fiscal period in which it is determined that an adjustment is required. As a result of the requirements of the cost-to-cost input method of accounting, the possibility exists, for example, that we could have estimated and reported a profit on a contract over several periods and later determined, usually near contract completion, that all or a portion of such previously estimated and reported profits were overstated. If this occurs, the full aggregate amount of the overstatement will be reported for the period in which such determination is made, thereby eliminating all or a portion of any profits from other contracts that would have otherwise been reported in such period or even resulting in a loss being reported for such period. On a historical basis, we believe that we have made reasonably reliable estimates of the progress towards completion on our long-term contracts. However, given the uncertainties associated with these types of contracts, it is possible for actual costs to vary from estimates previously made, which may result in reductions or reversals of previously recorded revenue and profits.
A significant portion of our business depends on our ability to provide surety bonds. Any difficulties in the financial and surety markets may adversely affect our bonding capacity and availability.
In the past we have been required to increase, and it is possible we will in the future be required to increase, the number and percentage of total contract dollars for which we utilize an underlying surety bond. Historically, surety
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market conditions have experienced times of volatility as a result of significant losses incurred by many surety companies and the results of macroeconomic trends outside of our control, such as volatility in the capital markets and the possibility of an extended economic downturn or recession. Consequently, during times when less overall bonding capacity is available in the market, surety terms have become more expensive and more restrictive. If we are unable to maintain a sufficient level of bonding capacity in the future, it could preclude our ability to bid for certain contracts or successfully contract with some customers. Additionally, even if we continue to be able to access bonding capacity to sufficiently bond future work, we may be required to post collateral to secure bonds, which would decrease the liquidity we would have available for other purposes. Our surety providers are under no commitment to guarantee our access to new bonds in the future; thus, our ability to access or increase bonding capacity is at the sole discretion of our surety providers. If our surety companies were to limit or eliminate our access to bonds, our alternatives would include seeking bonding capacity from other surety companies, increasing business with clients that do not require bonds and posting other forms of collateral for project performance, such as letters of credit or cash. We may be unable to secure these alternatives in a timely manner, on acceptable terms, or at all. As such, if we were to experience an interruption or reduction in the availability of bonding capacity, it is likely we would be unable to compete for or work on certain projects.
If we experience delays and/or defaults in customer payments, we could be unable to recover all expenditures.
Because of the nature of our contracts, at times we commit resources to projects prior to receiving payments from the customer in amounts sufficient to cover expenditures on projects as they are incurred. Delays in customer payments may require us to make a working capital investment. If a customer defaults in making their payments on a project to which we have devoted resources, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our business may be affected by the work environment.
We may need to perform our work under a variety of conditions, including but not limited to, difficult terrain, difficult site conditions and busy urban centers where delivery of materials and availability of labor may be impacted, clean-room environments where strict procedures must be followed and sites that may have been exposed to harsh and hazardous conditions and outbreaks of infectious disease. Extreme weather conditions (such as storms, droughts, extreme heat or cold, wildfires and floods) may limit the availability of resources, increase our costs, or may cause projects to be delayed or cancelled. To the extent climate change results in an increase in extreme weather events and adverse weather conditions, the likelihood of a negative impact on our results of operations may increase. If we are unable to manage the conditions required for certain of our jobs, including the availability of sufficient labor, adherence to environmental, health and safety or other standards, and adequately addressing harsh or hazardous conditions, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
We are susceptible to adverse weather conditions, which may harm our business and financial results.
Our business can be highly cyclical and subject to seasonal and other variations that can result in significant differences in operating results from quarter to quarter. Moreover, our business may be adversely affected by severe weather in areas where we have significant operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Repercussions of severe weather conditions may include:
curtailment of services;
suspension of operations;
inability to meet performance schedules in accordance with contracts and potential liability for liquidated damages;
injuries or fatalities;
weather-related damage to our facilities;
disruption of information systems;
inability to receive machinery, equipment and materials at jobsites; and
loss of productivity.
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Future climate change could adversely affect us.
Climate change may create physical and financial risk to our business. Physical risks from climate change could, among other things, include an increase in extreme weather events (such as wildfires, floods and hurricanes), rising sea levels and limitations on water availability and quality. Such extreme weather conditions may limit the availability of resources, increasing the costs of our projects, or may cause projects to be delayed or cancelled.
Evolving legislation, foreign and domestic policy, regulation or other restrictions related to climate change could negatively impact our operations or our customers’ operations. Diverging concerns about climate change and other environmental issues may result in varying environmental regulations and restrictions on our operations. Operating in a number of jurisdictions could make our compliance with laws relating to climate change rules more complex and expensive and potentially expose us to greater levels of legal risks associated with our compliance. Compliance with more stringent laws or regulations, as well as more vigorous enforcement policies of the federal, state, or local regulatory agencies, could increase the costs of projects for our customers or, in some cases, prevent a project from going forward, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our failure to comply with any applicable laws could lead to penalties and adversely impact our reputation, customer attraction and retention, access to capital and employee retention.
Continuing worldwide political and economic uncertainties may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
The last several years have been marked by worldwide political and economic uncertainty resulting from a number of factors, including decreased consumer confidence, the effects of international conflicts such as the wars between Russia and Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East, supply chain disruptions, tariffs, rising energy costs and inflation. This uncertainty has made (and may continue to make) it extremely difficult for our customers, vendors and us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities, and could lead to constrained spending on our services, delays and a lengthening of our business development efforts, the demand for more favorable pricing or other terms, and/or difficulty in collection of our accounts receivable. Our government clients may face budget deficits that prohibit them from funding proposed and existing projects. Further, ongoing political and economic instability has caused (and could continue to cause) supply chain disruptions and volatility in the capital markets, which may increase our costs of capital and limit our ability to access the capital markets at a time when we would like, or need, to raise capital. These conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, results of operation and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Operations
If we are unable to attract and retain qualified managers and employees, we will be unable to operate efficiently, which could reduce our profitability.
Our business is labor intensive, and many of our operations experience a high rate of employee turnover. At times of low unemployment rates in the United States, it is typically more difficult for us to find qualified personnel at low cost in some geographic areas where we operate. Additionally, our business is managed by a small number of key executive and operational officers. We may be unable to hire and retain the sufficient skilled labor force necessary to operate efficiently and to support our growth strategy. Our labor expenses may increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of skilled personnel. Labor shortages, including the recent U.S. labor shortage, increased labor costs or the loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Further, our relationships with some customers could suffer if we are unable to retain the employees with whom those customers primarily work and have established relationships.
Future growth could also impose significant additional responsibilities on members of our senior management, including the need to recruit and integrate new senior level managers and executives. To the extent that we are unable to manage our growth effectively, or are unable to attract and retain additional qualified management, we may not be able to expand our operations or successfully execute our business plan.
We are a decentralized company and place significant decision-making powers with our subsidiaries’ management, which presents certain risks.
We believe that our practice of placing significant decision-making power with local management is important to our successful growth and allows us to be responsive to opportunities and to our customers’ needs. However, this
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practice presents certain risks, including the risk that we may be slower or less effective in our attempts to identify or react to problems affecting an important business than we would under a more centralized structure or that we would be slower to identify a misalignment between the overall business strategy of the Company and any of our subsidiaries. Further, if a subsidiary fails to follow the Company’s compliance policies, we could be made party to a contract, arrangement or situation that requires the assumption of large liabilities or has less advantageous terms than is typically found in the market.
If we do not effectively manage our backlog and the size and cost of our operations, our existing infrastructure may become either strained or over-burdensome, and we may be unable to increase or sustain revenue growth.
The growth that we have experienced in the past, that we are currently experiencing, and that we may experience in the future, may provide challenges to our organization, requiring us to expand our personnel and our operations. Growth may strain our infrastructure, operations and other managerial and operating resources. We have also experienced in the past severe constriction in the markets in which we operate and, as a result, in our operating requirements. Failing to maintain the appropriate cost structure during a particular economic cycle may result in our incurring costs that affect our profitability or failing to be prepared for unprecedented growth. If our business resources become strained or over-burdensome, our earnings may be adversely affected, and we may be unable to increase revenue growth. Further, we may undertake contractual commitments that exceed our labor, managerial or other resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and cause material reputational or other harm.
Information technology system failures, network disruptions or cybersecurity breaches could adversely affect our business.
We use and rely significantly on sophisticated information technology systems and infrastructure, including computer systems, hardware, software, technology and online sites and networks (collectively, “IT Systems”), in conducting our day-to-day operations, providing services to certain customers and protecting sensitive Company information. We own and manage some of these IT Systems but also rely on third-party software and information technology, including but not limited to cloud computing services, for certain of our critical accounting, project management and financial information systems. We and certain of our third-party providers collect and retain information about our customers, stockholders, vendors and employees, including information about individuals, as well as proprietary information belonging to our business (collectively, “Confidential Information”).
We face numerous and evolving cybersecurity risks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our IT Systems and Confidential Information, including from diverse threat actors, such as state-sponsored organizations, opportunistic hackers and hacktivists, as well as through diverse attack vectors, such as social engineering/phishing, malware (including ransomware), malfeasance by insiders, human or technological error (including the misuse of artificial intelligence tools by our employees), and as a result of malicious code embedded in open-source software, or misconfigurations, bugs or other vulnerabilities in commercial software that is integrated into our (or our suppliers’ or service providers’) IT Systems, products or services. Because we make extensive use of third-party suppliers and service providers, such as cloud services that support our internal and customer-facing operations, successful cyberattacks that disrupt or result in unauthorized access to third party IT Systems can materially impact our operations and financial results. Remote and hybrid working arrangements at the Company (and at many third-party providers) also increase cybersecurity risks due to the challenges associated with managing remote computing assets and security vulnerabilities that are present in many non-corporate and home networks. Additionally, any integration of artificial intelligence in our or any service providers’ operations, products or services is expected to pose new or unknown cybersecurity risks and challenges. Any circumvention or failure of our cybersecurity defenses or measures could compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our customers’ own IT Systems and/or Confidential Information as well.
Moreover, cyberattacks are expected to accelerate on a global basis in frequency and magnitude as threat actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated in using techniques and tools—including artificial intelligence to engage in automated, targeted, and coordinated attacks—that circumvent security controls, evade detection and remove forensic evidence. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. As a result, we may be required to expend significant resources to protect
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against the threat of system disruptions and security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these disruptions and breaches.
IT Systems failures could disrupt our operations by causing transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, the loss of customers, other business disruptions or the loss of Confidential Information. We have in the past experienced system interruptions and delays and expect that such interruptions and delays may occur in the future, given the increasing diversity and sophistication of cybersecurity threats. In addition, our IT Systems could be damaged or interrupted by natural disasters, power loss, or telecommunications failures. These events could impact our customers, employees and reputation and lead to financial losses from remediation actions, loss of business or access to our business data, potential liability or an increase in expenses, all of which may have a material adverse effect on our business. Similar risks could affect our customers and vendors, indirectly affecting us.
We also periodically evaluate the need to upgrade or replace our IT Systems to protect our information technology environment, to stay current on vendor supported products and to improve the efficiency and scope of our IT Systems and information technology capabilities. The implementation of new IT Systems and information technology could adversely impact our operations by requiring substantial capital expenditures, diverting management’s attention, or causing delays or difficulties in transitioning to new IT Systems. In addition, our IT Systems implementations may not result in productivity improvements at the levels anticipated. IT Systems implementation disruption and any other information technology disruption, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have an adverse effect on our business. Any failure by us or our third party vendors to maintain the security, proper function and availability of our IT Systems or Confidential Information could result in financial losses, interrupt our operations, damage to our reputation, cause us to be in default of material contracts and subject us to liability claims or proceedings (such as class actions), regulatory investigations or enforcement actions, fines and penalties, and/or significant incident response, system restoration or remediation and future compliance costs, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the value of our securities.
In addition, current and future laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized disclosure of personal information may pose complex compliance challenges and result in additional costs. A failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in penalties or fines, legal liabilities or reputational harm. The continuing and evolving threat of cyber-attacks has also resulted in increased regulatory focus on risk management and prevention.
Our insurance policies against many potential liabilities require high deductibles, and our risk management policies and procedures may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks. Additionally, difficulties in the insurance markets may adversely affect our ability to obtain necessary insurance.
We insure various general liability, workers’ compensation, property and auto risks as well as other risks through a variety of direct insurance policies and a captive insurance company that are reinsured for risks above certain deductibles and retentions. All of our insurance policies and programs are subject to high deductibles and retentions; as such, we are, in effect, self-insured for substantially all of our customary claims. We hire an actuary to determine any liabilities for unpaid claims and associated expenses for the three major lines of coverage (workers’ compensation, general liability and auto liability). The determination of these claims and expenses and the appropriateness of the estimated liability are reviewed and updated quarterly. However, insurance liabilities are difficult to assess and estimate due to the many relevant factors, the effects of which are often unknown, including the severity of an injury, the determination of our liability in proportion to other parties, the number of incidents that have occurred but are not reported and the effectiveness of our safety program. Our accruals are based on known facts, historical trends (both internal trends and industry averages) and our reasonable estimate of our future expenses. We believe our accruals are adequate. However, our risk management strategies and techniques may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk. If any of the variety of instruments, processes or strategies we use to manage our exposure to various types of risk are not effective, we may incur losses that are not covered by our insurance policies or that exceed our accruals or coverage limits.
Additionally, we typically are contractually required to provide proof of insurance for projects on which we work. Historically, insurance market conditions become more difficult for insurance consumers during periods when insurance companies suffer significant investment losses as well as casualty losses. Consequently, it is possible that insurance markets will become more expensive and restrictive. Also, our prior casualty loss history might adversely affect our ability to procure insurance within commercially reasonable ranges. As such, we may not be able to maintain commercially reasonable levels of insurance coverage in the future, which could preclude our ability to work on many
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projects and increase our overall risk exposure. Our insurance providers are under no commitment to renew our existing insurance policies in the future; therefore, our ability to obtain necessary levels or kinds of insurance coverage is subject to market forces outside our control. If we were unable to obtain necessary levels of insurance, it is likely we would be unable to compete for or work on most projects.
Failure to remain in compliance with covenants under our credit agreement, service our indebtedness, or fund our other liquidity needs could adversely impact our business.
Our credit agreement and related restrictive and financial covenants are more fully described in Note 9 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.” Our failure to comply with any of these covenants under the credit agreement, or to pay principal, interest or other amounts when due thereunder, would constitute an event of default under the credit agreement. Default under our credit agreement could result in (i) us no longer being entitled to borrow under the agreement; (ii) termination of the agreement; (iii) acceleration of the maturity of outstanding indebtedness under the agreement; and/or (iv) foreclosure on any collateral securing the obligations under the agreement. If we are unable to service our debt obligations or fund our other liquidity needs, we could be forced to curtail our operations, reorganize our capital structure (including through bankruptcy proceedings) or liquidate some or all of our assets in a manner that could cause holders of our securities to experience a partial or total loss of their investment in us.
Our inability to properly utilize our workforce could have a negative impact on our profitability.
The extent to which we utilize our workforce affects our profitability. Underutilizing our workforce could result in lower gross margins and, consequently, a decrease in short-term profitability. On the other hand, overutilization of our workforce could negatively impact safety, employee satisfaction and project execution, leading to a potential decline in future project awards. The utilization of our workforce is impacted by numerous factors, including:
our estimate of headcount requirements and our ability to manage attrition;
efficiency in scheduling projects and our ability to minimize downtime between project assignments; and
productivity.
Regulatory and Legal Risks
Actual and potential claims, lawsuits and proceedings could ultimately reduce our profitability and liquidity and weaken our financial condition.
We have in the past, and will likely continue to be in the future, named as a defendant in legal proceedings claiming damages from us in connection with the operation of our business. We also may be required to indemnify third parties for litigation brought against such third parties, even if we are not a defendant. These actions and proceedings may involve claims for, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, workers’ compensation, employment discrimination, breach of contract or property damage. In addition, we may be subject to class action lawsuits involving allegations of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such actions or proceedings. We also are, and are likely to continue to be, from time to time, a plaintiff in legal proceedings against customers, in which we seek to recover payment of contractual amounts we are owed as well as claims for increased costs we incur. When appropriate, we establish provisions against possible exposures, and we adjust these provisions from time to time according to ongoing exposure. If our assumptions and estimates related to these exposures prove to be inadequate or inaccurate, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In addition, claims, lawsuits and proceedings may harm our reputation or divert management resources away from operating our business.
We typically warrant the services we provide, guaranteeing the work performed against defects in workmanship and the material we supply. Historically, warranty claims have not been material as our customers evaluate much of the work we perform for defects shortly after work is completed. However, if warranty claims occur, we could be required to repair or replace warrantied items at our cost. In addition, in some circumstances, our customers may elect to repair or replace the warrantied item by using the services of another provider and require us to pay for the cost of the repair or replacement. Costs incurred as a result of warranty claims could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
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Misconduct by our employees, subcontractors or partners or our failure to comply with laws or regulations could harm our reputation, damage our relationships with customers, reduce our revenue and profits, and subject us to criminal and civil enforcement actions.
Misconduct, fraud, non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or other improper activities by one or more of our employees, directors, executive officers, subcontractors or partners could have a significant negative impact on our business and reputation. Examples of such misconduct include employee or subcontractor theft, personal misconduct and failure to comply with health and safety standards, laws and regulations (including environmental laws), customer requirements, and any other applicable laws or regulations. While we take precautions to prevent and detect these activities, such precautions may not be effective and are subject to inherent limitations, including human error and fraud. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations or acts of misconduct could subject us to fines and penalties, harm our reputation, lead to loss of the services of employees or members of management, damage our relationships with customers, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, and subject us to criminal and civil enforcement actions.
We have subsidiary operations throughout the United States and are exposed to multiple state and local regulations, as well as federal laws and requirements applicable to government contractors. Changes in law, regulations or requirements, or a material failure of any of our subsidiaries or us to comply with any of them, could increase our costs and have other negative impacts on our business.
Our 190 locations are located in 27 states, which exposes us to a variety of different state and local laws and regulations, particularly those pertaining to contractor licensing requirements. These laws and regulations govern many aspects of our business, and there are often different standards and requirements in different locations. In addition, our subsidiaries that perform work for federal government entities are subject to additional federal laws and regulatory and contractual requirements. Changes in any of these laws, or any of our subsidiaries’ material failure to comply with them, can adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows by, among other things, increasing costs, distracting management’s time and attention from other items, and harming our reputation.
As government contractors, our subsidiaries are subject to a number of rules and regulations, and their contracts with government entities are subject to audit. Violations of the applicable rules and regulations could result in a subsidiary being barred from future government contracts.
Government contractors must comply with many regulations and other requirements that relate to the award, administration and performance of government contracts. A violation of these laws and regulations could result in imposition of fines and penalties, the termination of a government contract or debarment from bidding on government contracts in the future. Further, despite our decentralized nature, a violation at one of our locations could impact other locations’ ability to bid on and perform government contracts. Additionally, because of our decentralized nature, we face risks in maintaining compliance with all local, state and federal government contracting requirements. Because 5.0% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 was attributable to projects in the government sector, prohibitions against bidding on future government contracts could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Past, current and future environmental, social, governance, sustainability, safety and health regulations could impose significant additional costs on us that could reduce our profits.
HVAC systems are subject to various environmental statutes and regulations, including the federal Clean Air Act and those regulating the production, servicing and disposal of certain ozone-depleting refrigerants used in HVAC systems. There can be no assurance that the regulatory environment in which we operate will not change significantly in the future. Various local, state and federal laws and regulations impose licensing standards on technicians who install and service HVAC systems. Additional laws, regulations and standards apply to contractors who perform work that is being funded by public money, particularly federal public funding. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to substantial fines, the loss of our licenses or potentially debarment from future publicly funded work. It is impossible to predict the full nature and effect of judicial, legislative or regulatory developments relating to health and safety regulations and environmental protection regulations applicable to our operations. Additionally, industries in which our customers or potential customers operate may be affected by new or changing environmental, safety, health or other regulatory requirements, leading to decreased demand for our services and potentially impacting our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to grow.
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Additionally, actual or perceived environmental, social and corporate governance (“ESG”) and other sustainability matters and our response to these matters could harm our business. Diverging and varied governmental and societal attention to ESG and sustainability matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence and disclosure on topics such as climate change, human capital, labor and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess, and report. If we are unable to adequately address such ESG and sustainability matters or fail to comply with all laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business results.
Unsatisfactory safety performance may subject us to penalties, affect customer relationships, result in higher operating costs, negatively impact employee morale and result in higher employee turnover.
Our projects are conducted at a variety of sites including construction sites and industrial facilities. Each location is subject to numerous safety risks, including fall risks, electrocutions, fires, explosions, mechanical failures, weather-related incidents, transportation accidents, damage to equipment and, with respect to indoor sites, an increased risk of infectious disease. These hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment and other consequential damages and could lead to suspension of operations, large damage claims and, in extreme cases, criminal liability. While we have taken what we believe are appropriate precautions to minimize safety risks and continuously focus on adopting improved safety practices, we have experienced serious accidents, including fatalities, in the past and may experience additional accidents in the future. Serious accidents may subject us to penalties, civil litigation or criminal prosecution. Claims for damages to property or persons, including claims for bodily injury or loss of life, could result in significant costs and liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Poor safety performance could also jeopardize our relationships with our customers, negatively impact employee morale and harm our reputation.
Changes in U.S. foreign relations, in particular foreign trade policies could lead to the imposition of additional trade barriers and tariffs.
We cannot predict the full extent of new, extended, or changed trade policies, including tariffs, that may be made by the current or a future presidential administration or Congress, including whether existing tariff policies will be maintained or modified or if changes in the U.S. trade policy could result in reactions from U.S. trading partners, such as adopting responsive trade policies making it more difficult or costly for us to purchase materials or supplies. These changes in U.S. trade policy or in laws and policies governing foreign trade or foreign relations generally, and any resulting negative sentiments towards the United States as a result of such changes, could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Tax matters, including changes in corporate tax laws and disagreements with taxing authorities, could impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We conduct business throughout the United States and file income taxes in federal and virtually all state jurisdictions. In the ordinary course of our business, there are transactions and calculations in which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our accounting for income taxes requires significant judgments and may be impacted by changes to our assessment of our projected tax liability, including our ability to realize deductions or credits in various tax jurisdictions. Moreover, we may be affected by our ability to utilize, or in the valuation of, our deferred tax assets that are based on estimates of our future results, the prudence and feasibility of possible tax planning strategies, and the economic and political environments in which we do business. Changes in tax laws, tax rates and regulations, and/or changes in interpretations of tax laws, regulations or other tax guidance, could also materially impact our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and liabilities for uncertain tax positions.
Our results of operations are reported based on our determination of the amount of taxes we owe in various tax jurisdictions, and our provision for income taxes and tax liabilities are subject to review or examination by taxing authorities in applicable tax jurisdictions. The outcome of such a review or examination including any related tax liabilities, interest or penalties, could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Further, the results of tax examinations and audits could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operation, and cash flows where the results differ from the liabilities recorded in our financial statements.
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Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our common stock, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations are likely to continue in the future, and our stockholders may suffer losses.
The market price of our common stock may change significantly in response to various factors and events beyond our control. A variety of events may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly, including the following: (i) the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K; (ii) a shortfall in operating revenue or net income from that expected by securities analysts and investors; (iii) quarterly fluctuations in our operating results; (iv) changes in securities analysts’ estimates of our financial performance or that of our competitors or companies in our industry generally; (v) general conditions in our customers’ industries; (vi) general conditions in the securities markets; (vii) our announcements of significant contracts, milestones and acquisitions; (viii) our relationship with other companies; (ix) our investors’ view of the sectors and markets in which we operate; and (x) additions or departures of key personnel. Some companies that have volatile market prices for their securities have been subject to security class action suits filed against them. If a suit were to be filed against us, regardless of the outcome, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Future sales of our common stock may depress our stock price.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market or otherwise, either by us, a member of management or a major stockholder, or the perception that these sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.
Our charter contains certain anti-takeover provisions that may inhibit or delay a change in control.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board to issue, without stockholder approval, one or more series of preferred stock having such preferences, powers and relative, participating, optional and other rights (including preferences over the common stock respecting dividends and distributions and voting rights) as the Board may determine. The issuance of this “blank-check” preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control by means of a tender offer, merger, proxy contest or otherwise. Additionally, certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law or even certain provisions of our credit agreement may also discourage takeover attempts that have not been approved by the Board.
General Risk Factors
Force majeure events, including natural disasters, outbreaks of infectious disease, and terrorists’ actions, could negatively impact our business, which may affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Force majeure or extraordinary events beyond the control of the contracting parties, such as natural and man-made disasters, as well as outbreaks of infectious disease ( e.g. , COVID-19) and terrorist actions, could negatively impact us. We typically negotiate contract language through which we are granted certain relief from force majeure events in private client contracts and review and attempt to mitigate force majeure events in both public and private client contracts. We remain obligated to perform our services after most extraordinary events subject to relief that may be available to us pursuant to a force majeure clause. If we are not able to react quickly to force majeure events, our operations may be affected significantly, which would have a negative impact on our business, financial position, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity and could also negatively affect our reputation in the marketplace.
Deliberate, malicious acts, including terrorism and sabotage, could damage our facilities, disrupt our operations or injure employees, contractors, customers or the public and result in liability to us.
Intentional acts of destruction could damage or destroy our facilities, reducing our operational production capacity and potentially requiring us to repair or replace our facilities at substantial cost. Additionally, employees, contractors and the public could suffer substantial physical injury from acts of terrorism for which we could be liable. Governmental authorities may also impose security or other requirements that could make our operations more difficult
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or costly. The consequences of any such actions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We are required to assess and report on our internal control over financial reporting each year. Findings of inadequate internal control could reduce investor confidence in the reliability of our financial information .
As directed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the SEC adopted rules generally requiring public companies, including us, to include in their annual reports on Form 10-K a report of management that contains an assessment by management of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, the independent registered public accounting firm auditing our financial statements must report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by such company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and records of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
We may discover in the future that we have deficiencies in the design and operation of our internal control. In addition, we may acquire companies whose internal control has design or operational deficiencies, which could impair our ability to integrate those companies into our internal control environment. If any of the deficiencies in our internal control, either by itself or in combination with other deficiencies, becomes a “material weakness” such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, we may be unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting. In such event, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which may significantly harm our business and cause our stock price to decline. In addition, the failure to maintain effective internal control could also result in unauthorized transactions.
Failure or circumvention of our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting could seriously harm our business, financial condition, results of operation, and cash flows.
We plan to continue to maintain and strengthen internal controls and procedures to enhance the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting. Any system of controls, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure of our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Changes in accounting rules and regulations could adversely affect our business, reported financial results and/or our results of operations, cash flows, and liquidity .
Accounting rules and regulations are subject to review and interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”), the SEC and various other governing bodies. A change in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles could have a significant effect on our reported financial results. Additionally, the adoption of new or revised accounting principles could require that we make significant changes to our systems, processes and controls. We cannot predict the effect of future changes to accounting principles, which could have an adverse effect on our business, reported financial results, results of operations, and cash flows and liquidity.
