SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-KSB
{X} ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 000-51160
NEW YORK 11-3427886 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (State of jurisdiction of I.R.S. Employee incorporation or organization) Identification Number) 457 ROCKAWAY AVENUE, VALLEY STREAM, NY 11581 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) |
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (516) 256-7766
Check whether the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section
13 of 15(d) of the Exchange Act. [ ]
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 (B) OF THE ACT: NONE
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 (G) OF THE ACT: COMMON STOCK,
$.0001 PAR VALUE
Indicate by check mark 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 [ ]
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers in response to Item 405 of Regulation S-B is not contained in this form, and no disclosure will be contained, to the best of Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in part III of this Form 10-KSB or any amendment to this Form 10-KSB [ ].
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Yes [ ] No [X]
State issuer's revenues for its most recent fiscal year: $4,506,807.
As of March 1, 2007, the number of shares held by non-affiliates was approximately 3,800,000 shares. The approximate market value based on the last sale (i.e. $1.76 per share as of March 1, 2007) of the Company's Common Stock was approximately $6,688,000.
The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant's Common Stock, as of March 1, 2007 was 8,028,363.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
We believe this annual report contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management, based on information currently available to our management. When we use words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "should," "likely" or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations set forth under "Business" and/or "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our future results and stockholder values may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Many of the factors that will determine these results and values are beyond our ability to control or predict. Stockholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For a discussion of some of the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements, please read carefully the information under "Risk Factors." In addition to the Risk Factors and other important factors discussed elsewhere in this annual report, you should understand that other risks and uncertainties and our public announcements and filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended could affect our future results and could cause results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements.
PART I
ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
Ace Market & Promotions, Inc. incorporated under laws of the State of New York in March 1998, is a full service advertising specialties and promotional products distributor company. We distribute items manufactured by others to our customers typically with our customers' logos on them. Several of our customer categories include large corporations, local schools, universities, financial institutions, hospitals and not-for-profit organizations. Our promotional products are a useful, practical, informative, entertaining, and/or decorative item, most often imprinted with the sponsoring advertiser's name, logo, slogan or message, and typically retained and appreciated by the end recipients who receive them, in many cases free of charge in marketing and communication programs.
Promotional products are also effective for the following:
o dealer/distribution programs;
o co-op programs;
o company stores;
o generating new customers or new accounts;
o nonprofit fundraising; public awareness campaigns;
o promotion of brand awareness and brand loyalty;
o employee incentive programs;
o new product or service introduction; and
o marketing research for survey and focus group participants.
We have the ability to distribute over 500,000 promotional product items ranging from stickers that cost pennies all the way through jewelry, sporting goods, awards, and electronics that cost thousands of dollars per unit. Specific categories of promotional products include:
o Advertising Specialties-build awareness, goodwill and remembrance of
the advertiser's name, product, purpose, advantages or other timely
message. These products are generally lower priced goods and are
usually distributed for free.
o Business Gifts, Awards and Commemoratives - generally lower priced
goods and are given for goodwill, often at trade shows to generate
traffic.
o Incentives and Awards-focus on motivation, workplace safety, goal
setting and recognition. These are typically higher priced items
used in incentive programs to promote employee retention and
recognition. They may also be used in recruitment programs as well.
o Premiums-given after a specific behavior has been performed.
The most popular products that we have distributed over the last several years and account for over 50% of our business are as follows:
o Wearables, such as t-shirts, golf shirts and hats.
o Glassware, such as mugs and drinking glasses.
o Writing instruments, such as pens, markers and highlighters.
o Bags, such as tote bags, gift bags and brief cases.
COMPANY HISTORY
We have been in business since 1998. We have grown our business through internal growth without acquisitions and without us having the benefits of any trademarks, patents, service marks, franchises, concessions, royalty agreements or labor contracts. Our growth has been achieved through cash flow from operations and the private sale of our restricted common stock. See "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information on the sale of our common stock during the last three years.
THE MARKET
There are thousands of different types and styles of promotional products. In many cases, it is even possible to obtain custom items that are not found in any catalog. According to The Counselor - State of the Industry 2006 Survey, which is available online at no cost to the public at www.thecounselor.net, the most popular promotion products sold in 2005 were the following:
o wearables;
o writing instruments;
o glassware and ceramics;
o desk/office/business accessories;
o calendars;
o recognition awards/trophies; and
o magnets.
MARKET SIZE
According to the Promotional Products Association International, which is available online at no cost to the public at www.ppai.com/MediaInformation/Industry/Statistics/SalesVolumeEstimates/, promotional product distributor's sales were $5.13 billion in 1991, with steady increases in sales until they reached $17.85 billion in 2000. Promotional Product sales then declined to $16.55 billion in 2001, $15.63 billion in 2002, increased to $16.34 billion in 2003, to $17.3 billion in 2004 and to $18.01 in 2005. A revitalized economy, increased competition in the marketplace, and a trend toward integrated and targeted marketing strategies has contributed to this growth. Integrated marketing campaigns involve not only advertising, but also sales promotions, internal communications, public relations, and other disciplines. The objectives of integrated marketing are to promote products and services, raise employee awareness, motivate personnel, and increase productivity through a wide array of methods including extensive use of promotional products.
DISTRIBUTORS
According to the Promotional Products Association International, which is available online at no cost to the public at www.ppai.com/MediaInformation/ Instustry/Statatistics/SalesVolumeEstimates/, with no single company dominating the market, the promotional products industry is highly fragmented with 20,350 distributors in the industry with revenues of less than $2.5 million and 947 distributors with revenues of $2.5 million or more. According to The Counselor - State of the Industry 2006 Survey, the top ten distributors in our industry are believed to have sales of between $113.8 million and $229 million for 2005. Corporate Express Promotional Marketing, Wearguard-Crest Co., Proforma Inc., Group II Communications and American Identity are the top five distributors with 2005 sales of $229 million, $224 million, $202 million, $186 million and 180 million, respectively. Nearly 80% of the distributors surveyed are reported to be privately owned family businesses. Management believes that control of sales lies predominantly with the independent sales representatives, as there is little brand recognition at this time.
According to the Promotional Products Association International, which is available online at no cost to the public at www.ppai.com/ProductsResources/ Research/TopBuyers/, the following ranks the top ten purchasers of promotional products in descending order according to the findings of a 2003 study by Louisiana State University and Glenrich Business Studies. Industries were named by distributors according to the volume spent on promotional products by each industry.
o education: schools, seminars
o financial: banks, savings and loans, credit unions, stock brokers
o health care: hospitals, nursing homes, clinics
o not-for-profit organizations
o construction: building trades and building supplies
o government: public offices, agencies, political candidates
o trade, professional associations and civic clubs
o real estate: agents, title companies and appraisers
o automotive: manufacturers, dealers, parts suppliers
o professionals: doctors, lawyers, cpa's, architects
SUPPLY CHAIN
Domestic and overseas manufacturers generally sell their promotional product items directly to suppliers. Suppliers sell to distributors like Ace Marketing and distributors sell promotional products to customer users such as large corporations, financial institutions, universities and schools, hospitals, not-for-profit organizations and small businesses. However, manufacturers have the ability to sell their promotional products directly to distributors and customers. Suppliers have the ability to sell promotional products directly to customers who are not distributors.
Whereas the majority of the items are made overseas, often in China, and the suppliers are simply importing from actual manufacturers, we generally consider the supplier as the beginning of the industry supply chain. They choose specified product lines and import blank goods to be warehoused until a distributor orders one of their items with a customer logo on it. The suppliers generally run the risk of inventory exposure and fluctuations in an item's popularity. This is generally why most distributors stick to distributing and not importing. There are situations where importing directly from the manufacturer and thus cutting out the supplier does in fact make sense. Generally, this happens when a distributor has a large quantity order and has enough lead time from the customeR to import the item. Since ocean freight from overseas generally takes 30-45 days and manufacturing may take several weeks, this only makes sense when a customer orders far in advance and in large quantity. The benefits of this are outstanding since the margins and cost savings can be substantial. But, in general, the average order in the industry is below $1,000 and thus the need for individual suppliers to carry specified product lines and hold inventory to fill the need of the average distributor with the average order.
SUPPLIERS
Management believes that while there are an estimated 3,000 suppliers in the industry, most of the promotional products distributors have access to the same suppliers. Currently, we utilize approximately 500 suppliers in our business with only one supplier accounting for about 10% of our purchasing requirements over the last two years. We seek to distinguish ourselves from other distributors by attractive pricing, by sourcing unique items, creating custom products and/or offering superior in house service and customer support through our employees. Most suppliers require us to pay within 30 days of delivery of an order; however, we may not receive our customers' payments in the same time frame. This requires us to have available cash resources to finance most of our customers' orders. The possible lack of available cash resources would limit our ability to take orders from customers, thus limiting our ability to grow. An infusion of additional capital, a line of credit and better payment terms based on volume can enable us to service a broader base of customers. We have never sought to establish a line of credit, although we may seek to establish one with an institutional lender in the future.
PURCHASING TRENDS - NEED FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS AND RELATED SERVICES
Price is no longer the sole motivator of purchasing behavior for our customers. With the availability of similar products from multiple sources, customers are increasingly looking for distributors who provide a tangible value-added to their products. As a result, we provide a broad range of products and related services. Specifically, we provide research and consultancy services, artwork and design services, and fulfillment services to our customers. These services are provided in-house by our current employees. Management believes that by offering these services, we can attempt to attract new customers.
OUR CUSTOMERS - CHOOSING US AS YOUR RIGHT DISTRIBUTOR
Most of our promotional products bear our customers' corporate name and are a reflection of their corporate image. The events they use these items for are of the utmost importance. If they go with another distributor who gives them run of the mill ideas possibly at a lower cost, a poor quality product with inferior quality decoration and/or the goods arrive late, then they quickly realize there should be other factors that determine which distributor they should be working with. We presently have over 500 customer accounts ranging from fortune 500 companies to local schools and small businesses. A customer account is a person or entity who has purchased promotional products from us in the past on a non-exclusive basis and may or may not purchase from us additional promotional products in the future. No customer has accounted for more than 10% of sales during the past three years. Our customer base grows mainly through business and personal referrals and the efforts of our sales representatives. Generally our customers do not actively seek distributors to bid on their projects. There are many reasons why our customers may work with us over another distributor. The average buyer first believes that price is the sole issue with the lowest bidding distributor on a project obtaining the business. Once they gain more experience and understand the difficulties in processing and fulfilling an order on time and correctly, they generally analyze the rationale on how they choose a distributor differently. Although pricing is important to our customers, they also count on our dependability, creativity and efficiency In this regard, we recently agreed to develop an online store for one of the fastest growing privately held hospices in the United States to consolidate the customer's purchasing from us for its multiple locations across the country.
SERVICING OUR CUSTOMERS
We have built our business around the concept of reliability, quality, innovative and custom promotional products at competitive prices while maintaining a high level of customer service and good relationships with industry suppliers. Our research licensed software technology, that we purchased from an outside vendor and is available for licensing to other distributors in the industry, affords us the ability to locate and purchase industry product in an efficient manner rather than to have to manually research products through hundreds of catalogs and/or reference books. Our in-house art capabilities through our salaried employees make us a "one stop shop" for custom merchandise and provide our customers with comfort in knowing logo modifications will not delay valuable production days on tight turn-around projects. Our in-house art department consists of two employees who work on Apple computers using licensed software programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop and Quark to create new logos or manipulate current ones. These logos are then sent to the supplier who arranges to put them on the product whether internally or through an outside source in one of the following manners:
o silkscreen printing
o embroidery
o hot stamp
o heat transfer
o embossing/debossing
o engraving
Our reliability stems from our own customized and detailed tracking system that we structured and implemented to ensure an order is processed correctly and on time. In general, customers contact us when they have a need for items that have corporate logos. They provide us with general information that helps us determine what products to suggest, including the following:
o The type of event and the targeted audience;
o The number of units that are required and the budget; and
o The timing of the event and the theme of the event.
The aforementioned parameters will narrow the field of items suggested from a broad list of 500,000 to possibly a dozen or less. Once a customer calls in or e-mails us requesting ideas for an upcoming event, we begin to research ideas based on their parameters and we use our research software to look up dozens of products, prepare a competitive analysis between similar products to find just the right one, send a picture to the customer by email and prepare and send a quotation to the customer also by email. This provides us an immediate time saving advantage over other distributors who still do things manually. Many of these distributors still scan a reference book which is called a register. They search for a particular product, such as clocks, then find the sub-category they are interested in, such as plastic, and there they find all the suppliers who carry the specific item they are looking to purchase. They must then either cross reference each supplier to find their phone number or web address, or they can physically pull as many of the catalogs they have on hand and search for the products that they are interested in and send catalogs with tabbed pages via regular mail or overnight service. This is an inefficient way to research and deliver images of products. We are not aware of any statistical information which allows us to tell the percentages of distributors who use publicly available licensed research software systems like ours versus the manual way described above.
When the customer decides on the product that they would like to order, the order is processed in our order entry department utilizing our order-entry software which is available for licensing to anyone in the industry from third party vendors. The salesperson submits the specifics of the order to our order entry department where the order is keyed into the system by our employees. Three parts to each order are printed:
o ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This outlines the product ordered along with a description of the product and how the logo will be placed and in what colors. It includes the quantity ordered, the price per piece, total cost, ship to address, and the delivery date. It is sent to our customer via fax along with a hard copy of the artwork that will be used on the order. The order will not move forward until our customer signs off on the acknowledgment and the artwork. No order runs without the sign offs thus protecting us in the long run of a customer claiming they were not aware of some aspect of the order.
o PURCHASE ORDER The Purchase order is submitted to the supplier only after the acknowledgment and art are signed by our customer. It contains all the information that the acknowledgment contains except the price of the product is now shown as the price we will be paying. The art is sent via e-mail to the factory and the purchase order requires that the supplier send back a paper proof of the art to insure accuracy before proceeding with the order. Now the supplier has the exact same parameters to complete the order that the customer signed off on. They must meet the delivery date for the quantity specified, with the logo specified, at the price we submitted. Orders are drop shipped from the supplier directly to the customer, except on rare occasions where packaging is done in our office.
o SALES ORDER COPY This is a print out that essentially shows all of the components on the acknowledgment and the purchase order combined side by side. It shows what we pay for the product and what price our customer pays for the product. It also shows the gross profit, the gross profit percentage, and the commission due to the salesperson.
Once the above process takes place, the entire work folder goes to the tracking department. We have developed a system to follow each order from the time it is processed, through the time it is shipped. This is yet another safeguard to protect us from a supplier not fulfilling their obligations, which in turn may lead to us losing money, a customer, or both. The tracking process consists of us contacting the factory at various points in the production process to ensure that the order is on schedule. We verbally verify the item, quantity, and ship date and document who at the supplier verified the information. We then call again at a certain point in the process to verify it is on schedule and lastly call on the day of shipping to receive tracking numbers. The above processes have historically led to eliminating disputes with both suppliers and customers.
OUR STRATEGY
Our objective is to be a leading full service advertising specialties and promotional products company. Key elements of our strategy are:
o CREATING AWARENESS OF OUR PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND FACILITIES. We have been in business since March 1998. Our revenues are derived from existing customers and new customers through word of mouth recommendations, attendance at trade shows, our sales representatives and advertising and promotion in trade journals.
o MOTIVATING RETAILERS TO UTILIZE PROMOTIONAL AND SPECIALTY PRODUCTS IN THEIR BUSINESS. It is our management's belief from conversations with persons in our industry and trade show attendance, that a trend in our industry is often for the use of promotional items to customers rather than cash incentives for gaining customer loyalty and motivating sales people. In this regard, customers who received a promotional item tended to purchase more and repeat purchases more often than customers who received a discount coupon of equivalent value. Additionally, sales forces show a tendency for greater motivation when receiving a trip or merchandise as opposed to the cash equivalent. We must show our customers the benefits of utilizing promotional and specialty items in their business and for their sales force and build customer loyalty through the use of point systems that are exchanged for promotional merchandise.
o OUR COMPANY WAS BUILT AS A PLATFORM THAT COULD GROW EASILY. Scalability is the key and we have separate departments with defined roles which will allow this to occur and for our salesperson to sell. Our sales persons receive helpful support from us. In many other distributorships, the salesperson is often responsible for everything from answering phones, doing all their own research, processing orders, billing, tracking and collections. At our company, we provide all the backup to allow our sales persons to just sell. Since our technology is currently up to date, including in house servers to allow access to our systems from off-site, we have the ability to pick up salespeople from any location in the United States.
o KEY ACQUISITIONS OF SMALL DISTRIBUTORS AND INTEGRATING THEIR WORKFORCE INTO OURS. We will target one or more of the estimated 20,000 small distributors for potential acquisition. However, we can provide no assurances that we will be successful in acquiring any distributors on terms satisfactory to us, if at all.
o PROVIDING GENEROUS INCENTIVES TO OUR SALES PEOPLE TO INCREASE PERFORMANCE LEVELS. We offer competitive commissions in addition to back office support and research assistance to allow our independent sales representatives to optimize their sales time and to provide them with adequate incentives to sell promotional products to our customers rather than for our competitors. In the future, we may offer a stock option program for additional incentives.
o MAINTAIN A COMPETITIVE GROSS PROFIT PERCENTAGE ON ALL SALES ORDERS. In 2006, 2005 and 2004, our gross profit percentage was 31.3%, 32.1% and 29% , respectively. According to The Counselor - State of the Industry 2006 Survey, the average reported gross profit margin for distributors during 2000 through 2005 ranged from 32.5% to 33.8%.
o PROVIDE RESEARCH, CONSULTING, DESIGN AND FULFILLMENT SERVICES TO OUR CUSTOMERS TO INCREASE PROFITABILITY. We design promotional products for our customers and provide consulting services in connection therewith. We utilize licensed research software technology and order entry systems that are available to anyone in the industry for license to provide the best services to our customers in the most timely fashion possible.
o UTILIZING THE INTERNET AND ITS CAPABILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SALES OF PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS AND COST SAVINGS. Our website is www.Acemarketing.net. Our website is utilized for multiple purposes, including providing information to potential customers who want to learn about us and research our available product line. We also develop online company stores for CUSTOMERS to help facilitate re-orders at cost savings to them based upon a pre-determined product line.
SALES AND MARKETING
Our revenues are derived from existing customers and new customers through word of mouth recommendations, attendance at trade shows, our sales representatives and advertising and promotion in trade journals. Except primarily our two executive officers, our sales representatives receive commissions and are not paid a salary. They work at their own location or at our facility and may sell products on behalf of other companies. We encourage our sales representatives to sell promotion products for us on the basis of sales incentives which include competitive commissions and appropriate sales support and research which is provided in-house by our employees. In the future, we intend to offer stock and/or stock options as part of their incentive programs.
Our website is www.Acemarketing.net. Our website is utilized for multiple purposes, including providing information to potential customers who want to learn about us and research our available product line.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology affects most industries, and specifically the internet, which enables many capabilities and opportunities for cost savings. Sales of promotional products are often catalog-based. The cost of producing and mailing a catalog can be high. Placing a catalog on a website takes less manpower to maintain and less money to update and distribute new versions Additionally, integrating the catalog with the order processing system can save time and money in placing and filling orders, also eliminating manual errors.
The proliferation of open architecture software and hardware makes an increasing number of systems available for automating processes and integrating back office systems. By doing this, we reduce support requirements and further enhance margins. Additionally, the ability to provide more direct support to our sales force has led to increased retention of our sales team.
POSSIBLE GROWTH THROUGH ACQUISITIONS
As a result of the fact that about 20,000 of the estimated 21,000 distributors are doing $2.5 million or less in annual sales in our estimated $17.85 billion annual industry, we believe the environment for growth and consolidation in the promotional products industry is appealing, and that we would like to take advantage of this if a satisfactory opportunity arises. There are some issues that our company must address to be successful. The main issues are motivating previous owners, retaining sales people, and integrating operations.
We have had conversions with the owners of several distributors of promotional products and have observed that they are open to conversions taking place for the possible sale of their business.
We believe that when a distributor is acquired, a decision must be made about the existing management team, most typically the owner. An evaluation must be made regarding the skills of the owner and desirability of having them involved in our company. Acquisitions would be typically made for the customer accounts; however, due to the size of the target companies, the owner would most likely also be a key employee or sales person. The motivation of the previous owner to work for others may be an issue. We must address this issue and ensure the continued participation of the owners. In general, the best way to mitigate this risk is to tie up much of the previous owners' payment in stock, thus providing incentive for the overall company's success.
We believe that one of the most difficult tasks in our acquiring a company is transitioning the new acquisition into us. It is important to have flexible, open systems and technology to integrate the back office operations, as well as strong controls and processes to put in place. Having the appropriate technology and strong management team will help alleviate some of the issues here.
In February 2007, we entered into a letter of intent to acquire the customer lists and intangible assets of Bright Ideas Marketing & Promotions, Inc. The anticipated purchase price is estimated at $380,000 to be paid one-half in cash and one-half in our restricted Common Stock, subject to adjustment. In connection with said acquisition, we intend to enter into three-year employment contracts with two key employees and owners of Bright Ideas. We can provide no assurances that our acquisition of the customer lists and other intangible assets of Bright Ideas will be completed. For 2006, Bright Ideas had approximately $1,000,000 in gross sales and $380,000 in gross profit (unaudited). As of the date hereof, there is no other agreement to acquire any other company or distributor and there can be no assurances given that our plans will be realized to grow through acquisitions of one or more distributors or, if successful, that any acquisitions can be profitably integrated into our company's operations.
JOINT VENTURE WITH ATRIUM ENTERPRISES
We have entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Atrium Enterprises, a leader in the motivational, incentive and rewards industry, whereby we have received the exclusive rights to market and sell a customized version of Atriums technology platform called, WWW.EXPERIENCETHEREWARDS.COM. In addition, Atrium will provide its sales services to us on an exclusive basis in our business that will consist of selling promotional products, print sales and the like to Atrium's clients. In this respect, Ace has received its first sales order through Atrium which was in excess of $400,000.
Atrium has agreed to develop a fully functional customized "Points Banking" platform for us called, "ACE REWARDS". "This platform will allow us to differentiate ourselves from our competition by offering reward points and incentives to all our customers who purchase promotional products through us and to our employees. Atrium will also provide an enhanced Solata marketing and communication module to the platform that would allow us to re-sell this "ACE REWARDS" platform to other entities within the promotional products industry. In addition Atrium agreed to create and introduce a sponsored Mobile Banking Debit Card to Ace Marketing and its customers. Atrium has granted us exclusive sales and marketing rights to both the "ACE REWARD" platform and the Mobile Banking Debit Card within the promotional products industry, and related industry organizations such as ASI and PPAI. For additional information, see "Note 10 to our financial statements."
COMPETITION
While our competition is extensive with over 20,000 distributors, we believe that there are no companies that dominate the market in which we operate. Our company competes within the industry on the basis of service, competitive prices, personnel relationships and competitive commissions to our sales representatives to sell promotional products for us rather than our competitors. Competitors' advantages over us may include better financing, greater experience and better service, cheaper prices and personal relationships than us.
According to The Counselor - State of the Industry 2006 Survey, the top ten distributors in our industry are believed to have sales of between $113.8 million and $229 million for 2005. Corporate Express Promotional Marketing, Wearguard-Crest Co., Proforma Inc., Group II Communications and American Identity are the top five distributors with 2005 sales of $229 million, $224 million $202 million, $186.0million and 180.0 million, respectively. Nearly 80% of the distributors surveyed are reported to be privately owned family businesses. Management believes that control of sales lies predominantly with the independent sales representatives, as there is little brand recognition at this time.
We believe that in the promotional products industry, sales people typically have a large amount of autonomy and control the relationships with their customers. This works both for and against us. To avoid losing customers, we must provide the appropriate incentives to keep sales people. At the same time, while there can be no assurances, management believes our company will be able to obtain new customers by luring sales people away from competitors. The offering of stock incentives and health care benefits are ways to retain sales people, especially in an industry where these types of benefits are rare.
EMPLOYEES
As of March 1, 2007, we had 12 full time employees, including two executive officers who provide in-house sales, our Chief Financial Officer, two part-time support staff employees and four sales representatives who provide services to us on a non-exclusive basis as independent consultants.
We have an agreement with Aon Consulting, a division of Aon Corporation, whereby Aon will recruit 50 additional salespeople for Ace over the next 12 months. Aon is seeking to implement a targeted national recruiting campaign to help us attract top producing industry experienced sales talent generating at least $400,000 in annual revenue. While management has confidence in Aon's ability to fulfill its contractual commitment to Ace, we can provide no assurances that Aon will succeed and that we will in turn hire any experienced salespersons that meet our targeted goals pursuant to our agreement with Aon.
RISK FACTORS
YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING RISK FACTORS, IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS FORM 10-KSB, IN EVALUATING US AND OUR BUSINESS. ANY OF THE FOLLOWING RISKS, AS WELL AS OTHER RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES, COULD HARM OUR BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL RESULTS AND CAUSE THE VALUE OF OUR SECURITIES TO DECLINE, WHICH IN TURN COULD CAUSE YOU TO LOSE ALL OR PART OF YOUR INVESTMENT.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS
THE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTION INDUSTRY IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COMPETE SUCCESSFULLY.
We compete with over 20,000 distributor companies. Some of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do which could allow them to compete more successfully. Most of our promotional products are available from several sources and our customers tend to have relationships with several distributors. Competitors could obtain exclusive rights to market particular products which we would then be unable to market. Industry consolidation among promotional products distributors, the unavailability of products, whether due to our inability to gain access to products or interruptions in supply from manufacturers, or the emergence of new competitors could also increase competition. In the future, we may be unable to compete successfully and competitive pressures may reduce our revenues.
WE MAY FAIL TO HIRE ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCED SALESPERSONS, EACH OF WHOM HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF GENERATING AT LEAST $400,000 IN ANNUAL REVENUE.
We have an agreement with Aon Consulting, a division of Aon Corporation, whereby Aon will recruit 50 additional salespeople for Ace over the next 12 months. Aon is seeking to implement a targeted national recruiting campaign to help us attract top producing industry experienced sales talent generating at least $400,000 in annual revenue. While management has confidence in Aon's ability to fulfill its contractual commitment to Ace, we can provide no assurances that Aon will succeed and that we will in turn hire any experienced salespersons that meet our targeted goals pursuant to our agreement with Aon.
WE EXPERIENCE FLUCTUATIONS IN QUARTERLY EARNINGS. AS A RESULT, WE MAY FAIL TO MEET OR EXCEED THE EXPECTATIONS OF SECURITIES ANALYSTS AND INVESTORS, WHICH COULD CAUSE OUR STOCK PRICE TO DECLINE.
Our business has been subject to seasonal and other quarterly fluctuations. Net sales and operating profits generally have been higher in the third and fourth quarters, particularly in the months of September through November, due to the timing of sales of promotional products and year-end promotions. Net sales and operating profits have been lower in the first quarter, primarily due to increased sales in the prior two quarters. Quarterly results may also be adversely affected by a variety of other factors, including:
o costs of developing new promotions and services;
o costs related to acquisitions of businesses;
o The timing and amount of sales and marketing expenditures;
o general economic conditions, as well as those specific to the promotional product industry; and
o our success in establishing additional business relationships.
Any change in one or more of these or other factors could cause our annual or quarterly operating results to fluctuate. If our operating results do not meet market expectations, our stock price may decline in the event a market should develop.
BECAUSE WE DO NOT MANUFACTURE THE PRODUCTS WE DISTRIBUTE, WE ARE DEPENDENT UPON THIRD PARTIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE AND SUPPLY OF OUR PRODUCTS.
We obtain all of our products from third-party suppliers, both domestically and overseas primarily in China. We submit purchase orders to our suppliers who are not committed to supply products to us. Therefore, suppliers may be unable to provide the products we need in the quantities we request. Because we lack control of the actual production of the products we sell, we may be subject to delays caused by interruption in production based on conditions outside of our control. In the event that any of our third-party suppliers were to become unable or unwilling to continue to provide the products in required volumes, we would need to identify and obtain acceptable replacement sources on a timely cost effective basis. There is no guarantee that we will be able to obtain such alternative sources of supply on a timely basis, if at all. An extended interruption in the supply of our products would have an adverse effect on our results of operations, which most likely would adversely affect the value of our common stock.
WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EXPAND THROUGH INTERNAL GROWTH AND MEET CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY.
Our plans for internal growth include hiring in-house sales representatives from our competitors and offering stock incentives and generous commissions to keep them. Additionally, we have room for growth by building direct relationships with advertising agencies and major corporations. Because of potential industry changes, our products and promotions must continue to evolve to meet changes in the industry. Our future expansion plans may not be successful due to competition, competitive pressures and changes in the industry.
OUR LIMITED CASH RESOURCES AND LACK OF A LINE OF CREDIT MAY RESTRICT OUR EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES.
An economic issue that can limit our growth is lack of extensive cash resources, due to the typical payment terms of a transaction. Most suppliers require us to pay within 30 days of delivery of an order; however, we may not receive our customer's payment in the same time frame. This requires us to have available cash resources to finance most of our customers' orders. Any lack of cash resources would limit our ability to take orders from customers, thus limiting our ability to grow. An infusion of capital and a good line of credit can enable us to service a broader base of customers. We can provide no assurances that we will obtain an adequate line of credit in the future, if at all.
OUR ACQUISITION OF BRIGHT IDEAS MAY NOT BE COMPLETED.
In February 2007, we entered into a letter of intent to acquire the customer lists and intangible assets of Bright Ideas Marketing & Promotions, Inc. The anticipated purchase price is estimated at $380,000 to be paid one-half in cash and one-half in our restricted Common Stock, subject to adjustment. In connection with said acquisition, we intend to enter into three-year employment contracts with two key employees and owners of Bright Ideas. We can provide no assurances that our acquisition of the customer lists and other intangible assets of Bright Ideas will be completed pursuant to the aforementioned terms, if at all.
OUR PROPOSED EXPANSION THROUGH ACQUISITIONS INVOLVES SEVERAL RISKS.
We may expand our domestic markets in part through acquisitions in the future. Such transactions would involve numerous risks, including possible adverse effects on our operating results or the market price of our common stock. Some of our future acquisitions could give rise to an obligation by us to make contingent payments or to satisfy certain repurchase obligations, which payments could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, integrating acquired businesses:
o may result in a loss of customers of the acquired businesses;
o requires significant management attention; and
o may place significant demands on our operations, information systems and financial resources.
There can be no assurance that our future acquisitions will be successful. Our ability to successfully effect acquisitions will depend upon the following:
o The availability of suitable acquisition candidates at acceptable prices;
o The development of an established market for our common stock; and
o The availability of financing on acceptable terms, in the case of non-stock transactions.
OUR REVENUES DEPEND ON OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH CAPABLE INDEPENDENT SALES PERSONNEL OVER WHOM WE HAVE NO CONTROL AS WELL AS KEY CUSTOMERS, VENDORS AND MANUFACTURERS OF THE PRODUCTS WE DISTRIBUTE.
Our future operating results depend on our ability to maintain satisfactory relationships with qualified independent Sales personnel as well as key customers, vendors and manufacturers. We are dependent upon our independent sales representatives to sell our products and do not have any direct control over these third parties. If we fail to maintain our existing relationships with our independent sales representatives, key customers, vendors and manufacturers or fail to acquire new relationships with such key persons in the future, our business may suffer.
OUR FUTURE PERFORMANCE IS MATERIALLY DEPENDENT UPON OUR MANAGEMENT AND THEIR ABILITY TO MANAGE OUR GROWTH.
Our future success is substantially dependent upon the efforts and abilities of members of our existing management, particularly Dean L. Julia, Chief Executive Officer and Michael Trepeta, President. The loss of the services of Mr. Julia or Mr. Trepeta could have a material adverse effect on our business. We have a three year employment agreement with each of Mr. Julia and Mr. Trepeta effective March 1, 2005. However, we lack "key man" life insurance policies on any of our officers or employees. Competition for additional qualified management is intense, and we may be unable to attract and retain additional key personnel. Our management personnel is currently limited and they may be unable to manage our expansion successfully and the failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
WE CANNOT PREDICT OUR FUTURE CAPITAL NEEDS AND WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SECURE ADDITIONAL FINANCING.
We may need to raise additional funds in the future to fund more aggressive expansion of our business or make strategic acquisitions or investments. We may require additional equity or debt financings or funds from other sources for these purposes. No assurance can be given that these funds will be available for us to finance our development on acceptable terms, if at all. Such additional financings may involve substantial dilution of our stockholders or may require that we relinquish rights to certain of our technologies or products. In addition, we may experience operational difficulties and delays due to working capital restrictions. If adequate funds are lacking from operations or additional sources of financing, we may have to delay or scale back our growth plans.
RISKS RELATING TO AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMON STOCK
WE LACK AN ESTABLISHED TRADING MARKET FOR OUR COMMON STOCK, AND YOU MAY BE UNABLE TO SELL YOUR COMMON STOCK AT ATTRACTIVE PRICES OR AT ALL.
There is currently a limited and sporadic trading market for our common stock in the OTC electronic bulletin board under the symbol "AMKT." There can be no assurances given that an established public market will be obtained for our common stock or that any public market will last. The trading price of the common stock depends on many factors, including:
o The markets for similar securities;
o our financial condition, results of operations and prospects;
o The publication of earnings estimates or other research reports and speculation in the press or investment community;
o Changes in our industry and competition; and
o general market and economic conditions.
As a result, we cannot assure you that you will be able to sell your common stock at attractive prices or at all.
THE MARKET PRICE FOR OUR COMMON STOCK MAY BE HIGHLY VOLATILE.
The market price for our common stock may be highly volatile. A variety of factors may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock, including:
o The publication of earnings estimates or other research reports and speculation in the press or investment community;
o Changes in our industry and competitors;
o our financial condition, results of operations and prospects;
o any future issuances of our common stock, which may include primary offerings for cash, issuances in connection with business acquisitions, and the grant or exercise of stock options from time to time;
o general market and economic conditions; and
o any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, which could cause a recession or downturn in our economy.
In addition, the markets in general can experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that can be unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the companies listed or quoted. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of actual operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies. This type of litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management's attention and resources, which would harm our business.
WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE PAYING CASH DIVIDENDS IN THE FUTURE.
No cash dividends have been paid by our company on our common stock. The future payment by us of cash dividends on our common stock, if any, rests within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend, among other things, upon our earnings, our capital requirements and our financial condition as well as other relevant factors. We do not intend to pay cash dividends upon our common stock for the foreseeable future.
PROVISIONS OF OUR ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND AGREEMENTS COULD DELAY OR PREVENT A CHANGE IN CONTROL OF OUR COMPANY.
Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation may discourage, delay, or prevent a merger or acquisition that a shareholder may consider favorable. These provisions include:
o Authority of the board of directors to issue preferred stock.
o Prohibition on cumulative voting in the election of directors.
WE LACK INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES THEREOF.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us as a public corporation to have an audit committee composed solely of independent directors. Currently, we have no independent directors or committees of directors. Without independent directors, our board may have no way to resolve conflicts of interest, including, without limitation, executive compensation, employment contracts and the like.
OUR FUTURE SALES OF COMMON STOCK BY MANAGEMENT AND OTHER STOCKHOLDERS MAY HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE THEN PREVAILING MARKET PRICE OF OUR COMMON STOCK.
In the event a public market for our common stock is sustained in the future, sales of our common stock may be made by holders of restricted stock pursuant to and in compliance with the provisions of Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933 and pursuant to a Registration Statement that became effective on December 21, 2006. Such Registration Statement registers for sale 951,575 outstanding shares and 475,788 shares underlying presently exercisable and outstanding warrants exercisable at $1.75 per share. In general, under Rule 144, a person who has satisfied a one-year holding period may, under certain circumstances, sell within any three-month period a number of shares which does not exceed the greater of one percent of the then outstanding shares of common stock or the average weekly trading volume in shares during the four calendar weeks immediately prior to such sale. Rule 144 also permits under certain circumstances, the sale of shares without any quantity or other limitation by a person who is not an affiliate of our company and who has satisfied a two-year holding period. Future sales of shares of our common stock made under Rule 144 or otherwise may have an adverse effect on the then prevailing market price, if any, of our common stock.
ITEM 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY
Our principal executive offices are located at 457 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11581. We currently lease approximately 4,000 square feet of office space at this facility at an annual cost of approximately $57,000 pursuant to a month-to-month lease. We are currently exploring our options of obtaining a new location and/or entering into a long-term lease at our current facility. We also lease approximately 1,000 square feet of space at an annual cost of approximately $15,000 at 1105 Portion Road, Farmingville, NY 11738.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are currently not subject to any threatened or pending legal proceedings. Nevertheless, we may from time to time become a party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business.
ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.
No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
Since June 9, 2005, our common stock has been traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol "AMKT." Our common stock trades on a limited basis on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board in the Over-the-Counter Market. The following table sets forth the range of high and low closing sales prices of our Common Stock for the periods indicated (it being understood that prices for the quarter ended June 14, 2005 are for the period June 9 through June 30, 2005).
Quarters Ended High Low ----------------------------------------------------------- June 30, 2005 $3.50 $ .50 September 30, 2005 2.00 .50 December 31, 2005 2.00 .57 March 31, 2006 2.25 1.01 June 30, 2006 2.99 1.70 September 30, 2006 2.75 2.00 December 31, 2006 2.25 1.45 |
All quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown or commissions, and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.
All of our restricted common stock may be eligible for sale in compliance with Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Rule 144 provides among other things and subject to certain limitations that a person holding restricted securities for a period of one year may sell those securities in brokerage transactions every 90 days in an amount equal to the greater of the average weekly trading volume over the four preceding weeks or 1% of our company's outstanding common stock. Persons who have owned our restricted common stock for a period of at least two years and are not affiliates of our company may sell or otherwise transfer their common shares pursuant to Rule 144(k) of the Securities Act. Possible or actual sales of our company's common stock under Rule 144 may have a depressive effect upon the price of our common stock if any meaningful market were to develop for our common stock in the future.
The Company currently has outstanding Class A Warrants to purchase 737,000 shares of Common Stock exercisable at $2.00 per share. The Class A Warrants which were originally scheduled to expire on January 2, 2006 have been extended through March 31, 2007.
Currently, we have outstanding Class B Warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock exercisable at a price of $2.00 per share, warrants to purchase 95,160 shares exercisable at $1.00 per share and warrants to purchase 475,788 shares exercisable at $1.75 per share. In the event that all of the
warrants are exercised, of which there can be no assurances given, additional shares of common stock will be issued and may be resold pursuant to Rule 144 after a holding period of at least one year. No registration rights were granted in connection with the issuance of said warrants, except for the resale of the 475,788 shares underlying the warrants exercisable at $1.75 per share, which 475,788 shares were registered for resale on December 21, 2006.
As of March 1, 2007, there were approximately 80 holders of record of our common stock, although we believe that there are other persons who are beneficial owners of our common stock held in street name. The Company's transfer agent is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 17 Battery Place, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10004.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have never paid any cash dividends and intend, for the foreseeable future, to retain any future earnings for the development of our business. Our Board of Directors will determine our future dividend policy on the basis of various factors, including our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and investment opportunities.
RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES
During the year ended December 31, 2006, the Company had no sales or issuances of unregistered common stock, except we made sales or issuances of unregistered securities listed in the table below:
CONSIDERATION RECEIVED AND DESCRIPTION OF UNDERWRITING OR IF OPTION, OTHER DISCOUNTS TO WARRANT OR MARKET PRICE OR CONVERTIBLE CONVERTIBLE EXEMPTION FROM SECURITY, TERMS SECURITY AFFORDED REGISTRATION OF EXERCISE OR DATE OF SALE TITLE OF SECURITY NUMBER SOLD TO PURCHASERS CLAIMED CONVERSION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 2006 Common Stock 951,575 shares; $1,665,250 Rule 506 of Warrants to 475,788 warrants received; $209,830 Regulation D; a purchase 95,160 issued to paid to placement Form D was filed. shares issued to investors; 139,680 agent and its the placement shares and 95,160 counsel. agent, which are warrants issued to exercisable at the placement $1.00 per share agent (1) and expire June 30, 2011. Class C Warrants issued to investors are exercisable at $1.75 per share and expire on June 30, 2009. April 2006 Common Stock 50,000 shares Services rendered; Section 4(2). A Underlying No commissions restrictive Options Options Paid legend appears on exercisable at each $.10 per share; Certificate. expire April 25, 2016; contain cashless exercise provisions |
RECENT PURCHASES OF SECURITIES
During the year ended December 31, 2006, the Company had no repurchases of its common stock.
ITEM 6. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-KSB. All statements contained herein that are not historical facts, including, but not limited to, statements regarding anticipated future capital requirements, our future plan of operations, our ability to obtain debt, equity or other financing, and our ability to generate cash from operations, are based on current expectations. These statements are forward-looking in nature and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The preparation of financial statements require management to make estimates and disclosures on the date of the financial statements. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates including, but not limited to, those related to revenue recognition. We use authoritative pronouncements, historical experience and other assumptions as the basis for making judgments. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We believe that the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our financial statements.
REVENUE RECOGNITION. Revenues are recognized when title and risk of loss transfers to the customer and the earnings process is complete. In general, title passes to our customers upon the customer's receipt of the merchandise. Revenue is accounted for in accordance with Emerging Issue Task Force Issue No. 99-19, reporting revenue gross as a principal versus net as an agent. Revenue is recognized on a gross basis since our company has the risks and rewards of ownership, latitude in selection of vendors and pricing, and bears all credit risk. Our company records all shipping and handling fees billed to customers as revenues, and related costs as cost of goods sold, when incurred, in accordance with Emerging Issue Task Force Issue No. 00-10, accounting for shipping and handling fees and costs.
ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS. We are required to make judgments based
on historical experience and future expectations, as to the realizability of our
accounts receivable. We make these assessments based on the following factors:
(a) historical experience, (b) customer concentrations, customer credit
worthiness, (d) current economic conditions, and (e) changes in customer payment
terms.
STOCK BASED COMPENSATION. Prior to January 1, 2006, we accounted for employee stock compensation in accordance with APB Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees," and related interpretations in accounting for our plans and measured compensation expense for our share-based compensation using the intrinsic value method, that is, as the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the our stock at the grant date over the amount required to be paid to acquire the stock, and provided the disclosures required by SFAS 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" (SFAS 123) and SFAS 148, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure" (SFAS 148).
Effective January 1, 2006, the Company began recording compensation expense associated with stock options and other equity-based compensation in accordance with SFAS 123(R), using the modified prospective transition method and therefore has not restated results for prior periods. Under the modified prospective transition method, share-based compensation expense for 2006 includes 1) compensation expense for all share-based awards granted on or after January 1, 2006 as determined based on the grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS 123(R) and 2) compensation expense for
share-based compensation awards granted prior to, but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the original provisions of SFAS 123. The Company recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award.
OVERVIEW
We are a full service advertising specialties and promotional products company. Specific categories of the use of promotional products include advertising specialties, business gifts, incentives and awards, and premiums. Through the services of our in-house sales persons and the use of independent sales representatives, we distribute items to our customers typically with their logos on them. Several of our customer categories include large corporations, local schools, universities, financial institutions, hospitals and not-for-profit organizations.
The most popular products that we have distributed over the last several years and account for over 50% of our business are as follows:
o Wearables, such as t-shirts, golf shirts and hats.
o Glassware, such as mugs and drinking glasses.
o Writing instruments, such as pens, markers and highlighters.
o Bags, such as tote bags, gift bags and brief cases.
There are a number of trends in the advertising/marketing industry, the most significant of which is the trend toward integrated marketing strategies. Integrated marketing campaigns involve not only advertising, but also sales promotions, internal communications, public relations, and other disciplines. The objectives of integrated marketing are to promote products and services, raise employee awareness, motivate personnel, and increase productivity through a wide array of methods including extensive use of promotional products.
Price is no longer the sole motivator of purchasing behavior for our customers. With the availability of similar products from multiple sources, customers are increasingly looking for distributors who provide a tangible value-added to their products. As a result, we provide a broad range of products and related services. Specifically, we provide research and consultancy services, artwork and design services, and fulfillment services to our customers. These services are provided in-house by our current employees. Management believes that by offering these services, we can attempt to attract new customers.
Our revenues are expected by us to grow as economic conditions in the United States continue to improve, by adding additional in-house and independent sales representatives to our sales network. While one or more acquisitions of other distributors will also be considered by Management, we can provide no assurances that one or more acquisitions of other distributors will be completed on terms satisfactory to us, if at all.
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Reference is made to the Notes to Financial Statements for a description of certain recently issued accounting pronouncements.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth certain selected condensed statement of operations data for the periods indicated in dollars. In addition, we note that the period-to-period comparison may not be indicative of future performance.
------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ Year Ended December 31 ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ 2006 2005 ---- ---- ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Revenue $ 4,506,807 3,422,665 ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Cost of Revenues 3,183,825 2,324,185 ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Gross Profit 1,322,982 1,098,480 ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Operating Expenses 1,806,684 1,776,710 ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- (Loss) from operations (483,702) (678,230) ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Net (Loss) $ (481,026) $ (682,538) ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Net (Loss) per common Share $ (.07) $ (.12) ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- Weighted average common Shares Outstanding 7,142,594 5,880,531 ------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------- |
We generated revenues of $4,506,807 for 2006 as compared to $3,422,665 for 2005. The 31.7% increase in revenues of $1,084,142 in 2006 compared to 2005 is primarily due to our utilizing additional in-house and independent sales representatives to obtain additional customers.
Gross profit was $1,322,982 for 2006 as compared to $1,098,480 for 2005. Our gross profit percentage was 29.4% as compared to 32.1% for 2005. Gross profits will vary period-to-period depending upon a number of factors including the mix of items sold, pricing of the items and the volume of product sold. Also, it is our practice to pass freight costs associated with shipping of merchandise to our customers which are included in costs of revenues and net revenue. Reimbursement of freight costs have lower profit margins than sales of our promotional products and has the effect of reducing our overall gross profit margin on sales of products, particularly on smaller orders. The change in gross profit percentage for fiscal 2006 relates to the mix of product sold and size of orders.
Operating expenses consisting of selling, general, and administrative expenses were $1,806,684 for 2006 as compared to $1,776,710 for fiscal 2005. Operating costs as a percentage of net revenue was 40.0% for 2006 compared to 51.9% for 2005. Operating expenses in 2006 increased over 2005 by approximately $30,000 or 1.7% primarily due to increased salaries of executive officers.
Our net loss was $(481,026) for 2006 as compared to $(682,538) for 2005. In 2006, we experienced a reduction in stock based compensation of approximately $380,000, increased gross profit of approximately $225,000 and decreased sales commissions of approximately $62,000, while incurring increased salaries and benefits of approximately $380,000. The foregoing are the primary reasons for our 2006 net loss decreasing by a net amount of approximately $200,000 as compared to 2005.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
At December 31, 2006, we had cash and cash equivalents of $1,353,131. We consider highly liquid debt instruments with a maturity of three months or less, as well as bank money market accounts, to be cash equivalents.
For 2006, net cash was used in operating activities of $(466,041) substantially due to our net loss of $(481,026), increased by a reduction in customer deposits of $98,000 and partially offset by non-cash stock based compensation of $109,959. For 2006, net cash of $1,420,937 was provided by financing activities due to proceeds from a private placement of our Common Stock and Class C Common Stock Purchase Warrants. During 2005, net cash was used in operating activities of $252,040. This was primarily due to net loss of $(694,809) and an increase in accounts receivable of $408,452, partially offset by a non-cash stock-based compensation charge of $489,421 and increases in liabilities and customer deposits of $211,171 and $98,000, respectively. During 2005, net cash of $11,010 was used in investing activities to purchase property and equipment. During 2005, net cash of $95,000 was provided from financing activities due to the sale of our common stock and warrants.
Our company commenced operations in 1998 and was initially funded by our three founders, each of whom has made demand loans to our Company that have been repaid. Since 1999, we have relied on equity financing and borrowings from outside investors to supplement our cash flow from operations.
We anticipate that our future liquidity requirements will arise from the need to finance our accounts receivable and inventories, hire additional sales persons, capital expenditures and possible acquisitions. The primary sources of funding for such requirements will be cash generated from operations, raising additional capital from the sale of equity or other securities and borrowings under debt facilities which currently do not exist. We believe that we can generate sufficient cash flow from these sources to fund our operations for at least the next fifteen months.
2006 FINANCING
We recently engaged Brookshire Securities Corporation, a licensed broker-dealer and member of the NASD, to act as Placement Agent to raise financing for our company through the sale of our unregistered securities solely to "accredited investors" as defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Pursuant to the offering, we raised gross proceeds of $1,665,250 from the sale of Units. Each Unit consisted of 60,000 shares of our Common Stock and Class C Warrants to purchase 30,000 shares of Common Stock at an offering price of $105,000 per Unit. We had the right to sell fractional Units, but not fractional shares or fractional Class C Warrants. The Class C Warrants are exercisable at $1.75 per share at anytime from the date of issuance through the earlier of June 30, 2009 or the redemption date of the Class C Warrants, whichever is earlier.
Each Class C Warrant may be redeemed by us at a redemption price of $.001 per Warrant, on at least 30 days prior written notice (the "Redemption Date'), at anytime after the average closing sales price of our Common Stock as reported in the Over-the-Counter Market OTC Electronic Bulletin Board, NASDAQ or if listed on a national securities exchange, equals or exceeds $3.00 per share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days ending within 10 days prior to the date of the notice of redemption is mailed or otherwise delivered by us to each holder of Class C Warrants.
All investors who purchased Units in the Offering have the following additional rights:
o LIQUIDATED DAMAGES RELATING TO REGISTRATION STATEMENT - We have agreed to file a Registration Statement with the SEC within 60 days (automatically extended to 120 days if we have executed an agreement to acquire the stock or assets of another promotional product distributor) after the final closing date of the Offering (i.e. October 30, 2006), to provide for the resale by purchasers of Units
of the shares of Common Stock and the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Class C Warrants under the Securities Act. We have agreed to use our best efforts to have the Registration Statement declared effective as soon as possible after filing and we have agreed to obtain an effective Registration Statement within 210 days after the final closing date of the Offering (i.e. October 30, 2006), subject to a 30-day extension if the Registration Statement receives a "full review" from the Commission. These intervals would be extended by 30 days if fiscal year end audited financial statements would be required, and which were not issued prior to the closing. If the Registration Statement is not effective within the aforementioned time parameters, we will pay liquidated damages in cash or, at our discretion, in Common stock (based upon the fair market value of our Common Stock) equal to 1% of the amount invested to each investor for each subsequent 30-day period that we fail to have an effective Registration Statement, up to a maximum of 9%. In the event the SEC establishes policy preventing the use of or prohibiting the effectiveness of a registration statement, and the Registration Statement is still pending with liquidated damages accruing, we shall be responsible for said damages up to the date of the policy change. We have agreed to use our best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement until the earlier of five years from the final closing date of the Offering or until the Shares and Warrant Shares may be sold pursuant to provisions of Rule 144(k) without volume limitations. Any registration costs (other than costs of counsel to subscribers or commissions related to the sales of the Shares and Warrant Shares) will be paid by us. This Registration Statement was filed in November 2006 and became effective on December 21, 2006.
o ANTI-DILUTION PROTECTION - In the event we seek to raise money on a capital raise transaction during the period commencing on October 30, 2006 and terminating on the earlier of 24 months from that date or 12 months from the initial effective date of the Registration Statement (the "Covered Period") and we sell shares of our Common Stock or issue options or warrants at a price below $1.75 per share during the Covered Period, the investors will have the following anti-dilution protection during the Covered Period:
"MOST FAVORED NATION PROVISION - Purchasers of Units sold by the Company during the Covered Period may elect at the time of each capital raise transaction by us to exchange their unsold Units multiplied by $105,000 per Unit in exchange for an equivalent amount of our securities offered in any new capital raise transaction based upon the new terms offered by us. A capital raise transaction shall not include the issuance of securities to officers, directors, employees, advisors or consultants or securities issued in connection with acquisitions, consolidations or mergers."
Pursuant to the Offering, we sold 951,575 shares of our Common Stock and
Class C Warrants to purchase 475,788 shares of our Common Stock. We also issued
to the Placement Agent 139,680 shares of Common Stock and five-year Warrants to
purchase 95,160 shares of Common Stock exercisable at $1.00 per share. Exemption
from registration is claimed under Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.
ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The report of the Independent Accountants, Financial Statements and Schedules are set forth beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, following this page.
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 AND 2005
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 AND 2005 PAGES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-1 Balance Sheets F-2 Statements of Operations F-3 Statement of Stockholders' Equity F-4 Statements of Cash Flows F-5 Notes to Financial Statements F-6 - F-15 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Board of Directors and Stockholders
Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, and the related statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. as of December 31, 2006 and 2005 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, effective January 1, 2006, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123(R), SHARE-BASED PAYMENT.
Melville, New York
February 12, 2007
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC. BALANCE SHEETS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DECEMBER 31, 2006 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,353,131 $ 398,235 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $10,000 at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively 721,986 711,056 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 47,683 41,282 ----------------------------------- Total Current Assets 2,122,800 1,150,573 Property and Equipment, net 16,899 21,100 Other Assets 5,492 5,492 ----------------------------------- Total Assets $ 2,145,191 $ 1,177,165 =================================== LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 359,518 $ 355,475 Accrued expenses 137,598 125,485 Customer deposits - 98,000 ----------------------------------- Total Current Liabilities 497,116 578,960 ----------------------------------- Commitments and Contingencies Stockholders' Equity: Preferred stock, $.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued - - Common stock, $.0001 par value; 25,000,000 shares authorized; 8,028,363 and 5,888,076 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively 803 589 Additional paid-in capital 3,176,791 1,646,109 Accumulated deficit (1,529,519) (1,048,493) ----------------------------------- Total Stockholders' Equity 1,648,075 598,205 ----------------------------------- Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 2,145,191 $ 1,177,165 =================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. F-2 |
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC. STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Revenue, net $ 4,506,807 $ 3,422,665 Cost of Revenue 3,183,825 2,324,185 ------------------------------------- Gross Profit 1,322,982 1,098,480 ------------------------------------- Operating Expenses: Selling (including stock based compensation of $63,280 and $17,533 for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively) 444,192 461,233 General and administrative (including stock based compensation of $46,679 and $471,888 for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively) 1,362,492 1,315,477 ------------------------------------- Total Operating Expenses 1,806,684 1,776,710 ------------------------------------- Loss from Operations (483,702) (678,230) ------------------------------------- Other Income (Expense): Interest expense - (4,532) Interest income 2,676 224 ------------------------------------- Total Other Income (Expenses) 2,676 (4,308) ------------------------------------- Net Loss $ (481,026) $ (682,538) ===================================== Net Loss Per Common Share: Basic $ (0.07) $ (0.12) ===================================== Diluted $ (0.07) $ (0.12) ===================================== Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding: Basic 7,142,594 5,880,531 ===================================== Diluted 7,142,594 5,880,531 ===================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. F-3 |
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC. Statement of Stockholders' Equity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 AND 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total Common Stock Additional Stockholders' ------------------------------ Paid-in Equity Shares Amount Capital (Deficit) -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- Balance, January 1, 2005 $ 665,246 5,757,000 $ 576 $ 1,030,625 $ (365,955) Conversion of Note Payable 31,076 31,076 3 31,073 - Securities Issued to Private Placement Investors, net 95,000 100,000 10 94,990 - Issuance of Stock Purchase Warrants for Services 455,000 - - 455,000 - Stock Based Payments 34,421 - - 34,421 - Net Loss (682,538) - - - (682,538) -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- Balance, at December 31, 2005 598,205 5,888,076 589 1,646,109 (1,048,493) Securities Issued to Private Placement Investors, net 1,420,937 1,091,255 109 1,420,828 - Cashless Exercise of Stock Purchase Warrants - 1,029,032 103 (103) - Cashless Exercise of Stock Options - 20,000 2 (2) - Stock Based Payments 109,959 - - 109,959 - Net Loss (481,026) - - - (481,026) -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- Balance, at December 31, 2006 $ 1,648,075 8,028,363 $ 803 $ 3,176,791 $ (1,529,519) ============== ============== ============== ============== ============== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. F-4 |
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC. STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net loss $ (481,026) $ (682,538) ------------------------------------ Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 4,201 5,590 Allowance for doubtful accounts - 10,000 Stock-based compensation 109,959 489,421 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: (Increase) decrease in operating assets: Accounts receivable (10,930) (408,452) Prepaid expenses and other assets (6,401) 24,768 (Decrease) increase in operating liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses 16,156 211,171 Customer deposits (98,000) 98,000 ------------------------------------- Total adjustments 14,985 430,498 ------------------------------------- Net Cash Used in Operating Activities (466,041) (252,040) ------------------------------------- Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Acquisition of property and equipment - (11,010) ------------------------------------- Net Cash Used in Investing Activities - (11,010) ------------------------------------- Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Proceeds from private placement, net 1,420,937 95,000 ------------------------------------- Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities 1,420,937 95,000 ------------------------------------- Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents 954,896 (168,050) Cash and Cash Equivalents, beginning of year 398,235 566,285 ------------------------------------- Cash and Cash Equivalents, end of year $ 1,353,131 $ 398,235 ===================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. F-5 |
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
NATURE OF OPERATIONS - Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. (the "Company") is a full service advertising specialties and promotional products company that distributes items typically with logos to large corporations, schools and universities, financial institutions and not-for-profit organizations. Specific categories of promotional products include advertising specialties, business gifts, incentives and awards, and premiums.
REVENUE RECOGNITION - Revenue is recognized when title and risk of loss transfers to the customer and the earnings process is complete. In general, title passes to our customers upon the customer's receipt of the merchandise. Revenue is accounted for in accordance with Emerging Issue Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 99-19, "Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent". Revenue is recognized on a gross basis since the Company has the risks and rewards of ownership, latitude in selection of vendors and pricing, and bears all credit risk. Advance payments made by customers are included in customer deposits.
The Company records all shipping and handling fees billed to customers as revenues, and related costs as cost of goods sold, when incurred, in accordance with EITF 00-10, "Accounting for Shipping and Handling Fees and Costs".
ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS - Management must make estimates of the uncollectability of accounts receivable. Management specifically analyzes accounts receivable and analyzes historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment terms when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts.
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT - Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Leasehold improvements are being amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets or the remaining term of the lease. The costs of additions and improvements, which substantially extend the useful life of a particular asset, are capitalized. Repair and maintenance costs are charged to expense. When assets are sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the account and the gain or loss on disposition is reflected in operating income.
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) - Comprehensive income (loss) refers to revenue, expenses, gains and losses that under generally accepted accounting principles are included in comprehensive income but are excluded from net income as these amounts are recorded directly as an adjustment to stockholders' equity. At December 31, 2006 and 2005, there were no such adjustments required.
CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK - Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of trade receivables and cash and cash equivalents.
Concentration of credit risk with respect to trade receivables is generally diversified due to the large number of entities comprising the Company's customer base and their dispersion across geographic areas principally within the United States. The Company routinely addresses the financial strength of its customers and, as a consequence, believes that its receivable credit risk exposure is limited.
The Company places its temporary cash investments with high credit quality financial institutions. At times the Company maintains bank account balances, which exceed FDIC limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes that it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash. Management does not believe significant credit risk exists at December 31, 2006 and 2005.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with a maturity of three months or less, as well as bank money market accounts, to be cash equivalents.
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
ESTIMATES - The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions 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 amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
NET INCOME PER SHARE - Basic net income per share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share reflect, in periods in which they have a dilutive effect, the impact of common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options.
ADVERTISING COSTS - Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 approximated $500 and $6,100, respectively.
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION - Prior to January 1, 2006, the Company accounted for share-based compensation under the recognition and measurement principles of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB 25"). Therefore, the Company measured compensation expense for its share-based compensation using the intrinsic value method, that is, as the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the Company's stock at the grant date over the amount required to be paid to acquire the stock, and provided the disclosures required by SFAS 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" (SFAS 123) and SFAS 148, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure" (SFAS 148).
Effective January 1, 2006, the Company began recording compensation expense associated with stock options and other equity-based compensation in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 123 (revised 2004), SHARE-BASED PAYMENT, using the modified prospective transition method and therefore has not restated results for prior periods. Under the modified prospective transition method, share-based compensation expense for 2006 includes, (1) compensation expense for all share-based awards granted on or after January 1, 2006 as determined based on the grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS 123R and, (2) compensation expense for share-based compensation awards granted prior to, but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the original provisions of SFAS 123. The Company recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award.
PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION - For stock options granted prior to the adoption of SFAS 123R, the following table illustrates the pro forma effect on net income and earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2005, as if the Company had applied the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS 123 in determining stock-based compensation (except loss per share data):
Net Loss, as reported $ (682,538) Add: Stock based employee compensation expense included in reported net loss - Deduct: Total stock based employee compensation expense determined under fair value based method (219,135) --------------- Pro Forma Net Loss $ (901,673) =============== Loss Per Share: Basic and Diluted - as reported $ (.12) =============== Basic and Diluted - Pro forma $ (.15) =============== -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F-7 |
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC. |
INCOME TAXES - Deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between financial statement and income tax basis of assets and liabilities for which income tax or tax benefits are expected to be realized in future years. A valuation allowance is established to reduce deferred tax assets, if it is more likely, than not that all, or some portion, of such deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - In the opinion of management, the carrying value of all financial instruments, consisting primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables and accounts payable, reflected in the accompanying balance sheet, approximates fair value as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, due to their short term nature.
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS - In July 2006, the FASB issued
Financial Interpretation No. 48, ACCOUNTING FOR UNCERTAINTY IN INCOME TAXES
("FIN 48"), as an interpretation of SFAS No. 109, ACCOUNTING FOR INCOME
TAXES. FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes
recognized in an enterprise's financial statements in accordance with SFAS
No. 109 and prescribes a recognition threshold of more-likely-than-not to be
sustained upon examination. Measurement of the tax uncertainty occurs if the
recognition threshold has been met. FIN 48 also provides guidance on
derecognition, classification, interest, penalties, accounting in interim
periods, disclosure, and transition. FIN 48 will be effective in the first
quarter of Fiscal 2007. Differences between the amounts recognized in the
statements of financial position prior to the adoption of FIN 48 and the
amounts reported after adoption should be accounted for as a
cumulative-effect adjustment recorded to the beginning balance of retained
earnings. The Company does not anticipate that the adoption of this
Statement will have a material effect on its financial position or results
of operation.
In September 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued
Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 108, CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS OF PRIOR YEAR
MISSTATEMENTS WHEN QUANTIFYING MISSTATEMENTS IN CURRENT YEAR FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS ("SAB 108"). SAB 108 provides interpretive guidance on how the
effects of the carryover or reversal of prior year misstatements should be
considered in quantifying a current year misstatement. The SEC staff
believes that registrants should quantify errors using both a balance sheet
and an income statement approach and evaluate whether either approach
results in quantifying a misstatement that, when all relevant quantitative
and qualitative factors are considered, is material. SAB 108 was effective
for the Company's fiscal fourth quarter ending December 31, 2006. The
Company does not anticipate that the adoption of this Statement will have a
material effect on its financial position or results of operation.
On September 15, 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Statement No. 157, FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS ("SFAS 157"). SFAS 157 provides guidance for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities. This Statement references fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction, between market participants in the market in which the reporting entity transacts. The Statement applies whenever other standards require (or permit) assets or liabilities to be measured at fair value. The Statement does not expand the use of fair value in any new circumstances. SFAS 157 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not anticipate that the adoption of this Statement will have a material effect on our financial position or results of operation.
In September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 158, Employers' Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans ("SFAS 158"). SFAS 158 requires an employer to recognize the over-funded or under-funded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan as an asset or liability in its balance sheet and to recognize changes in funded status in the year in which the changes occur through comprehensive income. SFAS 158 will have no impact on the Company's financial position or results of operation.
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
2. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property and equipment, net consist of the following at December 31:
USEFUL LIVES 2006 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Furniture and Fixtures 5 years $ 47,844 $ 47,844 Leasehold Improvements 5 years 8,919 8,919 -------------------------------------- 56,763 56,763 Less Accumulated Depreciation 39,864 35,663 -------------------------------------- $ 16,899 $ 21,100 ====================================== |
Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 was $4,201 and $5,590, respectively.
3. INCOME TAXES
The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 is summarized as follows:
2006 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Current: Federal $ - $ - State - - ------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------------- Deferred: Federal - - State - - ------------------------------------- $ - $ - ===================================== |
The Company has federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $2,485,000, which can be used to reduce future taxable income through 2026.
The tax effects of temporary differences which give rise to deferred tax assets (liabilities) at December 31, are summarized as follows:
2006 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deferred Tax Assets: Net operating loss carryforwards $ 994,000 $ 198,000 Stock based compensation 55,000 196,000 Allowance for doubtful accounts 4,000 4,000 ------------------------------------- Deferred Tax Assets 1,053,000 398,000 Less Valuation Allowance 1,053,000 398,000 ------------------------------------- Net Deferred Tax Asset $ - $ - ===================================== |
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
A reconciliation of the federal statutory rate to the Company's effective tax rate is as follows:
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Statutory Tax Rate 34.00% 34.00% State Taxes, net of federal benefit 6.00% 6.00% Change in Valuation Allowance (40.00%) (40.00%) ----------------------------- Total Tax Expense 0.00% 0.00% ============================= |
4. STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
CAPITALIZATION - On February 9, 2005, the stockholders approved an amendment to the Company's Certificate of Incorporation to (i) increase the authorized shares of Common Stock from 22,000,000 shares to 25,000,000; par value $.0001; and (ii) create 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $.0001 par value. The Board of Directors has the authority to issue shares of Preferred Stock from time to time and to fix such rights, preferences and privileges of such issuances.
PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF SECURITIES - During Fiscal 2004, the Company sold through a private placement, 14.74 units (each consisting of 50,000 common shares and 50,000 Class A Warrants). Each Class A Warrant has an exercise price of $2.00 and was to expire on January 3, 2007. On January 3, 2007, the Company extended the expiration date of the Class A Warrants to March 31, 2007.
During Fiscal 2005, the Company completed a private placement through the sale of 10 units (each consisting of 10,000 common shares and 10,000 Class B Warrants) at a purchase price of $10,000 per unit for net proceeds of $95,000, net of transaction cost of approximately $5,000. Each Class B Warrant has an exercise price of $2.00 and expires on January 2, 2008.
During Fiscal 2006, the Company completed a private placement through the sale of 15.859 units (each consisting of 60,000 common shares and 30,000 Class C Warrants) at a purchase price of $105,000 per unit for net proceeds of $1,420,937, net of transaction costs of approximately $244,000. Each Class C Warrant has an exercise price of $1.75 per share and expires on June 30, 2009.
Pursuant to the Offering, the Placement Agent was issued 139,680 shares of the Company's common stock and a warrant to purchase 95,160 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. The placement agent warrants expire on June 29, 2011. In addition, pursuant to the Offering, the Company issued options to purchase 50,000 shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $.10 per share to a law firm in connection with legal services for the Offering. The options were valued at $95,000 and have been recorded as a cost of the Offering.
5. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
WARRANTS - On June 10, 2005, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with a financial advisory firm. In connection with this agreement, the Company granted a warrant for the purchase of 1,100,000 shares of the Company's common stock. The warrant had an exercise price of $.10 per share and expires on June 10, 2010. In connection with this grant, the Company recorded a charge of $451,000, which is included in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2005. On February 27, 2006, the holder exercised the warrants utilizing the cashless exercise provision and received 1,029,032 shares of common stock in exchange for the exercise of the 1,100,000 warrants based on the closing price of $1.55 of the Company's stock on that date.
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
On September 26, 2005, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with a financial advisory firm. In connection with this agreement, the Company granted a warrant for the purchase of 100,000 shares of the Company's common stock. The warrant has an exercise price of $2.50 per share and expires on August 14, 2010. In connection with this grant, the Company recorded a charge of $4,000, which is included in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2005.
PURCHASE OF LISTS AND SEARCH ENGINE - On April 10, 2006, the Company granted 40,000 non-statutory stock options to an entity controlled by two of the officers of the Company, for the purchase of an email list of promotional products professionals and an industry specific search engine. The officers of the Company have waived their right to receive any benefit from the option grant, and the options were granted in the name of the minority shareholders of the related entity. The options have an exercise price of $2.50 per share and expire on April 10, 2011. The email list and search engine were expensed and have been valued at approximately $18,000, which is included in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006.
SHARE BASED COMPENSATION PLAN - During Fiscal 2005, the Company established, and the stockholders approved, an Employee Benefit and Consulting Services Compensation Plan (the "Plan") for the granting of up to 4,000,000 non-statutory and incentive stock options and stock awards to directors, officers, consultants and key employees of the Company.
All stock options under the Plan are granted at or above the fair market value of the common stock at the grant date. Employee and non-employee stock options generally vest over periods ranging from 1 to 3 years and generally expire either 5 or 10 years from the grant date.
Effective January 1, 2006, the Company's Plan is accounted for, in accordance with the recognition and measurement provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("FAS") No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment ("SFAS 123(R)"), which replaces SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, and supersedes Accounting Principles Board Opinion ("APB") No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and related interpretations. SFAS 123 (R) requires compensation costs related to share-based payment transactions, including employee stock options, to be recognized in the financial statements. In addition, the Company adheres to the guidance set forth within Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Staff Accounting Bulletin ("SAB") No. 107, which provides the Staff's views regarding the interaction between SFAS No. 123(R) and certain SEC rules and regulations and provides interpretations with respect to the valuation of share-based payments for public companies.
Prior to January 1, 2006, the Company accounted for similar transactions in accordance with APB No. 25 which employed the intrinsic value method of measuring compensation cost. Accordingly, compensation expense was not recognized for fixed stock options if the exercise price of the option equaled or exceeded the fair value of the underlying stock at the grant date.
While SFAS No. 123 encouraged recognition of the fair value of all stock-based awards, on the date of grant, as expense over the vesting period, companies were permitted to continue to apply the intrinsic value-based method of accounting prescribed by APB No. 25 and disclose certain pro-forma amounts as if the fair value approach of SFAS No. 123 had been applied. In December 2002, SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure, an amendment of SFAS No. 123, was issued, which, in addition to providing alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation, required more prominent pro-forma disclosures in both the annual and interim financial statements. The Company complied with these disclosure requirements for all applicable periods prior to January 1, 2006.
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
In adopting SFAS 123(R), the Company applied the modified prospective approach to transition. Under the modified prospective approach, the provisions of SFAS 123(R) are to be applied to new awards and to awards modified, repurchased, or cancelled after the required effective date. Additionally, compensation cost for the portion of awards for which the requisite service has not been rendered, that are outstanding, as of the required effective date, shall be recognized as the requisite service is rendered on or after the required effective date. The compensation cost for that portion of awards shall be based on the grant-date fair value of those awards as calculated for either recognition or pro-forma disclosures under SFAS 123.
As a result of the adoption of SFAS 123(R), the Company's results for the year ended December 31, 2006 include employee share-based compensation expense totaling approximately $49,000. Such amounts have been included in the Statement of Operations within selling, general and administrative expenses. No income tax benefit has been recognized in the statement of operations for share-based compensation arrangements, due to a history of operating losses. Employee stock compensation expense recorded under APB No. 25 in the Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2005 totaled $0.
The fair value of options at the date of grant was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. For option grants in Fiscal 2006, the Company took into consideration guidance under SFAS 123(R) and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107 (SAB 107) when reviewing and updating assumptions. The expected volatility is based upon historical volatility of the Company's stock and other contributing factors. The expected term is based upon observation of actual time elapsed between date of grant and exercise of options for all employees. Previously such assumptions were determined based on historical data.
The estimated fair value of each option award granted was determined on the date of grant using the following weighted-average assumptions for option grants during the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005:
2006 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dividend Yield 0.00% 0.00% Volatility 25.00% 7.17% Risk-Free Interest Rate 5.02% 2.82% Expected Life 5.00 YEARS 9.85 years |
A summary of option activity under the Plan as of December 31, 2006, and changes during the year then ended is as follows:
Weighted Weighted Average Average Remaining Aggregate Exercise Contractual Intrinsic Options Shares Price Term (years) Value -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outstanding, beginning of year 2,777,000 $ 1.05 - $ - Granted 222,000 2.16 - - Exercised (37,778) 1.00 - - Forfeited (1,000,000) 1.00 - - ----------------- Outstanding, end of year 1,961,222 $ 1.20 6.09 $ 1,169,417 ======================================================================== Exercisable, end of year 1,087,455 $ 1.11 7.06 $ 724,858 ======================================================================== |
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
For the year ended December 31, 2006, share-based compensation expense related to stock options was approximately $92,000. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 was $.57 and $.20, respectively.
The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding and options exercisable at December 31, 2006 is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying options and the market price of the Company's common stock for the shares that had exercise prices, that were lower than the $1.75 closing price of the Company's common stock on December 29, 2006. The total intrinsic value of options exercised in the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 was approximately $42,500 and $0, respectively, determined as of the date of exercise. The Company received no cash proceeds from options exercised in the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005. Options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2006 were completed through cashless exercise provisions of the Plan. There were no options exercised in the year ended December 31, 2005.
A summary of the status of the Company's non-vested shares as of December 31, 2006 and the changes during the year ended December 31, 2006, is as follows:
Weighted Average Grant-Date Non-vested Shares Shares Fair Value ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Non-vested at January 1, 2006 1,911,200 $ .18 Granted 222,000 .57 Vested (259,433) .20 Forfeited (1,000,000) .13 ----------------------------------- Non-vested at December 31, 2006 873,767 $ .32 =================================== |
As of December 31, 2006 and 2005, the fair value of unamortized compensation cost related to unvested stock option awards was approximately $216,000 and $199,000, respectively. Unamortized compensation cost as of December 31, 2006 is expected to be recognized over a remaining weighted-average vesting period of 4.02 years. For the year ended December 31, 2006, the weighted average fair value of options exercised was $.13.
COMMON SHARES RESERVED
Class A Warrants 737,000 Class B Warrants 100,000 Class C Warrants 475,788 Placement Agent Warrants 95,160 2005 Stock Option Plan 3,962,222 |
6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
LEASE COMMITMENTS - The Company leases office space under a non-cancelable operating lease, which expires in November 2007. The Company is currently leasing additional office space on a month-to-month basis. The Company leased additional office space under a non-cancelable operating lease, which expires on November 30, 2007. Minimum future rentals under non-cancelable lease commitments are as follows:
2007 $ 14,000
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
Rent expense was approximately $72,000 and $45,000 for the years December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS - On March 1, 2005, the Company entered into employment contracts with two of its officers. The employment agreements provide for minimum annual salaries plus bonuses equal to 5% of pre-tax earnings (as defined) and other perquisites commonly found in such agreements. In addition, pursuant to the employment contracts, the Company granted the officers options to purchase up to an aggregate of 400,000 shares of common stock. The employment agreements expire on March 1, 2008, and are renewable for a 2 year period. Minimum aggregate future commitments under the employment contracts is as follows:
2007 376,000 2008 64,000 7. TRANSACTIONS WITH MAJOR CUSTOMERS The Company sells its products to a geographically diverse group of customers, performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does not require collateral. |
For each of the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, a customer accounted for approximately 21% and 15% of net revenues, respectively. Aggregate revenues from these customers are dispersed among many different franchises and storefront locations.
8. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The Company purchased merchandise with a cost of approximately $8,700 and $10,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively, from an entity that is owned by an individual related to one of the officers of the Company.
9. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION - STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Cash paid during the years for:
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interest $ - $ 7,066 ============================= Income Taxes $ - $ - ============================= |
During the year ended December 31, 2005, the Company issued 31,076 shares of common stock, with a value of $31,076, in connection with a conversion of a note payable.
10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In February 2007, the Company entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire the customer lists and intangible assets of a promotions company. The purchase price is estimated to be approximately $380,000, payable 50% in cash and 50% in restricted Common Stock of the Company.
ACE MARKETING &
PROMOTIONS, INC.
In February 2007, the Company entered into a joint marketing and sales agreement with Atrium Enterprises Ltd. ("Atrium"). Atrium provides solutions to corporate customers through the design and application of performance improvement programs.
The agreement provides for the Company to receive the exclusive rights to market and sell Atrium's products and services to its customers and provides Atrium the exclusive right to sell and market the Company's promotional services to its' customers. The Company will receive a 50% commission on gross profit (as defined) from all sales of Atrium's products and services generated by the Company. Atrium will receive a 50% commission on gross profit (as defined) from all sales of the Company's promotional services generated by Atrium. In addition, Atrium was granted an option to purchase 70,000 shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. The options vest in three equal installments commencing on February 15, 2008, and expire four years after the date of grant.
ITEM 8. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
Not Applicable.
ITEM 8.A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company's Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure based closely on the definition of "disclosure controls and procedures" in Rule 13a-15(e). In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. The Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and the Company's Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures. Based on the foregoing, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level at the end of our most recent fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. There have been no changes in the Company's disclosure controls and procedures or in other factors that could affect the disclosure controls subsequent to the date the Company completed its evaluation.
Management has not yet completed, and is not yet required to have completed, its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
ITEM 8.B. OTHER INFORMATION.
Not Applicable.
PART III
ITEM 9. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, PROMOTERS AND CONTROL PERSONS; COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 16(A) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT.
The names, ages and principal occupations of the Company's present officers and directors are listed below.
FIRST BECAME DIRECTOR NAME (1) AGE AND/OR OFFICER POSITION -------- --- -------------- -------- Dean Julia 39 1998 Chief Executive Officer/ Secretary/ Treasurer/Director/Co-Founder Michael Trepeta 35 1998 President/Director/Co-Founder Scott Novack 39 1998 Director/Co-Founder Sean McDonnell 46 2005 Chief Financial Officer --------- |
(1) Directors are elected at the annual meeting of stockholders and hold office until the following annual meeting.
The terms of all officers expire at the annual meeting of directors following the annual stockholders meeting. Officers serve at the pleasure of the Board and may be removed, either with or without cause, by the Board of Directors, and a successor elected by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, at any time.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Our officers, directors and founders each have experience in the development of early stage companies including business strategies, products and services and financing.
DEAN L. JULIA
Mr. Julia holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University received in 1990. Since that time, Mr. Julia has been associated with various broker/dealers as a stockbroker where he was involved in the funding of numerous development stage and growth companies. From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Julia served as a Vice President for Reich & Co. From 1993 to 1994, he was Vice President for D. Blech & Co. From 1994 to 1995, he served as a Vice President for GKN Securities; and from 1995 to 1996 he served as Vice President for Rickel & Associates. From September 1996 through February 1998, Mr. Julia served as President and Chief Executive Officer of DLJ Consulting, a financial intermediary consultant for public and private companies. In 1998, Mr. Julia co-founded us and became an officer, director and principal stockholder of our company and a full time employee.
MICHAEL D. TREPETA
Mr. Trepeta received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Economics and Business Management with a minor in Communications from Cornell University in 1993. Since that time, Mr. Trepeta has been associated with various broker/dealers as a stockbroker where he was involved in the funding of numerous development stage and growth companies. Mr. Trepeta was a Vice President of Investments at Joseph Roberts & Co. in 1994 and a Vice President of Investments
at Rickel & Associates from 1995-1996. From September of 1996 through February
1998, he has served as President of MDT Consulting Group, Inc., a corporation
contracted by publicly traded companies to serve as a financial intermediary to
investment bankers and to assist in developing products, services, and business
strategies. In 1998, Mr. Trepeta co-founded us and he became an officer,
director and principal owner of our company and a full time employee. SCOTT J.
NOVACK
Mr. Novack holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University received in 1990. From 1993-1994, Mr. Novack was a Vice President at D. Blech & Co., a New York investment bank specializing in raising venture capital money for early stage companies. From 1994-1995, Mr. Novack was a Vice President at GKN Securities, a New York based investment bank. From 1995-1996, Mr. Novack was a Vice President at Rickel Associates, a New York based investment bank. Mr. Novack was the President of SJN Consulting Group, Inc., a privately held company, from 1996 to 2003. SJN was a corporation contracted by publicly traded companies to serve as a financial intermediary to investment bankers and to assist in developing products, services, and business strategies. Since 2003, Mr. Novack is a private investor who invests for his own account. In 1998, Mr. Novack co-founded us and became a director of our company.
SEAN MCDONNELL
Sean J. McDonnell, Certified Public Accountant, has been self employed and in private accounting practice since January 1990 handling many different types of business entities and associations. Mr. McDonnell has spent much of his time helping his customers grow their companies and acquire financing for the purchase of buildings and equipment. Prior to starting his own practice, he was employed from 1985 - 1990 as a senior staff member in the accounting firm of Breiner & Bodian CPA's. After graduating from Dowling College in 1984, he was employed by Kenneth Silver C.P.A. from 1984 - 1985. He is currently serving on the boards of the Police Athletic League, North East Youth Sports Association and Sound Beach Soccer Club, Inc. Mr. McDonnell has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 3, 2005 and as an employee, he devotes such time to our affairs as is necessary for the performance of his duties.
INDUSTRY ADVISOR
In April 2006, we hired Paul S. Pickard as an industry advisor and consultant to our Company. His contract currently runs through April 2009. Paul Pickard's previous experience is in running two of the largest distributors in the promotional products industry and having led the strategic build up of a $1 Billion company. Mr. Pickard most recently served as CEO at American Identity, one of the largest distributors of promotional products, where he expanded the sales force over 25% in less than one year and propelled the company to record earnings. Previously, he led National Pen through a demanding three-year repositioning initiative, where he transformed a vertically integrated pen manufacturing company into a direct marketer of promotional products. This resulted in revenue growing from $100 million to almost $200 million in less than 48 months. Before joining National Pen, Mr. Pickard was one of four executives that lead a strategic build up in the manufactured housing retail business. This build up consisted of seven acquisitions and 14 greenfield start-ups as a $1 billion division of Fleetwood Enterprises. Fleetwood selected Mr. Pickard for the task due to his previous contribution in growing Fleetwood's operations in northern California.
Mr. Pickard's earlier career was with the Taco Bell Division of PepsiCo, where he was responsible for the Los Angeles market, an information technology department, and a key marketing initiative. He introduced many new products into the Taco Bell system, achieved dramatic cost savings for information technology, and contributed leading-edge ideas to the marketing program. Mr. Pickard began
his post-MBA career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. Prior to attending business school, he worked for Texas Instruments and Hewlett-Packard in engineering, sales, and strategy development roles. Mr. Pickard holds an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance and Marketing and a B.S. in Engineering with a major in Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, earning both degrees at Duke University. He currently sits on the board of Luth Research, a market research supplier.
LACK OF COMMITTEES
Our Company has no audit, compensation or nominating committees of our board of directors or committees performing similar functions. We are currently seeking to nominate and appoint to the board two independent directors and to form an audit committee consisting of the two independent directors. It is our goal that at least, one of the two independent directors would be deemed a "Financial Expert" within the meaning of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.
Under the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations
definition, an "independent director means a person other than an officer or
employee of the Company or its subsidiaries or any other individuals having a
relationship that, in the opinion of the Company's board of directors, would
interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the
responsibilities of the director. The board's discretion in determining director
independence is not completely unfettered. Further, under the NASDAQ definition,
an independent director is a person who (1) is not currently (or whose immediate
family members are not currently), and has not been over the past three years
(or whose immediate family members have not been over the past three years),
employed by the company; (2) has not (or whose immediate family members have
not) been paid more than $60,000 during the current or past three fiscal years;
(3) has not (or whose immediately family has not) been a partner in or
controlling shareholder or executive officer of an organization which the
company made, or from which the company received, payments in excess of the
greater of $200,000 or 5% of that organizations consolidated gross revenues, in
any of the most recent three fiscal years; (4) has not (or whose immediate
family members have not), over the past three years been employed as an
executive officer of a company in which an executive officer of Ace has served
on that company's compensation committee; or (5) is not currently (or whose
immediate family members are not currently), and has not been over the past
three years (or whose immediate family members have not been over the past three
years) a partner of Ace's outside auditor.
The term "Financial Expert" is defined as a person who has the following attributes: an understanding of generally accepted accounting principles and financial statements; has the ability to assess the general application of such principles in connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and reserves; experience preparing, auditing, analyzing or evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the company's financial statements, or experience actively supervising one or more persons engaged in such activities; an understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting; and an understanding of audit committee functions.
We can provide no assurances that our board's efforts to select two persons to serve as independent directors on the Board of Directors (at least one of which is a "Financial Expert") and on the proposed audit committee will be successful. In the event an audit committee is established, its first responsibility would be to adopt a written charter. Such charter would be expected to include, among other things:
o being directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of our independent auditor, which shall report directly to the audit committee, including resolution of disagreements between management and the auditors regarding financial reporting for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;
o annually reviewing and reassessing the adequacy of the committee's
formal charter;
o reviewing the annual audited financial statements with our
management and the independent auditors and the adequacy of our
internal accounting controls;
o reviewing analyses prepared by our management and independent
auditors concerning significant financial reporting issues and
judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial
statements;
o reviewing the independence of the independent auditors;
o reviewing our auditing and accounting principles and practices with
the independent auditors and reviewing major changes to our auditing
and accounting principles and practices as suggested by the
independent auditor or its management;
o reviewing all related party transactions on an ongoing basis for
potential conflict of interest situations; and
o all responsibilities given to the audit committee by virtue of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which was signed into law by President
George W. Bush on July 30, 2002.
CODE OF ETHICS
Effective March 3, 2003, the Securities & Exchange Commission requires registrants like the Company to either adopt a code of ethics that applies to the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer or explain why the Company has not adopted such a code of ethics. For purposes of item 406 of Regulation S-K, the term "code of ethics" means written standards that are reasonably designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:
o Honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual
or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional
relationships;
o Full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in
reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to,
the Securities & Exchange Commission and in other public
communications made by the Company;
o Compliance with applicable governmental law, rules and regulations;
o The prompt internal reporting of violations of the code to an
appropriate person or persons identified in the code; and
o Accountability for adherence to the code.
In March 2006, the Company adopted a Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct which have been filed as Exhibit 14.1 to our Form 10-KSB. Changes to the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct will be filed under a Form 8-K or quarterly or annual report under the Exchange Act.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 16(A) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires
our officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of a
registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and
changes in ownership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission"). Officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders are
required by the Commission's regulations to furnish us with copies of all
Section 16(a) forms they file. During fiscal 2006, none of our officers,
directors or 10% or greater stockholders failed to file or filed any forms late
to the best of our knowledge, except for certain Form 4 filings of Glenwood
Capital and Peter Chung.
ITEM 10. COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
The following table sets forth the overall compensation earned over the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 by (1) each person who served as the principal executive officer of the Company during fiscal year 2006; (2) the Company's most highly compensated (up to a maximum of two) executive officers as of December 31, 2006 with compensation during fiscal year 2006 of $100,000 or more; and (3) those two individuals, if any, who would have otherwise been in included in section (2) above but for the fact that they were not serving as an executive of the Company as of December31, 2006.
SALARY COMPENSATION --------------------------------------- NON-EQUITY NONQUALIFIED NAME AND OPTIONS INCENTIVE PLAN DEFERRED ALL OTHER PRINCIPAL FISCAL BONUS STOCK AWARDS COMPENSATION COMPENSATION COMPENSATION POSITION YEAR SALARY ($) AWARDS ($)(1) ($) EARNINGS($) ($)(2)(3) TOTAL ($) ------------------- ------ -------- ------- -------- --------- -------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Dean L. Julia 2006 $164,000 -- -- $16,667 -- -- $ 15,600 $ 196,267 Chief Executive Officer Michael D. Trepeta 2006 164,000 -- -- $16,667 -- -- $ 15,387 $ 196,054 President |
(1) Reflects dollar amount expensed by the company during applicable fiscal year for financial statement reporting purposes pursuant to FAS 123R. FAS 123R requires the company to determine the overall value of the options as of the date of grant based upon the Black-Scholes method of valuation, and to then expense that value over the service period over which the options become exercisable (vest). As a general rule, for time-in-service-based options, the company will immediately expense any option or portion thereof which is vested upon grant, while expensing the balance on a pro rata basis over the remaining vesting term of the option. For a description FAS 123 R and the assumptions used in determining the value of the options under the Black-Scholes model of valuation, see the notes to the financial statements included with this Form 10-KSB.
(2) Includes all other compensation not reported in the preceding columns, including (i) perquisites and other personal benefits, or property, unless the aggregate amount of such compensation is less than $10,000; (ii) any "gross-ups" or other amounts reimbursed during the fiscal year for the payment of taxes; (iii) discounts from market price with respect to securities purchased from the company except to the extent available generally to all security holders or to all salaried employees; (iv) any amounts paid or accrued in connection with any termination (including without limitation through retirement, resignation, severance or constructive termination, including change of responsibilities) or change in control; (v) contributions to vested and unvested defined contribution plans; (vi) any insurance premiums paid by, or on behalf of, the company relating to life insurance for the benefit of the named executive officer; and (vii) any dividends or other earnings paid on stock or option awards that are not factored into the grant date fair value required to be reported in a preceding column.
(3) Includes compensation for service as a director described under Director Compensation, below.
For a description of the material terms of each named executive officers' employment agreement, including the terms of the terms of any common share purchase option grants, see that section of this Form 10-KSB captioned "Employment Agreements."
No outstanding common share purchase option or other equity-based award granted to or held by any named executive officer in 2006 were repriced or otherwise materially modified, including extension of exercise periods, the change of vesting or forfeiture conditions, the change or elimination of applicable performance criteria, or the change of the bases upon which returns are determined, nor was there any waiver or modification of any specified performance target, goal or condition to payout.
For a description of the material terms of any contract, agreement, plan or other arrangement that provides for any payment to a named executive officer in connection with his or her resignation, retirement or other termination, or a change in control of the company see "Employment Agreements".
EXECUTIVE OFFICER OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
The following table provides certain information concerning any common share purchase options, stock awards or equity incentive plan awards held by each of our named executive officers that were outstanding as of December 31, 2006.
OPTION AWARDS STOCK AWARDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN AWARDS: EQUITY NUMBER EQUITY INCENTIVE OF INCENTIVE PLAN PLAN UNEARNED AWARDS: AWARDS: MARKET SHARES, MARKET OR NUMBER OF NUMBER OF NUMBER OF NUMBER OF VALUE OF UNITS OR PAYOUT VALUE OF SECURITIES SECURITIES SECURITIES SHARES OF SHARES OR OTHER UNEARNED UNDERLYING UNDERLYING UNDERLYING UNITS OF UNITS OF RIGHTS SHARES, UNITS OR UNEXERCISE UNEXERCISED UNEXERCISED OPTION OPTION STOCK THAT STOCK THAT HAVE OTHER RIGHTS OPTIONS(#) OPTIONS(#) UNEARNED EXERCISE EXPIRATION HAVE NOT HAVE NOT NOT THAT HAVE NOT NAME EXERCISABLE UNEXERCISABLE OPTIONS(#) PRICE($) DATE VESTED(#) VESTED VESTED VESTED ------------------ ----------- ------------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- ---------- --------- ---------------- Dean L. Julia 250,000 -- -- $1.00 01/03/15 -- -- -- -- (1) 100,000 100,000 $1.20 12/28/15 Michael D. Trepeta 250,000 -- -- $1.00 01/03/15 -- -- -- -- (1) 100,000 100,000 $1.20 12/28/15 |
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS
Each of the following executive officers is a party to an employment agreement with the Company.
NAME POSITION ANNUAL SALARY(1) BONUS (2) Dean L. Julia Chief Financial Officer $188,000 Annual bonuses of at least 5% of pre-tax earnings Michael Trepeta President $188,000 Annual bonuses of at least 5% of pre-tax earnings |
(2) Annual bonuses are paid by us by the last business day of March for the preceding calendar (fiscal) year, except in the event of termination prior to the end of any fiscal year (other than termination for cause), a pro rata portion of the annual bonus shall be paid within 30 days of termination.
A summary of each Executive's employment agreement is as follows:
Each Executive is eligible for options to purchase our common stock at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Each Executive will receive at least five weeks of paid vacation. Each employment agreement expires on February 29, 2008. The Agreement shall be automatically renewed for a period of two years thereafter unless the Executive gives 60 days prior written notice of his intention not to renew this Agreement prior to the end of the initial Term. Each employment agreement may not be terminated without cause. However, it may be terminated at any time by the Executive upon written three-month notice. In such event, the Company shall be relieved of all of its obligations under this Agreement, except for payment of the Executive's Base Salary and Annual Bonus earned and unpaid through the effective date of termination and those obligations with respect to indemnification and director and officer insurance.
We may terminate the Executive's employment for cause ("Cause") in the event (i) the Executive's commission of an act involving fraud, embezzlement, or theft against the property or personnel of Company, or (ii) the Executive shall be convicted of, or plead NOLO CONTENDERE to a felony or engages in other criminal conduct that could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse affect on the business, assets, properties, prospects, results of operations or financial condition of Company. In the event this Agreement is terminated for cause, the Executive's Base Salary and any unearned Annual Bonus and all benefits shall terminate immediately upon such discharge, and we shall have no further obligations to the Executive except for payment and reimbursement for any monies due which right to payment or reimbursement accrued prior to such termination.
We may terminate this Agreement upon the disability or death of the Executive by giving written notice to the Executive. In the case of disability, such termination will become effective immediately upon the giving of such notice unless otherwise specified by us. "Disability" shall mean that for a period of more than six consecutive months in any 12-month period the Executive is unable to perform the essential functions of his position because of physical, mental or emotional incapacity resulting from injury, sickness or disease. Upon any such termination, we shall be relieved of all our obligations under the Executive's employment, except for payment of the Executive's Base Salary and Annual Bonus earned and unpaid through the effective date of termination.
We have agreed to defend and indemnify each Executive in his capacity as an officer against all claims, judgments, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising out of, based upon, or related to his performance of services to us, to the maximum extent permitted under law. We will also use our reasonable best efforts to include each Executive as an insured under all applicable directors' and officers' liability insurance policies maintained by us.
The Executives' employment agreements do not have any severance payments in the event of termination or change in control provisions, except for their entitlement to payment as described above. Each Executive is also entitled to the following additional benefits:
o The annual grant on March 1 of each year of ten-year stock options to purchase 50,000 shares at an exercise price equal to the then fair market value of our common stock as determined by the Board. On December 28, 2005, Messrs. Trepeta and Julia each agreed to amend their employment contracts to eliminate the automatic annual grant of options in consideration of the grant of ten year options to purchase 200,000 shares exercisable at $1.20 per share, with one-half immediately vested and the other half to vest on December 28, 2008 irrespective of employment or termination thereof;
o Election to the Board of Directors and during the term of
employment, the Board's nomination for re-election to the Board;
o Paid disability insurance and term life insurance for the benefit of
each Executive's family in an amount fixed by the Board at a cost
not to exceed $10,000 per annum;
o Use of company automobile with all related costs paid for by us;
o Health insurance; and
o Right to participate in any pensions of our company.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE DEEMED INDEPENDENT
Our board of directors has determined that none of our directors are "independent" as that term is defined by the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations ("NASDAQ"). See "Lack of Committees" for the NASDAQ definition of "Independent Director."
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
STOCK OPTIONS
Stock options and equity compensation awards to our non-employee / non-executive director are at the discretion of the Board. To date, no options or equity awards have been made to our non-employee / non-executive director.
CASH COMPENSATION
Our non-employee / non-executive director is eligible to receive a fee of $500 to be paid for attending each Board meeting; however, no fees were paid in 2006.
TRAVEL EXPENSES
All directors shall be reimbursed for their reasonable out of pocket expenses associated with attending the meeting.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
The following table shows the overall compensation earned for the 2006 fiscal year with respect to each non-employee and non-executive director as of December 31, 2006.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEES EARNED NON-EQUITY NONQUALIFIED NAME AND OR PAID INCENTIVE PLAN DEFERRED ALL OTHER PRINCIPAL IN CASH STOCK OPTION COMPENSATION COMPENSATION COMPENSATION POSITION ($) AWARDS ($) AWARDS ($) ($) (2) EARNINGS ($) ($)(3) TOTAL($) ---------------------------- -------- ---------- ---------- -------------- ------------ ------------ -------- Scott Novack, Director -- -- -- -- -- -- -- |
(2) Excludes awards or earnings reported in preceding columns.
(3) Includes all other compensation not reported in the preceding columns, including (i) perquisites and other personal benefits, or property, unless the aggregate amount of such compensation is less than $10,000; (ii) any "gross-ups" or other amounts reimbursed during the fiscal year for the payment of taxes; (iii) discounts from market price with respect to securities purchased from the company except to the extent available generally to all security holders or to all salaried employees; (iv) any amounts paid or accrued in connection with any termination (including without limitation through retirement, resignation, severance or constructive termination, including change of responsibilities) or change in control; (v) contributions to vested and unvested defined contribution plans; (vi) any insurance premiums paid by, or on behalf of, the company relating to life insurance for the benefit of the director; (vii) any consulting fees earned, or paid or payable; (viii) any annual costs of payments and promises of payments pursuant to a director legacy program and similar charitable awards program; and (ix) any dividends or other earnings paid on stock or option awards that are not factored into the grant date fair value required to be reported in a preceding column.
2005 EMPLOYEE BENEFIT AND CONSULTING SERVICES COMPENSATION PLAN
On January 3, 2005, our company established an Employee Benefit and Consulting Services Compensation Plan (the "2005 Plan") covering 2,000,000 shares, which 2005 Plan was ratified by our stockholders on February 9, 2005. On August 12, 2005, the company's stockholders approved a 2,000,000 share increase in the 2005 Plan to 4,000,000 shares.
ADMINISTRATION
Our board of directors administers the 2005 Plan, has the authority to determine and designate officers, employees, directors and consultants to whom awards shall be made and the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to each award (including, but not limited to, the option price, any restriction or limitation, any vesting schedule or acceleration thereof, and any forfeiture restrictions). The board may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the vesting of awards.
TYPES OF AWARDS
The 2005 Plan is designed to enable us to offer certain officers, employees, directors and consultants of us and our subsidiaries equity interests in us and other incentive awards in order to attract, retain and reward such individuals and to strengthen the mutuality of interests between such individuals and our stockholders. In furtherance of this purpose, the 2005 Plan contains provisions for granting non-statutory stock options and incentive stock options and common stock awards.
STOCK OPTIONS. A "stock option" is a contractual right to purchase a number of shares of common stock at a price determined on the date the option is granted. An incentive stock option is an option granted under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to our employees with certain tax advantages to the grantee over non-statutory stock options. The option price per share of common stock purchasable upon exercise of a stock option and the time or times at which such options shall be exercisable shall be determined by the Board at the time of grant. Such option price in the case of incentive stock options shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant and may be granted below fair market value in the case of non-statutory stock options. Incentive stock options granted to owners of 10% or more of our common stock must be granted at an exercise price of at least 110% of the fair market value of our common stock and may not have a term greater than five years. Also, the value of incentive options vesting to any employee cannot exceed $100,000 in any calendar year. The option price of our options must be paid in cash, money order, check or common stock of the company. The non-statutory stock options may also contain at the time of grant, at the discretion of the board, certain other cashless exercise provisions. These cashless exercise provisions are included in the currently outstanding non-statutory stock options granted by the board.
Options shall be exercisable at the times and subject to the conditions determined by the Board at the date of grant, but no option may be exercisable more than ten years after the date it is granted. If the optionee ceases to be an employee of our company for any reason other than death, any incentive stock option exercisable on the date of the termination of employment may be exercised for a period of thirty days or until the expiration of the stated term of the option, whichever period is shorter. In the event of the optionee's death, any incentive stock option exercisable at the date of death may be exercised by the legal heirs of the optionee from the date of death until the expiration of the stated term of the option or six months from the date of death, whichever event first occurs. In the event of disability of the optionee, any incentive stock options shall expire on the stated date that the Option would otherwise have expired or 12 months from the date of disability, whichever event first occurs. The termination and other provisions of a non-statutory stock option shall be fixed by the board of directors at the date of grant of each respective option.
COMMON STOCK AWARD. Common stock awards are shares of common stock that will be issued to a recipient at the end of a restriction period, if any, specified by the board if he or she continues to be an employee, director or consultant of us. If the recipient remains an employee, director or consultant at the end of the restriction period, the applicable restrictions will lapse and we will issue a stock certificate representing such shares of common stock to the participant. If the recipient ceases to be an employee, director or consultant of us for any reason (including death, disability or retirement) before the end of the restriction period unless otherwise determined by the board, the restricted stock award will be terminated.
AWARDS
As of December 31, 2006, the Company has granted non-statutory stock options to purchase 1,961,222 shares of the company's common stock which are currently outstanding at exercise prices ranging from $1.00 per share to $2.50 per share, exclusive of options which have been cancelled since the date of grant. The board has granted options with varying terms.
It is not possible to predict the individuals who will receive future awards under the Plan or the number of shares of Common Stock covered by any future award because such awards are wholly within the discretion of the Board. The table below contains information as of December 31, 2006 on the known benefits provided to certain persons and group of persons under the Plan.
----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- NUMBER OF RANGE OF VALUE OF UNEXERCISED SHARES SUBJECT EXERCISE PRICE OPTIONS AT TO OPTIONS ($) PER SHARE DECEMBER 31, 2006 (1) ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- Dean L. Julia, Chief Executive Officer 450,000 $1.00 - $1.20 $ 297,500 ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- Michael D. Trepeta, President 450,000 $1.00 - $1.20 297,500 ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- Sean McDonnell, Chief Financial officer 50,000 $1.00 37,500 ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- Three Executive Officers As a group 950,000 $1.00 - $1.20 632,500 ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- Non-Executive Officer Employees and Consultants 1,011,222 $1.00- $ 2.50 $ 536,917 ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------------- |
ELIGIBILITY
Our officers, employees, directors and consultants of Ace and our subsidiaries are eligible to be granted stock options, and common stock awards.
TERMINATION OR AMENDMENT OF THE 2005 PLAN
The board may at any time amend, discontinue, or terminate all or any part of the 2005 Plan, provided, however, that unless otherwise required by law, the rights of a participant may not be impaired without his or her consent, and provided that we will seek the approval of our stockholders for any amendment if such approval is necessary to comply with any applicable federal or state securities laws or rules or regulations.
ITEM 11. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
As of March 1, 2007, the Company had outstanding 8,028,063 shares of Common Stock. The only persons of record who presently hold or are known to own (or believed by the Company to own) beneficially more than 5% of the outstanding shares of such class of stock is listed below. The following table also sets forth certain information as to holdings of the Company's Common Stock of all officers and directors individually, and all officers and directors as a group.
-------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- NAME AND ADDRESS OF BENEFICIAL OWNER (1) NUMBER OF APPROXIMATE COMMON SHARES PERCENTAGE -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- Scott Novack 1,052,402 13.1 457 Rockaway Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11583 -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- Michael D. Trepeta 457 Rockaway Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11583(2) 1,366,402 16.1 -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- Dean L. Julia 457 Rockaway Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11583 (2) 1,366,901 16.0 -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- Sean McDonnell 50,000 .6 457 Rockaway Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11583 (3) -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- All Directors and Officers as a Group (four persons) (4) 3,785,705 43.1 -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- Glenwood Capital Corporation 1,245,002 15.3 2070 South Hibiscus Drive North Miami Beach, FL 33181 (5) -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- Domenico Iannucci One Windsor Drive Muttontown, NY 11753 (6) 789,660 9.7 -------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- --------------- |
(1) Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is generally determined by voting powers and/or investment powers with respect to securities. Unless otherwise noted, all of such shares of common stock listed above are owned of record by each individual named as beneficial owner and such individual has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares of common stock owned by each of them. Such person or entity's percentage of ownership is determined by assuming that any options or convertible securities held by such person or entity, which are exercisable within sixty (60) days from the date hereof, have been exercised or converted as the case may be, but not for the purposes of determining the number of outstanding shares held by any other named beneficial owner.
(2) Includes options to purchase 350,000 shares.
(3) Includes options to purchase 50,000 shares.
(4) Includes options to purchase 750,000 shares.
(5) Includes 1,079,032 shares and 50,000 Class B Warrants owned by Glenwood Capital and 73,880 shares owned by Peter S. Chung.
(6) Includes 339,660 shares of Common Stock, Class A Warrants to purchase 300,000 shares and Class B Warrants to purchase 50,000 shares and includes options to purchase 100,000 shares.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS.
The following summary information is as of December 31, 2006 and relates to our 2005 Plan described in Item 10 pursuant to which we have granted options to purchase our common stock:
-------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------- ------------------------- (a) (b) (c) -------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------- ------------------------- Number of securities remaining available Number of shares of Weighted average for future issuance common stock to be exercise price under equity compensation issued upon exercise of outstanding plans (excluding shares Plan category of outstanding options options reflected in column (a) -------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------- ------------------------- Equity compensation Plans 1,961,222 $1.20 2,001,000 -------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------- ------------------------- |
ITEM 12. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS.
The transaction described in paragraph (i) below was approved by the Board
of directors and was an arms-length transaction which did not involve a director
or executive officer of our company. The transactions described in paragraph
(ii) below were approved by the Board of Directors based upon obtaining at least
three competitive quotes and Mr. Trepeta's wife being the best price. The
transactions described in paragraphs (i) and (ii) were on terms to us that are
at least as favorable as the terms we could have obtained from an unaffiliated
party.
(i) On August 5, 2002, we issued to David McCooey, who is currently the beneficial owner of 5.0% of our outstanding shares of common stock, a debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 originally convertible at $1.50 per share. The debenture bore interest at the rate of 10% per annum. On January 13, 2005, we agreed with Mr. McCooey to convert his $25,000 of principal and accrued interest thereon of $6,076, which payments were in arrears, into 31,076 shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $1.00 per share.
(ii) Mr. Trepeta's wife has a company which is a candle supplier. From time-to-time, we have in the past and may in the future purchase candle supplies from her company. During 2006 and 2005, we purchased a total of $8,657 and $10,313, respectively, from her company.
In the future, we expect to have one or more members of our Board be independent directors of our company. It is anticipated that future transactions between us and our executive officers and directors and other affiliated parties will be approved by the then disinterested members of the Board and, if not a majority of the Board, then by our independent director(s) through a committee appointed by the Board.
OTHER TRANSACTIONS
On April 10, 2006, the Company granted 40,000 five year non statutory stock options to an entity controlled by Dean L. Julia and Michael D. Trepeta, for the purchase of an email list of promotional products professionals and an industry specific search engine. Messrs. Julia and Trepeta have waived their right to receive any benefit from the option grant, and the options were granted in the name of the minority shareholders of the related entity. The options have an exercise price of $2.50 per share and the email list and search engine were expensed and have been valued at approximately $18,000, which is included in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006.
Item 13. EXHIBITS
Exhibit No. Description ----------- ----------- 3.1 Articles of Incorporation filed March 26, 1998 (1) 3.2 Amendment to Articles of Incorporation filed June 10, 1999 (1) 3.3 Amendment to Articles of Incorporation approved by stockholders on February 9, 2005(1) 3.4 Amended By-Laws (1) 10.1 Employment Agreement - Michael Trepeta (2) 10.2 Employment Agreement - Dean Julia (2) 10.3 Amendment to Employment Agreement - Michael Trepeta (5) 10.4 Amendment to Employment Agreement - Dean L. Julia (5) 10.5 Joint Venture Agreement with Atrium Enterprises Ltd. (3) 10.6 Agreement with Aon Consulting (3) 11.1 Statement re: Computation of per share earnings. See Statement of Operations and Notes to Financial Statements 14.1 Code of Ethics/Code of Conduct (5) 21.1 Subsidiaries of the Issuer - None 23.1 Consent of by Holtz Rubenstein Reminick LLP (3) 31.1 Chief Executive Officer Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification (3) 31.2 Chief Financial Officer Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification (3) 32.1 Chief Executive Officer Section 1350 Certification (3) 32.2 Chief Financial Officer Section 1350 Certification (3) 99.1 2005 Employee Benefit and Consulting Services Compensation Plan(2) 99.2 Form of Class A Warrant (2) 99.3 Form of Class B Warrant (2) 99.4 Amendment to 2005 Plan (4) 99.5 Form of Class C Warrant (3) 99.6 Release of Earnings - 2006 (3) ----------- |
(1) Incorporated by reference to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form
10-SB as filed with the Commission on February 10, 2005.
(2) Incorporated by reference to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form
10-SB/A as filed with the Commission March 18, 2005.
(3) Filed herewith.
(4) Incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Form 10-QSB/A filed with the
Commission on August 18, 2005.
(5) Incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Form 10-KSB for its fiscal
year ended December 31, 2005.
Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.
AUDIT FEES
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Holtz Rubenstein Reminick LLP ("independent auditors") for the audit of the Company's annual financial statements and the reviews of its financial statements included in the Company's quarterly reports and filings under the Securities Act of 1933 totaled approximately $61,500 and $43,500, respectively.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION FEES
For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, there were $-0- in fees billed for professional services by the Company's independent auditors rendered in connection with, directly or indirectly, operating or supervising the operation of its information system or managing its local area network.
ALL OTHER FEES
For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, there were no fees paid or billed for preparation of corporate tax returns, tax research and other professional services rendered by the Company's independent auditors.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC.
By: /s/ Dean L. Julia ------------------------------------ Dean L. Julia, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Dated: Valley Stream, New York March 16, 2007 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
Signatures Title Date ---------- ----- ---- /s/ Dean L. Julia Chairman of the Board March 16, 2007 -------------------------- Chief Executive Officer Dean L. Julia /s/ Sean McDonnell Chief Financial Officer March 16, 2007 -------------------------- Sean McDonnell /s/ Michael D. Trepeta President, Director March 16, 2007 -------------------------- Michael D. Trepeta /s/ Scott Novack Director March 16, 2007 -------------------------- Scott Novack |
Dean L. Julia, Michael D. Trepeta and Scott Novack represent all the current members of the Board of Directors.
EXHIBIT 10.5
JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 9th day of February, 2007 by and between Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc., with its principal executive office located at 457 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11581 ("Ace") and Atrium Enterprises Ltd., with its principal executive office located at 91 Michelle Drive, Jericho, NY 11753 ("Atrium").
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, Ace is a full service advertising specialties and promotional products distributor company, which distributes items manufactured by others to its customers typically with its customers' logos on them (the "Ace Business"); and
WHEREAS, Atrium is a leader in the motivation and rewards industry having a combination of over 30 years of experience, knowledge and long term relationships in this industry and specifically to the incentive and rewards business under the direction of Ken Sternfeld, it Chief Executive Officer and President, it being understood that Atrium's mission is to fuse together a suite of marketing and service solutions with a family of products and services that develop, maintain, and enhance business relationships, and the value of related transactions or actions (the "Atrium Business"); and
WHEREAS, Ace and Atrium mutually agree to enter into a Joint Venture Agreement whereby each company retains the other company's services as an independent sales representative for the other party; and
WHEREAS, it is intended that the parties will in the future explore joint venture initiatives to deepen the relationship between the parties and to increase the value of both organizations.
NOW, THEREFORE, it is agreed as follows:
ACE HIRES ATRIUM AS ITS SALES REPRESENTATIVE.
1. Atrium is hereby retained as a commissioned independent sales representative of Ace. Atrium will provide its sales services to Ace on an exclusive basis inasmuch as it will not provide similar services to other promotional product companies. Atrium's services will consist of selling promotional products, print sales and the like of Ace's Business to Atrium's clients.
2. Atrium shall commit to secure one or more qualified individuals to promote and sell promotional products, print sales and the like of Ace's Business.
3. Ace shall pay Atrium the following compensation:
(a) A 50% commission on gross profit (as defined herein) determined on a cash basis after collection of all sales orders receivables. "Gross Profit" shall be defined as collected revenues from sales orders in which Atrium are the salesman of record minus cost of goods, taxes, shipping and handling. Commissions due under this paragraph 3(a) shall be paid monthly on or about the last business day of each month.
(b) Atrium will receive a draw of up to $7,500 per month against its commissions, with the total outstanding draw amount never exceeding $30,000. On or before February 15, 2007, Ace shall grant Atrium four year non-qualified stock options to purchase 70,000 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $2.50 per share. The options shall vest in three equal annual installments commencing February 15, 2008. These options, which shall be transferable to the extent permitted by law and subject to the consent of Ace, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, shall be granted outside of Ace's stock option plan. In the event Ace determines that stockholder approval is required for the grant of these options due to the listing requirements of any Exchange NASDAQ or otherwise, Ace will undertake to obtain stockholder approval of same prior to February 15, 2008.
(c) Ace will reimburse Atrium for its out-of-pocket expenses on a monthly and non-accountable basis up to $400 per month. Any expense in excess of $400 is subject to the written approval of Ace.
4. Atrium agrees that the projected Gross Profit on all sales orders will be at least 25%, unless an officer of Ace consents to a lower Gross Profit. In the event that the Gross Profit on an order is less than 25%, the commission rate of 50% will be reduced by an agreed upon amount in writing.
5. Atrium and its employees who are assigned to work on Ace's account shall not be employees of Ace and shall not be entitled to any employee benefits, such as health, hospitalization and participation in a 401(k) plan or otherwise.
ATRIUM HIRES ACE AS ITS SALES REPRESENTATIVE.
6. Ace is hereby retained as a commissioned independent sales representative of Atrium. Ace will seek to introduce Atrium's Business products and services to its clients, including its incentive platform programs and/or Solata based target marketing/communication projects. These services will be provided by Ace to its clients either through one more trained employees or independent sales representatives of Ace or by referral of an Ace client to one or more Atrium representatives assigned to the account. All Ace referrals shall be documented in writing to Atrium.
7. Atrium shall pay Ace a 50% commission on gross profit (as defined herein) determined on a cash basis after collection of all sales orders receivables. "Gross Profit" shall be defined as collected revenues from sales orders in which Ace is the salesman of record minus cost of goods, taxes, shipping and handling. Commissions due under this paragraph 7 shall be paid monthly on or about the last business day of each month.
8. Ace and its employees who are assigned to work on Atrium's account shall not be employees of Atrium and shall not be entitled to any employee benefits, such as health, hospitalization and participation in a 401(k) plan or otherwise.
OTHER RELATED AGREEMENTS
9. Ace shall pay Atrium to cover its set-up costs of Atrium providing a fully functional customized ACE REWARDS platform for use with Ace's customers and/or employees. Atrium shall also provide enhanced Solata marketing and communication modules to the platform at agreed upon customization costs plus added functionality that would allow ACE to re-sell this ACE REWARDS platform to other entities within the promotional products industry as described in paragraph 11 below. All costs incurred by Atrium and to be paid by Ace shall be approved in advance in writing by Ace.
10. Atrium shall create and introduce a sponsored "Experience The Rewards" Mobile Banking Debit Card to ACE and their customers. The splitting of profits and costs of this arrangement shall be mutually agreed upon in writing at a later time.
11. Atrium agrees that Ace shall have exclusive sales/marketing rights to the ACE REWARD platform and the Mobile Banking Debit Card referenced in paragraph 10 above within the market defined as promotional products distributors, related industry organizations such as ASI, PPAI and other suppliers/manufacturers serving that industry. Upon Ace's request, Atrium shall provide documentation from it and its technology partner, if any, indicating their commitment to support Atrium as their sales entity servicing the ACE REWARD platform and the Mobile Banking Debit Card market with Solata technology and rewards initiatives.
12. Atrium will agree to participate in pre-determined Ace and/or Ace customer trade shows and events to further promote this joint venture agreement.
13. The term of this agreement shall be for a period of one year and shall be automatically extended for an additional year on each December 31 following the date hereof (the "Renewal Date"), unless a party to this agreement terminates this agreement in writing to the other party on or before the Renewal Date. In the event this agreement is terminated, the following provisions shall apply:
o Paragraph 14 and the last sentence of paragraph 17 shall survive the termination of this agreement in accordance with its terms;
o For a period of two years after the termination of this agreement, Atrium shall be obligated to maintain and support at its cost, the Rewards Platform;
o For a period of two years after the termination of this agreement, the provisions of paragraphs 10 and 11 shall continue in full force and effect.; and
o For a period of two years after the termination of this agreement, commissions shall be paid to the other party on all orders and reorders that are placed to a party to this agreement based on relationships that are established with customers between the date hereof and the termination date of this agreement. Accordingly, the termination of this agreement, will not terminate the other party's right to compensation for monies earned through the termination date of this agreement and a period of two years thereafter.
14. Each party agrees that during the term of this agreement and for a period of five years thereafter, the following shall apply:
(i) Neither party shall make any derogatory or disparaging remarks about the other party,
(ii) Neither party shall directly or indirectly cause or induce any employees, consultants, customers, suppliers and others from continuing its current or future business relationships with the other party,
(iii) Each party agrees to keep confidential the names of clients and customers of the other party and not to publicly or otherwise release such information to any competitor or other person or entity, except with the prior written approval of the other party.
15. This Agreement sets forth the entire and only agreement or understanding between Ace and Atrium relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and cancels all previous agreements, negotiations, letters of intent, correspondence, commitments and representations in respect thereof among them, and no party shall be bound by any conditions, definitions, warranties or representations with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement except as provided in this Agreement. This Agreement may not be amended in any respect except by an instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto.
16. Any and all notices, demands or requests required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall be given in writing and sent, by registered or certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested, by hand, or by overnight courier, addressed to the parties hereto at their addresses set forth above or such other addresses as they may from time-to-time designate by written notice, given in accordance with the terms of this paragraph.
17. The rights and obligations of each party under this Agreement shall insure to the benefit of and shall be binding upon any successor of each party, subject to the provisions hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations of each party hereunder shall be transferable or assignable, without the prior written consent of the other party. Nothing contained herein shall create a partnership or other taxable entity between the parties, it being understood that while this agreement is titled as a joint venture agreement, it is really a comprehensive agreement involving many agreements and understandings between the parties for the mutual benefit of each other.
18. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument. If a party signs this Agreement and transmits an electronic facsimile of the signature page to the other party, the party who receives the transmission may rely upon the electronic facsimile as a signed original of this Agreement.
19. This Agreement shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving reference to principles of conflict of laws. Each of the parties hereto irrevocably consents to the venue and exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in the State of New York, County of Nassau.
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC.
By: /s/ Michael D. Trepeta ---------------------------------- Michael D. Trepeta, President ATRIUM ENTERPRISES, LTD By: /s/ Ken Sternfeld ------------------------------------ Ken Sternfeld, President and CEO |
EXHIBIT 10.6
AGREEMENT WITH AON CONSULTING
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FEBRUARY 13, 2008
Aon Consulting is pleased to present our distinctive recruitment outsourcing services to the Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. We appreciate your interest in collaborating with us to customize a solution that meets your company's unique objectives of revenue growth by recruiting of high performing salespeople. Your feedback and guidance has helped us move to an approach that will enable us to deliver a high level of service and the results Ace Marketing is looking for in its drive to become a leading employer and significant player in the promotional products industry. We look forward to working with you to fine tune this approach to best meet your needs.
THE BOTTOM LINE
o Provide a mechanism for Ace Marketing to add 50 sales people over 12
months.
o The salespeople will be screened and pre-qualified by the Aon team before
being presented to Ace Marketing.
o Aon agrees to lawfully recruit prospective employees in accordance with
applicable federal and state laws.
o During the initial screening process, Aon will ask each candidate to
disclose information regarding their current employment agreement.
o Aon will present each candidate's respective employment agreement
information to Ace Marketing.
o Aon will inform each candidate that they may need to produce a copy of the
agreement for review by Ace Marketing.
o If applicable, Aon will facilitate the procurement of the agreement from
the candidate.
o Each qualified candidate will have generated a minimum of $400,000 in
revenue per year with a minimum of 30% gross profit on their book of
business.
o The 6-person Aon team will consist of a client delivery officer, a
recruitment leader, three recruiters and one sourcing specialist.
o Provide the infrastructure for potentially filling all Ace Marketing
positions as the company's growth strategy takes effect.
o Effectively and efficiently contact, generate interest in Ace Marketing,
and prescreen candidates from amongst the over 100,000 current
professionals in the promotional products industry for those that are best
suited to succeed and continue to the profitable growth of Ace Marketing.
o Improve focus on the mission of sales team growth by incorporating a
centralized recruitment team that will provide creativity to message,
consistency to the delivery, and scalability when needed to meet your
hiring needs.
Ace Marketing recognizes the loss in profits when the right sales people are not in place on time -- we will work diligently on your behalf to quickly identify available qualified candidates for placement. You will see from our performance standards in the scope of services matrix that we commit to rapid turnaround at all steps of the hiring process which, when teamed with quick hiring manager response, improves cycle time to fill and close rates on the best candidates.
OUR APPROACH
The attached Aon / Ace Marketing Process Map and Scope of Work Matrix provide
specific detail about our suggested roles and responsibilities. The attached Aon
Service Team chart identifies the support team that will serve you.
In order to streamline the recruitment process and allow for full process efficiencies, Aon Consulting has re-engineered our hiring solution for Ace Marketing's sales force staffing needs. Upon the completion of a strategy meeting with Ace to determine a cold calling strategy and selection criteria, Aon Consulting will phone Ace's list of potential candidates to generate interest and applicant flow. We will start by determining if there would be interest in moving to company with tremendous growth, better payouts, stock options, solid operations, excellent financing, etc., without mention of the Ace Marketing brand. If there is interest, we will transition into some initial prescreening questions to filter the top quality candidates. At this point, we will still have not revealed the Ace Marketing name. We will build a profile in our Tracker system for each candidate with key information from the prescreening such as TTM sales, # of accounts, size of largest account, and experience etc.
Once we determine that there is a potential match, we move into a description of Ace and a background of the company and its hiring initiative, and start to heavily recruit the candidate to move to Ace. Once the call is completed and there is still mutual interest, we will have the candidate send us a resume to attach to their profile. That profile and resume will be forwarded to the Ace hiring manager. Upon approval from the Ace hiring manager, Aon will slate the candidate for interviews. Aon will coordinate and manage the interview process and the offer management process for Ace.
KEY PRIORITIES
Ace Marketing's important objectives will be accomplished through our focus on
the following key priorities:
o Generating excitement in the opportunities at Ace Marketing among the
current professionals in the industry.
o Effectively prescreening the candidate's current client base to determine
fit for Ace profitable growth strategy.
o Providing continuous feedback, sharing critical information, and knocking
down barriers that prevent many qualified candidates from falling out of
recruitment process.
o Logistical facilitation for Ace Marketing interviews
o Determine meaningful reporting from which Ace Marketing management can
make business decisions.
With a focus on proper planning and these key priorities, we can deliver the experienced candidates to charge the rapid growth of Ace marketing.
PRICING
The fee schedule is as follows:
o Implementation Fee: $5,000 due February 2007
o Per hire fee: $10,500 per hire
We have based all fees on the agreed upon goal to onboard 50 new hires by February 2008. Aon will utilize all of its own systems for applicant intake, tracking, and reporting. Ace Marketing will provide Aon the listing of the 20,000 current promotional product distributorships in the promotional marketing industry to target for employment. Any travel and related expenses will be passed through to Ace Marketing at direct cost without mark-up.
SUMMARY
>From our meeting and prior conversations, we all recognize the loss in
profitability when the right sales people are not in place when the company
needs them, as we stated earlier. Aon will partner with you to optimize your use
of dedicated recruitment resources combined with a flexible support platform to
ensure that you receive outstanding support and achieve your business objectives
of hiring 50 new sales people by February 2008.
Our proposed approach will aid in soliciting interest, screening, processing and hiring top talent for Ace's hiring needs. We have extensive experience working with nationwide sales expansions to fulfill their staffing requirements, and we will leverage that experience in our work with you.
We hope that you have found our approach to be consultative. We are committed to continue working with you to identify key opportunities for enhancement and continuous improvement over time.
Again, thank you for this opportunity. We look forward to working with you to optimize your hiring process. You can reach me at 631-391-7005 or Patrick_Tomlinson@aon.com or Jason Krumwiede at 312-381-3211 or Jason_Krumwiede@aon.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
Patrick Tomlinson
cc. Jason Krumwiede
Attached documents:
1. Scope of services matrix
2. Recruitment Process Map
3. Aon Service Team structure
Signature of Acceptance of this document entitled Ace Marketing Proposal Letter
dated February 13, 2007:
Mr. Dean Julia
Chief Executive Officer
Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc.
457 Rockaway Ave
Valley Stream, NY 11581-1909
Signature--Ace Marketing &
Promotions, Inc.
Date of Acceptance
/s/ Dean L. Julia, Chief Executive Officer March 6, 2007 |
EXHIBIT 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference into the Registration Statements on Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-124185 and No. 333-128673) of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. of our report dated February 12, 2007 with respect to the financial statements of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-KSB of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2006.
Holtz Rubenstein Reminick LLP
Melville, New York
March 16, 2007
EXHIBIT 31.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13A-14(A) AND 15D-14(A)
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
I, Dean L. Julia, as Chief Executive Officer of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc., certifies that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc.;
2 Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's board of directors:
a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
Date: March 16, 2007 /s/ Dean L. Julia ---------------------------- Dean L. Julia Chief Executive Officer |
EXHIBIT 31.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13A-14(A) AND 15D-14(A)
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
I, Sean McDonnell as Chief Financial Officer of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc., certifies that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc.;
2 Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's board of directors:
a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
Date: March 16, 2007 /s/ Sean McDonnell --------------------------- Sean McDonnell Chief Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
In connection with the Annual Report of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. (the "registrant") on Form 10-KSB for the year ending December 31, 2006 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the "report"), I, Dean L. Julia, Chief Executive Officer of the registrant, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ss. 1350, as adopted pursuant to ss. 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
(1) The report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
(2) The information contained in the report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the registrant.
March 16, 2007
/s/ Dean L. Julia --------------------------- Dean L. Julia Chief Executive Officer |
EXHIBIT 32.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
In connection with the Annual Report of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. (the "registrant") on Form 10-KSB for the year ending December 31, 2006 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the "report"), I, Sean McDonnell , Chief Financial Officer of the registrant, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ss. 1350, as adopted pursuant to ss. 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
(1) The report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
(2) The information contained in the report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the registrant.
March 16, 2007
/s/ Sean McDonnell --------------------------- Sean McDonnell Chief Financial Officer |
Exhibit 99.5 Form of Class C Warrant
THE WARRANTS REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON EXERCISE THEREOF HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT (i) PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE ACT, (ii) TO THE EXTENT APPLICABLE, PURSUANT TO RULE 144 UNDER SUCH ACT (OR ANY SIMILAR RULE UNDER SUCH ACT RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF SECURITIES), OR (iii) UPON THE DELIVERY BY THE HOLDER TO THE COMPANY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, REASONABLY SATISFACTORY TO COUNSEL FOR THE COMPANY, STATING THAT AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT IS AVAILABLE.
EXERCISABLE UNTIL ON OR BEFORE JUNE 30, 2009
5:00 P.M., NEW YORK TIME OR THE REDEMPTION DATE
OF THE WARRANT, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER.
CLASS C WARRANTS
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC.
This warrant certificate (the "Warrant Certificate") certifies that ________________ or registered assigns, is the registered holder (the "Holder") of Warrants to purchase, at any time until 5`:00 P.M. New York time on the earlier of the Redemption Date of the Class C Warrants (as defined herein) or June 30, 2009 (the "Expiration Date"), up to ________ fully-paid and non-assessable shares, subject to adjustment in accordance with Article 6 hereof (the "Warrant Shares"), of the common stock, par value $.0001 per share (the "Common Stock"), of ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC., a New York corporation (the "Company"), subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein. The warrants represented by this Warrant Certificate and any warrants resulting from a transfer or subdivision of the warrants represented by this Warrant Certificate shall sometimes hereinafter be referred to, individually, as a "Warrant" and, collectively, as the "Warrants." This Warrant Certificate is being delivered in connection with the Confidential Offering Memorandum dated May 1, 2006 and Subscription Agreement between the Company and the original holder hereof.
1. EXERCISE OF WARRANTS. This Warrant is initially exercisable to purchase one Warrant Share at an initial exercise price of $1.75 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in Article 6 hereof, payable in cash or by check to the order of the Company, or any combination of cash or check. Upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate with the annexed Form of Election to Purchase duly executed, together with payment of the Exercise Price (as hereinafter defined) for the Warrant Shares purchased, at the Company's principal offices (presently located at 457 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11587), the registered holder of the Warrant Certificate (the "Holder" or "Holders") shall be entitled to receive a certificate or certificates for the Warrant Shares so purchased. The purchase rights represented by this Warrant Certificate are exercisable at the option of the Holder hereof, in whole or in part (but not as to fractional shares). In the case of the purchase of less than all the Warrant Shares purchasable under this Warrant Certificate, the Company shall cancel this Warrant Certificate upon its surrender and shall execute and deliver a new Warrant Certificate of like tenor for the balance of the Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder.
2. ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES. Upon the exercise of the Warrants, the issuance of certificates for the Warrant Shares purchased pursuant to such exercise shall be made forthwith without charge to the Holder thereof including, without limitation, any tax which may be payable in respect of the issuance thereof, and such certificates shall (subject to the provisions of Article 3 hereof) be issued in the name of, or in such names as may be directed by, the Holder thereof; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to pay any tax which may be payable in respect of any transfer involved in the issuance and delivery of any such certificates in a name other than that of the Holder and the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver such certificates unless or until the person or persons requesting the issuance thereof shall have paid to the Company the amount of such tax or shall have established to the satisfaction of the Company that such tax has been paid.
The Warrant Certificates and, upon exercise of the Warrants, the certificates representing the Warrant Shares shall be executed on behalf of the Company by the manual or facsimile signature of those officers required to sign such certificates under applicable law.
This Warrant Certificate and, upon exercise of the Warrants, in part or in whole, certificates representing the Warrant Shares shall bear a legend substantially similar to the following:
The securities represented by this certificate have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Act"), and may not be offered or sold except (i) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Act, (ii) to the extent applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 under the Act (or any similar rule under such Act relating to the disposition of securities), or (iii) upon the delivery by the holder to the Company of an opinion of counsel, reasonably satisfactory to counsel to the issuer, stating that an exemption from registration under such Act is available.
3. RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER OF WARRANTS AND WARRANT SHARES. The Holder of this Warrant Certificate, by its acceptance thereof, represents and warrants to, and covenants and agrees with the Company that the Warrants and the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are being acquired for the Holder's own account as an investment and not with a view to the resale or distribution thereof and that the Warrants and the Warrant Shares are not registered under the Act or any state securities or blue sky laws and, therefore, may not be transferred unless such securities are either registered under the Act and any applicable state securities law or an exemption from such registration is available. The Holder of this Warrant Certificate acknowledges that the Holder is an "accredited investor" within the meaning of Regulation D promulgated under the Act who has been provided with an opportunity to ask questions of representatives of the Company concerning the Company and that all such questions were answered to the satisfaction of the Holder. In connection with any purchase of Warrant Shares the Holder agrees to execute any documents which may be reasonably required by counsel to the Company to comply with the provisions of the Act and applicable state securities laws.
With respect to the Warrant Shares, the Holder shall be entitled to all of the rights and subject to all of the obligations set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement of even date herewith between the Company and the original holder hereof.
4. REDEMPTION RIGHTS OF CLASS C WARRANTS. Each Class C Warrant may be redeemed by the Company at a price of $.001 per Warrant on at least 30 days prior written notice (the "Redemption Date"), at anytime after the average closing sales price of the Company's Common Stock as reported in the Over-the-Counter Electronic OTC Bulletin Board, NASDAQ or if listed on a national securities exchange, equals or exceeds $3.00 per share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days ending within 10 days prior to the date of the notice of redemption is mailed or otherwise delivered by the Company to each holder of Class C Warrants, subject to the holders' rights to exercise their Class C Warrants through and including the Redemption Date of the Class C Warrants.
5. EXERCISE PRICE
5.1 INITIAL AND ADJUSTED EXERCISE PRICE. The initial exercise price of each Warrant shall be $1.75 per Warrant Share. The adjusted exercise price shall be the price which shall result from time to time from any and all adjustments of the initial exercise price in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 hereof.
5.2 EXERCISE PRICE. The term "Exercise Price" herein shall mean the initial exercise price or the adjusted exercise price, depending upon the context.
6. ADJUSTMENTS OF EXERCISE PRICE AND NUMBER OF WARRANT Shares.
6.1 DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. In case the Company shall at any time after the date hereof pay a dividend in shares of Common Stock or make a distribution in shares of Common Stock, then upon such dividend or distribution, the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such dividend or distribution shall be reduced to a price determined by dividing an amount equal to the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to such dividend or distribution multiplied by the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such dividend or distribution, by the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such dividend or distribution. For purposes of any computation to be made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.1, the Common Stock issuable by way of dividend or distribution shall be deemed to have been issued immediately after the opening of business on the date following the date fixed for determination of shareholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution.
6.2 SUBDIVISION AND COMBINATION. In case the Company shall at any time subdivide or combine the outstanding Common Stock, the Exercise Price shall forthwith be proportionately decreased in the case of subdivision or increased in the case of combination.
6.3 ADJUSTMENT IN NUMBER OF WARRANT SHARES. Upon each adjustment of the Exercise Price pursuant to the provisions of this Article 6, the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of each Warrant shall be adjusted to the nearest full share of Common Stock by multiplying a number equal to the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment by the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and dividing the product so obtained by the adjusted Exercise Price.
6.4 RECLASSIFICATION AND CONSOLIDATIONS. In case of any reclassification or change of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change in par value, or from par value to no par value, or as a result of a subdivision or combination), or in the case of any consolidation of the Company with, or merger of the Company into, another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the surviving corporation and which does not result in any reclassification or change of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, except a change as a result of a subdivision or combination of such shares or a change in nominal value, as aforesaid), or in the case of a sale or conveyance to another corporation of the property of the Company as an entirety, the Holder shall thereafter have the right to purchase the kind and number of shares of stock and other securities and property receivable upon such reclassification, change, consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance as if the Holder were the owner of the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to any such events at a price equal to the product of (x) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and (y) the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the record date for such reclassification, change, consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance as if such Holder had exercised the Warrants.
6.5 DETERMINATION OF OUTSTANDING SHARES. The number of shares of Common Stock at any one time outstanding shall include the aggregate number of shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights, warrants and upon the conversion or exchange of outstanding convertible or exchangeable securities.
7. EXCHANGE AND REPLACEMENT OF WARRANT CERTIFICATES. This Warrant Certificate is exchangeable without expense, upon the surrender hereof by the registered Holder at the principal executive office of the Company, for a new Warrant Certificate of like tenor and date representing in the aggregate the right to purchase the same number of Warrant Shares in such denominations as shall be designated by the Holder thereof at the time of such surrender.
Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it, and reimbursement to the Company of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender and cancellation of the Warrants, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant of like tenor, in lieu thereof.
8. ELIMINATION OF FRACTIONAL INTERESTS. The Company shall not be required to issue certificates representing fractions of shares of Common Stock and shall not be required to issue scrip or pay cash in lieu of fractional interests, it being the intent of the parties that all fractional interests shall be eliminated by rounding any fraction up to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock.
9. RESERVATION OF SHARES. The Company covenants and agrees that it will at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized share capital, solely for the purpose of issuance upon the exercise of the Warrants, such number of shares of Common Stock as shall be equal to the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants, for issuance upon such exercise, and that, upon exercise of the Warrants and payment of the Exercise Price therefor, all Warrant Shares issuable upon such exercise shall be duly and validly issued, fully paid, nonassessable and not subject to the preemptive rights of any shareholder.
10. NOTICES TO WARRANT HOLDERS. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as conferring upon the Holder or Holders the right to vote or to consent or to receive notice as a stockholder in respect of any meetings of stockholders for the election of directors or any other matter, or as having any rights whatsoever as a shareholder of the Company. If, however, at any time prior to the expiration of the Warrants and their exercise, any of the following events shall occur:
(a) the Company shall take a record of the holders of its Common Stock for the purpose of entitling them to receive a dividend or distribution payable otherwise than in cash, or a cash dividend or distribution payable otherwise then out of current or retained earnings, as indicated by the accounting treatment of such dividend or distribution on the books of the Company; or
(b) the Company shall offer to all the holders of its Common Stock any additional shares of Common Stock or other shares of capital stock of the Company or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock or other shares of capital stock of the Company, or any option, right or warrant to subscribe therefor;
(c) a dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the Company (other than in connection with a consolidation or merger) or a sale of all or substantially all of its property, assets and business as an entirety shall be proposed; or
(d) the Company or an affiliate of the Company shall propose to issue any rights to subscribe for shares of Common Stock or any other securities of the Company or of such affiliate to all the stockholders of the Company;
then, in any one or more of said events, the Company shall give written notice of such event at least twenty (20) days prior to the date fixed as a record date or the date of closing the transfer books for the determination of the stockholders entitled to such dividend, distribution, convertible or exchangeable securities or subscription rights, options or warrants, or entitled to vote on such proposed dissolution, liquidation, winding up or sale. Such notice shall specify such record date or the date of closing the transfer books, as the case may be. Failure to give such notice or any defect therein shall not affect the validity of any action taken in connection with the declaration or payment of any such dividend or distribution, or the issuance of any convertible or exchangeable securities or subscription rights, options or warrants, or any proposed dissolution, liquidation, winding up or sale.
11. NOTICES. All notices, requests, consents and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly made when delivered, or mailed by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested:
(a) If to a registered Holder of the Warrants, to the address of such Holder as shown on the books of the Company; or
(b) If to the Company, to the address set forth in Article 1 of this Agreement or to such other address as the Company may designate by notice to the Holders.
12. SUCCESSORS. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company and the Holders inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
13. GOVERNING LAW.
13.1 CHOICE OF LAW. This Agreement shall be deemed to have been made and delivered in the State of New York and shall be governed as to validity, interpretation, construction, effect and in all other respects by the internal laws of the State of New York.
13.2 JURISDICTION AND SERVICE OF PROCESS. The Company and the Holder each (a) agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Warrant Certificate shall be instituted exclusively in the Supreme Court of New York, New York, New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, New York (b) waives any objection which the Company or such Holder may have now or hereafter based upon FORUM NON CONVENIENS or to the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding, and (c) irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of New York, New York, New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, New York in any such suit, action or proceeding. The Company and the Holder each further agrees (a) to accept and acknowledge service of any and all process which may be served in any such suit, action or proceeding in the Supreme Court of New York, New York, New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, New York and (b) agrees that service of process upon the Company or the Holder mailed by certified mail to their respective addresses shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company or the Holder, as the case may be, in any suit, action or proceeding. FURTHER, BOTH THE COMPANY AND HOLDER HEREBY WAIVE TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION TO ENFORCE THE TERMS OF THIS WARRANT CERTIFICATE AND IN CONNECTION WITH ANY DEFENSE, COUNTERCLAIM OR CROSS-CLAIM ASSERTED IN ANY SUCH ACTION.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be duly executed, as of the 30th day of October, 2006.
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC.
By: /s/ Michael D. Trepeta ------------------------------ Michael D. Trepeta, President |
(Corporate Seal)
[FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE]
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to purchase ________ Warrant Shares and herewith tenders in payment for such Warrant Shares cash or a certified check payable to the order of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. in the amount of $_________, all in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such Warrant Shares be registered in the name of _____________________ ______________________, whose address is ________________ _______________________________________________________________, and that such certificate be delivered to ___________________, whose address is ______________ _____________________________.
Dated: ___________________________ Signature: ___________________________ (Signature must conform in all respects to name of holder as specified on the face of the Warrant Certificate.) _________________________________ |
ASSIGNMENT FORM
The undersigned, being the true and lawful owner of Holder Warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. hereby assigns and transfers unto:
Social Security Number/ Federal ID: _______________________
the right to purchase Common Stock of _____________ represented by this Warrant to the extent of _____________________ shares of Common Stock as to which such right is exercisable and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint __________________________ ___________________ Attorney, to transfer the same on the books of Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. with full power of substitution in the premises.
Dated: ___________________
EXHIBIT 99.6
ACE MARKETING & PROMOTIONS, INC.
457 ROCKAWAY AVENUE
VALLEY STREAM, NY 11581
(516) 256-7766
ACE REPORTS 2006 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS-SALES INCREASED 31.6% WHILE ACE'S NET LOSS DECREASED BY 29.5%
VALLEY STREAM, NY - March 19, 2007
Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. (OTC BB: AMKT) announced today its results of operations for 2006.
---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- Year Ended December 31 ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- 2006 2005 ---- ---- ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Revenue (A) $ 4,506,807 3,422,665 ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Cost of Revenues 3,183,825 2,324,185 ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Gross Profit (B) 1,322,982 1,098,480 ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Operating Expenses (C) 1,806,684 1,776,710 ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- (Loss) from operations (D) (483,702) (678,230) ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Net (Loss) (D) $ (481,026) $ (682,538) ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Net (Loss) per common Share $ (.07) $ (.12) ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- Weighted average common Shares Outstanding 7,142,594 5,880,531 ---------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- ---------- |
(A) The increases in revenues in 2006 were primarily due to Ace utilizing additional sales representatives to obtain additional customers.
(B) Gross profits will vary period-to-period depending upon a number of factors including the mix of items sold, pricing of the items and the volume of product sold.
(C) Operating expenses in 2006 increased over 2005 by approximately $30,000 or 1.7%, primarily due to increased salaries of officers.
(D) In 2006, we experienced a reduction in stock based compensation of approximately $380,000, increased gross profit of approximately $225,000 and decreased sales commissions of approximately $62,000, while incurring increased salaries and benefits of approximately $380,000. The foregoing are the primary reasons for our 2006 net loss decreasing by a net amount of approximately $200,000 as compared to 2005.
INTRODUCING ACE
Ace is a full service advertising specialties and promotional products company that distributes items typically with logos to large corporations, schools and universities, financial institutions and not-for-profit organizations. Specific categories of promotional products include advertising specialties, business gifts, incentives and awards, and premiums.
For additional information, a copy of Ace's Form 10-KSB can be obtained on the Internet by going to WWW.ACEMARKETING.NET, clicking on links and then clicking on SEC Filings.
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements express or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, changes in levels of competition, possible loss of customers, and the company's ability to attract and retain key personnel.