EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1449792
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1449792_10-K_2022_0001387131-22-004473.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
Overview
Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (referred to herein as the “Company,” “Pioneer,” “Pioneer Power,” “we,” “our” and “us”) design, manufacture, integrate, refurbish, service, distribute and sell electric power systems, distributed energy resources, used and new power generation equipment and mobile electric vehicle (“EV”) charging solutions. Our products and services are sold to a broad range of customers in the utility, industrial and commercial markets. Our customers include, but are not limited to, electric, gas and water utilities, data center developers and owners, EV charging infrastructure developers and owners, and distributed energy developers. The Company is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and operates from three (3) additional locations in the U.S. for manufacturing, service and maintenance, engineering, and sales and administration.
We intend to grow our business through continued internal product development and expansion of our engineering, sales and marketing personnel.
Description of Business Segments
We have two reportable segments: Transmission & Distribution Solutions (“T&D Solutions”) and Critical Power Solutions (“Critical Power”).
● Our T&D Solutions business provides equipment solutions, including e-Bloc, that help customers effectively and efficiently protect, control, transfer, monitor and manage their electric energy requirements. These solutions are marketed principally through our Pioneer Custom Electrical Products Corp. (“PCEP”) brand name.
● Our Critical Power business provides customers with our suite of mobile E-BOOST© EV charging solutions, new and refurbished power generation equipment and all forms of service and maintenance on our customers’ power generation equipment. These products and services are marketed by our operations headquartered in Minnesota, currently doing business under both the Titan Energy Systems Inc. (“Titan”) and Pioneer Critical Power brand names.
Disposition of Business Units
Sale of Pioneer Critical Power, Inc.
On January 22, 2019, Pioneer Critical Power, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“PCPI”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company within the T&D Solutions segment, CleanSpark and CleanSpark Acquisition, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, Merger Sub merged with and into PCPI, with PCPI becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the CleanSpark and the surviving company of the merger (the “Merger”).
At the effective date of the Merger, all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of PCPI, par value $0.01 per share, were converted into the right to receive (i) 175,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“CleanSpark Common Stock”), of CleanSpark, (ii) a five-year warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of CleanSpark Common Stock at an exercise price of $16.00 per share, and (iii) a five-year warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of CleanSpark Common Stock at an exercise price of $20.00 per share. The share quantities and exercise prices of warrants reflect the 10:1 reverse stock split completed by CleanSpark in December 2019.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold all of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants to purchase CleanSpark Common Stock it received in connection with the Merger Agreement and recorded proceeds of $2.4 million. The gain from the sale was partially offset by a mark to market adjustment of $1.4 million resulting in a net gain of $968 to other (income) expense in the accompanying statements of operations. Warrants at fair value were previously recorded at inception as long term within other assets.
In connection with the Merger Agreement, the Company, CleanSpark and PCPI entered into an Indemnity Agreement (the “Indemnity Agreement”), dated January 22, 2019, pursuant to which the Company agreed to assume the liabilities and obligations related to the claims made by Myers Powers Products, Inc. in the then-pending case titled Myers Power Products, Inc. v. Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc., Pioneer Custom Electrical Products, Corp., et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. BC606546 (the “Myers Power Case”) as they may relate to PCPI or CleanSpark after the closing of the Merger.
In connection with entry into the Merger Agreement, the Company and CleanSpark entered into a Contract Manufacturing Agreement (the “Contract Manufacturing Agreement”), dated as of January 22, 2019, pursuant to which the Company will manufacture paralleling switchgear, automatic transfer switches and related control and circuit protective equipment (collectively, “Products”) exclusively for purchase by CleanSpark. CleanSpark will purchase the Products via purchase orders issued to the Company at any time and from time to time. The price for the Products payable by CleanSpark to the Company will be negotiated on a case by case basis. The Contract Manufacturing Agreement had a term of 18 months and expired during the third quarter of 2020.
In connection with entry into the Merger Agreement, the Company and CleanSpark entered into a Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreement (the “Non-Compete Agreement”), dated January 22, 2019, pursuant to which the Company agreed not to, among other things, own, manage, operate, finance, control, advise, render services to or guarantee the obligations of any person or entity that engages in or plans to engage in the design, manufacture, distribution and service of paralleling switchgear, automatic transfer switches, and related products (the “Restricted Business”). The Company agreed not to engage in the Restricted Business within any state or county within the United States in which CleanSpark or the surviving company of the Merger conducts such Restricted Business for a period of four (4) years from the date of the Non-Compete Agreement.
In addition, the Company also agreed, for a period of four (4) years from the date of the Non-Compete Agreement, not to, among other things, directly or indirectly (i) solicit, induce, or attempt to induce customers, suppliers, licensees, licensors, franchisees, consultants of the Restricted Business as conducted by the Company, CleanSpark or the surviving company to cease doing business with the surviving company or CleanSpark or (ii) solicit, recruit, or encourage any of the surviving company’s or CleanSpark’s employees, or independent contractors to discontinue their employment or engagement with the surviving company or CleanSpark.
The Merger resulted in the deconsolidation of PCPI and a gain of $4.2 million in the first quarter of 2019. The fair value of the investment in the CleanSpark Common Stock was determined using quoted market prices, and the fair value of the investment in the warrants was established using a Black Scholes model.
Sale of Transformer Business Units
On June 28, 2019, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Stock Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company, Electrogroup Canada, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Electrogroup”), Jefferson Electric, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Jefferson”), JE Mexican Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“JE Mexico,” and together with Electrogroup and Jefferson, the “Disposed Companies”), Nathan Mazurek (Chief Executive Officer of the Company), Pioneer Transformers L.P. (the “US Buyer”) and Pioneer Acquireco ULC (the “Canadian Buyer,” and together with the US Buyer, the “Buyer”). Pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to sell (i) all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Electrogroup to the Canadian Buyer and (ii) all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Jefferson and JE Mexico to the US Buyer (the “Equity Transaction”), for a purchase price of $68.0 million. Included in the purchase price, the Company received two subordinated promissory notes, issued by the Buyer, in the aggregate principal amount of $5.0 million and $2.5 million, for a total aggregate principal amount of $7.5 million (the “Seller Notes”). During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company and the Buyer, pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, completed the net working capital adjustment, which resulted in the Company paying the Buyer $1.8 million in cash and reducing the principal amount of the $5.0 million Seller Note to $3.2 million. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company recognized an additional reduction to the principal amount of the Seller Note of $194 for a valid claim paid by the Buyer on behalf of the Company. Including the reduction to the principal amount for the valid claim, the Company has revalued the Seller Notes for an appropriate imputed interest rate, resulting in a change to the value of the Seller Notes at December 31, 2021 of $428, for a carrying value of $5.8 million, which is included within notes receivable (see Note 8 - Notes Receivable).
The transaction was consummated on August 16, 2019. Pioneer sold to the Buyer all of the assets and liabilities associated with its liquid-filled transformer and dry-type transformer manufacturing businesses within the Company’s T&D Solutions segment. Pioneer Power retained its switchgear manufacturing business within the T&D Solutions segment, as well as all of the operations associated with its Critical Power segment.
T&D Solutions Segment
We design, manufacture, integrate and sell a wide range of distribution and transmission equipment, including e-Bloc, and our emphasis is to provide custom engineered power solutions, including EV charging solutions, which we estimate currently represents all of our T&D revenue. We believe that demand for our solutions is driven primarily by new installations, customer growth and the global transition to renewable energy.
We distinguish ourselves by producing a wide range of engineered-to-order equipment, sold either directly to end users, engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) firms or through electrical distributors. We serve customers in a variety of industries including, but not limited to, utilities, EV charging infrastructure and data center developers and owners, distributed energy resource developers, EPC contractors and renewable energy developers and producers.
Our focus has been on expanding the sales of our e-Bloc power solutions, and as a result, in December 2021, we received a $12 million order for use by one of the largest mass merchandisers retailers in the world. This order was secured through one of our distributed energy resource developers and is expected to ship during 2022.
Summary of T&D Solutions Segment Offerings
Product Category Solutions
Power Systems
▪ Integrated Power Centers (“IPC”): indoor and outdoor power systems integrating any combinations of the following, but not limited to: switchgear, controls, engine generator sets, energy storage, fuel cells, solar power and EV charging solutions marketed and or internally designated as “e-Bloc” power solutions.
Circuit Protective Equipment ▪ Low and medium voltage switchgear, switchboards and automatic transfer switches.
We design, manufacture and integrate these offerings at our facility in Southern California.
Critical Power Segment
Our Critical Power business designs, manufactures and sells mobile EV charging solutions under our E-BOOST suite of products, in addition to refurbishing and reselling used power generation equipment, distributing new power generation equipment and performing service and maintenance on our customers’ existing power generation equipment. Many of these systems are used to maintain reliable, primary, peak shaving or emergency standby power at facilities where it is required or where the potential consequences of a power outage make it necessary, such as at major national retailers, hospitals, data centers, communications facilities, factories, military sites, office complexes and other critical operations.
Summary of Critical Power Segment Offerings
Product Category Solutions
Suite of
E-BOOST Products
▪ E-BOOST G.O.A.T. (Generator on a Truck) is a truck-mounted option that brings on-demand, high-capacity charging to EV truck and car owners at any convenient location.
▪ E-BOOST Mobile is a trailer-mounted solution that provides multiple options for towing and can be available at specific businesses, large sports and cultural events and can be relocated with minimal effort on short notice.
▪ E-BOOST Pod is a stationary EV charging solution with customizable higher capacity that can also service other power needs especially in emergency situations, such as a power outage, serving as a back-up power source with convenient power connectors and outlets available on board.
Power Generation
Equipment
▪ Engine-generator sets: power generation equipment with up to 2 MW of power output per genset, sourced from several manufacturers and available for install by our expert, licensed technicians.
▪ Available individually or in multi-unit paralleled configurations. Fuel options include liquid propane, natural gas, diesel and bi-fuel.
▪ Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems.
Service
▪ Scheduled preventative maintenance, and 24/7 repair and support services provided for all makes and models of power generation equipment under one to five year contracts.
▪ Regional service and maintenance: provided by our technicians in the Midwest and Florida.
▪ National service and maintenance: provided by our technicians and a network of field service providers throughout the United States for multi-site, multi-state power generation equipment owners.
▪ UPS systems from major manufacturers.
Power generation systems represent considerable investments that require proper maintenance and service in order to operate reliably during a time of emergency. Our power maintenance programs provide preventative maintenance, repair and support service for our customers’ power generation systems. To support our customers in managing their critical infrastructure, we maintain inventories of repair parts, a fleet of service vehicles and a staff of certified field service technicians in the Midwest and Florida. To complete our geographic coverage, we maintain a network of field service partners located in other regions, enabling us to provide quick-response, 24/7 service capability that can effectively service and maintain any make and model of back-up power equipment in any city of the United States. Our field service organization services more than 3,000 generators owned by more than 900 customers located throughout the United States and its territories, including for multi-site, multi-state customers.
We recognize discrete revenue streams from service contracts, sales, installation, maintenance and repair services, and we offer service contracts to all owners of power generation and related equipment, whether or not the equipment was originally sold by us. Our service agreements have terms ranging from one to five years in duration, providing the Company with a recurring revenue stream.
Business Strategy
We believe we have established a stable platform from which to develop and grow our business lines, revenues, net income and shareholder value. We are focused on internal growth through operating efficiencies, new product development, customer focus and our continued migration towards more highly-engineered products and specialized services. We intend to significantly increase the percentage of our sales derived from engineered-to-order products and differentiated services and believe this can be accomplished by targeting market segments such as EV charging infrastructure, microgrid developers, national and regional retailers, telecom towers, farming and agriculture, data centers and independent power producers, which have growth characteristics exceeding the norm in our industry.
We intend to build our revenue and net income at rates exceeding industry norms through internal growth initiatives and complementary acquisitions. Accomplishing these financial goals will be dependent on a number of factors including our ability to execute the following strategies and actions:
● Establishing a scalable organizational infrastructure to support our expected growth;
● Investing in our capabilities to provide progressively more advanced equipment and service solutions;
● Continuously applying our manufacturing and service resources to their highest and best uses;
● Combining and streamlining our business unit supply chains and administrative functions; and
● Improving business processes to deliver consistency, quality and value to our customers.
T&D Solutions Segment
We intend to accomplish our growth objectives within our T&D Solutions business by emphasizing our capabilities in EV charging and original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) equipment solutions and continuing to invest in marketing and engineering resources and product development to increase our pipeline of recurring order customers that demand custom solutions for their power needs.
Critical Power Segment
Within our Critical Power business, we intend to increase the number of national account customers we have by leveraging our scalable, nationwide network of partners which allows us to service and maintain standby power systems anywhere in the United States. We are actively marketing our preventive maintenance services to new national accounts including: major national retailers, telecommunications companies, data centers, banks, hospitals and health care facilities, educational institutions and property management companies. Additionally, we are actively marketing our recently introduced suite of mobile E-BOOST products, launched in November 2021, and our new and used power generation equipment intended to ensure access to uninterrupted power during times of emergency.
Our Industry
The market for T&D equipment and Critical Power solutions is very fragmented due to the range of equipment types, electrical and mechanical properties, technological standards and service parameters required by different categories of end users for their specific applications. Many orders are custom-engineered and tend to be time-sensitive since other critical work is frequently being coordinated around the customer’s electrical equipment installation. The vast majority of North American demand for the types of solutions we provide is satisfied by thousands of producers and service companies in the U.S.
We believe several of the key industry trends supporting future growth in our industry are as follows:
● Aging and Overburdened North American Power Grid - The aging and overburdened North American power grid is expected to require significant capital expenditures to upgrade the existing infrastructure over the next several years to maintain adequate levels of reliability and efficiency. Significant capital investment will be required to relieve congestion, meet growing demand, achieve targets for efficiency, emissions and use of renewable sources, and to replace components of the U.S. power grid operating at, near or past their planned service lives.
● Increasing Long-Term Demand for Electricity and Reliable Power - The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, or EIA, forecasts that total electricity use in the U.S. will increase by approximately 28% from 2011 to 2040. This increase is driven by anticipated population growth, economic expansion, increasing dependence on computing power throughout the economy and the increased use of electrical devices in the home. In order to meet growing demand for electricity in North America, substantial investment in increased electrical grid capacity and efficiency will be required, as well as the addition of specialized equipment to help ensure the reliability and quality of electricity for critical applications. In response to these challenges, there is an increasing trend among commercial and industrial companies to invest in on-site power sources, both for standby purposes in the event of a catastrophic power outage, or to reduce the amount of electricity they draw from the utility grid during peak periods.
● Rapidly Expanding Electric Vehicle (EV) and Charging Infrastructure Market - A report from Allied Market Research in 2020 projected that the global electric vehicle market will reach $803 billion by the year 2027, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.6%. North America is estimated to reach $194 billion by 2027, at a significant CAGR of 27.5%. In 2010, only about 17,000 electric vehicles were on the world’s roads. By 2019, that number had swelled to 7.2 million and is increasing rapidly according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Furthermore, in order for EV’s to grow at such a rapid pace, it is necessary that infrastructure be built to allow for such growth. In 2019, there were about 7.3 million chargers worldwide compared to an insignificant amount ten years ago, and the EV infrastructure has become a global priority as major governments and corporations have committed to spending billions of dollars towards building EV charging infrastructure. In order to meet the rapidly growing demand for EV’s and the infrastructure supporting it, substantial investment in grid connectivity and enhancement will be required.
Customers
For the year ended December 31, 2021, 100% of our sales were to U.S. customers, represented in large part by companies involved in distributed generation, regulated and non-regulated utilities and industrial and wholesale business. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold our electrical equipment and services to over 900 individual customers and our twenty largest customers represented approximately 68% of our consolidated revenue.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, 100% of our sales were to U.S. customers, represented in large part by companies involved in distributed generation, regulated and non-regulated utilities and industrial and wholesale business. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold our electrical equipment and services to over 900 individual customers and our twenty largest customers represented approximately 74% of our consolidated revenue.
Approximately 22% and 34% of our sales in the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, were made to CleanSpark Inc. The majority of our sales to CleanSpark Inc. were made pursuant to the Contract Manufacturing Agreement that was made in January 2019. As previously reported, on January 22, 2019, we entered into a Contract Manufacturing Agreement, dated as of January 22, 2019 (the “Contract Manufacturing Agreement”), by and among us and CleanSpark. Pursuant to the terms of the Contract Manufacturing Agreement, the Company manufactured parallel switchgears, automatic transfer switches and related products (collectively, “Products”) exclusively for purchase by CleanSpark. The Contract Manufacturing Agreement had a term of 18 months and expired on the 18-month anniversary of the execution of the Contract Manufacturing Agreement. Additionally, approximately 19% of our sales in the year ended December 31, 2021 were made to a large international container shipping company in Hawaii.
In connection with the expiry of the Contract Manufacturing Agreement, we entered into a Distribution Agreement with CleanSpark (the “Distribution Agreement”), dated as of May 31, 2021, pursuant to which CleanSpark will serve as our exclusive distributor of the Products within any geographic region in which CleanSpark conducts its business (the “Sales Channel”). We will serve as CleanSpark’s sole source of the Products, and of any similar goods or products that would reasonably be deemed as interchangeable with such Products for sale within the Sales Channel. CleanSpark will purchase the Products via written purchase orders to us. The price for the Products sold under the Distribution Agreement will be determined on a job-by-job basis, provided that CleanSpark shall pay us 97% of the contract sales price of the Products to all end-use customers. The Distribution Agreement terminates on December 31, 2023 and may be extended by mutual agreement of us and CleanSpark.
While the loss of a significant number of customers would have a material adverse effect on our business, we do not believe that the loss of any specific customer would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Marketing, Sales and Distribution
A substantial portion of the products we offer are sold directly to customers by our marketing and sales personnel operating from our office locations in the U.S. Following the sale of the transformer business units, we no longer have office locations or employees in Canada. Our direct sales force, as well as our authorized manufacturers’ representatives, markets to end users and to third parties, such as OEMs, EPC firms, electrical wholesalers, energy developers and value added integrators.
Sales Backlog
Backlog reflects the amount of revenue we expect to realize upon the shipment of customer orders for our products that are not yet complete or for which work has not yet begun. Our sales backlog as of December 31, 2021 was approximately $22.8 million, as compared to $12.7 million as of December 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company experienced a surge in orders for its e-Bloc power system of almost $13 million. This was the primary driver of the 80% increase in the Company’s year over year ending backlog. Orders included in our sales backlog are represented by customer purchase orders and contracts that we believe to be firm.
Competition
We experience intense competition from a large number of electrical equipment manufacturers and from distributors and servicers of such equipment. The number and size of our competitors varies considerably by product line and service category, with many of our competitors tending to be small, highly specialized or focused on a certain geographic market area or customer. However, several of our competitors have substantially greater financial and technical resources than us, including some of the world’s largest electrical products and industrial equipment manufacturing companies. A representative list of our direct competitors in our T&D Solutions segment includes Crown Electric Engineering and Manufacturing, LLC, Industrial Electric Machinery, LLC, Myers Power Products, Inc. and Powell Industries, Inc.
We believe that we compete primarily on the basis of technical support and application expertise, engineering, manufacturing and service capabilities, equipment rating, quality, scheduling and price. In all our businesses, our objective is to focus our efforts on more specialized, challenging and complex applications. Accordingly, a critical element to the success of our business is responsiveness and flexibility in providing custom-engineered solutions to satisfy customer needs. As a result of our long-time presence in the industry, we possess a number of special designs and libraries of programming code for our equipment that were engineered and developed specifically for our customers. We believe these factors give us a competitive advantage and that they are a major contributor to our frequency of repeat customer orders and the longevity of our customer relationships.
Raw Materials and Suppliers
The principal raw materials purchased by us are steel, copper, sensors, circuit breakers, meters and relays. We also purchase certain electrical components such as switches, fuses, protectors and circuit breakers from a variety of suppliers. These raw materials and components are available from and supplied by numerous sources at competitive prices. Unanticipated increases in raw material prices or disruptions in supply could increase production costs and adversely affect our profitability. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we experienced an increase in raw material costs as a result of disruptions to our supply chain. These disruptions were initially generated by the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that had caused many suppliers and sub-suppliers to temporarily reduce or close down excess facilities. The restart of the world economy created initial pressures on the said facilities reaching their pre-pandemic capacity. More recently, geopolitical conflicts have further pressured material costs such as aluminum and nickel. These supply pressures have, and continue to, make it more difficult for us to secure all the material we need in a timely manner in order to meet our obligations and forecasts regarding our customers’ orders. Our largest suppliers during the year ended December 31, 2021 included Industrial Connections & Solutions, LLC, Royal Industrial Solutions, B&B Metals, Inc., Eaton Corporation, and Thyssenkrupp Materials NA.
Employees
As of December 31, 2021, we had 91 employees consisting of 31 salaried staff and 60 hourly workers. Certain of our employees located at our manufacturing facility in Santa Fe Springs, California are covered by a collective bargaining agreement with Local Union 1710 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO that expires in June 2024.
Environmental
We are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations concerning, among other areas, air emissions, discharges into waterways and the generation, handling, storing, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste materials. These laws and regulations are constantly changing and it is impossible to predict with accuracy the effect they may have on us in the future. Like many other industrial enterprises, our manufacturing operations entail the risk of noncompliance, which may result in fines, penalties and remediation costs, and there can be no assurance that such costs will be insignificant. To our knowledge, we are in substantial compliance with all federal, state, provincial and local environmental protection provisions, and believe that the future compliance cost should not have a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures, net income or competitive position. However, legal and regulatory requirements in these areas have been increasing and there can be no assurance that significant costs and liabilities will not be incurred in the future due to regulatory noncompliance.
Corporate History
We were originally formed in the State of Nevada in 2008. On November 30, 2009, we merged with and into Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation, for the sole purpose of changing our state of incorporation from Nevada to Delaware and changing our name to “Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc.” On September 24, 2013, we completed an underwritten public offering and our common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PPSI”.
Available Information
Our corporate website is located at www.pioneerpowersolutions.com. On the investor relations section of our website, we make available, free of charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with or furnish them to the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
We webcast our earnings calls and certain events we participate in with members of the investment community on our investor relations website. Additionally, we provide notifications of news or announcements regarding our financial performance, including SEC filings, investor events and press and earnings releases as part of the investor relations section of our website. The contents of and the information on or accessible through our corporate website, including the investor relations portion of our website, are not a part of, and are not intended to be incorporated into, this report or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be an inactive textual references only.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before investing in our common stock you should carefully consider the following risks, together with the financial and other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and our other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of may become important factors that affect us. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial conditions and operating results may be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock may decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Summary of Risk Factors
Below is a summary of the principal factors that make an investment in our common stock speculative or risky. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks that we face, can be found below under the heading “Risk Factors” and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, before making an investment decision regarding our common stock.
● We are vulnerable to economic downturns in the commercial construction market, which may reduce the demand for some of our products and adversely affect our sales, net income, cash flow or financial condition;
● The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our business;
● Our operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which makes our operating results difficult to predict and can cause our operating results in any particular period to be less than comparable quarters and expectations from time to time;
● Our industry is highly competitive;
● We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from two customers. Loss of business from either of these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results;
● Our remaining business units have historically generated operating losses and negative cash flows, which may result in the usage of our cash;
● The departure or loss of key personnel could disrupt our business;
● Fluctuations in the price and supply of raw materials used to manufacture our products may reduce our profits;
● We may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog;
● We are subject to pricing pressure from our larger customers;
● Deterioration in the credit quality of several major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition;
● We rely on third parties for key elements of our business whose operations are outside our control;
● Supply chain and shipping disruptions may result in shipping delays, a significant increase in shipping costs, and could increase product costs and result in lost sales and reputational damage, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition;
● Our business may face cybersecurity risk generally associated with our information technology systems which could materially affect our business, and our results of operations could be materially affected if our information technology systems (or third-party systems we rely on) are interrupted, damaged by unforeseen events, or fail for any extended period of time;
● Our business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees;
● Our business operations are dependent upon our ability to engage in successful collective bargaining with our unionized workforce;
● Delaware law and our corporate charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable;
● The trading volume of our common stock has recently increased to a level that is significantly higher than our historical average. If the trading volume of our common stock decreases, we will not be able to ensure investors that an active market for our common stock will be sustained;
● Our stock price may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors;
● Our risk management activities may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks;
● Regulatory, environmental, monetary and other governmental policies could have a material adverse effect on our profitability;
● Global, market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and stock price;
● We face risks associated with litigation and claims, which could impact our financial results and condition;
● Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline;
● We are subject to financial reporting and other requirements for which our accounting, internal audit and other management systems and resources may not be adequately prepared;
● There are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected;
● Any acquisitions that we have completed, or may complete in the future, may not perform as planned and could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and operations;
● The success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including dispositions;
● If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business that we acquire, we may be required subsequently to take write downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment;
● We may be unable to generate internal growth; and
● In the event that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted, which could affect our market price and liquidity.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
We are vulnerable to economic downturns in the commercial construction market, which may reduce the demand for some of our products and adversely affect our sales, net income, cash flow or financial condition.
A large portion of our business involves sales of our products in connection with commercial and industrial construction. Our sales to this sector are affected by the level of discretionary business spending. During economic downturns in this sector, the level of business discretionary spending may decrease. This decrease in spending will likely reduce the demand for some of our products and may adversely affect our sales, net income, cash flow or financial condition.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our business.
The ongoing global coronavirus pandemic could have a negative impact on our revenues and operating results. This pandemic could result in disruptions and damage to our business, caused by both the negative impact to our ability to obtain cost effective raw materials, supplies and component parts necessary to operate our business and the negative impact on our ability to operate our facility should the coronavirus spread more broadly in the regions we are located, thereby creating an increased risk of exposure to our workforce which cannot operate our facility remotely. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude that the pandemic will have on our financial condition, liquidity, and future results of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company experienced an impact to productivity as a result of implementing social distancing guidelines and personal protective measures. Notwithstanding, the Company has been able to operate substantially at capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the daily evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global responses to contain its spread, we are not able to estimate the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time, however, if the pandemic continues, it may continue to have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity. Mitigation efforts will not completely prevent our business from being adversely affected, and the longer the pandemic impacts supply and demand and the more broadly the pandemic spreads, it is more likely that the impact on our business, revenues and operating results will become increasingly negative.
In addition, the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, resulting in an economic downturn that could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which makes our operating results difficult to predict and can cause our operating results in any particular period to be less than comparable quarters and expectations from time to time.
Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control and have the potential to materially and adversely affect our results. Factors that affect our operating results include the following:
● the size, timing and terms of sales and orders, especially large customer orders;
● variations caused by customers delaying, deferring or canceling purchase orders or making smaller purchases than expected;
● the timing and volume of work under new agreements;
● the spending patterns of customers;
● customer orders received;
● a change in the mix of our products having different margins;
● a change in the mix of our customers, contracts and business;
● increases in design and manufacturing costs;
● the length of our sales cycles;
● the rates at which customers renew their contracts with us;
● changes in pricing by us or our competitors, or the need to provide discounts to win business;
● a change in the demand or production of our products caused by severe weather conditions;
● our ability to control costs, including operating expenses;
● losses experienced in our operations not otherwise covered by insurance;
● the ability and willingness of customers to pay amounts owed to us;
● the timing of significant investments in the growth of our business, as the revenue and profit we hope to generate from those expenses may lag behind the timing of expenditures;
● costs related to the acquisition and integration of companies or assets;
● general economic trends, including changes in equipment spending or national or geopolitical events such as economic crises, wars or incidents of terrorism; and
● future accounting pronouncements and changes in accounting policies.
Accordingly, our operating results in any particular quarter may not be indicative of the results that you can expect for any other quarter or for an entire year.
Our industry is highly competitive.
The electrical equipment manufacturing industry is highly competitive. Principal competitors in our markets in the T&D Solutions segment include Crown Electric Engineering and Manufacturing, LLC, Industrial Electric Machinery, LLC, and RESA Power, LLC, Powell Industries, Inc. Many of these competitors, as well as other companies in the broader electrical equipment manufacturing and service industry where we expect to compete, are significantly larger and have substantially greater resources than we do and are able to achieve greater economies of scale and lower cost structures than us and may, therefore, be able to provide their products and services to customers at lower prices than we are able to. Moreover, our competitors could develop the expertise, experience and resources to offer products that are superior in both price and quality to our products. While we seek to compete by providing more customized, highly-engineered products, there are few technical or other barriers to prevent much larger companies in our industry from putting more emphasis on this same strategy. Similarly, we cannot be certain that we will be able to market our business effectively in the face of competition or to maintain or enhance our competitive position within our industry, maintain our customer base at current levels or increase our customer base. Our inability to manage our business in light of the competitive forces we face could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from two customers. Loss of business from either of these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
We depend on two customers for a large portion of our business, and any change in the level of orders from either of these customers could have a significant impact on our results of operations. CleanSpark accounted for 22% of our total sales in the year ended December 31, 2021. Additionally, approximately 19% of our sales in the year ended December 31, 2021 were made to a large international container shipping company in Hawaii. Loss of business from either of these customers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. The majority of our sales to CleanSpark were made pursuant to the Contract Manufacturing Agreement that was entered into as part of the Merger Agreement. The Contract Manufacturing agreement expired during the third quarter of 2020. In connection with the expiry of the Contract Manufacturing Agreement, we entered into a Distribution Agreement with CleanSpark dated as of May 31, 2021, pursuant to which CleanSpark will serve as our exclusive distributor of the Products within any geographic region in which CleanSpark conducts its business. See “Item 1. Business-Customers”.
Our remaining business units have historically generated operating losses and negative cash flows, which may result in the usage of our cash.
After the completion of the Equity Transaction during the year ended December 31, 2019, we have two business units remaining (PCEP and Titan). These two units have been unable to earn positive income and generate positive cash flow in their recent history. With $9.9 million of cash as of December 31, 2021, any such losses will negatively impact our cash balance.
The departure or loss of key personnel could disrupt our business.
We depend heavily on the continued efforts of Nathan J. Mazurek, our principal executive officer, and on other senior officers who are responsible for the day-to-day management of our operating subsidiaries. In addition, we rely on our current electrical and mechanical design engineers, many of whom are important to our operations and would be difficult to replace. We cannot be certain that any of these individuals will continue in their respective capacities for any particular period of time. The departure or loss of key personnel, or the inability to hire and retain qualified employees, could negatively impact our ability to manage our business.
Fluctuations in the price and supply of raw materials used to manufacture our products may reduce our profits.
Our raw material costs represented approximately 53% and 54% of our revenues for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The principal raw materials purchased by us are copper, sensors, breakers, meters, relays, switches, fuses, protectors and circuit breakers. These raw materials and components are available from, and supplied by, numerous sources at competitive prices. Unanticipated increases in raw material prices or disruptions in supply could increase production costs and adversely affect our profitability. We cannot provide any assurances that we will not experience difficulties sourcing our raw materials in the future.
We may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog.
We routinely have a backlog of work to be completed on contracts representing a significant portion of our annual sales. As of December 31, 2021, our order backlog was $22.8 million. Orders included in our backlog are represented by customer purchase orders and service contracts that we believe to be firm. Backlog consists of customer orders that either (1) have not yet been started or (2) are in progress and are not yet completed. In the latter case, the revenue value reported in backlog is the remaining value associated with work that has not yet been billed. From time to time, customer orders are canceled that appeared to have a high certainty of going forward at the time they were recorded as new business taken. In the event of a customer order cancellation, we may be reimbursed for certain costs but typically have no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in our backlog. In addition to us being unable to recover certain direct costs, canceled customer orders may also result in additional unrecoverable costs due to the resulting underutilization of our assets.
We are subject to pricing pressure from our larger customers.
We face significant pricing pressures in all of our business segments from our larger customers. Because of their purchasing size, our larger customers can influence market participants to compete on price terms. Such customers also use their buying power to negotiate lower prices. If we are not able to offset pricing reductions resulting from these pressures by improved operating efficiencies and reduced expenditures, those price reductions may have an adverse impact on our financial results.
Deterioration in the credit quality of several major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
A significant asset included in our working capital is accounts receivable from customers. If customers responsible for a significant amount of accounts receivable become insolvent or are otherwise unable to pay for products and services, or become unwilling or unable to make payments in a timely manner, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. A significant deterioration in the economy could have an adverse effect on these accounts receivable, which could result in longer payment cycles, increased collection costs and defaults in excess of management’s expectations. Deterioration in the credit quality of our major customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
We rely on third parties for key elements of our business whose operations are outside our control.
We rely on arrangements with third-party shippers and carriers such as independent shipping companies for timely delivery of our products to our customers. As a result, we may be subject to carrier disruptions and increased costs due to factors that are beyond our control, including labor strikes, inclement weather, natural disasters and rapidly increasing fuel costs. If the services of any of these third parties become unsatisfactory, we may experience delays in meeting our customers’ product demands and we may not be able to find a suitable replacement on a timely basis or on commercially reasonable terms. Any failure to deliver products to our customers in a timely and accurate manner may damage our reputation and could cause us to lose customers.
We also utilize third-party distributors to sell, install and service certain of our products. While we are selective in whom we choose to represent us, it is difficult for us to ensure that our distributors consistently act in accordance with the standards we set for them. To the extent any of our end-customers have negative experiences with any of our distributors or manufacturer’s representatives; it could reflect poorly on us and damage our reputation, thereby negatively impacting our financial results.
Supply chain and shipping disruptions may result in shipping delays, a significant increase in shipping costs, and could increase product costs and result in lost sales and reputational damage, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our third-party manufacturers and suppliers have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, supply chain disruption and shipping disruptions, including disruptions or delays in loading container cargo in ports of origin or off-loading cargo at ports of destination, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, congestion in port terminal facilities, labor supply and shipping container shortages, inadequate equipment and persons to load, dock and offload container vessels and for other reasons. These disruptions may impact our ability to receive materials and products from our manufacturers and suppliers, to distribute our products to our customers in a cost-effective and timely manner and to meet customer demand, all of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that further unforeseen events impacting the supply chain will not have a material adverse effect on us in the future. Additionally, the impacts that supply chain disruptions have on our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are not within our control. It is not currently possible to predict how long it will take for these supply chain disruptions to cease or ease. Prolonged supply chain disruptions that may impact us or our manufacturers and suppliers could interrupt product manufacturing, increase raw material and product lead times, increase raw material and product costs, impact our ability to meet customer demand and result in lost sales and reputational damage, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business may face cybersecurity risk generally associated with our information technology systems which could materially affect our business, and our results of operations could be materially affected if our information technology systems (or third-party systems we rely on) are interrupted, damaged by unforeseen events, or fail for any extended period of time.
We rely on information systems (“IS”) in our business to obtain, rapidly process, analyze, manage and store data to among other things:
● receive, process and ship orders on a timely basis; and
● manage the accurate billing and collections from our customers.
IS risks have generally increased in recent years, and a cyberattack that bypasses our IS security systems causing an IS security breach may lead to a material disruption of our business operations and/or the loss of business information resulting in a material effect on our business.
In addition, we develop products and provide services to our customers that are technology-based, and a cyberattack that bypasses the IS security systems of our products or services causing a security breach and/or perceived security vulnerabilities in our products or services could also cause significant reputational harm, and actual or perceived vulnerabilities may lead to claims against us by our customers. Perceived or actual security vulnerabilities in our products or services, or the perceived or actual failure by us or our customers who use our products to comply with applicable legal requirements, may not only cause us significant reputational harm, but may also lead to claims against us by our customers and involve fines and penalties, costs for remediation, and settlement expenses.
Our IS utilize certain third-party service organizations that manage a portion of our information systems, and our business may be materially affected if these third-party service organizations are subject to an IS security breach. Risks associated with these and other IS security breaches may include, among other things:
● future results could be materially affected due to theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or release of confidential data or intellectual property;
● operational or business delays resulting from the disruption of information systems and subsequent clean-up and mitigation activities;
● we may incur claims, fines and penalties, and costs for remediation, or substantial defense and settlement expenses; and
● negative publicity resulting in reputation or brand damage with our customers, partners or industry peers.
We have various insurance policies, covering risks in amounts that we consider adequate. There can be no assurance that the insurance coverage we maintain is sufficient or will be available in adequate amounts or at a reasonable cost. Successful claims for misappropriation or release of confidential or personal data brought against us in excess of available insurance or fines or other penalties assessed or any claim that results in significant adverse publicity against us could have a material adverse effect on our business and our reputation.
Our business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees.
Our ability to maintain our productivity and profitability will be limited by our ability to employ, train and retain skilled personnel necessary to meet our requirements. We may experience shortages of qualified personnel. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain an adequate skilled labor force necessary to operate efficiently and to support our growth strategy or that our labor expenses will not increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of skilled personnel. Labor shortages, increased labor costs or loss of our most skilled workers could impair our ability to deliver on time to our customers (thereby creating a risk that we lose our customers to competition) and would inhibit our ability to maintain our business or grow our revenues, and may adversely impact our profitability.
An overall tightening and increasingly competitive labor market, notably in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been recently observed in the U.S. A sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates within our employee base, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of general macroeconomic factors, could lead to increased costs, such as increased wage rates to attract and retain employees, and could negatively affect our ability to efficiently operate our manufacturing facilities and overall business. If we are unable to hire and retain employees capable of performing at a high-level, or if mitigation measures we may take to respond to a decrease in labor availability, such as overtime and third-party outsourcing, have unintended negative effects, our business could be adversely affected. An overall labor shortage, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of general macroeconomic factors, could have a material adverse impact on our operations, results of operations, liquidity or cash flows.
Our business operations are dependent upon our ability to engage in successful collective bargaining with our unionized workforce.
If we are unable to renew our collective bargaining agreements, or if additional segments of our workforce become unionized, we may be subject to work interruptions or stoppages. Strikes or labor disputes with our employees may adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.
Risks Relating to Our Organization
Delaware law and our corporate charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.
Our board of directors is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the voting powers, preferences and other rights and limitations of the preferred stock. Accordingly, we may issue shares of preferred stock with a preference over our common stock with respect to dividends or distributions on liquidation or dissolution, or that may otherwise adversely affect the voting or other rights of the holders of common stock. Issuances of preferred stock, depending upon the rights, preferences and designations of the preferred stock, may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control, even if that change of control might benefit our stockholders. In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Section 203 generally prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or (iii) on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Section 203 could delay or prohibit mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts with respect to us and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.
Risks Relating to our Common Stock
The trading volume of our common stock has recently increased to a level that is significantly higher than our historical average. If the trading volume of our common stock decreases, we will not be able to ensure investors that an active market for our common stock will be sustained.
The trading volume of our common stock spiked significantly in Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, and our common stock has continued to trade at higher volumes than our historical average. We do not know why the trading volume of our common stock has spiked significantly; we believe, however, that the sharp spike in the trading volume of our common stock is the result of a number of factors outside our control, including recent volatility in the stock market, which continues to remain unpredictable. There has been no recent change in our financial condition or results of operations that is consistent with the increase in the trading volume of our common stock, and the recent spike in the trading volume of our common stock may not be sustained.
In the event of a rapid decrease in the trading volume of our common stock, there can be no assurance that an active trading market in our common stock could be maintained, and any illiquidity resulting from such a decrease in the trading volume of our common stock may result in the market price not accurately reflecting our relative value. If our common stock were to be thinly traded, even limited trading in our common stock could lead, as it has at times in the past, to dramatic fluctuations in share price, and investors might not be able to liquidate their investment in us at all or at a price that reflects the value of the business.
General Risk Factors
Our stock price may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors.
The market price of our common stock is highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following:
● technological innovations or new products and services by us or our competitors;
● additions or departures of key personnel, including Nathan J. Mazurek, our chairman, president and chief executive officer;
● sales of our common stock, including management shares;
● limited availability of freely-tradable “unrestricted” shares of our common stock to satisfy purchase orders and demand;
● our ability to execute our business plan;
● operating results that fall below expectations;
● loss of any strategic relationship;
● industry developments;
● economic and other external factors;
● our ability to manage the costs of maintaining adequate internal financial controls and procedures in connection with the acquisition of additional businesses;
● period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results; and
● announcements of acquisitions.
In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also significantly affect the market price of our common stock.
Our risk management activities may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks.
Although we maintain insurance policies for our business, these policies contain deductibles and limits of coverage. We estimate our liabilities for known claims and unpaid claims and expenses based on information available as well as projections for claims incurred but not reported. However, insurance liabilities are difficult to estimate due to various factors and we may be unable to effectively anticipate or measure potential risks to our company. If we suffer unexpected or uncovered losses, any of our insurance policies or programs are terminated for any reason or are not effective in mitigating our risks, we may incur losses that are not covered by our insurance policies or that exceed our accruals or that exceed our coverage limits and could adversely impact our consolidated results of operations, cash flows and financial position.
Regulatory, environmental, monetary and other governmental policies could have a material adverse effect on our profitability.
We are subject to international, federal, provincial, state and local laws and regulations governing environmental matters, including emissions to air, discharge to waters and the generation and handling of waste. We are also subject to laws relating to occupational health and safety. The operation of manufacturing plants involves a high level of susceptibility in these areas, and there is no assurance that we will not incur material environmental or occupational health and safety liabilities in the future. Moreover, expectations of remediation expenses could be affected by, and potentially significant expenditures could be required to comply with, environmental regulations and health and safety laws that may be adopted or imposed in the future. Future remediation technology advances could adversely impact expectations of remediation expenses. We can give no assurance that any lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or operating results. Types of potential litigation cases include product liability, contract, employment-related, labor relations, personal injury or property damage, intellectual property, stockholder claims and claims arising from any injury or damage to persons, property or the environment from hazardous substances used, generated or disposed of in the conduct of our business. Adverse outcomes in some or all of these claims may result in significant monetary damages that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.
Global, market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and stock price.
Concerns over inflation, geopolitical issues, the U.S. financial markets, capital and exchange controls, unstable global credit markets and financial conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to periods of significant economic instability, declines in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, diminished expectations for the global economy and expectations of slower global economic growth going forward, and increased unemployment rates. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturns, volatile business environments and continued unstable or unpredictable economic and market conditions. If these conditions continue to deteriorate or do not improve, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to complete, more costly, and more dilutive. In addition, there is a risk that one or more of our current or future service providers, manufacturers, suppliers, our third-party payors, and other partners could be negatively affected by difficult economic times, which could adversely affect our ability to attain our operating goals on schedule and on budget or meet our business and financial objectives.
In addition, we face several risks associated with international business and are subject to global events beyond our control, including war, public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics, trade disputes, economic sanctions, trade wars and their collateral impacts and other international events. Any of these changes could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations. There may be changes to our business if there is instability, disruption or destruction in a significant geographic region, regardless of cause, including war, terrorism, riot, civil insurrection or social unrest; and natural or man-made disasters, including famine, flood, fire, earthquake, storm or disease. In February 2022, armed conflict escalated between Russia and Ukraine. The sanctions announced by the U.S. and other countries, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine against Russia to date include restrictions on selling or importing goods, services or technology in or from affected regions and travel bans and asset freezes impacting connected individuals and political, military, business and financial organizations in Russia. The U.S. and other countries could impose wider sanctions and take other actions should the conflict further escalate. It is not possible to predict the broader consequences of this conflict, which could include further sanctions, embargoes, regional instability, geopolitical shifts and adverse effects on macroeconomic conditions, currency exchange rates and financial markets, all of which could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face risks associated with litigation and claims, which could impact our financial results and condition.
Our business, results of operations and financial condition could be affected by significant litigation or claims adverse to us. Types of potential litigation cases include product liability, contract, employment-related, labor relations, personal injury or property damage, intellectual property, trade secret or unfair competition claims, stockholder claims and claims arising from any injury or damage to persons, property or the environment from hazardous substances used, generated or disposed of in the conduct of our business.
Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.
Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public market could harm the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of common stock. Our stockholders and the holders of our options and warrants may sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market. The availability of these shares of our common stock for resale in the public market has the potential to cause the supply of our common stock to exceed investor demand, thereby decreasing the price of our common stock.
In addition, the fact that our stockholders, option holders and warrant holders can sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, could make it more difficult for us to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.
We are subject to financial reporting and other requirements for which our accounting, internal audit and other management systems and resources may not be adequately prepared.
We are subject to reporting and other obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Section 404 requires us to conduct an annual management assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. These reporting and other obligations place significant demands on our management, administrative, operational, internal audit and accounting resources. Any failure to maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and stock price.
In addition, our internal controls will also include those of any company or business that we may acquire in the future. Acquired companies or businesses are likely to have different standards, controls, contracts, procedures and policies, making it more difficult to implement and harmonize company-wide financial, accounting, information and other systems. As a result, our internal controls may become more complex and we may require significantly more resources to ensure they remain effective. Failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, either in our existing business or in businesses that we may acquire, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.
There are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
The ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require us to identify material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, which is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our internal controls and disclosure controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, in our company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may be inadequate because of changes in conditions, such as growth of the company or increased transaction volume, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
In addition, discovery and disclosure of a material weakness, by definition, could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements. Such an occurrence could discourage certain customers or suppliers from doing business with us and adversely affect how our stock trades. This could in turn negatively affect our ability to access equity markets for capital.
Any acquisitions that we have completed, or may complete in the future, may not perform as planned and could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and operations.
In an effort to effectively compete in the specialty electrical equipment manufacturing and service businesses, where increasing competition and industry consolidation prevail, we have sought to acquire complementary businesses in the past and will continue to do so in the future. In the event of any future acquisitions, we could:
● issue additional securities that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership or provide the purchasers of the additional securities with certain preferences over those of common stockholders, such as dividend or liquidation preferences;
● incur debt and assume liabilities; and
● incur large and immediate write-offs of intangible assets, accounts receivable or other assets.
These events could result in significant expenses and decreased revenue, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, integrating acquired businesses and completing any future acquisitions involve numerous operational and financial risks. These risks include difficulty in assimilating acquired operations, diversion of management’s attention, and the potential loss of key employees or customers of acquired operations. Furthermore, companies acquired by us may not generate financial results consistent with our management’s plans at the time of acquisition.
The success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including dispositions.
We continue to evaluate the potential disposition of assets and businesses that may no longer help us meet our objectives. When we decide to sell assets or a business, we may encounter difficulty in finding buyers or executing alternative exit strategies on acceptable terms in a timely manner, which could delay the accomplishment of our strategic objectives. Alternatively, we may dispose of a business at a price or on terms that are less than we had anticipated, or with the exclusion of assets that must be divested separately. After reaching an agreement with a buyer for the disposition of a business, the transaction remains subject to the satisfaction of pre-closing conditions, which may prevent us from completing the transaction. Dispositions may also involve continued financial involvement in the divested business, such as through continuing equity ownership, transition service agreements, guarantees, indemnities or other current or contingent financial obligations. Under these arrangements, performance by the divested businesses or other conditions outside our control could affect our future financial results.
If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business that we acquire, we may be required subsequently to take write downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
As part of our acquisition strategy, we will need to conduct a due diligence investigation of one or more target businesses. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. We may have limited time to conduct such due diligence. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business that we acquire, we cannot assure you that this diligence will uncover all material issues relating to a particular target business, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in us reporting losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our common stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants that we may be subject to as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing.
We may be unable to generate internal growth.
Our ability to generate internal growth will be affected by, among other factors, our ability to attract new customers, increases or decreases in the number or size of orders received from existing customers, hiring and retaining skilled employees and increasing volume utilizing our existing facilities. Many of the factors affecting our ability to generate internal growth may be beyond our control, and we cannot be certain that our strategies will be implemented with positive results or that we will be able to generate cash flow sufficient to fund our operations and to support internal growth. If we do not achieve internal growth, our results of operations will suffer and we will likely not be able to expand our operations or grow our business.
In the event that we fail to satisfy any of the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted, which could affect our market price and liquidity.
Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. In order to maintain the listing of Pioneer Power’s common stock on NASDAQ, Pioneer Power’s common stock must comply with certain continued listing requirements, including having:
● at least two registered and active market makers, one of which may be a market maker entering a stabilizing bid;
● a minimum bid price of at least $1.00 per share;
● at least 300 total holders (including both beneficial holders and holders of record, but excluding any holder who is directly or indirectly an executive officer, director or the beneficial holder of more than 10% of the total shares outstanding); and
● at least 500,000 publicly held shares with a market value of at least $1.0 million (excluding any shares held directly or indirectly by officers, directors or any person who is the beneficial owner of more than 10% of the total shares outstanding).
● Pioneer Power must also meet at least one of the following continued listing standards:
● stockholders’ equity of at least $2.5 million;
● market value of Pioneer Power’s common stock of at least $35 million; or
● net income from continuing operations of $500,000 in the most recently completed fiscal year or in two of the three most recently completed fiscal years.
No assurances can be given that Pioneer Power will continue to satisfy these requirements as some of these requirements are outside of Pioneer Power’s direct control, such as the bid price of its common stock, the number of holders of its common stock and the value of its publicly held shares. If Pioneer Power is unable to meet these requirements, NASDAQ may take action to delist Pioneer Power’s common stock. In such a case, Pioneer Power may appeal NASDAQ’s determination to delist its common stock, but such appeal may not be successful.
If Pioneer Power’s common stock is delisted from NASDAQ, Pioneer Power expects that its common stock would begin trading on the over-the-counter markets. The delisting of Pioneer Power’s common stock could result in a reduction in its trading price and would substantially limit the liquidity of Pioneer Power’s common stock. In addition, delisting could materially adversely impact Pioneer Power’s ability to raise capital or pursue strategic restructuring, refinancing or other transactions. Delisting from NASDAQ could also have other negative results, including the potential loss of confidence by institutional investors.

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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.
Approximate
Owned or
Square
Lease
Location
Description
Footage
Expiration Date
Santa Fe Springs, California
Manufacturing, sales, engineering and administration
40,000
August
Champlin, Minnesota
Manufacturing, sales, service and warehouse
16,000
March
Miami, Florida
Sales, service and warehouse
3,600
December
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Corporate management and sales office
2,700
November
We believe our facilities are well maintained, in proper condition to operate at higher than current levels and are adequately insured. We do not anticipate significant difficulty in renewing or extending existing leases as they expire, or in replacing them with equivalent facilities or office locations.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we may become involved in lawsuits, investigations and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business.
As of the date hereof, we are not aware of or a party to any legal proceedings to which we or any of our subsidiaries is a party or to which any of our property is subject, nor are we aware of any such threatened or pending litigation or any such proceedings known to be contemplated by governmental authorities that we believe could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.
We can give no assurance that any other lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or operating results.
We are not aware of any material proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates or any registered or beneficial shareholder of more than 5% of our common stock is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our interest.

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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.
Our common stock has been listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PPSI” since September 19, 2013. Prior to that time, it was quoted on the OTCQB. The last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 30, 2022, was $5.80 per share. As of March 30, 2022, there were 21 holders of record of our common stock.
The timing and amount of future dividends could require the Company to seek capital funding to support its ongoing operations as the Company’s historical credit arrangements were terminated in connection with the Equity Transaction.
We did not repurchase any of our equity securities during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

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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.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Overview
We design, manufacture, integrate, refurbish, service, distribute and sell electric power systems, distributed energy resources, used and new power generation equipment and mobile EV charging solutions. Our products and services are sold to a broad range of customers in the utility, industrial and commercial markets. Our customers include, but are not limited to, electric, gas and water utilities, data center developers and owners, EV charging infrastructure developers and owners, and distributed energy developers. We are headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and operate from three (3) additional locations in the U.S. for manufacturing, service and maintenance, engineering, and sales and administration.
The Company intends to grow its business through continued internal product development and expansion of our engineering, sales and marketing personnel.
Our operations are divided into two reportable segments: T&D Solutions segment and Critical Power segment. Our T&D Solutions business provides equipment solutions, including e-Bloc, that help customers effectively and efficiently protect, control, transfer, monitor and manage their electric energy requirements. These solutions are marketed principally through our PCEP brand name. Our Critical Power business provides customers with our suite of mobile E-BOOST© EV charging solutions, new and refurbished power generation equipment and all forms of service and maintenance on our customers’ power generation equipment. These products and services are marketed by our operations headquartered in Minnesota, currently doing business under both the Titan and Pioneer Critical Power brand names.
Recent Developments
On October 20, 2020, we entered into an At the Market Offering Agreement (the “ATM Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (“Wainwright”), pursuant to which we may offer and sell our shares of common stock, preferred stock, warrants and/or units of up to $25.0 million from time to time through Wainwright, acting as sales agent or principal (the “ATM Program”). On October 20, 2020, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3, including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $25.0 million of our common stock, preferred stock, warrants and/or units, and a sales agreement prospectus (the “Sales Agreement Prospectus” and, together with the Base Prospectus, the “Registration Statement”) which covered the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $9.0 million of our common stock under the ATM Program. The Registration Statement was declared effective on October 27, 2020. On November 8, 2021, we sold 888,500 shares of common stock under the ATM Program, for total gross proceeds of approximately $9.0 million, at an average price of $10.1288 per share. We incurred approximately $273 of costs related to the common shares issued (including a placement fee of 3.0%, or approximately $270, to Wainwright), resulting in net proceeds of approximately $8.7 million. On December 13, 2021, we filed a new sales agreement prospectus supplement related to the Registration Statement, which covers the offering, issuance and sale of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of up to $8.6 million of common stock that may be issued and sold under the ATM Agreement.
Critical Accounting Policies
Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The financial statements include estimates based on currently available information and our judgment as to the outcome of future conditions and circumstances. Significant estimates in these financial statements include, inventory provisions, useful lives and impairment of long-lived assets, income tax provision, stock-based compensation, and allowance for doubtful accounts. Changes in the status of certain facts or circumstances could result in material changes to the estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements and actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions.
Revenue Recognition. Revenue is recognized when (1) a contract with a customer exists, (2) performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the products or services that will be transferred to the customer, (3) the transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which the Company will be entitled in exchange for transferring products or services to the customer, (4) the transaction price is allocated to the performance obligations in the contract and (5) the Company satisfies performance obligations. The Company satisfies performance obligations either over time or at a point in time. Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring a promised product or service to a customer. Revenue from the sale of our products is predominantly recognized at a point in time. Revenues are recognized at the point in time that the customer obtains control of the good which is when it has taken title to the products and has assumed the risks and rewards of ownership specified in the purchase order or sales agreement. Certain sales of highly customized large equipment are recognized over time when such equipment has no alternative use and the Company has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. Revenue for such agreements is recognized under the input method based on cost incurred relative to the estimated cost expected to be consumed to complete the project. Service revenues include maintenance contracts that are recognized over time based on the contract term and repair services which are recognized as services are delivered.
Return of a products requires that the buyer obtain permission in writing from the Company. If products are returned without such permission, the buyer authorizes the Company, in addition to such other remedies as it may have, to hold the returned products at the buyer’s sole risk and expense. When the buyer requests authorization to return material for reasons of their own, the buyer will be charged for placing the returned goods in saleable condition, restocking charges and for any outgoing and incoming transportation paid by the Company. The Company warrants title to the products, and also warrants the products on date of shipment to the buyer, to be of the kind and quality described in the contract, merchantable, and free of defects in workmanship and material. Returns and warranties during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were insignificant.
Inventories. A substantial portion of the Company’s inventory includes raw materials and parts utilized to support the manufacturing process at PCEP and equipment sales and service offerings at Titan. We value inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value. If a write down to the current market value is necessary, the market value cannot be greater than the net realizable value, which is defined as selling price less costs to complete and dispose, and cannot be lower than the net realizable value less a normal profit margin. We also continually evaluate the composition of our inventory and identify obsolete, slow-moving and excess inventories. Inventory items identified as obsolete, slow-moving or excess are evaluated to determine if reserves are required. If we were not able to achieve our expectations of the net realizable value of the inventory at current market value, we would have to adjust our reserves accordingly. We attempt to accurately estimate future product demand to properly adjust inventory levels for our standard products. However, significant unanticipated changes in demand could have a significant impact on the value of inventory and of operating results.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. We review long-lived assets for impairment including intangible assets with determinable useful lives whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the corresponding asset group may not be realizable. If an evaluation is required, the estimated future undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset group are compared to the asset group’s carrying amount to determine if an impairment of such asset is necessary. This requires us to make long-term forecasts of the future revenues and costs related to the assets groups subject to review. Forecasts require assumptions about demand for our products and future market conditions. Estimating future cash flows requires significant judgment, and our projections may vary from cash flows eventually realized. Future events and unanticipated changes to assumptions could require a provision for impairment in a future period. The effect of any impairment would be reflected in operating income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. In addition, we estimate the useful lives of our long-lived assets and other intangibles and periodically review these estimates to determine whether these lives are appropriate.
Leases. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires, among other things, a lessee to recognize a liability representing future lease payments and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. For operating leases, a lessee will be required to recognize at inception a right-of-use asset and a lease liability equal to the net present value of the lease payments, with lease expense recognized over the lease term on a straight-line basis. For leases with a term of twelve months or less, ASU 2016-02 allows a reporting entity to make an accounting policy election to not recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, and to recognize lease expense on a straight-line basis. ASU No. 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. Upon adoption, a reporting entity should apply the provisions of ASU 2016-02 at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach, which includes certain optional practical expedients that an entity may elect to apply. We adopted this standard in our first quarter of 2018 using the modified retrospective approach.
Stock Compensation. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The amendments in this update expand the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. An entity should apply the requirements of Topic 718 to nonemployee awards except for specific guidance on inputs to an option pricing model and the attribution of cost (that is, the period of time over which share-based payment awards vest and the pattern of cost recognition over that period). The amendments specify that Topic 718 applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. The amendments also clarify that Topic 718 does not apply to share-based payments used to effectively provide (1) financing to the issuer or (2) awards granted in conjunction with selling goods or services to customers as part of a contract accounted for under Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The updated standard is effective for the Company beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that fiscal year. Early adoption of the new guidance is permitted, but no earlier than an entity’s adoption date of Topic 606. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2019. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Fair Value Measurement. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement that eliminates, amends, and adds certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. The ASU is effective for all annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2020. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instrument. In June 2016, the FASB issued amended guidance to ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments that changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking “expected loss” model that will replace today’s “incurred loss” model and generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses in a manner similar to current practice, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance. This amended guidance for small reporting companies is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities will apply the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company does not expect that the amended guidance will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
Income Taxes. We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method, based on the income tax laws and rates in the countries in which operations are conducted and income is earned. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities using expected rates in effect for the tax year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Developing the provision for income taxes requires significant judgment and expertise in federal, international and state income tax laws, regulations and strategies, including the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities and, if necessary, any valuation allowances that may be required for deferred tax assets. The Company has recorded a valuation allowance in the current and prior years to reduce deferred tax assets to zero. If we were to subsequently determine that we would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its net recorded amount, an adjustment to deferred tax assets would increase net income for the period in which such determination was made. We will continue to assess the adequacy of the valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. Our judgments and tax strategies are subject to audit by various taxing authorities.
Rounding
All dollar amounts (except share and per share data) presented are stated in thousands of dollars, unless otherwise noted. Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview of 2021 Operating Results
Selected financial and operating data for our reportable business segments for the most recent two years is summarized below. This information, as well as the selected financial data provided in Note 15 and our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, should be referred to when reading our discussion and analysis of results of operations below. Our summary of operating results during the years ended 2021 and 2020 are as follows:
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues
T&D Solutions $ 9,484 $ 10,257
Critical Power Solutions 8,827 9,233
Consolidated 18,311 19,490
Cost of goods sold
T&D Solutions 9,430 10,630
Critical Power Solutions 7,488 7,979
Consolidated 16,918 18,609
Gross profit 1,393
Selling, general and administrative expenses 5,148 5,028
Depreciation and amortization expense
Total operating expenses 5,255 5,165
Operating loss from continuing operations (3,862 ) (4,284 )
Interest income (387 ) (334 )
Other income (1,292 ) (969 )
Loss before taxes (2,183 ) (2,981 )
Income tax (benefit) expense (16 )
Net loss $ (2,167 ) $ (2,986 )
Backlog. Our backlog is based on firm orders from our customers expected to be delivered in the future, most of which is expected to occur during the next twelve months. Backlog may vary significantly from reporting period to reporting period due to the timing of customer commitments. Backlog reflects the amount of revenue we expect to realize upon the shipment of customer orders for our products that are not yet complete or for which work has not yet begun.
Our order backlog at December 31, 2021 was $22.8 million, an increase of $10.1 million, or 80%, when compared to $12.7 million at December 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company experienced a surge in orders for its e-Bloc power system of almost $13 million. This was the primary driver of the 80% increase in the Company’s year over year ending backlog. The following table represents the progression of our backlog, by reporting segment, for the periods ended as indicated:
December 31,
T&D Solutions $ 17,499 $ 5,881
Critical Power Solutions 5,349 6,792
Total order backlog $ 22,848 $ 12,673
Revenue
The following table represents our revenues by reporting segment and major product category for the periods indicated (in thousands, except percentages):
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Variance %
T&D Solutions
Switchgear and e-Bloc power system $ 9,484 $ 10,257 $ (773 ) (7.5 )
9,484 10,257 (773 ) (7.5 )
Critical Power Solutions
Equipment 1,891 1,574 20.1
Service 6,936 7,659 (723 ) (9.4 )
8,827 9,233 (406 ) (4.4 )
Total revenue $ 18,311 $ 19,490 $ (1,179 ) (6.0 )
For the year ended December 31, 2021, our consolidated revenue decreased by $1.2 million, or 6.0% to $18.3 million, down from $19.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.
T&D Solutions. During the year ended December 31, 2021, revenue from our switchgear and e-Bloc power system product lines decreased by $773, or 7.5%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, due to a reduction in sales of our automatic transfer switches and low voltage switchgear partially caused by delays in shipments of equipment at the end of 2021 as a result of supply chain disruptions, offset by an increase in sales of our medium voltage switchgear. Additionally, approximately 37% of our sales in the year ended December 31, 2021 were made to a large international container shipping company in Hawaii.
Critical Power. For the year ended December 31, 2021, revenue for our equipment sales increased by $317, or 20.1%, as compared to the prior year, mainly due to an increase in shipments and completions of larger equipment projects by our Florida division and increased sales of our refurbished power generation equipment during the year ended December 31, 2021.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, our service revenue decreased by $723, or 9.4%, as compared to the same period in the prior year, primarily due to the cyclicality of our preventative maintenance schedules and the loss of Verizon preventive maintenance business.
Gross Profit (Loss) and Gross Margin
The following table represents our gross profit (loss) by reporting segment for the periods indicated (in thousands, except percentages):
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Variance %
T&D Solutions
Gross profit (loss) $ 54 $ (373 ) $ 427 114.5
Gross margin % 0.6 (3.6 ) 4.2
Critical Power Solutions
Gross profit 1,339 1,254 6.8
Gross margin % 15.2 13.6 1.6
Consolidated gross profit $ 1,393 $ 881 $ 512 58.1
Consolidated gross margin % 7.6 4.5 3.1
For the year ended December 31, 2021, our gross margin percentage was 7.6% of revenues, compared to 4.5% during the year ended December 31, 2020.
T&D Solutions. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our gross margin increased by 4.2%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was primarily due to the $546 write down of inventory recognized during the year ended December 31, 2020 as a result of management’s strategic decisions to rationalize its traditional product offerings and no comparable write down of inventory being recognized during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Critical Power. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our gross margin increased by 1.6%, to 15.2%, from 13.6% for the prior year, predominately due to a reduction in overhead costs and the acceptance of price increases from our customers.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we experienced an increase in raw material and labor costs which applied downward pressure on our consolidated gross margin.
Operating Expenses
The following table represents our operating expenses by reportable segment for the periods indicated (in thousands, except percentages):
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Variance %
T&D Solutions
Selling, general and administrative expense $ 1,099 $ 1,516 $ (417 ) (27.5 )
Depreciation and amortization expense (30 ) (66.7 )
Segment operating expense $ 1,114 $ 1,561 $ (447 ) (28.6 )
Critical Power Solutions
Selling, general and administrative expense $ 1,660 $ 1,624 $ 36 2.2
Depreciation and amortization expense 6.7
Segment operating expense $ 1,724 $ 1,684 $ 40 2.4
Unallocated Corporate Overhead Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expense $ 2,389 $ 1,888 $ 501 26.5
Depreciation and amortization expense (4 ) (12.5 )
Segment operating expense $ 2,417 $ 1,920 $ 497 25.9
Consolidated
Selling, general and administrative expense $ 5,148 $ 5,028 $ 120 2.4
Depreciation and amortization expense (30 ) (21.9 )
Consolidated operating expense $ 5,255 $ 5,165 $ 90 1.7
Selling, General and Administrative Expense. For the year ended December 31, 2021, consolidated selling, general and administrative expense, before depreciation and amortization, increased by approximately $120, or 2.4%, to $5.1 million, as compared to $5.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. As a percentage of our consolidated revenue, selling, general and administrative expense increased to 28.1% in 2021, as compared to 25.8% in the year ended December 31, 2020.
The selling, general and administrative expense in our T&D Solutions segment decreased by $417, or 27.5%, during the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to a reduction in professional fees related to the Myers Power Case, which was settled during the year ended December 31, 2020, offset by an increase in payroll related expenses, product development fees, bad debt expense and third party commissions during the year ended December 31, 2021.
The selling, general and administrative expense in our Critical Power segment increased by $36, or 2.2%, during the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to product development fees recording during the year ended December 31, 2021 and no product development fees being recognized during the year ended December 31, 2020.
The selling, general and administrative expense in our unallocated corporate overhead expenses increased by $501, or 26.5%, during the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation and payroll related expenses, investor relations and public reporting fees and business travel related costs. Additionally, we recognized a recovery of a receivable that was previously written off during the year ended December 31, 2020, and no comparable recovery of a receivable was recognized during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses. Depreciation and amortization expense consists primarily of depreciation of fixed assets and amortization of right-of-use assets related to our finance leases and excludes amounts included in cost of sales. For the year ended December 31, 2021, consolidated depreciation and amortization expense decreased by $30, or 21.9%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to a reduction in depreciation expense as a result of fixed assets having become fully depreciated during the year ended December 31, 2021, while such assets incurred depreciation expense for the full year ended December 31, 2020.
Operating Loss
The following table represents our operating loss by reportable segment for the periods indicated:
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Variance %
T&D Solutions $ (1,060 ) $ (1,934 ) $ 874 45.2
Critical Power Solutions (385 ) (430 ) 10.5
Unallocated corporate overhead expenses (2,417 ) (1,920 ) (497 ) (25.9 )
Total operating loss $ (3,862 ) $ (4,284 ) $ 422 9.9
T&D Solutions. Operating loss from our T&D Solutions segment decreased by $874, or 45.2%, in the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to the $546 write down of inventory recognized during the year ended December 31, 2020 and no write down of inventory being recognized during the year ended December 31, 2021, and a reduction in professional fees related to the Myers Power Case, which was settled during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Critical Power. Operating loss from our Critical Power segment decreased by $45, or 10.5%, during the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the acceptance of price increases from our customers and a reduction in overhead costs which strengthened our margins on sales of equipment and service.
General Corporate Expense. Our general corporate expenses consist primarily of executive management, corporate accounting and human resources personnel, corporate office expenses, financing and corporate development activities, payroll and benefits administration, treasury, tax compliance, legal, stock-based compensation, public reporting costs and costs not specifically allocated to reportable business segments. During the year ended December 31, 2021, our unallocated corporate overhead expense increased by $497, or 25.9%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation and payroll related expenses, investor relations and public reporting fees and business travel related costs. Additionally, we recognized a recovery of a receivable that was previously written off during the year ended December 31, 2020, and no comparable recovery of a receivable was recognized during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Non-Operating Income
Interest Income. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we had interest income of approximately $387, as compared to interest income of approximately $334 during the year ended December 31, 2020. We generate the majority of our interest income from the Seller Notes received from the sale of the transformer business units in August 2019 and our cash on hand.
Other Income. Other income in the consolidated statements of operations reports certain gains and losses associated with activities not directly related to our core operations. For the year ended December 31, 2021, other non-operating income was $1.3 million, as compared to $969 during the year ended December 31, 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2021, included in other income was a gain of $1.4 million for the extinguishment and forgiveness of the PPP Loan, and for the year ended December 31, 2020, included in other income was a gain of $968 related to the sale and mark to market adjustment on the fair value of the right to receive 175,000 shares of CleanSpark Common Stock converted from the issued and outstanding shares of PCPI, and warrants to purchase CleanSpark Common Stock.
Provision for Income Taxes. Our provision reflects an effective tax rate on loss before taxes of 0.7% for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to (0.2)% for the year ended December 31, 2020, as set forth below:
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Variance
Loss before income taxes $ (2,183 ) $ (2,981 ) $ 798
Income tax (benefit) expense (16 ) (21 )
Effective income tax rate % 0.7 (0.2 ) 0.9
Net Loss per Share
We generated a net loss of $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to a net loss of $3.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Our net loss per basic and diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $0.24, compared to $0.34 for the year ended December 31, 2020.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
General. As of December 31, 2021, we had $9.9 million of cash on hand generated primarily from the sale of common stock under the ATM Program during the year ended December 31, 2021. We have historically met our cash needs through a combination of cash flows from operating activities and bank borrowings, the completion of the Equity Transaction, proceeds from the sale of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants to purchase CleanSpark Common Stock, proceeds from insurance and funding from the Payroll Protection Program. Our cash requirements historically were generally for operating activities, debt repayment, capital improvements and acquisitions.
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the consolidated statement of cash flows:
December 31,
Cash $ 9,924 $ 7,567
Restricted cash 1,775 -
Total cash and restricted cash as shown in the statement of cash flows $ 11,699 $ 7,567
During the first quarter of 2021, the Company executed a cash collateral security agreement with a commercial bank, which agreement required us to pledge cash collateral as security for all unpaid reimbursement obligations owing to the commercial bank for an irrevocable standby letter of credit in the amount of $1.8 million. As a result of executing the cash collateral security agreement, the Company recognized approximately $1.8 million of restricted cash within the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2021.
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced a global health emergency because of a new strain of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China and the risks to the international community as the virus spreads globally beyond its point of origin. In March 2020, the WHO classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic (the “COVID-19 pandemic”), based on the rapid increase in exposure globally.
The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude that the pandemic will have on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, and future results of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company experienced an impact to productivity as a result of following social distancing guidelines and practicing personal protective measures. Notwithstanding, the Company has been able to operate substantially at capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Management is actively monitoring the global situation on its financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. Given the daily evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global responses to contain its spread, the Company is not able to estimate the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time, however, if the pandemic continues, it may continue to have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity.
On March 27, 2020, then President Trump signed into law the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act” (the “CARES Act”) The CARES Act, among other things, appropriates funds for the SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans that are forgivable in certain situations to promote continued employment. On April 13, 2020, after having determined that it met the qualifications for this loan program due to the impact that COVID-19 would have on our financial condition, results of operations, and/or liquidity and applying for relief, the Company received a loan under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP Loan”) in the amount of $1.4 million. The Company accounted for the PPP Loan as a debt instrument in accordance with FASB ASC 470, Debt.
Under the terms of the PPP Loan, the Company was eligible for full or partial loan forgiveness. During the first quarter of 2021, the Company received full forgiveness of the PPP Loan and recognized a $1.4 million gain on extinguishment and forgiveness of debt as other income in the audited consolidated statements of operations.
Cash Used in Operating Activities. Cash used in our operating activities was $2.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to cash used in our operating activities of $3.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in cash used in operating activities is primarily due to working capital fluctuations and a one-time settlement payment (in an amount that did not differ significantly from the $1.2 million of expected costs the Company had recognized as a legal contingency during the year ended December 31, 2018) that was made during the year ended December 31, 2020, and a one-time $1.4 million gain on the extinguishment and forgiveness of the PPP Loan recognized during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Cash Used in / Provided by Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $237, as compared to cash provided by our investing activities of $2.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in cash provided by investing activities is primarily due to the recognition of $2.4 million of proceeds from the sale of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants during the year ended December 31, 2020, and no comparable proceeds being recognized during the year ended December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2021, additions to our property, plant and equipment were $237.
Cash Provided by Financing Activities. Cash provided by our financing activities was $6.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to cash provided by our financing activities of $337 during the year ended December 31, 2020. The primary source of cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 were the net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in November 2021 under the ATM Program, offset by cash used in financing activities as a result of recognizing a dividend paid to shareholders of $1.0 million.
Working Capital. As of December 31, 2021, we had working capital of $18.6 million, including $9.9 million of cash and $1.8 million of restricted cash, compared to working capital of $8.4 million, including $7.6 million of cash at December 31, 2020. At December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we no longer had a revolving credit facility, as it was paid in full and terminated in August 2019 with the proceeds from the sale of the transformer business units.
Assessment of Liquidity. At December 31, 2021, we had $9.9 million of cash on hand generated primarily from the sale of common stock under the ATM Program during the year ended December 31, 2021. We have historically met our cash needs through a combination of cash flows from operating activities and bank borrowings, the completion of the Equity Transaction, proceeds from the sale of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants to purchase CleanSpark Common Stock, proceeds from insurance and funding from the Payroll Protection Program. Our cash requirements historically were generally for operating activities, debt repayment, capital improvements and acquisitions.
On June 1, 2021, our board of directors declared a special cash dividend of $0.12 per common share, payable to shareholders of record as of June 22, 2021, to be paid on July 7, 2021. The cash dividends were paid in July of 2021 and equaled $0.12 per share on the $0.001 par value common stock resulting in an aggregate distribution of approximately $1.0 million representing a capital repayment paid from APIC.
On November 8, 2021, we sold 888,500 shares of common stock under the ATM Program, for total net proceeds of approximately $8.7 million. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Recent Developments”.
We expect to meet our cash needs with our working capital and cash flows from our operating activities. We expect our cash requirements to be generally for operating activities, capital improvements and product development. We expect that our cash balance is sufficient to fund operations for the next twelve months. Beginning January 1, 2022, in the next 12 months, we have contractual lease obligations representing approximately $920. We have historically funded these obligations by a combination of cash flow from operations and the raising of capital through additional debt or equity.
In addition, beginning in January 2023, we have contractual lease obligations representing an aggregate of approximately $908. We intend to fund the majority of these obligations by a combination of cash flow from operations, as well as the raising of capital through additional debt or equity.
Capital Expenditures
Our additions to property, plant and equipment were $237 during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to no additions during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Known Trends, Events, Uncertainties and Factors That May Affect Future Operations
We believe that our future operating results will continue to be subject to quarterly variations based upon a wide variety of factors, including the cyclical nature of the electrical equipment industry and the markets for our products and services. Our operating results could also be impacted by changing customer requirements and exposure to fluctuations in prices of important raw supplies, such as copper, steel and aluminum. We have various insurance policies, including cybersecurity, covering risks in amounts that we consider adequate. In addition to these measures, we attempt to recover other cost increases through improvements to our manufacturing efficiency and through increases in prices where competitively feasible. Lastly, other economic conditions we cannot foresee may affect customer demand. We predominately sell to customers in the industrial production and commercial construction markets. Accordingly, changes in the condition of any of our customers may have a greater impact than if our sales were more evenly distributed between different end markets. For a further discussion of factors that may affect future operating results see the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Off Balance Sheet Transactions and Related Matters
We have no off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons that have, or may have, a material effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
New Accounting Pronouncements
The information required by this Item is provided in “Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
There have been no recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted by the Company which would have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Income Taxes. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740), which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. The ASU is effective for all annual and interim periods beginning December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2021. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Fair Value Measurement. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement that eliminates, amends, and adds certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2020. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instrument. In June 2016, the FASB issued amended guidance to ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments that changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking “expected loss” model that will replace today’s “incurred loss” model and generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses in a manner similar to current practice, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance. This amended guidance for small reporting companies is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities will apply the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company does not expect that the amended guidance will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

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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.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Consolidated Financial Statements for the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (BDO USA, LLP, New York, NY: PCAOB ID#243)
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Shareholders and Board of Directors
Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc.
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Inventory Reserve
As described in Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements, as of December 31, 2021 a substantial portion of the Company’s inventory is comprised of work-in-process, which includes raw materials and capitalized labor and overhead utilized to support the manufacturing process at Pioneer Custom Electrical Products Corp (PCEP) to fulfill customer orders. Management analyzes work-in-process inventory to identify circumstances whereby the capitalized inventory cost exceeds its net realizable value. If management determines that the cost of the work-in-process inventory will not be recoverable, a reserve to adjust the inventory to net realizable value is required to be recognized.
We identified the valuation of inventory reserve related to net realizable value at PCEP as a critical audit matter. In determining the net realizable value reserve over PCEP work-in-process inventory, significant estimates for estimated costs to complete projects are applied to open work orders. The evaluation over the need for a reserve requires management to develop and utilize assumptions in its determination of estimates to complete the open work orders based upon an assessment of project status and efforts required to complete the assembly of the finished product. Auditing the critical assumptions used by management in determining the net realizable value reserve involved especially challenging auditor judgment due to the nature and extent of audit effort needed to evaluate the reasonableness of the assumptions and judgments made by management.
The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:
● Testing a sample of PCEP work-in-process inventory on hand at year end and comparing expected completed costs to current market prices through the examination of relevant source documents.
● Testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying costs incurred to date on PCEP work-in-process inventory on hand at year end through the examination of relevant source documents including bill of materials and actual costs incurred to date.
● Evaluating management's conclusion of estimated projects to complete on a sample of PCEP work-in-process inventory on hand at year end through a combination of inquiries of operating project managers and agreeing subsequent costs incurred through the examination of relevant source documents.
● Evaluating the reasonableness of management’s estimates and current period costs estimates of inventory reserves by performing a retrospective comparison of prior estimates to current period activity to assess management’s ability to estimate inventory reserves.
/s/ BDO USA, LLP
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2014.
New York, New York
March 31, 2022
PIONEER POWER SOLUTIONS, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except per share data)
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues $ 18,311 $ 19,490
Cost of goods sold
Cost of goods sold 16,918 18,063
Write down of inventory -
Total cost of goods sold 16,918 18,609
Gross profit 1,393
Operating expenses
Selling, general and administrative 5,255 5,165
Total operating expenses 5,255 5,165
Loss from continuing operations (3,862 ) (4,284 )
Interest income (387 ) (334 )
Other income (1,292 ) (969 )
Loss before taxes (2,183 ) (2,981 )
Income tax (benefit) expense (16 )
Net loss $ (2,167 ) $ (2,986 )
Loss per share:
Basic $ (0.24 ) $ (0.34 )
Diluted $ (0.24 ) $ (0.34 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic 8,858 8,726
Diluted 8,858 8,726
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
PIONEER POWER SOLUTIONS, INC.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share amounts)
December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash $ 9,924 $ 7,567
Restricted cash 1,775 -
Notes receivable 5,778 -
Accounts receivable, net 2,429 2,587
Insurance receivable -
Inventories, net 4,160 2,403
Income taxes receivable -
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,069
Total current assets 25,135 13,956
Property, plant and equipment, net
Right-of-use assets 2,237 1,504
Notes receivable - 5,350
Other assets
Total assets $ 27,927 $ 21,287
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 4,159 $ 4,027
Deferred revenue 2,423
Current maturities of long-term debt -
Income taxes payable -
Total current liabilities 6,582 5,538
Long-term debt -
Other long-term liabilities 1,793 1,257
Total liabilities 8,375 7,428
Commitments and contingencies (note 11) - -
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued - -
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 30,000,000 shares authorized; 9,640,545 and 8,726,045 shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively
Additional paid-in capital 31,840 23,981
Accumulated other comprehensive income
Accumulated deficit (12,312 ) (10,145 )
Total stockholders’ equity 19,552 13,859
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 27,927 $ 21,287
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
PIONEER POWER SOLUTIONS, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Operating activities
Net loss $ (2,167 ) $ (2,986 )
Depreciation
Amortization of right-of-use assets
Amortization of imputed interest (428 ) (448 )
Interest expense from PPP Loan
Gain on forgiveness of PPP Loan (1,417 ) -
Non-cash cost of operating leases
Change in receivable reserves (57 )
Change in inventory reserves (535 )
Write down of inventory -
Change in long term payables -
Proceeds from insurance receivable 1,705
Gain on investments - (968 )
Stock-based compensation
Other -
Changes in current operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable 1,158
Inventories (1,883 ) 2,139
Prepaid expenses and other assets (195 ) (692 )
Income taxes (501 )
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (3,352 )
Deferred revenue 1,709 (727 )
Net cash used in operating activities (2,341 ) (3,613 )
Investing activities
Additions to property, plant and equipment (237 ) -
Proceeds from sale of investments - 2,436
Change in notes receivable -
Net cash (used in) / provided by investing activities (237 ) 2,630
Financing activities
Bank overdrafts - (374 )
Funding from PPP Loan - 1,404
Payment of deferred purchase price - (397 )
Payment of deferred payroll taxes (100 ) -
Net proceeds from the exercise of options for common stock -
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock 8,663 -
Dividend paid to shareholders (1,047 ) -
Principal repayments of financing leases (864 ) (296 )
Net cash provided by financing activities 6,710
Increase / (decrease) in cash and restricted cash 4,132 (646 )
Cash, and restricted cash, beginning of year 7,567 8,213
Cash, and restricted cash, end of period $ 11,699 $ 7,567
Supplemental cash flow information:
Interest paid
Income taxes paid, net of refunds (395 )
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Acquisition of right-of-use assets 1,598 -
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
PIONEER POWER SOLUTIONS, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(Amounts in thousands, except share amounts)
Accumulated
Additional other compre-
Total
Common Stock paid-in hensive Accumulated stockholders’
Shares Amount capital income deficit equity
Balance - January 1, 2020 (Revised) 8,726,045 $ 9 $ 23,978 $ 14 $ (7,159 ) $ 16,842
Net loss - - - - (2,986 ) (2,986 )
Stock-based compensation - - - -
Balance - December 31, 2020 8,726,045 $ 9 $ 23,981 $ 14 $ (10,145 ) $ 13,859
Balance - January 1, 2021 8,726,045 $ 9 $ 23,981 $ 14 $ (10,145 ) $ 13,859
Net loss - - - - (2,167 ) (2,167 )
Stock-based compensation - - - -
Dividend to shareholders - - (1,047 ) - - (1,047 )
Exercise of stock options 26,000 - - -
Issuance of common stock, net of transaction costs 888,500 8,662 - - 8,663
Balance - December 31, 2021 9,640,545 $ 10 $ 31,840 $ 14 $ (12,312 ) $ 19,552
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
PIONEER POWER SOLUTIONS, INC.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (referred to herein as the “Company,” “Pioneer,” “Pioneer Power,” “we,” “our” and “us”) design, manufacture, integrate, refurbish, service, distribute and sell electric power systems, distributed energy resources, used and new power generation equipment and mobile electric vehicle (“EV”) charging solutions. Our products and services are sold to a broad range of customers in the utility, industrial and commercial markets. Our customers include, but are not limited to, electric, gas and water utilities, data center developers and owners, EV charging infrastructure developers and owners, and distributed energy developers. The Company is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and operates from three (3) additional locations in the U.S. for manufacturing, service and maintenance, engineering, sales and administration.
NASDAQ Listing
On September 24, 2013, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of 1,265,000 shares of its common stock at a gross sales price of $7.00 per share, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $7.9 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses. In connection with the public offering, the Company’s common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol PPSI.
Segments
In determining operating and reportable segments in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 280, Segment Reporting (“ASC 280”), the Company concluded that it has two reportable segments, which are also our operating segments: Transmission & Distribution Solutions (“T&D Solutions”) and Critical Power Solutions (“Critical Power”). Financial information about the Company’s segments is presented in Note 15 - Business Segment, Geographic and Customer Information.
Sale of Transformer Business Units
On June 28, 2019, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Stock Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company, Electrogroup Canada, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Electrogroup”), Jefferson Electric, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Jefferson”), JE Mexican Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“JE Mexico,” and together with Electrogroup and Jefferson, the “Disposed Companies”), Nathan Mazurek (Chief Executive Officer of the Company), Pioneer Transformers L.P. (the “US Buyer”) and Pioneer Acquireco ULC (the “Canadian Buyer,” and together with the US Buyer, the “Buyer”). Pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to sell (i) all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Electrogroup to the Canadian Buyer and (ii) all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Jefferson and JE Mexico to the US Buyer (the “Equity Transaction”), for a purchase price of $68.0 million. Included in the purchase price, the Company received two subordinated promissory notes, issued by the Buyer, in the aggregate principal amount of $5.0 million and $2.5 million, for a total aggregate principal amount of $7.5 million (the “Seller Notes”). During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company and the Buyer, pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, completed the net working capital adjustment, which resulted in the Company paying the Buyer $1.8 million in cash and reducing the principal amount of the $5.0 million Seller Note to $3.2 million. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company recognized an additional reduction to the principal amount of the Seller Note of $194 for a valid claim paid by the Buyer on behalf of the Company. Including the reduction to the principal amount for the valid claim, the Company has revalued the Seller Notes for an appropriate imputed interest rate, resulting in a change to the value of the Seller Notes at December 31, 2021 of $428, for a carrying value of $5.8 million, which is included within notes receivable (see Note 8 - Notes Receivable).
Presentation
The accompanying audited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared pursuant to the rules of the SEC and reflect the accounts of the Company as of December 31, 2021. Certain information and footnote disclosures, normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations. We believe that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading to the reader. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the financial position, results of operations and cash flows with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements have been included.
These audited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Pioneer and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Liquidity
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As shown in the accompanying financial statements as of the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company had $9.9 million of cash on hand and working capital of $18.6 million. The cash on hand was generated primarily from the sale of common stock under the ATM Program during the year ended December 31, 2021. We have historically met our cash needs through a combination of cash flows from operating activities and bank borrowings, the completion of the Equity Transaction, proceeds from the sale of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants to purchase CleanSpark Common Stock, proceeds from insurance and funding from the Payroll Protection Program. Our cash requirements historically were generally for operating activities, debt repayment, capital improvements and acquisitions. We expect to meet our cash needs with our working capital and cash flows from our operating activities. We expect our cash requirements to be generally for operating activities, product development and capital improvements. The Company expects that its current cash balance is sufficient to fund operations for the next twelve months.
On June 1, 2021, the board of directors of the Company declared a special cash dividend of $0.12 per common share, payable to shareholders of record as of June 22, 2021, to be paid on July 7, 2021. The Cash dividends were paid in July of 2021 and equaled $0.12 per share on the $0.001 par value common stock resulting in an aggregate distribution of approximately $1.0 million representing a capital repayment paid from additional paid-in capital (“APIC”).
On October 20, 2020, we entered into an At The Market Sale Agreement with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (“Wainwright”), pursuant to which we may offer and sell our common shares having an aggregate price of up to $9.0 million from time to time through Wainwright, acting as agent or principal (the “ATM Program”). Shares of common stock are offered pursuant to a sales agreement prospectus included in the Company’s shelf registration on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 20, 2020, which was declared effective on October 27, 2020. On November 8, 2021, we sold 888,500 shares of common stock under the ATM Program, for total gross proceeds of approximately $9.0 million, at an average price of $10.1288 per share. We incurred approximately $273 of costs related to the common shares issued (including a placement fee of 3.0%, or approximately $270, to Wainwright), resulting in net proceeds of approximately $8.7 million.
During the first quarter of 2021, the Company executed a cash collateral security agreement with a commercial bank, which agreement required us to pledge cash collateral as security for all unpaid reimbursement obligations owing to the commercial bank for an irrevocable standby letter of credit in the amount of $1.8 million. As a result of executing the cash collateral security agreement, the Company recognized approximately $1.8 million of restricted cash within the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2021.
In November 2016, the FASB issued amended guidance to ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash (Topic 230), which requires the statement of cash flows to explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and that restricted cash be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows.
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the audited consolidated statement of cash flows:
December 31,
Cash $ 9,924 $ 7,567
Restricted cash 1,775 -
Total cash and restricted cash as shown in the statement of cash flows $ 11,699 $ 7,567
COVID-19
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced a global health emergency because of a new strain of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China and the risks to the international community as the virus spreads globally beyond its point of origin. In March 2020, the WHO classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic (the “COVID-19 pandemic”), based on the rapid increase in exposure globally.
The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude that the pandemic will have on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, and future results of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company experienced an impact to productivity as a result of following social distancing guidelines and practicing personal protective measures. Notwithstanding, the Company has been able to operate substantially at capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Management is actively monitoring the global situation on its financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. Given the daily evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global responses to contain its spread, the Company is not able to estimate the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time, however, if the pandemic continues, it may continue to have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity.
On March 27, 2020, then President Trump signed into law the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act” (the “CARES Act”) The CARES Act, among other things, appropriates funds for the SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans that are forgivable in certain situations to promote continued employment. On April 13, 2020, after having determined that it met the qualifications for this loan program due to the impact that COVID-19 would have on our financial condition, results of operations, and/or liquidity and applying for relief, the Company received a loan under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP Loan”) in the amount of $1.4 million. The Company accounted for the PPP Loan as a debt instrument in accordance with FASB ASC 470, Debt.
Under the terms of the PPP Loan, the Company was eligible for full or partial loan forgiveness. During the first quarter of 2021, the Company received full forgiveness of the PPP Loan and recognized a $1.4 million gain on extinguishment and forgiveness of debt as other income in the audited consolidated statements of operations.
Rounding
All dollar amounts (except share and per share data, and with respect to Item 11, Agreements with Executive Officers) presented are stated in thousands of dollars, unless otherwise noted. Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
General
The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The financial statements include estimates based on currently available information and management’s judgment as to the outcome of future conditions and circumstances. Significant estimates in these financial statements include allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, inventory provision, useful lives and impairment of long-lived assets and income tax provision.
Changes in the status of certain facts or circumstances could result in material changes to the estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements and actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is recognized when (1) a contract with a customer exists, (2) performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the products or services that will be transferred to the customer, (3) the transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which the Company will be entitled in exchange for transferring products or services to the customer, (4) the transaction price is allocated to the performance obligations in the contract and (5) the Company satisfies performance obligations. The Company satisfies performance obligations either over time or at a point in time. Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring a promised product or service to a customer. Revenue from the sale of our products is predominantly recognized at a point in time. Revenues are recognized at the point in time that the customer obtains control of the good which is when it has taken title to the products and has assumed the risks and rewards of ownership specified in the purchase order or sales agreement. Certain sales of highly customized large equipment are recognized over time when such equipment has no alternative use and the Company has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. Revenue for such agreements is recognized under the input method based on cost incurred relative to the estimated cost expected to be consumed to complete the project. Service revenues include maintenance contracts that are recognized over time based on the contract term and repair services which are recognized as services are delivered.
Cost of Goods Sold
Cost of goods sold for the T&D Solutions and Critical Power segments primarily includes charges for materials, direct labor and related benefits, freight (inbound and outbound), direct supplies and tools, purchasing and receiving costs, inspection costs, internal transfer costs, warehousing costs and utilities related to production facilities and, where appropriate, an allocation of overhead. Cost of goods sold also includes indirect labor and infrastructure cost related to the provision of field services.
Financial Instruments
The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash, restricted cash, receivables, payables and debt instruments. The carrying values of these financial instruments approximate their respective fair values as they are either short-term in nature or carry interest rates which are periodically adjusted to market rates. Unless otherwise indicated, the carrying value of these financial instruments approximates their fair market value.
Concentrations
The Company manages its accounts receivable credit risk by performing credit evaluations and monitoring amounts due from the Company’s customers. The Company had certain customers whose revenue individually represented 10% or more of the Company’s total revenue, or whose accounts receivable balances individually represented 10% or more of the Company’s total accounts receivable, as follows:
At December 31, 2021 and 2020, two customers represented approximately 43% and 42% of accounts receivable, respectively.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, two customers represented approximately 41% of revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2020, one customer represented approximately 34% of revenue.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand, demand deposits and investments with an original maturity at the date of purchase of three months or less. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist principally of cash deposits. Accounts at each institution are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had balances of $9.7 million and $7.3 million in excess of the FDIC insured limits, respectively. The Company reduces exposure to credit risk by maintaining cash deposits with major financial institutions. The Company has not experienced any losses on these accounts and conclude the credit risk to be minimal.
Restricted Cash
Restricted Cash consists of a cash collateral security agreement with a commercial bank which required the Company to pledge cash collateral as security for all unpaid reimbursement obligations owing to the commercial bank for an irrevocable standby letter of credit.
Accounts Receivable
The Company accounts for trade receivables at original invoice amount less an estimate made for doubtful receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts on a monthly basis. Management determines the allowance for doubtful accounts by regularly evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer’s financial condition, credit history and current economic conditions. The Company writes off trade receivables when they are deemed uncollectible. The Company records recoveries of trade receivables previously written off when it receives them. Management considers the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts, which was $140 and $69 as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, to appropriately measure the uncertainty in certain accounts receivable.
Long-Lived Assets
Depreciation and amortization for property, plant and equipment, and finite life intangible assets, is computed and included in cost of goods sold and in selling and administrative expense, as appropriate. Long-lived assets, consisting primarily of property, plant and equipment, are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Property, plant and equipment are depreciated using the straight line method, based on the estimated useful lives of the assets (buildings - 25 years, machinery and equipment - 5 to 15 years, computer hardware and software - 3 to 5 years, furniture & fixtures 5 to 7 years, leasehold improvements - term of lease). Depreciation commences in the year the assets are ready for their intended use.
Historically, finite life intangible assets have consisted primarily of customer relationships in multiple categories that are specific to the businesses acquired and for which estimated useful lives were determined based on actual historical customer attrition rates. These finite life intangible assets were amortized by the Company over periods ranging from four to ten years.
Long-lived assets and finite life intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances have occurred that indicate the remaining useful life of the asset may warrant revision or that the remaining balance of the asset may not be recoverable. Upon indications of impairment, or in the normal course of annual testing, assets and liabilities are grouped at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. The measurement of possible impairment is generally estimated by the ability to recover the balance of an asset group from its expected future operating cash flows on an undiscounted basis. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value thereof. Determining asset groups and underlying cash flows requires the use of significant judgment.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, based on the income tax laws and rates in the countries in which operations are conducted and income is earned. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Developing the provision for income taxes requires significant judgment and expertise in federal, international and state income tax laws, regulations and strategies, including the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities and, if necessary, any valuation allowances that may be required for deferred tax assets. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company believes that the deferred asset, net recorded as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 is realizable through future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences. If the Company was to subsequently determine that it would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its net recorded amount, an adjustment to deferred tax assets would increase net income for the period in which such determination was made. The Company will continue to assess the adequacy of the valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. The Company’s tax filings are subject to audit by various taxing authorities.
The objective of accounting for income taxes is to recognize the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences or events that have been recognized in the Company’s financial statements or tax returns. The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position (see “Unrecognized Tax Benefits” below).
Income tax related interest and penalties are grouped with interest expense on the consolidated statement of operations.
Unrecognized Tax Benefits
The Company accounts for unrecognized tax benefits in accordance with FASB ASC “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold that a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements and provides guidance on de-recognition, measurement, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition issues. ASC 740 contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Additionally, ASC 740 requires the Company to accrue interest and related penalties, if applicable, on all tax positions for which reserves have been established consistent with jurisdictional tax laws. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters as interest expense. See Note 14 - Income Taxes.
Share-Based Payments
The Company accounts for share based payments in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC 718 “Compensation - Stock Compensation” and accordingly recognizes in its financial statements share based payments at their fair value. In addition, it recognizes in the financial statements an expense based on the grant date fair value of stock options granted to employees and directors. The expense is recognized on a straight line basis over the expected option life while taking into account the vesting period and the offsetting credit is recorded in additional paid-in capital. Upon exercise of options, the consideration paid together with the amount previously recorded as additional paid-in capital is recognized as capital stock. The Company estimates its forfeiture rate in order to determine its compensation expense arising from stock based awards. The Company uses the Black-Scholes Merton option pricing model to determine the fair value of the options. Non-employee members of the Board of Directors are deemed to be employees for the purposes of recognizing share-based compensation expense.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value using weighted average method and include the cost of materials, labor and manufacturing overhead. The Company uses estimates in determining the level of reserves required to state inventory at the lower of cost or market. The Company estimates are based on market activity levels, production requirements, the physical condition of products and technological innovation. Changes in any of these factors may result in adjustments to the carrying value of inventory. See Note 6 - Inventories.
Income (Loss) Per Share
Basic income (loss) per share is computed by dividing the income (loss) for the period by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) per share is computed by dividing the income (loss) for the period by the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. (See Note 16 - Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share).
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
There have been no recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted by the Company which would have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Income Taxes. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740), which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. The ASU is effective for all annual and interim periods beginning December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2021. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Fair Value Measurement. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement that eliminates, amends, and adds certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2020. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instrument. In June 2016, the FASB issued amended guidance to ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments that changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking “expected loss” model that will replace today’s “incurred loss” model and generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses in a manner similar to current practice, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance. This amended guidance for small reporting companies is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities will apply the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company does not expect that the amended guidance will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
3. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”), defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in the principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value standard also establishes a three level hierarchy, which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability on the measurement date. The three levels are defined as follows:
● Level 1 - inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for an identical asset or liability in an active market.
● Level 2 - inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for a similar asset or liability in an active market or model derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
● Level 3 - inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement of the asset or liability.
On January 22, 2019, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Merger Sub, which resulted in the Company receiving financial instruments that included the right to receive (i) 175,000 shares of CleanSpark Common Stock, (ii) a five-year warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of CleanSpark Common Stock at an exercise price of $16.00 per share, and (iii) a five-year warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of CleanSpark Common Stock at an exercise price of $20.00 per share. The share quantities and exercise prices of warrants reflect the 10:1 reverse stock split which was completed by CleanSpark in December 2019.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold all of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants to purchase CleanSpark Common Stock it received in connection with the Merger Agreement and recorded proceeds of $2.4 million. The gain from the sale was partially offset by a mark to market adjustment of $1.4 million resulting in a net gain of $968 to other income in the accompanying statements of operations. Warrants at fair value were previously recorded at inception as long term within other assets.
No other changes in valuation techniques or inputs occurred during the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. No transfers of assets between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value measurement hierarchy occurred during the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
4. REVENUES
Nature of our products and services
Our principal products and services include electric power systems, distributed energy resources, used and new power generation equipment and mobile electric vehicle (“EV”) charging solutions.
Products
Our T&D Solutions business provides electric power systems, including e-Bloc, and distributed energy resources that help customers effectively and efficiently protect, control, transfer, monitor and manage their electric energy requirements
Our Critical Power business provides customers with our suite of mobile e-Boost electric vehicle charging solutions and new and refurbished power generation equipment.
Services
Power generation systems represent considerable investments that require proper maintenance and service in order to operate reliably during a time of emergency. Our power maintenance programs provide preventative maintenance, repair and support service for our customers’ power generation systems.
Our principal source of revenue is derived from sales of products and fees for services. We measure revenue based upon the consideration specified in the customer arrangement, and revenue is recognized when the performance obligations in the customer arrangement are satisfied. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or service to the customer. The transaction price of a contract is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when or as, the customer receives the benefit of the performance obligation. Customers typically receive the benefit of our products when the risk of loss or control for the product transfers to the customer and for services as they are performed. Under ASC 606, revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised products or services in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services. To achieve this core principal, the Company applies the following five steps:
1) Identify the contract with a customer
A contract with a customer exists when (i) the Company enters into an enforceable contract with a customer that defines each party’s rights regarding the products or services to be transferred and identifies the payment terms related to these products or services, (ii) the contract has commercial substance and, (iii) the Company determines that collection of substantially all consideration for products or services that are transferred is probable based on the customer’s intent and ability to pay the promised consideration. The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intention to pay, which is based on a variety of factors including the customer’s historical payment experience or, in the case of a new customer, published credit and financial information pertaining to the customer.
2) Identify the performance obligations in the contract
Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the products or services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the product or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from the Company, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the products or services is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised products or services, the Company must apply judgment to determine whether promised products or services are capable of being distinct and distinct in the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met the promised products or services are accounted for as a combined performance obligation.
3) Determine the transaction price
The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which the Company will be entitled in exchange for transferring products or services to the customer. The customer payments are generally due in 30 days.
4) Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract
If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative standalone selling price basis or cost of the product or service. The Company determines standalone selling price based on the price at which the performance obligation is sold separately. If the standalone selling price is not observable through past transactions, the Company estimates the standalone selling price taking into account available information such as market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations.
5) Recognize revenue when or as the Company satisfies a performance obligation
The Company satisfies performance obligations either over time or at a point in time. Revenue is recognized at the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring a promised product or service to a customer.
Revenue from the sale of our products is predominantly recognized at a point in time. Revenues are recognized at the point in time that the customer obtains control of the good which is when it has taken title to the products and has assumed the risks and rewards of ownership specified in the purchase order or sales agreement. Certain sales of highly customized large equipment are recognized over time when such equipment has no alternative use and the Company has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. Revenue for such agreements is recognized under the input method based on cost incurred relative to the estimated cost expected to be consumed to complete the project.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recognized $3.5 million of revenue over time and incurred costs of $3.1 million related to a single contract for a highly customized large equipment order. Additionally, the Company recognized $7.9 million of revenue at a point in time from the sale of our products during the year ended December 31, 2021. Service revenues include maintenance contracts that are recognized over time based on the contract term and repair services which are recognized as services are delivered. The Company recognized $6.9 million of service revenue during the year ended December 31, 2021.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recognized approximately $714 of revenue that was recognized as deferred revenue at December 31, 2020, as compared to $1.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Return of a product requires that the buyer obtain permission in writing from the Company. When the buyer requests authorization to return material for reasons of their own, the buyer will be charged for placing the returned goods in saleable condition, restocking charges and for any outgoing and incoming transportation paid by the Company. The Company warrants title to the products, and also warrants the products on date of shipment to the buyer, to be of the kind and quality described in the contract, merchantable, and free of defects in workmanship and material. Returns and warranties during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were insignificant.
The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by revenue discipline:
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Products $ 11,375 $ 11,831
Services 6,936 7,659
Total revenue $ 18,311 $ 19,490
See Note 15 - Business Segment, Geographic and Customer Information.
5. OTHER INCOME
Other income in the consolidated statements of operations reports certain gains and losses associated with activities not directly related to our core operations. For the year ended December 31, 2021, other income was $1.3 million, as compared to other income of $969 during the year ended December 31, 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2021, included in other income was a gain of $1.4 million for the extinguishment and forgiveness of the PPP Loan. For the year ended December 31, 2020, included in other income was a gain of $968 related to the sale and mark to market adjustment on the fair value of the CleanSpark Common Stock and warrants.
6. INVENTORIES
The components of inventories are summarized below:
December 31,
Raw materials $ 1,354 $ 1,719
Work in process 3,233 1,420
Provision for excess and obsolete inventory (427 ) (736 )
Total inventories $ 4,160 $ 2,403
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or a net realizable value determined on a weighted average method.
7. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Property, plant and equipment are summarized below:
December 31,
Machinery and equipment $ 1,396 $ 1,210
Furniture and fixtures
Computer hardware and software
Leasehold improvements
2,464 2,421
Less: accumulated depreciation (1,948 ) (1,988 )
Total property, plant and equipment, net $ 516 $ 433
Depreciation expense was $153 and $203 for the period ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
8. NOTES RECEIVABLE
In connection with the sale of the transformer business units in August 2019, amongst other consideration, we received two subordinated promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $5.0 million and $2.5 million, for a total aggregate principal amount of $7.5 million (the “Seller Notes”), subject to certain adjustments. The Seller Notes accrue interest at a rate of 4.0% per annum, with a final payment of all unpaid principal and interest becoming fully due and payable at December 31, 2022. The Company determined the fair value of the Seller Notes based on market conditions and prevailing interest rates. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company and the Buyer, pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, completed the net working capital adjustment, which resulted in the Company paying the Buyer $1.8 million in cash and reducing the principal amount of the $5.0 million Seller Note to $3.2 million. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company recognized an additional reduction to the principal amount of the Seller Note of $194 for a valid claim paid by the Buyer on behalf of the Company. The Company has revalued the Seller Notes for an appropriate imputed interest rate, resulting in a net change to the value of the Seller Notes at December 31, 2021 of $428 for a carrying value of $5.8 million.
9. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES
The components of accounts payable and accrued liabilities are summarized below:
December 31,
Accounts payable $ 2,089 $ 2,233
Accrued liabilities 1,263 1,079
Current portion of lease liabilities
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 4,159 $ 4,027
Accrued liabilities primarily consist of accrued insurance, accrued sales commissions and accrued compensation and benefits. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, accrued insurance was $481 and $445, respectively. Accrued sales commissions at December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $247 and $122, respectively. At December 31, 2021 accrued compensation and benefits were $270 compared to $256 at December 31, 2020. The remainder of accrued liabilities are comprised of several insignificant accruals in connection with normal business operations.
10. DEBT
On March 27, 2020, then President Trump signed into law the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.” The CARES Act, among other things, appropriates funds for the SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans that are forgivable in certain situations to promote continued employment. On April 13, 2020 after having determined that it met the qualifications for this loan program due to the impact that COVID-19 would have on our financial condition, results of operations, and/or liquidity and applying for relief, the Company received a loan under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program in the amount of $1.4 million. The Company made this assertion in good faith based upon all available guidance and accounted for the PPP Loan as a debt instrument in accordance with FASB ASC 470, Debt. The Company used the proceeds from the PPP Loan to retain employees, maintain payroll and make lease, rent and utility payments.
Under the terms of the PPP Loan, the Company was eligible for full or partial loan forgiveness. The Company received full forgiveness of the PPP Loan during the first quarter of 2021 and recognized a $1.4 million gain on extinguishment and forgiveness of debt in other income (see Note 5 - Other Income).
At December 31, 2020, $633 of principal payments due were recorded as long-term debt and $780 as current debt in accordance with the enactment of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020.
Schedule of debt
December 31,
PPP Loan $ - $ 1,413
Less: current portion -
Total long-term obligations $ - $ 633
11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Leases
The Company leases certain offices, facilities and equipment under operating and financing leases. Our leases have remaining terms ranging from less than 1 year to 5 years some of which contain options to extend up to 5 years. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, assets recorded under finance leases were $1.6 million and $1.4 million, respectively, and accumulated amortization associated with finance leases were $1.1 million and $776, respectively.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, assets recorded under operating leases were $3.9 million and $2.5 million, respectively, and accumulated amortization associated with operating leases were $2.3 million and $1.7 million, respectively. During the third quarter of 2021, the Company executed an extension of its operating lease for the manufacturing facility in Santa Fe Springs, California. After adjusting for a weighted average discount rate, the Company recognized a right-of-use asset and lease liability of approximately $1.4 million within the consolidated balance sheets.
The components of the lease expense were as follows:
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Operating lease cost $ 641 $ 669
Finance lease cost
Amortization of right-of-use asset $ 285 $ 261
Interest on lease liabilities
Total finance lease cost $ 326 $ 314
Other information related to leases was as follows:
Supplemental Cash Flows Information
December 31,
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flow payments for operating leases $ 632 $ 677
Operating cash flow payments for finance leases
Financing cash flow payments for finance leases
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations
Operating lease liabilities arising from obtaining right of use assets 1,418
Capitalized lease obligations
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term
December 31,
Operating leases 3 years 3 years
Finance leases 2 years 2 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate
December 31,
Operating leases 5.50 % 5.50 %
Finance leases 6.75 % 6.72 %
Future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable leases as of December 31, 2021 were as follows:
Operating Finance
Leases Leases
Thereafter -
Total future minmum lease payments 1,859
Less imputed interest (146 ) (59 )
Total future minmum lease payments $ 1,713 $ 613
Reported as of December 31, 2021:
Operating Finance
Leases Leases
Right-of-use assets $ 565 $ 1,672
Operating Finance
Leases Leases
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 605 $ 202
Other long-term liabilities 1,108
Total $ 1,713 $ 613
Litigation and Claims
From time to time, we may become involved in lawsuits, investigations and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business.
On January 11, 2016, Myers Power Products, Inc., a specialty electrical products manufacturer, filed suit with the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, against us, PCEP and two PCEP employees who are former employees of Myers Power Products, Inc., Geo Murickan, the president of PCEP (“Murickan”), and Brett DeChellis (“DeChellis”), alleging, among other things, that Murickan wrongly used and retained confidential business information of Myers Power Products, Inc. for the benefit of us and PCEP, in breach of their confidentiality agreement and/or employment agreement entered into with Myers Power Products, Inc., and that we and PCEP knowingly received and used such confidential business information. Myers Power Products, Inc. sought injunctive relief enjoining us, PCEP and our employees from using its confidential business information and compensatory damages of an unspecified unlimited amount; however, the Company recognized approximately $1.2 million for expected costs related to this litigation prior to fiscal 2020.
On October 4, 2019, the dividend that was payable by the Company was enjoined by court order of the Superior Court of California related to the foregoing case. On October 16, 2019, Myers Power Products, Inc. filed an ex parte application arguing the Company had violated, or intended to violate the modified preliminary injunction and sought an order from the court for the Company to post a bond in an amount of $30,000 or more (which was not granted). The Company cancelled the dividend as the result of this court order.
There were also two related appeals in the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District (“Court of Appeal”). Case no. B301494 was an appeal of the October 4, 2019 order modifying a previously issued preliminary injunction. Case no. B302943 was an appeal of the November 26, 2019 order requiring Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. and Pioneer Custom Electrical Products Corp. to obtain and post a $12 million bond. On April 10, 2020, the Court of Appeal granted our motion to combine the two appeals.
On November 20, 2020, the Company entered into a settlement and release agreement with Myers Power Products, Inc. As part of the settlement, all injunctions were dissolved, and all litigation and appeals related to the action were dismissed with prejudice. The parties executed full releases of all known and unknown claims, thereby eliminating all such restrictions on the Company. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed; however, the Company agreed to pay Myers Power Products, Inc. an amount that did not differ significantly from the $1.2 million of expected costs the Company recognized as a legal contingency during the year ended December 31, 2018. This payment was made during the fourth quarter of 2020.
We can give no assurance that any other lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or operating results.
As of the date hereof, we are not aware of or a party to any legal proceedings to which we or any of our subsidiaries is a party or to which any of our property is subject, nor are we aware of any such threatened or pending litigation or any such proceedings known to be contemplated by governmental authorities that we believe could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.
We are not aware of any material proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates or any registered or beneficial shareholder of more than 5% of our common stock is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our interest.
12. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common Stock
The Company had 9,640,545 and 8,726,045 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
Preferred Stock
The board of directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without further vote or action by the shareholders, to issue from time to time up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value, in one or more series. Each such series of preferred stock shall have such number of shares, designations, preferences, voting powers, qualifications, and special or relative rights or privileges as shall be determined by the board of directors, which may include, among others, dividend rights, voting rights, liquidation preferences, conversion rights and preemptive rights.
13. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
On December 2, 2009, the Company adopted the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2009 Plan”) for the purpose of issuing incentive stock options intended to qualify under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, non-qualified stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, performance unit awards and stock bonus awards to employees, directors, consultants and other service providers. A total of 320,000 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance under the 2009 Plan. Options may be granted under the 2009 Plan on terms and at prices as determined by the board of directors or by the plan administrators appointed by the board of directors.
On May 11, 2011, the board of directors of the Company adopted the Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”) which was subsequently approved by stockholders of the Company on May 31, 2011. The 2011 Plan replaces and supersedes the 2009 Plan. The Company’s outside directors and employees, including the Company’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer and other named executive officers, and certain contractors are all eligible to participate in the 2011 Plan. The 2011 Plan allows for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and upon such terms as are determined by the Board or a committee of the Board that is designated to administer the Plan. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2011 Plan is 700,000 shares. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares available for future grants under the Company’s 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The Company’s 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan expired during the second quarter of 2021.
On October 13, 2021, our board of directors adopted the 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), subject to stockholder approval, which was obtained on November 11, 2021. Our outside directors and our employees, including the principal executive officer, principal financial officer and other named executive officers, and certain contractors are all eligible to participate in the 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan allows for the granting of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and upon such terms as are determined by the board or a committee of the board that is designated to administer the 2021 Plan. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2021 Plan is 900,000 shares. As of December 31, 2021, there were 900,000 shares available for future grants under the Company’s 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan was initially administered by our board of directors, but it has been administered by the compensation committee following the creation of such committee in the first quarter of 2022.
Stock-based compensation expense recorded for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was approximately $186 and $3, respectively. All of the stock-based compensation expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. At December 31, 2021, the Company had total stock-based compensation expense remaining to be recognized in the consolidated statements of operations of approximately $77.
The fair value of the stock options granted was measured using the Black-Scholes valuation model with the following assumptions:
Year Ended December 31,
Expected volatility 31.1 % 31.1 %
Expected life in years 5.5 5.5
Risk-free interest rate 2.1 % 0.5 %
A summary of stock option activity for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, and changes during the years then ended is presented below:
Stock
Options Weighted average
exercise price Weighted
average remaining
contractual term Aggregate
intrinsic value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2020 379,800 $ 7.54 6.10 $ -
Granted 70,000 1.68 - -
Exercised - -
Forfeited (9,400 ) 8.55 -
Outstanding as of January 1, 2021 440,400 $ 6.58 5.80 $ 155
Granted 236,667 3.31
Exercised (26,000 ) 1.10
Forfeited (3,400 ) 12.00
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021 647,667 $ 5.53 6.40 $ 1,442
Exercisable as of December 31, 2021 411,000 $ 6.81 4.80 $ 451
Intrinsic value is the difference between the market value of the stock at December 31, 2021 and the exercise price which is aggregated for all options outstanding and exercisable. A summary of the weighted-average grant-date fair value of options, total intrinsic value of options exercised, and cash receipts from options exercised is shown below:
Year Ended December 31,
Weighted-average fair value of options granted (per share) $ 0.97 $ 0.49
Intrinsic value gain of options exercised -
Cash receipts from exercise of options -
14. INCOME TAXES
The components of loss before income taxes are summarized below:
Year Ended Decmber 31,
Loss before income taxes
U.S. operations $ (2,183 ) $ (2,981 )
Loss before income taxes $ (2,183 ) $ (2,981 )
The components of the income tax provision were as follows:
Year Ended Decmber 31,
Current
State $ (16 ) $ 5
Total income tax provision $ (16 ) $ 5
A reconciliation from the statutory U.S. income tax rate and the Company’s effective income tax rate, as computed on loss before taxes, is as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
Federal income tax at statutory rate $ (459 ) $ (626 )
State and local income tax, net (108 ) (120 )
Other permanent items (379 )
Expired foreign tax credits -
Valuation allowance
True-up -
Other (2 ) (2 )
Total $ (16 ) $ 5
The Company’s provision for income taxes reflects an effective tax rate on loss before income taxes of 0.7% in 2021, as compared to (0.2)% in 2020.
The net deferred income tax asset (liability) was comprised of the following:
December 31,
Noncurrent deferred income taxes
Total assets $ 82 $ 68
Total liabilities (82 ) (68 )
Net noncurrent deferred income tax asset - -
Net deferred income tax asset $ - $ -
The tax effect of temporary differences between GAAP accounting and federal income tax accounting creating deferred income tax assets and liabilities were as follows:
December 31,
Deferred tax assets
U.S. net operating loss carry forward $ 2,600 $ 1,367
Non-deductible reserves 1,390 1,609
Tax credits 4,454 4,631
Fixed assets
Intangibles 1,738 1,959
Valuation allowance (10,124 ) (9,513 )
Net deferred tax assets
Deferred tax liabilities
Fixed assets (45 ) (28 )
Other (37 ) (40 )
Net deferred tax liabilities (82 ) (68 )
Deferred asset, net $ - $ -
The assessment of the amount of value assigned to our deferred tax assets under the applicable accounting rules is judgmental. We are required to consider all available positive and negative evidence in evaluating the likelihood that we will be able to realize the benefit of our deferred tax assets in the future. Such evidence includes scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies and the results of recent operations. Since this evaluation requires consideration of events that may occur some years into the future, there is an element of judgment involved. Realization of our deferred tax assets is dependent on generating sufficient taxable income in future periods. We do not believe that it is more likely than not that future taxable income will be sufficient to allow us to recover any of the value assigned to our deferred tax assets. Accordingly, we have provided for a valuation allowance of the Company’s foreign tax credits as we do not anticipate generating sufficient foreign source income. In addition, we have provided for a full valuation allowance on the domestic deferred tax assets as the combined effect of future domestic source income and the future reversals of future tax assets and liabilities will likely be insufficient to realize the full benefits of the assets.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company has a net operating loss carryforward of $10.3 million. The Company has $10.1 million of deferred tax assets on which it is taking a full valuation allowance. The total valuation allowance recorded is $10.1 million, representing an increase of $611 from December 31, 2020. The Company has approximately $4.4 million of foreign tax credits for which it has provided a full valuation allowance and $39 of research and development credits which expire in 2032.
Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended imposes an annual limitation on the amount of net operating loss carryforwards that may be used to offset federal taxable income and federal tax liabilities when a corporation has undergone significant changes in its ownership. If the Company experiences an ownership change as a result of future events, the use of tax attributes may be limited.
Management believes that an adequate provision has been made for any adjustments that may result from tax examinations. However, the outcome of tax audits cannot be predicted with certainty. If any issues addressed in the Company’s tax audits are resolved in a manner not consistent with management’s expectations, the Company could be required to adjust its provision for income taxes in the period such resolution occurs.
The tax years subject to examination by major tax jurisdiction include the years 2015 and forward by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and most state jurisdictions, and the years 2016 and forward for the Canadian jurisdiction.
15. BUSINESS SEGMENT, GEOGRAPHIC AND CUSTOMER INFORMATION
The Company follows ASC 280 - Segment Reporting in determining its reportable segments. The Company considered the way its management team, most notably its chief operating decision maker, makes operating decisions and assesses performance and considered which components of the Company’s enterprise have discrete financial information available. As the Company makes decisions using a manufactured products vs. distributed products and services group focus, its analysis resulted in two reportable segments: T&D Solutions and Critical Power. The Critical Power reportable segment is the Company’s Titan Energy Systems, Inc. business unit. The T&D Solutions reportable segment is the Company’s Pioneer Custom Electrical Products Corp. business unit.
The T&D Solutions segment is involved in the design, manufacture and distribution of switchgear used primarily by large industrial and commercial operations to manage their electrical power distribution needs. The Critical Power segment provides new and used power generation equipment and aftermarket field-services primarily to help customers ensure smooth, uninterrupted power to operations during times of emergency.
The following tables present information about segment loss:
Schedule of information about segment income and loss and segment assets
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues
T&D Solutions
Switchgear $ 9,484 $ 10,257
9,484 10,257
Critical Power Solutions
Equipment 1,891 1,574
Service 6,936 7,659
8,827 9,233
Consolidated $ 18,311 $ 19,490
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Depreciation and amortization
T&D Solutions $ 61 $ 113
Critical Power Solutions
Unallocated corporate overhead expenses
Consolidated $ 438 $ 464
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Operating loss
T&D Solutions $ (1,060 ) $ (1,934 )
Critical Power Solutions (385 ) (430 )
Unallocated corporate overhead expenses (2,417 ) (1,920 )
Consolidated $ (3,862 ) $ (4,284 )
The following table presents information which reconciles segment assets to consolidated total assets:
December 31,
Assets
T&D Solutions $ 6,490 $ 3,443
Critical Power Solutions 3,573 3,705
Corporate 17,864 14,139
Consolidated $ 27,927 $ 21,287
Corporate assets consisted primarily of cash, restricted cash and notes receivable.
Revenues are attributable to countries based on the location of the Company’s customers:
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues
United States $ 18,311 $ 19,490
Sales to CleanSpark accounted for approximately 22% and 34% of the Company’s total sales in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
The distribution of the Company’s property, plant, and equipment by geographic location is approximately as follows:
December 31,
Property, plant and equipment
United States $ 516 $ 433
16. BASIC AND DILUTED LOSS PER COMMON SHARE
Basic and diluted loss per common share is calculated based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. The Company’s employee and director stock option awards, as well as incremental shares issuable upon exercise of warrants, are not considered in the calculations if the effect would be anti-dilutive. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted loss per share (in thousands, except per share data):
For the Year Ended
December 31,
Numerator:
Net loss $ (2,167 ) $ (2,986 )
Denominator:
Weighted average basic shares outstanding 8,858 8,726
Effect of dilutive securities - equity based compensation plans - -
Denominator for diluted net loss per common share 8,858 8,726
Net loss per common share:
Basic $ (0.24 ) $ (0.34 )
Diluted $ (0.24 ) $ (0.34 )
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, diluted loss per share excludes 411 and 370 potentially dilutive common shares related to vested option awards, as their effect was anti-dilutive.

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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.
Management’s Conclusions Regarding Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our “disclosure controls and procedures” (“Disclosure Controls”), as defined by Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act, as of December 31, 2021, the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Disclosure Controls evaluation was done in conjunction with an independent consultant and consulting firm and under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures. As of December 31, 2021, based on the evaluation of these disclosure controls and procedures our chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.
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) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate over time.
Management, including our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013). In our assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, we determined that our internal control over financial reporting of the December 31, 2021, is effective.
This annual report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting, as permitted by the rules of the SEC.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the year ended December 31, 2021 that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
Executive Officers and Directors
The following table sets forth the name, age and positions of our executive officers and the members of our board of directors:
Name
Age
Position with the Company
Nathan J. Mazurek
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Walter Michalec
Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer
Yossi Cohn
Director
Ian Ross
Director
David Tesler
Director
Jonathan Tulkoff
Thomas Klink
Director
Director
The board of directors currently consists of six members.
Our directors hold office until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal by stockholders or until their successors have been qualified. Our directors serve a term of office to expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2024. Previously, our directors were elected to one-year terms at each annual meeting of shareholders, but following the approval of an amendment to our bylaws, approved by stockholders at our 2021 annual meeting, elected directors shall hold office until the third annual meeting of the stockholders upon the anniversary of their election, or until their successors shall be duly elected and qualified.
Our officers hold office until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal by our board of directors or until their successors have been selected. They serve at the pleasure of our board of directors.
Nathan J. Mazurek. Mr. Mazurek has served as our chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board of directors since December 2, 2009. From December 2, 2009 through August 12, 2010, Mr. Mazurek also served as our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Mazurek has over 25 years of experience in the electrical equipment and components industry. Mr. Mazurek has served as the chief executive officer, president, vice president, sales and marketing and chairman of the board of directors of Pioneer Transformers Ltd. since 1995. Mr. Mazurek has served as the president of American Circuit Breaker Corp., a former manufacturer and distributor of circuit breakers, since 1988. From 1999 through 2017, Mr. Mazurek served as director of Empire Resources, Inc., a distributor of semi-finished aluminum and steel products. From 2002 through 2007, Mr. Mazurek served as president of Aerovox, Inc., a manufacturer of AC film capacitors. Mr. Mazurek received his BA from Yeshiva College in 1983 and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1986. Mr. Mazurek brings to the board of directors extensive experience with our company and in our industry. Since he is responsible for, and familiar with, our day-to-day operations and implementation of our strategy, his insights into our performance and into the electrical equipment and components industry are critical to board discussions and to our success.
Walter Michalec. Mr. Michalec was appointed by our board of directors to act as the interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective as of April 15, 2020, replacing Mr. Klink after his resignation as Chief Financial Officer. On May 13, 2021, the board of directors assigned Mr. Michalec the title of Chief Financial Officer of the Company and removed the title of Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 16, 2021. Mr. Michalec also serves as the Company’s principal accounting officer, principal financial officer, treasurer and secretary. Prior to becoming the Interim Chief Financial Officer, and subsequently Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Michalec served as the Company’s corporate controller from August 2019 to April 2020. Before becoming the corporate controller, Mr. Michalec served as the Company’s operations controller from March 2016 to August 2019, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, and as the Company’s senior accountant from May 2012 to February 2016, reporting to the Company’s corporate controller. Prior to working for the Company, Mr. Michalec served as a public accountant for Mendonca & Partners Certified Public Accountants, LLC in Union, NJ. Mr. Michalec received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Minor in Criminal Justice from Kean University in 2011.
Yossi Cohn. Mr. Cohn has served as a director since December 2, 2009. Mr. Cohn founded EastSky Properties, LLC in June 2019 and L3C Capital Partners, LLC in June 2009, both an investor in multi-family residential properties, and serves as a partner in both firms. Mr. Cohn served as a director of investor relations at IDT Corporation, a NYSE-listed telecommunications company, from September 2005 through May 2007. Prior to joining IDT Corporation, Mr. Cohn was a director of research at SAGEN Asset Management, an asset manager of funds of hedge funds, from January 2005 through May 2005. Mr. Cohn began his career as an analyst in the funds-of-funds investment group of Millburn Ridgefield Corporation, where he worked from 2001 through January 2005. Mr. Cohn founded East Sky Properties, LLC, an investor in multi-family residential properties, in July 2019, and serves as a partner in the firm. Our board believes Mr. Cohn’s background at these and other companies, particularly in areas of capital markets, financial, strategic and investment management experience, makes him an effective member of our board of directors.
Ian Ross. Mr. Ross has served as a director since March 24, 2011. In 2000, Mr. Ross co-founded and has since served as president of Omniverter Inc., a company specializing in electrical power quality solutions for industrial producers and electrical utilities in the U.S. and Canada. He has also served as the president of KIR Resources Inc. and KIR Technologies Inc. since 1999, companies engaged in management consulting and import/export activities in the electrical equipment industry, respectively. Mr. Ross previously held positions in Canada as vice president technology with Schneider Canada, a specialist in energy management, and vice president of the distribution products business at Federal Pioneer Ltd., now part of Schneider Canada. Previously, Mr. Ross held a number of successive board level positions in UK engineering companies, culminating in five years as managing director, Federal Electric, Ltd., before moving to Canada in 1986 at the request of Federal Pioneer Ltd. He received an MA in mechanical sciences (electrical and mechanical engineering) from Cambridge University and subsequently qualified as an accountant ACMA. Our board of directors believes that Mr. Ross’ relationships and broad experience in the electrical transmission and distribution equipment industry will assist us in continuing to grow our business and realizing our strategic goals.
David Tesler. Mr. Tesler has served as a director since December 2, 2009. Mr. Tesler is President of LeaseProbe, LLC, a provider of lease abstracting services, since he founded the company in 2004. In 2008, LeaseProbe, LLC acquired Real Diligence, LLC, a provider of financial due diligence services. The combined company does business as Real Diligence and operates as an integrated outsourced provider of legal and commercial due diligence services for the commercial real estate industry. Prior to 2004, Mr. Tesler practiced law at Skadden Arps Slate Meager & Flom LLP and at Jenkens & Gilchrist, Parker Chapin LLP. Mr. Tesler received his BA from Yeshiva College, an MA in medieval history from Bernard Revel Graduate School and a JD from Benjamin A. Cardozo School of Law. Mr. Tesler brings extensive legal, strategic and executive leadership experience to our board of directors.
Jonathan Tulkoff. Mr. Tulkoff has served as director since December 2, 2009. Mr. Tulkoff began his career as a currency trader at Marc Rich & Co, he then joined Forest City enterprises, a publicly traded real estate development company, and was a VP in the acquisition and development division. In 2016, Mr. Tulkoff founded Commodity Asset Management, an industrial materials investment fund. For the last twenty years, Mr. Tulkoff has been involved in trading, marketing and financing of physical commodities, with distinct expertise in ferrous metals. Mr. Tulkoff is Series 3 licensed. Our board of directors believes Mr. Tulkoff’s extensive strategic, international and executive leadership experience, particularly in commodity markets for metal products which represent one of the largest components of our company’s cost of manufacture, make him an effective member of our board of directors. The board of directors regards all of the individuals above as competent professionals with many years of experience in the business community. The board of directors believes that the overall experience and knowledge of the members of the board of directors will contribute to the overall success of our business.
Thomas Klink. Mr. Klink has served as a director since April 30, 2010. Mr. Klink served as our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer from January 7, 2016 until April 15, 2020. Since 1996, he has served in various positions at Jefferson Electric, Inc., including as its chief executive officer, chief financial officer, vice president, treasurer, secretary and chairman of the board of directors. Previously, from 1994 to 1996, Mr. Klink served as a division controller at MagneTek, Inc., a company listed on NASDAQ at that time, reporting to the corporate controller. Mr. Klink also previously served as a controller for U.S. Music Corporation, a manufacturer of musical instruments from 1990 through 1994. Mr. Klink received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 1984. Mr. Klink brings extensive industry and leadership experience to our board, including over 25 years of experience in the electrical equipment industry. Mr. Klink is currently employed by Spire Power Solutions L.P. as their CFO and President.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among any of our directors and executive officers. Mr. Mazurek is a party to a certain agreement related to his service as an executive officer and director described in the “Agreements with Executive Officers” section of Item 11.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our directors and officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of our common stock, to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock. Directors, officers and persons who own more than ten percent of our common stock are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, each of our directors, officers and greater than ten percent stockholders complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our directors, officers and greater than ten percent stockholders, except for the following reporting persons:
● Two Form 4’s were filed late for Mr. Tesler with respect to four transactions;
● Two Form 4’s were filed late for Mr. Klink with respect to four transactions;
● One Form 4 was filed late for Mr. Cohn with respect to one transaction;
● One Form 4 was filed late for Mr. Mazurek with respect to two transactions;
● One Form 4 was filed late for Mr. Michalec with respect to one transaction;
● One Form 4 was filed late for Mr. Ross with respect to one transaction; and
● One Form 4 was filed late for Mr. Tulkoff with respect to one transaction.
Board Committees
Our board of directors currently has three standing committees: the audit committee, the nominating and corporate governance committee, and the compensation committee, each of which is described below. All standing committees operate under a charter that has been approved by the board of directors
Audit Committee. Our board of directors established an audit committee on March 24, 2011, which has the composition and responsibilities described below.
The audit committee consists of Messrs. Cohn, Ross and Tulkoff, each of whom our board of directors has determined to be financially literate and qualify as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. In addition, Mr. Ross is the chairman of the audit committee and has been determined by our board of directors to be a financial expert as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K. The audit committee’s duties are to recommend to our board of directors the engagement of independent auditors to audit our financial statements and to review our accounting and auditing principles. The audit committee will review the scope, timing and fees for the annual audit and the results of audit examinations performed by internal auditors and independent public accountants, including their recommendations to improve the system of accounting and internal controls. The audit committee held a total of four meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The audit committee operates under a formal charter adopted by the board of directors that governs its duties and conduct. Copies of the charter can be obtained free of charge from the Company’s web site, www.pioneerpowersolutions.com, by contacting the Company by mail at the address appearing on the first page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the attention of Investor Relations, or by telephone at (212) 867-0700.
Compensation Committee. On January 18, 2022, the board of directors designated a compensation committee (the “compensation committee”). Our compensation committee is composed of Messrs. Tessler and Cohn, each of whom our board of directors has determined to qualify as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to its charter, the compensation committee shall be comprised of at least two (2) “independent” members of the board of directors who shall also satisfy such other criteria imposed on members of the compensation committee pursuant to the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market. The compensation committee’s duties are to assist the board of directors by identifying qualified candidates for director, and to recommend to the board of directors the director nominees for the next annual meeting of shareholders; to lead the board of directors in its annual review of the directors’ performance; to recommend to the board of directors director nominees for each board of directors committee; and to develop and recommend to the board of directors corporate governance guidelines and a code of business conduct applicable to the Corporation. Because the compensation committee was not appointed until January 2022, it did not hold any meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
The compensation committee operates under a formal charter adopted by the board of directors that governs its duties and conduct. Copies of the charter can be obtained free of charge by contacting the Company by mail at the address appearing on the first page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the attention of Investor Relations, or by telephone at (212) 867-0700.
Nominating Committee. On January 18, 2022, the board of directors designated a nominating and corporate governance committee (the “nominating committee”). Our nominating committee is composed of Messrs. Tessler and Tulkoff, each of whom our board of directors has determined to qualify as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to its charter, the nominating committee shall be comprised of at least two (2) “independent” members of the board of directors who shall also satisfy such other criteria imposed on members of the nominating committee pursuant to the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market. The nominating committee’s duties are to assist the board of directors by identifying potential qualified nominees for director and recommend to the board of directors for nomination candidates for the board of directors, developing the Company’s corporate governance guidelines and additional corporate governance policies, exercising such other powers and authority as are set forth in the charter of the nominating committee and exercising such other powers and authority as shall from time to time be assigned to such committee by resolution of the board of directors. Because the nominating committee was not appointed until January 2022, it did not hold any meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
The nominating committee operates under a formal charter adopted by the board of directors that governs its duties and conduct. Copies of the charter can be obtained free of charge by contacting the Company by mail at the address appearing on the first page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the attention of Investor Relations, or by telephone at (212) 867-0700.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers, and employees, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, which is posted on our website at www.pioneerpowersolutions.com. We intend to disclose future amendments to certain provisions of the code of ethics, or waivers of such provisions granted to executive officers and directors, on this website within four business days following the date of such amendment or waiver.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Philosophy and Process
Since January 18, 2022, the responsibility for establishing, administering and interpreting our policies governing the compensation and benefits for our executive officers lies with our compensation committee. Our compensation committee has not retained the services of any compensation consultants.
The goals of our executive compensation program are to attract, motivate and retain individuals with the skills and qualities necessary to support and develop our business within the framework of our size and available resources. In 2018, we designed our executive compensation program to achieve the following objectives:
● attract and retain executives experienced in developing and delivering products such as our own;
● motivate and reward executives whose experience and skills are critical to our success;
● reward performance; and
● align the interests of our executive officers and other key employees with those of our stockholders by motivating our executive officers and other key employees to increase stockholder value.
Because we no longer qualify as a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules of the Nasdaq stock market, we recently appointed a compensation committee. However, we did not engage any compensation consultants to determine or recommend the amount and form of executive and director compensation during and for the year ended December 31, 2021. At this time, our compensation committee has, and previously our board of directors had, determined that the financial and administrative burden of engaging compensation consultants is not justified in light of our Company’s size, its resources and our relatively small number of executive officers and directors. Rather, beginning in the year ended December 31, 2022, we anticipate that the recommended level, components and rationale for our compensation program will be developed and presented each year by our compensation committee to the board of directors for its consideration and approval.
and 2020 Summary Compensation Table
The following table summarizes, for each of the last two fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the compensation paid to (i) Nathan J. Mazurek, our chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board of directors, (ii) Thomas Klink, who served as our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer from January 7, 2016 to April 15, 2020 and, prior to that, served as the president of Jefferson Electric, Inc. and a current director, and (iii) Walter Michalec, our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer from May 16, 2021, and prior to that, our interim chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer from April 15, 2020 to May 15, 2021, whom we refer to collectively herein as the “named executive officers.”
Name and Principal Position Year Salary
($) Bonus
(4)
($) Option
Awards (1)
($) All Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Nathan J. Mazurek (i) 430,375 - 59,817 18,000 (2) 508,192
President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors 440,000 - 4,900 15,000 (2) 459,900
Thomas Klink (ii) - - 9,700 18,000 (2) 27,700
Former Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, Treasurer, and Current Director 40,665 - 4,900 5,000 (3) 50,565
Walter Michalec (iii) 167,500 22,000 53,350 -
242,850
Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer 98,750 15,000 4,900 -
118,650
(1) Amounts represent the aggregate grant date fair value, as determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, with the exception that the amounts shown assume no forfeitures. The assumptions used to calculate the value of share based awards are set forth in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Note 13. Stock-Based Compensation” contained in this Annual Report. These amounts do not represent the actual value that may be realized by our named executive officers, as that is dependent on the long-term appreciation in our common stock.
(2) Comprised of board of directors meeting fees.
(3) Comprised of board of directors and audit committee meeting fees.
(4) The dollar value of bonus (cash) earned by the named executive officers.
Agreements with Executive Officers
Nathan J. Mazurek
We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Mazurek, dated as of December 2, 2009, pursuant to which Mr. Mazurek was to serve as our chief executive officer for a term of three years. Pursuant to this employment agreement, Mr. Mazurek was entitled to receive an annual base salary of $250,000 from December 2, 2009 through December 2, 2010, which was increased to $275,000 on December 2, 2010 and to $300,000 on December 2, 2011. Mr. Mazurek was entitled to receive an annual cash bonus at the discretion of our board of directors, or a committee thereof, of up to 50% of his annual base salary, which percentage was permitted to be increased in the discretion of the board.
This agreement prohibited Mr. Mazurek from competing with us for a period of four years following the date of termination, unless he was terminated without cause or due to disability or he voluntarily resigned following a breach by us of this agreement, in which case he was prohibited from competing with us for a period of only two years.
We entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Mazurek, dated as of March 30, 2012, pursuant to which Mr. Mazurek will serve as our chief executive officer for a three year term ending on March 31, 2015. Pursuant to this new employment agreement, Mr. Mazurek was entitled to receive an annual base salary of $350,000 during the remainder of the 2012 calendar year, which increased to $365,000 during the 2013 calendar year and then to $380,000 for the remainder of his employment term. The other material terms of the new employment agreement are substantially similar to those under his previous agreement, except that Mr. Mazurek has agreed not to compete with us for a period of one year following the termination of his employment for any reason.
On November 11, 2014, we entered into a first amendment to our employment agreement with Mr. Mazurek, pursuant to which the term of the employment agreement was extended by a period of three years ending on March 31, 2018. In addition, pursuant to this employment agreement, as amended, Mr. Mazurek became entitled to receive an annual base salary of $410,000 beginning on the amendment effective date and ending on December 31, 2015, which increased to $425,000 during the 2016 calendar year.
On June 30, 2016, we entered into a second amendment to our employment agreement with Mr. Mazurek, pursuant to which the term of the employment agreement was extended by a period of five years ending on March 31, 2021. In addition, pursuant to this employment agreement, as amended, Mr. Mazurek became entitled to receive an annual base salary of $425,000 for the period beginning on January 1, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2016, $440,000, for the period beginning on January 1, 2017 and ending on December 31, 2017, $465,000, for the period beginning on January 1, 2018 and ending on December 31, 2018, $490,000, for the period beginning on January 1, 2019 and ending on December 31, 2019, and $515,000 per annum, for the period beginning on January 1, 2020 and ending on March 31, 2021.
On March 30, 2020, the Company and Mr. Mazurek entered into a third amendment in order to (i) extend the termination date of the agreement from December 31, 2020, to March 31, 2023, and (ii) set Mr. Mazurek’s annual base salary at $415,000 for the period beginning on April 1, 2020 and ending on March 31, 2021; $435,500, for the period beginning on April 1, 2021 and ending on March 31, 2022; and $457,500, for the period beginning on April 1, 2022 and ending on March 31, 2023.
If Mr. Mazurek is terminated without cause, he is entitled to receive (i) any unpaid base salary accrued through the date of his termination, (ii) any unreimbursed expenses properly incurred prior to the date of his termination, and (iii) severance pay equal to the base salary that would have been payable to Mr. Mazurek for the remainder of the term of his executive employment agreement, which expires on March 31, 2023, less applicable withholdings and taxes. As a precondition to receiving severance pay, Mr. Mazurek is required to execute and deliver within sixty (60) days following his termination a general release of claims against the us and our subsidiaries and affiliates that may have arisen on or before the date of the release.
For purposes of Mr. Mazurek’s executive employment agreement, “cause” generally means termination because of: (i) an act or acts of willful or material misrepresentation, fraud or willful dishonesty by Mr. Mazurek; (ii) any willful misconduct by Mr. Mazurek with regard to the Company; (iii) any violation by Mr. Mazurek of any fiduciary duties owed by him to the Company; (iv) Mr. Mazurek’s conviction of, or pleading nolo contendere or guilty to, a felony (other than a traffic infraction) or (v) any other material breach by Mr. Mazurek of the executive employment agreement that is not cured by him within twenty (20) days after his receipt of a written notice from the Company of such breach specifying the details thereof.
As stated earlier, on June 28, 2019, we entered into the Stock Purchase Agreement by and among the Company, Electrogroup, Jefferson, JE Mexico, Nathan J. Mazurek, and the Buyer, which was subsequently amended as of August 13, 2019. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, as amended by the Amendment, the Equity Transaction was completed on August 16, 2019. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, Mr. Mazurek agreed to a non-solicitation provision that generally prohibits him, for a three-year period, from, among other things, soliciting or attempting to hire employees of the Disposed Companies or the Buyer or engaging in the business operated by the Disposed Companies within certain geographic areas, subject to certain limitations and exceptions.
Thomas Klink
On April 30, 2010, in connection with our acquisition of Jefferson Electric, Inc., Jefferson Electric, Inc. entered into an employment agreement with Thomas Klink pursuant to which Mr. Klink is serving as Jefferson Electric, Inc.’s president, subject to the authority of our chief executive officer, Mr. Mazurek, for an original term of three years. Mr. Klink was initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $312,000. Mr. Klink’s employment may be terminated upon his death or disability, upon the occurrence of certain events that constitute “cause,” and without cause. If terminated without cause, Mr. Klink will be entitled to receive as severance an amount equal to his base salary for the remainder of the employment period under the agreement, conditioned upon his execution of a release in form reasonably acceptable to counsel of Jefferson Electric, Inc. On April 30, 2013, Jefferson Electric, Inc. and Mr. Klink entered into an amendment to this employment agreement, pursuant to which the term was extended to April 30, 2016, unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms, and Mr. Klink’s annual base salary was reduced to $250,000.
On January 7, 2016, Mr. Klink was appointed as our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer.
On June 30, 2016, we entered into a second amendment to our employment agreement with Mr. Klink, pursuant to which the term was extended to April 30, 2019. In addition, Mr. Klink became entitled to an annual base salary of $315,000 for the period beginning on May 1, 2016 and ending on April 30, 2017, $340,000 for the period beginning on May 1, 2017 and ending on April 30, 2018, and $365,000 for the period beginning on May 1, 2018 and ending on April 30, 2019.
On February 15, 2019, we entered into a third amendment to our employment agreement with Mr. Klink, pursuant to which the term was extended to April 30, 2020, and Mr. Klink’s annual based salary was adjusted to $390,000 for the period beginning on May 1, 2019 and ending on April 30, 2020.
Effective with the Equity Transaction, Mr. Klink’s compensation was reduced to $125,000 annually.
On March 26, 2020, Mr. Klink notified our board of directors of his resignation as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective as of April 15, 2020.
Walter Michalec
Mr. Michalec was appointed by our board of directors to act as the interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective as of April 15, 2020, replacing Mr. Klink after his resignation as Chief Financial Officer. On May 13, 2021, our board of directors assigned Mr. Michalec the title of Chief Financial Officer of the Company and removed the title of Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 16, 2021. Mr. Michalec also serves as the Company’s principal accounting officer, principal financial officer, treasurer and secretary.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End
The following table provides information on stock options previously awarded to each of the named executive officers and which remained outstanding as of December 31, 2021. This table includes unexercised and unvested options awards. Each outstanding award is shown separately for each named executive officer.
Option Awards
Number of
Number of
Securities
Securities
Underlying
Underlying
Unexercised
Unexercised
Option
Options
Options
Exercise
Option
Date (#)
(#)
Price
Expiration
Name of Grant Exercisable
Unexercisable
($)
Date
Nathan J. Mazurek 3/23/2012 1,000 (5) - 4.11 3/23/2022
3/20/2013 25,000 (3) - 5.60 3/20/2023
3/20/2013 1,000 (5) - 5.60 3/20/2023
3/06/2014 50,000 (3) - 10.21 3/06/2024
3/06/2014 1,000 (5) - 10.21 3/06/2024
3/30/2015 1,000 (5) - 8.98 3/30/2025
3/10/2016 1,000 (5) - 3.68 3/10/2026
3/30/2017 1,000 (5) - 7.30 3/30/2027
3/30/2017 130,000 (4) - 7.30 3/30/2027
4/03/2018 1,000 (5) - 5.60 4/03/2028
3/31/2020 10,000 (5) - 1.68 3/31/2030
5/13/2021 - 10,000 (5) 3.31 5/13/2031
5/13/2021 - 51,667 (5) 3.31 5/13/2031
Thomas Klink 3/20/2013 3,000 (1) - 5.60 3/20/2023
3/20/2013 1,000 (5) - 5.60 3/20/2023
3/06/2014 1,000 (5) - 10.21 3/06/2024
3/30/2015 1,000 (5) - 8.98 3/30/2025
3/10/2016 1,000 (5) - 3.68 3/10/2026
3/30/2017 1,000 (5) - 7.30 3/30/2027
3/30/2017 100,000 (4) - 7.30 3/30/2027
4/03/2018 1,000 (5) - 5.60 4/03/2028
5/13/2021 - 10,000 (5) 3.31 5/13/2031
Walter Michalec 3/6/2014 1,000 (2) - 10.21 3/6/2024
3/31/2020 10,000 (6) - 1.68 3/31/2030
5/13/2021 - 55,000 (4) 3.31 5/13/2031
(1) Incentive stock options granted for service as a president. Vests in equal annual installments upon each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.
(2) Incentive stock options granted for service prior to becoming an executive officer. Vests in equal annual installments upon each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.
(3) Non-qualified stock options granted for service as an executive officer. Vests in equal annual installments upon each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.
(4) Non-qualified stock options granted for service as an executive officer. Vests on the first anniversary of the grant date.
(5) Non-qualified stock options granted for service as a director. Vests on the first anniversary of the grant date.
(6) Non-qualified stock options granted for service prior to becoming an executive officer. Vests on the first anniversary of the grant date.
Change of Control Agreements
We do not currently have plans providing for the payment of retirement benefits to our officers or directors, other than as described under “Agreements with Executive Officers” above.
We do not currently have any change-of-control or severance agreements with any of our executive officers or directors, other than as described under “Agreements with Executive Officers” above. In the event of the termination of employment of the named executive officers, any and all unexercised stock options shall expire and no longer be exercisable after a specified time following the date of the termination, other than as described under “Agreements with Executive Officers” above.
Equity Incentive Plan
On December 2, 2009, our board of directors and stockholders adopted the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, pursuant to which 320,000 shares of our common stock were reserved for issuance as awards to employees, directors, consultants and other service providers. The purpose of the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan was to provide an incentive to attract and retain directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees whose services were considered valuable, to encourage a sense of proprietorship and to stimulate an active interest of such persons in our development and financial success. Under the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, we were authorized to issue incentive stock options intended to qualify under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, non-qualified stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, performance unit awards and stock bonus awards. The 2009 Equity Incentive Plan is currently administered by our board of directors but may be subsequently administered by a compensation committee designated by our board of directors. The 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”) that we adopted in May 2011 replaced and superseded the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan in its entirety, but any awards granted prior to May 21, 2011 that are still outstanding are subject to the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan.
Long-Term Incentive Plan
On May 11, 2011, our board of directors adopted the 2011 Plan, subject to stockholder approval, which was obtained on May 31, 2011. The 2011 Plan replaces and supersedes the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. Our outside directors and our employees, including the principal executive officer, principal financial officer and other named executive officers, and certain contractors are all eligible to participate in the 2011 Plan. The 2011 Plan allows for the granting of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and upon such terms as are determined by the board or a committee of the board that is designated to administer the 2011 Plan. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2011 Plan is 700,000 shares. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares available for future grants under the Company’s 2011 Plan. The 2011 Plan expired on May 11, 2021, but any awards granted prior to May 11, 2021 that are still outstanding are subject to the 2011 Plan.
Long-Term Incentive Plan
On October 13, 2021, our board of directors adopted the 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), subject to stockholder approval, which was obtained on November 11, 2021. Our outside directors and our employees, including the principal executive officer, principal financial officer and other named executive officers, and certain contractors are all eligible to participate in the 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan allows for the granting of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and upon such terms as are determined by the board or a committee of the board that is designated to administer the 2021 Plan. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2021 Plan is 900,000 shares. As of December 31, 2021, there were 900,000 shares available for future grants under the Company’s 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan was initially administered by our board of directors, but it has been administered by the compensation committee following the creation of such committee in the first quarter of 2022.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides certain information as of December 31, 2021 with respect to our equity compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance:
Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights Weighted average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation plans
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders 647,667 $ 5.53 900,000
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders - - -
Total 647,667 $ 5.53 900,000
Director Compensation
The following table provides compensation information for the one year period ended December 31, 2021 for each non-employee member of our board of directors:
Name Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
Option
Awards
($)
Total
($)
Yossi Cohn (4) 22,000 (1) 9,700 31,700
Thomas Klink (3) 18,000 (2) 9,700 27,700
Ian Ross (5) 22,000 (1) 9,700 31,700
David Tesler (6) 18,000 (2) 9,700 27,700
Jonathan Tulkoff (7) 22,000 (1) 9,700 31,700
(1) Comprised of board of directors and audit committee meeting fees.
(2) Comprised of board of directors meeting fees.
(3) As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Klink had outstanding options representing the right to purchase 109,000 shares of our common stock and outstanding stock awards of 10,000 shares of our common stock.
(4) As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Cohn had outstanding options representing the right to purchase 17,000 shares of our common stock and outstanding stock awards of 10,000 shares of our common stock.
(5) As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Ross had outstanding options representing the right to purchase 17,000 shares of our common stock and outstanding stock awards of 10,000 shares of our common stock.
(6) As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Tesler had outstanding options representing the right to purchase 5,000 shares of our common stock and outstanding stock awards of 10,000 shares of our common stock.
(7) As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Tulkoff had outstanding options representing the right to purchase 17,000 shares of our common stock and outstanding stock awards of 10,000 shares of our common stock.
All of our directors, including our employee directors, are paid cash compensation in connection with their attendance at the meetings of the board of directors. Our directors are also reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with their attendance at such meetings. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our directors and chief financial officer were paid cash compensation of $3,000 per meeting for attendance. In addition, the members of our audit committee and our chief financial officer received a fee of $1,000 per meeting for attendance at a meeting of our audit committee for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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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 information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 31, 2022 by:
● each person known by us to beneficially own more than 5.0% of our common stock;
● each of our directors;
● each of the named executive officers; and
● all of our directors and executive officers as a group.
The percentages of common stock beneficially owned are reported on the basis of regulations of the SEC governing the determination of beneficial ownership of securities. Under the rules of the SEC, a person is deemed to be a beneficial owner of a security if that person has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting of the security, or investment power, which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of the security. Except as indicated in the footnotes to this table, each beneficial owner named in the table below has sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned and each person’s address, unless otherwise specified in the notes below, is c/o Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc., 400 Kelby Street, 12th Floor, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024. As of March 31, 2022, we had 9,644,545 shares outstanding.
Name of Beneficial Owner
Number of Shares
Beneficially
Owned (1)
Percentage
Beneficially
Owned (1)
5% Owners
Estate of David J. Landes 4,560,000 (2) 47.3 %
Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P. 4,560,000 (3) 47.3 %
Officers and Directors
Nathan J. Mazurek 4,880,667 (4) 49.2 %
Thomas Klink 233,000 (5) 2.4 %
Yossi Cohn 27,000 (6) *
Ian Ross 27,000 (7) *
Walter Michalec 66,000 (8) *
David Tesler 30,750 (9) *
Jonathan Tulkoff 37,000 (10) *
All directors and executive officers as a group (7 persons) 5,301,417
53.5 %
* represents ownership of less than 1%.
(1) Shares of common stock beneficially owned and the respective percentages of beneficial ownership of common stock assumes the exercise of all options, warrants and other securities convertible into common stock beneficially owned by such person or entity currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022. Shares issuable pursuant to the exercise of stock options and warrants exercisable within 60 days are deemed outstanding and held by the holder of such options or warrants for computing the percentage of outstanding common stock beneficially owned by such person, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage of outstanding common stock beneficially owned by any other person.
(2) David J. Landes was our former director who passed away on September 13, 2019. Estate of David J. Landes is the minority stockholder and a control person of Provident Canada Corp., the general partner of Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P., and, as such, has beneficial ownership of the 4,560,000 shares of common stock held by Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P.
(3) Includes 4,560,000 shares of common stock held by Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P. Nathan J. Mazurek is the majority stockholder and a control person of Provident Canada Corp., the general partner of Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P., and, as such, has sole voting and investment power over these shares.
(4) Nathan J. Mazurek is the majority stockholder and a control person of Provident Canada Corp., the general partner of Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P., and, as such, has sole voting and investment power over the 4,560,000 shares of common stock held by Provident Pioneer Partners, L.P. In addition, includes 38,000 shares of common stock and 282,667 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.
(5) Includes 114,000 shares of common stock and 119,000 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.
(6) Includes 1,000 shares of common stock and 26,000 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.
(7) Includes 1,000 shares of common stock and 26,000 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.
(8) Includes 66,000 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.
(9) Includes 15,750 shares of common stock and 15,000 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.
(10) Includes 11,000 shares of common stock and 26,000 shares subject to stock options which are exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.
Certain Related Transactions and Relationships
Generally, we do not enter into related party transactions unless the members of the board who do not have an interest in the potential transaction have reviewed the transaction and determined that (i) we would not be able to obtain better terms by engaging in a transaction with a non-related party and (ii) the transaction is in our best interest. This policy applies generally to any transaction in which we are to be a participant and the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of our total assets at year end for the previous two completed fiscal years, and in which any related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. This policy is not currently in writing. In addition, our audit committee, which was established on March 24, 2011, is required to pre-approve any related party transactions pursuant to its charter.
Director Independence
Our board of directors has determined that each of Yossi Cohn, Ian Ross, David Tesler, and Jonathan Tulkoff satisfy the requirements for independence set out in Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and that each of these directors has no material relationship with us (other than being a director and/or a stockholder). In making its independence determinations, the board of directors sought to identify and analyze all of the facts and circumstances relating to any relationship between a director, his immediate family or affiliates and our company and our affiliates and did not rely on categorical standards other than those contained in the Nasdaq Stock Market rule referenced above.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.
BDO USA, LLP served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
The following table presents aggregate fees for professional services rendered by BDO USA, LLP during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020:
Year Ended December 31,
Audit fees (1) $ 335 $ 270
Audit-related fees (2) - -
Tax fees (3) - -
All other fees (4) - -
Total fees $ 335 $ 270
(1) Audit fees consisted primarily of fees for the annual audit of our consolidated financial statements, the interim reviews of the quarterly consolidated financial statements, review of a registration statement and normal, recurring accounting consultations.
(2) The Company did not incur any audit-related fees for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
(3) The Company did not incur any tax fees for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
(4) The Company did not have any other fees for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Pre-Approval of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees and Services Policy
Our audit committee pre-approves all auditing and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our independent auditor against estimates submitted by the auditor, except for de minimis non-audit services that are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit. The audit committee has pre-established limits that require audit committee approval in advance of any additional funds that may be required in excess of the auditor’s estimate. The audit committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees consisting of one or more members when appropriate, including the authority to grant pre-approvals of audit and permitted non-audit services. The audit committee pre-approved all of the fees set forth in the table above.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
a. We have filed the following documents as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
1. Consolidated Financial Statements
The following financial statements are included in Item 8 herein:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm BDO USA, LLP, New York, Ny: PCAOB ID#243
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
2. Financial Statement Schedules
None
3. Exhibits
See the Index to Exhibits.