ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock may be considered speculative and involves a high degree of risk, including, among other items, the risk factors described below. These risk factors are intended to generally describe certain risks that could materially affect the Company and its business operations and activities.

You should carefully consider the risks described below and elsewhere herein in connection with any decision whether to acquire, hold or sell the Company’s securities. The following list identifies and briefly summarizes certain risks but should not be viewed as complete or comprehensive. If any of the contingencies discussed in the following paragraphs or other materially adverse events actually occur, the business, financial condition of the business and its results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or a significant part of your investment.

Liquidity and Debt Risks

An inability to borrow from our new receivables financing during our peak work periods would have a negative impact on our business and liquidity.

In March 2022, we refinanced approximately $13.8 million outstanding under our Credit Facility with East West Bank for approximately $8.4 million in cash plus future unsecured payments of up to $1.0 million. Prior to the March 2022 refinancing of our debt with East West Bank, our growth was limited because of our inability to borrow under our line of credit with East West Bank to meet working capital requirements during our peak demand periods during the winter months. Our ability to grow and sustain our business in the future will depend upon our ability to be able to regularly borrow under our Receivables Financing (as defined in Note 5 - Debt to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report). There is no assurance that we will be able to make future borrowings under lines of credit, including our Receivables Financing, in order to fund our operations during peak demand periods. If we are unable to generate or obtain the requisite amount of financing needed to fund our business operations or execute our growth strategy, our liquidity and ability to continue operations could be materially adversely affected.

We continue to have significant debt obligations.

Although we were able to refinance our debt with East West Bank, we still have significant debt obligations under the 2022 Financing Facilities. Despite significantly reducing our debt, we still have monthly payments to lenders of a minimum of $168,000.

Our ability to pay interest and principal on the Utica Facility (as defined in Note 5 - Debt to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report), and to satisfy our other obligations, will depend upon our ability to achieve increased utilization of our equipment, which is highly influenced by weather and customers' drilling activity. We cannot reasonably guarantee that our business will generate sufficient cash flows from operations, or that future capital will be available to us, in an amount sufficient to fund our future liquidity needs. In the absence of adequate cash from operations and/or other available capital resources we could face substantial liquidity constraints. To the extent that we could not repay or refinance our indebtedness when due, or generate adequate cash flows from operations, we may have to curtail operations which would adversely affect our ability to continue as a going concern. We cannot reasonably guarantee that we will be able to raise sufficient capital through debt or equity financings on terms acceptable to us, or at all, or that we could consummate dispositions of assets or operations for fair market value, in a timely manner or at all.

We are currently in a very difficult operating environment and our business, results of operations and financial condition may be affected by general economic conditions and factors beyond our control.

We face a very difficult operating environment with exploration and production companies exerting significant pressure on us to reduce our prices for the services we provide. Reduced activity and operating margins could force us to curtail operations in some or all our locations which would materially and adversely affect our revenues and our ability to continue as a going concern.

General economic conditions, weather, oil and natural gas prices and financial, business and other factors may also affect our operations and our future performance. We experienced a heavy downturn in demand for our services in early 2020 that continued into 2021. Many of these factors are beyond our control. If we do not have sufficient funds on hand to pay our debt when due, we may be required to seek a waiver or amendment from our lender, refinance our indebtedness, incur additional indebtedness, sell assets or sell additional shares of our common stock. We may not be able to complete such transactions on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Our failure to generate sufficient funds to pay our debts or to undertake any of these actions successfully could result in a default on our debt obligations, which would materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Operations Related Risks

While our growth strategy includes seeking acquisitions of other oilfield services companies, we may not be successful in identifying, making and integrating business or asset acquisitions, if any, in the future.

We anticipate that a component of our growth strategy may be to make strategically focused acquisitions of businesses or assets aimed to strengthen our presence and expand services offered in selected service markets. Pursuit of this strategy may be restricted by the on-going volatility and uncertainty within the credit markets which may significantly limit the availability of funds for such acquisitions. Our ability to use shares of our common stock in an acquisition transaction may be adversely affected by the volatility in the price of our common stock.

In addition to restricted funding availability, the success of this strategy will depend on our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates and to negotiate acceptable financial and other terms. There is no assurance that we will be able to do so. The success of an acquisition also depends on our ability to perform adequate due diligence before the acquisition and on our ability to integrate the acquisition after it is completed. While we intend to commit significant resources to ensure that we conduct comprehensive due diligence, there can be no assurance that all potential risks and liabilities will be identified in connection with an acquisition. Similarly, while we expect to commit substantial resources, including management time and effort, to integrating acquired businesses into ours, there is no assurance that we will be successful in integrating these businesses. In particular, it may be important that we are able to retain both key personnel of the acquired business and its customer base. A loss of either key personnel or customers could negatively impact the future operating results of any acquired business.

Our business is substantially impacted by seasonal weather conditions.

Our operations, particularly our frac heating and hot oiling services, are impacted by weather conditions and temperatures. Unseasonably warm weather during winter months reduces demand for our frac heating services and results in higher operating costs, as a percentage of revenue, due to the need to retain equipment operators during these low demand periods. Management makes concerted efforts to reduce costs during these low demand periods by utilizing operators in other business segments, reducing hours, and in some instances, utilizing seasonal layoffs.

Further, during the winter months, our customers may delay operations or we may not be able to operate or move our equipment between locations during periods of heavy snow, ice or rain, and during the spring some areas impose transportation restrictions due to muddy conditions caused by spring thaws.

We may be unable to implement price increases.

We periodically seek to increase the prices of our services to offset rising costs and to generate increased revenues. We operate in a very competitive industry and, as a result, we are not always successful in raising or maintaining our existing prices. Additionally, during periods of increased market demand, a significant amount of new equipment may enter the market, which would also put pressure on the pricing of our services. Even when we are able to increase our prices, we may not be able to do so at a rate that is sufficient to offset rising costs. Also, we may not be able to successfully increase prices without adversely affecting our activity levels. The inability to maintain our prices or to increase the prices of our services in order to offset rising costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. We anticipate pricing pressure impacting our other service lines to the extent that oil and gas prices drop.

We operate in a capital-intensive industry and may not be able to finance future growth of our operations or future acquisitions.

Our business activities require substantial capital expenditures. If our cash flows from operating activities and borrowings under our existing Credit Facility are not sufficient to fund our capital expenditure budget, we would be required to reduce these expenditures or to fund these expenditures through new debt or equity issuances.

Our ability to raise new debt or equity capital, or to refinance or restructure our debt, at any given time depends on, among other things, the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Also, the terms of existing or future debt or equity instruments could further restrict our business operations. The inability to finance future growth could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Increased labor costs or the unavailability of skilled workers could adversely affect our operations.

Companies in our industry, including us, are dependent upon the available labor pool of skilled workers. We compete with other oilfield services businesses and other employers to attract and retain qualified personnel with the technical skills and experience required to provide our customers with the highest quality service. We are also subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wage, overtime and other working conditions, and which can increase our labor costs or subject us to liabilities to our employees. A shortage of skilled workers or other general inflationary pressures or changes in applicable laws and regulations could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain skilled personnel and could require us to enhance our wage and benefits packages. Labor costs may increase in the future, or we may not be able to reduce wages when demand and pricing falls, and such changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Historically, we have experienced a high employee turnover rate. Any difficulty we experience replacing or adding workers could adversely affect our business.

We believe that the high turnover rate in our industry is attributable to the nature of oilfield services work, which is physically demanding and performed outdoors, and to the seasonality of certain of our segments. As a result, workers may choose to pursue employment in areas that offer a more desirable work environment at wage rates that are competitive with ours. The potential inability or lack of desire by workers to commute to our facilities and job sites, as well as the competition for workers from competitors or other industries, are factors that could negatively affect our ability to attract and retain skilled workers. We may not be able to recruit, train and retain an adequate number of workers to replace departing workers. The inability to maintain an adequate workforce could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends on domestic (United States) spending by the crude oil and natural gas industry which suffered significant price volatility in 2020 and 2021, and such volatility may continue; our business has been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by industry and financial market conditions that are beyond our control.

We depend on our customers’ ability and willingness to make operating and capital expenditures to explore, develop and produce crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Customers’ expectations for future crude oil and natural gas prices, as well as the availability of capital for operating and capital expenditures, may cause them to curtail spending, thereby reducing demand for our services and equipment. Although there has been a recent uptick in demand for our services, major declines in oil and natural gas prices in 2020 and 2021 have resulted in substantial declines in capital spending and drilling programs across the industry. Any declines in oil and natural gas prices may result in many exploration and production companies substantially reducing drilling and completions programs and have required service providers to make pricing concessions.

Industry conditions and specifically the market price for crude oil and natural gas are influenced by numerous domestic and global factors, such as the war in Ukraine and other potential global conflicts over which we have no control, such as the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, domestic and worldwide economic conditions that are affected by several factors beyond our control, weather conditions, political instability in oil and natural gas producing countries, and perceived economic conditions. The volatility of the oil and natural gas industry, and the consequent impact on commodity prices as well as exploration and production activity, could adversely impact the level of drilling and activity by many of our customers. Where declining prices lead to reduced exploration and development activities in our market areas, the reduction in exploration and development activities over a sustained period will have a negative long-term impact on our business. Several month periods of low oil and natural gas prices typically result in increased pressure from our customers to make additional pricing concessions and impact our borrowing arrangements with our principal bank. There can be no assurance that the prices we charge to our customers will return to former levels experienced.

There also has been significant political pressure for the United States economy to reduce its dependence on crude oil and natural gas due to the impacts on climate change. Furthermore, there have been significant political and regulatory efforts to reduce or eliminate hydraulic fracturing operations in certain of our service areas. For example, the Colorado legislature enacted a bill that could significantly restrict oil and gas drilling in Colorado, thereby negatively affecting our revenues. These activities may make oil and gas investment and production less attractive.

Higher oil and gas prices do not necessarily result in increased drilling activity because our customers’ expectation of future prices and access to capital also drive demand for production maintenance and completion services. Oil and gas prices, as well as demand for our services, also depend upon other factors that are beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the following:

Ongoing volatility and uncertainty in the domestic and global economic and political environments have caused the oilfield services industry to experience demand volatility. While our management is generally optimistic for the continuing development of the onshore North American oil and gas industry over the long term, there are several political and economic pressures negatively impacting the economics of production from existing wells, future drilling operations, and the willingness of banks and investors to provide capital to participants in the oil and gas industry. We believe that these cuts in spending will continue to curtail drilling programs as well as discretionary spending on well services and will continue to result in a reduction in the demand for our services, the rates we can charge, and equipment utilization. In addition, certain of our customers could become unable to pay their suppliers, including us. Any of these conditions or events would adversely affect our operating results. 

Our success depends on key members of our management, and the loss of any executive or key personnel could disrupt our business operations.

We depend, to a large extent, on the services of certain of our key managers and executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The departure or loss of one or more of the Company's key managers or executive officers could materially disrupt our operations. Similarly, the inability to attract and retain new managers or executives to complement and enhance our management team could negatively impact our Company. 

We depend on several significant customers, and a loss of one or more significant customers could adversely affect our results of operations. 

Our top five customers accounted for approximately 40% and 39% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The loss of any one of these customers, or a sustained decrease in demand by any of such customers, could result in a substantial loss of revenues and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. 

While we believe our equipment could be redeployed in the current market environment if we lost any material customers, such loss could have an adverse effect on our business until the equipment is redeployed. We believe that the market for our services is sufficiently diversified such that it is not dependent on any single customer or a few major customers.

Our business and operations may continue to be, adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other similar outbreaks.

Our business and operations have been, and are likely to continue to be, adversely affected by the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While there has been improvement as of late, new variants of COVID-19 could cause states and cities to impose future travel restrictions and bans, quarantines, social distancing guidelines, shelter-in-place or lock-down orders and other similar limitations in order to control the spread of such new variants. These measures have, among other matters, negatively impacted consumer and business spending and, as a result, have negatively impacted the domestic and international demand for crude oil and natural gas, which has contributed to price volatility, impacted the prices received for oil and natural gas and materially and adversely affected the demand for and marketability of our services. Our subcontractors, customers and suppliers, have also and may continue to experience delays or disruptions and temporary suspensions of operations. The pandemic, in addition to other global factors such as the war in Ukraine, may continue to negatively impact oil and gas prices, create economic uncertainty and financial market volatility, reduce economic activity, increase unemployment and cause a decline in consumer and business confidence, and could in the future further negatively impact the demand for our products and services. Ultimately, the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future operational and financial performance will depend on, among other matters, the duration and intensity of the pandemic caused by new variants, the level of success of global vaccination efforts, governmental and private sector responses to the pandemic and the impact of such responses on us, and the impact of the pandemic on oil and gas prices and on our employees, customers, suppliers, operations and sales, all which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. These factors may remain prevalent for a significant period of time even after the pandemic subsides, including due to a continued or prolonged recession in the United States or other major economies, and as with any adverse public health developments, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, liquidity or financial condition and heighten or exacerbate risks described in this Annual Report.

Declining general economic, business or industry conditions may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.

Concerns over global economic conditions, global conflicts, the threat of pandemic diseases and the results thereof, energy costs, geopolitical issues, inflation, the availability and cost of credit, including increases in interest rates, the United States mortgage market have contributed to increased economic uncertainty and diminished expectations for the global economy. These factors, combined with volatile prices of oil and natural gas, and declining business and consumer confidence, have precipitated an economic slowdown and a recession. Concerns about global economic growth and global conflicts have had a significant adverse impact on global financial markets and commodity prices. If the economic climate in the United States or abroad continues to deteriorate, demand for petroleum products could diminish, which could impact the price at which we can sell our oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, affect the ability of our vendors, suppliers and customers to continue operations and ultimately adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.

Environmental compliance costs and liabilities could reduce our earnings and cash available for operations.

We are subject to increasingly stringent laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and the importation and use of hazardous materials, including laws and regulations governing air emissions, water discharges and waste management. Government authorities have the power to enforce compliance with their regulations, and violations are subject to fines, injunctions or both. We incur, and expect to continue to incur, capital and operating costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations. The technical requirements of these laws and regulations are becoming increasingly complex, stringent and expensive to implement. These laws may provide for "strict liability" for damages to natural resources or threats to public health and safety. Strict liability can render a party liable for damages without regard to negligence or fault on the part of the party. Some environmental laws provide for joint and several strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of hazardous substances.

We use hazardous substances and transport hazardous wastes in our operations. Accordingly, we could become subject to potentially material liabilities relating to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties, and to claims alleging personal injury or property damage as the result of exposures to, or releases of, hazardous substances. In addition, stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations, new laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination, or the imposition of new or increased requirements could require us to incur costs and penalties or become the basis of new or increased liabilities that could reduce the Company's earnings and cash available for operations. We believe we are currently in compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Intense competition within the well services industry may adversely affect our ability to market our services.

The well services industry is intensely competitive. It includes numerous small companies capable of competing effectively in our markets on a local basis, as well as several large companies that possess substantially greater financial and other resources than us. Our larger competitors have greater resources that allow those competitors to compete more effectively than us. Our small competitors may be able to react to market conditions more quickly. Further, the amount of equipment available may exceed demand at some point in time, which could result in active price competition.

We could be impacted by unfavorable results of legal proceedings, such as being found to have infringed on intellectual property rights.

As is the situation with other companies in the frac water heating service business, we rely on certain procedures and practices in performing our services. In 2016, we were issued our first patent relating to an aspect of the frac water heating process and in 2017, a second patent was issued. We have other patent applications pending regarding other procedures used in our process of heating frac water. We are aware that one unrelated company has been awarded four patents related, in part, to a process for heating of frac water.

Such third party or others may claim that we are infringing their intellectual property rights. If the owner of intellectual property establishes that we are infringing its intellectual property rights, we may be forced to change our services, and such changes may be expensive or impractical, or we may need to seek royalty or license agreements from the owner of such rights. If we are unable to agree on acceptable terms, we may be required to discontinue the sale of key services or halt other aspects of our operations. We may also be liable for financial damages for a violation of intellectual property rights. Any adverse result related to violation of third-party intellectual property rights could materially and adversely harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Even if intellectual property claims brought against us are without merit, they may result in costly and time-consuming litigation and may require significant attention from our management and key personnel.

Similarly, third parties may misappropriate our intellectual property. While we actively seek to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights, the steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use by third parties. Misappropriation of our intellectual property or potential litigation concerning such matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future that may cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result in material misstatements of our consolidated financial statements. If we fail to remedy our material weaknesses, or if we fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results could be adversely affected.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

In connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management identified deficiencies related to the following: (i) our application of the accounting for a warrant issued to a related party in connection with a conversion of subordinated debt to equity during the first quarter of 2021; (ii) our eligibility to receive certain Employee Retention Credits through the CARES Act of 2020; and (iii) our accounting for income taxes in connection with a change in control that occurred during the first quarter of 2021. In light of these deficiencies, we plan to continue to enhance our system of evaluating and implementing the accounting standards that apply to our accounting for complex financial instruments and accounting for income taxes, including through enhanced analyses by our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting and tax applications.

While we are  implementing measures to remediate the material weakness, we cannot make assurances that such measures will be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that led to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting or to avoid potential future material weaknesses. If we are unable to successfully remediate our existing or any future material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or if we identify any additional material weaknesses, the accuracy and timeliness of our financial reporting may be adversely affected. If we are unable to maintain effective internal controls, we may not have adequate, accurate or timely financial information, and we may be unable to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. Failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, when and as applicable, could also potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Furthermore, if we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed and investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information.

Our operations are subject to inherent risks, some of which are beyond our control. These risks may be self-insured or may not be fully covered under our insurance policies, but to the extent not covered, are self-insured by us.

Our operations are subject to hazards inherent in the oil and natural gas industry, such as, but not limited to, accidents, blowouts, explosions, fires and oil spills. These conditions can cause:

The occurrence of a significant event or adverse claim in excess of the insurance coverage that we maintain or that is not covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, claims for loss of oil and natural gas production and damage to formations can occur in the well services industry. Litigation arising from a catastrophic occurrence at a location where our equipment and services are being used may result in us being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting large claims.

The Company is currently named as a defendant in a personal injury matter in Texas (see Litigation). The plaintiff in that matter has amended their complaint to indicate that the Company was “grossly negligent” and are claiming amounts in excess of our coverage limitations. We have received a reservation of rights letter from our insurance company indicating that that they are reserving their rights to provide us coverage if we are determined to be grossly negligent. Based upon the advice of litigation counsel in the matter, the Company does not believe that it is grossly negligent. However, this conclusion is subject to the inherent uncertainties affecting the outcome of litigation, including additional facts that can come to light and the unpredictability of decisions reached by a trier of fact.

We maintain insurance coverage that we believe to be customary in the industry against these hazards. In addition, in June 2015, we became self-insured under our Employee Group Medical Plan for the first $50,000 per individual participant. This self-insured plan terminated on December 31, 2020, and our remaining liability for any for all claims under the Employee Group Medical Plan that arose prior to that date expired on December 31, 2021. Additionally, we do not have insurance against all foreseeable risks, either because insurance is not available or because of the high premium costs. The occurrence of an event not fully insured against, or the failure of an insurer to meet its insurance obligations, could result in substantial losses to us. In addition, we may not be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at reasonable rates. Insurance may not be available to cover any or all the risks to which we are subject, or, even if available, it may be inadequate, or insurance premiums or other costs could rise significantly in the future so as to make such insurance prohibitively expensive. It is likely that, in our insurance renewals, our premiums and deductibles will be higher, and certain insurance coverage either will be unavailable or considerably more expensive than it has been in the recent past. In addition, our insurance is subject to coverage limits, and some policies exclude coverage for damages resulting from environmental contamination.

Compliance with climate change legislation or initiatives could negatively impact our business.

The United States Congress has considered legislation to mandate reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and certain states have already implemented, or may be in the process of implementing, similar legislation. Additionally, the United States Supreme Court has held in its decisions that carbon dioxide can be regulated as an "air pollutant" under the Clean Air Act, which could result in future regulations even if the United States Congress does not adopt new legislation regarding emissions. At this time, it is not possible to predict how legislation or new federal or state government mandates regarding the emission of greenhouse gases could impact our business; however, any such future laws or regulations could require us or our customers to devote potentially material amounts of capital or other resources in order to comply with such regulations. These expenditures could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Anti-fracking initiatives and revisions of applicable state regulations could adversely impact our business.

Some states (including Colorado) and certain municipalities have regulated, or are considering regulating fracking which, if accomplished, could impact certain of our operations. There can be no assurance that these actions, if taken on a wider scale, may not adversely impact our business operations and revenues.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards is subject to limitation and may result in increased future tax liability.

The Company has United States federal and state net operating loss carryforwards ("NOLs"), each of which were approximately $35.5 million as of December 31, 2021. During the first quarter of 2021, we experienced a "change in control" within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and as a result the realizability of the Company's deferred tax assets became limited. Sections 382 and 383 of the Code contain rules that limit the ability of a corporation that undergoes a change in control to utilize its NOLs and certain built-in losses recognized in years after the change in control. A change in control is generally defined as any change in ownership of more than 50% of a corporation’s stock over a rolling three-year period by stockholders that own (directly or indirectly) 5% or more of the stock of the corporation or arising from a new issuance of stock by the corporation. If a change in control occurs, Section 382 generally imposes an annual limitation on the use of pre-change in control NOLs, credits and certain other tax attributes to offset taxable income earned after the change in control. The annual limitation is equal to the product of the applicable long-term tax-exempt rate and the value of the corporation’s stock immediately before the change in control. This annual limitation may be adjusted to reflect any unused annual limitation for prior years and certain recognized built-in gains for the year. In addition, Section 383 generally limits the amount of tax liability in any post-change in control year that can be reduced by pre-change in control tax credit carryforwards. Limitations on the use of NOLs and other tax attributes could also increase our state tax liabilities. The use of our tax attributes will also be limited to the extent that we do not generate positive taxable income in future tax periods. As a result of these limitations, we may be unable to offset future taxable income, if any, with NOLs before such NOLs expire. Accordingly, these limitations may increase our federal and state income tax liabilities.

Improvements in, or new discoveries of, alternative energy technologies could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Because our operations depend on the demand for oil and used oil, any improvement in or new discoveries of alternative energy technologies (such as wind, solar, geothermal, fuel cells and biofuels) that increase the use of alternative forms of energy and reduce the demand for oil, gas and oil and gas related products could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Competition due to advances in renewable fuels may lessen the demand for our products and negatively impact our profitability.

Alternatives to petroleum-based products and production methods are continually under development. For example, a number of automotive, industrial and power generation manufacturers are developing alternative clean power systems using fuel cells or clean-burning gaseous fuels that may address increasing worldwide energy costs, the long-term availability of petroleum reserves and environmental concerns which, if successful, could lower the demand for oil and gas. If these non-petroleum-based products and oil alternatives continue to expand and gain broad acceptance such that the overall demand for oil and gas is decreased, it could have an adverse effect on our operations and the value of our assets.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We have no plans to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Stockholders may not receive funds without selling their shares.

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to pay down debt and finance the expansion of our business. Our future dividend policy is within the discretion of our Board of Directors ("Board") and will depend upon various factors, including our business, financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and investment opportunities. Accordingly, realization of a gain on a shareholder’s investment will depend on the appreciation of the price of our common stock.

Our Board of Directors can, without stockholder approval, cause preferred stock to be issued on terms that adversely affect holders of our common stock.

Under our certificate of incorporation, our Board is authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, of which none are issued and outstanding as of the date of this Annual Report. Also, our Board, without stockholder approval, may determine the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, of those shares. If our Board causes shares of preferred stock to be issued, the rights of the holders of our common stock would likely be subordinate to those of preferred holders and therefore could be adversely affected. Our Board’s ability to determine the terms of preferred stock and to cause its issuance, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding common stock. Preferred shares issued by our Board could include voting rights or super voting rights, which could shift the ability to control the Company to the holders of the preferred stock. Preferred stock could also have conversion rights into shares of our common stock at a discount to the market price of our common stock, which could negatively affect the market for our common stock. In addition, preferred stock would have preference in the event of liquidation of the corporation, which means that the holders of preferred stock would be entitled to receive the net assets of the corporation distributed in liquidation before the holders of our common stock receive any distribution of the liquidated assets. 

The price of our common stock may be volatile regardless of our operating performance and you may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid, or at all.

The trading price of our common stock may be volatile, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price at which you paid for such shares. Our stock price volatility can be in response to a number of factors, including those listed in this section and elsewhere in this Annual Report. As a company in the oil services sector, there can be significant trading volume and volatility in our common stock that may be unrelated to our operating performance and more related to fluctuations and trading in oil-related public companies as a whole. Many of these volatility factors are beyond our control. Other factors that may affect the market price of our common stock include:

In addition, the United States securities markets have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations over the past several years. These fluctuations often have been unrelated to the operating performance of companies in these markets. Market fluctuations and broad market, economic and industry factors may negatively affect the price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. Any volatility or a significant decrease in the market price of our common stock could also negatively affect our ability to make acquisitions using our common stock. Further, if we were to be the object of securities class action litigation as a result of volatility in our common stock price or for other reasons, it could result in substantial costs and diversion of our management’s attention and resources, which could negatively affect our financial results.

Our existing shareholders would experience dilution if we elect to raise equity capital to meet our liquidity needs or finance a strategic transaction.

As part of our strategy, we may desire to raise capital and/or utilize our common stock to effect strategic business transactions. Either such action will likely require that we issue equity (or debt) securities which would result in dilution to our existing stockholders. Although we will attempt to minimize the dilutive impact of any future capital-raising activities or business transactions, we cannot offer any assurance that we will be able to do so. If we are successful in raising additional working capital, we may have to issue additional shares of our common stock at prices at a discount from the then-current market price of our common stock.

Our executive chairman and CEO beneficially owns a significant amount of our outstanding common stock and has substantial control over us.

As of June 5, 2022, Richard Murphy, our Executive Chairman and CEO, and his affiliated entity Cross River, beneficially own in the aggregate approximately 17.99% of our common stock. As a result, if acting together, they will be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or assets.  They may also have interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which you disagree, which may be adverse to your interests.  This concentration of ownership could limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company. This could prevent transactions in which shareholders might otherwise recover a premium for their shares over current market prices.

The liquidity and market price of our common stock may decline significantly if we are unable to maintain our NYSE American listing. 

Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE American. The NYSE American will consider suspending dealings in, or delisting, securities of an issuer that does not meet its continued listing standards. If we cannot meet the NYSE American continued listing requirements, the NYSE American may delist our common stock, which could have an adverse impact on us and the liquidity and market price of our common stock.

On April 18, 2022 we received notice from the NYSE American that we are not in compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing standards as set forth in Section 1007 of the NYSE American Company Guide (the “Company Guide”) because we failed to timely file (the “Filing Delinquency”) our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

During the six-month period from the date of the Filing Delinquency (the “Initial Cure Period”), the NYSE American will monitor our company and the status of the delinquent 10-K and any subsequent delayed filings until the Filing Delinquency is cured. If we fail to cure the Filing Delinquency within the Initial Cure Period, the NYSE American may, in its sole discretion, allow our securities to be traded for up to an additional six-month period (the “Additional Cure Period”) depending on specific circumstances. If the NYSE American determines an Additional Cure Period is not appropriate, suspension and delisting procedures will commence in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Company Guide. If the NYSE American determines that an Additional Cure Period of up to six months is appropriate and we fail to file our delinquent 10-K and any subsequent delayed filings by the end of that cure period, suspension and delisting procedures will generally commence.

We have filed the delinquent 10-K with the SEC as of the date of this filing within the Initial Cure Period.

In the past we have not been in compliance with NYSE American’s continued listing standards relating to minimum stock price and minimum stockholders’ equity. While we have cured such prior non-compliance, as discussed above, we are currently not in compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing rules. There is no assurance we will be able to comply or regain compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards.

If we are unable to retain compliance with the NYSE American criteria for continued listing, our common stock would be subject to delisting. A delisting of our common stock could negatively impact us by, among other things, reducing the liquidity and market price of our common stock; reducing the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our common stock, which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity financing; limiting our ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future; decreasing the amount of news and analyst coverage of us; and causing us reputational harm with investors, our employees, and parties conducting business with us.

If our common stock is delisted, our common stock may be subject to the so-called "penny stock" rules. The SEC has adopted regulations that define a penny stock to be any equity security that has a market price per share of less than $5.00, subject to certain exceptions, such as any securities listed on a national securities exchange. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules impose additional sales practice requirements and burdens on broker-dealers (subject to certain exceptions) and could discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our stock, further limiting the liquidity of our shares, and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock on the secondary market.

These factors could have a material adverse effect on the trading price, liquidity, value and marketability of our common stock.

Provisions in our charter documents could prevent or delay a change in control or a takeover.

Provisions in our bylaws provide certain requirements for the nomination of directors which preclude a stockholder from nominating a candidate to stand for election at any annual meeting. As described in Section 2.12 of the Company’s bylaws, nominations must be presented to the Company well in advance of a scheduled annual meeting and the notification must include specific information as set forth in that section. The Company believes that such a provision provides reasonable notice of the nominees to the Board, but it may preclude stockholder nomination at a meeting where the stockholder is not familiar with nomination procedures and, therefore, may prevent or delay a change of control or takeover.

Although the Delaware General Corporation Law includes §112 which provides that bylaws of Delaware corporations may require the corporation to include in its proxy materials one or more nominees submitted by stockholders in addition to individuals nominated by the Board, the bylaws of the Company do not so provide. As a result, if any stockholder desires to nominate persons for election to the Board, the proponent will have to incur all the costs normally associated with a proxy contest.

General Risk Factors

Indemnification of officers and directors may result in unanticipated expenses.

The Delaware General Corporation Law, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws, and indemnification agreements between the Company and certain individuals provide for the indemnification of our directors, officers, employees, and agents, under certain circumstances, against attorney’s fees and other expenses incurred by them in any litigation to which they become a party arising from their association with us or activities on our behalf. We also will bear the expenses of such litigation for any of our directors, officers, employees, or agents, upon such person’s promise to repay them if it is ultimately determined that any such person shall not have been entitled to indemnification. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures by us that we may be unable to recoup and could direct funds away from our business and products (if any).

We have significant obligations under the 1934 Act and the NYSE American.

Because we are a public company filing reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, we are subject to increased regulatory scrutiny and extensive and complex regulation. The SEC has the right to review the accuracy and completeness of our reports, press releases, and other public documents. In addition, we are subject to extensive requirements to institute and maintain financial accounting controls and for the accuracy and completeness of our books and records. In addition to regulation by the SEC, we are subject to the NYSE American rules. The NYSE American rules contain requirements with respect to corporate governance, communications with shareholders, and various other matters. The cost of compliance with many of these requirements is substantial, not only in absolute terms but, more importantly, in relation to the overall scope of the operations of a small company. Failure to comply with these requirements can have numerous adverse consequences, including, but not limited to, our inability to file required periodic reports on a timely basis, loss of market confidence, delisting of our securities and/or governmental or private actions against us. We cannot make assurances that we will be able to comply with all of these requirements or that the cost of such compliance will not prove to be a substantial competitive disadvantage as compared with privately held and larger public competitors.

Our operations are subject to cybersecurity attacks that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations are increasingly dependent on digital technologies and services. We use these technologies for internal purposes, including data storage, processing and transmissions, as well as in our interactions with customers and suppliers. Digital technologies are subject to the risk of cybersecurity attacks. If our systems for protecting against cybersecurity risks prove not to be sufficient, we could be adversely affected by, among other things: loss of or damage to intellectual property, proprietary or confidential information, or customer, supplier, or employee data; interruption of our business operations; and increased costs required to prevent, respond to, or mitigate cybersecurity attacks. These risks could harm our reputation and our relationships with customers, suppliers, employees and other third parties, and may result in claims against us. These risks could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.