NWMH National Waste Management Holdings Inc (CE)

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS .

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk, and you should be able to bear the complete loss of your investment. You should carefully consider the risks described below, the other information in this Prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference herein and the risk factors discussed in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission when evaluating our company and our business. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known by us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. If any one of the following risks occur, our business could be harmed. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and investors could lose all or a part of the money paid to buy our common stock.

The waste industry is highly competitive; if we cannot successfully compete in the marketplace, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected.

We encounter intense competition from governmental, quasi-governmental and private sources in all aspects of our operations. In North America, the industry consists primarily of three national waste management companies and regional and local companies of varying sizes and financial resources, including companies that specialize in certain discrete areas of waste management, operators of alternative disposal facilities and companies that seek to use parts of the waste stream as feedstock for renewable energy and other by-products. Some of our regional competitors can be significant competitors in local markets and are pursuing aggressive regional growth strategies. We compete with these companies as well as with counties and municipalities that maintain their own waste collection and disposal operations. These counties and municipalities may have financial competitive advantages because tax revenues are available to them and tax-exempt financing is more readily available to them. Also, such governmental units may attempt to impose flow control or other restrictions that would give them a competitive advantage. In addition, some of our competitors may have lower financial expectations, allowing them to reduce their prices to expand sales volume or to win competitively-bid contracts, including large national accounts and exclusive franchise arrangements with municipalities. Should any of the foregoing or a combination of the foregoing factors materially affect our business, we may lose customers and be unable to execute our pricing strategy, resulting in a negative impact to our revenue growth from yield on base business.

If we fail to implement our business strategy, our financial performance and our growth could be materially and adversely affected.

Our future financial performance and success are dependent in large part upon our ability to implement our business strategy successfully. Implementation of our strategy will require effective management of our operational, financial and human resources and will place significant demands on those resources. See Item 7., “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ” — Overview for more information on our business strategy.

An investment in our securities involves significant risks. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information in this Form 10-K Filing, including our consolidated and other financial statements and related notes; if any of these risks occur, our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, the trading price and value of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks associated with our business strategies include the following:

On-going rationalization of our asset portfolio following our restructuring may result in impairments to our assets and we may record material charges against earnings due to any number of events that could cause impairments to our assets.

Our ability to make strategic acquisitions and to invest in technologies depends on our ability to identify desirable acquisition or investment targets, negotiate advantageous transactions despite competition for such opportunities, fund such acquisitions on favorable terms, and realize the benefits we expect from those transactions, as follows:

In addition to the risks set forth above, implementation of our business strategy could also be affected by a number of factors beyond our control, such as increased competition, legal developments, government regulation, general economic conditions, increased operating costs or expenses and changes in industry trends. We may decide to alter or discontinue certain aspects of our business strategy at any time. If we are unable to implement our business strategy successfully, our long-term growth and profitability may be adversely affected. Even if we are able to implement some or all of the initiatives of our business strategy successfully, our operating results may not improve to the extent we anticipate, or at all.

Compliance with existing or future regulations and/or enforcement of such regulations may restrict or change our operations, increase our operating costs or require us to make additional capital expenditures.

Stringent government regulations at the federal, state, provincial, and local level in the United States have a substantial impact on our business, and compliance with such regulations is costly. Complex laws, rules, orders and interpretations govern environmental protection, health, safety, land use, zoning, transportation and related matters. In recent years, we have perceived an increase in both the amount of government regulation and the number of enforcement actions being brought by regulatory entities against operations in the waste services industry. We expect this heightened governmental focus on regulation and enforcement to continue. Among other things, governmental regulations and enforcement actions may restrict our operations and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows by imposing conditions such as:

Regulations affecting the siting, design and closure of landfills could require us to undertake investigatory or remedial activities, curtail operations or close landfills temporarily or permanently and future changes in these regulations may require us to modify, supplement or replace equipment or facilities leading to possible substantial costs.

In order to develop, expand or operate a landfill or other waste management facility, we must have various facility permits and other governmental approvals, including those relating to zoning, environmental protection and land use. The permits and approvals are often difficult, time consuming and costly to obtain and could contain conditions that limit our operations.

We also have significant financial obligations relating to final capping, closure, post-closure and environmental remediation at our existing landfills. We establish accruals for these estimated costs, but we could underestimate such accruals. Environmental regulatory changes could accelerate or increase capping, closure, post-closure and remediation costs, requiring our expenditures to materially exceed our current accruals.

Various states have enacted, or are considering enacting, laws that restrict the disposal within the state of solid waste generated outside the state. From time to time, the United States Congress has considered legislation authorizing states to adopt regulations, restrictions, or taxes on the importation of out-of-state or out-of-jurisdiction waste. Additionally, several state and local governments have enacted “flow control” regulations, which attempt to require that all waste generated within the state or local jurisdiction be deposited at specific sites. The United States Congress’ adoption of legislation allowing restrictions on interstate transportation of out-of-state or out-of-jurisdiction waste, certain types of flow control, or courts’ interpretations of interstate waste and flow control legislation, could adversely affect our solid and hazardous waste management services.

Additionally, regulations establishing extended producer responsibility, or EPR, are being considered or implemented in many places around the world, including in Canada and the U.S. EPR regulations are designed to place either partial or total responsibility on producers to fund the post-use life cycle of the products they create. Along with the funding responsibility, producers may be required to take over management of local recycling programs by taking back their products from end users or managing the collection operations and recycling processing infrastructure. There is no federal law establishing EPR in the U.S. or Canada; however, state, provincial and local governments could, and in some cases have, taken steps to implement EPR regulations. If wide-ranging EPR regulations were adopted, they could have a fundamental impact on the waste streams we manage and how we operate our business, including contract terms and pricing. A significant reduction in the waste, recycling and other streams we manage could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Increasing customer preference for alternatives to landfill disposal and waste-to-energy facilities could reduce our ability to operate at full capacity and cause our revenues and operating results to decline.

Our customers are increasingly diverting waste to alternatives to landfill and waste-to-energy disposal, such as recycling and composting, while also working to reduce the amount of waste they generate. In addition, several state and local governments mandate recycling and waste reduction at the source and prohibit the disposal of certain types of waste, such as yard and food waste, at landfills or waste-to-energy facilities. Where such organic waste is not banned from the landfill or waste-to-energy facility, some large customers such as grocery stores and restaurants are choosing to divert their organic waste from landfills. Zero-waste goals (sending no waste to the landfill) have been set by many of North America’s largest companies. Although such mandates and initiatives help to protect our environment, these developments reduce the volume of waste going to landfills and waste-to-energy facilities in certain areas, which may affect our ability to operate our landfills and waste-to-energy facilities at full capacity, as well as affecting the prices that we can charge for landfill disposal and waste-to-energy services. Our landfills currently provide and have historically provided our highest income from operations margins. If we are unsuccessful in expanding our service offerings and growing lines of businesses to service waste streams that do not go to landfills and to provide services for customers that wish to reduce waste entirely, then our revenues and operating results will decline. Additionally, despite the development of new service offerings and lines of business, it is reasonably possible that our revenues and our income from operations margins could be negatively affected due to disposal alternatives.

Developments in technology could trigger a fundamental change in the waste management industry, as waste streams are increasingly viewed as a resource, which may adversely impact volumes at our landfills and waste-to-energy facilities and our profitability.

We and other companies have recognized the value of the traditional waste stream as a potential resource. Research and development activities are on-going to provide disposal alternatives that maximize the value of waste, including using waste as a source for renewable energy and other valuable by-products. We and many other companies are investing in these technologies. It is possible that such investments and technological advancements may reduce the cost of waste disposal or power production to a level below our costs and may reduce the demand for landfill space and waste-to-energy facilities. As a result, our revenues and margins could be adversely affected due to advancements in disposal alternatives.

If we are unable to develop new service offerings and protect intellectual property, or if a competitor develops or obtains exclusive rights to a breakthrough technology, our financial results may suffer.

Our existing and proposed service offerings to customers may require that we invest in, develop or license, and protect, new technologies. Research and development of new technologies and investment in emerging technologies often requires significant spending that may divert capital investment away from our traditional business operations. We may experience difficulties or delays in the research, development, production and/or marketing of new products and services or emerging technologies in which we have invested, which may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to bring new products and services to market. Further, protecting our intellectual property rights and combating unlicensed copying and use of intellectual property is difficult, and any inability to obtain or protect new technologies could impact our services to customers and development of new revenue sources. We and others are increasingly focusing on new technologies that provide alternatives to traditional disposal and maximize the resource value of waste. If a competitor develops or obtains exclusive rights to a “breakthrough technology” that provides a revolutionary change in traditional waste management, or if we have inferior intellectual property to our competitors, our financial results may suffer.

Our business depends on our reputation and the value of our brand.

We believe we have developed a reputation for high-quality service, reliability and social and environmental responsibility, and we believe our brand symbolizes these attributes. Our brand name and that of our subsidiaries, trademarks and logos and our reputation are powerful sales and marketing tools, and we devote significant resources to promoting and protecting them. Adverse publicity, whether or not justified, relating to activities by our operations, employees or agents could tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brand. Damage to our reputation and loss of brand equity could reduce demand for our services. This reduction in demand, together with the dedication of time and expense necessary to defend our reputation, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, as well as require additional resources to rebuild our reputation and restore the value of our brand.

Our operations are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, as well as contractual obligations that may result in significant liabilities.

We may incur risks of incurring significant environmental liabilities in the use, treatment, storage, transfer and disposal of waste materials. Under applicable environmental laws and regulations, we could be liable if our operations cause environmental damage to our properties or to the property of other landowners, particularly as a result of the contamination of air, drinking water or soil. Under current law, we could also be held liable for damage caused by conditions that existed before we acquired the assets or operations involved. This risk is of particular concern as we execute our growth strategy, partially though acquisitions, because we may be unsuccessful in identifying and assessing potential liabilities during our due diligence investigations. Further, the counterparties in such transactions may be unable to perform their indemnification obligations owed to us. Additionally, we could be liable if we arrange for the transportation, disposal or treatment of hazardous substances that cause environmental contamination, or if a predecessor owner made such arrangements and, under applicable law, we are treated as a successor to the prior owner. Any substantial liability for environmental damage could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In the ordinary course of our business, we have in the past, we are currently, and we may in the future, become involved in legal and administrative proceedings relating to land use and environmental laws and regulations. These include proceedings in which:

We generally seek to work with the authorities or other persons involved in these proceedings to resolve any issues raised. If we are not successful, the adverse outcome of one or more of these proceedings could result in, among other things, material increases in our costs or liabilities as well as material charges for asset impairments.

Further, we often enter into agreements with landowners imposing obligations on us to meet certain regulatory or contractual conditions upon site closure or upon termination of the agreements. Compliance with these agreements inherently involves subjective determinations and may result in disputes, including litigation. Costs to remediate or restore the condition of closed sites may be significant.

General economic conditions can directly and adversely affect our revenues and our income from operations margins.

Our business is directly affected by changes in national and general economic factors that are outside of our control, including consumer confidence, interest rates and access to capital markets. A weak economy generally results in decreased consumer spending and decreases in volumes of waste generated, which decreases our revenues. In addition, we have a relatively high fixed-cost structure, which is difficult to quickly adjust to match shifting volume levels. Consumer uncertainty and the loss of consumer confidence may limit the number or amount of services requested by customers. Economic conditions may also limit our ability to implement our pricing strategy.

Some of our customers, including governmental entities, have suffered financial difficulties affecting their credit risk, which could negatively impact our operating results.

We provide service to a number of governmental entities and municipalities, some of which have suffered significant financial difficulties due to the downturn in the economy, reduced tax revenue and/or high cost structures. Some of these entities could be unable to pay amounts owed to us or renew contracts with us at previous or increased rates.

Many non-governmental customers have also suffered serious financial difficulties, including bankruptcy in some cases. The inability of our customers to pay us in a timely manner or to pay increased rates, particularly large national accounts, could negatively affect our operating results.

We may be unable to obtain or maintain required permits or to expand existing permitted capacity of our landfills, which could decrease our revenue and increase our costs.

Our ability to meet our financial and operating objectives depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain the permits necessary to operate landfill sites. Permits to build, operate and expand solid waste management facilities, including landfills and transfer stations, have become more difficult and expensive to obtain and maintain. Permits often take years to obtain as a result of numerous hearings and compliance requirements with regard to zoning, environmental and other regulations. These permits are also often subject to resistance from citizen or other groups and other political pressures. Local communities and citizen groups, adjacent landowners or governmental agencies may oppose the issuance of a permit or approval we may need, allege violations of the permits under which we currently operate or laws or regulations to which we are subject, or seek to impose liability on us for environmental damage. Responding to these challenges has, at times, increased our costs and extended the time associated with establishing new facilities and expanding existing facilities. In addition, failure to receive regulatory and zoning approval may prohibit us from establishing new facilities or expanding existing facilities. Our failure to obtain the required permits to operate our landfills could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Significant shortages in diesel fuel supply or increases in diesel fuel prices will increase our operating expenses.

The price and supply of diesel fuel can fluctuate significantly based on international, political and economic circumstances, as well as other factors outside our control, such as actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and other oil and gas producers, regional production patterns, weather conditions and environmental concerns. Average diesel fuel prices decreased in 2016, 2015 and 2014 but increased in both 2012 and 2011. We need diesel fuel to run a significant portion of our collection and transfer trucks and our equipment used in our landfill operations. Supply shortages could substantially increase our operating expenses. Additionally, as fuel prices increase, our direct operating expenses increase and many of our vendors raise their prices as a means to offset their own rising costs. We have in place a fuel surcharge program, designed to offset increased fuel expenses; however, we may not be able to pass through all of our increased costs and some customers’ contracts prohibit any pass-through of the increased costs. Regardless of any offsetting surcharge programs, increased operating costs due to higher diesel fuel prices will decrease our income from operations margins.

We are increasingly dependent on technology in our operations and if our technology fails, our business could be adversely affected.

We may experience problems with the operation of our current information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, as well as the development and deployment of new information technology systems, that could adversely affect, or even temporarily disrupt, all or a portion of our operations until resolved. Inabilities and delays in implementing new systems can also affect our ability to realize projected or expected cost savings. Additionally, any systems failures could impede our ability to timely collect and report financial results in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

A cybersecurity incident could negatively impact our business and our relationships with customers.

We use computers in substantially all aspects of our business operations. We also use mobile devices, social networking and other online activities to connect with our employees and our customers. Such uses give rise to cybersecurity risks, including security breach, espionage, system disruption, theft and inadvertent release of information. Our business involves the storage and transmission of numerous classes of sensitive and/or confidential information and intellectual property, including customers’ personal information, private information about employees, and financial and strategic information about us and our business partners. We also rely on a Payment Card Industry compliant third party to protect our customers’ credit card information. Further, as we pursue our strategy to grow through acquisitions and to pursue new initiatives that improve our operations and cost structure, we are also expanding and improving its information technologies, resulting in a larger technological presence and corresponding exposure to cybersecurity risk. If we fail to assess and identify cybersecurity risks associated with acquisitions and new initiatives, we may become increasingly vulnerable to such risks. Additionally, while we have implemented measures to prevent security breaches and cyber incidents, our preventative measures and incident response efforts may not be entirely effective. The theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation, or release of sensitive and/or confidential information or intellectual property, or interference with our information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, could result in business disruption, negative publicity, brand damage, violation of privacy laws, loss of customers, potential liability and competitive disadvantage.

Our operating expenses could increase as a result of labor unions organizing or changes in regulations related to labor unions.

Labor unions may attempt to organize our employees. Employees may seek union representation in the future, and, if successful, the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements could divert management attention and result in increased operating expenses and lower net income. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable collective bargaining agreements, our operating expenses could increase significantly as a result of work stoppages, including strikes. Any of these matters could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our business is subject to operational and safety risks, including the risk of personal injury to employees and others.

Providing environmental and waste management services, including constructing and operating landfills, involves risks such as truck accidents, equipment defects, malfunctions and failures, mass instability or waste slides, severe weather and natural disasters, which could potentially result in releases of hazardous materials and odors, injury or death of employees and others, or a need to shut down or reduce operation of our facilities while remedial actions are undertaken. Operation of fueling stations, and control systems and involves additional risks of fire and explosion. These risks expose us to potential liability for pollution and other environmental damages, personal injury, loss of life, business interruption, and property damage or destruction.

While we seek to minimize our exposure to such risks through comprehensive training and compliance programs, as well as vehicle and equipment maintenance programs, if we were to incur substantial liabilities in excess of any applicable insurance, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Any such incidents could also tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brand.

We have substantial financial assurance and insurance requirements, and increases in the costs of obtaining adequate financial assurance, or the inadequacy of our insurance coverages, could negatively impact our liquidity and increase our liabilities.

The amount of insurance we are required to maintain for environmental liability is governed by statutory requirements. We believe that the cost for such insurance is high relative to the coverage it would provide and, therefore, our coverages are generally maintained at the minimum statutorily-required levels. We face the risk of incurring additional costs for environmental damage if our insurance coverage is ultimately inadequate to cover those damages. We also carry a broad range of other insurance coverages that are customary for a company our size. We use these programs to mitigate risk of loss, thereby enabling us to manage our self-insurance exposure associated with claims. The inability of our insurers to meet their commitments in a timely manner and the effect of significant claims or litigation against insurance companies may subject us to additional risks. To the extent our insurers are unable to meet their obligations, or our own obligations for claims are more than we estimated, there could be a material adverse effect to our financial results.

We may record material charges against our earnings due to any number of events that could cause impairments to our assets.

In accordance with GAAP, we capitalize certain expenditures and advances relating to disposal site development, expansion projects, acquisitions, software development costs and other projects. Events that could, in some circumstances, lead to an impairment include, but are not limited to, shutting down a facility or operation or abandoning a development project or the denial of an expansion permit. Additionally, declining waste volumes and development of, and customer preference for, alternatives to traditional waste disposal could warrant asset impairments. If we determine an asset or expansion project is impaired, we will charge against earnings any unamortized capitalized expenditures and advances relating to such asset or project reduced by any portion of the capitalized costs that we estimate will be recoverable, through sale or otherwise. We also carry a significant amount of goodwill on our Consolidated Balance Sheet, which is required to be assessed for impairment annually, and more frequently in the case of certain triggering events. We may be required to incur charges against earnings if such impairment tests indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value. Any such charges could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our capital requirements and our business strategy could increase our expenses, cause us to change our growth and development plans, or fail to maintain our desired credit profile.

If economic conditions or other risks and uncertainties cause a significant reduction in our cash flows from operations, we may reduce or suspend capital expenditures, growth and acquisition activity, implementation of our business strategy, dividend declarations or share repurchases. We may choose to incur indebtedness to pay for these activities, although our access to capital markets is not assured and we may not be able to incur indebtedness at a cost that is consistent with current borrowing rates. We also may need to incur indebtedness to refinance scheduled debt maturities, and it is possible that the cost of financing could increase significantly, thereby increasing our expenses and decreasing our net income. Further, our ability to execute our financial strategy and our ability to incur indebtedness is somewhat dependent upon our ability to maintain investment grade ratings on our senior debt. The credit rating process is contingent upon our credit profile, as well as a number of other factors, many of which are beyond our control, including methodologies established and interpreted by third party rating agencies. If we were unable to maintain our investment grade credit ratings in the future, our interest expense would increase and our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms could be adversely affected. 

The adoption of climate change legislation or regulations restricting emissions of “greenhouse gases” (“GHGs”) could increase our costs to operate.

Our landfill operations emit methane, identified as a GHG. There are a number of legislative and regulatory efforts at the state, regional and federal levels to curtail the emission of GHGs to ameliorate the effect of climate change. Should comprehensive federal climate change legislation be enacted, we expect it could impose costs on our operations that might not be offset by the revenue increases associated with our lower-carbon service options, the materiality of which we cannot predict. In 2010, the EPA published a Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule, which expanded the EPA’s federal air permitting authority to include the six GHGs. The rule sets new thresholds for GHG emissions that define when Clean Air Act permits are required. The current requirements of these rules have not significantly affected our operations or cash flows, due to the tailored thresholds and exclusions of certain emissions from regulation.

On October 1, 2014, the Supreme Court granted petitions for certiorari to consider whether the EPA’s regulation of GHG emissions from new motor vehicles triggered permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act. If the Supreme Court decides that permitting requirements were triggered for GHGs, and if certain changes to these regulations are enacted, such as the lowering of thresholds or inclusion of biogenic emissions, such amendments could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows that would not be mitigated by increased revenues associated with the services we offer customers to reduce their GHG footprints.

  The seasonal nature of our business, severe weather events and “one-time” special projects cause our results to fluctuate, and prior performance is not necessarily indicative of our future results.

Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in summer months, primarily due to the higher volume of construction and demolition waste. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends.

Service disruptions caused by severe storms, extended periods of inclement weather or climate extremes resulting from climate change can significantly affect the operating results of the affected areas. On the other hand, certain destructive weather conditions that tend to occur during the second half of the year, such as the hurricanes that most often impact our operations in the Florida., can increase our revenues in the areas affected. While weather-related and other “one-time” occurrences can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time span, as a result of significant start-up costs and other factors, such revenue sometimes generates earnings at comparatively lower margins.

For these and other reasons, operating results in any interim period are not necessarily indicative of operating results for an entire year, and operating results for any historical period are not necessarily indicative of operating results for a future period. Our stock price may be negatively impacted by interim variations in our results.

Currently pending or future litigation or governmental proceedings could result in material adverse consequences, including judgments or settlements.

Although we are currently not involved in civil litigation in the ordinary course of our business, we may encounter such issues in the future and from time-to-time be involved in governmental proceedings relating to the conduct of our business. The timing of the final resolutions to these types of matters is often uncertain. Additionally, the possible outcomes or resolutions to these matters could include adverse judgments or settlements, either of which could require substantial payments, adversely affecting our liquidity.

We may experience adverse impacts on our reported results of operations as a result of adopting new accounting standards or interpretations.

Our implementation of and compliance with changes in accounting rules, including new accounting rules and interpretations, could adversely affect our reported financial position or operating results or cause unanticipated fluctuations in our reported operating results in future periods. 

We may be unprofitable.

If we fail to achieve our business objectives, then we may not be able to realize our expected revenue growth, maintain our existing revenue levels or operate at a profit. Even if we do realize our business objectives, our business may not be profitable in the future. 

We depend on the experience of our executive officers and our business may be severely disrupted in the event that we lose their services and are unable to find replacements with comparable experience and expertise.

We believe that our future success is dependent upon the continued services of our executive officers, as we rely on their industry experience and expertise in our business operations. In particular, we rely heavily on Mr. Teelon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Louis “Tiny” Paveglio, our Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, for their business vision, management skills and technical expertise in the waste management industry as well as their working relationships with many of our potential acquisition targets, the municipalities we service and other participants in the waste management industry. We maintain key-man life insurance for Louis Paveglio, our CEO. If any of other board members or executive officers were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, or if they left our company, we may not be able to replace them with comparably skilled executives, which would cause severe disruption to our ability to manage our business. If we are unable to retain or replace our key personnel and other key employees, we may not be able to implement our business strategy and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We will need substantial additional funding to accomplish our growth strategy and may be unable to raise capital on terms favorable to us or at all, which could increase our financing costs, dilute your ownership interests, affect our business operations or force us to delay, reduce or abandon our growth strategy.

Our growth strategy is to acquire and develop additional waste management sites in Florida and Upstate New York, and concentrate on those projects with the most potential for expansion. To successfully implement this growth strategy, we will need to raise substantial additional funds. Our ability to arrange financing and the cost of such financing are dependent on numerous factors, including but not limited to:

Additional funding from debt financings may make it more difficult for us to operate our business because we would need to make principal and interest payments on the indebtedness and may be obligated to abide by restrictive covenants contained in the debt financing agreements, which may, among other things, limit our ability to make business and operational decisions and pay dividends. Furthermore, raising capital through public or private sales of equity to finance acquisitions or expansion could cause earnings or ownership dilution to your shareholding interests in our company.

Assumptions applied to our investment analyses and feasibility studies may not be accurate, and thus our actual return on investments, operational results, and overall growth may be materially and adversely affected.

In performing investment analysis and feasibility studies for our acquisition and development targets, we consider factors such as: (i) demand for waste management in the area where the landfill and service area is located, (ii) increase in regulations in the locality, (iii) the increase of competition in the locality, (iv) quality of technology and ancillary services in the locality, (v) ability to obtain new financing for expansion, generally. However, much of the information we rely on in preparing these analyses is provided by the sellers of the acquisition targets. There is some increased risk of acquisition targets operating based on inaccurate or incomplete technical data. As a result, the assumptions we use to perform our internal investment analyses and feasibility studies may not be accurate or complete. If any one of our observations or assumptions, or a combination thereof, proves to be inaccurate, then our estimated returns on investments, operational results and our overall growth may be materially adversely affected.

The operations of our waste management plants may be adversely affected by the failure of key equipment, civil structures or transmission systems, which could result in lost revenues, increased maintenance costs and our owing damages to our customers for lost revenues.

The breakdown of waste management equipment or failure of other key equipment or of a civil structure in one or more of our waste management sites could disrupt the ability to collect waste and result in revenues being lower than expected. Further, any breakdown or failure of one or more of our waste collecting systems could disrupt the collection of trash to our municipalities. Repair of such breakdowns may take one or two days or up to a month, depending on the nature of the problem and availability of spare parts. A portion of the collection facilities that we may acquire in the future, were, or may have been, constructed many years ago. Older waste collecting equipment may require significant capital expenditure to keep it operating efficiently. Such equipment is also likely to require periodic upgrading and improvement. Breakdown or failure of one of our sites also may prevent us from performing under the applicable power sales agreement which, in certain situations, could result in termination of the agreement or incurring liability for liquidated damages. These events may reduce our ability to collect waste, resulting in loss of revenues and increased maintenance costs.

Our operations may be interrupted by realization of unexpected risks or difficulties in integrating acquired businesses, which could interrupt our existing business and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our continued growth and ability to leverage our management expertise depend on the successful implementation of our acquisition strategy. We cannot assure you that any acquisition will produce the intended benefits. For instance, if we fail to integrate an acquired project into our operations successfully, or the synergies expected from an integration ultimately fail to materialize, then our existing business operations may be interrupted. We may have as a result expended significant management time, capital and other resources to the transaction, which interrupted our existing business operations.

Risks which may be incurred through acquisitions include, but are not limited to:

We are subject to any one of the risks at the Waste Management site and additional plants we may acquire.  Any one or a combination of the above risks could interrupt our existing business and materially adversely affect our results of operations.

Our growth strategy is dependent upon our ability to manage our growth effectively which, if unsuccessful, could result in a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

We hope to expand our business and operations. The success of our growth strategy will depend in part upon our ability to manage our growth, including, for example, our ability to assimilate management of acquired companies into our own management structure, to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees, to establish and maintain adequate financial control and reporting systems and other systems and processes, and to manage a rapidly growing and much larger operation. We cannot assure you that we will be able to:

Planning, construction, acquisition and operation of our Waste Management sites requires us to obtain and maintain a number of permits and approvals from The State of Florida, some of which we have not obtained or were not transferred to us upon project acquisition. Failure to obtain these permits and approvals could result in significant fines and our loss of the right to develop or operate those assets, which would materially and adversely affect our future growth plans and results of operations.

The planning, construction, acquisition and operation of small waste management sites in The State of Florida requires permits and approvals to be obtained and maintained under different regulatory schemes administered by a wide range of government agencies. See “Regulation.” We believe we have applied for the grant, of all permits and approvals required to develop and operate our waste management sites. However, our applications with respect to one or more projects may be rejected and we may be fined for failure to timely obtain permits and approvals for any of those projects. Failure to obtain missing permits and approvals may in certain cases result in significant fines or the government authorities requiring us to cease operation of our waste management operations, or unwind the acquisition of the project, any of which would materially and adversely affect our future growth plans and results of operations. Failure to obtain permits and approvals for our development projects may result in our inability to complete and operate the project, or our being subject to penalties and fines upon completion of the project, either of which could materially and adversely affect our future growth and results of operations.

Failure to properly manage growth could adversely affect our business.

We intend to grow our business both internally and through acquisitions.  Any such growth will increase the demands our management, operating systems and internal controls.  Our existing management resources and operational, financial, human and management information systems and controls may be inadequate to support existing or expanded operations.  We currently haves limited business operations and haves limited history of managing growth.  We may be unable to manage growth successfully.  If we grow but are unable to successfully manage such growth, our business will suffer and our capacity for future growth will be significantly impaired.  Because of these factors, We may be unable to predict with any degree of accuracy our future ability to grow or the rate of growth.

If we are successful in identifying and closing acquisitions, we face additional risks, including among others, difficulties and expenses incurred in the consummation of acquisitions and assimilation of the operations, technologies, personnel and services or products of the acquired companies, difficulties of operating new businesses and retaining their customers, the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns and the potential loss of key employees of the acquired company.  We have limited history or experience in successfully integrating acquired businesses and may be unable to successfully manage these risks.  We may have difficulty retaining employees.  In addition, any acquisitions by us may involve certain other risks, including the assumption of additional liabilities and potentially dilutive issuances of convertible debt or equity securities.

Failure to attract, train and retain skilled managers and other personnel could increase costs or limit growth.

We believe that our future success will depend in a large part upon our ability to attract, train and retain additional highly skilled executive-level management and creative, technical, financial and marketing personnel.  Competition for such personnel is intense, and no assurance can be given that we will be successful in attracting, training and retaining such personnel.  Our need for executive-level management will increase if we grow.  If we fail to attract, train and retain key personnel, our business, operating results and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

Investors may incur dilution.

We may issue additional shares of our equity securities to raise additional cash to fund acquisitions or for working capital.  If we issue additional shares of our capital stock, shareholders will experience dilution in their respective percentage ownership in the Company.

There is no intention to pay dividends at the present time.

We have never paid dividends or made other cash distributions on our common stock, and do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future.  We intend to retain future earnings, if any, for working capital and to finance current operations and expansion of our business.