There are many factors that affect our business and the results of our operations, some of which are beyond our control. The following is a description of all known material risks that may cause the actual results of our operations in future periods to differ materially from those currently expected or desired. We encourage you to read this section carefully.

Our business is subject to the cyclical nature of our industry and changes in consumer confidence and in economic conditions in general. Adverse changes or continued uncertainty with respect to these factors may lead to a downturn in our business.

The towing and recovery industry is cyclical in nature. In recent years, the overall demand for our products and resulting revenues have been positively affected by recovering economic conditions and improving consumer sentiment. However, historically, the overall demand for our products and our resulting revenues have at times been negatively affected by wavering levels of consumer confidence; volatility and disruption in domestic and international capital and credit markets and the resulting decrease in the availability of financing for our customers and towing operators and the overall effects of global economic conditions. We remain concerned about the potential effects of these factors on the towing and recovery industry, and we continue to monitor our overall cost structure to see that it remains in line with business conditions. A prolonged economic downturn, and slow or negative growth in the domestic and global economy, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations for the foreseeable future.

Demand from our customers and towing operators is affected by the availability of capital and access to credit.

The ability of our customers and of towing operators to purchase our products is affected by the availability of capital and credit to them. Our independent distributor customers rely on floor plan financing in connection with the purchase of our products, and the availability of that financing on acceptable terms has a direct effect on the volume of their purchases. Additionally, in many cases, a towing operator’s decision to purchase our products from one of our distributors is dependent upon their ability to obtain financing upon acceptable terms. Volatility and disruption in the capital and credit markets, principally in the U.S. and Europe, in the past has decreased the availability of capital to, and credit capacity of, our customers and towing operators. In addition, in the past, certain providers of floor plan financing have exited the market, which made floor plan financing increasingly difficult for our independent distributor customers to secure at those times. This reduced availability of capital and credit has negatively affected the ability and capacity of our customers and of towing operators to purchase towing and related equipment. This, in turn, has negatively impacted sales of our products. If customers are unable to access capital or credit, it could materially and adversely affect our ability to sell our products, and as a result, could negatively affect our business and operating results.

Our dependence upon outside suppliers for our raw materials, including aluminum, steel, petroleum-related products and other purchased component parts, leaves us subject to changes in price (including as a result of the imposition of tariffs) and delays in receiving supplies of such materials or parts.

We are dependent upon outside suppliers for our raw material needs and other purchased component parts, and events beyond our control could have an adverse effect on the cost or availability of raw materials and component parts. Steel, aluminum, fuel and other commodity prices have historically experienced high volatility depending on market conditions and global demand. Price increases or changes in payment terms from our suppliers of raw materials or component parts could impact our ability to secure necessary raw materials or component parts, or to secure such materials and parts at favorable prices. In addition, government actions related to tariffs on imports and trade policies have impacted, and have the potential to further impact, pricing of raw materials, such as steel and aluminum. For example, in 2018 the United States government imposed import tariffs of 25% on steel products and 10% on aluminum products, as well as quantitative restrictions on imports of steel and aluminum products from various countries. The Company uses a substantial amount of imported steel and aluminum in its products and experienced increases in costs for these materials as a result of the tariffs and import quotas. To partially offset price increases for raw materials and component parts, we have, from time to time, implemented general price increases and cost surcharges. While we have attempted to pass these increased costs (including as a result of tariffs and import quotas) on to our customers, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so. Any further price increases for these or any other materials that we use would require a long lead time to implement while the higher material costs would be felt much sooner. In the future, if we experience increased prices or shortages for key materials that are essential to our manufacturing operations, such as steel and aluminum (including as a result of tariffs or import quotas), there is a substantial risk that the Company’s financial performance and competitive position could be materially adversely impacted.

Demand for our products also could be negatively affected by supply delays of truck chassis and other component parts used in our products. Our third party suppliers’ ability to supply us with truck chassis and component parts is limited by their available capacity to manufacture the component parts we require. We have experienced supply delays and limitations for component parts as our production levels have substantially increased over the last several years. If these delays continue or worsen, our customers may reduce their purchase levels with us and/or seek alternative solutions to meet their demand. At this time, we believe that sources of our raw materials and component parts will continue to be adequate to meet our requirements and that alternative sources are available. However, shortages, price increases or delays in shipments of our raw materials and component parts could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, competitive position and reputation.

Operational challenges caused by our increased sales volumes could result in material delays, increased costs and loss of business opportunities, which could negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.

Substantially increased sales of our products over the last five years have caused a variety of operating challenges, including supply chain constraints and production capacity limitations. The recent major additions and renovations to all our domestic production facilities have allowed us to effectively address these challenges, but they have nevertheless caused increased production costs and delayed deliveries to customers in some instances. These factors could in the future result in delay or termination of orders, the loss of sales and a negative impact on our reputation with our customers, all of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our recent major additions and renovations to all our domestic facilities may not achieve our intended objectives of lowering costs, improving manufacturing efficiencies and increasing productivity, which could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Overall demand from our customers may be affected by increases in their fuel and insurance costs and changes in weather conditions.

In the past, our customers have experienced substantial increases in fuel and other transportation costs, and in the cost of insurance. Our customers also have, from time to time, been subject to unpredictable and varying weather conditions which could, among other things, impact the cost and availability of fuel and other materials. Any of these factors could negatively affect our customers’ capacity for purchasing towing and related equipment, and, consequently, have a material negative effect upon our business and operating results.

Our international operations are subject to various political, economic and other uncertainties that could adversely affect our business results, including by restrictive taxation or other government regulation and by foreign currency fluctuation.

Historically, a portion of our net sales occur outside the United States, primarily in Europe. In addition, we have manufacturing operations at two facilities located in the Lorraine region of France and manufacturing operations in Norfolk, England. As a result, our operations are subject to various political, economic and other uncertainties, including risks of restrictive taxation policies, changing political conditions and governmental regulations and trade policies. This includes the uncertainty surrounding the United Kingdom’s expected exit from the European Union, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” which is currently scheduled to occur on March 29, 2019. The United Kingdom and the European Union have had ongoing negotiations with respect to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal terms; however, there is continued uncertainty surrounding their future relationship and whether a transition plan will be agreed. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in political institutions and regulatory agencies. Brexit could also have the effect of disrupting the free movement of goods, services, and people between the United Kingdom, the European Union and elsewhere.

In addition, a portion of our net sales derived outside the United States, as well as salaries of employees located outside the United States and certain other expenses, are denominated in foreign currencies, including the British pound and the Euro. We are, therefore, subject to risk of financial loss resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates of these currencies against the U.S. dollar. Brexit has caused, and may continue to result in, significant volatility in global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations of the U.S. dollar relative to other foreign currencies in which we conduct business. In addition, political unrest, terrorist acts, military conflict and disease outbreaks have increased the risks of doing business abroad in general.

Our sales to U.S. and other governmental entities through prime contractors are subject to special risks.

We act as a subcontractor for certain U.S. and other government programs. As a result, we are subject to extensive regulations and requirements of the U.S. and other government agencies and entities that govern these programs, including with respect to the award, administration and performance of contracts under such programs. Our U.S. and other government business is subject to the following risks, among others: (i) this business is susceptible to changes in government spending, which may reduce future revenues; (ii) most of our contracts with governmental entities through prime contractors are fixed-price contracts, and our actual costs on any of these contracts could exceed our projected costs, (iii) competition for the award of these contracts is intense, and we may not be successful in bidding on future contracts, and (iv) the products we sell to governmental entities are subject to highly technical requirements, and any failure to comply with these requirements could result in unanticipated retrofit costs, delayed acceptance of products, late or reduced payment or cancellation of the contract. Our inability to address any of the foregoing concerns could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, several of our substantial military projects are scheduled to be completed over the course of the next year. We are continually seeking to secure new military orders, but these orders have long and complex approval processes so the success and timing of any such efforts is difficult to predict. Our inability to replace sales generated from military orders as they are completed would result in lower sales and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to comply with domestic and foreign anti-corruption laws could have an adverse effect on our business .

Our international operations require us to comply with a number of U.S. and international laws and regulations, including those involving anti-bribery and anti-corruption. Failure to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act, and other foreign anti-bribery laws could have an adverse effect on our business. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could result in our incurring significant fees and having fines and criminal sanctions imposed on us or our employees, and could adversely impact our business with government entities.

Our competitors could impede our ability to attract or retain customers.

The towing and recovery equipment manufacturing industry is highly competitive. Capital requirements for entry into the towing and recovery manufacturing industry have been relatively low, which could result in an increase in the number of competitors entering the industry. Competition for sales exists domestically and internationally at the manufacturer, distributor and towing-operator levels and is based primarily on product quality and innovation, reputation, technology, customer service, product availability and price. Competition for sales also comes from the market for used towing and recovery equipment. Certain of our competitors may have substantially greater financial and other resources and may provide more attractive dealer and retail customer financing alternatives than us. If these competitors are able to make it more difficult for us to attract or retain customers, it could have a negative impact on our sales, revenue and financial performance.

Our future success depends upon our ability to develop or acquire proprietary products and technology and assertions against us relating to intellectual property rights could harm our business.

Historically, we have been able to develop or acquire patented and other proprietary product innovations which have allowed us to produce what management believes to be technologically advanced products relative to most of our competition. While we are continuing to develop new technology and apply for patents, if we are unable to develop or acquire new products and technology in the future, our ability to maintain market share, and, consequently, our revenues and operating results, may be negatively affected .

Third parties may claim that our products infringe their patents or other intellectual property rights. If a competitor were to challenge our patents, or assert that our products or processes infringe its patent or other intellectual property rights, we could incur substantial litigation costs, be forced to design around their patents, pay substantial damages or even be forced to cease our operations, any of which could be expensive and/or have an adverse effect on our operating results. Third party infringement claims, regardless of their outcome, would not only consume our financial resources, but also would divert the time and effort of our management and could result in our customers or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of the affected products or services until resolution of the litigation.

We depend upon skilled labor to manufacture our products, and if we experience problems hiring and retaining skilled labor, our business may be negatively affected.

The timely manufacture and delivery of our products requires an adequate supply of skilled labor, and the operating costs of our manufacturing facilities can be adversely affected by high turnover in skilled positions. Accordingly, our ability to increase sales, productivity and net earnings will be limited to a degree by our ability to employ the skilled laborers necessary to meet our requirements. We must attract, train and retain skilled employees while controlling related labor costs and maintaining our core values. Our ability to control labor costs is subject to numerous external factors, including prevailing wage rates and increases in healthcare and other insurance costs. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain an adequate skilled labor force necessary to efficiently operate our facilities. In addition, while our employees are not currently members of a union, there can be no assurance that the employees at any of our facilities will not choose to become unionized in the future.

A disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology ("IT") systems or any violation of data protection laws could adversely impact our business and operations .

We rely on the accuracy, capacity and security of our IT systems and our ability to update these systems in response to the changing needs of our business. We use our IT systems to collect and store confidential and sensitive data, including information about our business, our customers, our suppliers and our employees. We rely on IT systems to protect this information and to keep financial records, process orders, manage inventory, coordinate shipments to customers, and operate other critical functions. Our IT systems may be disrupted or fail for a number of reasons, including natural disasters, such as fires; power loss; software “bugs”, hardware defects or human error or malfeasance; or security breaches caused by hacking, computer viruses, malware, ransomware or other cyber-attacks.

As technology continues to evolve, we anticipate that we will collect and store even more data in the future and that our systems will increasingly use remote communication features that are susceptible to both willful and unintentional security breaches. We have incurred costs and expect to incur significant additional costs in order to implement security measures that we feel are appropriate to protect our IT systems. Despite these efforts, future attacks could result in our systems or data being breached and/or damaged by computer viruses or unauthorized physical or electronic access. Such a breach could result in theft of our intellectual property or trade secrets and/or unauthorized access to controlled data and personal information stored in connection with our human resources function. In the event of a breach in security that allows third parties access to personal information, we are subject to a variety of ever-changing laws on a global basis that may require us to provide notification to the data owners, and that may subject us to lawsuits, fines and other means of regulatory enforcement or harm employee morale.

Any disruption, outage or breach of our IT systems could result in interruption of our business operations, damage to our reputation and a loss of confidence in our security measures, all of which could adversely affect our business. In addition, if our systems are improperly implemented, breached, damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make significant investments to fix or replace them. To the extent that any data is lost or destroyed or any confidential information is inappropriately disclosed or used, it could adversely affect our competitive position or customer relationships, harm our business and possibly lead to significant claims, liability, or fines based upon alleged breaches of contract or applicable laws. Regulators globally are also imposing greater monetary fines for privacy violations. For example, in 2016, the European Union adopted a new law governing data practices and privacy called the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective in May 2018. The law establishes new requirements regarding the handling of personal data, and non-compliance with the GDPR may result in monetary penalties of up to 4% of worldwide revenue. The GDPR and other changes in laws or regulations associated with the enhanced protection of certain types of sensitive data, such as healthcare data or other personal information, could increase our cost of providing our products and services.

Changes in the tax regimes and related government policies and regulations in the countries in which we operate could adversely affect our results and our effective tax rate .

As a result of our international operations, we are subject to various taxes in both U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions. Due to economic and political conditions, tax laws, regulations and rates in these various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change. Our future effective income tax rate could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets or changes in tax laws or their interpretation. Changes to long-standing tax principles in the countries in which we operate could adversely affect our effective tax rate or result in higher cash tax liabilities. Increases in our effective tax rate or tax liabilities could have a material adverse effect on us.

The catastrophic loss of one of our manufacturing facilities could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

While we manufacture our products in several facilities and maintain insurance covering our facilities, including business interruption insurance to mitigate losses resulting from any production interruption or shutdown caused by an insured loss, a catastrophic loss of the use of all or a portion of any one of our manufacturing facilities due to accident, labor issues, weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest or otherwise, whether short or long-term, could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any recovery under our insurance policies may not offset the lost sales or increased costs that may be experienced during the disruption of operations.

The effects of regulations relating to conflict minerals may adversely affect our business .

In 2012, the SEC adopted rules under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of certain minerals, known as “conflict minerals”, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. These rules could adversely affect the sourcing, availability and pricing of such minerals if they are found to be used in the manufacture of our products, as the number of suppliers who provide conflict-free minerals may be limited. In addition, we have incurred and expect to incur additional costs to comply with the disclosure requirements, including costs related to determining the source of any of the relevant minerals and metals used in our products. The Company's supply chain is complex. As a result, we have encountered and continue to expect significant difficulty in determining the country of origin or the source and chain of custody for all “conflict minerals” used in our products and disclosing that our products are “conflict free” (meaning that they do not contain “conflict minerals” that directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or an adjoining country). We may face reputational challenges from customers, investors or others if we are unable to verify the origins for all “conflict minerals” used in our products. In such event, we may also face difficulties in satisfying customers who may require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict mineral free.

Environmental and health and safety liabilities and requirements could require us to incur material costs.

We are subject to various U.S. and foreign laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and worker health and safety, including those governing discharges of pollutants into the ground, air and water; the generation, handling, use, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances and waste materials; and the investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties. In certain cases, these regulatory requirements may limit the productive capacity of our operations.

Environmental and health-related requirements are complex, subject to change and have tended to become more and more stringent. Future developments could cause us to incur various expenditures and could also subject us to fines or sanctions, obligations to investigate or remediate contamination or restore natural resources, liability for third party property damage or personal injury claims and the imposition of new permitting requirements and/or the modification or revocation of our existing operating permits, among other effects. These and other developments could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Any loss of the services of our key executives could have a material adverse impact on our operations.

Our success is highly dependent on the continued services of our management team. The loss of services of one or more key members of our senior management team could have a material adverse effect on us.

A product warranty or product liability claim in excess of our insurance coverage, or an inability to acquire or maintain insurance at commercially reasonable rates, could have a material adverse effect upon our business.

We are subject to various claims, including product warranty and product liability claims arising in the ordinary course of business, and may at times be a party to various legal proceedings incidental to our business. We maintain reserves and liability insurance coverage at levels based upon commercial norms and our historical claims experience. If we manufacture poor quality products or receive defective materials, we may incur unforeseen costs in excess of what we have reserved in our financial statements. A successful product warranty, product liability or other claim brought against us in excess of our insurance coverage, or the inability of us to acquire or maintain insurance at commercially reasonable rates, could have a material adverse effect upon our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, we are subject to potential recalls of components or parts manufactured by suppliers which we purchase and incorporate into our towing and recovery equipment products, as well as potential recalls of our products from customers to cure manufacturing defects or in the event of a failure to comply with applicable regulatory standards or customers’ order specifications. Moreover, the adverse publicity that may result from a product liability claim, perceived or actual defect with our products or a product recall could have a material adverse effect on our ability to market our products successfully.

Our stock price may fluctuate greatly as a result of the general volatility of the stock market.

From time to time, there may be significant volatility in the market price for our common stock. Our quarterly operating results, changes in earnings estimated by analysts, if any, changes in general conditions in our industry or the economy or the financial markets or other developments affecting us, including our ability to pay dividends, could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially.

Our charter and bylaws contain anti-takeover provisions that may make it more difficult or expensive to acquire us in the future or may negatively affect our stock price.

Our charter and bylaws contain restrictions that may discourage other persons from attempting to acquire control of us, including, without limitation, prohibitions on shareholder action by written consent and advance notice requirements regarding amendments to certain provisions of our charter and bylaws. In addition, our charter authorizes the issuance of up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The rights and preferences for any series of preferred stock may be set by the board of directors, in its sole discretion and without shareholder approval, and the rights and preferences of any such preferred stock may be superior to those of common stock and thus may adversely affect the rights of holders of common stock.

Our current credit facility could restrict our ability to operate our business and failure to comply with its terms could adversely affect our business; our obligations to repurchase products from third-party lenders to our distributors could adversely impact our future revenues and financial condition.

Our current credit facility contains customary representations and warranties, events of default, and financial, affirmative and negative covenants for loan agreements of this kind. In addition, covenants under our current credit facility restrict our ability to pay cash dividends if the Company would be in violation of the minimum tangible net worth test or the leverage ratio test in the current loan agreement as a result of the dividend, among various restrictions. We have been in compliance with these covenants throughout 2018 and anticipate that we will continue to be in compliance during 2019. If we fail to comply with the requirements of our current credit facility, such non-compliance would result in an event of default. If not waived by the bank, such event of default would result in the acceleration of any amounts due under the current credit facility. The borrowings under the credit facility in 2018 were primarily used to finance working capital and various capital expenditure projects.

We also have certain obligations to repurchase our products from third-party lenders if our distributors should default in their obligations to those lenders. Such repurchases could result in reduced net revenue in future periods as we resell such products and, if we are unable to sell the products, could adversely impact our financial condition.

We cannot assure you that we will continue to declare dividends on our common stock .

Our board of directors approved a dividend policy in 2011 to consider and pay quarterly dividends on our common stock subject to our ability to satisfy all applicable statutory requirements and our continued financial strength. While we currently intend to pay a quarterly dividend on shares of our common stock, to the extent that we have sufficient funds available for such purpose, the declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends on shares of common stock will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors and we may reduce or discontinue entirely the payment of such dividends at any time. Our board of directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and operating results, capital requirements, restrictions in financing agreements and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time.