EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 924719
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 924719_10-K_2025_0001654954-25-006144.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1 Business
General
Smith-Midland Corporation (the "Company") invents, develops, manufactures, markets, leases, licenses, sells, and installs a broad array of precast concrete products and systems for use primarily in the construction, highway, utilities and farming industries through its six wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company's precast, licensing, and barrier rental customers are primarily general contractors and federal, state, and local transportation authorities located in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the United States. The Company's operating strategy has involved producing and marketing innovative and proprietary products, including SlenderWall®, a patented, lightweight, energy efficient concrete and steel exterior wall panel for use in building construction; J-J Hooks® Highway Safety Barrier, a patented, positive-connected highway safety barrier; SoftSound™, a proprietary sound absorptive finish used on the face of sound barriers to absorb traffic noise; Sierra Wall™, a patented sound barrier primarily for roadside use; and Easi-Set® and Easi-Span® patented transportable concrete buildings. In addition, the Company's precast subsidiaries produce farm products such as cattleguards and water and feed troughs, custom order precast concrete products with various architectural surfaces, and generic highway sound barriers, retaining walls and utility vaults.
The Company was incorporated in Delaware on August 2, 1994. Prior to a corporate reorganization completed in October 1994, the Company conducted its business primarily through Smith-Midland Virginia, which was incorporated in 1960 as Smith Cattleguard Company, a Virginia corporation, and which subsequently changed its name to Smith-Midland Corporation in 1985. The Company’s principal offices are located at 5119 Catlett Road, Midland, Virginia 22728 and its telephone number is 540-439-3266. As used in this report, unless the context otherwise requires, the term the “Company” refers to Smith-Midland Corporation and its subsidiaries. The Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries consist of Smith-Midland Corporation, a Virginia corporation; Smith-Carolina Corporation, a North Carolina corporation; Smith-Columbia Corporation, a South Carolina corporation; Easi-Set Industries, Inc., a Virginia corporation doing business as Easi-Set Worldwide; Concrete Safety Systems, Inc., a Virginia corporation; and Midland Advertising and Design, Inc., a Virginia corporation doing business as Midland Advertising + Design.
Market
The Company's precast concrete products market and barrier rental market primarily consists of general contractors performing public and private construction contracts, including the construction of commercial buildings, public and private roads and highways, and airports, municipal utilities, and federal, state, and local transportation authorities, primarily located in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Midwestern and Southeastern states. Due to the lightweight characteristics of the SlenderWall® exterior cladding system, the Company has expanded its competitive services outside of the Mid-Atlantic states. The Company's licensing subsidiary licenses its proprietary products to precast concrete manufacturers nationwide and internationally in Canada, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, and Trinidad.
The precast concrete products market is affected by the cyclical nature of the construction industry. In addition, the demand for construction varies depending upon weather conditions, the availability of financing at reasonable interest rates, overall fluctuations in the national and regional economies, past overbuilding, labor relations in the construction industry, and the availability of material and energy supplies. A substantial portion of the Company's business is derived from local, state, and federal building projects, which are further dependent upon budgets and, in some cases, voter-approved bonds. It is not certain at this time how the policies of the New Administration and DOGE, such as tariffs and cost cutting, will affect our business.
Products
The Company's precast concrete products are cast in manufacturing facilities and delivered to a site for installation, in contrast to ready-mix concrete, which is produced offsite in a “batch plant,” and delivered with a concrete mixer truck where it is mixed and delivered to a construction site to be poured and set at the site. Precast concrete products are used primarily as parts of buildings or highway structures, and may be used architecturally as a decorative wall of a building. Structural uses include building walls, frames, floors, or roofs. The Company currently manufactures and sells a wide variety of products for use in the construction, transportation, and utility industries.
SlenderWall® Lightweight Construction Panels
The SlenderWall® system is a patented prefabricated, energy-efficient, lightweight exterior cladding system that is offered as a cost-effective alternative to the traditional cladding used for the exterior walls of buildings. The Company's SlenderWall® system combines the essential components of a wall system into a single panel ready for interior drywall mounting upon installation. The base components of each SlenderWall® panel consists of a galvanized stud frame with an exterior surface of approximately two-inch thick, steel reinforced, high-density, precast concrete (with integral water repellent), a thermal break, and various architectural surfaces. The exterior architectural concrete facing is attached to the interior steel frame by use of coated stainless steel fasteners that position the exterior concrete away from the steel frame to provide improved thermal performance.
SlenderWall® panels are approximately one-third the weight of traditional precast concrete walls of equivalent size, and are also significantly improved as to permanence and durability. The lighter weight translates into reduced construction costs resulting from less onerous structural and foundation requirements as well as lower shipping costs. Additional savings result from reduced installation time, ease of erection, and the use of smaller cranes for installation. Closed-cell foam insulation and windows can be plant-installed, further reducing cost and construction schedules.
The Company custom designs, manufactures, installs, and licenses the SlenderWall® exterior cladding system. The exterior of the SlenderWall® system can be produced in a variety of architectural finishes, such as concrete, exposed stone, granite, metal, or thin brick and can be integrated with other cladding materials.
Sierra Wall™
The Sierra Wall™ ("Sierra Wall") combines the strength and durability of precast concrete with a variety of finishes to provide an effective and attractive sound and sight barrier for use alongside highways around residential, industrial, and commercial properties. With additional reinforcement, Sierra Wall can also be used as a retaining wall to retain earth in both highway and residential construction. Sierra Wall is typically constructed of four-inch thick, steel-reinforced concrete panels with an integral column creating a tongue and groove connection system. This tongue and groove connection system and its foundation connection make Sierra Wall easy to install and move if boundaries change or highways are relocated after the completion of a project. The patented Sierra Wall II one-piece extended post and panel design reduces installation time and cost.
The Company custom designs and manufactures Sierra Wall components to conform to the specifications provided by the contractor. The width, height, strength, and exterior finish of each wall varies depending upon the terrain and application. The Company also produces generic post and panel design sound barrier wall systems. These systems are constructed of steel or precast concrete columns (the Company manufactures the precast or prestressed columns) with precast concrete panels which slide down into the groove in each column.
Sierra Wall is used primarily for highway projects as a noise barrier as well as for residential purposes, such as privacy walls between homes, security walls or windbreaks, and for industrial or commercial purposes, such as to screen and protect shopping centers, industrial operations, institutions or highways. The variety of available finishes enables the Company to blend the Sierra Wall with local architecture, creating an attractive, as well as functional, barrier.
J-J Hooks® Highway Safety Barrier
The J-J Hooks® highway safety barriers (the "J-J Hooks Barriers") are crash-tested (privately funded), positively connected, safety barriers that the Company sells, rents, delivers, installs, and licenses for use on roadways to separate lanes of traffic (in free-standing, bolted, or pinned installations) in construction work zones or for traffic control. Barriers are deemed to be positively connected when the connectors on each end of the barrier sections are interlocked with one another. J-J Hooks Barriers interlock without the need for a separate locking device. The primary advantage of a positive connection is that a barrier with such a connection can withstand vehicle crashes at higher speeds without separating. The Federal Highway Administration ("FHWA") requires that states use only positively connected barriers, which meet NCHRP-350 or MASH crash test requirements. J-J Hooks Barriers that meet NCHRP-350 and MASH requirements are deemed eligible by the FHWA for federal-aid reimbursement. The Company has been issued patents with respect to J-J Hooks in the United States, Canada, and other countries.
The Company has received “design protection” in the U.S for the “end taper” on each end of the barrier sections. The United States has issued a "trade dress" registration for the "end taper" design feature. Accordingly, in the United States, these features cannot be legally copied by others.
The proprietary feature of J-J Hooks Barrier is the design of its positive connection. Protruding from each end of a J-J Hooks Barrier section is a fabricated bent steel connector; rolled in toward the end of the barrier, resembling the letter "J" when viewed from directly above. The connector protruding from each end of the barrier is rolled identically so that when one end of a barrier faces the end of another, the resulting "J-Hook" face each other. To connect one section of a J-J Hooks Barrier to another, a contractor simply positions the J-Hook of an elevated section of the barrier above the J-Hook of a set section and lowers the elevated section into place. The positive connection is automatically engaged using the cast-in alignment slot.
The Company believes that the J-J Hooks Barrier load transfer connection design is superior to other highway safety barriers that were positively connected through the "pin and loop" technique. Barriers incorporating this technique have loops protruding from each end of the barrier, which must be aligned during the setting process. Once set, a crew inserts pins or long bolts through the eyes which connects and bolts the barrier sections together. Compared to this technique, the J-J Hooks Barriers are easier and faster to install and remove, require a smaller crew, and eliminates the need for loose hardware to make the connection.
In March 1999, the FHWA approved the free-standing J-J Hooks Barrier (tested in accordance with NCHRP-350 Test Level 3) following successful crash testing in accordance with National Cooperative Highway Research Program requirements. In December 2012 the FHWA approved the pinned and bolted J-J Hooks and in March 2018 approved the free-standing J-J Hooks (both tested in accordance with MASH Test Level 3). In September 2018 the FHWA approved a 20-foot design originally tested to NCHRP-350 TL3 requirements and approved by the FHWA (tested in accordance with MASH Test Level 3) for use on federally aided highway projects following the successful completion of crash testing based on criteria from the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware. In June 2024 the FHWA approved the J-J Hook Low Profile Concrete Barrier (tested in accordance with MASH Test Level 2).
J-J Hooks NCHRP-350 free-standing barrier has been approved for use on state and federally funded projects by 42 states, plus Washington, D.C. The Company is in various stages of the application process in additional states and believes that approval in some of the states will be granted; however no assurance can be given that approval will be received from any or all of the remaining states or that such approval will result in the J-J Hooks Barrier being used in such states. In addition, J-J Hooks Barrier has been approved by the appropriate authorities for use in the countries of Canada (Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario), Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany and Chile.
J-J Hooks restrained (pinned or bolted) barrier successfully passed the MASH TL3 tests in August of 2012 and received FHWA Eligibility Letters in December 2012. Currently 42 states have approved the MASH restrained barrier and 42 states have approved the MASH free-standing design as an alternate to their state standard. New Zealand, Australia, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Nova Scotia, have approved the MASH tested barrier. The new J-J Hooks free-standing barrier successfully passed the two required MASH TL3 tests and in January 2018 and August 2018 received the FHWA federal-aid eligibility letters. The FHWA Eligibility letters B300 and B307 have been issued as of February 2018 and September 2018, respectively.
Easi-Set Precast Buildings and Easi-Span® Expandable Precast Buildings
Easi-Set Precast Buildings are transportable, prefabricated, all concrete buildings designed to be adaptable to a variety of uses ranging from housing communications operations, traffic control systems, mechanical and electrical stations, to inventory or supply storage, restroom facilities or kiosks. Easi-Set Precast Buildings and Restrooms are available in a variety of exterior finishes and in 38 standard sizes, or can be custom sized. The roof and floor of each Easi-Set Building is manufactured using the Company's second generation post-tensioned system, which helps seal the buildings against moisture. As freestanding units, the Easi-Set Buildings require no poured foundations or footings and can be easily installed within a few hours. After installation the buildings can be moved, if desired, and reinstalled in a new location. The Company has been issued patents in connection with this product in the United States and Canada.
The Company also offers Easi-Span® a line of expandable precast concrete buildings. Easi-Span® incorporates the technology of the Easi-Set Buildings, but are available in larger sizes and, through its modular construction, can be combined in varied configurations to permit expansion capabilities. Since these larger buildings have less competition from other materials and methods, they produce higher profit margins. Both the Easi-Span and Easi-Set Buildings offer lines of fully-outfitted restrooms with over a dozen standard models.
Easi-Set Utility Vault
The Company produces a line of precast concrete underground utility vaults ranging in size from 27 to 1,008 cubic feet. Each Easi-Set utility vault normally comes with a manhole opening on the top for ingress and egress and openings around the perimeter, in accordance with the customer's specifications, to access water and gas pipes, electrical power lines, telecommunications cables, or other such media of transfer. The utility vaults may be used to house equipment such as cable, telephone or traffic signal equipment, and for underground storage. The Company also manufactures custom-built utility vaults for special needs.
SoftSound™ Soundwall Panels
SoftSound™ soundwall panels utilize a “wood chip aggregate” material applied to the face of soundwall panels, which is used to absorb highway noise. SoftSound™ is a proprietary product developed and tested by the Company and is currently approved for use in Virginia, Maryland, seven additional states, and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, Canada. Approvals are still pending in a number of additional states. The Company introduced this product line into its licensing program and is in the process of seeking to obtain approvals in all 50 states and the Canadian Provinces.
Beach Prisms™ Erosion Control Modules
Beach Prisms™ is a shoreline erosion control product that uses the preferred natural "soft" approach as opposed to the "hard" approach of seawalls and jetties, to solve this worldwide problem. Beach Prisms™ work by reducing the amount of energy in incoming waves before the waves reach the shoreline. Waves pass through the specially designed slots in the triangular 3-4 foot tall by 10 foot long Beach Prisms™ modules. The success of a Beach Prisms™ installation is dependent on the prevailing wind in relation to the shoreline, the tides, the fetch and the availability of sand in the surf. Beach Prisms™ are primarily for river- and bay-front property owners who want an alternative to traditional armor stone, or groins and jetties. The Company received “design protection” in the United States for the Beach Prisms™ in 2010. State and local approvals are necessary for installation of the product, and the Company has experienced for several years challenges receiving approvals in their local markets.
H2Out™ Secondary Drainage System
H2Out™ is the first "in the caulk joint" secondary drainage and street level leak detection product for panelized exterior cladding. A second line of caulking and drainage strip located behind the exterior line of caulking exits all water leakage to the exterior of the building preventing moisture and mold, and hence deterring lawsuits from tenants and owners of buildings. H2Out™ has been added as a feature of the SlenderWall® system and is being included in the product literature, website, and all sales presentations.
Although the Company is optimistic about the success of Beach Prisms™ and H2Out™, there can be no assurance of the commercial acceptance of these products and, in the case of Beach Prisms™, there can be no assurance of regulatory approvals.
Sources of Supply
All of the raw materials necessary for the manufacture of the Company's products are available from multiple sources. To date, the Company has experienced minor delays in obtaining materials, but believes that it will be able to obtain required materials from a number of suppliers at commercially reasonable prices.
Licensing
The Company presently grants licenses through its wholly-owned subsidiary Easi-Set Industries for the manufacturing and sale rights for certain proprietary products, such as the J-J Hooks® Barrier, Easi-Set®/Easi-Span® Precast Buildings, SlenderWall®, SoftSound™ and Beach Prisms™. Generally, licenses are granted for a point of manufacture. The Company receives an initial one-time training and administration license fee varying on the product licensed. License royalties vary depending upon the product licensed, and typically range from 4% to 6% of the net sales of the licensed product. In addition, Easi-Set®/Easi-Span® Buildings and SlenderWall® licensees pay the Company a monthly fee for co-op advertising & promotional programs. The Company produces and distributes advertising & promotional materials and promotes the licensed products through its own advertising subsidiary, Midland Advertising + Design.
The Company maintains 61 licensing agreements in the United States, 8 in Canada, 2 in New Zealand, and 1 each in Australia, Belgium, Mexico, and Trinidad, for a total of 75 licenses worldwide.
The Company is continually discussing new license arrangements with potential precast companies and, although no assurance can be given, expects to increase its licensing activities.
Marketing and Sales
The Company uses an in-house sales force and, to a lesser extent, independent sales representatives to market its precast concrete products through trade show attendance, sales presentations, virtual meetings, advertisements in trade publications, and direct mail to end users.
The Company has also established a cooperative advertising program in which the Company and its Easi-Set®/Easi-Span® Buildings and SlenderWall® licensees combine resources to promote certain precast concrete products. Licensees pay a monthly fee and the Company pays any additional amounts required to advertise the products across the country. Although the Company advertises nationally, the Company's precast subsidiaries marketing efforts are concentrated within a 450-mile radius from its facilities, which includes the majority of the eastern United States.
The Company's precast product sales and barrier rental sales result primarily from the submission of estimates or proposals to general contractors who then include the estimates in their overall bids to various government agencies and other end users that solicit construction contracts through a competitive bidding process. In general, these contractors solicit and obtain their construction contracts by submitting the most attractive bid to the party desiring the construction. The Company's role in the bidding process is to provide estimates to the contractors desiring to include the Company's products or services in the contractor's bid. If a contractor who accepts the Company's bid is selected to perform the construction, the Company provides the agreed upon products or services. In many instances, the Company provides estimates to more than one of the contractors bidding on a single project. The Company also occasionally negotiates with and sells directly to end-users.
Competition
The precast concrete industry is highly competitive and consists of a few large companies and many small to mid-size companies, several of which have substantially greater resources than the Company. Nationally, several large companies dominate the precast concrete market. However, due to the weight and costs of delivery of precast concrete products, competition in the industry tends to be limited by geographical location and distance from the construction site and is fragmented with numerous manufacturers in a large local area.
The Company believes that the principal competitive factors for its precast products are price, durability, ease of use and installation, speed of production and delivery time, ability to customize, FHWA and state approval, and customer service. The Company believes that its plants in Midland, Virginia, Reidsville, North Carolina, and Hopkins (Columbia), South Carolina compete favorably with respect to each of these factors in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States. Finally, the Company believes it offers a broad range of products that are highly competitive in these markets.
Intellectual Property
The Company seeks to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on federal, state and common law rights in the United States and other countries, as well as contractual restrictions. Our intellectual property assets include patents, patent applications, trade secrets, trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, operating and instruction manuals, crash tests, non-disclosure and other contractual arrangements. The patents for certain products have expired, however the regulatory testing, capital resources, and regulatory approvals needed to enter these markets has minimized new competitors entering the market with similar products. The Company continues to develop proprietary products that are protected by a variety of intellectual property including, but not limited to crash testing, independent laboratory testing, sales and marketing manuals and methods, production and installation manuals and methods, trade mark and trade dress protection, copyrights, brand names, FHWA approvals, state DOT approvals, as well as patents.
While the Company intends to vigorously enforce its patent rights against infringement by third parties, no assurance can be given that the patents or the Company's patent rights will be enforceable or provide the Company with meaningful protection from competitors or that its patent applications will be allowed. Even if a competitor’s products were to infringe patents held by the Company, enforcing the patent rights in an enforcement action could be very costly, and assuming the Company has sufficient resources, would divert funds and resources that otherwise could be used in the Company's operations. No assurance can be given that the Company would be successful in enforcing such rights, that the Company's products or processes do not infringe the patent or intellectual property rights of a third party, or that if the Company is not successful in a suit involving patents or other intellectual property rights of a third party, that a license for such technology would be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
Government Regulation
The Company frequently supplies products and services pursuant to agreements with general contractors who have entered into contracts with federal or state governmental agencies. The successful completion of the Company’s obligations under such contracts is often subject to the satisfactory inspection or approval of such products and services by a representative of the contracting agency. Although the Company targets to satisfy the requirements of each such contract to which it is a party, no assurance can be given that the necessary approval of its products and services will be granted on a timely basis or at all and that the Company will receive any payments due to it. Any failure to obtain such approval and payment may have a material adverse effect on the Company's business.
The Company's operations are subject to extensive and stringent governmental regulations including regulations related to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and environmental protection. The Company believes that it is substantially in compliance with all applicable regulations. The cost of maintaining such compliance is not considered by the Company to be significant.
The Company's employees in its manufacturing division operate complicated machinery that may cause substantial injury or death upon malfunction or improper operation. The Company's manufacturing facilities are subject to the workplace safety rules and regulations of OSHA. The Company believes that it is in compliance with the requirements of OSHA.
During the normal course of its operations, the Company uses and disposes of materials, such as solvents and lubricants used in equipment maintenance, that are classified as hazardous by government agencies that regulate environmental quality. The Company attempts to minimize the generation of such waste as much as possible, and to recycle such waste where possible. Remaining wastes are disposed of in permitted disposal sites in accordance with applicable regulations.
In the event that the Company is unable to comply with the OSHA or environmental requirements, the Company could be subject to substantial sanctions, including restrictions on its business operations, monetary liability and criminal sanctions, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon the Company's business.
Human Capital Resources
As of March 3, 2025, the Company had a total of 264 employees, of which 166 are full-time, 11 are part-time, and 87 are temporary workers, with 172 located at the Company's Midland, Virginia facility, 38 are located at the Company's facility in Reidsville, North Carolina and 54 are located at the Company's facility in Hopkins (Columbia), South Carolina. None of the Company's employees are represented by labor organizations and the Company is not aware of any activities seeking such organization. Employees are competitively compensated with the local job markets at each facility. The Company considers its relationships with its employees to be satisfactory.
We manage our Company according to our vision, mission, and core principles. Included among these principles are respect for people, lead with humility, kaizen spirit, focus on process, seek perfection, assure quality at the source, create consistency of purpose, embrace scientific thinking, think systemically, and create value for the customer. We continue to focus on training and development of our associates at every level in the organization, and pride ourselves on safety, quality, delivery, morale, and cost. We expect that these approaches to leading and empowering our associates will create trust with our customers, creating sustainability and growth of the business.
The Company is committed to creating and maintaining a safe work-environment for all employees, customers, contractors, vendors, and the community. Through shared experiences and resources across all three facilities, the Company has cultivated a safety-first culture for all stakeholders.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Not applicable.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties
Facilities
The Company operates three manufacturing facilities. The largest manufacturing operations facility is a 44,000 square foot manufacturing plant located on approximately 58 acres of land in Midland, Virginia, which the Company owns. The manufacturing facility houses two concrete mixers and one concrete blender. The plant also includes two environmentally controlled casting areas, three batch plants, a form fabrication shop, a welding and metal fabrication facility, a carpentry shop, a quality control center and a covered steel reinforcing fabrication area of approximately 8,000 square feet. The Company's Midland facility also includes a large storage yard for inventory and stored materials.
The Company owns an additional 19 acres in Midland, Virginia, approximately two miles from the operations facility, and is utilized as a storage yard for the rental barriers.
The Company's second manufacturing facility is located in Reidsville, North Carolina on 46 acres of owned land and includes a 30,000 square foot manufacturing plant and administrative offices with additional space for future expansion. The Company completed a plant expansion in 2024, which doubled the size of this facility. The previous North Carolina facility, on 10 acres of owned land, including an 8,000 square foot manufacturing plant with administrative offices, remains operational with future use not determined at this time.
The Company's third manufacturing facility is located in Hopkins (Columbia), South Carolina. The facility is located on 39 acres of land owned by the Company and has approximately 40,000 square feet of production space and administrative offices. The South Carolina facility gives the Company sufficient capacity to cover additional territory from the Atlantic Coast region to the northern part of Florida.
The Company's present facilities are adequate for its current needs.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
The Company is not presently involved in any litigation of a material nature.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
The Company's Common Stock trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "SMID".
As of April 4, 2025, there were approximately 250 record holders of the Company's Common Stock. Management believes there are at least 1,000 beneficial owners of the Company's Common Stock.
Dividends
Although the Company has occasionally paid special dividends, the Company did not declare a dividend in 2024. The Company cannot guarantee payment of dividends due to the internal need for funds in the development and expansion of its business. The declaration of dividends in the future will be at the election of the Board of Directors and will depend upon earnings, capital requirements and financial position of the Company, bank loan covenants, general economic conditions, and other pertinent factors.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. Reserved

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company (including the Notes thereto) included elsewhere in this report. Dollar and share amounts are in thousands, except for per share amounts.
The Company generates revenues primarily from the sale, leasing, licensing, shipping and installation of precast concrete products and systems for the construction, utility and farming industries. The Company's operating strategy has involved producing and marketing innovative and proprietary products, including SlenderWall™, a patent pending, lightweight, energy efficient concrete and steel exterior wall panel for use in building construction; J-J Hooks® Barrier, a patented positive-connected highway safety barrier; Sierra Wall™, a patented sound barrier primarily for roadside use; transportable concrete buildings; and SoftSound™, a highway sound attenuation system. In addition, the Company produces utility vaults; farm products such as cattleguards; and custom order precast concrete products with various architectural surfaces.
As a part of the construction industry, the Company's sales and net income may vary greatly from quarter to quarter over a given year. Because of the cyclical nature of the construction industry, many factors outside of the Company’s control, such as weather and project delays, affect the Company's production schedule, possibly causing a momentary slowdown in sales and net income. As a result of these factors, the Company is not always able to earn a profit for each period, therefore, please read Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the accompanying financial statements with these factors in mind.
Overview
Overall, the Company’s financial bottom line performance was significantly greater in 2024 when compared to 2023. The Company had net income for 2024 of $7,675 compared to net income of $795 for 2023. Total revenue increased by $18,928 to $78,508 in 2024 from $59,580 in 2023. The increase in sales is mainly from barrier rentals, shipping and installation, and utility product sales. Fourth quarter 2024 revenues were $18,528 compared to $16,389 in the fourth quarter 2023. The increase in revenue for the fourth quarter 2024 as compared to the fourth quarter 2023 was primarily due to an increase in soundwall sales, architectural sales, utility sales, miscellaneous sales, Easi-Set building sales, and shipping and installation revenue.
Cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, not including royalties, decreased to 78% in 2024 compared to 86% in 2023. Cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, not including royalties, decreased to 80% for the fourth quarter 2024 as compared to 85% for the fourth quarter 2023.
Operating income was $9,899 for 2024, as compared to $1,118 for 2023. Operating expenses for 2024 was $10,111 compared to $9,534 in 2023. The increase is due to a minor increase in general and administrative expenses. Total operating expense was $2,519 for the fourth quarter 2024 and $2,580 for the fourth quarter 2023.
Income tax expense for 2024 was $2,143, or an effective tax rate of 21.7%, as compared to $528, or an effective tax rate of 40.0% for 2023, adversely affecting net income in 2023. The greater percentage in 2023 was mainly due to an increase in state tax liability for a true-up of state tax expense.
As of March 3, 2025, the Company’s sales backlog was approximately $59.5 million, as compared to approximately $60.8 million around the same time in the prior year. It is estimated that most of the projects in the current sales backlog will be produced within 12 months, but a few will be produced over multiple years. The Company anticipates greater sales volumes throughout 2025, although no assurance can be provided. The Company also anticipates funding related to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to continue coming through the state and local governments in 2025 and beyond to further promote growth in the revenue backlog related to the highway and transportation markets, although no assurance can be provided. State and local programs that support infrastructure spending, including gas tax increases, special tax districts, new funding mechanisms are increasing in number and size as these entities increase their role in infrastructure investment. The Company continues to increase marketing and sales efforts towards SlenderWall sales and barrier rentals, in line with long-term strategic objectives. In view of the policies of the new Administration and DOGE, including without limitation with respect to government spending cutbacks and tariffs, there can be no assurance of anticipated levels of infrastructure spending.
Results of Operations
Year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023
For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company had total revenue of $78,508 compared to total revenue of $59,580 for the year ended December 31, 2023, an increase of $18,928 or 32%. Revenue includes product sales, barrier rentals, royalty income, and shipping and installation revenues. Product sales are further divided into soundwall, architectural and SlenderWall™ panels, miscellaneous wall panels, highway barriers, Easi-Set®/Easi-Span® buildings, utility products, and miscellaneous precast products. The following table summarizes the revenue by type and a comparison for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Revenue by Type (Disaggregated Revenue)
Change
% Change
Product Sales:
Soundwall Sales
$ 11,825
$ 7,671
$ 4,154
54 %
Architectural Sales
4,205
1,131
3,074
272 %
SlenderWall Sales
-
5,312
(5,312 )
(100 )%
Miscellaneous Wall Sales
5,104
6,418
(1,314 )
(20 )%
Barrier Sales
3,882
7,827
(3,945 )
(50 )%
Easi-Set and Easi-Span Building Sales
6,666
4,712
1,954
41 %
Utility Sales
7,751
2,857
4,894
171 %
Miscellaneous Sales
6,191
2,820
3,371
120 %
Total Product Sales
45,624
38,748
6,876
18 %
Barrier Rentals
12,019
6,330
5,689
90 %
Royalty Income
3,261
2,633
24 %
Shipping and Installation Revenue
17,604
11,869
5,735
48 %
Total Service Revenue
32,884
20,832
12,052
58 %
Total Revenue
$ 78,508
$ 59,580
$ 18,928
32 %
The revenue items: soundwall sales, architectural panel sales, SlenderWall sales, miscellaneous wall sales, miscellaneous sales, barrier rentals, and royalty income are recognized as revenue over time. The revenue items: barrier sales, Easi-Set and Easi-Span building sales, utility sales, and shipping and installation revenue are recognized as revenue at a point in time.
Soundwall Sales - Soundwall panel sales increased by 54% in 2024 compared to 2023. The increase is due to higher production volumes at all three plants, as the Company increased production output to execute and deliver on the Company’s increased backlog. The Company expects soundwall panel sales to be similar in 2025 as compared to 2024, although no assurance can be provided.
Architectural Sales - Architectural panel sales increased by 272% in 2024 compared to 2023. The increase is related to production of two architectural projects that started production at the end of the first quarter of 2024. Architectural sales are expected to be similar in 2025, as compared to 2024, although no assurance can be provided.
SlenderWall Sales - SlenderWall panel sales decreased by 100% in 2024 compared to 2023. A SlenderWall project was in production during the first half of 2023, and the Company did not have a SlenderWall project in production during 2024. The Company continues to focus sales initiatives on SlenderWall, but no assurance can be given as to the success of this endeavor. SlenderWall sales are expected to increase in 2025 compared to 2024, as several SlenderWall projects are anticipated to start in the first half of 2025.
Miscellaneous Wall Sales - Miscellaneous wall sales are highly customized precast concrete products or retaining and lagging panels that do not fit other product categories. Miscellaneous wall sales decreased by 20% in 2024 when compared to 2023 due lower production volumes in the second and third quarter 2024. Miscellaneous sales are expected to be similar in 2025, as compared to 2024, although no assurance can be provided.
Barrier Sales - Barrier sales decreased by 50% in 2024 when compared to 2023. The decrease is due to the completion of large barrier projects in North Carolina and South Carolina during 2023. The decrease is consistent with the Company’s focus to shift from barrier sales to barrier rentals. Barrier sales are expected to trend lower in 2025 than previous years as the Company continues to shift from barrier sales to barrier rentals.
Easi-Set® and Easi-Span® Building Sales - The Easi-Set® Buildings program includes Easi-Set®, plant assembled and Easi-Span®, site assembled, and an extensive line of pre-engineered restrooms. Building sales increased by 41% in 2024 as compared to 2023 due to increased sales at all locations, reflecting general product sale fluctuations. Building and restroom sales are expected to trend higher during 2025 as compared to 2024 due to demand from increased sales and marketing, although no assurance can be provided.
Utility Sales - Utility products are mainly comprised of underground utility vaults used in infrastructure construction. Utility product sales increased by 171% in 2024 compared to 2023. The increase is related to the increase in the market for dry utility vaults to support the growth in data centers. Utility sales are expected to be similar during 2025 as compared to 2024, although no assurance can be provided.
Miscellaneous Product Sales - Miscellaneous products are products that are produced or sold that do not meet the criteria defined for other revenue categories. Examples would include precast concrete slabs, blocks or small add-on items. For 2024, miscellaneous product sales increased by 120% when compared to 2023. The increase is mainly from the Virginia plant that started production on one large project for the production of precast beams and platforms. Miscellaneous product sales are expected to trend lower during 2025 as compared to 2024, although no assurance can be provided.
Barrier Rentals - Barrier rentals increased by 90% in 2024 as compared to 2023. Revenue from the Company’s core rental barrier fleet increased by 52% in 2024 as compared to 2023. This increase is attributed to an increase in utilization of rental barrier. Barrier rental revenue also increased due to multiple special barrier projects occurring and completed during the third quarter 2024. As indicated above, the Company is continuing to shift its focus to barrier rentals compared to barrier sales with the significant increase in the rental fleet that occurred during prior years. Barrier rental revenue, excluding revenue from special barrier projects, is expected to trend higher in 2025 as compared to barrier rental revenue, excluding revenue from special barrier projects, in 2024, as funding is expected to increase related to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, although no assurance can be given.
Royalty Income - Royalties increased by 24% in 2024 as compared to 2023. The increase in royalties is mainly due to the increase in barrier royalties during 2024 compared to 2023. As funding increases related to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as anticipated, the Company expects 2025 royalties to continue to increase compared to 2024, although no assurance can be given.
Shipping and Installation - Shipping revenue results from shipping our products to the customers' final destination and is recognized when the shipping services take place. Installation activities include installation of our products at the customers’ construction site. Installation revenue results when attaching architectural wall panels to a building, installing an Easi-Set® building at a customers' site, setting highway barrier, or setting any of our other precast products at a site specific to the requirements of the owner. Shipping and installation revenues increased by 48% for 2024 when compared to 2023. The increase is mainly attributed to the increase in shipping and installation of SlenderWall and architectural panels. This increase in shipping and installation revenue correlates with the increased production of SlenderWall panels that occurred, and for which revenue was previously recognized, throughout 2023.
Cost of Sales - Total cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $58,498, an increase of $9,570, or 20%, from $48,928 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Total cost of sales as a percentage of total revenue, not including royalties, decreased to 78% for the year ended December 31, 2024 from 86% for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, not including royalties, is mainly due to higher revenue levels in 2024 than in 2023 having a favorable effect on margins reflecting the absorption of fixed overhead costs. In addition, the decrease in cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, not including royalties, was due to production throughout 2024 related to contracts that factored in the rising inflationary costs experienced throughout 2022 and 2023, and a one-time expense related to panels the Company chose to remake for one specific customer related to defective steel from a supplier used in the initial product in 2023.
General and Administrative Expenses - For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company's general and administrative expenses increased by $564, or 9%, to $6,554 from $5,990 during the same period in 2023. General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased over the prior year due higher salary and wage rates, and an increase in the allowance for credit losses. General and administrative expenses were 8% and 10% of revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Selling Expenses - Selling expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $13, or 0%, to $3,557 from $3,544 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company expects selling expenses to increase in future periods with the plan for additional sales associates and increased advertising spending aligning with the strategy to increase SlenderWall sales and barrier rentals.
Operating Income - The Company had operating income for the year ended December 31, 2024 of $9,899 compared to operating income of $1,118 for the year ended December 31, 2023, an increase of $8,781, or 785%. The increase in operating income was mainly due to the increase in revenues, decrease in cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, and a relatively flat operating expenses as a percent of revenue.
Income Tax Expense - The Company had income tax expense of $2,143 for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to income tax expense of $528 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company had an effective rate of 21.7% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to an effective rate of 40.0% for the same period in 2023. The decrease in the effective tax rate is attributed to the increase in the Company’s state tax liability for a true-up of state tax expense during 2023.
Net Income - The Company had net income of $7,675 for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to net income of $795 for the same period in 2023. The basic and diluted earnings per share was $1.45 for 2024 compared to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.15 for the year ended December 31, 2023. There were 5,289 basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding in 2024, and 5,258 basic and 5,292 diluted weighted average shares outstanding in 2023.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company financed its capital expenditures for 2024 with cash balances on hand. The Company had $5,094 of debt obligations at December 31, 2024, of which $658 is scheduled to mature within twelve months. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the Company made repayments of outstanding debt in the amount $635.
The Company has a mortgage note payable to Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company, formally Summit Community Bank (the “Bank”) for the construction of its North Carolina facility. The note carries a ten-year term at a fixed interest rate of 3.64% annually per the Promissory Note Rate Conversion Agreement, with monthly payments of $22, and is secured by all of the assets of Smith-Carolina and a guarantee by the Company. The balance of the note payable at December 31, 2024 was $1,166.
The Company also has a note payable to the Bank in the amount of $1,536 as of December 31, 2024. The loan is collateralized by a first lien position on the Midland, VA plant, building, and assets. The interest rate per the Promissory Note is fixed at 3.99% per annum, with principal and interest payments payable monthly over 120 months in the amount of $27. The loan matures on March 27, 2030.
On February 10, 2022, the Company completed the financing for its acquisition of certain real property in Midland, VA from the fourth quarter of 2021, totaling approximately 29.8 acres, with a note payable to the Bank. The balance of the note payable at December 31, 2024 was $2,379. The loan is collateralized by a first lien position on the related real property. The interest rate is fixed at 4.09% per annum, with principal and interest payments payable monthly over 180 months for $21. The loan matures on February 10, 2037.
The Company additionally has one smaller installment loan with an annual interest rate of 2.90%, maturing in 2025, with a balance totaling $13.
Under the loan covenants with the Bank, the Company is limited to annual capital expenditures of $5,000 and has received a waiver for 2024 from the Bank. Also under the loan covenants with the Bank, the Company must maintain tangible net worth of $25,000. The Company is in compliance with all covenants pursuant to the loan agreements as of December 31, 2024.
In addition to the notes payable discussed above, the Company has a $5,000 line of credit with the Bank with no balance outstanding as of December 31, 2024. The line of credit is evidenced by a commercial revolving promissory note, which carries a variable interest rate of prime, with a floor of 4.99%. The line of credit was renewed on January 1, 2025 and matures January 1, 2026. The loan is collateralized by a first lien position on the Company's accounts receivable and inventory and a second lien position on all other business assets. Key provisions of the line of credit required the Company (i) to obtain bank approval for capital expenditures in excess of $5,000 during the term of the loan and (ii) to obtain bank approval prior to its funding of any acquisition. On October 1, 2023, the Company received a Commitment Letter from the Bank to provide a guidance line of credit specifically to purchase business equipment in an amount up to $1,500. The commitment provided for the purchase of equipment for which a note payable will be executed with a term not to exceed five years with an interest rate at the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus 0.50% with a floor of 3.50% per annum. The loan is collateralized by a first lien position on all equipment purchased under the line. The commitment for the guidance line of credit matured on October 1, 2024. As of October 31, 2024, the Company had not purchased any equipment pursuant to the $1,500 commitment.
At December 31, 2024, the Company had cash totaling $7,548 compared to cash totaling $9,175 at December 31, 2023. Cash provided by operations was $5,584. Cash disbursements from investing activity was $6,576. Cash repayments on borrowings was $635. The decrease in cash is primarily the result of cash used for capital expenditures, specifically the expansion of the manufacturing facility in North Carolina.
Capital spending, including financed additions, increased from $5,010 in 2023 to $6,629 in 2024. Capital expenditures in 2024 were primarily related to spending for the expansion of the North Carolina production facility and new manufacturing equipment. The Company anticipates capital spending for 2025 to be approximately $5,000, which includes forms for increased production capacity, and miscellaneous manufacturing equipment. Anticipated capital expenditures excludes acquisitions.
The Company's notes payable are financed at fixed rates of interest. This leaves the Company almost impervious to fluctuating interest rates. Increases in such rates will only affect the interest paid by the Company if new debt is obtained, or an available line of credit is drawn upon, with a variable interest rate.
The Company’s cash flow from operations is affected by production schedules set by contractors, which generally provide for payment 45 to 75 days after the products are produced and with some contracts, retainage may be held until the entire project is completed. This payment schedule could result in liquidity problems for the Company because it must bear the cost of production for its products before it receives payment. The Company's days sales outstanding (DSO) in 2024 and 2023 were 88 and 113 days, respectively. Although no assurances can be given, the Company believes that its current cash resources, anticipated cash flow from operations, and the availability under the line of credit will be sufficient to finance the Company’s operations for at least the next 12 months.
The Company’s accounts receivable balance, net of allowance for credit losses, at December 31, 2024 was $19,420, compared to accounts receivable balance, net of allowance for credit losses, of $17,209 at December 31, 2023. The increase is primarily the result of increased revenue. The Company expects DSO to trend downwards, with increased collection efforts, although no assurance can be provided.
The Company’s inventory at December 31, 2024 was $6,677 and at December 31, 2023 was $5,150, an increase of $1,528. The annual inventory turns for 2024 and 2023 were 10.0 and 15.0, respectively.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The Company’s significant accounting policies are more fully described in its Summary of Accounting Policies to the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted within the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported in the accompanying financial statements and related notes. In preparing these consolidated financial statements, management has made its best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the consolidated financial statements, giving due consideration to materiality. The Company does not believe there is a great likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported related to the accounting policies described below, however, application of these accounting policies involves the exercise of judgment and the use of assumptions as to future uncertainties and as a result, actual results could differ from these estimates.
Allowance for Credit Losses-The Company evaluates the adequacy of its allowance for credit losses at the end of each quarter. In performing this evaluation, the Company analyzes the payment history of its significant past due accounts, subsequent cash collections on these accounts, comparative accounts receivable aging statistics, macro-economic conditions, and other customer specific considerations existing and known as of the time of the analysis. Based on this information, along with other related factors, the Company develops an estimate of the uncollectible amounts included in accounts receivable. This estimate involves significant judgment by the management of the Company. Actual uncollectible amounts may differ from the Company’s estimate.
Over-Time Revenue Recognition-The Company recognizes revenue on the sale of its standard precast concrete products, and the associated shipping and installation revenue, at shipment date, including revenue derived from any projects to be completed under short-term contracts. Leasing and royalties are recognized as revenue over time. Certain sales of soundwall, SlenderWall, and other architectural concrete products are recognized over time because as the Company's performance creates or enhances customer-controlled assets or creates or enhances an asset with no alternative use, and the Company has an enforceable right to receive compensation. Over time product contracts are estimated based on the number of units produced (output method) during the period multiplied by the unit rate stated in the contract. As the output method is driven by units produced, the Company recognizes revenues based on the value transferred to the customer relative to the remaining value to be transferred. The Company also matches the costs associated with the units produced. If a contract is projected to result in a loss, the entire contract loss is recognized in the period when the loss was first determined and the amount of the loss updated in subsequent reporting periods. Revenue recognition also includes an amount related to a contract asset or contract liability. If the recognized revenue is greater than the amount billed to the customer, a contract asset is recorded in accounts receivable trade - unbilled. Conversely, if the amount billed to the customer is greater than the recognized revenue, a contract liability is recorded in customer deposits. Changes in the job performance, job conditions and final contract settlements are factors that influence management’s assessment of total contract value and therefore, profit and revenue recognition.
Seasonality
The Company services the construction industry primarily in areas of the United States where construction activity may be inhibited by adverse weather during the winter. As a result, the Company may experience reduced revenues from December through February and realize the substantial part of its revenues during the other months of the year. The Company may experience lower profits, or losses, during the winter months, and as such, must have sufficient working capital to fund its operations at a reduced level until the spring construction season. The failure to generate or obtain sufficient working capital during the winter may have a material adverse effect on the Company.
Inflation
Management believes that the Company's operations were affected by inflation in 2024 and 2023, particularly in the purchases of labor costs will increase in 2025, although no assurance can be given regarding future pricing or costs.
Backlog
As of March 3, 2025, the Company's sales backlog was approximately $59.5 million as compared to approximately $60.8 million at approximately the same time in 2024. It is estimated that most of the projects in the sales backlog will be produced within 12 months, but a few will be produced over multiple years. The backlog remained consistent with the prior year level due to continued sales efforts for products to be produced at all three manufacturing facilities, as well as consistent sales efforts in barrier rentals. The Company expects the backlog to increase with continued bidding on large infrastructure and SlenderWall/architectural projects, although no assurance can be given.
The risk exists that recessionary economic conditions may adversely affect the Company more than it has experienced to date. To mitigate these economic and other risks, the Company has a broader product offering than most competitors and has historically been a leader in innovation and new product development in the industry. The Company is continuing this strategy through the development, marketing and sales efforts for its new products.
The Company continues to evaluate both production and administrative processes, and has streamlined many of these processes through lean activities. During 2024 and 2023, the Company, through lean activities, continued to see positive effects in production and office areas. The lean business philosophy is a long-term, customer focused approach to continuous improvement by eliminating waste and providing value. It is management's intention to continue on the lean journey while implementing a lean culture throughout the Company to help reach our goals for 2025. The Company's lean efforts are aimed to increase quality to the customer, significantly reduce defects, while increasing production capacity and sales volume. In order to meet these goals, substantial improvements through lean tools and lean thinking are being implemented company wide.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Not applicable.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The consolidated financial statements, which appear beginning on page, are filed as part of this report.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer concluded that, due to the material weaknesses described below, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2024. Notwithstanding the existence of these material weaknesses, management believes that the consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K present, in all material respects, the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods disclosed in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Our internal controls over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer 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.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not detect or prevent misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
As of December 31, 2024, management assessed the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting based on the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting established in “Internal Control - Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations ("COSO") of the Treadway Commission in 2013.
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 our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Based on this assessment, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2024, due to the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting described below.
Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management has determined that the Company had the following material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting:
Control Environment, Risk Assessment and Monitoring
Management has determined that the Company did not maintain appropriately designed entity-level controls impacting the (1) control environment, (2) risk assessment procedures, (3) control activities, (4) information and communication, and (5) monitoring activities to prevent or detect material misstatements to the financial statements and assess whether the components of internal control were present and functioning properly. These deficiencies were primarily attributed to (i) turnover of the Chief Financial Officer, (ii) lack of structure and responsibility, insufficient number of qualified resources, and inadequate oversight and accountability over the performance of controls, (iii) ineffective identification and assessment or risks impacting internal control over financial reporting, and (iv) ineffective evaluation and determination as to whether the components of internal control were present and functioning.
Control Activities and Information and Communication
These material weaknesses contributed to the following additional material weaknesses within certain business processes and the information technology environment:
·
Management did not design, implement, and retain appropriate documentation of formal accounting policies, procedures, and controls across substantially all of the Company’s business processes over: (i) the financial reporting process, including management review controls over key disclosures and financial statement support schedules, (ii) the monthly financial close process, including journal entries and account reconciliations and (iii) the completeness and accuracy of information used by control owners in the operation of certain controls, to achieve timely, complete, accurate financial accounting, reporting.
·
The Company did not design and maintain effective processes and controls to ensure all journal entries are properly reviewed and approved prior to posting to the general ledger.
·
Management did not design and maintain appropriate information technology general controls in the areas of user access, vendor management controls, and segregation of duties related to certain information technology systems that support the Company’s financial reporting process.
As a result of these material weaknesses, the Company’s management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2024 the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective based on the criteria in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.
However, after giving full consideration to these material weaknesses, and the additional analyses and other procedures that we performed to ensure that our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, our management has concluded that our consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods disclosed in conformity with U.S. GAAP.
Management communicated the results of its assessment to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. As a non-accelerated filer and a “smaller reporting company”, the Company is exempt from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. As a result, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm has not audited or issued an attestation report with respect to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024.
Remediation Efforts
Management, with oversight from the Audit Committee and Board of Directors, is committed to the remediation of the material weaknesses described above. The Company has continued to implement measures to improve the internal control structure. Specifically, the Company has:
·
Hired a Chief Financial Officer with knowledge and experience in key financial reporting and internal control areas;
·
Actively pursuing hiring the hiring of additional finance and accounting personnel with adequate knowledge and experience in key financial reporting and internal control areas;
·
Designing and implementing new entity-level controls (“ELCs”) with greater alignment to the COSO 2013 Internal Controls Framework;
·
Developing a training program and educating control owners concerning the principles of the Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO;
·
Implementing a risk assessment process by which management identifies risks of misstatement related to all account balances;
·
Developing internal controls documentation, including comprehensive accounting policies and procedures over financial processes and related disclosures;
·
Enhancing policies and procedures to retain adequate documentary evidence for certain management review controls over certain business processes including precision of review and evidence of review procedures performed to demonstrate effective operation of such controls;
·
Engaging outside resources for complex accounting matters and drafting and retaining position papers for all complex, non-recurring transactions;
·
Developing monitoring activities and protocols that will allow us to timely assess the design and the operating effectiveness of controls over financial reporting and make necessary changes to the design of controls, if any
·
Segregating key functions within our financial and information technology processes supporting our internal controls over financial reporting;
·
Reassessing and formalizing the design of certain accounting and information technology policies relating to security and change management controls, including user access reviews, including assessing the need for implementing a more robust information technology system; and
·
Continuing to enhance and formalize our accounting, business operations, and information technology policies, procedures, and controls to achieve complete, accurate, and timely financial accounting, reporting and disclosures.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Other than as described above, there were no other changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act during the quarter ended December 31, 2024 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information
During the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024, none of our directors and officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Exchange Act of 1934) adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” each as defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Certain information with respect to our Directors and executive officers is set forth below.
Name
Age
Director or
Executive
Officer Since
Position
Ashley B. Smith
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and President
James Russell Bruner
Director
Matthew I. Smith
Director, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, and President of Concrete Safety Systems
Read Van de Water
Director
Richard Gerhardt
Director
Stephanie Poe
Former Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer
Background
The following is a brief summary of the background of each Director and executive officer of the Company:
Ashley B. Smith. Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and President. Ashley B. Smith has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since January 2023, Chief Executive Officer of the Company since 2018, President of the Company since 2012, and as a Director since 1994. Mr. Smith was Vice President of the Company from 1990 to 2011. He is a past Chairman of the National Precast Concrete Association. Mr. Smith serves on the Board of Trustees of Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. Mr. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bridgewater College. The Company believes that Mr. Smith’s education, experience in the precast concrete industry and business experience gives him the qualifications and skills necessary to serve in the capacity as a director of the Company.
James Russell Bruner. Director. Mr. Bruner has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company since 2018. Mr. Bruner has served as Chairman of Maersk Line, Limited (“Maersk Line”) since November 2016 and was President and Chief Executive Officer of Maersk Line from 2014 to 2017. Maersk Line owns and operates a fleet of container and tanker ships that are under the flag of the United States. These ships support military, government and humanitarian missions through the transportation of United States government cargo on an international basis. Maersk Line operates as a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, an integrated transport and logistics company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Mr. Bruner attended Bridgewater College in Virginia. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Executive Program and Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. The Company believes that Mr. Bruner's current and past business-related experience provides him with the knowledge and skills necessary to serve in the capacity as a director of the Company.
Matthew I. Smith. Director, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, and President of Concrete Safety Systems. Mr. Smith has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company since December 2023. Mr. Smith is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing of the Company and the President of Concrete Safety Systems, the barrier rental division of Smith-Midland. He has served in these roles since 2008 and 2015, respectively. Prior to his appointment as a member of the Board of Directors, Mr. Smith served as an Advisor to the Board. He is active in the local community, serving as a member of the Board of Directors for Leadership Fauquier and as a Fauquier County Planning Commissioner. Mr. Smith is a past president and current board member of the Precast Concrete Association of Virginia. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bridgewater College. Mr. Smith is the brother of Ashley B. Smith. The Company believes that Mr. Smith’s education, experience in the precast concrete industry and business experience gives him the qualifications and skills necessary to serve in the capacity as a director of the Company.
Read Van de Water. Director. Ms. Van de Water has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company since December 2023. She has served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs Safran USA since 2011. Safran USA is an international high-technology aerospace, defense, and space company. Ms. Van de Water served as Chairman of the Board for the National Mediation Board from 2005 to 2009 and was a board member from 2003 to 2009. Ms. Van de Water served as the Assistant Secretary for Aviation & International Affairs for the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2001 to 2003 and as Legislative Counsel of International Trade and Health Care for The Business Roundtable from 1997 to 2001. Ms. Van de Water received her J.D. from The Georgetown University Law Center. She is also a graduate of Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and The University of the South: Sewanee. The Company believes that Ms. Van de Water’s current and past business-related experience provides her with the knowledge and skills necessary to serve in the capacity as a director of the Company.
Richard Gerhardt. Director. Mr. Gerhardt has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company since 2016. He is currently President of Sales Services International, Inc., a consulting firm, Chief Sales Officer for IMEX Global Solutions, Inc., a logistics company, since April 2020, and Corporate Development Officer of Palladin Consulting, LLC, a software services company, since May 2024, and is serving as a Fauquier County, Virginia Supervisor for the Cedar Run Magisterial District since 2016. From 2003 to 2014, Mr. Gerhardt served in an escalating succession of positions for three global shipping and logistic companies: DHL Global Mail, ESI Global Logistic and MSI Worldwide. His eight years as President, Chief Operating Officer, and shareholder of MSI Worldwide culminated in its acquisition by Belgian Post. Mr. Gerhardt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a minor in Economics from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. The Company believes that Mr. Gerhardt's current and past business-related experience provides him with the knowledge and skills necessary to serve in the capacity as a director of the Company.
Stephanie Poe. Former Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer. Stephanie Poe served as Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Company from January 2023 to July 17, 2024. Prior to becoming the Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer, Ms. Poe served as the Controller for the Company since January 2022 and the Accounting Manager for the Company since 2017. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Poe worked at Ernst & Young as part of their tax practice. Ms. Poe is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Appalachian State University and a Master of Science degree in Accounting from George Mason University.
Code of Ethics
The Company adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Accounting Manager and persons performing similar functions. The Board of Directors approved the code of ethics at their meeting on June 3, 2020. A copy may be obtained without charge by requesting one in writing from Secretary, Smith-Midland Corporation, P.O. Box 300, 5119 Catlett Road, Midland, VA 22728. The code of ethics is also posted on the Company's website at www.smithmidland.com on the home page.
Insider Trading Policy
The Company has adopted an insider trading policy and related procedures governing the purchase, sale or other disposition of the Company’s securities by the Company and its directors, officers and employees, which are designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations and applicable listing standards. In addition, the insider trading policy prohibits short sales of the Company’s stock, certain forms of hedging or monetizing transactions, holding the Company’s stock in a margin account, or pledging the Company’s stock as collateral for a loan without prior advance approval from our Chief Executive Officer (no such advance approvals were granted to directors or named executives officers in 2024).
Audit Committee
The Company created an Audit Committee in 2018. The Audit Committee consists of James Russell Bruner, Read Van de Water, and Richard Gerhardt, the three independent board members. Mr. James Russell Bruner is an audit committee financial expert.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The following table sets forth the compensation paid by the Company for services rendered for 2024 and 2023 to the principal executive officer, as well as the other executive officer of the Company (the “named executive officers”):
Summary Compensation Table
Year
Salary
($)(1)
Bonus
($)(2)
Stock Awards
($)
All Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Ashley B. Smith
$ 377,344
$ 82,915
-
$ 13,234
$ 473,493
Chief Executive Officer and President (3)
$ 329,059
$ 24,150
-
11,982
$ 365,191
Stephanie Poe
$ 107,298
$ 20,910
-
$ 5,103
$ 133,311
Former Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer (4)(5)
$ 147,290
$ 10,000
-
6,292
$ 163,582
(1) Represents salaries paid in 2024 and 2023 for services provided by each named executive officer serving in the capacity listed.
(2) Represents amounts paid for annual performance-based bonus related to operations for the prior year.
(3) “All Other Compensation” includes Company matching contributions to the 401(k) plan in the amounts of $13,234 and $11,982 for the years 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(4) “All Other Compensation” includes Company matching contributions to the 401(k) plan in the amounts of $5,103 and $6,292 for the years 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(5) Ms. Poe resigned on July 17, 2024.
Outstanding Equity Awards At Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information for the named executive officers regarding any common share purchase options, stock awards or equity incentive plan awards that were outstanding as of December 31, 2024.
Name
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable
Option Exercise Price ($/Sh)
Option Expiration Date
Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested (#)
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested ($)
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that have not Vested (#)
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that have not Vested
Ashley B. Smith
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Stephanie Poe (1)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
TOTAL
-
-
-
-
-
-
(1) Ms. Poe resigned on July 17, 2024.
Compensation of Directors
Effective for 2024, all non-executive officer Directors were to receive, per annum, $40,000 in cash compensation and $15,000 in stock compensation for their services as Directors. During 2024, all such cash compensation was paid. In February 2025, in lieu of the $15,000 in stock compensation due for 2024, the independent directors were paid $15,000 in cash, which is not reflected in the table below.
The Company does not pay any additional compensation to directors who are members of management or are employed by the Company, but the Company reimburses all directors for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending Board and committee meetings or otherwise in their capacity as directors.
Fiscal 2024 Director Compensation
Name
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)
Stock Awards ($)(3)
Option Awards ($)
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings
All Other Compensation
Total ($)
Ashley B. Smith (1)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
James Russell Bruner
40,000
-
-
-
-
-
40,000
Matthew I. Smith (2)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Read Van de Water
40,000
-
-
-
-
-
40,000
Richard Gerhardt
40,000
-
-
-
-
-
40,000
(1)
All compensation for Mr. A. Smith is reported in Item 11. Executive Compensation.
(2)
Mr. M. Smith is employed by the Company. No additional compensation paid related to his position as a director.
(3)
As stated above, in lieu of a stock award intended for 2024, a cash payment of $15,000 was paid in February 2025 to each independent director.
Employment Contracts and Termination of Employment and Change in Control Arrangements.
The Company has entered into an employment agreement (the “Employment Agreement”), dated as of November 11, 2020, with Ashley B. Smith pursuant to which Mr. Smith serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company.
The Employment Agreement was initially for a term of three years commencing on November 11, 2020 (the “Effective Date”) through and including November 10, 2023 (the “Employment Period”). Commencing on the first anniversary of the Effective Date, and on each annual anniversary thereafter (such date and each annual anniversary thereof shall be hereinafter referred to as the “Renewal Date”), unless previously terminated, the Employment Period shall be automatically extended so as to terminate three years from such Renewal Date, unless at least 180 days prior to the Renewal Date the Company shall give notice to Mr. Smith, or Mr. Smith shall give notice to the Company, that the Employment Period shall not be so extended. The Employment Agreement provided for an initial base salary (“Base Salary”) of $300,000 per year, with an increase of no less than 3% per annum, based on advice provided by a compensation consultant in 2019. Mr. Smith’s Base Salary shall be reviewed annually by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) pursuant to its normal performance review policies for senior executives and may be increased but not decreased. Mr. Smith is also entitled to receive an annual bonus incentive payment (the “Incentive Bonus Payment”) as determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion and, if applicable, in accordance with the terms of any applicable incentive plan of the Company and subject to the achievement of any performance goals established by the Compensation Committee with respect to such fiscal year. Mr. Smith shall also be eligible to participate in long term cash and equity incentive plans and programs applicable to senior officers of the Company.
The Employment Agreement further provides that if Mr. Smith is terminated by the Company without Cause or leaves the Company with Good Reason (generally, for material diminution in Mr. Smith’s Base Salary, target Incentive Bonus Payment, or position, authority, duties or responsibilities, relocation of Mr. Smith’s principal place of business to a location more than 30 miles from Mr. Smith’s principal place of business or material breach by the Company of the Employment Agreement), Mr. Smith shall be paid his Base Salary pro-rated through the date of termination, any Incentive Bonus Payment earned for a prior award period but not yet paid, any accrued vacation or paid time off to the extent not paid and unreimbursed business expenses (collectively, the “Accrued Obligations”) and any other amounts or benefits required to be paid or provided or which Mr. Smith is eligible to receive through the date of termination (the “Other Benefits”). In the event such termination occurs within two years following a change of control, Mr. Smith shall also be entitled to a lump sum payment equal to the product of (a) 2.99 multiplied by (b) the sum of Mr. Smith’s Base Salary in effect prior to such termination and the Target Incentive Bonus Payment for the year of termination of employment (or, if higher, or if no Target Incentive Bonus Payment has been established for such year, the Incentive Bonus Payment for the year prior to the date of termination). In the event such termination does not occur within two years following a change of control, Mr. Smith shall be entitled to receive an aggregate amount, payable in equal monthly cash payments over a period of 24 months, equal to the product of (a) 2.0 multiplied by (b) the sum of Mr. Smith’s Base Salary in effect prior to such termination and the Target Incentive Bonus Payment for the year of termination of employment (or, if higher, or if no Target Incentive Bonus Payment has been established for such year, the Incentive Bonus Payment for the year prior to the date of termination). The Company shall also continue to provide Mr. Smith and his dependents with health and other insurance coverage for 24 months following such termination.
If Mr. Smith’s employment is terminated for Cause, because Mr. Smith voluntarily resigns without Good Reason or due to the death of Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, or his estate, as applicable, shall be paid the Accrued Obligations and the Other Benefits. If Mr. Smith’s employment is terminated due to disability, Mr. Smith shall be paid his Base Salary in equal monthly payments for one year commencing on the date of termination, the Target Incentive Bonus Payment for the year of termination of employment (or, if no Target Incentive Bonus Payment has been established for such year, the Incentive Bonus Payment for the year prior to the date of termination), the Accrued Obligations and the Other Benefits.
Mr. Smith is also subject to non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the Employment Period and for a period of two years thereafter.
The Company has an agreement with its former Chief Executive Officer and former Chairman of the Board, Rodney I. Smith. Mr. Smith ceased providing services as Chief Executive Officer in May 2018. The agreement provides for an annual royalty fee of $99,000 payable as consideration for his assignment to the Company of all of Mr. Smith’s rights, title and interest in certain patents. Payment of the royalty continues for as long as the Company is using the inventions underlying the unexpired patents. Mr. Smith is currently being compensated with respect to royalty payments in accordance with the agreement.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
No member of the Compensation Committee is an officer or employee of the Company or has or had at any time any relationship with the Company that requires disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The following table sets forth, as of May 3, 2025, certain information concerning ownership of the Company’s Common Stock by (i) each person known by the Company to own of record or be the beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of the Company’s Common Stock, (ii) named executive officers and Directors, and (iii) all Directors and Executive Officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, the stockholders listed in the table have sole voting and investment powers with respect to the shares indicated.
Number of Shares
Beneficially
Owned (3)
Percentage
of Class
Rodney I. Smith (1)(3)
549,499
10.4 %
Ashley B. Smith (1)(3)
177,689
3.3 %
James Russell Bruner (1)
12,594
*
Matthew I. Smith (1)(3)
10,206
*
Read Van de Water (1)
-
-
Richard Gerhardt (1)
5,797
*
Thompson Davis & Co., Inc. (4)
1,758,865
33.2 %
All directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons)
206,286
3.9 %
* Less than 1%.
(1) The address for each of Messrs. Rodney I. Smith, Ashley B. Smith, James Russell Bruner, Matthew I. Smith, Richard Gerhardt, and Ms. Read Van de Water is c/o Smith-Midland Corporation, P.O. Box 300, 5119 Catlett Road, Midland, Virginia 22728.
(2) Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, shares of Common Stock that an individual or group has a right to acquire within 60 days pursuant to the exercise of options or warrants are deemed to be outstanding for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership of such individual or group, but are not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person shown in the table.
(3) Ashley B. Smith and Matthew I. Smith are brothers and the sons of Rodney I. Smith. Each of Rodney I. Smith, Ashley B. Smith, and Matthew I. Smith disclaims beneficial ownership of the other’s shares of Common Stock.
(4) Address of holder is 9030 Stony Point Pkwy, Ste 100, Richmond, VA 23235. Based on the Form 13-D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 6, 2024 by Thompson Davis & Co., Inc.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2024 regarding the Company's equity compensation plans.
Plan Category
(a) Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights
(b) Weighted average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
(c) Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a))(1)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
-
-
-
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders (1)
-
-
89,303
Total
-
-
89,303
(1) A brief description of the Company's 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity Plan”) is contained in Note 8 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Equity Plan has a balance of 89,303 shares of stock unissued and available for award at December 31, 2024.
On October 13, 2016, the Company's Board of Directors adopted the Equity Plan. Employees, directors and consultants of the Company are eligible to participate in the Equity Plan. The Equity Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors or the full Board during such times as no committee is appointed by the Board or during such times as the Board is acting in lieu of the committee (the "Committee"). The Equity Plan provides for the grant of equity-based compensation in the form of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance cash and other share-based awards. The Committee has the authority to determine the type of award, as well as the amount, terms and conditions of each award, under the Equity Plan subject to the limitations and other provisions of the Equity Plan. An aggregate of 400,000 shares of the Company's common stock, par value $.01 per share, were authorized for issuance under the Equity Plan, subject to adjustment for stock splits, dividends, distributions, recapitalizations and other similar transactions or events, of which amount 89,303 remains available for issuance at December 31, 2024. If any shares subject to an award are forfeited, expire, or otherwise terminate without issuance of such shares, such shares shall, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration, or termination, again be available for issuance under the Equity Plan.
In response to Item 402(x)(1) of Regulation S-K, the Company does not currently have any program, plan or obligation that requires it to grant equity awards on specific dates. The Compensation Committee does not have a practice or policy of granting equity awards in anticipation of the release of material non-public information and the Company does not time the release of material non-public information in coordination with grants of equity awards in a manner that intentionally benefits our named executive officers.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
There are three independent directors of the Company, Mr. James Russell Bruner, Mr. Richard Gerhardt, and Ms. Read Van de Water. The test utilized by the Company for the determination of independence is that under the NASDAQ listing standards.
On an ongoing basis, the Company reviews all “related party transactions” (those transactions that are required to be disclosed by SEC Regulation S-K, Item 404), if any, for potential conflicts of interest and all such transactions must be approved by the Board of Directors. No transactions for the year ended December 31, 2024 meet the criteria for disclosure.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
On June 11, 2024, the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the Board of Directors of the Company, approved the engagement of BDO USA, P.C. (“BDO”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the Company’s fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
The aggregate fees billed for each of the past two fiscal years for professional services rendered by BDO USA, P.C.; Richmond, VA, the principal accountant for the audit of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023; for assurance and related services related to the audit; for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning; and for all other fees for products and services are shown in the table below (in thousands).
Audit Fees. Fees charged as audit fees are for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and review of financial statements included in the Company’s Forms 10-K and 10-Q’s or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
The Audit Committee has established pre-approval policies and procedures with respect to the engagement of the Company’s independent accountants and audit and permissible non-audit services, provided by the independent accountants. Such policies and procedures do not include the delegation of the responsibilities of the Audit Committee to management. All of the services provided by BDO described below (in thousands) for 2024 and 2023, respectively, were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.
Audit Fees
$ 480
$ 454
Tax Fees
-
-
Audit-Related Fees
-
-
All Other Fees
-
-
Total Fees
$ 480
$ 454
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(1) The financial statements of the Company are included following Part IV of this Form 10-K.
(2) Schedules have been omitted since they are either not applicable, not required or the information is included elsewhere herein.
(3) The following exhibits are filed herewith:
Number
Description
3.1
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (No. 33-89312) declared effective by the Commission on December 13, 1995).
3.2
Bylaws (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 24, 2024).
4.1
Specimen Common Stock Certificate (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (No. 33-89312) declared effective by the Commission on December 13, 1995).
10.1
Employment Agreement, dated September 30, 2002, between the Company and Rodney I. Smith. (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2003).
10.2
Amendment No. 1 to Employment Agreement, dated as of December 31, 2008, between the Company and Rodney I. Smith (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008).
10.3
Commitment Letter, dated November 27, 2023, for the renewal of the equipment line of credit in the amount of $1,500,000 with Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 6, 2023).
10.4
Commercial Line of Credit Agreement and Note, dated January 1, 2025, for the renewal of the line of credit in the amount of $5,000,000 with Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company, formerly Summit Community Bank.
10.5
Commercial Revolving Promissory Note, dated January 1, 2025, issued by the Company to Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company.
10.6
Commercial Security Agreement, dated January 1, 2025, with Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company, formerly Summit Community Bank.
10.7
Promissory Note, dated October 11, 2019, in the amount of $2,228,000 issued by the Company to Summit Community Bank (now known as Bank Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2019).
10.8
Deed of Trust dated October 11, 2019, related to the Promissory Note dated October 11, 2019 between the Company and Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2019).
10.9
Commercial Security Agreement dated October 11, 2019, related to the Promissory Note dated October 11, 2019 between the Company and Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2019).
10.10
Promissory Note, dated March 27, 2020, in the amount of $2,701,404 issued by the Company to Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2020).
10.11
Business Loan Agreement related to the Promissory Note dated March 27, 2020 (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2020).
10.12
Modification and Supplemental Deed of Trust, dated March 27, 2020, between the Company and Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2020) to the Credit Line Deed of Trust, dated April 20, 2011 (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28, 2010).
10.13
Modification Deed of Trust, dated March 27, 2020, between the Company and Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2022) to the Credit Line Deed of Trust, dated September 12, 2013 (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 12, 2013).
10.14
2016 Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-214788) filed on November 23, 2016).
10.15
Employment Agreement, dated as of November 11, 2020, between the Company and Ashley B. Smith (Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 17, 2020).
10.16
Smith-Midland Corporation Long-Term Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2022).
10.17
Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated November 1, 2021, between the Company and Jeffrey A. Leonard, Patricia Ann Leonard and Al-Mara Farm Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 19, 2021).
10.18
Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated November 1, 2021, between the Company and Rodney I. Smith (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 19, 2021).
10.19
Commercial Promissory Note, dated February 10, 2022, in the amount of $2,805,000 issued by the Company to Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 16, 2022).
10.20
Business Loan Agreement, dated February 10, 2022, between Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) and the Company and (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 16, 2022).
10.21
Commercial Real Estate Deed of Trust, dated February 10, 2022, issued by the Company in favor of Summit Community Bank (now known as Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company) (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 16, 2022).
Company Insider Trading Policy.
21.1
List of Subsidiaries of the Company (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 1995).
23.1
Consent of BDO USA, P.C.
31.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer.
31.2
Certification of Principal Financial Officer.
32.1
Certification pursuant 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adapted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Company Clawback Policy.
101.INS
XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.