PUREBASE, INC. A
ND
SUBSIDIARY
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED NOVEMBER 2014 AND 2013
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|
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|
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(8 Months)
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|
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2014
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|
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2013
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|
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|
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|
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|
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OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
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|
|
|
|
|
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Net loss
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|
$
|
(856,783
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)
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|
$
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(427,276
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)
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Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used
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|
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in operating activates:
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Depreciation and amortization
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12,043
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|
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4,350
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|
Effect of changes in:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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Prepaid expenses and other current assets
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|
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(9,939
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)
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|
|
-
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|
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
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|
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103,698
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|
|
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3,355
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|
Net cash used in operating activities
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(750,981
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)
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(419,571
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)
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Investing Activities:
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Purchase of property and equipment
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|
-
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|
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(60,213
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)
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Mineral rights acquisitio costs
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|
|
-
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|
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(200,000
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)
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Advances to officers
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|
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(28,000
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)
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|
-
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Advances to relates parties
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(60,499
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)
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|
-
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Net cash used in investing activities
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|
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(88,499
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)
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|
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(260,213
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)
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Financing Activities:
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|
|
|
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Proceeds from sale of equity units
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|
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490,984
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|
|
|
-
|
|
Proceeds from notes payable
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650,000
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|
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|
550,000
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Advances from related parties
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(129,784
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)
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|
|
129,784
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|
Net cash provided by financing actiivities
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|
1,011,200
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|
|
|
679,784
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|
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|
|
|
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Net change in cash
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171,720
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|
|
|
-
|
|
Cash, beginning of period
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|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Cash, end of period
|
|
|
171,720
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|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Interest paid in cash
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|
$
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40,093
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|
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$
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12,246
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|
Income taxes paid in cash
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|
$
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-
|
|
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$
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-
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|
The above data represents the combined cash flows of Purebase, Inc. and U. S. Agricultural Minerals, LLC
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
PUREBASE, I
NC
. AND SUBSIDIARY
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOVEMBER 30, 2014
NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Business Activity
Purebase, Inc. (“Purebase” or “the Company”) was incorporated in the state of Nevada on June 11, 2013 as an exploration and mining company which will focus on identifying and developing advanced stage natural resource projects which show potential to achieve full production. The business strategy of Purebase is to identify, acquire, define, develop and operate world-class industrial and natural resource properties and to provide mine development and operations services to mining properties located initially in the Western United States and currently in California and Nevada. The Company intends to engage in the identification, acquisition, development, mining and full-scale exploitation of industrial and natural mineral properties in the United States as its top priority. Purebase’s business plan will focus on the industrial and agricultural market sectors. The Company will seek to develop deposits of pozzolan, white silica, copper and potassium sulfate which offer a wide range of uses including construction, agriculture additives, animal feedstock, ceramics, synthetics, absorbents and electronics.
Purebase is headquartered in Yuba City, California. Purebase’s business is divided into wholly-owned subsidiaries which will operate as business divisions whose sole focus is to develop sector related products and to provide for distribution of those products into primarily the agricultural and construction industry sectors.
On November 24, 2014, Purebase acquired 100% ownership of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company (“USAM”)that was under common majority ownership. Purebase issued 50,000 (115,000 post-split) shares of common stock for 100% of the membership interests of USAM. USAM has developed certain intellectual property applicable to making cement and other products of interest to Purebase. Specifically, USAM has done extensive research and testing of the Potassium Sulfate deposit, Lignite deposit and the Pozzolan deposits for agricultural applications and use as a high grade SCM.
Given that Purebase and USAM shared the same majority ownership during 2013 and through the acquisition by Purebase on November 24, 2014, the results of operations of USAM are combined with Purebase for 2014 and 2013 as if the acquisition had occurred in April 2013, when the business commenced operations in accordance with FASB ASC 805-50-45. Purebase and USAM are collectively referred to herein as the “Company”.
Basis of Presentation and Going Concern
The Company incurred a net loss of $856,783 for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014 and generated negative cash flows from operations. In addition the Company has not yet generated revenue in conjunction with its business plan. In order to support its operations, the Company will require additional infusions of cash from the sale of equity instruments or the issuance of debt instruments, or the commencement of profitable revenue generating activities. The Company is contemplating a reverse merger into a public shell company as a vehicle for raising funds. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, the Company’s ability to fund its operations, take advantage of potential acquisition opportunities, develop or enhance its properties in the future or respond to
Purebase, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
competitive pressures would be significantly limited. Such limitations could require the Company to curtail, suspend or discontinue parts of its business plan.
These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Because of its net loss and negative cash flows from operations, its independent auditors, in their report on our financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014 and 2013, expressed substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that could result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Principles of Consolidation
All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Management believes the assumptions underlying the consolidated financial statements are reasonable.
Use of Estimates and Assumptions
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experience and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual results experienced by the Company may differ materially and adversely from the Company’s estimates. To the extent there are material differences between the estimates and the actual results, future results of operations will be affected.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are carried at cost. Depreciation is computed using straight line depreciation methods over the estimated useful lives as follows:
Equipment
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5 years
|
Autos and trucks
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5 years
|
Major additions and improvements are capitalized. Costs of maintenance and repairs which do not improve or extend the life of the associated assets are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. When there is a disposition of property and equipment, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in net income.
Notes to Financial Statements
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers cash in banks, deposits in transit, and highly liquid debt instruments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. The Company believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash balances.
Exploration Stage
The Company has not established proven or probable reserves, as defined by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study for any of its projects. As a result, the Company remains in the Exploration Stage as defined under Industry Guide 7, and will continue to remain in the Exploration Stage until such time proven or probable reserves have been established.
In accordance with U.S. GAAP, expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights are initially capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time the Company exits the Exploration Stage by establishing proven or probable reserves. Expenditures relating to exploration activities such as drill programs to establish mineralized materials are expensed as incurred. Expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which expenditures relating to mine development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred.
Mineral Rights
Acquisition costs of mineral rights are capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time the Company exits the Exploration Stage by establishing proven or probable reserves, as defined by the SEC under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study. Expenditures relating to exploration activities are expensed as incurred and expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which subsequent expenditures relating to development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred.
Where proven and probable reserves have been established, the project’s capitalized expenditures are depleted over proven and probable reserves upon commencement of production using the units-of-production method. Where proven and probable reserves have not been established, such capitalized expenditures are depleted over the estimated production life upon commencement of extraction using the straight-line method. The Company has not established proven or probable reserves for any of its projects.
The carrying values of the mineral rights are assessed for impairment by management on a quarterly basis or when indicators of impairment exist. Should management determine that these carrying values cannot be recovered, the unrecoverable amounts are written off against earnings.
Purebase, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value in the Company’s balance sheet are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. The categories, as defined by the standard, are as follows:
Level Input:
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Input Definition:
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Level I
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Inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets at the measurement date.
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Level II
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Inputs, other than quoted prices included in Level I, that are observable for the asset or liability through corroboration with market data at the measurement date.
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Level III
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Unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.
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For certain of our financial instruments, including accounts payable and accrued expenses, the carrying amounts are approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. The carrying amount of the Company’s notes payable approximates fair value based on prevailing interest rates.
Income Taxes
The Company is expected to have net operating loss carryforwards that it can use to offset a certain amount of taxable income in the future. The Company is currently analyzing the amount of loss carryforwards that will be available to reduce future taxable income. The resulting deferred tax assets will be offset by a valuation allowance due to the uncertainty of its realization. The primary difference between income tax expense attributable to continuing operations and the amount of income tax expense that would result from applying domestic federal statutory rates to income before income taxes relates to the recognition of a valuation allowance for deferred income tax assets.
The Company has adopted FASB ASC 740-10 which clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise's financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold of more likely than not as a measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. In making this assessment, a company must determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, based solely on the technical merits of the position and must assume that the tax position will be examined by taxing authorities. The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Interest and penalties totaled $0 for the fiscal years ended November 30, 2014 and 2013. The Company’s net operating loss carryforwards are subject to IRS examination until they are fully utilized and such tax years are closed. As of November 30, 2014, all of the Company tax filings are subject to examination.
Net Income (Loss) Per Share
The Company calculates net income (loss) per share as required by Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 260-10, Earnings per Share (ASC 260-10”). Basic earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average
Purebase, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
number of common shares and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding. During the year ended November 30, 2014, warrants to purchase common stock were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share as their effect was anti-dilutive. There were no common stock equivalents outstanding during the year ended November 30, 2013.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
The Company accounts for the impairment and disposition of long-lived assets in accordance with ASC 350,
“Intangibles – Goodwill and Other
” and ASC 360,
“Property and Equipment”
. Long-lived assets to be held and used are reviewed for events or changes in circumstances that indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. We measure recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to the expected future undiscounted net cash flows generated by the asset. If we determine that the asset may not be recoverable, or if the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, we recognize an impairment charge to the extent of the difference between the fair value and the asset's carrying amount. No impairment losses were recorded during the years ended November 30, 2014 and 2013.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15,
Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern (Topic 915): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
, which states that in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period, an entity’s management should evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued when applicable). The adoption of this update did not have a material effect on our financial statements.
In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-10,
Development Stage Entities (Topic 915): Elimination of Certain Financial Reporting Requirements, Including an Amendment to Variable Interest Entities Guidance
, which eliminates the distinction and separate requirements for development stage entities and other reporting entities under U.S. GAAP. Specifically the
amendment
eliminates the requirement for development stage entities to 1) present inception-to-date information in the statements of income, cash flow and shareholders’ equity, 2) label the financial statements as those of a development stage entity, 3) disclose a description of the development stage activities in which the entity is engaged and 4) disclose the first year in which the entity is no longer a development stage entity that in prior years it had been in the development stage. ASU 2014-10 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2014 with early adoption permitted. The Company has adopted ASU 2014-10
during the year ended November 30, 2014.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09
Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)
, which will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. ASU No. 2014-09 provides that an entity recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This update also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments, and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. ASU No. 2014-09 allows for either full retrospective or modified retrospective adoption and will become
Notes to Financial Statements
effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018. The Company is evaluating the potential effects of the adoption of this update on its financial statements.
In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-11,
Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists
, which eliminates diversity in practice for the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or a tax credit carryforward is available to reduce the taxable income or tax payable that would result from disallowance of a tax position. ASU 2013-11 affects only the presentation of such amounts in an entity’s balance sheet and is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2013 and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this update did not have a material effect on our financial statements.
NOTE 2. PROPERTIES
Placer Mining Claims Lassen County, CA
Placer Mining Claim Notices have been filed and recorded with the US Bureau of Land Management (the “BLM”) relating to 50 Placer mining claims identified as “USMC 1” thru “USMC 50” covering 1,145 acres of mining property located in Lassen County, California and known as the “Long Valley Pozzolan Deposit”. The Long Valley Pozzolan Deposit is a placer claims resource in which Purebase holds non-patented mining rights to 1,145acres of contiguous placer claims within the boundaries of a known and qualified Pozzolan deposit. These claims were assigned to Purebase by one of its founders at his original cost basis of $0.
Federal Preference Rights Lease in Esmeralda County NV
This Preference Rights Lease is granted by the BLM covering approximately 2,500 acres of land located in the Mount Diablo Meridian area of Nevada. Contained in the leased property is the Chimney 1 Potassium/Sulfur Deposit which consists of 15.5 acres of land fully permitted for mining operation which is situated within the 2,500 acres held by Purebase. These rights are presented at their cost of $200,000.
NOTE 3. NOTES PAYABLE
On April 8, 2013, USAM issued a $1,000,000 promissory note to an unaffiliated third party. This note was assumed by Purebase on November 24, 2014 in connection with the acquisition of USAM by Purebase. The note bears simple interest at an annual rate of 5% and the principal and accrued interest are payable on May 1, 2016. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, which includes voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy, all unpaid principal, accrued interest and other amounts owing are immediately due, payable and collectible by the lender pursuant to applicable law. The balance of the note was $1,000,000 and $550,000 at November 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
On August 31, 2014, Purebase issued a promissory note in the amount of $200,000 for general working capital needs. The note bears interest of 5% per annum with the principal and accrued interest due on October 31, 2014.
During the year ended November 30, 2013, the Company received non-interest bearing advances from GroWest, a company owned by a significant stockholder of Purebase. At November 30, 2013, the balance
Purebase, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
of these advances amounted to $129,784, which was repaid in full during the year ended November 30, 2014.
Future payments on notes payable at November 30, 2014 are as follows:
Years Ending
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|
|
|
November 30
|
|
|
|
2015
|
|
$
|
200,000
|
|
2016
|
|
|
1,000,000
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
1, 200,000
|
|
NOTE 4. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Office and Rental Property Leases
Purebase is temporarily subletting office space from OPTEC Solutions, LLC, a company partly owned by the Company’s CFO, on a month-to-month basis. Base rent under the lease is $5,028 per month.
The BLM Preference Rights Lease requires an annual lease payment to the BLM of $30,000.
Legal Matters
Purebase and US Agricultural Minerals, LLC along with certain principals of those entities were named as defendants in a Complaint filed in the Second Judicial District Court in Washoe County, Nevada (Case # CV14 01348) on June 23, 2014. The Complaint was filed by Madelaine and Edwin Durand alleging various causes of action including breach of contract and misrepresentations by various defendants and certain principals of Purebase and USAM. The substance of the Complaint involves the alleged breach and other wrongful acts pertaining to a Mineral Lease Contract and a Non-Disclosure, Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement entered into between the Plaintiffs and the Defendants. On September 11, 2014 a Motion to Dismiss was filed on behalf of all Defendants and is pending awaiting determination by the Court.
Contractual Matters
On November 1, 2013, Purebase entered into an agreement with US Mine Corp, which performs services relating to various technical evaluations and mine development services to Purebase with regard to the various mining properties/rights owned by Purebase. Terms of services and compensation will be determined for each project undertaken by US Mine Corp.
On July 30, 2014 Purebase entered into a Placer Claims Assignment Agreement pursuant to which Scott Dockter and Teresa Dockter assigned their rights to certain Placer Mining Claim Notices filed and recorded with the BLM relating to 50 Placer mining claims identified as “USMC 1” thru “USMC 50” covering 1,145 acres of mining property located in Lassen County, California and known as the “Long Valley Pozzolan Deposit”.
On October 6, 2014 Purebase entered into an Assignment of Lease with US Mine Corp. pursuant to which Purebase acquired the rights to a Preference Rights Lease granted by the BLM covering
Purebase, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
approximately 2,500 acres of land located in the Mount Diablo Meridian area of Nevada. The Lease requires future payment obligations of $30,000 annually and other future contingent payments.
Concentration of Credit Risk
The Company maintains cash accounts at a financial institution. The account is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The cash account, at times, may exceed federally insured limits.
NOTE 5. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
On November 21, 2014, the Company effected a 2.3-for-1 forward split of its common shares. All common stock amounts have been adjusted retroactively to reflect this stock split.
Issuance of Common Stock
Purebase issued 50,000 (115,000 post-split) shares of common stock to the three Members of US Agricultural Minerals LLC in exchange for 100% ownership of US Agricultural Minerals LLC, which were treated as founders’ shares of USAM.
On December 2, 2013 Purebase issued 19,800,000 (45,540,000 post-split) shares of common stock to its founders.
On November 24, 2014 Purebase issued 162,802 units, comprised of one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase common stock, through a private placement to 10 investors for aggregate net proceeds of $490,984.
Common Stock Warrants
On November 24, 2014, as part of the private placement stock issuance, investors were issued warrants to purchase an additional share of Purebase common stock for an exercise price of $6.00 per share with an exercise term of one year.
Warrants outstanding at November 30, 2014 are as follows:
Shares
|
|
|
Exercise Price
|
|
Maturity
|
|
162,802
|
|
|
$
|
6.00
|
|
Nov 2015
|
NOTE 6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
In October 2014, Purebase acquired the
Mineral Preference Rights Lease in Esmeralda County, NV from US Mine Corp., a company owned by the majority stockholders of Purebase. The consideration of $200,000 was paid directly to a third party from the proceeds from the Company’s $1,000,000 promissory note.
Purebase, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
Purebase entered into a Contract Mining Agreement with US Mine Corp pursuant to which US Mine Corp will provide various technical evaluations and mine development services to Purebase. No services were rendered pursuant to this contract during the years ended November 30, 2014 and 2013.
During the year ended November 30, 2014, Purebase acquired the Placer Mining Claims, “USMC 1-50”, from Scott Dockter, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, in exchange for 12,708,000 pre-split (29,228,400 post-split) founders’ shares of common stock. These mining claims were recorded at the CEO’s historical cost basis of $0.
Prior to its acquisition by Purebase in November 2014, US Agricultural Minerals, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, was 100% beneficially owned by Scott Dockter and John Bremer. Scott and John are collectively the majority stockholders of Purebase and Scott serves as the Company’s CEO.
During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014, Purebase paid rent of $50,285 for office space to Optec Solutions. Amy Clemens, the CFO of Purebase, is part owner of Optec Solutions.
During 2013, GroWest Corporation advanced $129,784 to Purebase to fund ongoing business operations. GroWest is a company owned by John Bremer, who is a major stockholder of Purebase. The advance was repaid in full during 2014.
Purebase entered into a Consulting Agreement with Baystreet Capital Corp. to provide investor relations and other services as requested by Purebase. The Consulting Agreement will continue until terminated by one or both parties. Todd Gauer is a principal of Baystreet Capital and is a shareholder, officer and director of Purebase. During the year ended November 30, 2014, Baystreet Capital was paid consulting fees of $38,000.
Purebase entered into a Consulting Agreement with JAAM Capital Corp. to provide business development and marketing services as requested by Purebase. The Consulting Agreement will continue until terminated by one or both parties. Kevin Wright is a principal of JAAM Capital and is a shareholder, officer and director of Purebase. During the year ended November 30, 2014, JAAM Capital was paid consulting fees of $10,000.
During the year ended November 30, 2014, the Company paid consulting fees totaling $53,000 to its CFO, and $175,000 to its CEO.
ITEM 9.
CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEME
NT
S WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A.
CONTROLS AND
P
ROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (the “Certifying Officers”), evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Based on that evaluation, the Certifying Officers concluded that, as of the date of the evaluation, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed in the Company’s periodic filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
The Certifying Officers have also indicated that there were no changes in internal controls over financial reporting during the Company’s last fiscal quarter. The reorganization transaction significantly affected such controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the Company’s financial statements for external reporting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management evaluates the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control – “Integrated Framework.” Management, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of November 30, 2014 and concluded that it is ineffective in assuring that the financial reports of the Company are free from material errors or misstatements.
Management has identified two material weaknesses and is taking action to remedy and remove the weakness in its internal controls over financial reporting:
|
●
|
Lack of an independent board of directors, including an independent financial expert. The current board of directors is evaluating expanding the board of directors to include additional independent directors. The current board is composed of three members and may be expanded to as many as nine members under the Company’s By-Laws.
|
|
●
|
Lack of adequate accounting resources and adequate segregation of duties over various accounting and reporting functions.
|
Our management, including the Certifying Officers, does not expect that our disclosure controls or our internal controls will prevent all errors and fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Because of these inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
This annual report does not include an attestation report by the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to current rules of the SEC that permit the Company, as a smaller reporting company, to provide only management’s report in this annual report.
ITEM 9B.
OTHER INFORMA
TI
ON
None.
ITEM 10.
DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFF
IC
ERS
AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Our Board of Directors currently consists of three members. Each director holds office until his/her successor is duly elected by the stockholders. Executive officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. Our current directors and executive officers are:
Name
|
Age
|
Position
|
Director Since
|
A. Scott Dockter
|
58
|
President, CEO and Chairman
|
9/24/2014
|
Calvin Lim
|
57
|
Director
|
10/27/2014
|
John Bremer
|
65
|
Director
|
12/23/2014
|
Amy Clemens
|
58
|
CFO and Secretary
|
10/27/2014
|
A. Scott Dockter
has been the CEO, President and a Director of the Company since September 24, 2014 and President and a Director of Purebase Ag. since January 22, 2014. Mr. Dockter also serves as the CEO and a Director of US Mine Corp. from 2012 to the present. US Mine Corp. is a private company focusing on the development and contract mining of industrial mineral and metal projects. Mr. Dockter was also a Manager-member of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC from its inception in June, 2013 until its acquisition by Purebase Ag on November 24, 2014 however he continues as the COO of the LLC. From July 2010 to June 2012, Mr. Dockter served as CEO, President and Chairman of Steele Resources Corp. a public company and its subsidiary Steele Resources, Inc. which were involved in the property evaluation and exploration for gold after a reorganization with a company called
Steele Recording Corp. Over the course of his 30-year career, Mr. Dockter has been responsible for the development of several large open pit and underground mines in the USA, having worked extensively in the states of Nevada, California, Idaho, and Montana. Mr. Dockter has had comprehensive involvement in all aspects of the mining business, including exploration, permitting, mine development, financing, operations, asset acquisitions, and marketing and sales. His experience covers a wide range of commodities including industrial minerals, gold, silver, copper and other precious metals. Mr. Dockter has over 18-years’ experience as a director in the public markets, and has broad experience in the debt and equity markets. He has personally owned mines, operated mines, constructed mine infrastructures (physical, production and process) and produced precious metals. Mr. Dockter holds a Class A Engineering License and a General Engineering License in the state of California.
Mr. Dockter is not currently an officer or director of any other reporting company.
Calvin Lim
was appointed to the Board of Directors on October 27, 2014. Mr. Lim was also appointed a Director of Purebase Ag on February 5, 2015. Mr. Lim owned and operated two large Chinese restaurants in Sacramento from 1981 to 2003. From 1984 to 2006 he served as President of Hoi Sing Inc., which was a company which invested in properties located in Hong Kong and China and he is co-owner of the Oriental Trading Company which is involved in the Chinese imports and exports business. Mr. Lim earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Sacramento State University. Mr. Lim is not currently an officer or director of any other reporting company. Mr. Lim is not currently an officer or director of any other reporting company.
John Bremer
was appointed a Director of the Company as a result of the Reorganization in December, 2014. Mr. Bremer was also appointed a Director of Purebase Ag on February 5, 2015. Mr. Bremer is a seasoned executive managing successful business’s for the past 35 years. From February 20, 2014 to the present he has served as a Director and President of U.S Mine Corp.
Mr. Bremer was also a Manager-member of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC from its inception in June, 2013 until its acquisition by Purebase Ag on November 24, 2014.
For the past 20 years he has been the CEO of GroWest, Inc. a holding company with subsidiary companies in the heavy equipment rental and property development business in California. Mr. Bremer started his career teaching college level horticulture and soil science classes. When Mr. Bremer moved on from teaching he opened and managed large mining operations for Riverside Cement and California Portland Cement Company. During his time working with cement producers he was engaged in several cement solutions. An example was helping design material input methodologies to reduce the Nitrogen Oxide emissions from calcining cement. This interaction and knowledge of the cement industry has led to the creation of proprietary cement replacement products. Mr. Bremer also developed a large organic composting operation in Riverside County which provided a successful management solution for bio solids from Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties. Once that company completed its development and was well positioned, he successfully sold it to Synagro Technologies, the company continues today as a part of The Carlyle Group. Mr. Bremer has successfully developed several other properties in the Riverside County and Napa Valley which included comprehensive experience in permitting processes. Mr. Bremer earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agri Business from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA. Mr. Bremer is not currently an officer or director of any other reporting company.
Amy Clemens
was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company on October 27, 2014. Ms. Clemens was appointed CFO of Purebase Agricultural, Inc. on October 10, 2014 and Corporate Secretary on January 5, 2015.
Before joining the Company, she established OPTEC Solutions, LLC in January, 2008 and she currently serves as the Chief Operations Officer. OPTEC Solutions, LLC provides manned and unmanned aerial solutions to the Department of Defense.
Ms. Clemens has over 30 years’ experience in corporate finance, budget, internal audit and business management. She also brings several years’ experience working in the petrochemical industry. She is President of an all-volunteer organization known as the Golden West Aviation Association. Ms. Clemens earned her bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Business and master’s degree in History from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Currently, she is working on her degree in Doctoral Management from the University of Phoenix. Ms. Clemens is not currently an officer or director of any other reporting company.
Directors serve for a one-year term or until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Our Bylaws provide for one to nine directors with the Board having the authority to set the number of Directors within that range. The Board has determined three directors as the current authorized number. Our executive officers are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board.
Corporate Governance
Our Board of Directors has three directors and has not yet established an Audit Committee. Consequently, until an Audit Committee is formed, all responsibilities of an Audit Committee are currently being performed by the entire Board. Our Board does not have an executive committee or any committee performing similar functions. We are not currently listed on a national securities exchange or on an inter-dealer quotation system that has requirements that a majority of the Board of Directors be independent. Pursuant to an exemption provided under the NASDAQ regulations, we expect to establish an Audit Committee with independent members within the current fiscal year.
Audit Committee Functions
Until an Audit Committee is formed our Board of Directors is responsible for reviewing and monitoring our financial statements and internal accounting procedures, recommending the selection of independent auditors by our Board, evaluating the scope of the annual audit, reviewing audit results, consulting with management and our independent auditor prior to presentation of financial statements to stockholders and, as appropriate, initiating inquiries into aspects of our internal accounting controls and financial affairs.
Compensation and Nominations Committees
We currently have no Compensation or Nominating Committee or other Board committee performing equivalent functions. Currently, all members of our Board of Directors participate in discussions concerning executive officer compensation and nominations to the Board of Directors. Due to the Company’s limited previous operations and the recent Reorganization of the Company’s business
,
the PureBase Board has limited resources and operations to work with. Consequently the Board believes that at the present time it is both reasonable and expedient that the full Board review and set executive compensation and nominations to the Board. In light of the above, Mr. Dockter, as a Director, participated in the determination of compensation to be paid to him.
Stockholder Communication Policy
Stockholders may send communications to the Board or individual members of the Board by writing to them, care of Secretary, PureBase Corporation, 1670 Sierra Ave., Suite 402, Yuba City, CA 95993, who will forward the communication to the intended director or directors. If the stockholder wishes the communication to be confidential, then the communication should be provided in a form that will maintain confidentiality. Examples of ways to submit a confidential communication would be to conspicuously mark “CONFIDENTIAL” on any envelope or package submitted or, if an e-mail communication, request the Director’s personal e-mail address to send your communication rather than the Company’s general e-mail address.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Board intends to adopt a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company and Purebase Ag. Upon adoption we will provide any person, without charge, a copy of this Code. Requests for a copy of the Code may be made by writing to PureBase Corporation, 1670 Sierra Ave., Suite 402, Yuba City, CA 95993 Attention: Secretary.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
The Company’s securities are not currently registered under §12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Consequently the reporting requirements of §16(a) as well as the Proxy Rules of the Exchange Act do not yet apply to the Company.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters
The Company’s Bylaws provide that it will indemnify its officers and directors, employees and agents and former officers, directors, employees and agents so long as such person acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. This indemnification includes expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by these individuals in connection with such action, suit, or proceeding, including any appeal thereof, subject to the qualifications contained in Nevada law as it now exists. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit, or proceeding may be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit, or proceeding upon authorization of the Board of Directors and receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director, officer, employee or agent to repay such amount, unless it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized in the Bylaws. This indemnification will continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent, and will benefit their heirs, executors, and administrators. These indemnification rights are not deemed exclusive of any other rights to which any such person may otherwise be entitled apart from the Bylaws. Nevada law generally provides that a corporation shall have the power of indemnify persons if they acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful. In the event any such person is judged liable for negligence or misconduct, this indemnification will apply only if approved by the court in which the action was pending. Any other indemnification shall be made only after the determination by the Company’s Board of Directors (excluding any directors who were party to such action), by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or by a majority vote of stockholders (excluding any stockholders who were parties to such action) to provide such indemnification.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
Board Meetings and Committees
Our Board of Directors held no meetings during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014 and acted by unanimous written consent on 2 occasions. Each nominee who was a director during fiscal year 2014 participated in at least 75% of the aggregate number of the meetings or actions taken in lieu of a meeting of the Board held during the time that such nominee was a director.
Attendance of Directors at Annual Meetings of Stockholders
The Company has a policy of encouraging, but not requiring, directors to attend the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders.
Compensation of Directors
At present we do not pay our Directors any compensation or cost reimbursement for their service as Directors. We have no standard arrangement pursuant to which our Directors are compensated for any services provided as a director or for committee participation or special assignments. The Company’s Directors were not paid any compensation during fiscal years 2014 or 2013.
ITEM 11.
EXECUTIVE COMPEN
SA
TION
The following table sets forth the compensation of the Company’s Principal Executive Officers during the fiscal years ended November 30, 2014 and 2013 and each employee who received annual compensation in excess of $100,000 during the last completed fiscal year.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
Name & Position
|
|
Fiscal Year
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
Bonus
($)
|
|
Stock Awards
$
|
|
Option Awards
$
|
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
($)
|
|
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings
($)
|
|
All Other Compensation
($)
|
|
Total
($)
|
Joseph Shea
(CEO)
(1)
|
|
2014
2013
|
|
Nil
Nil
|
|
-0-
-0-
|
|
-0-
-0-
|
|
-0-
-0-
|
-0-
-0-
|
|
-0-
-0-
|
|
-0-
-0-
|
|
Nil
Nil
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Dockter (CEO)
(2)
|
|
2014
|
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
|
175,000
(4)
|
|
175,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amy Clemens (CFO)
(3)
|
|
2014
|
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
-0-
|
|
-0-
|
|
53,000
(4)
|
|
53,000
|
(1)
Mr. Shea served as the CEO and CFO until September 24, 2014.
(2)
Mr. Dockter became CEO on September 24, 2014.
(3)
Ms. Clemens became CFO on October 27, 2014.
(4)
Paid as consulting fees.
The Company intends to pay cash compensation to its officers and consulting fees to entities providing services to the Company and owned by its Directors in the future as determined and approved by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company plans to enter into employment agreements with certain of its key executives.
Equity Based Compensation
The Company has no long-term compensation or stock incentive plans at the present time.
Employee Pension, Profit Sharing or Other Retirement Plans
SRC does not have a defined benefit pension plan or profit sharing or other retirement plan.
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Compensation of Executive Officers
The Board of Directors will initially supervise our executive compensation program for named individuals. During 2014 two members of the Board were non-employee directors. When a Compensation Committee is formed members of our management will not attend executive sessions of the Committee but will, upon request, provide input regarding their performance to the Committee. The Board has not engaged any outside compensation consultants and has not delegated its authority to anyone.
During the fiscal year 2015 the Board hopes to be able to initiate employee base salaries and grant a full range of incentives based upon the individual effort and the overall success of the Company during the current fiscal year. The Board has not determined specific target objectives due to the significant challenges which face the Company as a development stage company during the current fiscal year. However, we will monitor the efforts of individual officers and employees and the overall success of the Company in determining if and when incentives can be granted. Because we have not determined any target objectives, we are unable to provide an assessment of how likely it will be for incentives to be achieved by our executive officers. Achievement of incentives involves future performance and, therefore, is subject to significant uncertainties. However, the Board believes it will establish future target objectives that are achievable with an appropriate amount of dedication and hard work.
Compensation Philosophy
The Board will determine compensation levels and components for Named Executive Officers (“NEOs”) to attract, retain, and motivate talent in our competitive market environment while focusing the management team and the Company on the creation of long-term value for stockholders. Positions included as NEOs during 2015 include: Chief Executive Officer, Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer. Other positions may be added as business conditions warrant. If an NEO is also a Director, such NEO will abstain from participating in or voting on his/her own compensation package.
Our Board will administer four elements for named executive officers’ compensation: base salary (cash), short-term incentives (bonus – cash, equity, or both), long-term incentives (equity), and benefits. The total compensation package will reflect the Company’s “Pay for Performance” philosophy, which is to couple employee rewards with the interests of stockholders. We believe strongly that retention and motivation of successful employees is in the long-term interest of stockholders. Further, we believe in development and internal promotion of proven, existing employees whenever optimal for the interests of the Company. When cash flow permits, the Board will target the total compensation level over time to be competitive with comparable companies in our industry segments and geographic locations.
For the purpose of determining short-term incentives, performance is measured by two variables: contribution to and leadership in the development of the Company’s core service business and property development and contributions to the potential business and financial success of the Company. These variables are considered by the Board to be the cornerstones for the creation of long-term stockholder value. The Board also evaluates the general economic and market conditions when applying these measurements. The Board believes that it is in the best interest of our stockholders to have a part of total compensation “at-risk” and dependent upon our future performance.
Historically, there are several directly comparable public companies in the US mineral resource mining field. Many of our competitors are much larger companies that are not directly comparable in size, geographic coverage, and scope of production. Therefore, a direct peer group comparison is not comparable and salary survey information from multiple sources will be used to supplement available company data.
Base Salary
The base salaries for executive officers will be evaluated annually after the completion of each fiscal year. It is adjusted as required to be competitive with the external market, job responsibilities, and the individual’s performance in their job and is subject to any employment agreement or compensation arrangements with that individual.
Short-Term Incentive (Bonus)
The Board will strive to grant bonuses to incentivize officers and employees when their job performance warrants such bonuses and the financial condition of the Company permits such incentives to be granted. Since we have been in business for only a short period of time, the Board will evaluate whether any bonuses are warranted after an evaluation of each fiscal year’s performance. The Board did not award any bonuses for the 2013 or 2014 fiscal years.
Long-Term Incentives (Stock Options)
The Board believes that providing stock and option grants to its officers and directors rewards such individuals for the long-term financial success of the Company and links their rewards to those of our stockholders.
The Company plans to adopt a Stock Option Plan during the 2015 fiscal year. The Board may evaluate and adopt other inventive plans and retirement plans in order to allow its officers and employees to participate in the Company’s long-term success.
Benefits
Officers are entitled to participate in all benefits provided to employees of the Company and/or Purebase Ag. At the present time, the Company does not offer such benefits.
Employment Agreements
None of the Company’s officers or employees have employment contracts.
ITEM 12.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWN
ER
S AND
MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following tables set forth as of February 17, 2015, the ownership of the Company’s common stock by its current directors, and its executive officers and all officers and directors as a group, and each person known to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock. To the Company’s best knowledge, the persons named have sole voting and investment power with respect to such shares, except as otherwise noted. There are no known pending or anticipated arrangements that may cause a change in control.
Name of Beneficial Owner
|
Number of Shares
Owned Beneficially
|
Percent
Of Class
(1)
|
Title
Of Class
|
A. Scott Dockter, CEO and Director
3090 Boeing Road
Cameron Park, CA 95682
|
22,556,862
|
32.1%
|
Common
|
John Bremer, Director
10490 Dawson Canyon Road
Corona, CA 92883
|
20,081,500
(2)
|
28.6%
|
Common
|
Calvin Lim, Director
6580 Haven Side Drive
Sacramento, CA 95831
|
-0-
|
0%
|
|
Amy Clemens, CFO
1670 Sierra Ave., Suite 402
Yuba City, CA 95993
|
161,500
|
Less than 1%
|
Common
|
All Executive Officers and Directors
as a group (4 people)
|
42,799,862
|
61%
|
|
Baystreet Capital Corp.
136 Turtle Cove Road
Turks & Caicos Islands
British West Indies
|
10,770,400
|
15.3%
|
Common
|
Kevin Wright
1 Yonge Street, Suite 1801
Toronto, ON M5E 1W7
|
7,111,400
(3)
|
10.1%
|
Common
|
(1)
|
Assumes the issuance of 45,817,802 shares in the Reorganization which will result in 70,217,802 shares outstanding.
|
(2)
|
Amount includes 28,750 shares held by Mr. Bremer’s wife for which he disclaims beneficial ownership.
|
(3)
|
Amount includes 3,625,000 shares held by Mr. Wright’s immediate family.
|
ITEM 13.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATE
D
TRANSACTION
AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Interest of Management and Others in Certain Transactions
The Company acquired the rights to purchase the Snow White Mine property from US Mine Corp., which is a Nevada corporation of which Scott Dockter and John Bremer are owners and executive officers.
Purebase Ag acquired the
Mineral Preference Rights Lease in Esmeralda County, NV from US Mine Corp.
Purebase Ag acquired the Placer Mining Claims USMC 1-50 from Scott Dockter and his wife.
Intellectual property applicable to cement and other products of interest to the Company was acquired through the acquisition of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC which is a Nevada limited liability company of which Scott Dockter and John Bremer and Mr. Bremer’s wife were Manager-Members.
During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014 Purebase Ag paid rent of $50,286 for office space to Optec Solutions. Amy Clemens, the Company’s CFO, is part owner of Optec Solutions.
The Company is a party to a Contract Mining Agreement with US Mine Corp pursuant to which US Mine Corp will provide various technical evaluations and mine development services to the Company and Purebase Ag.
US Mine Corp is owned by Scott Dockter and John Bremer.
During 2013, GroWest Corporation advanced $129,784 to Purebase Ag to fund ongoing business operations. GroWest is a company owned by John Bremer, who is a Director and major stockholder of the Company. The advance was repaid in full during 2014.
During fiscal year 2014 Purebase Ag paid Baystreet Capital Corp. consulting fees to provide investor relations and other services as requested by the Company and/or Purebase Ag. Todd Gauer is a principal of Baystreet Capital and is a major stockholder of the Company and a former officer and director of Purebase Ag.
During fiscal year 2014 Purebase Ag paid JAAM Capital Corp. consulting fees to provide business development and product marketing services as requested by the Company and/or Purebase Ag. Kevin Wright is a principal of JAAM Capital and is a major stockholder of the Company and a former officer and director of Purebase Ag.
The Reorganization transaction involved Mr. Dockter who, at the time of the Reorganization, was an officer, Director and major stockholder of the Company and Purebase Ag.
Except for the above transactions, since the inception of Purebase Ag on June 22, 2013 through November 30, 2014 there have not been, any material agreements or proposed transactions, whether direct or indirect, with any of the following:
|
●
|
a Director or Officer of the Company;
|
|
●
|
any nominee for election as a director;
|
|
●
|
any principal security holder identified in the preceding “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” section; or
|
|
●
|
any relative, spouse, or relative of such spouse, of the above referenced person.
|
Should a transaction, proposed transaction, or series of transactions involve one of our officers or directors or a related entity or an affiliate of a related entity, or holders of stock representing 5% or more of the voting power (a “related entity”) of our then outstanding voting stock, the transactions must be approved by the unanimous consent of our Board of Directors. In the event a member of the Board of Directors is a related party, that member will abstain from the vote.
Director Independence
As of February 19, 2015, only one of the three current Company Directors would be deemed “independent” under the applicable NASDAQ definition. While Mr. Bremer is not an officer or employee of the Company, he served as a Manager of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC during the past two years. The Company anticipates appointing one or more directors to its Board during the current fiscal year who would be deemed independent directors.
ITEM 14.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND
SE
RVICES
Audit Committee Report
As stated elsewhere in this annual report, the Company has not yet established an Audit Committee. As a result the Company’s Board of Directors currently perform the functions of a separate Audit Committee. The Company’s Board of Directors functions as the Audit Committee which includes reviewing and evaluating the efforts of the Company’s independent auditors and the review and authorization of all non-audit fees incurred by the Company.
The Board has reviewed and discussed with the Company’s management the audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the period ended November 30, 2014.
The Board discussed with Rose, Snyder & Jacobs LLP, the Company’s independent auditors (“RSJ”), the matters required to be discussed by PCAOB on Auditing Standards No. 16, Communication with Audit Committees.
The Board has received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from RSJ required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit Committees, as amended, and has discussed with RSJ its independence.
Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above the Board has approved the audited financial statements referred to above be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended November 30, 2014 filed with the SEC.
The material contained in this Board Report is not soliciting material, is not deemed filed with the SEC, and is not incorporated by reference in any filing of the Company under the Securities Act, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date of this annual report and irrespective of any general incorporation language in such filing.
Independent Public Accountants
The Company’s independent public accountants for the last completed fiscal year ended November 30, 2014, were Rose, Snyder & Jacobs LLP. The Company’s independent public accountants for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, were Anton & Chia, LLP. The Board anticipates that representatives of RSJ will not be present at any Annual Meeting of Stockholder.
Principal Accountant’s Fees and Services
During the Company’s fiscal year ended November 30, 2014 the Company was billed the following aggregate fees by RSJ.
Audit Fees
This category includes aggregate fees billed by our independent auditors for the audit of our annual financial statements on Form 10-K, review of financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and services that are normally provided by the auditor in connection with statutory and regulatory filings for those fiscal years.
The aggregate fees billed by RSJ to the Company for professional services rendered for the audit of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ financial statements for the fiscal year, and for services provided by RSJ in connection with statutory or regulatory filings for the fiscal year, were $38,000 billed by RSJ for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014.
The aggregate fees billed by Anton & Chia to the Company for professional services rendered for the audit of the Company’s financial statements for the fiscal year, and for services provided by Anton & Chia in connection with statutory or regulatory filings for the fiscal year, were $3,871 billed by Anton & Chia for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013.
Audit Related Fees
This category consists of services by our independent auditors that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported above under Audit Fees. This category includes accounting consultations on transaction and proposed transaction related matters.
During fiscal year 2014, RSJ did not bill for Audit Related Fees.
Tax fees
In fiscal year 2014, no tax fees were paid for professional services rendered for tax, compliance and preparation of our corporate tax returns and other tax advice. In fiscal year 2013, no tax fees were paid to any accounting firm.
All Other Fees
There are no other fees to disclose.
Auditor Independence
As stated elsewhere in this report, the Company’s Board of Directors performs the functions of the Audit Committee. All of the services performed by RSJ for the fiscal year 2014 were reviewed and approved by the Company’s Board, which concluded that the provision of the non-audit services described above were compatible with maintaining the accountant’s independence.
Pre-Approved Policies and Procedures
Prior to retaining RSJ to provide services in the current fiscal year (beginning December 1, 2014), the Board of Directors first reviewed and approved RSJ’s fee proposal and engagement letter. In the fee proposal, each category of services (Audit, Audit Related, Tax and All Other) is broken down into subcategories that describe the nature of the services to be rendered, and the fees for such services. The Company’s pre-approval policy provides that the Audit Committee (or the Board in the absence of an Audit Committee) must specifically pre-approve any engagement of RSJ for services outside the scope of the fee proposal and engagement letter.
ITEM 15.
EXHIBITS AND FINANCIA
L
STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Audited financial statements for the 11-month period ended November 30, 2014 and fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 for Port of Call Online, Inc. (now called PureBase Corporation) and Purebase, Inc. (now called Purebase Agricultural, Inc.) are included with this annual report.
Exhibit No.
|
Description of Exhibit
|
2.1
(3)
|
Plan and Agreement of Reorganization between Port of Call Online, Inc. and Purebase, Inc. and Certain Stockholders of Purebase, Inc. dated December 23, 2014.
|
3.1.1
(1)
|
Articles of Incorporation
|
|
|
|
Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation effective January 12, 2015
|
3.2
(1)
|
Bylaws
|
10.1
(2)
|
Assignment of Purchase Agreement of Snow White Mine dated December 1, 2014
|
10.2
(3)
|
Placer Claims Assignment Agreement dated July 30, 2014
|
10.3
(3)
|
Preference Rights Lease Assignment Agreement dated October 6, 2014
|
10.4
(3)
|
Plan and Agreement of Reorganization Between Purebase, Inc., US Agricultural Minerals, LLC and the Members of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC dated November 24, 2014
|
10.5
(3)
|
Contract Mining Agreement dated November 1, 2013
|
10.6*
|
|
10.7*
|
|
21*
|
Subsidiaries of PureBase Corporation
|
31.1*
|
Certification by CEO pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
31.2*
|
Certification by CFO pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
|
|
95*
|
Mine Safety and Health Administration Citation #8699937
|
________
|
|
*
Filed herewith.
(1)
Filed as an exhibit to Registrant’s Form 10-K filed on April 11, 2014.
(2)
Filed as an exhibit to Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on December 2, 2014.
(3)
Filed as an exhibit to Registrant’s Form 8-K filed on December 24, 2014.
|
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
|
PUREBASE CORP.
|
|
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Date: March 13, 2015
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By:
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/s/ A. Scott Dockter
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A.
Scott Dockter
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Chief Executive Officer
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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.
Signature
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Title
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Date
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/s/ A. Scott Dockter
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March 13, 2015
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A. Scott Dockter
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Director and Chief Executive Officer
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/s/
Amy Clemens
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March 13, 2015
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Amy Clemens
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Secretary and Chief Financial Officer
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(Principal Financial & Accounting Officer)
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/s/
Calvin Lim
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March 13, 2015
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Calvin Lim
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Director
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/s/ John Bremer
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March 13, 2015
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John Bremer
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Director
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