U.
S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
x
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
|
For
the quarterly period ended June
30, 2006
|
o
|
TRANSITION
REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
|
For
the transition period from ______ to
_______
|
Commission
File Number: 0-21467
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
(Name
of
small business issuer as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State
or other jurisdiction
of
incorporation or organization)
|
41-2170618
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
5711
N. West Avenue
Fresno,
California 93711
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(559)
435-1771
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including Area Code)
Not
applicable.
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report)
Indicate
by check whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed
by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days. Yes x
No
o
Indicate
by check whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated
filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and
large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Check
one:
Large
accelerated filer o
|
Accelerated
filer o
|
Non-accelerated
filer x
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No
x
As
of
August 17, 2006, there were 37,224,236 shares of Pacific Ethanol, Inc. common
stock, $.001 par value per share, outstanding.
PART
I
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
|
Page
|
Item
1.
|
Financial
Statements
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2006 (unaudited) and December 31,
2005
|
F-2
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the three and six months ended June
30, 2006
and 2005 (unaudited)
|
F-4
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the three and six months ended
June
30, 2006 and 2005 (unaudited)
|
F-5
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Stockholders’ Equity for the six months ended June 30, 2006
(unaudited)
|
F-6
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the six months ended June 30, 2006 and
2005
(unaudited)
|
F-7
|
|
|
|
|
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)
|
F-9
|
|
|
|
Item
2.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
2
|
|
|
|
Item
3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
21
|
|
|
|
Item
4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
23
|
|
PART
II
|
|
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
25
|
Item
1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
27
|
Item
2.
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
40
|
Item
3.
|
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
|
40
|
Item
4.
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
|
40
|
Item
5.
|
Other
Information
|
40
|
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
40
|
Signatures
|
|
42
|
|
|
|
Exhibits
Filed with this Report |
|
PART
I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1.
|
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS.
|
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
AS
OF JUNE 30, 2006 AND DECEMBER 31,
2005
ASSETS
|
|
June
30,
2006
|
|
December
31,
2005
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
Current
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
139,994,795
|
|
$
|
4,521,111
|
|
Restricted
cash
|
|
|
893,878
|
|
|
—
|
|
Investments
in marketable securities
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
2,750,000
|
|
Accounts
receivable (including $661,839 and $937,713 as
of June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, respectively, from related
parties)
|
|
|
12,764,801
|
|
|
4,947,538
|
|
Notes
receivable - related party
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
135,995
|
|
Inventories
|
|
|
2,973,345
|
|
|
362,972
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
321,422
|
|
|
626,575
|
|
Prepaid
inventory
|
|
|
649,030
|
|
|
1,349,427
|
|
Derivative
instruments
|
|
|
1,770,282
|
|
|
—
|
|
Other
current assets
|
|
|
1,560,872
|
|
|
86,054
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
160,928,425
|
|
|
14,779,672
|
|
Property
and Equipment, net
|
|
|
52,049,443
|
|
|
23,208,248
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Restricted
cash for plant construction and acquisitions
|
|
|
60,175,169
|
|
|
—
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
|
2,565,750
|
|
|
2,565,750
|
|
Intangible
assets, net
|
|
|
7,215,839
|
|
|
7,568,723
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
227,803
|
|
|
62,419
|
|
Total
Assets
|
|
|
283,162,429
|
|
|
48,184,812
|
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
AS
OF JUNE 30, 2006 AND DECEMBER 31,
2005
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
June
30,
2006
|
|
December
31,
2005
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
Current
Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
portion - related party note payable
|
|
$
|
2,123,978
|
|
$
|
1,200,000
|
|
Accounts
payable - trade
|
|
|
10,894,201
|
|
|
4,755,235
|
|
Accounts
payable - related party
|
|
|
4,660,049
|
|
|
6,411,618
|
|
Accrued
retention - related party
|
|
|
2,510,794
|
|
|
1,450,500
|
|
Accrued
payroll
|
|
|
279,672
|
|
|
433,887
|
|
Other
accrued liabilities
|
|
|
3,829,163
|
|
|
3,422,565
|
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
24,297,857
|
|
|
17,673,805
|
|
Related-Party
Notes Payable, Net of Current Portion
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,995,576
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Liabilities
|
|
|
24,297,857
|
|
|
19,669,381
|
|
Commitments
and Contingencies (Note 7)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders’
Equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized:
Series
A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock, 5,250,000 and
0
shares issued and outstanding and aggregate liquidation preference
of
$84,897,534 and $0 as of June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005,
respectively
|
|
|
5,250
|
|
|
—
|
|
Common
stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized, 37,223,236
and
28,874,442 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2006 and
December 31, 2005, respectively
|
|
|
37,223
|
|
|
28,874
|
|
Additional
paid-in capital
|
|
|
358,356,147
|
|
|
43,697,486
|
|
Unvested
consulting expense
|
|
|
(1,048,014
|
)
|
|
(1,625,964
|
)
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
|
|
790,602
|
|
|
—
|
|
Due
from stockholders
|
|
|
(600
|
)
|
|
(600
|
)
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
|
|
(99,276,036
|
)
|
|
(13,584,365
|
)
|
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
|
|
258,864,572
|
|
|
28,515,431
|
|
Total
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
283,162,429
|
|
|
48,184,812
|
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR
THE THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2006 AND 2005
(UNAUDITED)
|
|
Three
Months Ended
June
30,
|
|
Six
Months Ended
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Net
sales (including $2,722,864, $8,584,749, $1,496,178 and $1,849,236
for the
three and six months ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively,
to a
related party)
|
|
$
|
46,461,077
|
|
$
|
22,814,433
|
|
$
|
84,700,244
|
|
$
|
25,116,430
|
|
Cost
of goods sold
|
|
|
43,153,457
|
|
|
22,662,908
|
|
|
79,067,377
|
|
|
24,917,278
|
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
3,307,620
|
|
|
151,525
|
|
|
5,632,867
|
|
|
199,152
|
|
Operating
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
4,758,996
|
|
|
2,393,071
|
|
|
7,743,080
|
|
|
3,136,304
|
|
Services
rendered in connection with feasibility study
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
852,250
|
|
Loss
from operations
|
|
|
(1,451,376
|
)
|
|
(2,241,546
|
)
|
|
(2,110,213
|
)
|
|
(3,789,402
|
)
|
Other
income (expense), net
|
|
|
1,277,479
|
|
|
18,294
|
|
|
1,329,257
|
|
|
(89,559
|
)
|
Income
(loss) before provision for income taxes
|
|
|
(173,897
|
)
|
|
(2,223,252
|
)
|
|
(780,956
|
)
|
|
(3,878,961
|
)
|
Provision
for income taxes
|
|
|
8,476
|
|
|
3,200
|
|
|
13,181
|
|
|
4,800
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(182,373
|
)
|
$
|
(2,226,452
|
)
|
$
|
(794,137
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
Preferred
stock dividends
|
|
$
|
(897,534
|
)
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
(897,534
|
)
|
$
|
—
|
|
Deemed
dividend on preferred stock
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Loss
available to common stockholders
|
|
$
|
(85,079,907
|
)
|
$
|
(2,226,452
|
)
|
$
|
(85,691,671
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
|
|
33,214,606
|
|
|
27,977,127
|
|
|
31,410,920
|
|
|
21,415,102
|
|
Basic
and diluted loss per common share
|
|
$
|
(2.56
|
)
|
$
|
(0.08
|
)
|
$
|
(2.73
|
)
|
$
|
(0.18
|
)
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
FOR
THE THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2006 AND 2005
(UNAUDITED)
|
|
Three
Months Ended
June
30,
|
|
Six
Months Ended
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(182,373
|
)
|
$
|
(2,226,452
|
)
|
$
|
(794,137
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flow hedges:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
change in the fair value of derivatives, net of tax
|
|
|
116,394
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
790,602
|
|
|
—
|
|
Comprehensive
loss
|
|
$
|
(65,979
|
)
|
$
|
(2,226,452
|
)
|
$
|
(3,535
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR
THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2006
(UNAUDITED)
|
Preferred
Stock
|
|
|
|
Additional
Paid-In
|
|
Unvested
Consulting |
|
Other
Comprehensive
|
|
Due
From
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
Amount
|
|
Stock
|
|
Amount
|
|
Capital
|
|
Expense
|
|
Income
|
|
Stockholders |
|
Deficit |
|
Total
|
|
Balances,
December
31, 2005
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
28,874,442
|
|
$
|
28,874
|
|
$
|
43,697,486
|
|
$
|
(1,625,964
|
)
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
(600
|
)
|
$
|
(13,584,365
|
)
|
$
|
28,515,431
|
|
Issuance
of preferred stock, net of offering costs of $1,433,266
|
|
|
5,250,000
|
|
|
5,250
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
82,561,484
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
82,566,734
|
|
Deemed
dividend on preferred stock
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
84,000,000
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Preferred
stock dividend
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(897,534
|
)
|
|
(897,534
|
)
|
Issuance
of common stock for private investment in public equity, net of issuance
costs of $7,380,711
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
5,496,583
|
|
|
5,497
|
|
|
137,613,652
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
137,619,149
|
|
Compensation
expense related to issuance of warrants for consulting
services
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
577,950
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
577,950
|
|
Stock
issued for exercise of warrants for cash
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
2,518,358
|
|
|
2,518
|
|
|
8,556,480
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
8,558,998
|
|
Stock
issued for cashless exercise of warrants
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
150,353
|
|
|
150
|
|
|
(150
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
Compensation
expense for options issued to employees and directors
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
624,304
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
624,304
|
|
Stock
issued for exercise of stock options for cash
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
183,500
|
|
|
184
|
|
|
1,302,891
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,303,075
|
|
Other
comprehensive income from cash flow hedges
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
790,602
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
790,602
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(794,137
|
)
|
|
(794,137
|
)
|
Balances,
June
30, 2006
|
|
|
5,250,000
|
|
$
|
5,250
|
|
|
37,223,236
|
|
$
|
37,223
|
|
$
|
358,356,147
|
|
$
|
(1,048,014
|
)
|
$
|
790,602
|
|
$
|
(600
|
)
|
$
|
(99,276,036
|
)
|
$
|
258,864,572
|
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR
THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2006 AND 2005
(UNAUDITED)
|
|
Six
Months Ended
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Operating
Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
$
|
(794,137
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to
cash
provided by (used in) operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
419,940
|
|
|
40,457
|
|
Amortization
of debt issuance costs
|
|
|
175,933
|
|
|
235,334
|
|
Amortization
of debt discount
|
|
|
128,404
|
|
|
120,268
|
|
Non-cash
compensation expense
|
|
|
624,304
|
|
|
883,250
|
|
Non-cash
consulting expense
|
|
|
577,950
|
|
|
460,386
|
|
Non-cash
services rendered in connection with feasibility study
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
702,250
|
|
Non-cash
gain on derivatives
|
|
|
(462,680
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
receivable
|
|
|
(7,817,263
|
)
|
|
407,923
|
|
Note
receivable, related party
|
|
|
135,995
|
|
|
—
|
|
Inventories
|
|
|
(2,610,373
|
)
|
|
(530,395
|
)
|
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
|
|
(320,722
|
)
|
|
(667,081
|
)
|
Prepaid
inventory
|
|
|
700,397
|
|
|
307,562
|
|
Increase
in restricted cash
|
|
|
(893,878
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Increase
in derivative assets
|
|
|
(517,000
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
5,493,815
|
|
|
224,519
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued retention, related party
|
|
|
(691,275
|
)
|
|
854,029
|
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(5,850,590
|
)
|
|
(845,259
|
)
|
Investing
Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additions
to property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
(28,908,251
|
)
|
|
(2,845,742
|
)
|
Proceeds
from sale of available-for-sale investment
|
|
|
2,750,000
|
|
|
—
|
|
Increase
in restricted cash designated for construction projects and acquisitions
|
|
|
(60,175,169
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Net
cash acquired in acquisition of Kinergy, ReEnergy and
Accessity
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
1,146,854
|
|
Costs
associated with share exchange transaction
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(307,808
|
)
|
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(86,333,420
|
)
|
|
(2,006,696
|
)
|
Financing
Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds
from sale of common stock, net
|
|
|
137,619,149
|
|
|
18,879,749
|
|
Proceeds
from sale of preferred stock, net
|
|
|
82,566,734
|
|
|
—
|
|
Proceeds
from exercise of warrants and stock options
|
|
|
9,862,073
|
|
|
332,503
|
|
Payments
on borrowings, related party
|
|
|
(1,200,002
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Receipt
of stockholder receivable
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
67,500
|
|
Cash
paid for debt issuance costs
|
|
|
(1,190,260
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
227,702,694
|
|
|
19,279,752
|
|
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
135,473,684
|
|
|
16,427,797
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
|
4,521,111
|
|
|
42
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
|
$
|
139,994,795
|
|
$
|
16,427,839
|
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)
FOR
THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2006 AND 2005
(UNAUDITED)
|
|
Six
Months Ended
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Supplemental
Information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
paid for interest
|
|
$
|
184,782
|
|
$
|
386,854
|
|
Cash
paid for taxes
|
|
$
|
13,181
|
|
$
|
5,600
|
|
Non-Cash
Financing and Investing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase
in fair value of derivative instruments
|
|
$
|
790,602
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Deemed
dividend on preferred stock
|
|
$
|
84,000,000
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Conversion
of debt to equity
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
1,245,000
|
|
Issuance
of warrants for consulting services
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
2,139,000
|
|
Issuance
of warrants for employee compensation
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
883,250
|
|
Purchase of ReEnergy with stock
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
316,250
|
|
Shares contributed by stockholder in purchase of ReEnergy
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
506,000
|
|
Shares contributed by stockholder in purchase of Kinergy
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
1,012,000
|
|
Stock returned as payment for stock option exercise
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
1,195,314
|
|
Purchase of Kinergy with stock
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
9,803,750
|
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
PACIFIC
ETHANOL, INC.
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
1.
Organization
and Share Exchange Transaction:
On
March
23, 2005, Pacific Ethanol, Inc., a Delaware corporation, (the “Company”)
completed a share exchange transaction (“Share Exchange Transaction”), with the
shareholders of Pacific Ethanol California, Inc. (“PEI California”) and the
holders of the membership interests of each of Kinergy Marketing, LLC
(“Kinergy”) and ReEnergy, LLC (“ReEnergy”), pursuant to which the Company
acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of PEI
California and all of the outstanding membership interests of each of Kinergy
and ReEnergy. Immediately prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange
Transaction, the Company’s predecessor, Accessity Corp., a New York corporation
(“Accessity”), reincorporated in the State of Delaware under the name “Pacific
Ethanol, Inc.” through a merger of Accessity with and into its then-wholly-owned
Delaware subsidiary named Pacific Ethanol, Inc., which was formed for the sole
purpose of effecting the reincorporation (the “Reincorporation Merger”). In
connection with the Reincorporation Merger, the shareholders of Accessity became
stockholders of the Company and the Company succeeded to the rights, properties,
and assets and assumed the liabilities of Accessity.
The
Share
Exchange Transaction has been accounted for as a reverse acquisition whereby
PEI
California is deemed to be the accounting acquiror. The Company has consolidated
the results of PEI California, Kinergy, and ReEnergy beginning March 23, 2005,
the date of the Share Exchange Transaction. Accordingly, the Company’s results
of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2005 consist of the operations
of PEI California, Kinergy and ReEnergy for that entire period; and the
Company’s results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2005 consist
of the operations of PEI California for that entire period and the operations
of
Kinergy and ReEnergy from March 23, 2005 through June 30, 2005.
In
connection with the Share Exchange Transaction, the Company issued an aggregate
of 20,610,987 shares of common stock to the shareholders of PEI California,
3,875,000 shares of common stock to the limited liability company member of
Kinergy and an aggregate of 125,000 shares of common stock to the limited
liability company members of ReEnergy.
On
March
23, 2005, prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange Transaction, PEI
California issued to 63 accredited investors in a private offering an aggregate
of 7,000,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $3.00 per share,
two-year investor warrants to purchase 1,400,000 shares of common stock at
an
exercise price of $3.00 per share and two-year investor warrants to purchase
700,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share, for
total gross proceeds of approximately $21,000,000. PEI California paid cash
placement agent fees and expenses of approximately $1,850,400 and issued
five-year placement agent warrants to purchase 678,000 shares of common stock
at
an exercise price of $3.00 per share in connection with the offering. Additional
costs related to the financing include legal, accounting and consulting fees
that totaled approximately $274,415.
2.
Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies:
Basis
of Presentation
- The
accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States and reflect all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring
adjustments, needed to fairly present the financial results for these interim
periods. These financial statements include some amounts that are based on
management’s best estimates and judgments. These estimates may be adjusted as
more information becomes available, and any adjustment could be significant.
The
impact of any change in estimates is included in the determination of earnings
in the period in which the change in estimate is identified. The results of
the
operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2006 are not necessarily
indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year.
The
Company has omitted footnote disclosures that would substantially duplicate
the
disclosures contained in the audited financial statements of the Company and
the
accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be
read
in conjunction with the financial statements for the years ended December 31,
2005 and 2004 and notes thereto in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-KSB
for the year ended December 31, 2005, filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) on April 14, 2006.
Concentrations
of Credit Risk
- Credit
risk represents the accounting loss that would be recognized at the reporting
date if counterparties failed completely to perform as contracted.
Concentrations of credit risk (whether on- or off-balance sheet) that arise
from
financial instruments exist for groups of customers or counterparties when
they
have similar economic characteristics that would cause their ability to meet
contractual obligations to be similarly affected by changes in economic or
other
conditions described below.
Financial
instruments that subject the Company to credit risk consist of cash balances
maintained in excess of federal depository insurance limits and accounts
receivable, which have no collateral or security. The accounts maintained by
the
Company at the financial institution are insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to $100,000. At June 30, 2006, the uninsured
balance was $201,155,393 and at December 31, 2005 the uninsured balance was
$4,048,476. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and
believes that it is not exposed to any significant risk of loss on
cash.
During
the three and six months ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, the Company had sales
to
gasoline refining and distribution companies representing 10% or more of total
sales as follows:
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Customer
A
|
|
|
14%
|
|
|
19%
|
|
|
18%
|
|
|
18%
|
|
Customer
B
|
|
|
15%
|
|
|
11%
|
|
|
13%
|
|
|
11%
|
|
Customer
C
|
|
|
13%
|
|
|
9%
|
|
|
11%
|
|
|
9%
|
|
Customer
D (related party)
|
|
|
6%
|
|
|
7%
|
|
|
10%
|
|
|
7%
|
|
As
of
June 30, 2006, the Company had receivables of approximately $5,253,148 from
these customers, representing 41% of total accounts receivable.
During
the three and six months ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, the Company had purchases
from ethanol suppliers representing 10% or more of total purchases as
follows:
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Vendor
A
|
|
|
27%
|
|
|
11%
|
|
|
28%
|
|
|
11%
|
|
Vendor
B
|
|
|
22%
|
|
|
21%
|
|
|
23%
|
|
|
21%
|
|
Vendor
C
|
|
|
15%
|
|
|
22%
|
|
|
15%
|
|
|
21%
|
|
Vendor
D
|
|
|
10%
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
6%
|
|
|
—
|
|
Vendor
E
|
|
|
4%
|
|
|
26%
|
|
|
2%
|
|
|
26%
|
|
Restricted
Cash
- The
current restricted cash balance at June 30, 2006 of $893,878 is the balance
of
deposits held at the Company’s trade broker in connection with trading
instruments entered into as part of the Company’s hedging strategy.
The
long-term restricted cash balance at June 30, 2006 of $60,175,169 is the
remaining balance of the $80.0 million in cash received in connection with
the
issuance of 5,250,000 shares of the Company’s Series A Cumulative Redeemable
Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) which will be disbursed
in accordance with a Deposit Agreement between the Company and Comerica Bank.
(See Note 6). The Deposit Agreement provides for a restricted cash account
into
which $80.0 million of the aggregate purchase price for the Series A Preferred
Stock has been deposited. The Company may not withdraw funds from the restricted
cash account except in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement.
Under
the Deposit Agreement, the Company may, with certain prescribed limitations,
requisition funds from the restricted cash account for the payment of
construction costs in connection with the construction of ethanol production
facilities. Of the $80.0 million deposited into the restricted cash account,
$20.0 million has been advanced to the Company for use in the construction
of
its Madera County ethanol plant.
Inventories
-
Inventories consist of bulk ethanol fuel and is valued at the
lower-of-cost-or-market, cost being determined on a first-in, first-out basis.
Shipping and handling costs are classified as a component of cost of goods
sold
in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities
- In
2006 the Company implemented a policy to minimize its exposure to commodity
price risk associated with certain anticipated commodity purchases and sales
and
interest rate risk associated with anticipated corporate borrowings by using
derivative instruments. The Company accounts for its derivative transactions
in
accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 133,
Accounting
for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities,
as
amended and interpreted. Derivative transactions, which can include forward
contracts and futures positions on the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”)
and interest rate caps are recorded on the balance sheet as assets and
liabilities based on the derivative’s fair value. Changes in the fair value of
the derivative contracts are recognized currently in earnings unless specific
hedge accounting criteria are met. If derivatives meet those criteria, effective
gains and losses are deferred in other comprehensive income and later recorded
together with the hedged item in earnings. For derivatives designated as a
hedge, the Company formally documents the hedge and assesses the effectiveness
with associated transactions. The Company has designated and documented
contracts for the physical delivery of commodity products to and from
counterparties as normal purchases and normal sales.
Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets
- The
Company evaluates impairment of long-lived assets in accordance with SFAS No.
144, Accounting
for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Asset.
The
Company assesses the impairment of long-lived assets, including property and
equipment and purchased intangibles subject to amortization, which are reviewed
for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the
carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The asset impairment review
assesses the fair value of the assets based on the future cash flows the assets
are expected to generate. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated
undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset
plus
net proceeds expected from the disposition of the asset (if any) are less than
the related asset’s carrying amount. Impairment losses are measured as the
amount by which the carrying amounts of the assets exceed their fair values.
Estimates of future cash flows are judgments based on management’s experience
and knowledge of the Company’s operations and the industries in which the
Company operates. These estimates can be significantly affected by future
changes in market conditions, the economic environment, and capital spending
decisions of the Company’s customers and inflation.
The
Company believes the future cash flows to be received from its long-lived assets
will exceed the assets’ carrying values, and, accordingly, the Company has not
recognized any impairment losses through June 30, 2006.
Goodwill
-
Goodwill represents the excess of cost of an acquired entity over the net of
the
amounts assigned to net assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company
accounts for its goodwill in accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets,
which
requires an annual review for impairment or more frequently if impairment
indicators arise. This review would include the determination of each reporting
unit’s fair value using market multiples and discounted cash flow modeling. The
Company has adopted SFAS No. 142 guidelines for annual review of impairment
of
goodwill and performed its annual review of impairment in March 2006. The
Company has not recognized any impairment losses through June 30,
2006.
Stock-Based
Compensation
-
In
December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
SFAS No. 123 (Revised 2004), Share-Based
Payments
(“SFAS
No. 123R”). SFAS No. 123R requires a public entity to measure the cost of
employee services received in exchange for the award of equity instruments
based
on the fair value of the award at the date of grant. The expense is to be
recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide
services in exchange for the award. SFAS No. 123R is effective as of the
beginning of the first interim or annual reporting period that begins after
December 15, 2005 and accordingly the Company adopted this standard on
January 1 , 2006.
SFAS
No.
123R provides for two transition methods. The “modified prospective” method
requires that share-based compensation expense be recorded for any employee
options granted after the adoption date and for the unvested portion of any
employee options outstanding as of the adoption date. The “modified
retrospective” method requires that, beginning in the first quarter of 2006, all
prior periods presented be restated to reflect the impact of share-based
compensation expense consistent with the proforma disclosures previously
required under SFAS No. 123. The Company has elected to use the “modified
prospective” in adopting this standard.
Prior
to
January 1, 2006, the Company had adopted SFAS No. 123, Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation.
As
provided for by SFAS No. 123, the Company had elected to continue to account
for
its stock-based
compensation programs according to the provisions of Accounting Principles
Board
(“APB”) Opinion No. 25, Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees
(“APB
25”). Accordingly, compensation expense had been recognized to the extent of
employee or director services rendered based on the intrinsic value of stock
options granted under the plan. The Company accounts for common stock, stock
options, and warrants granted to non-employees based on the fair market value
of
the instrument, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on
assumptions for expected stock price volatility, term of the option, risk-free
interest rate and expected dividend yield at the grant date.
Stock-based
compensation expense related to employee and non-employee stock options
recognized in the operating results for the three and six months ended June
30,
2006 and 2005 were as follow:
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Employees
— included in general and administrative
|
|
$
|
312,152
|
|
$
|
651,000
|
|
$
|
624,304
|
|
$
|
883,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-employees
— included in general and administrative
|
|
|
288,975
|
|
|
267,375
|
|
|
577,950
|
|
|
460,386
|
|
Total
stock-based compensation expense
|
|
$
|
601,127
|
|
$
|
918,375
|
|
$
|
1,202,254
|
|
$
|
1,343,636
|
|
The
estimated fair value of employee options granted was determined in accordance
with SFAS No. 123R on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation
model with the following weighted-average assumptions . As no options were
granted during the six months ended June 30, 2006 the following assumptions
remain the same: risk free interest rate of 3.9% to 4.5%; dividend yield 0%;
volatility 53.6% to 55.0% and expected life of 5.5 to 10 years. The risk-free
interest rate assumption is based upon observed interest rates appropriate
for
the expected term of the stock options. The expected volatility is based on
the
historical volatility of the Company’s common stock and based on management’s
forecasts. The Company has not paid any dividends on its common stock since
its
inception and does not anticipate paying dividends on its common stock in the
foreseeable future. The computation of the expected option term is based on
expectations regarding future exercises of options which generally vest over
5.5
to 10 years.
SFAS
No.
123R requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant and revised,
if
necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those
estimates. Based on historical experience, the Company estimated future unvested
option forfeitures at 0% as of June 30, 2006 and incorporated this rate in
estimated fair value of employee option grants.
The
Company’s determination of fair value is affected by the Company’s common stock
price as well as the assumptions discussed above that require judgment. No
options were granted during the six months ended June 30, 2006. A summary of
the
status of Company’s stock option plans as of June 30, 2006 and of changes in
options outstanding under the Company’s plans during the six months ended June
30, 2006 is as follows:
|
|
Number
of Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
|
Outstanding
at January 1, 2006
|
|
|
927,500
|
|
$
|
7.53
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Exercised
|
|
|
(183,500
|
)
|
$
|
7.10
|
|
Terminated
|
|
|
(3,000
|
)
|
$
|
5.50
|
|
Outstanding
at June 30, 2006
|
|
|
741,000
|
|
$
|
7.64
|
|
Options
exercisable at June 30, 2006
|
|
|
76,000
|
|
$
|
5.95
|
|
The
weighted average remaining term of all options outstanding decreased from 9.61
years at December 31, 2005 to 9.11 years at June 30, 2006. At June 30, 2006
the Company had 665,000 stock options outstanding under its 2004 Stock Option
Plan, and 76,000 stock options outstanding under its Amended 1995 Incentive
Stock Plan.
SFAS
No.
123R requires that cash flows resulting from tax deductions in excess of the
cumulative compensation cost recognized for options exercised (excess tax
benefits) be classified as cash inflows from financing activities and cash
outflows from operating activities. Due to the Company’s accumulated deficit
position, no tax benefits have been recognized in the cash flow
statement.
Had
compensation cost for stock options granted to employees and directors prior
to
January 1, 2006 been determined based upon the fair value at the grant date
for awards, consistent with the methodology prescribed under SFAS No. 123,
the
Company’s net loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2005 would not
have changed.
Revenue
Recognition
- The
Company derives revenue primarily from sales of ethanol. The Company’s net sales
are based upon written agreements or purchase orders that identify the amount
of
ethanol to be purchased and the purchase price. Shipments are made to customers,
either, directly from suppliers or from the Company’s inventory to the customers
by truck or rail. Ethanol that is shipped by rail originates primarily in the
Midwest and takes from 10 to 14 days from date of shipment to be delivered
to
the customer or to various terminals in the Western United States. For local
deliveries, the product is shipped by truck and delivered the same day as
shipment.
In
accordance with SAB No. 104, Revenue
Recognition,
and the
related Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 99-19, Reporting
Revenue Gross as a Principal Versus Net as an Agent,
revenues on the sale of ethanol that are shipped from the Company’s stock of
inventory are recognized when the ethanol has been delivered to the customer,
provided that appropriate signed documentation of the arrangement, such as
a
signed contract, purchase order or letter of agreement, has been received,
the
fee is fixed or determinable and collectibility is reasonably assured.
Also,
in
accordance with EITF Issue No. 99-19, revenue from direct shipments of
third-party ethanol sales are recognized upon delivery, and recorded at the
gross amount when the Company is responsible for fulfillment of the customer
order, has latitude in pricing, incurs credit risk on the receivable and has
discretion in the selection of the supplier. Shipping and handling costs are
included in cost of goods sold.
In
addition, the Company has entered into certain contracts under which the
supplier is responsible for fulfillment of the customer order, the supplier
has
approval of pricing terms, credit risk is shared between the Company and the
supplier and the Company does not have discretion in the selection of the
supplier. Under these contracts, the Company pays the supplier the gross
payments received by the Company from third parties for sales of ethanol less
certain transaction costs and a fixed fee. (See Note 7.) In accordance with
EITF
Issue No. 99-19, revenues under these contracts are recorded net as the Company
is deemed to be an agent. In the three and six months ending June 30, 2006
and
2005 an immaterial amount of service revenue was recorded.
Income
(Loss) Per Common Share
- The
Company computes income (loss) per common share in accordance with the
provisions of SFAS No. 128, Earnings
Per Share
(“SFAS
No. 128”). SFAS No. 128 requires companies with complex capital structures to
present basic and diluted earnings per share. Basic earnings (loss) per share
are computed on the basis of the weighted average number of shares of common
stock outstanding during the period. Preferred dividends are deducted from
net
income and have been considered in the calculation of income (loss) available
to
common stockholders in computing basic earnings (loss) per share. Diluted
earnings per share is equal to basic earnings per share, but presents the
dilutive effect on a per share basis of potential common shares (e.g.,
convertible preferred stock, stock options, etc.) as if they had been converted.
Potential dilutive common shares that have an anti-dilutive effect (e.g., those
that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from
diluted earnings per share. The following securities are excluded in the
calculation of diluted shares outstanding as their effects would be
anti-dilutive for the periods ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, as
follows:
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock
options and warrants
|
|
|
3,705,548
|
|
|
954,587
|
|
Convertible
preferred stock
|
|
|
10,500,000
|
|
|
—
|
|
Total
|
|
|
14,205,548
|
|
|
954,587
|
|
Reclassifications
-
Certain
prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current
presentation. Such reclassification had no effect on net loss.
3. Property
And Equipment:
Property
and equipment consisted of the following:
|
|
June
30, 2006
|
|
December
31, 2005
|
|
Land
|
|
$
|
515,298
|
|
$
|
515,298
|
|
Facilities
|
|
|
4,234,703
|
|
|
4,234,703
|
|
Equipment
and vehicles
|
|
|
373,520
|
|
|
373,520
|
|
Office
furniture, fixtures and equipment
|
|
|
553,847
|
|
|
378,149
|
|
|
|
|
5,677,368
|
|
|
5,501,670
|
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
|
|
(277,432
|
)
|
|
(210,675
|
)
|
|
|
|
5,399,936
|
|
|
5,290,995
|
|
Construction
in progress
|
|
|
46,649,507
|
|
|
17,917,253
|
|
|
|
$
|
52,049,443
|
|
$
|
23,208,248
|
|
As
of
June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, the Company had incurred costs of
$38,440,841 and $17,917,253, respectively, under its Amended and Restated Phase
1 Design-Build Agreement and its Phase 2 Design-Build Agreement both dated
November 2, 2005 with W.M. Lyles Co., a subsidiary of Lyles Diversified, Inc.
(“LDI”), a former stockholder of the Company, which has been included in
construction in progress at June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, respectively.
Included in this amount is a total of $2,032,042 and $1,306,499, respectively,
related to the construction management fee of W.M. Lyles Co., of which $130,518
and $195,901 had not been paid at June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005,
respectively.
As
of
June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, the Company had accounts payable due to
W.M. Lyles Co. of $4,630,747 and $6,411,618, respectively, related to the
construction in progress of an ethanol plant. As of June 30, 2006 and December
31, 2005, the Company had accrued retention due to W.M. Lyles Co. of $2,510,794
and $1,450,500, respectively, related to the construction in progress of an
ethanol plant. Included in construction in progress at June 30, 2006 and
December 31, 2005 is capitalized interest of $739,756 and $343,793,
respectively.
The
Madera ethanol production facility is estimated to have a construction cost
of
approximately $64.1 million as follows: site work ($1.7 million); building
and
concrete ($10.9 million); site utilities ($1.1 million); equipment and tanks
($21.1 million); piping ($5.7 million); electrical ($3.7 million); and
engineering, general conditions and other ($19.9 million). In addition to the
construction cost, the Madera project will require up to $11.2 million in
additional funds for capital raising expenses, start-up inventory and working
capital for a total project cost of up to approximately $75.3 million. The
Company had previously estimated a total project cost of approximately $65.5
million.
Other
construction in progress consists of engineering, site design, permitting,
and
other development costs related to preparation for the construction of
additional ethanol production facilities.
As
of
June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, property and equipment totaling $4,114,391
had not been placed in service. Depreciation expense was $66,834 for the six
months ended June 30, 2006 and $85,250 for the year ended December 31,
2005.
4. Accrued
Liabilities:
Accrued
liabilities as of June 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005 consisted of the
following:
|
|
June
30,
2006
|
|
December
31, 2005
|
|
Fire
damage restoration in progress
|
|
$
|
2,012,686
|
|
$
|
3,157,969
|
|
Insurance
policy premium financing
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
209,469
|
|
Preferred
Stock Dividend Payable
|
|
|
897,534
|
|
|
—
|
|
Other
accrued liabilities
|
|
|
918,943
|
|
|
55,127
|
|
Total
accrued liabilities
|
|
$
|
3,829,163
|
|
$
|
3,422,565
|
|
Related
Party Notes Payable
- In
connection with the acquisition of the grain facility in March 2003, on June
16,
2003 PEI California entered into a Term Loan Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”)
with LDI whereby LDI loaned PEI California $5,100,000. On April 13, 2006,
Pacific Ethanol Madera, LLC (“PEI Madera”), a second-tier subsidiary of the
Company, and LDI entered into an Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the
“Amended and Restated Loan Agreement”) whereby the Loan Agreement was assigned
by the Company to PEI Madera. The Amended and Restated Loan Agreement currently
carries a variable interest rate based on The
Wall Street Journal
Prime
Rate (8.25% as of June 30, 2006) plus 2%. Principal payments are due annually
in
three equal installments beginning June 20, 2006 and ending June 20, 2008.
The
amounts owing under the Amended and Restated Loan Agreement are collateralized
by a lien created by a deed of trust on the grain facility, which deed of trust
is subject and subordinate to the lien created by a deed of trust in favor
of
the lender under the construction loan with Hudson United Capital and Comerica
Bank described below. The Amended and Restated Loan Agreement is described
in
further detail in the Company’s Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31,
2005.
Debt
Financing
- On
April 13, 2006, PEI Madera entered into a Construction and Term Loan Agreement
dated April 10, 2006 (the “Construction Loan”) with Comerica Bank (“Comerica”)
and Hudson United Capital (“Hudson”) for a debt financing (the “Debt
Financing”), from Hudson and Comerica (collectively, the “Lender”), in the
aggregate amount of up to $34.0 million. The Debt Financing may be used by
the
Company as part of the total financing necessary for the completion of the
Company’s ethanol production facility in Madera County, California (the
“Project”). The Company incurred related debt issuance costs of $1,190,260, and
is amortizing such costs over the term of the loan.
The
Company has contributed assets to PEI Madera having a value of approximately
$13.9 million (the “Contributed Assets”). The Company is responsible for
arranging cash equity (the “Contributed Amount”) in an amount that, when
combined with the Contributed Assets would be equal to no less than the
difference between the Debt Financing amount of $34.0 million and the total
Project Cost. The Contributed Amount was initially approximately $31.5 million
and has been satisfied through the application of $17.7 million of Cascade’s
investment in the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock.
The
Debt
Financing will initially be in the form the Construction Loan that will mature
on or before the Final Completion Date, after which the Debt Financing will
be
converted to a term loan (the “Term Loan”), that will mature on the seventh
anniversary of the closing of the Term Loan. On the Term Loan Conversion Date
the Company is required to pay a fee of 1% of the borrowed amount upon
conversion of the Construction Loan to the Term Loan. If the Construction Loan
were to go unused, the last day in which the debt could be used is October
10,
2007. If the conversion does not occur and PEI Madera elects to repay the
Construction Loan, then PEI Madera must pay a termination fee equal to 5.00%
of
the amount of the Construction Loan. The closing of the Term Loan is expected
to
be the Final Completion Date. The Construction Loan interest rate will float
at
a rate equal to the 30-day London Inter Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), plus 3.75%.
PEI Madera will be required to pay the Construction Loan interest monthly during
the term of the Construction Loan. The Term Loan interest rate will float at
a
rate equal to the 90-day LIBOR plus 4.00%. PEI Madera will be required to
purchase interest rate protection in the form of a LIBOR rate cap of no more
than 5.50% from a provider on terms and conditions reasonably acceptable to
Lender, and in an amount covering no less than 70% of the principal outstanding
on any loan payment date commencing on the closing date through the fifth
anniversary of the Term Loan. (See note 8.) Loan repayments on the Term Loan
are
to be due quarterly in arrears for a total of 28 payments beginning on the
closing of the Term Loan and ending on its maturity date. The loan amortization
for the Project will be established on the closing of the Term Loan based upon
the operating cash projected to be available to PEI Madera from the Project
as
determined by closing pro forma projections. The Debt Financing will be the
only
indebtedness permitted on the Project. The Debt Financing will be senior to
all
obligations of the Project and PEI Madera other than direct Project operating
expenses and expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business. All direct
and out-of-pocket expenses of the Company or the Company’s direct and indirect
subsidiaries will be reimbursed only after the repayment of the Debt Financing
obligations.
The
Term
Loan amount will be the lesser of (i) $34.0 Million, (ii) 52.25% of the total
Project Cost as of the Term Loan Conversion Date, and (iii) an amount equal
to
the present value (discounted at an interest rate of 9.5% per annum) of 43.67%
of the operating cash distributable to and received by PEI Madera supported
by
the closing pro forma projections, from the closing of Term Loan through the
seventh anniversary of such closing.
The
Debt
Financing is secured by: (i) a perfected first priority security interest in
all
of the assets of PEI Madera, including inventories and all right title and
interest in all tangible and intangible assets of the Project; (ii) a perfected
first priority security interest in the Project’s grain facility, including all
of PEI Madera’s and the Company’s and its affiliates’ right title and interest
in all tangible and intangible assets of the Project’s grain facility; (iii) a
pledge of 100% of the ownership interest in PEI Madera; (iv) a pledge of the
PEI
Madera’s ownership interest in the Project; (v) an assignment of all revenues
produced by the Project and PEI Madera; (vi) the pledge and assignment of the
material Project documents, to the extent assignable; (vii) all contractual
cash
flows associated with such agreements; and (viii) any other collateral security
as Lender may reasonably request. In addition, the Construction Loan is secured
by a completion bond provided by W.M. Lyles Co.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the Company was in compliance with all bank covenants under
the
Debt Financing and no borrowings under the Debt Financing were
outstanding.
Preferred
Stock
- The
Company has 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized, of which 7,000,000
have been designated as Series A Preferred Stock. As of June 30, 2006, 5,250,000
shares of Series A Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding.
On
April 13, 2006, the Company issued to Cascade Investment, L.L.C.
(“Cascade”), 5,250,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock at a price of $16.00
per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $84.0 million. The Company is
entitled to use $4.0 million of the proceeds for general working capital and
must use the remaining $80.0 million for the construction or acquisition of
one
or more ethanol production facilities in accordance with the terms of a Deposit
Agreement.
Under
the
Certificate of Designations, Powers, Preferences and Rights of the Series A
Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Certificate of
Designations”), the Series A Preferred Stock ranks senior in liquidation and
dividend preferences to the Company’s common stock. Holders of Series A
Preferred Stock are entitled to quarterly cumulative dividends payable in
arrears in cash in an amount equal to 5% per annum of the purchase price per
share of the Series A Preferred Stock; however, such dividends may, at the
Company’s option, be paid in additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock based
on the value of the purchase price per share of the Series A Preferred
Stock.
The
holders of the Series A Preferred Stock have conversion rights initially
equivalent to two shares of common stock for each share of Series A Preferred
Stock. The conversion ratio is subject to customary antidilution adjustments,
including in the event that the Company issues equity securities at a price
equivalent to less than $8.00 per share, including derivative securities
convertible into equity securities (on an as-converted or as-exercised basis).
Certain specified issuances will not result in antidilution adjustments. The
shares of Series A Preferred Stock are also subject to forced conversion upon
the occurrence of a transaction that would result in an internal rate of return
to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock of 25% or more. Accrued but
unpaid dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are to be paid in cash upon
any
conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock.
The
holders of Series A Preferred Stock have a liquidation preference over the
holders of the Company’s common stock equivalent to the purchase price per share
of the Series A Preferred Stock plus any accrued and unpaid dividends on the
Series A Preferred Stock. A liquidation will be deemed to occur upon the
happening of customary events, including transfer of all or substantially all
of
the Company’s capital stock or assets or a merger, consolidation, share
exchange, reorganization or other transaction or series of related transaction,
unless holders of 66 2/3% of the Series A Preferred Stock vote affirmatively
in
favor of or otherwise consent to such transaction.
Upon
the
occurrence of a Redemption Event (as defined below), the Series A Preferred
Stock will be subject to redemption, at the option of the holders of 66 2/3%
of
the then outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock. The redemption price
for shares of Series A Preferred Stock subject to redemption will be equal
to
the Series A Preferred Stock issue price per share plus any accrued but unpaid
dividends plus an amount sufficient to yield an Internal Rate of Return of
5.00%, payable in immediately available funds. A Redemption Event is defined
as
(i) the Company withdrawing or utilizing funds from the restricted cash account
in violation of the terms of the Deposit Agreement, (ii) the Company publicly
disclosing an intent not to build or acquire additional ethanol production
facilities for an indefinite period or for a period of at least two years from
the time of the announcement, (iii) the Company failing to withdraw funds from
the restricted cash account for a period of two years, or (iv) amounts remaining
in the restricted cash account after December 31, 2009.
In
connection with the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock, the Company
entered into a Registration Rights and Stockholders Agreement (the “Rights
Agreement”) with Cascade. The Rights Agreement is to be effective until the
holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, and their affiliates, as a group,
own
less than 10% of the Series A Preferred Stock issued under the purchase
agreement with Cascade, including common stock into which such Series A
Preferred Stock has been converted (the “Termination Date”). The Rights
Agreement provides that holders of a majority of the Series A Preferred Stock,
including common stock into which the Series A Preferred Stock has been
converted, may demand and cause the Company, at any time after April 13,
2007, to register on their behalf the shares of common stock issued, issuable
or
that may be issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock (the
“Registrable Securities”). Following such demand, the Company is required to
notify any other holders of the Series A Preferred Stock or Registrable
Securities of the Company’s intent to file a registration statement and, to the
extent requested by such holders, include them in the related registration
statement. The Company is required to keep such registration statement effective
until such time as all of the Registrable Securities are sold or until such
holders may avail themselves of Rule 144(k) under the Securities Act of 1933,
which requires, among other things, a minimum two-year holding period and
requires that any holder availing itself of Rule 144(k) not be an affiliate
of
the Company. The holders are entitled to three demand registrations on Form
S-1
and unlimited demand registrations on Form S-3; however, the Company is not
obligated to effect more than two demand registrations on Form S-3 in any
12-month period.
In
addition to the demand registration rights afforded the holders under the Rights
Agreement, the holders are entitled to “piggyback” registration rights. These
rights entitle the holders who so elect to be included in registration
statements to be filed by the Company with respect to other registrations of
equity securities. The holders are entitled to unlimited “piggyback”
registration rights.
The
Rights Agreement also provides for the initial appointment of two persons
designated by Cascade to the Company’s Board of Directors, and the appointment
of one of such persons as the Chairman of the Compensation Committee of the
Board of Directors. Following the Termination Date, Cascade is required to
cause
its director designees, and all other designees, to resign from all applicable
committees and boards of directors, effective as of the Termination
Date.
Deemed
Dividend on Preferred Stock
In
accordance with EITF 98-5,
Accounting for Convertible Securities with Beneficial Conversion Features or
Contingently Adjustable Conversion Ratios,
and
EITF 00-27, Application
of Issue No. 98-5 to Certain Convertible Instruments,
the
Series A Preferred Stock is considered to have an embedded beneficial conversion
feature because the conversion price was less than the fair value of the
Company’s common stock at the issuance date. The Company has recorded a deemed
dividend on preferred stock in its financial statements for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2006. This non-cash dividend is to reflect the implied
economic value to the preferred stockholder of being able to convert its shares
into common stock at a price which is in excess of the fair value of the Series
A Preferred Stock. The fair value allocated to the Series A Preferred Stock
together with the original conversion terms were used to calculate the value
of
the deemed dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock of $84 million at the date
of issuance. The fair value was calculated using the difference between the
agreed-upon conversion price of the Series A Preferred Stock into shares of
common stock of $8.00 per share and the fair market value of the Company’s
common stock of $29.27 on the date of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock.
The fair value allocated to the Series A Preferred Stock was in excess of the
gross proceeds received of $84 million in connection with the sale of the Series
A Preferred Stock; however, the deemed dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock
is limited to the gross proceeds received of $84 million. This amount has been
charged to accumulated deficit with the offsetting credit to additional
paid-in-capital. The Company has treated the deemed dividend on preferred stock
as a reconciling item on the Consolidated Statements of Operations to adjust
its
reported net loss, together with any preferred stock dividends recorded during
the applicable period, to “loss available to common stockholders.”
Likely
Embedded Derivative
Under
the
provisions of SFAS No. 133, the
Series A Preferred Stock’s redemption feature is likely a derivative instrument
that requires bifurcation from the host contract. SFAS No. 133 requires all
derivative instruments to be measured at fair value. However, because the
underlying events that would cause the redemption feature to be exercisable
(i.e., redemption events) are not probable of occurrence in the foreseeable
future, the Company believes that the fair value of the embedded derivative
was
de
minimis
at the
date of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock. The Company will continue
to
evaluate the redemption feature and the probability of the occurrence of the
redemption events at each reporting period to determine if a fair value should
be ascribed to such embedded derivative and recorded in the Company’s financial
statements.
Common
Stock
- The
Company has 100,000,000 shares of common stock authorized. As of June 30, 2006,
37,223,236 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding.
On
May
31, 2006 (the “Closing Date”), the Company issued to 45 accredited investors an
aggregate of 5,496,583 shares of common stock at a price of $26.38 per share,
for an aggregate purchase price of $145.0 million in cash. The Company
intends to use the net proceeds of approximately $138.0 million, net of capital
raising fees and expenses, for construction of additional ethanol plants and
working capital.
The
Company also issued to the investors warrants to purchase an aggregate of
2,748,297 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $31.55 per share.
The warrants are exercisable on or after a date that is the later of (i) six
months from the Closing Date and (ii) the effective date of the related
registration statement, through and including the date that is the later of
(a)
nine months from the Closing Date and (b) thirty days after the effective date
of the related registration statement.
The
Company was obligated under a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase
Agreement”) related to the above private offering to file, by June 30, 2006, a
registration statement with the SEC, registering for resale shares of common
stock, and shares of common stock underlying the warrants, issued in connection
with the private offering. The Company filed the registration statement with
the
SEC on June 23, 2006. The Company’s registration obligations also require, that
it cause the registration statement to be declared effective on the date, which
is the earliest of (i) if the registration statement does not become subject
to
review by the SEC, (a) ninety days after the Closing Date, or (b) five trading
days after the Company receives notification from the SEC that the registration
statement will not become subject to review and the Company fails to request
to
accelerate the effectiveness of the registration statement, or (ii) if the
registration statement becomes subject to review by the SEC, one hundred twenty
days after the Closing Date. The registration statement was declared effective
by the SEC on July 10, 2006.
The
Company has evaluated the classification of common stock and warrants issued
in
the private offering in accordance with EITF Issue No. 00-19, Accounting
for Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in,
a
Company’s Own Stock
and EITF
D-98, Classification
and Measurement of Redeemable Securities.
The
Company has determined, based on a valuation performed by an independent
appraiser that the maximum potential liquidated damages are less than the
difference in fair value between registered and unregistered shares of the
Company’s stock and, therefore, has classified the common stock and warrants as
equity.
The
Company paid cash placement agent fees of approximately $7.25 million to the
exclusive placement agent in connection with the private offering, and has
agreed to pay up to an additional approximately $3.90 million in the event
that
all warrants are exercised in full by the investors.
Warrants
- The
following table summarizes warrant activity for the six months ended June 30,
2006 and the year ended December 31, 2005:
|
|
Number
of
Shares
|
|
Price
per
Share
|
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2005
|
|
|
2,904,818
|
|
$
|
0.0001
- 5.00
|
|
$
|
3.26
|
|
Warrants
granted
|
|
|
2,748,297
|
|
|
31.55
|
|
|
31.55
|
|
Warrants
exercised
|
|
|
(2,688,567
|
)
|
|
0.0001
- 5.00
|
|
|
3.38
|
|
Balance
at June 30, 2006
|
|
|
2,964,548
|
|
$
|
0.0001
- 31.55
|
|
$
|
29.39
|
|
The
weighted average remaining contractual life and weighted average exercise price
of all warrants outstanding and of warrants exercisable as of June 30, 2006
were
as follows:
|
|
|
|
Warrants
Outstanding
|
|
|
|
Warrants
Exercisable
|
|
|
|
Range
of Exercise
|
|
|
|
Weighted
Average
|
|
Weighted-Average
|
|
Number
|
|
Weighted-Average
|
|
Prices
|
|
Number
Outstanding
|
|
Remaining
Contractual Life
|
|
Exercise
Price
|
|
Exercisable
|
|
Exercise
Price
|
|
$0.0001
|
|
|
86,251
|
|
|
2.74
|
|
|
$0.0001
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
—
|
|
$3.00
|
|
|
86,000
|
|
|
0.73
|
|
|
$3.00
|
|
|
86,000
|
|
|
$3.00
|
|
$5.00
|
|
|
44,000
|
|
|
0.73
|
|
|
$5.00
|
|
|
44,000
|
|
|
$5.00
|
|
$31.55
|
|
|
2,748,297
|
|
|
0.67
|
|
|
$31.55
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
—
|
|
|
|
|
2,964,548
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
130,000
|
|
|
|
|
7. Commitments
and Contingencies:
Purchase
Commitments
- During
the six months ended June 30, 2006, the Company entered into purchase contracts
with its major suppliers to acquire certain quantities of ethanol, corn, and
denaturant.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the outstanding balance on fixed price contracts for the purchase
of ethanol was $88,057,151. As of June 30, 2006, the Company also had purchase
contracts for 56.2 million gallons of ethanol where the purchase price will
be
determined by the market price at the transaction date.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the outstanding balance on fixed price contracts for the purchase
of corn was $4,304,300. As of June 30, 2006, the outstanding balance on fixed
price purchase contracts for the purchase of denaturant was
$859,200.
Sales
Commitments
- During
the six months ended June 30, 2006, the Company entered into sales contracts
with its major customers to sell certain quantities of ethanol and
denaturant.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the outstanding balance on fixed price contracts for the sale
of
ethanol was $131,635,928. As of June 30, 2006, the Company also had sales
contracts for 70.9 million gallons of ethanol where the sales price will be
determined by the market price at the transaction date.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the outstanding balance on fixed price sales contracts for the
sale of denaturant was $1,139,324.
Ethanol
Purchase and Marketing Agreement
-
On
March
4, 2005, Kinergy entered into an Ethanol Purchase and Marketing Agreement with
the owner of an ethanol production facility. The agreement was amended in April
2006. The agreement is effective for two years with automatic renewals for
additional one-year periods. Kinergy has the exclusive right to market and
sell
all of the ethanol from the facility. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement,
the purchase price of the ethanol may be negotiated monthly between Kinergy
and
the owner of the ethanol production facility without regard to the price at
which Kinergy will re-sell the ethanol to its customers or Kinergy may pay
the
owner the gross payments received by Kinergy from third parties for forward
sales of ethanol less certain transaction costs and fees and retain a 1.0%
marketing fee calculated after deducting these costs and expenses. During the
six months ended June 30, 2006, purchases of ethanol from this facility were
based on a blend of monthly negotiated prices, contract period fixed prices,
and
index-based prices based on a weekly NYMEX average.
Ethanol
Marketing Agreement
- On
August 31, 2005, Kinergy entered into an Ethanol Marketing Agreement with the
owner of an ethanol production facility. The agreement is effective for three
years with automatic renewals for additional one-year periods thereafter.
Kinergy has the exclusive right to market and sell all of the ethanol from
the
facility. Kinergy is to pay the owner the gross payments received by Kinergy
from third parties for forward sales of ethanol less certain transaction costs
and fees. Kinergy may also deduct and retain an amount equal to 1.0% of the
difference between the gross payments received by Kinergy and the transaction
costs and fees. On August 9, 2006, Kinergy entered into an amendment and
restatement of the Ethanol Marketing Agreement, which among other things, allows
the Company to make direct purchases from the owner of the ethanol production
facility. See revenue recognition discussed in Note 2.
Litigation
- General
- The
Company is subject to legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the
ordinary course of business. While the amounts claimed may be substantial,
the
ultimate liability cannot presently be determined because of considerable
uncertainties that exist. Therefore, it is possible that the outcome of those
legal proceedings, claims and litigation could adversely affect the Company’s
quarterly or annual operating results or cash flows when resolved in a future
period. However, based on facts currently available, management believes such
matters will not adversely affect the Company’s financial position, results of
operations or cash flows.
Litigation
- Barry Spiegel
- On
December 23, 2005, Barry J. Spiegel, a stockholder of the Company and
former director of Accessity, filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of the
17th
Judicial
District in and for Broward County, Florida (Case No. 05018512) (the “Spiegel
Action”), against Barry Siegel, Philip Kart, Kenneth Friedman and Bruce Udell
(collectively, the “Defendants”). Messrs. Siegel, Udell and Friedman are former
directors of Accessity and the Company. Mr. Kart is a former executive officer
of Accessity and the Company. The Spiegel Action relates to the Share Exchange
Transaction and purports to state five counts against the Defendants:
(i) breach of fiduciary duty, (ii) violation of Florida’s Deceptive
and Unfair Trade Practices Act, (iii) conspiracy to defraud,
(iv) fraud, and (v) violation of Florida Securities and Investor
Protection Act. Mr. Spiegel is seeking $22.0 million in damages. On
March 8, 2006, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Spiegel Action,
which remains pending. No discovery has been taken. The Company has agreed
with
Messrs. Friedman, Siegel, Kart and Udell to advance the costs of defense in
connection with the Spiegel Action. Under applicable provisions of Delaware
law,
the Company may be responsible to indemnify each of the Defendants in connection
with the Spiegel Action.
Litigation
- Gerald Zutler
- In
January 2003, DriverShield CRM Corp., or DriverShield, then a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company’s predecessor, Accessity, was served with a complaint
filed by Mr. Gerald Zutler, its former President and Chief Operating Officer,
alleging, among other things, that DriverShield breached his employment
contract, that there was fraudulent concealment of DriverShield’s intention to
terminate its employment agreement with Mr. Zutler, and discrimination on the
basis of age and aiding and abetting violation of the New York State Human
Rights Law. The complaint was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New
York, County of Nassau, Index No.: 654/03. Mr. Zutler sought damages of
approximately $2.2 million, plus punitive damages and reasonable attorneys’
fees. On July 20, 2006, the Company settled Mr. Zutler’s claims in full and
subsequently made a settlement payment to Mr. Zutler in the amount of $515,000,
of which $150,000 was covered by DriverShield’s insurance carrier.
Litigation
- Mercator
- In
2003, Accessity filed a lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $100 million
against: (i) Presidion Corporation, f/k/a MediaBus Networks, Inc., Presidion’s
parent corporation, (ii) Presidion’s investment bankers, Mercator Group, LLC, or
Mercator, and various related and affiliated parties and (iii) Taurus Global
LLC, or Taurus, (collectively referred to as the “Mercator Action”), alleging
that these parties committed a number of wrongful acts, including, but not
limited to tortuously interfering in a transaction between Accessity and
Presidion Solutions Inc. In 2004, Accessity dismissed this lawsuit without
prejudice, which was filed in Florida state court. The Company recently refiled
this action in the State of California, for a similar amount, as the Company
believes that this is the proper jurisdiction. On August 18, 2005, the court
stayed the action and ordered the parties to arbitration. The parties agreed
to
mediate the matter. Mediation took place on December 9, 2005 and was not
successful. On December 5, 2005, the Company filed a Demand for Arbitration
with the American Arbitration Association. On April 6, 2006, a single
arbitrator was appointed. Arbitration hearings have been scheduled to commence
in March 2007. The share exchange agreement relating to the Share Exchange
Transaction provides that following full and final settlement or other final
resolution of the Mercator Action, after deduction of all fees and expenses
incurred by the law firm representing the Company in this action and payment
of
the 25% contingency fee to the law firm, shareholders of record of Accessity
on
the date immediately preceding the closing date of the Share Exchange
Transaction will receive two-thirds and the Company will retain the remaining
one-third of the net proceeds from any Mercator Action recovery.
Employment
Agreements
- On
June 26, 2006, the Company entered into Executive Employment Agreements with
each of John T. Miller, its Chief Operating Officer, and Christopher W. Wright,
its Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, that each provide for a
one-year term and automatic one-year renewals thereafter, unless the executive
or the Company provides written notice to the other at least 90 days prior
to
the expiration of the then-current term. Each executive is to receive a base
salary of $185,000 per year and is entitled to receive a cash bonus not to
exceed 50% of his base salary. Each executive is entitled to $92,500 for six
months of severance pay effective throughout the entire term of his agreement
and is also entitled to reimbursement of his costs associated with his
relocation to the location of the Company’s corporate headquarters. Each
executive is also to be issued an aggregate of 54,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock pursuant to a restricted stock or restricted stock unit award
under
an incentive plan to be instituted by the Company that will vest as to 13,500
shares immediately and as to an additional 10,125 shares on each of the first,
second, third and fourth anniversaries of the initial grant. The award is
subject to stockholder approval of the related incentive plan. The incentive
plan is to include terms comparable to those contained in the Company’s existing
2004 Stock Option Plan providing for accelerated vesting in connection with
a
change in control of the Company.
8.
Derivatives:
The
business and activities of the Company expose it to a variety of market risks,
including risks related to changes in commodity prices and interest rates.
These
financial exposures are monitored and managed by the Company as an integral
part
of its risk management program. This program recognizes the unpredictability
of
financial markets and seeks to reduce the potentially adverse effects that
market volatility could have on operating results. The Company accounts for
its
use of derivatives related to its hedging activities pursuant to SFAS No. 133,
in which the Company recognizes all of its derivative instruments in its
statement of financial position as either assets or liabilities, depending
on
the rights or obligations under the contracts. The Company has designated and
documented contracts for the physical delivery of commodity products to and
from
counterparties as normal purchases and normal sales. Derivative instruments
are
measured at fair value, pursuant to the definition found in SFAS No. 107,
Disclosures
about Fair Value of Financial Instruments.
Changes
in the derivative’s fair value are recognized currently in earnings unless
specific hedge accounting criteria are met. Special accounting for qualifying
hedges allows a derivative’s effective gains and losses to be deferred in other
comprehensive income and later recorded together with the gains and losses
to
offset related results on the hedged item in earnings. Companies must formally
document, designate and assess the effectiveness of transactions that receive
hedge accounting.
Commodity
Risk
-
Cash
Flow Hedges
- As
part of its risk management strategy, the Company uses derivative instruments
to
protect cash flows from fluctuations caused by volatility in commodity prices
out up to eighteen months. These hedging activities are conducted to protect
product margin to reduce the potentially adverse effects that market volatility
could have on operating results by minimizing the Company’s exposure to price
volatility on ethanol sale and purchase commitments where the price is to be
set
at a future date and/or if the contract specifies a floating or “index-based”
price for ethanol that is based on either the NYMEX price of gasoline or the
Chicago Board of Trade price of ethanol. In addition, the Company hedges
anticipated sales of ethanol to minimize the Company’s exposure to the
potentially adverse effects of price volatility. These derivatives are
designated and documented as SFAS No. 133 cash flow hedges and effectiveness
is
evaluated by assessing the probability of the anticipated transactions and
regressing commodity futures prices against the Company’s purchase and sales
prices. Ineffectiveness, which is defined as the degree to which the derivative
does not offset the underlying exposure, is recognized immediately in earnings.
In the three and six months ending June 30, 2006 and 2005 an immaterial amount
of ineffectiveness was recorded in cost of goods sold. In the three and six
months ending June 30, 2006 $188,244 and $194,940 was recorded in other income,
respectively. In the three and six months ending June 30, 2005 no amount of
ineffectiveness was recorded to other income. Amounts remaining in other
comprehensive income will be reclassified to earnings upon the recognition
of
the related purchase or sale. The notional balance of these derivatives as
of
June 30, 2006 and 2005 were $37,186,884 and $0, respectively.
Commodity
Risk
-
Non-Designated
Hedges
-
Occasionally the Company executes basis swaps to fix the cost of forecasted
corn
purchases. As of June 30, 2006, the Company had purchased and sold corn futures
that will settle in November 2006, giving the Company the right to purchase
860,000 bushels of corn at $0.0225 per bushel and sell 430,000 bushels of corn
at $0.07 per bushel.
Interest
Rate Risk
- As
part of the Company’s interest rate risk management strategy, the Company uses
derivative instruments to minimize significant unanticipated earnings
fluctuations that may arise from rising variable interest rate cost associated
with existing and anticipated borrowings. To meet these objectives the Company
purchased interest rate caps on the three-month LIBOR. The capitalization rate
for a notional balance ranging from $0 to $22,705,473 is 5.50% per annum. The
capitalization rate for a notional balance ranging from $0 to 9,730,917 is
6.00%
per annum. These derivatives are designated and documented as SFAS No. 133
cash
flow hedges and effectiveness is evaluated by assessing the probability of
anticipated interest expense and regressing the historical value of the caps
against the historical value in the existing and anticipated debt.
Ineffectiveness, reflecting the degree to which the derivative does not offset
the underlying exposure, is recognized immediately in earnings. During the
three
and six months ending June 30, 2006 and 2005, an immaterial amount of
ineffectiveness was recorded in interest expense. Amounts remaining in other
comprehensive income will be reclassified to earnings upon the recognition
of
the hedged interest expense.
The
Company marked its derivative instruments to fair value at each period end,
except for those derivative contracts which qualified for the normal purchase
and sale exemption pursuant to SFAS No. 133. According to the Company’s
designation of the derivative, changes in the fair value of derivatives are
reflected in earnings or other comprehensive income.
Other
Comprehensive Income
|
|
Commodity
Derivatives
|
|
Interest
Rate Derivatives
|
|
|
|
Gains/(Loss)*
|
|
Gains/(Loss)*
|
|
Beginning
balance, December 31, 2005
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Net
changes
|
|
|
1,711,851
|
|
|
13,588
|
|
Amount
reclassified to revenue
|
|
|
(718,360
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Amount
reclassified to cost of goods sold
|
|
|
(12,297
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Amount
reclassified to interest expense
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(9,240
|
)
|
Amount
reclassified to other income
|
|
|
(194,940
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Ending
balance, June 30, 2006
|
|
$
|
786,254
|
|
$
|
4,348
|
|
—————
*Calculated
on a pretax basis
9.
Related
Party Transactions:
Related
Customer
- On
January 14, 2006, the Company entered into a 6-month sales contract with a
contract period beginning April 1, 2006 through September 30, 2006 for 2,100,000
gallons of fuel grade ethanol to be delivered ratably at approximately 350,000
gallons per month at varying prices based on delivery destinations in
California. On June 13, 2006, the Company entered into an additional 6-month
sales contract with a contract period beginning October 1, 2006 through March
31, 2007 for 6,300,000 gallons of fuel grade ethanol to be delivered ratably
at
approximately 1,050,000 gallons per month at varying prices based on delivery
destinations in California, Nevada, and Arizona. During the six months ended
June 30, 2006, sales to Southern Counties Oil Co. totaled $8,584,749 and
accounts receivable from Southern Counties Oil Co. at June 30, 2006 totaled
$659,585.
10. Subsequent
Events:
Termination
of Amended 1995 Stock Incentive Plan
- On
July 19, 2006, the Company terminated its Amended 1995 Stock Incentive Plan,
except to the extent of currently issued and outstanding options under the
plan.
Payoff
of LDI Term Loan
- On
July 21, 2006, the Company paid off the balance of the LDI term loan in the
amount of $2,413,479, including interest in the amount of $13,479.
ITEM
2.
|
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
|
The
following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our
consolidated financial statements and notes to consolidated financial statements
included elsewhere in this report. This report and our consolidated financial
statements and notes to consolidated financial statements contain
forward-looking statements, which generally include the plans and objectives
of
management for future operations, including plans and objectives relating to
our
future economic performance and our current beliefs regarding revenues we might
generate and profits we might earn if we are successful in implementing our
business strategies. The forward-looking statements and associated risks may
include, relate to or be qualified by other important factors, including,
without limitation:
·
|
fluctuations
in the market price of ethanol;
|
·
|
the
projected growth or contraction in the ethanol market in which we
operate;
|
·
|
our
business strategy for expanding, maintaining or contracting our presence
in this market;
|
·
|
our
ability to obtain the necessary financing to complete construction
of our
planned ethanol production facilities other than our facility in
Madera
County, California;
|
·
|
anticipated
trends in our financial condition and results of operations;
and
|
·
|
our
ability to distinguish ourselves from our current and future competitors.
|
We
do not
undertake to update, revise or correct any forward-looking
statements.
Any
of
the factors described above or in the “Risk Factors” section below could cause
our financial results, including our net income or loss or growth in net income
or loss to differ materially from prior results, which in turn could, among
other things, cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate
substantially.
Overview
Our
primary goal is to become a leader in the production, marketing and sale of
ethanol and other renewable fuels in the Western United States.
We
are
currently engaged in the business of marketing and selling ethanol in the
Western United States. Through our wholly owned subsidiary, Kinergy Marketing,
LLC, or Kinergy, we provide transportation, storage and delivery of ethanol
through third-party service providers. We sell ethanol primarily in California,
Nevada, Arizona, Washington and Oregon and have extensive customer relationships
throughout the Western United States and extensive supplier relationships
throughout the Western and Midwestern United States. We do not currently produce
any ethanol that we sell. Until we commence the production of ethanol, we expect
that our operations will consist primarily of the marketing and sale of ethanol
produced by third-parties. We anticipate that our net sales will grow in the
long-term as demand for ethanol increases and as a result of our marketing
agreements with third-party ethanol producers.
We
believe that we have a competitive advantage due to the market niche that we
have developed by supplying ethanol to customers in several major metropolitan
and rural markets in California and other Western states. We also believe that
the experience of our management over the past two decades and our ethanol
marketing and sales operations conducted over the past five years have enabled
us to establish valuable relationships in the ethanol marketing industry and
understand the business of marketing ethanol.
Through
Pacific Ethanol Madera, LLC, or PEI Madera, a second-tier subsidiary of our
wholly-owned subsidiary, Pacific Ethanol California, Inc., or PEI California,
we
are constructing an ethanol production facility in Madera County, California.
In
April 2006, we secured all the necessary financing to complete construction
of
this facility. In May 2006, we commenced construction of our second ethanol
production facility, located in Boardman, Oregon, which when completed is
expected to produce at least 35 million gallons of ethanol per year. We are
currently in advanced stages of development of three other ethanol facilities
in
two Western states. We also intend to construct or otherwise acquire additional
ethanol production facilities as financing resources and business prospects
make
the construction or acquisition of these facilities advisable. In May 2006,
we
secured $138 million of additional financing to further fund our expansion
plans.
Currently,
ethanol represents only up to 3% of the total annual gasoline demand in the
United States. We believe that the ethanol industry has substantial potential
for growth to reach what we estimate is an achievable level of at least 10%
of
the total annual gasoline demand in the United States. An increase in the demand
for ethanol from California’s current level of 5.7%, or approximately 950
million gallons per year, to at least 10%, of total annual gasoline demand
would
result in demand for approximately 700 million additional gallons of ethanol,
representing an increase in annual demand in California of approximately 75%
and
an increase in annual demand in the entire United States of approximately
18%.
We
have
two principal methods of marketing and selling ethanol: direct sales and
inventory sales. The first method of marketing and selling ethanol involves
direct sales through which suppliers deliver ethanol directly via rail to our
customers. For direct sales, we typically match ethanol purchase and sale
contracts of like quantities and delivery periods. These direct sales typically
involve selection of a customer after the ethanol is purchased and fulfillment
of the purchase terms to that customer. Our second method of selling ethanol
involves truck deliveries from inventory purchased in advance. For inventory
sales, as with direct sales, we select a particular customer and fulfill the
terms of sale to that customer from our inventory. However, a time lag may
result from inventory transit and turnover times. As a result, in some cases
we
may supply ethanol under new inventory sales contracts from existing inventory,
and in some cases we may supply from currently acquired inventory. In either
case, these transactions involve some price risks resulting from potential
fluctuations in the market price of ethanol.
Management
seeks to optimize transitions to new inventory sales contracts and reduce the
effects in the case of declining ethanol prices by managing inventory as
carefully as possible to decrease inventory levels in anticipation of declining
ethanol prices. In addition, management seeks to increase inventory levels
in
anticipation of rising ethanol prices. Because we decrease inventory levels
in
anticipation of declining ethanol prices and increase inventory levels in
anticipation of rising ethanol prices, we are subject to the risk of ethanol
prices moving in unanticipated directions, which could result in declining
or
even negative gross profit margins over certain periods of time. However, this
also enables us, in some cases, to benefit from above-normal gross profit
margins.
Over
the
past few years, the market price of ethanol has experienced significant
fluctuations. For example, our average sales price of ethanol declined by
approximately 25% from our 2004 average sales price per gallon in five months
from January 2005 through May 2005 and reversed this decline and increased
to
approximately 55% above our 2004 average sales price per gallon in four months
from June 2005 through September 2005; and from September through December
2005,
our average sales price of ethanol trended downward, but reversed its trend
in
the first six months of 2006 by rising approximately 31% above our 2005 average
sales price per gallon.
We
believe that the market price of ethanol will, for the foreseeable future,
continue to experience significant fluctuations which may cause our future
results of operations to fluctuate significantly. As a result, our historical
results of operations may not be predictive of our future results of
operations.
Historically,
Kinergy’s gross profit margins have averaged between 2.0% and 4.4%. Gross profit
margins above this historical average range generally result when we are able
to
correctly anticipate and benefit from holding a net long position (i.e., volume
on purchase contracts, together with inventory, exceeds volume on sales
contracts) while ethanol prices are rising, or holding a net short position
(i.e., volume on sales contracts exceeds volume on purchase contracts and
inventory) while ethanol prices are declining. Gross profit margins below the
historical average range generally result when a net long or short position
is
held and there is a sustained adverse movement in market prices.
Our
future gross margins will primarily depend on the confluence of four key
factors: (i) the degree of competition in the ethanol market, which may reduce
margins; (ii) the proportion of direct sale arrangements, which typically result
in lower gross profit margins, to our inventory sales, which typically result
in
higher gross profit margins; (iii) the volatility of the market price of
ethanol; and (iv) management’s ability to anticipate trends in the market price
of ethanol and our ability to implement and hold the appropriate net long or
net
short positions. Given the difficulty associated with forecasting any of these
factors, we are unable to estimate our future gross profit margins.
If
we are
able to complete our ethanol production facilities in Madera County and Boardman
and commence producing ethanol, we expect our gross profit margins for ethanol
that we produce to be substantially higher than our gross profit margins for
our
direct and inventory sales of ethanol produced by third parties. However, any
gross profits that we realize from the production of ethanol will be highly
dependent upon the prevailing market price of ethanol at the time of sale.
Moreover, in light of the recent and expected future volatility in the price
of
ethanol, we are now, and expect for the foreseeable future to be, unable to
estimate our gross profit margins resulting from the sale of ethanol that we
may
produce.
Our
gross
profit margin increased from 0.7% in the second quarter of 2005 to 7.0% in
the
second quarter of 2006. Our gross profit margins increased from 0.8% in the
first six months of 2005 to 6.6% in the first six months of 2006. Our lower
gross profit margins in the second quarter and for the first six months of
2005
as compared to the same periods in 2006 resulted primarily from the transition
from inventory sales contracts ending in the first quarter of 2005 to new
inventory sales contracts beginning in the second quarter of 2005 during a
period of rapidly declining market prices. Because of the time lag in delivering
ethanol under new inventory sales contracts, we sold ethanol under these
contracts from existing inventory that was purchased at levels higher than
the
prevailing market price at the time of sale. The increase in our gross profit
margins in the second quarter and for the first six months of 2006 as compared
to the same periods in 2005 is generally reflective of opportunistic buying
and
selling during a period of rapidly increasing market prices. We established
and
maintained net long ethanol positions going during much of the first and second
quarters of 2006. The decision to maintain net long ethanol positions was based
on a confluence of factors, including management’s expectation of increased
prices of gasoline and petroleum and the continued phase-out of MTBE blending
which we believed would result in a significant increase in demand for blending
ethanol with gasoline.
Share
Exchange Transaction
On
March
23, 2005, we completed a share exchange transaction, or Share Exchange
Transaction, with the shareholders of PEI California, and the holders of the
membership interests of each of Kinergy and ReEnergy, LLC, or ReEnergy, pursuant
to which we acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock
of PEI California and all of the outstanding membership interests of each of
Kinergy and ReEnergy. Immediately prior to the consummation of the Share
Exchange Transaction, our predecessor, Accessity Corp., or Accessity,
reincorporated in the State of Delaware under the name “Pacific Ethanol, Inc.”
through a merger of Accessity with and into its then-wholly-owned Delaware
subsidiary named Pacific Ethanol, Inc., which was formed for the purpose of
effecting the reincorporation, or Reincorporation Merger. We are the surviving
entity resulting from the Reincorporation Merger and Kinergy, PEI California
and
ReEnergy are three of our wholly-owned subsidiaries.
The
Share
Exchange Transaction has been accounted for as a reverse acquisition whereby
PEI
California is deemed to be the accounting acquiror. We have consolidated the
results of PEI California, Kinergy, and ReEnergy beginning March 23, 2005,
the
date of the Share Exchange Transaction. Accordingly, our results of operations
for the three months ended June 30, 2005 consist of the operations of PEI
California, Kinergy and ReEnergy for that entire period; and our results of
operations for the six months ended June 30, 2005 consist of the operations
of
PEI California for that entire period and the operations of Kinergy and ReEnergy
from March 23, 2005 through June 30, 2005. Our results of operations for the
three and six months ended June 30, 2006 consist of our operations and the
operations of all of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, including PEI California,
Kinergy and ReEnergy for that entire period.
In
connection with the Share Exchange Transaction, we issued an aggregate of
20,610,987 shares of common stock to the shareholders of PEI California,
3,875,000 shares of common stock to the limited liability company member of
Kinergy and an aggregate of 125,000 shares of common stock to the limited
liability company members of ReEnergy. In addition, holders of options and
warrants to acquire an aggregate of 3,157,587 shares of common stock of PEI
California were, following the consummation of the Share Exchange Transaction,
deemed to hold warrants to acquire an equal number of our shares of common
stock. Also, a holder of a promissory note, a portion of which was convertible
into an aggregate of 664,879 shares of common stock of PEI California was,
following the consummation of the Share Exchange Transaction, entitled to
convert the note into an equal number of shares of our common
stock.
On
March
23, 2005, prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange Transaction, PEI
California issued to 63 accredited investors in a private offering an aggregate
of 7,000,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $3.00 per share,
two-year investor warrants to purchase 1,400,000 shares of common stock at
an
exercise price of $3.00 per share and two-year investor warrants to purchase
700,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share, for
total gross proceeds of approximately $21,000,000. PEI California paid cash
placement agent fees and expenses of approximately $1,850,400 and issued
five-year placement agent warrants to purchase 678,000 shares of common stock
at
an exercise price of $3.00 per share in connection with the offering. Additional
costs related to the financing include legal, accounting and consulting fees
that totaled approximately $274,415.
Preferred
Stock Financing
General
On
April 13, 2006, we issued to one investor, Cascade Investment, L.L.C., or
Cascade, 5,250,000 shares of our Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible
Preferred Stock, or Series A Preferred Stock, at a price of $16.00 per
share, for an aggregate purchase price of $84.0 million. Of the $84.0 million
aggregate purchase price, $4.0 million was paid to us at closing and $80.0
million was deposited into a restricted cash account and will be disbursed
in
accordance with the Deposit Agreement described below. We are entitled to use
the initial $4.0 million of proceeds for general working capital purposes and
must use the remaining $80.0 million for the construction or acquisition of
one
or more ethanol production facilities in accordance with the terms of the
Deposit Agreement.
Certificate
of Designations
The
Certificate of Designations, Powers, Preferences and Rights of the Series A
Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock, or Certificate of
Designations, provides for 7,000,000 shares of preferred stock to be designated
as Series A Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock. The Series A
Preferred Stock ranks senior in liquidation and dividend preferences to our
common stock. Holders of Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to quarterly
cumulative dividends payable in arrears in cash in an amount equal to 5% of
the
purchase price per share of the Series A Preferred Stock; however, such
dividends may, at our option, be paid in additional shares of Series A
Preferred Stock based on the value of the purchase price per share of the
Series A Preferred Stock. The holders of Series A Preferred Stock have
a liquidation preference over the holders of our common stock equivalent to
the
purchase price per share of the Series A Preferred Stock plus any accrued
and unpaid dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock. A liquidation will be
deemed to occur upon the happening of customary events, including transfer
of
all or substantially all of our capital stock or assets or a merger,
consolidation, share exchange, reorganization or other transaction or series
of
related transaction, unless holders of 66 2/3% of the Series A Preferred
Stock vote affirmatively in favor of or otherwise consent to such
transaction.
The
holders of the Series A Preferred Stock have conversion rights initially
equivalent to two shares of common stock for each share of Series A
Preferred Stock. The conversion ratio is subject to customary antidilution
adjustments. In addition, antidilution adjustments are to occur in the event
that we issue equity securities at a price equivalent to less than $8.00 per
share, including derivative securities convertible into equity securities (on
an
as-converted or as-exercised basis). Certain specified issuances will not result
in antidilution adjustments. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock are
also subject to forced conversion upon the occurrence of a transaction that
would result in an internal rate of return to the holders of the Series A
Preferred Stock of 25% or more. Accrued but unpaid dividends on the
Series A Preferred Stock are to be paid in cash upon any conversion of the
Series A Preferred Stock.
The
holders of Series A Preferred Stock vote together as a single class with
the holders of our common stock on all actions to be taken by our stockholders.
Each share of Series A Preferred Stock entitles the holder to the number of
votes equal to the number of shares of our common stock into which each share
of
Series A Preferred Stock is convertible. However, the number of votes for
each share of Series A Preferred Stock may not exceed the number of shares
of common stock into which each share of Series A Preferred Stock would be
convertible if the applicable conversion price were $8.99. The holders of
Series A Preferred Stock are afforded numerous customary protective
provisions with respect to certain actions that may only be approved by holders
of a majority of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock. The holders of the
Series A Preferred Stock are also afforded preemptive rights with respect
to certain securities offered by us and are entitled to certain redemption
rights.
The
holders of Series A Preferred Stock have a liquidation preference over the
holders of the our common stock equivalent to the purchase price per share
of
the Series A Preferred Stock plus any accrued and unpaid dividends on the Series
A Preferred Stock. A liquidation will be deemed to occur upon the happening
of
customary events, including transfer of all or substantially all of our capital
stock or assets or a merger, consolidation, share exchange, reorganization
or
other transaction or series of related transaction, unless holders of 66 2/3%
of
the Series A Preferred Stock vote affirmatively in favor of or otherwise consent
to such transaction.
Upon
the
occurrence of a Redemption Event (as defined below), the Series A Preferred
Stock will be subject to redemption, at the option of the holders of 66 2/3%
of
the then outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock. The redemption price
for shares of Series A Preferred Stock subject to redemption will be equal
to
the Series A Preferred Stock issue price per share plus any accrued but unpaid
dividends plus an amount sufficient to yield an Internal Rate of Return of
5.00%, payable in immediately available funds. A Redemption Event is defined
as
(i) we withdraw or utilize funds from the restricted cash account in violation
of the terms of the Deposit Agreement, (ii) we publicly disclose an intent
not
to build or acquire additional ethanol production facilities for an indefinite
period or for a period of at least two years from the time of the announcement,
(iii) we fail to withdraw funds from the restricted cash account for a period
of
two years, or (iv) amounts remain in the restricted cash account after December
31, 2009.
Deposit
Agreement
The
Deposit Agreement between us and Comerica Bank provides for a restricted cash
account into which $80.0 million of the aggregate purchase price for the
Series A Preferred Stock has been deposited. We may not withdraw funds from
the restricted cash account except in accordance with the terms of the Deposit
Agreement. Under the Deposit Agreement, we may, with certain prescribed
limitations, requisition funds from the restricted cash account for the payment
of costs in connection with the construction or acquisition of ethanol
production facilities. Of the $80.0 million deposited into the restricted cash
account, $20.0 million has been advanced to us for use in the construction
of
our Madera County ethanol plant.
Registration
Rights and Stockholders Agreement
In
connection with the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock, we entered
into a Registration Rights and Stockholders Agreement, or Rights Agreement,
with
Cascade. The Rights Agreement is to be effective until the holders of the
Series A Preferred Stock, and their affiliates, as a group, own less than
10% of the Series A Preferred Stock issued under the purchase agreement
with Cascade, including common stock into which such Series A Preferred
Stock has been converted, or Termination Date. The Rights Agreement provides
that holders of a majority of the Series A Preferred Stock, including
common stock into which the Series A Preferred Stock has been converted,
may demand and cause us, at any time after April 13, 2007, to register on
their behalf the shares of common stock issued, issuable or that may be issuable
upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock, or Registrable Securities.
Following such demand, we are required to notify any other holders of the
Series A Preferred Stock or Registrable Securities of our intent to file a
registration statement and, to the extent requested by such holders, include
them in the related registration statement. We are required to keep such
registration statement effective until such time as all of the Registrable
Securities are sold or until such holders may avail themselves of Rule 144(k),
which requires, among other things, a minimum two-year holding period and
requires that any holder availing itself of Rule 144(k) not be an affiliate
of
Pacific Ethanol. The holders are entitled to three demand registrations on
Form
S-1 and unlimited demand registrations on Form S-3; however, we are not
obligated to effect more than two demand registrations on Form S-3 in any
12-month period.
In
addition to the demand registration rights afforded the holders under the Rights
Agreement, the holders are entitled to “piggyback” registration rights. These
rights entitle the holders who so elect to be included in registration
statements to be filed by us with respect to other registrations of equity
securities. The holders are entitled to unlimited “piggyback” registration
rights.
The
Rights Agreement provides for the initial appointment of two persons designated
by Cascade to our Board of Directors, and the appointment of one of such persons
as the Chairman of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.
Following the Termination Date, Cascade is required to cause its director
designees, and all other designees, to resign from all applicable committees
and
boards of directors, effective as of the Termination Date.
Common
Stock Financing
On
May
31, 2006, we issued to 45 investors an aggregate of 5,496,583 shares of our
common stock at a price of $26.38 per share, for an aggregate purchase price
of
$145.0 million in cash. Net proceeds from this private offering totaled
approximately $138.0 million. We also issued to the investors warrants to
purchase an aggregate of 2,748,297 shares of our common stock at an exercise
price of $31.55 per share. The warrants are exercisable from time to time on
or
after a date that is the later of (a) six months following May 31, 2006, and
(b)
the effective date of a registration statement covering the resale of the shares
of common stock underlying the warrants, through and including the date that
is
the later of (i) nine months following May 31, 2006 and (ii) thirty days after
the effective date of a registration statement covering the resale of the shares
of common stock underlying the warrants. The warrants contain both cash and
cashless exercise provisions; however, the cashless exercise provisions
contained in the warrants are only applicable in the event that a registration
statement covering the resale of the shares of common stock underlying the
warrants is not effective or no current prospectus is available for the resale
of the shares underlying the warrants on an exercise date after the date that
a
registration statement covering the resale of the shares of common stock
underlying the warrants is to be effective.
We
were
obligated under a Securities Purchase Agreement, or Purchase Agreement, related
to the above private offering to file, by June 30, 2006, a registration
statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Commission,
registering for resale shares of common stock, and shares of common stock
underlying warrants, issued in connection with the private offering. We filed
the registration statement with the Commission on June 23, 2006. Our
registration obligations also require, that we cause the registration statement
to be declared effective on the date, or Required Effectiveness Date, which
is
the earliest of (i) if the registration statement does not become subject to
review by the Commission, (a) ninety days after the closing date of the private
offering, or (b) five trading days after we receive notification from the
Commission that the registration statement will not become subject to review
and
we fail to request to accelerate the effectiveness of the registration
statement, or (ii) if the registration statement becomes subject to review
by
the Commission, one hundred twenty days after the closing date of the private
offering. The registration statement was declared effective by the Commission
on
July 10, 2006.
If
we
were unable to meet these obligations or if we are unable to maintain the
effectiveness of the registration in accordance with the requirements of the
Purchase Agreement, then an event of default will have occurred or may occur,
as
the case may be, and upon the occurrence of such event and upon every monthly
anniversary thereafter until such event is cured, we will be required to pay
to
each investor in the private offering, as partial relief for the damages
suffered by each investor, which will not be exclusive of any other remedies
available under the Purchase Agreement, liquidated damages, and not as a
penalty, of an amount equal to 1% of the amount paid by the investor for the
shares of common stock still owned by the investor on the date of the event.
The
maximum aggregate amount of such damages payable to any investor, when
aggregated with all such payments paid to all investors, is 10% of the aggregate
purchase price for the shares of common stock.
The
Purchase Agreement also provides for customary piggy-back registration rights
to
which the investors are entitled in the event that there is no effective
registration statement covering all of the shares of common stock, including
the
shares of common stock underlying the warrants, whereby the investors can cause
us to register such shares for resale in connection with our filing of a
registration statement with the Commission to register shares in another
offering. The Purchase Agreement also contains customary representations and
warranties, covenants and limitations.
We
paid
cash placement agent fees of approximately $7.25 million to the exclusive
placement agent in connection with the private offering, and we have agreed
to
pay up to an additional approximately $3.90 million in the event that all
warrants are exercised in full by the investors.
Debt
Financing
Overview
On
April 13, 2006, PEI Madera entered into a Construction and Term Loan
Agreement, or Construction Loan, with Hudson United Capital, or Hudson, and
Comerica Bank, or Comerica. This debt financing, or Debt Financing, is in the
aggregate amount of up to approximately $34.0 million and may provide a portion
of the total financing necessary for the completion of our ethanol production
facility in Madera County, or Project.
We
have
contributed assets to PEI Madera having a value of approximately $13.9 million
(the “Contributed Assets”). We are responsible for arranging cash equity (the
“Contributed Amount”) in an amount that, when combined with the Contributed
Assets would be equal to no less than the difference between the Debt Financing
amount of $34.0 million and the total Project Cost. The Contributed Amount
was
approximately $31.5 million and has been satisfied through the application
of
$17.7 million of Cascade’s investment in our Series A Preferred
Stock.
Construction
Loan and Term Loan
The
Debt
Financing will initially be in the form of a construction loan, or Construction
Loan, that will mature on or before the Final Completion Date, after which
the
Debt Financing will be converted to a term loan, or Term Loan, that will mature
on the seventh anniversary of the closing of the Term Loan. If the conversion
does not occur and PEI Madera elects to repay the Construction Loan, then PEI
Madera must pay a termination fee equal to 5.00% of the amount of the
Construction Loan. The closing of the Term Loan is expected to be the Final
Completion Date. The Construction Loan interest rate will float at a rate equal
to the 30-day London Inter Bank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, plus 3.75%. PEI Madera
will be required to pay the Construction Loan interest monthly during the term
of the Construction Loan. The Term Loan interest rate will float at a rate
equal
to the 90-day LIBOR plus 4.00%. PEI Madera will be required to purchase interest
rate protection in the form of a LIBOR rate cap of no more than 5.50% from
a
provider on terms and conditions reasonably acceptable to Lender, and in an
amount covering no less than 70% of the principal outstanding on any loan
payment date commencing on the first draw down date through the fifth
anniversary of the Term Loan. Loan repayments on the Term Loan are to be due
quarterly in arrears for a total of 28 payments beginning on the closing of
the
Term Loan and ending on its maturity date. The loan amortization for the Project
will be established on the closing of the Term Loan based upon the operating
cash projected to be available to PEI Madera from the Project as determined
by
closing pro forma projections. The Debt Financing will be the only secured
indebtedness permitted on the Project. The Debt Financing will be senior to
all
obligations of the Project and PEI Madera other than direct Project operating
expenses and expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business. All direct
and out-of-pocket expenses of Pacific Ethanol or our direct and indirect
subsidiaries will be reimbursed only after the repayment of the Debt Financing
obligations.
The
Term
Loan amount is to be the lesser of (i) $34.0 Million, (ii) 52.25% of
the total Project cost as of the Term Loan Conversion Date, and (iii) an amount
equal to the present value (discounted at an interest rate of 9.5% per annum)
of
43.67% of the operating cash distributable to and received by PEI Madera
supported by the closing pro forma projections, from the closing of Term Loan
through the seventh anniversary of such closing.
Lender’s
Security Interest
The
Debt
Financing is secured by: (i) a perfected first priority security interest in
all
of the assets of PEI Madera, including inventories and all right title and
interest in all tangible and intangible assets of the Project; (ii) a perfected
first priority security interest in the Project’s grain facility, including all
of PEI Madera’s and Pacific Ethanol’s and its affiliates’ right title and
interest in all tangible and intangible assets of the Project’s grain facility;
(iii) a pledge of 100% of the ownership interest in PEI Madera; (iv) a
pledge of the PEI Madera’s ownership interest in the Project; (v) an
assignment of all revenues produced by the Project and PEI Madera; (vi) the
pledge and assignment of the material Project documents, to the extent
assignable; (vii) all contractual cash flows associated with such
agreements; and (viii) any other collateral security as Lender may
reasonably request. In addition, the Construction Loan is secured by a
completion bond provided by W.M. Lyles Co.
Critical
Accounting Policies
Our
discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations
are
based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared
in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of
America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make
estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements and the reported amount of net sales and expenses
for
each period. The following represents a summary of our critical accounting
policies, defined as those policies that we believe are the most important
to
the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and that
require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a
result of the need to make estimates about the effects of matters that are
inherently uncertain.
Revenue
Recognition
We
derive
revenue primarily from sales of ethanol. Our net sales are based upon written
agreements or purchase orders that identify the amount of ethanol to be
purchased and the purchase price. Shipments are made to customers, either,
directly from suppliers or from our inventory to our customers by truck or
rail.
Ethanol that is shipped by rail originates primarily in the Midwest and takes
from 10 to 14 days from date of shipment to be delivered to the customer or
to
one of four terminals in California and Oregon. For local deliveries the product
is shipped by truck and delivered the same day as shipment. Revenue is
recognized upon delivery of ethanol to a customer’s designated ethanol tank in
accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104, Revenue
Recognition,
and the
related Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 99-19, Reporting
Revenue Gross as a Principal Versus Net as an Agent.
Revenues
on the sale of ethanol, which is shipped from our stock of inventory, are
recognized when the ethanol has been delivered to the customer, provided that
appropriate signed documentation of the arrangement, such as a signed contract,
purchase order or letter of agreement, has been received and collectibility
is
reasonably assured.
In
accordance with EITF Issue No. 99-19, revenue from direct third-party ethanol
sales are recognized upon delivery, and recorded at the gross amount when we
are
responsible for fulfillment of the customer order, have latitude in pricing,
incur credit risk on the receivable and have discretion in the selection of
the
supplier. Shipping and handling costs are included in cost of goods
sold.
Inventories
Inventories
consist of fuel ethanol and is valued at the lower of cost or market, cost
being
determined on a first-in, first-out basis. Shipping, handling and storage costs
are classified as a component of cost of goods sold. Title to ethanol transfers
from the producer to us when the ethanol passes through the inlet flange of
our
receiving tank.
Intangibles,
Including Goodwill
We
evaluate impairment of long-lived assets in accordance with Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”)
No. 144, Accounting
for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.
We
assess the impairment of long-lived assets, including property and equipment
and
purchased intangibles subject to amortization, which are reviewed for impairment
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount
of
an asset may not be recoverable. The asset impairment review assesses the fair
value of the assets based on the future cash flows the assets are expected
to
generate. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated undiscounted future
cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset plus net proceeds
expected from the disposition of the asset (if any) are less than the related
asset’s carrying amount. Impairment losses are measured as the amount by which
the carrying amounts of the assets exceed their fair values. Estimates of future
cash flows are judgments based on management’s experience and knowledge of our
operations and the industries in which we operate. These estimates can be
significantly affected by future changes in market conditions, the economic
environment, and capital spending decisions of our customers and inflation.
We
believe the future cash flows to be received from its long-lived assets will
exceed the assets’ carrying value, and, accordingly, we have not recognized any
impairment losses through June 30, 2006.
Goodwill
represents the excess of cost of an acquired entity over the net of the amounts
assigned to net assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We account for our
goodwill in accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets,
which
requires an annual review for impairment or more frequently if impairment
indicators arise. This review would include the determination of each reporting
unit’s fair value using market multiples and discounted cash flow modeling. We
have adopted SFAS No. 142 guidelines for annual review of impairment of goodwill
and have performed our annual review of impairment and accordingly, we have
not
recognized any impairment losses through June 30, 2006.
Stock-Based
Compensation
During
the first quarter of 2006, effective as of the beginning of the year, we adopted
the fair value method of accounting for employee stock compensation
cost
pursuant to SFAS
No. 123 (Revised 2004), Share-Based
Payments
(“SFAS
No. 123R”).
Prior
to that date, we used the intrinsic value method under Accounting Policy Board
(“APB”) Opinion No. 25 to recognize compensation cost. Under the method of
accounting for the change to the fair value method, compensation
cost
recognized in 2006 is the same amount that would have been recognized if the
fair value method would have been used for all awards granted. The effects
on
net income and earnings per share had the fair value method been applied to
all
outstanding and unvested awards in each period are reflected in Note 1 of the
financial statements.
Our
assumptions made for purposes of estimating the fair value of our stock options,
as well as a summary of the activity under our stock option plan are included
in
Note 1 of the financial statements.
We
account for the stock options granted to non-employees in accordance with EITF
Issue No. 96-18, Accounting
for Equity Instruments That Are Issued to Other Than Employees for
Acquiring,
or
in Conjunction with Selling, Goods or Services
and SFAS
No. 123R.
Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities
Our
business and activities expose us to a variety of market risks, including risks
related to changes in commodity prices and interest rates. We monitor and manage
these financial exposures as an integral part of our risk management program.
This program recognizes the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks
to
reduce the potentially adverse effects that market volatility could have on
operating results. We account for our use of derivatives related to our hedging
activities pursuant to SFAS No. 133, Accounting
for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities,
in
which we recognize all of our derivative instruments in our statement of
financial position as either assets or liabilities, depending on the rights
or
obligations under the contracts. We have designated and documented contracts
for
the physical delivery of commodity products to and from counterparties as normal
purchases and normal sales. Derivative instruments are measured at fair value,
pursuant to the definition found in SFAS No. 107, Disclosures
about Fair Value of Financial Instruments.
Changes
in the derivative’s fair value are recognized currently in earnings unless
specific hedge accounting criteria are met. Special accounting for qualifying
hedges allows a derivative’s effective gains and losses to be deferred in other
comprehensive income and later recorded together with the gains and losses
to
offset related results on the hedged item in the income statement. Companies
must formally document, designate and assess the effectiveness of transactions
that receive hedge accounting.
The
estimated fair values of our derivatives were as follows as of June 30, 2006
and
December 31, 2005:
|
|
June
30,
2006
|
|
December
31, 2005
|
|
Commodity
futures
|
|
$
|
1,235,182
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Commodity
options
|
|
|
4,512
|
|
|
—
|
|
Interest
rate options
|
|
|
530,588
|
|
|
—
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1,770,282
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Results
of Operations
The
tables presented below, which compare our results of operations from one period
to another, present the results for each period, the change in those results
from one period to another in both dollars and percentage change, and the
results for each period as a percentage of net sales. The columns present the
following:
·
|
The
first two data columns in the tables show the absolute results for
each
period presented.
|
·
|
The
columns entitled “Dollar Variance” and “Percentage Variance” show the
change in results, both in dollars and percentages. These two columns
show
favorable changes as a positive and unfavorable changes as negative.
For
example, when our net sales increase from one period to the next,
that
change is shown as a positive number in both columns. Conversely,
when
expenses increase from one period to the next, that change is shown
as a
negative in both columns.
|
·
|
The
last two columns in the tables show the results for each period as
a
percentage of net sales.
|
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2006 Compared to the Three Months Ended June 30,
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dollar
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Results
as a Percentage
of
Net Sales for the
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
Variance
|
|
Variance
|
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
Favorable
|
|
Favorable
|
|
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
(Unfavorable)
|
|
(Unfavorable)
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Net
sales
|
|
$
|
46,461,077
|
|
$
|
22,814,433
|
|
$
|
23,646,644
|
|
|
103.6
|
%
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
Cost
of sales
|
|
|
43,153,457
|
|
|
22,662,908
|
|
|
20,490,549
|
|
|
90.4
|
|
|
92.9
|
|
|
99.3
|
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
3,307,620
|
|
|
151,525
|
|
|
3,156,095
|
|
|
2,082.9
|
|
|
7.1
|
|
|
0.7
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
4,758,996
|
|
|
2,393,071
|
|
|
2,365,925
|
|
|
98.9
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
Loss
from operations
|
|
|
(1,451,376
|
)
|
|
(2,241,546
|
)
|
|
790,170
|
|
|
35.3
|
|
|
(3.1
|
)
|
|
(9.8
|
)
|
Total
other income (expense)
|
|
|
1,277,479
|
|
|
18,294
|
|
|
1,259,185
|
|
|
6,883.0
|
|
|
2.7
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
Loss
from operations before income taxes
|
|
|
(173,897
|
)
|
|
(2,223,252
|
)
|
|
2,049,355
|
|
|
92.2
|
|
|
(0.4
|
)
|
|
(9.7
|
)
|
Provision
for income taxes
|
|
|
8,476
|
|
|
3,200
|
|
|
5,276
|
|
|
164.9
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(182,373
|
)
|
$
|
(2,226,452
|
)
|
$
|
2,044,079
|
|
|
91.8
|
%
|
|
(0.4
|
)%
|
|
(9.7
|
)%
|
Preferred
stock dividends
|
|
|
(897,534
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
(897,394
|
)
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
(1.9
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Deemed
dividend on preferred stock
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
(180.8
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Loss
available to common stockholders
|
|
$
|
(85,079,907
|
)
|
$
|
(2,226,452
|
)
|
$
|
(82,853,455
|
)
|
|
3,721.3
|
%
|
|
(183.1
|
)%
|
|
(9.7
|
)%
|
Net
Sales.
Net
sales for the three months ended June 30, 2006 increased by $23,646,644 to
$46,461,077 as compared to $22,814,433 for the three months ended June 30,
2005.
The sales are attributable almost entirely to Kinergy. For the three months
ended June 30, 2006, sales volume increased by 4.2 million gallons, or 27%,
to
19.8 million gallons from 15.6 million gallons for the three months ended June
30, 2005. For the three months ended June 30, 2006, our average sales price
of
ethanol increased by $0.99 per gallon, or 68%, to $2.45 per gallon from $1.46
per gallon for the three months ended June 30, 2005.
Gross
Profit.
Gross
profit for the three months ended June 30, 2006 increased by $3,156,095 to
$3,307,620 as compared to $151,525 for the three months ended June 30, 2005.
Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased to 7.1% for the three months
ended June 30, 2006 as compared to 0.7% for the three months ended June 30,
2005. The increase in gross profit as a percentage of net sales and the increase
in total gross profit are attributable to our net long position on ethanol
purchases, which provided us with significant supply volumes at prices that
had
been contracted for prior to the increase in ethanol market prices. Future
gross
profit margins will vary based upon, among other things, the size and timing
of
our net long or short positions during our various contract periods and the
volatility of the market price of ethanol.
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses.
Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended June
30,
2006 increased by $2,365,925 to $4,758,996 as compared to $2,393,071 for the
three months ended June 30, 2005. This increase was primarily due to $1,239,829
in additional legal, accounting and consulting fees, including costs for
additional internal controls and processes in connection with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, $287,895 in additional insurance expense, $138,260 increase for
project development, $99,478 increase for travel, $80,502 increase for policy
and investor relations, $48,892 in increase for amortization of intangibles,
$100,000 increase in abandoned debt financing, and $550,624 in additional
payroll expense related to the addition of 12 staff positions between September
1, 2005 and June 30, 2006, and an accrual of an officer’s employment agreement
incentive bonus related to our performance. Non-cash compensation, non-cash
consulting fees, and non-cash director expense decreased by
$317,248.
We
expect
that over the near-term, our selling, general and administration expenses will
increase as a result of, among other things, increased legal and accounting
fees
associated with increased corporate governance activities in response to the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, recently adopted rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, increased employee costs associated with
planned staffing increases, increased sales and marketing expenses, increased
activities related to the construction ethanol production facilities and
increased activity in searching for and analyzing potential acquisitions.
Other
Income/(Expense).
Other
income/(expense) increased by $1,259,185 to $1,277,479 for the three months
ended June 30, 2006 as compared to $18,294 for the three months ended June
30,
2005, primarily due to a $1,119,441 increase in interest income associated
with
the significant increase in cash during the quarter ended June 30, 2006
from
the
sale of shares of our Series A Preferred Stock and common stock on April 13,
2006 and May 31, 2006, respectively.
Preferred
Stock Dividends.
Shares
of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to quarterly cumulative dividends
payable in arrears in cash in an amount equal to 5% per annum of the purchase
price per share of the Series A Preferred Stock; or at our option, be paid
in
additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock based on the value of the purchase
price per share of the Series A Preferred Stock. In accordance with SFAS No.
128, Earnings
Per Share,
the
amount of preferred stock dividends was subtracted from net loss in determining
our loss available to common stockholders and basic and diluted loss per common
share. On June 30, 2006 we declared a preferred share cash dividend in the
amount of $897,534.
Deemed
Dividend on Preferred Stock.
We have
recorded a deemed dividend on preferred stock in our financial statements for
the three months ended June 30, 2006. This non-cash dividend is to reflect
the
implied economic value to the preferred stockholder of being able to convert
its
shares into common stock at a price which is in excess of the fair value of
the
Series A Preferred Stock. The fair value allocated to the Series A Preferred
Stock together with the original conversion terms were used to calculate the
value of the deemed dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock of $84 million
at
the date of issuance. The fair value was calculated using the difference between
the agreed-upon conversion price of the Series A Preferred Stock into shares
of
common stock of $8.00 per share and the fair market value of our common stock
of
$29.27 on the date of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock. The fair value
allocated to the Series A Preferred Stock was in excess of the gross proceeds
received of $84 million in connection with the sale of the Series A Preferred
Stock; however, the deemed dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock is limited
to the gross proceeds received of $84 million. The deemed dividend on preferred
stock is a reconciling item and adjusts our reported net loss, together with
the
preferred stock dividends discussed above, to loss available to common
stockholders.
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2006 Compared to the Six Months Ended June 30,
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dollar
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Results
as a Percentage
of
Net Sales for the
|
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|
Variance
|
|
Variance
|
|
Six
Months
Ended
|
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
Favorable
|
|
Favorable
|
|
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
(Unfavorable)
|
|
(Unfavorable)
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
Net
sales
|
|
$
|
84,700,244
|
|
$
|
25,116,430
|
|
$
|
59,583,814
|
|
|
237.2
|
%
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
Cost
of sales
|
|
|
79,067,377
|
|
|
24,917,278
|
|
|
54,150,099
|
|
|
217.3
|
|
|
93.3
|
|
|
99.2
|
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
5,632,867
|
|
|
199,152
|
|
|
5,433,715
|
|
|
2,728.4
|
|
|
6.7
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
7,743,080
|
|
|
3,136,304
|
|
|
4,606,776
|
|
|
146.9
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
|
12.5
|
|
Feasibility
study expensed in connection with acquisition of ReEnergy
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
852,250
|
|
|
(852,250
|
)
|
|
(100.0
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
Loss
from operations
|
|
|
(2,110,213
|
)
|
|
(3,789,402
|
)
|
|
1,679,189
|
|
|
44.3
|
|
|
(2.5
|
)
|
|
(15.1
|
)
|
Total
other income (expense)
|
|
|
1,329,257
|
|
|
(89,559
|
)
|
|
1,418,816
|
|
|
1,584.2
|
|
|
1.6
|
|
|
(0.4
|
)
|
Loss
from operations before income taxes
|
|
|
(780,956
|
)
|
|
(3,878,961
|
)
|
|
3,098,005
|
|
|
79.9
|
|
|
(0.9
|
)
|
|
(15.4
|
)
|
Provision
for income taxes
|
|
|
13,181
|
|
|
4,800
|
|
|
8,381
|
|
|
174.6
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(794,137
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
$
|
3,089,624
|
|
|
79.6
|
%
|
|
(0.9
|
)%
|
|
(15.5
|
)%
|
Preferred
stock dividends
|
|
|
(897,534
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
(897,534
|
)
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
(1.1
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Deemed
dividend on preferred stock
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
|
(84,000,000
|
)
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
(1.0
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Loss
available to common stockholders
|
|
$
|
(85,691,671
|
)
|
$
|
(3,883,761
|
)
|
$
|
(81,807,910
|
)
|
|
2,106.4
|
%
|
|
(101.2
|
)%
|
|
(15.5
|
)%
|
Preliminary
Note.
Various
factors materially affect the comparability of the information presented in
the
above table. These factors relate primarily to the Share Exchange Transaction.
As a result of the Share Exchange Transaction, our results of operations for
the
six months ended June 30, 2005 include the operations of Kinergy from only
March
23 through June 30, 2005. Kinergy’s net sales for the period from January 1
through March 22, 2005 were approximately $23.6 million and, along with other
components of Kinergy’s results of operations, are not included in our results
of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2005 in the above table. Our
results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2006 consist of our
operations and all of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Kinergy, for
that
entire period.
Net
Sales.
Net
sales for the six months ended June 30, 2006 increased by $59,583,814 to
$84,700,244 as compared to $25,116,430 for the six months ended June 30, 2005.
As noted above, a substantial portion of the increase was attributable to the
exclusion of Kinergy’s net sales for the period from January 1 through March 22,
2005 from our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2005.
For
the six months ended June 30, 2006, sales volume increased by 22.7 million
gallons, or 134%, to 39.7 million gallons from 17.0 million gallons for the
six
months ended June 30, 2005. For the six months ended June 30, 2006, our average
sales price of ethanol increased by $0.70 per gallon, or 47%, to $2.18 per
gallon from $1.48 per gallon for the six months ended June 30, 2005.
Gross
Profit.
Gross
profit for the six months ended June 30, 2006 increased by $5,433,715 to
$5,632,867 as compared to $199,152 for the six months ended June 30, 2005.
Gross
profit as a percentage of net sales increased to 6.7% for the six months ended
June 30, 2006 as compared to 0.8% for the six months ended June 30, 2005. Gross
profit also increased as a result of the exclusion of Kinergy’s gross profit for
the period from January 1 through March 22, 2005 from our results of operations
for the six months ended June 30, 2005. The increase in gross profit as a
percentage of net sales and the increase in total gross profit are also
attributable to our net long position on ethanol purchases, which provided
us
with significant supply volumes at prices that had been contracted for prior
to
the increase in ethanol market prices. Future gross profit margins will vary
based upon, among other things, the size and timing of our net long or short
positions during our various contract periods and the volatility of the market
price of ethanol.
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses.
Selling, general and administrative expenses for the six months ended June
30,
2006 increased by $4,606,776 to $7,743,080 as compared to $3,136,304 for the
six
months ended June 30, 2005. This increase was primarily due to $2,124,924 in
additional legal, accounting and consulting fees and $1,133,932 in additional
payroll expense related to the three executive employment agreements that became
effective upon the consummation of the Share Exchange Transaction on March
23,
2005, the addition of 12 staff positions between September 1, 2005 and June
30,
2006, and an accrual of an officer’s employment agreement incentive bonus
related to our performance. Selling, general and administrative expenses also
increased as a result of the exclusion of Kinergy’s selling, general and
administrative expenses for the period from January 1 through March 22, 2005
from our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2005. The
increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was also due to
$282,900 in additional insurance expense, a $182,584 increase in project
development expense, a $181,662 increase in business travel expenses, a $176,104
increase in policy and investor relations expenses, a $127,550 increase in
amortization of intangibles, a $100,000 increase in abandoned debt financing
expense, a $67,897 increase in licenses and permits, a $48,778 increase in
supplies, a $38,353 increase in dues and trade memberships, a $37,571 increase
in rents, a $34,110 increase in utilities, a $31,505 increase in computer
expense, and the net balance of $180,288 related to various increases in other
selling, general and administrative expenses. Non-cash compensation, non-cash
consulting fees, and non-cash director expense decreased by $141,382.
We
expect
that over the near-term, our selling, general and administration expenses will
increase as a result of, among other things, increased legal and accounting
fees
associated with increased corporate governance activities in response to the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, recently adopted rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, increased employee costs associated with
planned staffing increases, increased sales and marketing expenses, increased
activities related to the construction ethanol production facilities and
increased activity in searching for and analyzing potential
acquisitions.
Feasibility
Study Expensed in Connection with Acquisition of ReEnergy. There
were no feasibility study expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2006 as
compared to $852,250 for the six months ended June 30, 2005. This amount arose
in the connection with the acquisition of ReEnergy and relates to a feasibility
study for an ethanol plant in Visalia, California. Based on this study, ReEnergy
entered into an option to buy land for the ethanol plant. The option expired
unexercised on December 15, 2005.
Other
Income/(Expense).
Other
income/(expense) increased by $1,418,816 to $1,329,257 for the six months ended
June 30, 2006 as compared to ($89,559) for the six months ended June 30, 2005,
primarily due to a $1,168,531 increase in interest income associated with the
significant increase in cash during the quarter ended June 30, 2006 from the
sale of shares of our Series A Preferred Stock and common stock on April 13,
2006 and May 31, 2006, respectively.
Preferred
Stock Dividends.
Shares
of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to quarterly cumulative dividends
payable in arrears in cash in an amount equal to 5% per annum of the purchase
price per share of the Series A Preferred Stock; or at our option, be paid
in
additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock based on the value of the purchase
price per share of the Series A Preferred Stock. In accordance with SFAS No.
128, the amount of preferred stock dividends was subtracted from net loss in
the
determination of loss available to common stockholders and basic and diluted
loss per common share. On June 30, 2006 we declared a preferred share cash
dividend in the amount of $897,534.
Deemed
Dividend on Preferred Stock.
We have
recorded a deemed dividend on preferred stock in our financial statements for
the six months ended June 30, 2006. This non-cash dividend is to reflect the
implied economic value to the preferred stockholder of being able to convert
its
shares into common stock at a price which is in excess of the fair value of
the
Series A Preferred Stock. The fair value allocated to the Series A Preferred
Stock together with the original conversion terms were used to calculate the
value of the deemed dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock of $84 million
at
the date of issuance. The fair value was calculated using the difference between
the agreed-upon conversion price of the Series A Preferred Stock into shares
of
common stock of $8.00 per share and the fair market value of our common stock
of
$29.27 on the date of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock. The fair value
allocated to the Series A Preferred Stock was in excess of the gross proceeds
received of $84 million in connection with the sale of the Series A Preferred
Stock; however, the deemed dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock is limited
to the gross proceeds received of $84 million. The deemed dividend on preferred
stock is a reconciling item and adjusts our reported net loss, together with
the
preferred stock dividends discussed above, to loss available to common
stockholders.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
During
the six months ended June 30, 2006, we funded our operations primarily from
our
cash on hand, net income from the operations of Kinergy, and net proceeds from
sale of our Series A Preferred Stock and common stock as well as the exercise
of
warrants and options to purchase shares of our common stock. As of June 30,
2006, we had working capital of $136,630,568, representing an increase in
working capital of $139,524,701 from negative working capital of $2,894,133
as
of December 31, 2005. This increase in working capital is primarily due to
private offerings of our Series A Preferred Stock and our common stock that
we
conducted in April and May 2006 in which we raised approximately $84 million
and
$138 million, respectively, in net proceeds.
Our
current available capital resources consist primarily of approximately $140
million in cash as of June 30, 2006. This amount was primarily raised in
connection with our private offering in May 2006. We expect that our future
available capital resources will consist primarily of any balance of the $140
million in cash as of June 30, 2006, cash generated from our ethanol marketing
and sales activities, if any, unrestricted proceeds from the sale of our Series
A Preferred Stock, and any future debt and/or equity financings. We also have
$60 million of restricted cash remaining as of June 30, 2006 from the proceeds
of the sale of our Series A Preferred Stock. These funds are held in a
restricted cash account and are subject to restrictions which, among other
things, limit the requisition of funds only for the payment of costs in
connection with the construction or acquisition of ethanol production
facilities.
Accounts
receivable increased $7,815,009, or 158%, during the six months ended June
30,
2006 from $4,947,538 as of December 31, 2005 to $12,762,547 as of June 30,
2006.
Our sales growth contributed substantially all of this increase. This increase
is primarily due to a 104% increase in our net sales for the three months ended
June 30, 2006 over the three months ended June 30, 2005.
Inventory
balances increased $2,610,373 during the six months ended June 30, 2006, from
$362,972 as of December 31, 2005 to $2,973,345 as of June 30, 2006. As of
December 31, 2005, there was significant inventory in transit (prepaid
inventory) due to logistical delays in delivery to our inventory terminal
locations. The increased inventory balance as of June 30, 2006 reflects a return
to a more typical balance between inventory in transit and actual inventory
on
hand.
Other
current assets increased $1,474,818 during the six months ended June 30, 2006,
from $86,054 as of December 31, 2005 to $1,560,872 as of June 30, 2006. The
increase is primarily related to a $564,846 increase in accrued interest
receivable.
Total
other assets increased $59,987,669 during the six months ended June 30, 2006
from $10,196,892 as of December 31, 2005 to $70,184,561 as of June 30, 2006.
The
increase is primarily due to an increase in restricted cash from the sale of
our
Series A Preferred Stock and deferred financing fees related to our debt
financing that may be used for the completion of our ethanol production facility
in Madera County. See “Debt Financing” above.
Cash
used
in our operating activities totaled $5,895,590 for the six months ended June
30,
2006 compared to cash used in our operating activities of $845,259 for the
six
months ended June 30, 2005. This $5,050,331 increase in cash used in operating
activities primarily resulted from an increase in accounts receivable and
inventory.
Cash
used
in our investing activities totaled $86,333,420 for the six months ended June
30, 2006 as compared to $2,006,696 of cash used in our investing activities
in
the six months ended June 31, 2005. Included in the results for the six months
ended June 30, 2006 is $60,175,169 in restricted cash designated for
construction projects and acquisitions, $28,908,251 in cash used for additions
to property, plant, and equipment primarily reflecting the Madera County plant
construction and $2,750,000 in proceeds from sale of marketable
securities.
Cash
provided by our financing activities totaled $227,702,694 for the six months
ended June 30, 2006 as compared to $19,279,752 for the six months ended June
30,
2005. The amount for the six months ended June 30, 2006 is related to proceeds
from our private offerings in April and May 2006 as well as from the exercise
of
warrants and stock options. The amount for the six months ended June 30, 2005
includes the proceeds from PEI California’s private placement transaction in
March 2005. See “Share Exchange Transaction” above.
On
May
31, 2006, we issued to 45 investors an aggregate of 5,496,583 shares of our
common stock at a price of $26.38 per share, for an aggregate purchase price
of
$145.0 million in cash. Net proceeds from this private offering totaled
approximately $138.0 million. We also issued to the investors warrants to
purchase an aggregate of 2,748,297 shares of our common stock at an exercise
price of $31.55 per share.
On
April
13, 2006, we issued to Cascade 5,250,000 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock
at a price of $16.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $84.0 million.
Of the $84.0 million aggregate purchase price, $4.0 million was paid to us
at
closing and $80.0 million was deposited into a restricted cash account and
will
be disbursed in accordance with a Deposit Agreement. We are entitled to use
the
initial $4.0 million of proceeds for general working capital and must use the
remaining $80.0 million for the construction or acquisition of one or more
ethanol production facilities in accordance with the terms of the Deposit
Agreement. Of the $80.0 million deposited into the restricted cash account,
$20.0 million has been advanced to us for use in the construction of our Madera
County ethanol plant. See “Preferred Stock Financing” above.
On
April
13, 2006, PEI Madera entered into a Construction Loan with Hudson and Comerica
for debt financing in the aggregate amount of up to approximately $34.0 million.
If we draw down on this facility, we must use the loan proceeds for the
construction of our Madera County ethanol production facility.
The
Madera ethanol production facility is estimated to have a construction cost
of
approximately $64.1 million as follows: site work ($1.7 million); building
and
concrete ($10.9 million); site utilities ($1.1 million); equipment and tanks
($21.1 million); piping ($5.7 million); electrical ($3.7 million); and
engineering, general conditions and other ($19.9 million). In addition to the
construction cost, the Madera project will require up to $11.2 million in
additional for capital raising expenses, start-up inventory and working capital
for a total project cost of up to approximately $75.3 million. We had previously
estimated a total project cost of approximately $65.5 million.
We
have a
$2.0 million revolving line of credit with Comerica Bank, or Comerica, that
we
use from time to time in connection with the operations of Kinergy. Principal
amounts outstanding under the line of credit accrue interest, on a per annum
basis, at Comerica’s “base rate” of interest plus 1.0%. Comerica’s “base rate”
of interest is currently the prime rate of interest and is subject to adjustment
from time to time by Comerica. As of June 30, 2006, the interest rate on
principal amounts outstanding under the line of credit would have been 9.25%.
There were no balances outstanding on the line of credit as of June 30, 2006
and
December 31, 2005.
On
October 1, 2005, we issued an Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit by Comerica
Bank for any sum not to exceed a total of $400,000, leaving funds available
of
$1.6 million on the line of credit. The designated beneficiary of the letter
of
credit is one of our vendors, and the letter was initially valid through March
31, 2006. On April 1, 2006, the Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit was
extended to September 30, 2006.
We
believe that current and future available capital resources, revenues generated
from operations and other existing sources of liquidity, including our credit
facilities, net proceeds from our private offerings of Series A Preferred Stock
and common stock and the available proceeds from our Debt Financing, will be
adequate to meet our anticipated working capital and capital expenditure
requirements for at least the next twelve months.
Effects
of Inflation
The
impact of inflation has not been significant on our financial condition or
results of operations or those of our operating subsidiaries.
ITEM
3.
|
QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK.
|
We
are
exposed to various market risks, including changes in commodity prices and
interest rates. Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes
in market rates and prices. In the ordinary course of business, we enter into
various types of transactions involving financial instruments to manage and
reduce the impact of changes in commodity prices and interest rates. We do
not
enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative
purposes.
Commodity
Risk
-
Cash
Flow Hedges
As
part
of our risk management strategy, we use derivative instruments to protect cash
flows from fluctuations caused by volatility in commodity prices out up to
eighteen months. These hedging activities are conducted to protect product
margin to reduce the potentially adverse effects that market volatility could
have on operating results by minimizing our exposure to price volatility on
ethanol sale and purchase commitments where the price is to be set at a future
date and/or if the contract specifies a floating or “index-based” price for
ethanol that is based on either the NYMEX price of gasoline or the Chicago
Board
of Trade price of ethanol. In addition, we hedge anticipated sales of ethanol
to
minimize our exposure to the potentially adverse effects of price volatility.
These derivatives are designated and documented as SFAS No. 133 cash flow hedges
and effectiveness is evaluated by assessing the probability of the anticipated
transactions and regressing commodity futures prices against our purchase and
sales prices. Ineffectiveness, which is defined as the degree to which the
derivative does not offset the underlying exposure, is recognized immediately
in
income. During the three and six months ending June 30, 2006 and 2005, an
immaterial amount of ineffectiveness was recorded in cost of goods sold. During
the three and six months ending June 30, 2006, ineffectiveness of $188,244
and
$194,940 was recorded in other income, respectively. During the three and six
months ending June 30, 2005, no amount of ineffectiveness was recorded to other
income. Amounts remaining in other comprehensive income will be reclassified
to
income upon the recognition of the related purchase or sale. As of June 30,
2006, we had entered into NYMEX futures contracts that will settle from July
2006 through December 2007. The notional balance of these derivatives as of
June
30, 2006 and 2005 were $37,186,884 and $0, respectively.
Commodity
Risk
-
Non-Designated
Hedges
We
occasionally execute basis swaps to fix the cost of forecasted corn purchases.
As of June 30, 2006, we had purchased and sold corn futures that will settle
in
November 2006, giving us the right to purchase 860,000 bushels of corn at
$0.0225 per bushel and sell 430,000 bushels of corn at $0.07 per
bushel.
Interest
Rate Risk
As
part
of our interest rate risk management strategy, we use derivative instruments
to
minimize significant unanticipated earnings fluctuations that may arise from
rising variable interest rate cost associated with existing and anticipated
borrowings. To meet these objectives we purchased two interest rate caps on
three-month LIBOR in May 2006. Both interest rate caps call for quarterly
interest rate payments. The cap rate for a notional balance ranging from $0
to
$22,705,473 is 5.50% per annum. The cap rate for a notional balance ranging
from
$0 to 9,730,917 is 6.00% per annum. These derivatives are designated and
documented as SFAS No. 133 cash flow hedges and effectiveness is evaluated
by
assessing the probability of anticipated interest expense and regressing the
historical value of the caps against the historical value in the existing and
anticipated debt. Ineffectiveness, reflecting the degree to which the derivative
does not offset the underlying exposure, is recognized immediately in income.
During the three and six months ending June 30, 2006 and 2005 an immaterial
amount of ineffectiveness was recorded in interest expense. Amounts remaining
in
other comprehensive income will be reclassified to income upon the recognition
of the hedged interest expense.
We
marked
our derivative instruments to fair value at each period end, except for those
derivative contracts which qualified for the normal purchase and sale exemption
pursuant to SFAS No. 133. According to our designation of the derivative,
changes in the fair value of derivatives are reflected in net income or other
comprehensive income.
Other
Comprehensive Income
|
|
Commodity
Derivatives
|
|
Interest
Rate Derivatives
|
|
|
|
Gains/(Loss)*
|
|
Gains/(Loss)*
|
|
Beginning
balance, December 31, 2005
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Net
changes
|
|
|
1,711,851
|
|
|
13,588
|
|
Amount
reclassified to revenue
|
|
|
(718,360
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Amount
reclassified to cost of goods sold
|
|
|
(12,297
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Amount
reclassified to interest expense
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(9,240
|
)
|
Amount
reclassified to other income
|
|
|
(194,940
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
Ending
balance, June 30, 2006
|
|
$
|
786,254
|
|
$
|
4,348
|
|
—————
*Calculated
on a pretax basis
Estimated
Fair Value of Derivatives
|
|
June
30, 2006
|
|
December
31, 2005
|
|
Commodity
futures
|
|
$
|
1,235,182
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Commodity
options
|
|
|
4,512
|
|
|
—
|
|
Interest
rate options
|
|
|
530,588
|
|
|
—
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1,770,282
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Material
Limitations
The
disclosures with respect to the above noted risks do not take into account
the
underlying commitments or anticipated transactions. If the underlying items
were
included in the analysis, the gains or losses on the futures contracts may
be
offset. Actual results will be determined by a number of factors that are not
generally under our control and could vary significantly from those factors
disclosed.
We
are
exposed to credit losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties on
the
above instruments, as well as credit or performance risk with respect to our
hedged customers’ commitments. Although nonperformance is possible, we do not
anticipate nonperformance by any of these parties.
ITEM
4.
|
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES.
|
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We
conducted an evaluation, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation
of
our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange
Act, as of June 30, 2006, to ensure that information required to be disclosed
by
us in the reports filed or submitted by us under the Exchange Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the
Securities Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, including to ensure that
information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed or submitted
by
us under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management,
including our principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons
performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer
and
Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of June 30, 2006, our disclosure
controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level
due
to the material weakness described below.
A
material weakness is a control deficiency (within the meaning of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Auditing Standard No. 2) or
combination of control deficiencies, that results in more than a remote
likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial
statements will not be prevented or detected.On April 7, 2006, in connection
with its audit of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2005, Hein & Associates LLP, our independent registered public
accounting firm (“Hein”), advised management and our audit committee of the
following matter that Hein considered to be a material weakness: The
organization of our accounting department at that time did not provide us with
the appropriate resources and adequate technical skills to accurately account
for and disclose our activities.
Hein
stated that this matter is evidenced by the following issues encountered in
connection with its audit of our consolidated financial statements for the
year
ended December 31, 2005: (i) we were unable to provide accurate accounting
for
and disclosure of the Share Exchange Transaction, (ii) our closing procedures
were not adequate and resulted in significant accounting adjustments, and (iii)
we were unable to adequately perform the financial reporting process as
evidenced by a significant number of suggested revisions and comments by Hein
to
our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures for the year
ended
December 31, 2005.
As
a
result of the identification of this matter by Hein, management evaluated,
with
consultation from our audit committee, in the second quarter of 2006 and as
of
June 30, 2006, the impact of our lack of appropriate resources and adequate
technical skills in our accounting department and concluded, in the second
quarter of 2006 and as of June 30, 2006, that the control deficiency that
resulted in our lack of appropriate resources and adequate technical skills
in
our accounting department represented a material weakness and concluded that,
as
of June 30, 2006, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective
at
the reasonable assurance level.
To
initially address this material weakness, management performed additional
analyses and other procedures to ensure that the financial statements included
herein fairly present, in all material respects, our financial position, results
of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.
Remediation
of Material Weakness
To
remediate the material weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures
identified above, we have done or intend to do the following, in the periods
specified below:
In
the
second quarter of 2006, we developed plans to alter the current organization
of
our accounting department to hire additional personnel to assist in our
financial reporting processes, including a Director of Financial Reporting
who
has expertise in public company financial reporting compliance and one or more
additional accounting supervisory support staff members who will report to
our
Controller and/or our Director of Financial Reporting.
In
the
second quarter of 2006, we successfully hired a Director of Financial Reporting
who has expertise in public company financial reporting compliance. We also
replaced one support staff member with a more well-qualified individual. We
continue to seek to hire one or more additional accounting supervisory support
staff members who will report to our Controller and/or our Director of Financial
Reporting. In addition, during the second quarter of 2006, we hired a General
Counsel who has expertise in public company reporting compliance and related
legal matters.
In
the
second quarter of 2006, we also sought guidance from financial consultants
who
are certified public accountants with the requisite background and experience
to
assist us in identifying and evaluating complex accounting and reporting
matters. In addition, during this period, we implemented new internal processes
for identifying and disclosing both routine and non-routine transactions and
for
researching and determining proper accounting treatment for those transactions.
We also assigned individuals with appropriate knowledge and skills to perform
these processes and provided those individuals with technical and other
resources to help ensure the proper application of accounting principles and
the
timely and appropriate disclosure of routine and non-routine transactions.
We
believe that our current Director of Financial Reporting, and any additional
accounting supervisory support staff members, once hired, will contribute
additional expertise to our team of finance and accounting personnel. In
addition, we believe that, by replacing one support staff member with a more
well-qualified individual, we have added an individual who will contribute
additional expertise to our team of finance and accounting personnel. We also
believe that our General Counsel will work effectively with our Chief Financial
Officer and our Director of Financial Reporting to help ensure that our
reporting obligations are satisfied.
Management
is unsure, at the time of the filing of this report, when the actions described
above will remediate the material weakness also described above. Although
management intends to hire one or more additional accounting supervisory support
staff members as soon as practicable, it may take an extended period of time
until suitable candidates can be located and hired. Management is, however,
optimistic that these personnel can be located and hired by the third quarter
of
2006 and that the material weakness described above can be fully remediated
by
the fourth quarter of 2006. Until we hire the necessary additional accounting
supervisory support staff members, as planned, management may hire outside
consultants to assist us in satisfying our financial reporting
obligations.
Our
Director of Financial Reporting has an annual base salary of $85,000, not
including benefits and other costs of employment. Our General Counsel has an
annual base salary of $185,000, not including benefits and other costs of
employment. Management also believes that suitable candidates for our additional
accounting supervisory support staff positions will have annual base salaries
in
the range of $40,000 to $50,000, not including benefits and other costs of
employment. Management is unable, however, to estimate our expenditures related
to fees paid or that may be paid in the future to financial consultants in
connection with their guidance in identifying and evaluating complex accounting
and reporting matters. Management is also unable to estimate our expenditures
related to the development of new internal processes for identifying and
disclosing both routine and non-routine transactions and for researching and
determining proper accounting treatment for those transactions. Management
is
also unable to estimate our expenditures related to the hiring of other outside
consultants to assist us in satisfying our financial reporting obligations.
In
addition, management is unable to estimate our expenditures related to higher
fees to be paid to our independent auditors in connection with their review
of
this remediation.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The
changes noted above, specifically, the changes relating to our (i) hiring of
a
Director of Financial Reporting, (ii) replacement of one support staff member
with a more well-qualified individual, (iii) hiring of a General Counsel, (iv)
efforts to locate suitable candidates to fill one or more accounting supervisory
support staff positions, (v) engaging of financial consultants who are certified
public accountants to assist us in identifying and evaluating complex accounting
and reporting matters, (vi) new internal processes for identifying and
disclosing both routine and non-routine transactions and for researching and
determining proper accounting treatment for those transactions, and (vii)
assignment of individuals with appropriate knowledge and skills to perform
these
processes and provision to those individuals of technical and other resources
to
help ensure the proper application of accounting principles and the timely
and
appropriate disclosure of routine and non-routine transactions, are the only
changes during our most recently completed fiscal quarter that have materially
affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control
over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under
the
Exchange Act.
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM
1.
|
LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS.
|
We
are
subject to legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary
course of business. While the amounts claimed may be substantial, the ultimate
liability cannot presently be determined because of considerable uncertainties
that exist. Therefore, it is possible that the outcome of those legal
proceedings, claims and litigation could adversely affect our quarterly or
annual operating results or cash flows when resolved in a future period.
However, based on facts currently available, management believes such matters
will not adversely affect our financial position, results of operations or
cash
flows.
Barry
Spiegel
On
December 23, 2005, Barry J. Spiegel, a stockholder of Pacific Ethanol and former
director of Accessity, filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of the 17th
Judicial District in and for Broward County, Florida (Case No. 05018512), or
the
Spiegel Action, against Barry Siegel, Philip Kart, Kenneth Friedman and Bruce
Udell, or collectively, the Defendants. Messrs. Siegel, Udell and Friedman
are
former directors of Accessity and Pacific Ethanol. Mr. Kart is a former
executive officer of Accessity and Pacific Ethanol.
The
Spiegel Action relates to the Share Exchange Transaction and purports to state
the following five counts against the Defendants: (i) breach of fiduciary duty,
(ii) violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, (iii)
conspiracy to defraud, (iv) fraud, and (v) violation of Florida Securities
and
Investor Protection Act. Mr. Spiegel is seeking $22.0 million in damages. On
March 8, 2006, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Spiegel Action, which
remains pending. No discovery has been taken.
We
have
agreed with Messrs. Friedman, Siegel, Kart and Udell to advance the costs of
defense in connection with the Spiegel Action. Under applicable provisions
of
Delaware law, we may be responsible to indemnify each of the Defendants in
connection with the Spiegel Action. The final outcome of the Spiegel Action
will
most likely take an indefinite time to resolve.
Gerald
Zutler
In
January 2003, DriverShield CRM Corp., or DriverShield, then a wholly-owned
subsidiary of our predecessor, Accessity, was served with a complaint filed
by
Mr. Gerald Zutler, its former President and Chief Operating Officer, alleging,
among other things, that DriverShield breached his employment contract, that
there was fraudulent concealment of DriverShield’s intention to terminate its
employment agreement with Mr. Zutler, and discrimination on the basis of age
and
aiding and abetting violation of the New York State Human Rights Law. The
complaint was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of
Nassau, Index No.: 654/03. Mr. Zutler sought damages of approximately $2.2
million, plus punitive damages and reasonable attorneys’ fees. On July 20, 2006,
we settled Mr. Zutler’s claims in full and subsequently made a settlement
payment to Mr. Zutler, approximately one-third of which was covered by
DriverShield’s insurance carrier.
Mercator
Group, LLC
We
filed
a Demand for Arbitration against Presidion Solutions, Inc., or Presidion,
alleging that Presidion breached the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding,
or the MOU, between Accessity and Presidion dated January 17, 2003. We sought
a
break-up fee of $250,000 pursuant to the terms of the MOU alleging that
Presidion breached the MOU by wrongfully terminating the MOU. Additionally,
we
sought out of pocket costs of its due diligence amounting to approximately
$37,000. Presidion filed a counterclaim against us alleging that we had breached
the MOU and therefore owe Presidion a break-up fee of $250,000. The dispute
was
heard by a single arbitrator before the American Arbitration Association in
Broward County, Florida in late February 2004. During June 2004, the arbitrator
awarded us the $250,000 break-up fee set forth in the MOU between us and
Presidion, as well as our share of the costs of the arbitration and interest
from the date of the termination by Presidion of the MOU, aggregating
approximately $280,000. During the third quarter of 2004, Presidion paid us
the
full amount of the award with accrued interest. The arbitrator dismissed
Presidion’s counterclaim against us.
In
2003,
we filed a lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $100 million as a result of
information obtained during the course of the arbitration discussed above,
against: (i) Presidion Corporation, f/k/a MediaBus Networks, Inc., Presidion’s
parent corporation, (ii) Presidion’s investment bankers, Mercator Group, LLC, or
Mercator, and various related and affiliated parties and (iii) Taurus Global
LLC, or Taurus, (collectively referred to as the “Mercator Action”), alleging
that these parties committed a number of wrongful acts, including, but not
limited to tortuously interfering in the transaction between us and Presidion.
In 2004, we dismissed this lawsuit without prejudice, which was filed in Florida
state court. We recently refiled this action in the State of California, for
a
similar amount, as we believe this to be the proper jurisdiction. On August
18,
2005, the court stayed the action and ordered the parties to arbitration. The
parties agreed to mediate the matter. Mediation took place on December 9, 2005
and was not successful. On December 5, 2005, we filed a Demand for Arbitration
with the American Arbitration Association. On April 6, 2006, a single arbitrator
was appointed. Arbitration hearings have been scheduled to commence in March
2007.
The
final
outcome of the Mercator Action will most likely take an indefinite time to
resolve. We currently have limited information regarding the financial condition
of the defendants and the extent of their insurance coverage. Therefore, it
is
possible that we may prevail, but may not be able to collect any judgment.
The
share exchange agreement relating to the Share Exchange Transaction provides
that following full and final settlement or other final resolution of the
Mercator Action, after deduction of all fees and expenses incurred by the law
firm representing us in this action and payment of the 25% contingency fee
to
the law firm, shareholders of record of Accessity on the date immediately
preceding the closing date of the Share Exchange Transaction will receive
two-thirds and we will retain the remaining one-third of the net proceeds from
any Mercator Action recovery.
An
investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. In addition
to
the other information in this report and in our other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, you should carefully consider the following
risk factors before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock or to
maintain or increase your investment in shares of our common stock. If any
of
the following risks actually occur, it is likely that our business, financial
condition and results of operations could be seriously harmed. As a result,
the
trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part or
all
of your investment.
Risks
Related to our Combined Operations
We
have incurred significant losses in the past and we may incur significant losses
in the future. If we continue to incur losses, we will experience negative
cash
flow, which may hamper our operations, may prevent us from expanding our
business and may cause our stock price to decline.
We
have
incurred losses in the past. As of June 30, 2006, we had an accumulated deficit
of approximately $99.3 million. For the six months ended June 30, 2006, we
incurred a net loss of approximately $794,000. For the year ended
December 31, 2005, we incurred a net loss of approximately $9.9 million. We
expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future and at least until the
completion of our first ethanol production facility in Madera County. We
estimate that the earliest completion date of this facility and, as a result,
our earliest date of ethanol production, will not occur until the fourth quarter
of 2006. We expect to rely on cash on hand, cash, if any, generated from our
operations and financings to fund all of the cash requirements of our business.
If our net losses continue, we will experience negative cash flow, which may
hamper current operations and may prevent us from expanding our business. We
may
be unable to attain, sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual
basis in the future. If we do not achieve, sustain or increase profitability
our
stock price may decline.
The
high concentration of our sales within the ethanol production and marketing
industry could result in a significant reduction in sales and negatively affect
our profitability if demand for ethanol declines.
Our
revenue is and will continue to be derived primarily from sales of ethanol.
Currently, the predominant oxygenate used to blend with gasoline is ethanol.
Ethanol competes with several other existing products and other alternative
products could also be developed for use as fuel additives. We expect to be
completely focused on the production and marketing of ethanol and its
co-products for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to shift our business
focus away from the production and marketing of ethanol to other renewable
fuels
or competing products. Accordingly, an industry shift away from ethanol or
the
emergence of new competing products may reduce the demand for ethanol. A
downturn in the demand for ethanol would significantly and adversely affect
our
sales and profitability.
If
the expected increase in ethanol demand does not occur, or if the demand for
ethanol decreases, there may be excess capacity in our industry.
Domestic
ethanol production capacity has increased steadily from 1.7 billion gallons
per
year in January of 1999 to 4.8 billion gallons per year at June 2006 according
to the Renewable Fuels Association, or RFA. In addition, there is a significant
amount of capacity being added to our industry. We believe that approximately
2.0 billion gallons per year of production capacity is currently under
construction. This capacity is being added to address anticipated increases
in
demand. Moreover, under the United States Department of Agriculture’s CCC
Bioenergy Program, which is scheduled to expire September 30, 2006, the federal
government makes payments of up to $150 million annually to ethanol producers
that increase their production. This could create an additional incentive to
develop excess capacity. However, demand for ethanol may not increase as quickly
as expected, or at all. If the ethanol industry has excess capacity, a fall
in
prices will likely occur which will have an adverse impact on our results of
operations, cash flows and financial condition. Excess capacity may result
from
the increases in capacity coupled with insufficient demand. Demand could be
impaired due to a number of factors, including regulatory developments and
reduced United States gasoline consumption. Reduced gasoline consumption could
occur as a result of increased gasoline or oil prices. For example, price
increases could cause businesses and consumers to reduce driving or acquire
vehicles with more favorable gasoline mileage capabilities.
We
rely heavily on our President and Chief Executive Officer, Neil Koehler. The
loss of his services could adversely affect our ability to source ethanol from
our key suppliers and our ability to sell ethanol to our customers.
Our
success depends, to a significant extent, upon the continued services of Neil
Koehler, who is our President and Chief Executive Officer. For example, Mr.
Koehler has developed key personal relationships with our ethanol suppliers
and
customers. We greatly rely on these relationships in the conduct of our
operations and the execution of our business strategies. The loss of Mr. Koehler
could, therefore, result in the loss of our favorable relationships with one
or
more of our ethanol suppliers and customers. In addition, Mr. Koehler has
considerable experience in the construction, start-up and operation of ethanol
production facilities and in the ethanol marketing business. Although we have
entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Koehler, that agreement is of
limited duration and is subject to early termination by Mr. Koehler under
certain circumstances. In addition, we do not maintain “key person” life
insurance covering Mr. Koehler or any other executive officer. The loss of
Mr.
Koehler could also significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our
business objectives.
Our
independent registered public accounting firm has advised management and our
audit committee that they have identified a material weakness in our internal
controls and we have concluded that we have a material weakness in our
disclosure controls and procedures. Our business and stock price may be
adversely affected if we do not remediate this material weakness or if we have
other material weaknesses in our internal controls.
In
connection with its audit of our consolidated financial statements for the
year
ended December 31, 2005, our independent registered public accounting firm
advised management of the following matter that the accounting firm considered
to be a material weakness: The current organization of our accounting department
does not provide us with the appropriate resources and adequate technical skills
to accurately account for and disclose our activities. Our resources to produce
reliable financial reports and fulfill our other obligations as a public company
are limited due to our small number of employees and the limited public company
experience of our management. The existence of one or more material weaknesses
in our internal controls could result in errors in our financial statements
and
substantial costs and resources may be required to rectify these material
weaknesses. If we are unable to produce reliable financial reports, investors
could lose confidence in our reported financial information, the market price
of
our stock could decline significantly, we may be unable to obtain additional
financing to operate and expand our business, and our business and financial
condition could be harmed.
The
United States ethanol industry is highly dependent upon a myriad of federal
and
state legislation and regulation and any changes in such legislation or
regulation could materially adversely affect our results of operations and
financial condition.
The
elimination or significant reduction in the Federal Excise Tax Credit could
have
a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
The
production of ethanol is made significantly more competitive by federal tax
incentives. The Federal Excise Tax Credit, or FETC, program, which is scheduled
to expire on December 31, 2010, allows gasoline distributors who blend ethanol
with gasoline to receive a federal excise tax rate reduction for each blended
gallon they sell regardless of the blend rate. The current federal excise tax
on
gasoline is $0.184 per gallon, and is paid at the terminal by refiners and
marketers. If the fuel is blended with ethanol, the blender may claim a $0.51
tax credit for each gallon of ethanol used in the mixture. The FETC may not
be
renewed prior to its expiration in 2010, or if renewed, it may be renewed on
terms significantly less favorable than current tax incentives. The elimination
or significant reduction in the FETC could have a material adverse effect on
our
results of operations.
Waivers
of the Renewable Fuels Standard minimum levels of renewable fuels included
in
gasoline could have a material adverse affect on our results of
operations.
Under
the
Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Department of Energy, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy, may waive the Renewable
Fuels Standard, or RFS, mandate with respect to one or more states if the
Administrator determines that implementing the requirements would severely
harm
the economy or the environment of a state, a region or the United States, or
that there is inadequate supply to meet the requirement. In addition, the
Department of Energy was directed under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to conduct
a study by January 2006 to determine if the RFS will have a severe adverse
impact on consumers in 2006 on a national, regional or state basis. Based on
the
results of the study, the Secretary of Energy must make a recommendation to
the
EPA as to whether the RFS should be waived for 2006. Any waiver of the RFS
with
respect to one or more states or with respect to 2006 would adversely offset
demand for ethanol and could have a material adverse effect on our results
of
operations and financial condition.
While
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 imposes the RFS, it does not mandate the use
of
ethanol and eliminates the oxygenate requirement for reformulated gasoline
in
the Reformulated Gasoline Program included in the Clean Air
Act.
The
Reformulated Gasoline, or RFG, program’s oxygenate requirements contained in the
Clean Air Act, which, according to the RFA, accounted for approximately 2.0
billion gallons of ethanol use in 2004, was completely eliminated on May 5,
2006
by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. While the RFA expects that ethanol should
account for the largest share of renewable fuels produced and consumed under
the
RFS, the RFS is not limited to ethanol and also includes biodiesel and any
other
liquid fuel produced from biomass or biogas. The elimination of the oxygenate
requirement for reformulated gasoline in the RFG program included in the Clean
Air Act may result in a decline in ethanol consumption in favor of other
alternative fuels, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our
results of operations and financial condition.
We
may be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws, regulations
and liabilities.
We
are
subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations,
including those relating to the discharge of materials into the air, water
and
ground, the generation, storage, handling, use, transportation and disposal
of
hazardous materials, and the health and safety of our employees. In addition,
some of these laws and regulations require our facilities to operate under
permits that are subject to renewal or modification. These laws, regulations
and
permits can often require expensive pollution control equipment or operational
changes to limit actual or potential impacts to the environment. A violation
of
these laws and regulations or permit conditions can result in substantial fines,
natural resource damages, criminal sanctions, permit revocations and/or facility
shutdowns. In addition, we have made, and expect to make, significant capital
expenditures on an ongoing basis to comply with increasingly stringent
environmental laws, regulations and permits.
We
may be
liable for the investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination at
each
of the properties that we own or operate and at off-site locations where we
arrange for the disposal of hazardous substances. If these substances have
been
or are disposed of or released at sites that undergo investigation and/or
remediation by regulatory agencies, we may be responsible under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980,
or
CERCLA, or other environmental laws for all or part of the costs of
investigation and/or remediation, and for damages to natural resources. We
may
also be subject to related claims by private parties alleging property damage
and personal injury due to exposure to hazardous or other materials at or from
those properties. Some of these matters may require us to expend significant
amounts for investigation, cleanup or other costs.
In
addition, new laws, new interpretations of existing laws, increased governmental
enforcement of environmental laws or other developments could require us to
make
additional significant expenditures. Continued government and public emphasis
on
environmental issues can be expected to result in increased future investments
for environmental controls at our production facilities. Present and future
environmental laws and regulations (and interpretations thereof) applicable
to
our operations, more vigorous enforcement policies and discovery of currently
unknown conditions may require substantial expenditures that could have a
material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.
The
hazards and risks associated with producing and transporting our products (such
as fires, natural disasters, explosions, and abnormal pressures and blowouts)
may also result in personal injury claims or damage to property and third
parties. As protection against operating hazards, we maintain insurance coverage
against some, but not all, potential losses. However, we could sustain losses
for uninsurable or uninsured risks, or in amounts in excess of existing
insurance coverage. Events that result in significant personal injury or damage
to our property or third parties or other losses that are not fully covered
by
insurance could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations
and
financial position.
Our
failure to manage our growth effectively could prevent us from achieving our
goals.
Our
strategy envisions a period of rapid growth that may impose a significant burden
on our administrative and operational resources. The growth of our business,
and
in particular, the completion of construction of our planned ethanol production
facilities, will require significant investments of capital and management’s
close attention. We have also entered into significant marketing agreements
with
Front Range Energy, LLC and Phoenix Bio-Industries, LLC, and we are seeking
to
enter into additional similar agreements with companies that currently, or
expect to, produce ethanol, all of which may result in a substantial growth
in
our marketing business. Our ability to effectively manage our growth will
require us to substantially expand the capabilities of our administrative and
operational resources and to attract, train, manage and retain qualified
management, technicians and other personnel. We may be unable to do so. In
addition, our failure to successfully manage our growth could result in our
sales not increasing commensurately with our capital investments. If we are
unable to successfully manage our growth, we may be unable to achieve our
goals.
The
ethanol production and marketing industry is extremely competitive. Many of
our
significant competitors have greater financial and other resources than we
do
and one or more of these competitors could use their greater resources to gain
market share at our expense. In addition, certain of our suppliers may
circumvent our marketing services, causing our sales and profitability to
decline.
The
ethanol production and marketing industry is extremely competitive. Many of
our
significant competitors in the ethanol production and marketing industry, such
as Archer Daniels Midland Company, or ADM, Cargill, Inc., VeraSun Energy
Corporation, Aventine Renewable Energy, Inc., and Abengoa Bioenergy Corp.,
have
substantially greater production, financial, research and development, personnel
and marketing resources than we do. In addition, we are not currently producing
any ethanol that we sell and therefore are unable to capture the higher gross
profit margins generally associated with production activities. As a result,
our
competitors, who are presently producing ethanol, may have greater relative
advantages resulting from greater capital resources due to higher gross profit
margins. As a result, our competitors may be able to compete more aggressively
and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. Our
lack of resources relative to many of our significant competitors may cause
us
to fail to anticipate or respond adequately to new developments and other
competitive pressures. This failure could reduce our competitiveness and cause
a
decline in our market share, sales and profitability.
In
addition, some of our suppliers are potential competitors and, especially if
the
price of ethanol remains at historically high levels, they may seek to capture
additional profits by circumventing our marketing services in favor of selling
directly to our customers. If one or more of our major suppliers, or numerous
smaller suppliers, circumvent our marketing services, our sales and
profitability will decline.
We
also
face increasing competition from international suppliers. Although there is
a
$0.54 per gallon tariff, which is scheduled to expire in 2007, on
foreign-produced ethanol that is approximately equal to the blenders’ credit,
ethanol imports equivalent to up to 7% of total domestic production in any
given
year from various countries were exempted from this tariff under the Caribbean
Basin Initiative to spur economic development in Central America and the
Caribbean. Currently, international suppliers produce ethanol primarily from
sugar cane and have cost structures that are generally substantially lower
than
ours.
Any
increase in domestic or foreign competition could cause us to reduce our prices
and take other steps to compete effectively, which could adversely affect our
results of operations and financial position.
We
may engage in hedging transactions and other risk mitigation strategies that
could harm our results.
In
an
attempt to partially offset the effects of volatility of ethanol prices and
corn
and natural gas costs, we may enter into contracts to supply a portion of our
ethanol production or purchase a portion of our corn or natural gas requirements
on a forward basis and may also engage in other hedging transactions involving
exchange-traded futures contracts for corn, natural gas and unleaded gasoline
from time to time. The financial statement impact of these activities is
dependent upon, among other things, the prices involved and our ability to
sell
sufficient products to use all of the corn and natural gas for which we have
futures contracts. Hedging arrangements also expose us to the risk of financial
loss in situations where the other party to the hedging contract defaults on
its
contract or, in the case of exchange-traded contracts, where there is a change
in the expected differential between the underlying price in the hedging
agreement and the actual prices paid or received by us. Hedging activities
can
themselves result in losses when a position is purchased in a declining market
or a position is sold in a rising market. A hedge position is often settled
in
the same time frame as the physical commodity is either purchased, as in the
case of corn and natural gas, or sold as in the case of ethanol. Hedging losses
may be offset by a decreased cash price for corn and natural gas and an
increased cash price for ethanol. We also vary the amount of hedging or other
risk mitigation strategies we undertake, and we may choose not to engage in
hedging transactions at all. As a result, our results of operations and
financial position may be adversely affected by increases in the price of corn
or natural gas or decreases in the price of ethanol or unleaded
gasoline.
Risks
Relating to the Business of Kinergy
Kinergy’s
purchase and sale commitments as well as its inventory of ethanol held for
sale
subject us to the risk of fluctuations in the price of ethanol, which may result
in lower or even negative gross profit margins and which could materially and
adversely affect our profitability.
Kinergy’s
purchases and sales of ethanol are not always matched with sales and purchases
of ethanol at prevailing market prices. Kinergy commits from time to time to
the
sale of ethanol to its customers without corresponding and commensurate
commitments for the supply of ethanol from its suppliers, which subjects us
to
the risk of an increase in the price of ethanol. Kinergy also commits from
time
to time to the purchase of ethanol from its suppliers without corresponding
and
commensurate commitments for the purchase of ethanol by its customers, which
subjects us to the risk of a decline in the price of ethanol. In addition,
Kinergy increases inventory levels in anticipation of rising ethanol prices
and
decreases inventory levels in anticipation of declining ethanol prices. As
a
result, Kinergy is subject to the risk of ethanol prices moving in unanticipated
directions, which could result in declining or even negative gross profit
margins. Accordingly, our business is subject to fluctuations in the price
of
ethanol and these fluctuations may result in lower or even negative gross
margins and which could materially and adversely affect our
profitability.
Kinergy
depends on a small number of customers for the vast majority of its sales.
A
reduction in business from any of these customers could cause a significant
decline in our overall sales and profitability.
The
vast
majority of Kinergy’s sales are generated from a small number of customers.
During 2005, sales to Kinergy’s three largest customers, each of whom accounted
for 10% or more of total net sales, represented approximately 18%, 11% and
10%,
respectively, representing an aggregate of approximately 39%, of Kinergy’s total
net sales. During 2004, sales to Kinergy’s four largest customers, each of whom
accounted for 10% or more of total net sales, represented approximately 13%,
12%, 12% and 12%, respectively, representing an aggregate of approximately
49%,
of Kinergy’s total net sales. We expect that Kinergy will continue to depend for
the foreseeable future upon a small number of customers for a significant
portion of its sales. Kinergy’s agreements with these customers generally do not
require them to purchase any specified amount of ethanol or dollar amount of
sales or to make any purchases whatsoever. Therefore, in any future period,
Kinergy’s sales generated from these customers, individually or in the
aggregate, may not equal or exceed historical levels. If sales to any of these
customers cease or decline, Kinergy may be unable to replace these sales with
sales to either existing or new customers in a timely manner, or at all. A
cessation or reduction of sales to one or more of these customers could cause
a
significant decline in our overall sales and profitability.
Kinergy’s
lack of long-term ethanol orders and commitments by its customers could lead
to
a rapid decline in our sales and profitability.
Kinergy
cannot rely on long-term ethanol orders or commitments by its customers for
protection from the negative financial effects of a decline in the demand for
ethanol or a decline in the demand for Kinergy’s services. The limited certainty
of ethanol orders can make it difficult for us to forecast our sales and
allocate our resources in a manner consistent with our actual sales. Moreover,
our expense levels are based in part on our expectations of future sales and,
if
our expectations regarding future sales are inaccurate, we may be unable to
reduce costs in a timely manner to adjust for sales shortfalls. Furthermore,
because Kinergy depends on a small number of customers for a significant portion
of its sales, the magnitude of the ramifications of these risks is greater
than
if Kinergy’s sales were less concentrated within a small number of customers. As
a result of Kinergy’s lack of long-term ethanol orders and commitments, we may
experience a rapid decline in our sales and profitability.
Kinergy
depends on a small number of suppliers for the vast majority of the ethanol
that
it sells. If any of these suppliers is unable or decides not to continue to
supply Kinergy with ethanol in adequate amounts, Kinergy may be unable to
satisfy the demands of its customers and our sales, profitability
and relationships with our customers will be adversely
affected.
Kinergy
depends on a small number of suppliers for the vast majority of the ethanol
that
it sells. During 2005, Kinergy’s three largest suppliers, each of whom accounted
for 10% or more of total purchases, represented approximately 22%, 20%, and
17%,
respectively, of purchases, representing an aggregate of approximately 59%,
of
the total ethanol Kinergy purchased for resale. During 2004, Kinergy’s three
largest suppliers, each of whom accounted for 10% or more of the total
purchases, represented approximately 27%, 23% and 14%, respectively, of
purchases, representing an aggregate of approximately 64% of the total ethanol
Kinergy purchased for resale. We expect that Kinergy will continue to depend
for
the foreseeable future upon a small number of suppliers for a significant
majority of the ethanol that it purchases. In addition, Kinergy sources the
ethanol that it sells primarily from suppliers in the Midwestern United States.
The delivery of the ethanol that Kinergy sells is therefore subject to delays
resulting from inclement weather and other conditions. Also, there is currently
a substantial demand for ethanol which has, for most of 2005, far exceeded
ethanol production capacities and Kinergy’s management has, from time to time,
found it very difficult to satisfy all the demands for ethanol by Kinergy’s
customers. If any of these suppliers is unable or declines for any reason to
continue to supply Kinergy with ethanol in adequate amounts, Kinergy may be
unable to replace that supplier and source other supplies of ethanol in a timely
manner, or at all, to satisfy the demands of its customers. If this occurs,
our
sales and profitability and Kinergy’s relationships with its customers will be
adversely affected.
Risks
Relating to the Business of PEI California
We
may not be able to implement our planned expansion
strategy.
We
plan
to grow our business by investing in new facilities and/or acquiring existing
facilities and to pursue other business opportunities such as the production
of
other renewable fuels to the extent we deem those opportunities advisable.
We
believe that there is increasing competition for suitable sites. We may not
find
suitable additional sites for construction of new facilities, suitable
acquisition candidates or other suitable expansion opportunities.
We
may
need additional financing to implement our expansion strategy and we may not
have access to the funding required for the expansion of our business or such
funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms. We may finance the
expansion of our business with additional indebtedness or by issuing additional
equity securities. We could face financial risks associated with incurring
additional indebtedness, such as reducing our liquidity and access to financial
markets and increasing the amount of cash flow required to service such
indebtedness, or associated with issuing additional stock, such as dilution
of
ownership and earnings. In addition, we may plan the financing of our expansion
strategy, and initially use our existing cash to implement this strategy, based
on the belief that we can secure additional debt financing in the future in
order to complete our expansion. If we are unable to secure this debt financing,
we may suffer from lack of capital resources, our planned expansion strategy
may
be less successful than if we had planned solely on using our existing cash
to
finance our expansion, and our business and prospects may be materially and
adversely effected.
We
must
also obtain numerous regulatory approvals and permits in order to construct
and
operate additional or expanded facilities. These requirements may not be
satisfied in a timely manner or at all. Federal and state governmental
requirements may substantially increase our costs, which could have a material
adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position. Our
expansion plans may also result in other unanticipated adverse consequences,
such as the diversion of management’s attention from our existing operations.
Our
construction costs may also increase to levels that would make a new facility
too expensive to complete or unprofitable to operate. Except with respect to
our
Madera County facility, we have not entered into any construction contracts
or
other arrangements, other than site acquisition arrangements, that might limit
our exposure to higher costs in developing and completing any new facilities.
Contractors, engineering firms, construction firms and equipment suppliers
also
receive requests and orders from other ethanol companies and, therefore, we
may
not be able to secure their services or products on a timely basis or on
acceptable financial terms. We may suffer significant delays or cost overruns
as
a result of a variety of factors, such as shortages of workers or materials,
transportation constraints, adverse weather, unforeseen difficulties or labor
issues, any of which could prevent us from commencing operations as expected
at
our facilities.
We
may
not find additional appropriate sites for new facilities and we may not be
able
to finance, construct, develop or operate these new facilities successfully.
We
also may be unable to find suitable acquisition candidates. Accordingly, we
may
not be able to implement our planned expansion strategy.
PEI
California has not conducted any significant business operations and has been
unprofitable to date.
PEI California may be unsuccessful and decrease our overall profitability,
causing us to fail to achieve one of our significant
goals.
PEI
California has not conducted any significant business operations and has been
unprofitable to date. Accordingly, there is no prior operating history by which
to evaluate the likelihood of PEI California’s success or its contribution to
our overall profitability. PEI California may not complete construction of
all
of our planned ethanol production facilities, and even if PEI California does
complete the construction of all of our planned ethanol production facilities,
PEI California may not be successful or contribute positively to our
profitability. If PEI California is unsuccessful, it will decrease our overall
profitability and we will have failed to achieve one of our significant goals.
The
raw materials and energy necessary to produce ethanol may be unavailable or
may
increase in price, adversely affecting our sales and profitability.
The
principal raw material we use to produce ethanol and ethanol by-products is
corn. As a result, changes in the price of corn can significantly affect our
business. In general, rising corn prices produce lower profit margins and,
therefore, represent unfavorable market conditions. This is especially true
since market conditions generally do not allow us to pass along increased corn
costs to our customers because the price of ethanol is primarily determined
by
other factors, such as the price of oil and gasoline. At certain levels, corn
prices may make ethanol uneconomical to use in markets where the use of fuel
oxygenates is not mandated.
The
price
of corn is influenced by general economic, market and regulatory factors. These
factors include weather conditions, farmer planting decisions, government
policies and subsidies with respect to agriculture and international trade
and
global demand and supply. The significance and relative impact of these factors
on the price of corn is difficult to predict. Any event that tends to negatively
impact the supply of corn will tend to increase prices and potentially harm
our
business. Corn bought by ethanol plants represented approximately 13% of the
2005 total corn supply according to 2005 results reported by the National Corn
Growers Association. The increasing ethanol capacity could boost demand for
corn
and result in increased prices for corn.
The
production of ethanol also requires a significant amount of other raw materials
and energy, primarily water, electricity and natural gas. For example, we
estimate that our Madera County ethanol production facility will require
significant and uninterrupted supplies of water, electricity and natural gas.
The prices of electricity and natural gas have fluctuated significantly in
the
past and may fluctuate significantly in the future. Local water, electricity
and
gas utilities may not be able to reliably supply the water, electricity and
natural gas that our facilities will need or may not be able to supply such
resources on acceptable terms. In addition, if there is an interruption in
the
supply of water or energy for any reason, we may be required to halt ethanol
production.
The
market price of ethanol is volatile and subject to significant fluctuations,
which may cause our profitability
to fluctuate significantly.
The
market price of ethanol is dependent upon many factors, including the price
of
gasoline, which is in turn dependent upon the price of petroleum. Petroleum
prices are highly volatile and difficult to forecast due to frequent changes
in
global politics and the world economy. The distribution of petroleum throughout
the world is affected by incidents in unstable political environments, such
as
Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the former U.S.S.R. and other countries and
regions. The industrialized world depends critically upon oil from these areas,
and any disruption or other reduction in oil supply can cause significant
fluctuations in the prices of oil and gasoline. We cannot predict the future
price of oil or gasoline and may establish unprofitable prices for the sale
of
ethanol due to significant fluctuations in market prices. For example, our
average sales price of ethanol declined by approximately 25% from our 2004
average sales price per gallon in five months from January 2005 through May
2005
and reversed this decline and increased to approximately 55% above our 2004
average sales price per gallon in four months from June 2005 through September
2005; and from September through December 2005, our average sales price of
ethanol trended downward, but reversed its trend in the first six months of
2006
by rising approximately 31% above our 2005 average sales price per gallon.
In
recent years, the prices of gasoline, petroleum and ethanol have all reached
historically unprecedented high levels. If the prices of gasoline and petroleum
decline, we believe that the demand for and price of ethanol may be adversely
affected. Fluctuations in the market price of ethanol may cause our
profitability to fluctuate significantly.
We
believe that the production of ethanol is expanding rapidly. There are a number
of new plants under construction and planned for construction, both inside
and
outside California. We expect existing ethanol plants to expand by increasing
production capacity and actual production. Increases in the demand for ethanol
may not be commensurate with increasing supplies of ethanol. Thus, increased
production of ethanol may lead to lower ethanol prices. The increased production
of ethanol could also have other adverse effects. For example, increased ethanol
production could lead to increased supplies of co-products from the production
of ethanol, such as wet distillers grain, or WDG. Those increased supplies
could
lead to lower prices for those co-products. Also, the increased production
of
ethanol could result in increased demand for corn. This could result in higher
prices for corn and cause higher ethanol production costs and, in the event
that
PEI California is unable to pass increases in the price of corn to its
customers, will result in lower profits. We cannot predict the future price
of
ethanol, WDG or corn. Any material decline in the price of ethanol or WDG,
or
any material increase in the price of corn, will adversely affect our sales
and
profitability.
Certain
countries can export ethanol to the United States duty-free, which may undermine
the ethanol production industry in the United States.
Imported
ethanol is generally subject to a $0.54 per gallon tariff and a 2.5% ad valorem
tax that was designed to offset the $0.51 per gallon ethanol subsidy available
under the federal excise tax incentive program for refineries that blend ethanol
in their fuel. There is a special exemption from the tariff for ethanol imported
from 24 countries in Central America and the Caribbean islands which is limited
to a total of 7.0% of United States production per year (with additional
exemptions for ethanol produced from feedstock in the Caribbean region over
the
7.0% limit). In May 2006, bills were introduced in both the U.S. House of
Representatives and U.S. Senate to repeal the $0.54 per gallon tariff. We do
not
know the extent to which the volume of imports would increase or the effect
on
United States prices for ethanol if this proposed legislation is enacted or
if
the tariff is not renewed beyond its current expiration in December 2007. In
addition The North America Free Trade Agreement countries, Canada and Mexico,
are exempt from duty. Imports from the exempted countries have increased in
recent years and are expected to increase further as a result of new plants
under development. In particular, the ethanol industry has expressed concern
with respect to a new plant under development by Cargill, Inc., the fifth
largest ethanol producer in the United States, in El Salvador that would take
the water out of Brazilian ethanol and then ship the dehydrated ethanol from
El
Salvador to the United States duty-free. Since production costs for ethanol
in
Brazil are estimated to be significantly less than what they are in the United
States, the import of the Brazilian ethanol duty-free through El Salvador or
another country exempted from the tariff may negatively impact the demand for
domestic ethanol and the price at which we sell our ethanol.
Risks
Related to our Common Stock
Our
common stock has a small public float and shares of our common stock eligible
for public sale could cause the market price of our stock to drop, even if
our
business is doing well, and make it difficult for us to raise additional capital
through sales of equity securities.
As
of
August 17, 2006, we had outstanding approximately 37.2 million shares of our
common stock. Approximately 10.8 million of these shares were restricted under
the Securities Act of 1933, including approximately 5.7 million shares
beneficially owned, in the aggregate, by our executive officers, directors
and
10% stockholders. Accordingly, our common stock has a relatively small public
float of approximately 26.4 million shares.
We
have
registered for resale a substantial number of shares of our common stock,
including shares of our common stock underlying warrants. The holders of these
shares are permitted, subject to few limitations, to freely sell these shares
of
common stock. As a result of our relatively small public float, sales of
substantial amounts of common stock, including shares issued upon the exercise
of stock options or warrants, or an anticipation that such sales could occur,
may materially and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common
stock. In addition, an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock
could make it difficult for us to raise additional capital through sales of
equity securities at a time and at a price that we deem
appropriate.
As
a result of our issuance of shares of Series A Preferred Stock to Cascade,
our
common stockholders may experience numerous negative effects and most of the
rights of our common stockholders will be subordinate to the rights of
Cascade.
As
a
result of our issuance of shares of Series A Preferred Stock to Cascade, common
stockholders may experience numerous negative effects, including substantial
dilution. The 5,250,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock issued to Cascade
are
immediately convertible into 10,500,000 shares of our common stock, which
amount, when issued, would, based upon the number of shares of our common stock
outstanding as of August 17, 2006, represent approximately 22% of our shares
outstanding and, in the event that we are profitable, would likewise result
in a
decrease in our diluted earnings per share by approximately 22%, without taking
into account cash or stock payable as dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock.
Other
negative effects to our common stockholders will include potential additional
dilution from dividends paid in Series A Preferred Stock and certain
antidilution adjustments. In addition, rights in favor of holders of our Series
A Preferred Stock include: seniority in liquidation and dividend preferences;
substantial voting rights; numerous protective provisions; the right to appoint
two persons to our board of directors and periodically nominate two persons
for
election by our stockholders to our board of directors; preemptive rights;
and
redemption rights. Also, the Series A Preferred Stock could have the effect
of
delaying, deferring and discouraging another party from acquiring control of
Pacific Ethanol. In addition, based on our current number of shares of common
stock outstanding, Cascade has approximately 22% of all outstanding voting
power
as compared to approximately 12% of all outstanding voting power held in
aggregate by our current executive officers and directors. Any of the above
factors may materially and adversely affect our common stockholders and the
values of their investments in our common stock.
Our
stock price is highly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for
investors purchasing shares of our common stock and in litigation against
us.
The
market price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly in the past and
may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future. The market price of
our
common stock may continue to fluctuate in response to one or more of the
following factors, many of which are beyond our control:
·
|
changing
conditions in the ethanol and fuel markets;
|
·
|
the
volume and timing of the receipt of orders for ethanol from major
customers;
|
·
|
competitive
pricing pressures;
|
·
|
our
ability to produce, sell and deliver ethanol on a cost-effective
and
timely basis;
|
·
|
the
introduction and announcement of one or more new alternatives to
ethanol
by our competitors;
|
·
|
changes
in market valuations of similar companies;
|
·
|
stock
market price and volume fluctuations generally;
|
·
|
regulatory
developments or increased enforcement;
|
·
|
fluctuations
in our quarterly or annual operating results;
|
·
|
additions
or departures of key personnel;
|
·
|
our
inability to obtain construction, acquisition, capital equipment
and/or
working capital financing; and
|
·
|
future
sales of our common stock or other
securities.
|
Furthermore,
we believe that the economic conditions in California and other states, as
well
as the United States as a whole, could have a negative impact on our results
of
operations. Demand for ethanol could also be adversely affected by a slow-down
in overall demand for oxygenate and gasoline additive products. The levels
of
our ethanol production and purchases for resale will be based upon forecasted
demand. Accordingly, any inaccuracy in forecasting anticipated revenues and
expenses could adversely affect our business. Furthermore, we recognize revenues
from ethanol sales at the time of delivery. The failure to receive anticipated
orders or to complete delivery in any quarterly period could adversely affect
our results of operations for that period. Quarterly results are not necessarily
indicative of future performance for any particular period, and we may not
experience revenue growth or profitability on a quarterly or an annual
basis.
The
price
at which you purchase shares of our common stock may not be indicative of the
price that will prevail in the trading market. You may be unable to sell your
shares of common stock at or above your purchase price, which may result in
substantial losses to you and which may include the complete loss of your
investment. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been
brought against a company following periods of stock price volatility. We may
be
the target of similar litigation in the future. Securities litigation could
result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and our resources
away from our business. Any of the risks described above could adversely affect
our sales and profitability and also the price of our common stock.
ITEM
2.
|
UNREGISTERED
SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF
PROCEEDS.
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities
From
April through June 2006, we issued an aggregate of 1,020,765 shares of our
common stock upon the exercise of outstanding warrants, net of 12,685 shares
of
common stock deemed tendered back to us upon cashless exercises of certain
of
those warrants. In connection with the warrant exercises, other than cashless
exercises, we received aggregate gross proceeds of $3,064,935.
Exemption
from the registration provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 for the
transactions described above is claimed under Section 4(2) of the Securities
Act
of 1933, among others, on the basis that such transactions did not involve
any
public offering and the purchasers were sophisticated or accredited with access
to the kind of information registration would provide.
Dividends
We
have
never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not currently intend to
pay
cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently
anticipate that we will retain any earnings for use in the continued development
of our business.
ITEM
3.
|
DEFAULTS
UPON SENIOR SECURITIES.
|
None.
ITEM
4.
|
SUBMISSION
OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.
|
None.
ITEM
5.
|
OTHER
INFORMATION.
|
None.
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
Purchase
Agreement dated November 14, 2005 between Pacific Ethanol, Inc. and
Cascade Investment, L.L.C. (1)
|
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
Certificate
of Designations, Powers, Preferences and Rights of the Series A Cumulative
Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock (2)
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
Deposit
Agreement dated April 13, 2006 by and between Pacific Ethanol, Inc.
and
Comerica Bank (2)
|
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
Registration
Rights and Stockholders Agreement dated as of April 13, 2006 by and
between Pacific Ethanol, Inc. and Cascade Investment, L.L.C.
(2)
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
Construction
and Term Loan Agreement dated April 10, 2006 by and among Pacific
Ethanol
Madera LLC, Comerica Bank and Hudson United Capital, a division of
TD
Banknorth, N.A. (2)
|
10.6
|
|
Construction
Loan Note dated April 13, 2006 by Pacific Ethanol Madera LLC in favor
of
Hudson United Capital, a division of TD Banknorth, N.A.
(2)
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Construction
Loan Note dated April 13, 2006 by Pacific Ethanol Madera LLC in favor
of
Comerica Bank (2)
|
|
|
|
10.8
|
|
Assignment
and Security Agreement dated April 13, 2006 by and between Pacific
Ethanol
Madera LLC and Hudson United Capital, a division of TD Banknorth,
N.A.
(2)
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
|
Member
Interest Pledge Agreement dated April 13, 2006 by Pacific Ethanol
Madera
LLC in favor of Hudson United Capital, a division of TD Banknorth,
N.A.
(2)
|
|
|
|
10.10
|
|
Disbursement
Agreement dated April 13, 2006 by and among Pacific Ethanol Madera
LLC,
Hudson United Capital, a division of TD Banknorth, N.A., Comerica
Bank and
Wealth Management Group of TD Banknorth, N.A. (2)
|
|
|
|
10.11
|
|
Deed
of Trust, Assignment of Leases and Rents, Security Agreement and
Fixture
Filing dated April 13, 2006 by Pacific Ethanol Madera LLC in favor
of
Hudson United Capital, a division of TD Banknorth, N.A.
(3)
|
|
|
|
10.12
|
|
Amended
and Restated Term Loan Agreement effective as of April 13, 2006 by
and
between Lyles Diversified, Inc. and Pacific Ethanol Madera LLC
(2)
|
|
|
|
10.13
|
|
Letter
Agreement dated as of April 13, 2006 by and among Pacific Ethanol
California, Inc., Lyles Diversified, Inc. and Pacific Ethanol Madera
LLC
(2)
|
|
|
|
10.14
|
|
Deed
of Trust (Non-Construction) Security Agreement and Fixture Filing
with
Assignment of Rents dated April 13, 2006 by Pacific Ethanol Madera
LLC in
favor of Lyles Diversified, Inc. (3)
|
|
|
|
10.15
|
|
Form
of Indemnification Agreement between the Company and each of its
Executive
Officers and Directors (2)
|
|
|
|
10.16
|
|
Securities
Purchase Agreement dated as of May 25, 2006 by and among Pacific
Ethanol,
Inc. and the investors listed on the Schedule of Investors attached
thereto as Exhibit A (4)
|
|
|
|
10.17
|
|
Form
of Warrant dated May 31, 2006 (4)
|
|
|
|
10.18
|
|
Executive
Employment Agreement dated as of June 26, 2006 by and between Pacific
Ethanol, Inc. and John T. Miller (5)
|
|
|
|
10.19
|
|
Executive
Employment Agreement dated as of June 26, 2006 by and between Pacific
Ethanol, Inc. and Christopher W. Wright (5)
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
|
Certifications
Required by Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of
2002 (*)
|
|
|
|
31.2
|
|
Certifications
Required by Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of
2002 (*)
|
|
|
|
32.1
|
|
Certification
of President and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002
(*)
|
__________
*
|
Filed
herewith.
|
(1)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K for November
10, 2005 (File No. 0-21467) filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on November 15, 2005.
|
(2)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to the Registrant’s annual report on Form 10-KSB for
December 31, 2005 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on
April 14, 2006.
|
(3)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K for April 13,
2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 19,
2006.
|
(4)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K for May 25,
2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 31,
2006.
|
(5)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K for June 26,
2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 27,
2006.
|
SIGNATURES
In
accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused
this
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized.
Dated: August 17, 2006 |
By: /S/ WILLIAM G.
LANGLEY |
(principal financial officer and duly authorized officer)
EXHIBITS
FILED WITH THIS REPORT
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
31.1
|
|
Certification
Required by Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of
2002
|
31.2
|
|
Certification
Required by Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of
2002
|
32.1
|
|
Certification
of President and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of
2002
|
43