Item 1A.  Risk Factors

Risks associated with our business, an investment in our securities, and with achieving the forward-looking statements contained in this report or in our news releases, websites, public filings, investor and analyst conferences or elsewhere, include, but are not limited to, the risk factors described below. Any of the risk factors described below could cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results. We may not succeed in addressing these challenges and risks.

The industry in which we operate is dependent upon the residential homebuilding industry, as well as the U.S. economy, the credit markets and other important factors.

The building products industry is highly dependent on new home and multifamily construction, which in turn are dependent upon a number of factors, including interest rates, consumer confidence, employment rates, foreclosure rates, housing inventory levels and occupancy, housing demand and the health of the U.S. economy and mortgage markets. Unfavorable changes in demographics, credit markets, consumer confidence, housing affordability, or housing inventory levels and occupancy, or a weakening of the U.S. economy or of any regional or local economy in which we operate could adversely affect consumer spending, result in decreased demand for our products, and adversely affect our business. Production of new homes and multifamily buildings may also decline because of shortages of qualified tradesmen, reliance on inadequately capitalized builders and sub-contractors, and shortages of suitable building lots and material. The homebuilding industry is currently experiencing a shortage of qualified, trained labor in many areas, including those served by us. In addition, the building industry is subject to various local, state, and federal statutes, ordinances, and regulations concerning zoning, building design and safety, construction, energy and water conservation and similar matters, including regulations that impose restrictive zoning and density requirements in order to limit the number of homes that can be built within the boundaries of a particular area or in order to maintain certain areas as primarily or exclusively residential. Regulatory restrictions may increase our operating expenses and limit the availability of suitable building lots for our customers, which could negatively affect our sales and earnings. Because we have substantial fixed costs, relatively modest declines in our customers’ production levels could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

The homebuilding industry is still recovering from a significant downturn that began in mid-2006 and began to stabilize in late 2011. Housing and remodeling activity has steadily strengthened since then.  In 2016, U.S. homebuilding activity increased to approximately 781,500 single-family starts although it remains well below the historical average (from 1959 through 2016) of approximately 1.0 million single-family starts per year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, actual U.S. single family housing starts in the U.S. during 2016 were 46.7% lower than in 2006. We believe that the slow recovery of the housing market is due to a variety of factors including: a severe economic recession, followed by a gradual economic recovery; limited credit availability; shortages of suitable building lots in many regions; shortages of experienced labor; rising home prices in many markets resulting in affordability issues for potential buyers; and soft housing demand in certain markets. The downturn in the homebuilding industry resulted in a substantial reduction in demand for our products and services.

During the downturn mortgage financing and commercial credit for smaller homebuilders was severely constrained and continues to slow a recovery in our industry despite some recent improvement. Since the housing industry is dependent upon the economy as well as potential homebuyers’ access to mortgage financing and homebuilders’ access to commercial credit, it is likely that the housing industry will not fully recover until conditions in the economy and the credit markets further improve.

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The building supply industry is cyclical and seasonal.

The building products supply industry is subject to cyclical market pressures. Prices of building products are subject to fluctuations arising from changes in supply and demand, national and international economic conditions, labor costs, competition, market speculation, government regulation, and trade policies, as well as from periodic delays in the delivery of lumber and other products. For example, prices of wood products, including lumber and panel products, are subject to significant volatility and directly affect our sales and earnings. In particular, low prices for wood products over a sustained period can adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows, as can excessive spikes in prices. Our lumber and lumber sheet goods product category represented 33.5% of total sales for the year ended December 31, 2016. We have limited ability to manage the timing and amount of pricing changes for building products. In addition, the supply of building products fluctuates based on available manufacturing capacity. A shortage of capacity or excess capacity in the industry can result in significant increases or declines in prices for those building products, often within a short period of time. Such price fluctuations can adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

In addition, although weather patterns affect our operating results throughout the year, adverse weather historically has reduced construction activity in the first and fourth quarters in the regions where we operate. To the extent that hurricanes, severe storms, floods, other natural disasters or similar events occur in the regions in which we operate, our business may be adversely affected. We anticipate that fluctuations from period to period will continue in the future.

Our industry is highly fragmented and competitive, and increased competitive pressure may adversely affect our results.

The building products supply industry is highly fragmented and competitive. We face, and will continue to face, significant competition from local and regional building materials chains, as well as from privately-owned single site enterprises. Any of these competitors may (1) foresee the course of market development more accurately than we do, (2) develop products that are superior to our products, (3) have the ability to produce or supply similar products at a lower cost, (4) develop stronger relationships with local homebuilders or commercial builders, (5) adapt more quickly to new technologies or evolving customer requirements than we do, or (6) have access to financing on more favorable terms than we can obtain in the market. As a result, we may not be able to compete successfully with them. In addition, home center retailers, which have historically concentrated their sales efforts on retail consumers and small contractors, have intensified their marketing efforts to professional homebuilders in recent years and may continue to intensify these efforts in the future. Furthermore, certain product manufacturers sell and distribute their products directly to production homebuilders or commercial builders. The volume of such direct sales could increase in the future. Additionally, manufacturers of products distributed by us may elect to sell and distribute directly to homebuilders or commercial builders in the future or enter into exclusive supplier arrangements with other distributors. Consolidation of production homebuilders or commercial builders may result in increased competition for their business. Finally, we may not be able to maintain our operating costs or product prices at a level sufficiently low for us to compete effectively. If we are unable to compete effectively, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows may be adversely affected.

We are subject to competitive pricing pressure from our customers.

Production homebuilders and multi-family builders historically have exerted and will continue to exert significant pressure on their outside suppliers to keep prices low because of their market share and their ability to leverage such market share in the highly fragmented building products supply industry. The housing industry downturn and its aftermath have resulted in significantly increased pricing pressures from production homebuilders and other customers. Over the past few years, these pricing pressures have adversely affected our operating results and cash flows. In addition, continued consolidation among production homebuilders or commercial builders, and changes in production homebuilders’ or commercial builders’ purchasing policies or payment practices, could result in additional pricing pressure, and our financial condition, operating results and cash flows may be adversely affected.

Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and prevent us from meeting our obligations under our debt instruments .

As of December 31, 2016, our debt totaled $1,831.2 million, including $246.0 million of lease finance obligations and capital lease obligations. We also have an $800 million senior secured revolving credit facility (“2015 facility”). As of December 31, 2016, we had $84.8 million of letters of credit outstanding under the 2015 facility. There were no outstanding borrowings under the 2015 facility as of December 31, 2016.  In addition, we have significant obligations under ongoing operating leases that are not reflected on our balance sheet.

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Our substantial debt could have important consequences to us, including:

In addition, some of our debt instruments, including those governing the 2015 facility, the 2015 term loan, the 10.75% senior unsecured notes due 2023 (“2023 notes”) and the 5.625% senior secured notes due 2024 (“2024 notes”), contain cross-default provisions that could result in our debt being declared immediately due and payable under a number of debt instruments, even if we default on only one debt instrument. In such event, it is unlikely that we would be able to satisfy our obligations under all of such accelerated indebtedness simultaneously.

Our financial condition and operating performance including that of our subsidiaries are also subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. There are no assurances that we will maintain a level of liquidity sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium and interest on our indebtedness.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations in an effort to meet our debt service and other obligations. The agreements governing the 2015 facility and the 2015 term loan and the indentures governing our 2023 notes and our 2024 notes restrict our ability to dispose of assets and to use the proceeds from such dispositions. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or be able to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them, and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

We may have future capital needs and may not be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms.

We are substantially reliant on cash on hand and borrowing availability under the 2015 facility, which totaled $681.6 million at December 31, 2016, to provide working capital and fund our operations. Our working capital requirements are likely to grow assuming the housing industry improves. Our inability to renew, amend or replace the 2015 facility, the 2015 term loan, the 2023 notes or the 2024 notes when required or when business conditions warrant could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Economic and credit market conditions, the performance of our industry, and our financial performance, as well as other factors, may constrain our financing abilities. Our ability to secure additional financing, if available, and to satisfy our financial obligations under indebtedness outstanding from time to time will depend upon our future operating performance, the availability of credit, economic conditions and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Any worsening of current housing market conditions or the macroeconomic factors that affect our industry could require us to seek additional capital and have a material adverse effect on our ability to secure such capital on favorable terms, if at all.

We may be unable to secure additional financing, financing on favorable terms or our operating cash flow may be insufficient to satisfy our financial obligations under indebtedness outstanding from time to time, including the 2015 facility, the 2015 term loan, the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes. The agreements governing the 2015 facility and the 2015 term loan and the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes, moreover, restrict the amount of permitted indebtedness allowed. In addition, if financing is not available when needed, or is available on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to take advantage of business opportunities, including potential acquisitions, or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of additional equity or convertible debt securities, our stockholders may experience significant dilution.

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We m ay incur additional indebtedness.

We may incur additional indebtedness in the future, including collateralized debt, subject to the restrictions contained in the agreements governing the 2015 facility and the 2015 term loan and the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

Our debt instruments contain various covenants that limit our ability to operate our business.

Our financing arrangements, including the agreements governing the 2015 facility and the 2015 term loan and the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes, contain various provisions that limit our ability to, among other things:

The agreement governing the 2015 facility contains a financial covenant requiring the satisfaction of a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.00 to 1.00 if our excess availability falls below the greater of $80.0 million or 10% of the maximum borrowing amount. As of December 31, 2016, our excess availability was $667.2 million. We do not anticipate excess availability falling below $80.0 million in 2017.

These provisions may restrict our ability to expand or fully pursue our business strategies. Our ability to comply with the agreements governing the 2015 facility and the 2015 term loan and the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes may be affected by changes in our operating and financial performance, changes in general business and economic conditions, adverse regulatory developments, a change in control or other events beyond our control. The breach of any of these provisions, including those contained in the 2015 facility and the 2015 term loan and the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes, could result in a default under our indebtedness, which could cause those and other obligations to become due and payable. If any of our indebtedness is accelerated, we may not be able to repay it.

In connection with the ProBuild acquisition, we incurred significant additional indebtedness which could adversely affect us, including by decreasing our business flexibility, and increased our interest expense.

Our consolidated indebtedness as of December 31, 2016 was approximately $1,831.2 million. We substantially increased our indebtedness in connection with the ProBuild acquisition, which has increased our interest expense and could have the effect of, among other things, reducing our flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions.

The amount of cash required to pay interest on our increased indebtedness level puts greater demands on our cash resources. The increased levels of indebtedness could also reduce funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes and may create competitive disadvantages for us relative to other companies with lower debt levels. If we do not achieve the expected benefits and cost savings from the ProBuild acquisition, or if the financial performance of the combined company does not meet current expectations, then our ability to service our indebtedness may be adversely impacted.

Moreover, we may be required to raise substantial additional financing to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general corporate requirements. Our ability to arrange additional financing or refinancing will depend on, among other factors, our financial position and performance, as well as prevailing market conditions and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain additional financing or refinancing on terms acceptable to us or at all.

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Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate ri sk, which could cause our indebtedness service obligations to increase significantly.

Interest rates may increase in the future. As a result, interest rates on our 2015 facility and our 2015 term loan could be higher or lower than current levels.  As of December 31, 2016, we had approximately $467.7 million, or 25.5%, of our outstanding debt at variable interest rates.  If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, would correspondingly decrease. At December 31, 2016, a 1.0% increase in interest rates on the 2015 term loan would, subject to the interest rate floor specified in the agreement, result in approximately $3.6 million in additional interest expense annually. At December 31, 2016, a 1.0% increase in interest rates on the 2015 facility would result in no additional interest expense annually as we had no outstanding borrowings. The 2015 facility also assesses variable commitment and outstanding letter of credit fees based on quarterly average loan utilization.

The agreements that govern our indebtedness contain various covenants that impose restrictions on us and certain of our subsidiaries that may affect our ability to operate our businesses.

The agreements that govern our indebtedness contain various affirmative and negative covenants that may, subject to certain significant exceptions, restrict the ability of us and certain of our subsidiaries to, among other things, have liens on our property, and/or merge or consolidate with any other person or sell or convey certain of our assets to any one person. The ability of us and our subsidiaries to comply with these provisions may be affected by events beyond our control. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could accelerate our repayment obligations.

Concluding the integration of Builders FirstSource and ProBuild may be more difficult, costly or time consuming than expected and the anticipated additional benefits and cost savings of the ProBuild acquisition may not be realized.

We continue to assess additional synergies that we may realize as a consolidated company, the realization of which will depend on a number of factors. The success of the ProBuild acquisition, including expected additional benefits and cost savings, will depend, in part, on our ability to successfully conclude the integration of the two businesses. It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees, higher than expected costs, diversion of management attention, the disruption of the combined company’s ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect the company’s ability to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers, vendors and employees or to achieve the expected additional benefits and cost savings of the ProBuild acquisition. If we experience difficulties concluding the integration process, or if the operating or financial performance of the combined company is less than we expect, we may forfeit some or all of the cost savings achieved to date, and the expected additional benefits and costs savings of the ProBuild acquisition may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected. The integration planning and implementation process has resulted and will continue to result in significant costs and diversion of management attention and resources. The integration process could have an adverse effect on the combined company for an undetermined period. Further, the actual additional cost savings of the ProBuild acquisition could be less than anticipated.

We are continuing to incur significant costs in connection with the integration of ProBuild and we may not achieve all of the anticipated cost savings.

We have incurred substantial fees and costs related to formulating and implementing integration plans, including facilities and systems consolidation costs and employment-related costs.  At the time of the ProBuild acquisition in July 2015 we estimated these integration-related costs in the range of $90 to $100 million over the two-year period following the closing. Through December 31, 2016, we had incurred approximately $71 million of integration-related costs. The remainder of these costs are expected to be incurred in 2017.  We continue to assess the magnitude of these costs, and additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in connection with the integration of the combined company’s businesses. Although we expect that the elimination of duplicative costs, as well as the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the businesses, should allow us to offset integration-related costs over time, this net benefit may not be achieved in the near term, or at all.

The loss of any of our significant customers or a reduction in the quantity of products they purchase could affect our financial health.

Our ten largest customers generated approximately 16.8% of our sales for the year ended December 31, 2016. We cannot guarantee that we will maintain or improve our relationships with these customers or that we will supply these customers at historical levels. Due to the relatively weak housing market over the past several years, many of our homebuilder customers substantially reduced their construction activity. Some homebuilder customers exited or severely curtailed building activity in certain of our regions during the downturn and in subsequent years.

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In addition, production homebuilders, commercial builders and other customers may: (1) seek to purchase some of the products that we currently sell directly from manufacturers, ( 2) elect to establish their own building products manufacturing and distribution facilities or (3) give advantages to manufacturing or distribution intermediaries in which they have an economic stake. Continued consolidation among production homebuilders c ould also result in a loss of some of our present customers to our competitors. The loss of one or more of our significant customers or deterioration in our relations with any of them could significantly affect our financial condition, operating results an d cash flows. Furthermore, our customers are not required to purchase any minimum amount of products from us. The contracts into which we have entered with most of our professional customers typically provide that we supply particular products or services for a certain period of time when and if ordered by the customer. Should our customers purchase our products in significantly lower quantities than they have in the past, such decreased purchases could have a material adverse effect on our financial condit ion, operating results and cash flows.

A range of factors may make our quarterly revenues and earnings variable.

We have historically experienced, and in the future will continue to experience, variability in revenues and earnings on a quarterly basis. The factors expected to contribute to this variability include, among others: (1) the volatility of prices of lumber, wood products and other building products, (2) the cyclical nature of the homebuilding industry, (3) general economic conditions in the various areas that we serve, (4) the intense competition in the industry, including expansion and growth strategies by competitors, (5) the production schedules of our customers, and (6) the effects of the weather. These factors, among others, make it difficult to project our operating results on a consistent basis, which may affect the price of our stock.

Our continued success will depend on our ability to retain our key employees and to attract and retain new qualified employees.

Our success depends in part on our ability to attract, hire, train and retain qualified managerial, operational, sales and other personnel. We face significant competition for these types of employees in our industry and from other industries. We may be unsuccessful in attracting and retaining the personnel we require to conduct and expand our operations successfully. In addition, key personnel may leave us and compete against us. Our success also depends to a significant extent on the continued service of our senior management team. We may be unsuccessful in replacing key managers who either resign or retire. The loss of any member of our senior management team or other experienced senior employees could impair our ability to execute our business plan, cause us to lose customers and reduce our net sales, or lead to employee morale problems and/or the loss of other key employees. In any such event, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Product shortages, loss of key suppliers, and our dependence on third-party suppliers and manufacturers could affect our financial health.

Our ability to offer a wide variety of products to our customers is dependent upon our ability to obtain adequate product supply from manufacturers and other suppliers. Generally, our products are obtainable from various sources and in sufficient quantities. However, the loss of, or a substantial decrease in the availability of, products from our suppliers or the loss of key supplier arrangements could adversely impact our financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.

Although in many instances we have agreements with our suppliers, these agreements are generally terminable by either party on limited notice. Failure by our suppliers to continue to supply us with products on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, could put pressure on our operating margins or have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows. Short-term changes in the cost of these materials, some of which are subject to significant fluctuations, are sometimes, but not always passed on to our customers. Our delayed ability to pass on material price increases to our customers could adversely impact our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

If the housing market declines, we may be required to take impairment charges relating to our operations or temporarily idle or permanently close under-performing locations.

If conditions in the housing industry deteriorate we may need to take goodwill and/or asset impairment charges relating to certain of our reporting units. Any such non-cash charges would have an adverse effect on our financial results. In addition, in response to industry conditions, we may have to temporarily idle or permanently close certain facilities in under-performing regions. Any such facility closures could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

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The nature of our business exposes us to product liability, product warr anty, casualty, construction defect, asbestos, vehicle and other claims and legal proceedings.

We are involved in product liability, product warranty, casualty, construction defect, asbestos, vehicle and other claims relating to the products we manufacture and distribute, and services we provide that, if adversely determined, could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, and cash flows. We rely on manufacturers and other suppliers to provide us with many of the products we sell and distribute. Because we have no direct control over the quality of such products manufactured or supplied by such third-party suppliers, we are exposed to risks relating to the quality of such products. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company has seen an increased occurrence of known and threatened legal claims, primarily related to construction defect type claims. We are also involved in several asbestos personal injury suits due to the alleged sale of asbestos-containing products by legacy businesses that we acquired.  In addition, we are exposed to potential claims arising from the conduct of our respective employees and subcontractors, and builders and their subcontractors, for which we may be contractually liable. Although we currently maintain what we believe to be suitable and adequate insurance in excess of our self-insured amounts, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms or that such insurance will provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. Product liability, product warranty, casualty, construction defect, asbestos, vehicle, and other claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant periods, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Claims of this nature could also have a negative impact on customer confidence in our products and our company. In addition, we are involved on an ongoing basis in other types of legal proceedings. We cannot assure you that any current or future claims against us will not adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We occupy most of our facilities under long-term non-cancelable leases. We may be unable to renew leases at the end of their terms. If we close a facility, we are still obligated under the applicable lease.

Most of our facilities are leased. Many of our leases are non-cancelable, typically have initial expiration terms ranging from five to 15 years and most provide options to renew for specified periods of time. We believe that leases we enter into in the future will likely be of the same terms (five to 15 years), will be non-cancelable and will feature similar renewal options. If we close or idle a facility we would remain committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease, which would include, among other things, payment of the base rent, insurance, taxes and other expenses on the leased property for the balance of the lease term. Management may explore offsets to remaining obligations such as subleasing opportunities or negotiated lease terminations. During the period from 2007 through 2016, we closed or idled a number of facilities for which we continue to remain liable. Our obligation to continue making rental payments with respect to leases for closed or idled facilities could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. At the end of a lease term and any renewal period for a leased facility, for those locations where we have no renewal options remaining, we may be unable to renew the lease without additional cost, if at all. If we are unable to renew our facility leases, we may close or, if possible, relocate the facility, which could subject us to additional costs and risks which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, the revenue and profit generated at a relocated facility may not equal the revenue and profit generated at the former operation.

We are a holding company and conduct all of our operations through our subsidiaries.

We are a holding company that derives all of our operating income from our subsidiaries. All of our assets are held by our direct and indirect subsidiaries. We rely on the earnings and cash flows of our subsidiaries, which are paid to us by our subsidiaries in the form of dividends and other payments or distributions, to meet our debt service obligations. The ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments or distributions to us will depend on their respective operating results and may be restricted by, among other things, the laws of their jurisdiction of organization (which may limit the amount of funds available for the payment of dividends and other distributions to us), the terms of existing and future indebtedness and other agreements of our subsidiaries, the 2015 facility, the 2015 term loan, the terms of the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes and the covenants of any future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur.

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We may be adversely affected by any disruption in our respective information technology systems.

Our operations are dependent upon our information technology systems, which encompass all of our major business functions. Our ProBuild subsidiary currently maintains multiple ERP systems to manage its operations. We plan to integrate ProBuild’s systems with ours over time and have commenced that process.  We may encounter significant operational disruptions and higher than expected costs in connection with such integration process, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows. Our primary ERP system is a proprietary system that has been highly customized by our computer programmers. Our centralized financial reporting system currently draws data from our ERP systems. We rely upon our information technology systems to manage and replenish inventory, to fill and ship customer orders on a timely basis, and to coordinate our sales activities across all of our products and services. A substantial disruption in our information technology systems for any prolonged time period (arising from, for example, system capacity limits from unexpected increases in our volume of business, outages, or delays in our service) could result in delays in receiving inventory and supplies or filling customer orders and adversely affect our customer service and relationships. Our systems might be damaged or interrupted by natural or man-made events or by computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, or similar disruptions affecting the global Internet. There can be no assurance that such delays, problems, or associated costs will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We are subject to cybersecurity risks and may incur increasing costs in an effort to minimize those risks.

Our business employs systems that allow for the secure storage and transmission of customers’ proprietary information. Security breaches could expose us to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, litigation and potential liability. We may not have the resources or technical sophistication to anticipate or prevent rapidly evolving types of cyber-attacks. Any compromise of our security could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could harm our business. The regulatory environment related to information security and privacy is increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to our business, and compliance with those requirements could result in additional costs. Our computer systems have been, and will likely continue to be, subjected to computer viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access attempts and cyber- or phishing-attacks. These events could compromise our confidential information, impede or interrupt our business operations, and may result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, loss of revenue, litigation and reputational damage. To date, we have not experienced a material breach of cybersecurity. As cyber-attacks become more sophisticated we may be required to incur significant costs to strengthen our systems from outside intrusions and/or maintain insurance coverage related to the threat of such attacks. While we have implemented administrative and technical controls and have taken other preventive actions to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our information technology, they may be insufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, cyber-attacks or other security breaches to our computer systems.

We are subject to payments-related risks that could increase our operating costs, expose us to fraud, subject us to potential liability and potentially disrupt our business.

We accept payments using a variety of methods, including credit card, debit card, gift cards, direct debit from a customer’s bank account, consumer invoicing, and physical bank checks, and we may offer different payment options over time. These payment options subject us to many compliance requirements, including, but not limited to, compliance with payment card association operating rules, including data security rules, certification requirements, rules governing electronic funds transfers and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. They also subject us to potential fraud by criminal elements seeking to discover and take advantage of security vulnerabilities that may exist in some of these payment systems. For certain payment methods, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability. We rely on third parties to provide payment processing services, including the processing of credit and debit cards, and it could disrupt our business if these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, or if our data security systems are breached or compromised, we may be liable for card issuing banks’ costs, subject to fines and higher transaction fees, and lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our customers, process electronic funds transfers, or facilitate other types of online payments, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We may be adversely affected by any natural or man-made disruptions to our distribution and manufacturing facilities.

We currently maintain a broad network of distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. Any widespread disruption to our facilities resulting from fire, earthquake, weather-related events, an act of terrorism or any other cause could damage a significant portion of our inventory and could materially impair our ability to distribute our products to customers. Moreover, we could incur significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with distributing our products to our customers during the time that it takes for us to reopen or replace a damaged facility. In addition, any shortages of fuel or significant fuel cost increases could disrupt our ability to distribute products to our customers. If any of these events were to occur, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

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We may be unable to successfully implement our growth strategy, which includes increasing sales of our prefabricated components and other value-added products, pursuing strategic acquisitions, opening new facilities and reducing our outstanding debt.

Our long-term strategy depends in part on growing our sales of prefabricated components and other value-added products and increasing our market share. If any of these initiatives are not successful, or require extensive investment, our growth may be limited, and we may be unable to achieve or maintain expected levels of growth and profitability.

Our long-term business plan also provides for continued growth through strategic acquisitions and organic growth through the construction of new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities. Failure to identify and acquire suitable acquisition candidates on appropriate terms could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy. Moreover, reduced operating results during the historically slow economic recovery, our liquidity position, or the requirements of the 2015 facility, the 2015 term loan or the indentures governing the 2023 notes and the 2024 notes, could prevent us from obtaining the capital required to effect new acquisitions or expansions of existing facilities. Our failure to make successful acquisitions or to build or expand needed facilities, including manufacturing facilities, produce saleable product, or meet customer demand in a timely manner could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, and cash flows A negative impact on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows, or our decision to invest in strategic acquisitions or new facilities, could adversely affect our ability to reduce our substantial outstanding debt.

In addition, although we have been successful in the past in integrating 33 acquisitions, we may not be able to fully integrate the operations of ProBuild or any future acquired businesses with our own in an efficient and cost-effective manner or without significant disruption to our or ProBuild’s existing operations. Moreover, acquisitions, including the ProBuild acquisition, involve significant risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties as to the future financial performance of the acquired business, the achievement of expected synergies, difficulties integrating acquired personnel and corporate cultures into our business, the potential loss of key employees, customers or suppliers, difficulties in integrating different computer and accounting systems, exposure to unforeseen liabilities of acquired companies and the diversion of management attention and resources from existing operations. We may be unable to successfully complete potential acquisitions due to multiple factors, such as issues related to regulatory review of the proposed transactions. We may also be required to incur additional debt in order to consummate acquisitions in the future. Potential new debt may be substantial and may limit our flexibility in using our cash flow from operations. Our failure to fully integrate ProBuild’s business or future acquired businesses effectively or to manage other consequences of our acquisitions, including increased indebtedness, could prevent us from remaining competitive and, ultimately, could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Federal, state, local and other regulations could impose substantial costs and/or restrictions on our operations that would reduce our net income.

We are subject to various federal, state, local and other regulations, including, among other things, regulations promulgated by the Department of Transportation and applicable to our fleet of delivery trucks, work safety regulations promulgated by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employment regulations promulgated by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accounting standards issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or similar entities, state and local regulations relating to our escrow business, and state and local zoning restrictions and building codes. More burdensome regulatory requirements in these or other areas may increase our general and administrative costs and adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows. Moreover, failure to comply with the regulatory requirements applicable to our business could expose us to substantial penalties that could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We are subject to potential exposure to environmental liabilities and are subject to environmental regulation.

We are subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations. Although we believe that our facilities are in material compliance with such laws, ordinances, and regulations, as owners and lessees of real property, we can be held liable for the investigation or remediation of contamination on such properties, in some circumstances, without regard to whether we knew of or were responsible for such contamination. No assurance can be provided that remediation may not be required in the future as a result of spills or releases of petroleum products or hazardous substances, the discovery of unknown environmental conditions, more stringent standards regarding existing residual contamination, or changes in legislation, laws, rules or regulations. More burdensome environmental regulatory requirements may increase our general and administrative costs and adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

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We may be adversely affected by uncertainty in the economy and financial markets, including as a result of terrorism or unrest in the Middl e East, Europe or elsewhere.

Instability in the economy and financial markets, including as a result of terrorism or unrest in the Middle East, Europe or elsewhere, may result in a decrease in housing starts, which would adversely affect our business. In addition, such unrest or related adverse developments, including a retaliatory military strike or terrorist attack, may cause unpredictable or unfavorable economic conditions and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results, and cash flows. Any shortages of fuel or significant fuel cost increases related to geopolitical conditions could seriously disrupt our ability to distribute products to our customers. In addition, domestic terrorist attacks may affect our ability to keep our operations and services functioning properly and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Some Company Employees are Unionized.

Approximately 2% of the workforce at our company are members of ten different unions. There can be no assurance that additional employees of our company will not conduct union organization campaigns or become union members in the future.  

The ownership position of affiliates of JLL Partners, Inc. limits other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters.

Affiliates of JLL Partners, Inc. (“JLL”) owned approximately 21.8% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2016. Two of our eight directors hold positions with affiliates of JLL. Accordingly, JLL has significant influence over our management and affairs and over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets. This ownership position limits other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and, as a result, we may take actions that some of our stockholders do not view as beneficial. Additionally, JLL is in the business of making investments in companies and may, from time to time, acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. These entities may also pursue, for their own accounts, acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. Further, certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may limit your ability to influence corporate matters, and, as a result, we may take actions that some of our stockholders do not view as beneficial.

If JLL were to sell a large portion of its ownership position the Company could experience a Section 382 Ownership Change, which is described more fully in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K. If the Company were to experience a Section 382 Ownership change annual limitations would be imposed on certain of the Company’s tax attributes, including net operating loss and capital loss carryforwards, and certain other losses, credits, deductions or tax basis.

The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations.

Between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016, the price of our common stock on the NASDAQ ranged from $6.50 to $14.09 per share. Our stock price may fluctuate in response to a number of events and factors, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section. Additionally, our substantial indebtedness may hinder the demand for our common stock, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

The price of our common stock is volatile and may decline.

The market price of our common stock historically has experienced and may continue to experience significant price fluctuations similar to those experienced by the broader stock market in recent years. In addition, the price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to various factors, including:

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Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against that company.

If we were involved in any similar litigation we could incur substantial costs and our management’s attention and resources could be diverted, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. As a result, it may be difficult for you to resell your shares of common stock in the future.

Significant sales of our common stock, or the perception that significant sales may occur in the future, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The sale of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, and the availability of shares for future sale, including 3.5 million shares of our common stock issuable as of December 31, 2016, upon exercise of outstanding vested and unvested options to acquire shares of our common stock and through the conversion of 2.2 million restricted stock units under our stock incentive plans could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could cause the market price of our common stock to remain low for a substantial time. Additional stock grants may also be made under our incentive plans, including our 2014 Incentive Plan, as it may be amended. Further, affiliates of JLL own approximately 21.8% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2016, and may sell shares of our common stock in the future. We cannot foresee the effect of such potential sales on the market, but it is possible that if a significant percentage of such available shares were attempted to be sold within a short period of time, the market for our shares of common stock would be adversely affected. It is also unclear whether or not the market for our common stock could absorb a large number of attempted sales in a short period of time, regardless of the price at which they might be offered. Even if a substantial number of sales do not occur within a short period of time, the mere existence of this “market overhang” could have a negative effect on the market for our common stock and our ability to raise additional capital.

We do not have any current plan to pay, and are restricted in our ability to pay, any dividends on our common stock, and as a result, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment in our common stock is if the price of our common stock increases.

We anticipate that we will retain all future earnings and other cash resources for the future operation and development of our business. Accordingly, we do not intend to declare or pay regular cash dividends on our common stock in the near future. Payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account many factors, including our operating results, financial condition, current and anticipated cash needs and plans for expansion. The declaration and payment of any dividends on our common stock is also restricted by the terms of our outstanding indebtedness.