Form: S-1/A

General form of registration statement for all companies including face-amount certificate companies

January 5, 2022

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 5, 2022.
Registration No. 333-261852
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
CADRE HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
3842
38-3873146
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
13386 International Pkwy
Jacksonville, FL 32218
(904) 741-5400
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Warren B. Kanders
13386 International Pkwy
Jacksonville, FL 32218
(904) 741-5400
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies of Communications to:
Robert L. Lawrence, Esq.
Kane Kessler P.C.
600 Third Avenue, 35th Floor
New York, New York 10016
(212) 519- 5103
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer
Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities
to be Registered
Shares to be
Registered(1)
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price Per Share
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price(1)(2)
Amount of
Registration
Fee(3)
common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
27,483,350 $ 20.74 $ 570,004,679 $ 52,839.43
(1)
Pursuant to Rule 416(a), there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share splits, share dividends or similar transactions.
(2)
Consists of 27,483,350 shares of Common Stock registered for sale by the selling securityholders named in this registration statement or their permitted transferees.
(3)
The registrant previously paid this amount in connection with a prior filing of this registration statement.
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 5, 2022
[MISSING IMAGE: lg_cadreholdings-4c.jpg]
CADRE HOLDINGS, INC.
(a Delaware corporation)
27,483,350 Shares
Common Stock
This prospectus relates to the offer and sale from time to time by the selling securityholders named in this prospectus (the “Selling Securityholders”), or their permitted transferees, of up to 27,483,350 shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Common Stock”). We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus.
Our registration of the securities covered by this prospectus does not mean that the Selling Securityholders will offer or sell any of the shares. The Selling Securityholders may sell the shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus in a number of different ways and at varying prices. We provide more information about how the Selling Securityholders may sell the shares in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.”
No underwriter or other person has been engaged to facilitate the sale of the Securities in this offering. We will bear all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the Securities. The Selling Stockholders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to their respective sales of the Securities.
Warren B. Kanders beneficiallys own in excess of 50% of the voting power of our common stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. See “Management — Controlled Company Exemption” and “Principal Stockholders.”
Our Common Stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CDRE”. On January 3, 2022, the closing price of our Common Stock was $25.01.
We are an “emerging growth company” under federal securities laws and are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of our common stock.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Prospectus dated January   , 2022.

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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105
F-1
The market data and certain other statistical information used throughout this prospectus are based on independent industry publications, governmental publications, reports by market research firms or other independent sources. Some data are also based on our good faith estimates.
You should rely only on the information we have provided or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus, any
 

 
applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representation. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the Common Stock offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security.
The Selling Stockholders are offering the Common Stock only in jurisdictions where such issuances are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus and the issuance of the Common Stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the issuance of the Common Stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, the Common Stock offered by this prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), under which the Selling Stockholders may offer from time to time up to an aggregate of 27,483,350 shares of our Common Stock in one or more offerings. If required, each time a Selling Stockholder offers Common Stock, in addition to this prospectus, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to that offering. We may also use a prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus to add, update or change any of the information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. This prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplements, any related free writing prospectuses and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, includes all material information relating to this offering. To the extent that any statement that we make in a prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus, the statements made in this prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in a prospectus supplement. Please carefully read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described below under the heading “Risk Factors.”
 

 
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information that is presented in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before making an investment decision. Unless expressly indicated or the context requires otherwise, the terms “Cadre Holdings,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” in this prospectus refer to Cadre Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Business Overview
For over 55 years, we have been a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of safety and survivability equipment for first responders. Our equipment provides critical protection to allow its users to safely and securely perform their duties and protect those around them in hazardous or life-threatening situations. Through our dedication to superior quality, we establish a direct covenant with end users that our products will perform and keep them safe when they are most needed. We sell a wide range of products including body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment and duty gear through both direct and indirect channels. In addition, through our owned distribution, we serve as a one-stop shop for first responders providing equipment we manufacture as well as third-party products including uniforms, optics, boots, firearms and ammunition. The majority of our diversified product offering is governed by rigorous safety standards and regulations. Demand for our products is driven by technological advancement as well as recurring modernization and replacement cycles for the equipment to maintain its efficiency, effective performance and regulatory compliance.
As discussed below, we believe we have established leading market positions across our product portfolio through high-quality standards, innovation and a direct connection to the end users, including being a leading provider of explosive ordnance disposal technician equipment globally as well as a leading provider of safety holsters and a top provider of soft body armor for first responders in the U.S. We service the ever- changing needs of our end users by investing in research and development for new product innovation and technical advancements that continually raise the standards for safety and survivability equipment in the first responder market. Our target end user base includes domestic and international first responders such as state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, emergency medical technicians (“EMT”), fishing and wildlife enforcement and departments of corrections, as well as federal agencies including the U.S. Department of State (“DoS”), U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”), U.S. Department of Interior (“DoI”), U.S. Department of Justice (“DoJ”), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), U.S. Department of Corrections (“DoC”) and numerous foreign government agencies in over 104 countries.
We have a large and diverse customer base, with our top 10 customers representing approximately 26% of sales, with no individual customer representing more than 6.5% of our total revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2020.
 
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We are committed to honoring those who put their lives in danger through the SAVES CLUB®, which pays homage to first responders who experience a life-threatening incident in the line of work in which our armor or gear contribute to saving their lives. The club currently has 2,123 members and counting. With the help of our suppliers, distributors and first responder end users, we strive to fulfill the Company creed: Together, We Save Lives.
Industry Overview
The market for safety and survivability equipment serving first responders focuses on providing a diverse set of protective and mission enhancing products and solutions to our target end users. The market is driven by multiple factors including customer refresh cycles, growing number of personnel employed by first responder organizations, equipment replacement and modernization trends, greater emphasis on public and first responders’ safety and demographic shifts.
Body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment and duty gear comprise the core product areas in the safety and survivability equipment market and law enforcement personnel growth is a significant driver for our business. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of law enforcement personnel in the
U.S. to increase at a faster rate than broader labor market growth over the 10 year period from 2019 to 2029, or 5%, from 813,500 in 2019 to 854,200 in 2029. Demand for first responder safety and survivability equipment is also fueled by increasing law enforcement budgets. Law enforcement budgets have grown significantly on a per capita basis since 2000, supported by increased spending in major cities and by federal agencies. Per the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in real dollars (adjusted for inflation), local police-protection spending per capita rose 29% from 2000 to 2017. In 2017, real state and local police protection spending per capita was $326 vs. $258 in 2000.
The following charts highlight budget growth for major departments from 2008 to 2020 and for domestic state and local police protection spend from 2008 to 2018 (based on available data):
 
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In addition to the macro industry trends, each of these product segments experiences unique drivers in and of themselves. Increasing mandatory body armor use and refresh policies, evolving technical standards and increases in tactical or special weapons and tactics (“SWAT”) law enforcement personnel act as tailwinds to the body armor market. Meanwhile, the explosive ordnance disposal equipment market is driven by the continued emergence of new global threats while duty gear is driven mainly by product use and replacement cycles.
Our management estimates the annual addressable market for soft body armor (including tactical soft armor) in 2020 to be approximately $870 million. We also estimate explosive ordnance disposal equipment to have an addressable market of approximately $245 million over the seven-to-ten year life cycle of the products’ installed base. Finally, the annual addressable market for holsters for the global law enforcement and military and consumer markets is estimated to be approximately $380 million.
The international market is also poised for growth as foreign governments face increasingly complex safety challenges and seek to replace legacy equipment. Additionally, we foresee the demand for safety and survivability equipment from overseas markets to increase due to heightened awareness of the importance and effectiveness of such products and as countries are exposed to new threats. Our management estimates our addressable number of total law enforcement personnel outside the U.S. to be approximately 9,658,000, representing a substantial market opportunity.
Our management team believes that the safety and survivability equipment industry for first responders represents a stable and growing market with long-term opportunities. Given our strong market standing, direct connection to the end users, extensive distribution network, long history of innovations and high-quality standards, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on the positive market dynamics.
Competitive Strengths
Leading, independent global provider of safety and survivability equipment for first responders.   Our history as a leading provider of high-quality safety and survivability equipment dates back to 1964. Our differentiated value proposition is built on superior quality combined with an unwavering focus on critical safety standards, making us the trusted brand name for first responders. Our extensive product breadth allows us to serve as a one-stop shop for our end users and their safety and survivability equipment needs.
Strong market positions.   Based on data we collect related to end users and publicly available information on awarded contracts and purchases, we believe we have leading market positions across multiple product categories through superior quality and performance differentiating us from our competition. By way of reference, we sell either concealable tactical or hard armor to 34 of the top 50 police departments in the
U.S. by size. Likewise, we sell our duty retention holsters to 48 of the top 50 police departments in the U.S.by size. Furthermore, we are a party to multi-year contracts for the largest bomb suit teams in the world including the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force. Our products continually exceed stringent industry safety standards and are recognized for advancements in performance through innovation and technological enhancement.
 
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Mission-critical products with recurring demand characteristics.   Our products provide critical protection to their end users as well as those around them, with limited or no room for error. As a result, stringent safety standards and customary warranty provisions create refresh cycles on over 80% of the equipment we supply to ensure efficient and effective performance at all times. Demand associated with these refresh cycles drives a highly predictable recurring revenue stream. The majority of our remaining revenue is associated consumable products driving recurring sales based on replenishment needs.
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Attractive macro-economic and secular tailwinds driving demand and visibility for our products.   The vast majority of our end markets are acyclical in nature as their demand is driven primarily by the first responder budgets and relatively unaffected by economic cycles. Our business has benefitted from key shifts serving as tailwinds to our growth strategy including the increasing focus on safety, replacement and modernization trends as well as demographic shifts and urbanization.
Compelling organic and inorganic growth roadmap.   Leveraging our differentiated product development process and technical knowhow, leading domestic market position and first mover advantage with our suppliers, we plan to drive profitable organic revenue growth via new product development and geographic expansion. In particular, international expansion is an especially important initiative in our organic growth roadmap due to the significant market share opportunity and increasing investments in safety and survivability equipment in various key geographic markets. We expect to supplement our organic growth through a targeted M&A program spanning our existing core products and markets as well as attractive adjacencies.
Attractive financial profile with strong EBITDA margins and free-cash-flow generation.   We generate strong profitability through diligent portfolio management of customers and contracts and continued focus on cost structure to drive operating leverage. Our strong profitability combined with minimal capital expenditure requirements result in high free-cash-flow generation, which is a key driver for our internal research and development initiatives and targeted M&A program. Our Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate is consistently greater than 90%.
Tenured management with significant public company platforms.   Our management team is comprised of executive officers with extensive experience at public company platforms including Armor Holdings Inc., Danaher Corporation, General Electric Company and IDEX Corporation. Together they bring an established track record of strong performance operating and growing public companies both organically and via acquisitions. This experience has created a differentiated approach to our operating model through their expertise in building a culture of operational and cultural excellence, complexity reduction, and innovation.
Long-term customer relationships across diverse end markets and geographies.   We maintain long-term relationships with over 23,000 first responders and federal agencies both domestically and internationally, with top customer relationships averaging an excess of 15 years. Our global presence spans over 104 countries across North America, Europe and other regions.
Growth Strategy
Our growth plan consists of a multi-pronged approach that includes driving profitable core revenue growth through new product introductions and international market expansion combined with targeted acquisitions, enhanced through our operating model.
 
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Profitable Core Revenue Growth.   We believe that our leading market positions across a range of core categories will continue to yield significant growth opportunities. Our management team is focused on delivering new product launches, increasing customer wallet share, executing on key new contract opportunities and expanding our high-margin e-commerce and direct-to-consumer capabilities to continue to drive revenue growth. Examples of recent product innovation include the development of a 3D body sizing solution for soft armor, introduction of our next generation holsters, and working with key suppliers on the use of emerging materials for utilization in new armor products. We are also seeking to expand our leadership in high-growth technologies through the development of our blast sensor equipment for soldier protection. We believe this opportunity could represent a total potential addressable market opportunity of up to approximately $500 million based on the total size of the U.S. Department of Defense branches ultimately participating in the program. The requirement for blast sensors and the potential market for all branches of the U.S. military is supported by the Blast Pressure Exposure Study Improvement Act which was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
International Market Expansion.   We are also committed to increasing our market share internationally. Given our leading domestic market position and our products’ high-quality standards and performance, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of the growth in international demand for safety and survivability equipment for first responders. We intend to penetrate certain international markets through leveraging existing relationships, building local market teams and expansion into relevant market adjacencies.
Targeted M&A Program.   To supplement organic growth and internal research and development, our management team has historically undertaken a targeted M&A program, completing 12 transactions between 2012 and 2017. These strategic acquisitions have allowed us to expand our product and technology offerings, enter new markets and expand geographically to achieve attractive returns in our invested capital period.
We maintain a robust pipeline of opportunistic M&A opportunities, spanning our existing core products and markets as well as attractive adjacencies within the safety and survivability landscape. We plan to utilize our relatively high free-cash-flow generation and historical success in acquisitions to drive favorable acquisition structures and efficient integration. Our operating model, passion around connecting with customers and expansive channel help maximize the value created from our acquisitions.
Continuous Margin Improvement Initiatives.   Our management team has shown a strong track record of achieving cost structure optimization to drive operating leverage, as evidenced by past years’ margin improvements. Our operating model starts with complexity reduction then uses lean tools and methods to continuously improve operational and commercial processes. Strategic initiatives completed over the past few years include among others, rationalizing the Company’s manufacturing footprint, divesting non-core activities, enhancing our supply-chain and optimizing customer relationships and key contracts. Together these activities have helped enhance the Company’s manufacturing and sales operations, ultimately driving profitability growth.
Risks Related to Our Business
Investing in our common stock involves substantial risk. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus prior to investing in our common stock. There are several risks related to our business that are described under the section titled “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this prospectus. Among these important risks are the following:

The products we sell are inherently risky and could give rise to product liability, product warranty claims, and other loss contingencies.

Our markets are highly competitive, and if we are unable to compete effectively, we will be adversely affected.

Technological advances, the introduction of new products, and new design and manufacturing techniques could adversely affect our operations unless we are able to adapt to the resulting change in conditions.

We may seek to raise additional funds, finance acquisitions or develop strategic relationships by issuing capital stock that would dilute your ownership.
 
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We may be unsuccessful in our future acquisition endeavors, if any, which may have an adverse effect on our business; in addition, some of the businesses we acquire may incur significant losses from operations.

Our business and growth may suffer if we are unable to attract and retain key officers or employees, including our Chief Executive Officer, Warren B. Kanders, as well as any loss of officers or employees due to illness or other events outside of our control.

We are uncertain of our ability to manage our growth.

We have significant payment obligations under the terms of our long-term debt, $225.9 million of which was outstanding as of September 30, 2021.

Warren B. Kanders beneficially owns in excess of 50% of the voting power of our common stock. As such, the concentration of our capital stock ownership with insiders will likely limit your ability to influence corporate matters.
We are an emerging growth company as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 3(a)(80) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Pursuant to Section 102 of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”), we have provided reduced executive compensation disclosure and have omitted a compensation discussion and analysis from this prospectus. Pursuant to Section 107 of the JOBS Act, we have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards.
Corporate Information
Cadre Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in the State of Delaware on April 12, 2012.
Our principal executive offices are located at 13386 International Pkwy, Jacksonville, Florida 32218 and our telephone number is (904) 741-5400. Our website address is www.cadre-holdings.com. The information on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only. Our principal material logos and trademarks include Safariland and Med-Eng, amongst others used for various niche product categories. Our logo and our other trade names, trademarks and service marks appearing in this prospectus are our property. Solely for convenience, our trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus appear without the ™ or ® symbol, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights, or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible for exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, presenting only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements with correspondingly reduced “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure in this prospectus, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation, and an exemption from the requirements to obtain a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements.
In addition, an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This provision allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act. As a result, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time as other public companies that are not
 
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emerging growth companies. Therefore, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the consummation of this offering; (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion; (iii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year; or (iv) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
 
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THE OFFERING
Shares of Common Stock offered by
Selling Securityholders
27,483,350
Total shares of common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering
34,383,350 shares
Use of proceeds
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock by the Selling Securityholders.
Dividend policy
We have previously declared and paid a one-time cash dividend on our common stock, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share which was paid on December 7, 2021 and we expect to pay a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share, or $0.32 on an annualized basis, on our common stock for the foreseeable future. See “Dividend Policy.”
Controlled company
Warren B. Kanders beneficially owns in excess of 50% of the voting power of our common stock. However, we do not intend to avail ourselves of the controlled company exemption under the corporate governance standards of NYSE.
Lock-Up Restrictions
Certain of our stockholders are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for further discussion.
Market for Common Stock
Our Common Stock is currently listed on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CDRE”.
Risk factors
Please read the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 for a discussion of some of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our common stock.
 
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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following tables summarize our consolidated financial and other data. We have derived the summary consolidated statements of operations data for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and the summary consolidated balance sheet data as of September 30, 2021 from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the summary consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. The following summary consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis,” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
(In thousands, except for share and per share amounts)
Nine months ended September 30,
 Year ended December 31,
2021
2020
2020
2019
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Net sales
$ 323,751 $ 297,019 $ 404,642 $ 420,736
Cost of goods sold
192,256 183,869 251,704 274,699
Gross profit
131,495 113,150 152,938 146,037
Operating expenses Selling, general and administrative
87,168 79,963 106,627 124,270
Restructuring and transaction costs
1,491 3,143 5,822 918
Related party expense
437 480 1,635 1,096
Other general income
(10,950) (10,950) (7,630)
Total operating expenses
89,096 72,636 103,134 118,654
Operating income
42,399 40,514 49,804 27,383
Other expense
Interest expense
(14,129) (18,275) (24,388) (29,848)
Loss on extinguishment of debt
(15,155) (200)
Other (expense) income, net
(881) 1,925 2,659 395
Total other expense, net
(30,165) (16,350) (21,929) (29,453)
Income (loss) before (provision) benefit for income taxes
12,234 24,164 27,875 (2,070)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
(3,861) (1,491) 10,578 142
Net income (loss)
$ 8,373 $ 22,673 $ 38,453 $ (1,928)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic
$ 0.30 $ 0.82 $ 1.40 $ (0.07)
Diluted
$ 0.30 $ 0.82 $ 1.40 $ (0.07)
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic
27,483,350 27,483,350 27,483,350 27,402,082
Diluted
27,483,350 27,483,350 27,483,350 27,402,082
 
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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Data:
(In thousands)
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
2021
2020
2020
2019
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Cash flows provided by operating activities
$ 30,988 $ 28,192 $ 45,419 $ 7,414
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
(In thousands)
As of September 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 15,275
Total assets
302,024
Total liabilities
294,687
Total shareholders’ equity
7,337
Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures
We review the following non-GAAP and other financial measures to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. Increases or decreases in our non-GAAP and other financial measures may not correspond with increases or decreases in our revenue and our non-GAAP and other financial measures may be calculated in a manner different than non-GAAP and other financial measures used by other companies. For additional information regarding these measures, see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Measures.”
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2021
2020
2020
2019
EBITDA
$ 36,789 $ 53,646 $ 66,996 $ 43,221
Adjusted EBITDA
56,120 42,487 57,982 43,699
Capital expenditures
2,225 3,913 4,708 3,082
Adjusted EBITDA conversion rate
96% 91% 92% 93%
 
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RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest in our common stock, you should carefully consider the following risks, together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, including our financial statements and related notes. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, which would cause you to lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Industry
The products we sell are inherently risky and could give rise to product liability, product warranty claims, and other loss contingencies.
The products that we manufacture are typically used in applications and situations that involve high levels of risk of personal injury. Failure to use our products for their intended purposes, failure to use or care for them properly, or their malfunction, or, in some limited circumstances, even correct use of our products, could result in serious bodily injury or death. Given this potential risk of injury, proper maintenance of our products is critical. Our products include: body armor and plates designed to protect against ballistic and sharp instrument penetration; explosive ordnance disposal products; police duty gear; and crowd control products.
Claims have been made, and are pending against certain of our subsidiaries, involving permanent physical injury and death allegedly caused by our products or arising from the design, manufacture or sale of such goods. If these claims are decided against us and we are found to be liable, we may be required to pay substantial damages and our insurance costs may increase significantly as a result, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, a significant or extended lawsuit, such as a class action, could divert significant amounts of management’s time and attention.
We cannot assure you that our insurance coverage would be sufficient to cover the payment of any potential claim. In addition, we cannot assure you that this or any other insurance coverage will continue to be available or, if available, that we will be able to obtain it at a reasonable cost. Any material uninsured loss could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the inability to obtain product liability coverage would prohibit us from bidding for orders from certain governmental customers because, at present, many bids from governmental entities require such coverage, and any such inability would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Furthermore, while our products are rigorously tested for quality, our products nevertheless do, and may continue to, fail to meet customer expectations from time-to-time. Also, not all defects are immediately detectible. Failures could result from faulty design or problems in manufacturing. In either case, we could incur significant costs to repair and/or replace defective products under warranty. We have experienced such failures in the past, and remain exposed to such failures. In some cases, product redesigns and/or rework may be required to correct a defect, and such occurrences could adversely impact future business with affected customers. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected by any unexpected significant warranty costs.
We are subject to extensive government regulations, and our failure or inability to comply with these regulations could materially restrict our operations and subject us to substantial penalties.
We are subject to federal licensing requirements with respect to the export of certain of our products. In addition, we are obligated to comply with a variety of federal, state and local regulations, both domestically and abroad, governing certain aspects of our sales, operations and workplace, including regulations promulgated by, among others, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Justice, Treasury, State and Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also regulates our manufacturing and distribution of certain destructive devices, firearms, and explosives. We also ship hazardous goods, and in doing so, must comply with the regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation for packaging and labeling. We are also
 
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required to comply with Controlled Goods Directorate Registration regime in Canada for explosive ordnance disposal products. Additionally, the failure to obtain applicable governmental approval and clearances could materially adversely affect our ability to continue to service the government contracts we maintain. Exports of some of our products to certain international destinations may require export authorization from U.S. export control authorities, including the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State, and authorizations may be conditioned on re-export restrictions. Failure to receive these authorizations may materially adversely affect our revenues and in turn our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity from international sales. Furthermore, we have material contracts with governmental entities and are subject to rules, regulations and approvals applicable to government contractors. We are also subject to routine audits to assure our compliance with these requirements.
While we continually work to enhance our international trade compliance programs, we cannot assure you that we are or will be in full compliance at all times with applicable laws and regulations governing the export and deemed export of defense articles, defense services, and dual-use products and services that are controlled by U.S. and/or foreign governments. In those instances where we have identified non-compliances with applicable laws or regulations, we have taken affirmative steps to correct or mitigate such identified failures and to self-report them to the cognizant U.S. or foreign government agencies. We also import significant volumes of foreign-made components and materials for use in our manufacturing processes, which may be subject to import duties and other regulations. Violations of international trade (export/ import) controls in the U.S. and elsewhere may result in severe criminal and/or civil penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Like other companies operating internationally, we are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other laws that prohibit improper payments to foreign governments and their officials by U.S. and other business entities. We operate in countries known to experience endemic corruption. Our extensive operations in such countries create risk of an unauthorized payment by one of our employees or agents, which would be in violation of various laws including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act may result in severe criminal penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We have significant international operations and assets and, therefore, are subject to additional financial and regulatory risks.
We sell our products in foreign countries and seek to increase our level of international business activity. Our overseas operations are subject to various risks, including: U.S.-imposed embargoes and/or sanctions of sales to specific countries (which could prohibit sales of our products there); foreign import controls (which may be arbitrarily imposed and enforced and which could interrupt our supplies or prohibit customers from purchasing our products); exchange rate fluctuations; dividend remittance restrictions; expropriation of assets; war, civil uprisings and riots; government instability; the necessity of obtaining government approvals for both new and continuing operations; and legal systems of decrees, laws, taxes, regulations, interpretations and court decisions that are not always fully developed and that may be retroactively or arbitrarily applied.
One component of our strategy is to expand our operations into selected international markets. Military procurement, for example, has traditionally had a large international base. We actively market our products in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. However, we may be unable to execute our business model in these markets or new markets. Further, foreign providers of competing products and services may have a substantial advantage over us in attracting consumers and businesses in their countries due to earlier established businesses in those countries, greater knowledge with respect to the cultural differences of consumers and businesses residing in those countries and/or their focus on a single market. In pursuing our international expansion strategy, we face several additional risks, including:

foreign laws and regulations, which may vary country by country, that may impact how we conduct our business;

uncertain costs of doing business in foreign countries, including different employment laws;
 
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potential adverse tax consequences if taxing authorities in different jurisdictions worldwide disagree with our interpretation of various tax laws or our determinations as to the income and expenses attributable to specific jurisdictions, which could result in our paying additional taxes, interest and penalties;

technological differences that vary by marketplace, which we may not be able to support;

longer payment cycles and foreign currency fluctuations;

economic downturns; and

uncertainty of sustained revenue growth outside of the United States.
We may also be subject to unanticipated income taxes, excise duties, import taxes, export taxes or other governmental assessments. In addition, a percentage of the payments to us in our international markets are often in local currencies. Although most of these currencies are presently convertible into U.S. dollars, we cannot be sure that convertibility will continue. Even if currencies are convertible, the rate at which they convert is subject to substantial fluctuation. Our ability to transfer currencies into or out of local currencies may be restricted or limited. Any of these events could result in a loss of business or other unexpected costs, which could reduce revenue or profits and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We routinely operate in areas where local government policies regarding foreign entities and the local tax and legal regimes are often uncertain, poorly administered and in a state of flux. We cannot, therefore, be certain that we are in compliance with, or will be protected by, all relevant local laws and taxes at any given point in time. A subsequent determination that we failed to comply with relevant local laws and taxes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. One or more of these factors could adversely affect our future international operations and, consequently, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation and liquidity.
Risks Related to Our Business
Many of our customers have fluctuating budgets, which may cause substantial fluctuations in our results of operations.
Customers for our products include domestic and international first responders such as state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, emergency medical technicians, fishing and wildlife enforcement and departments of corrections, as well as federal agencies and numerous foreign government agencies. Government tax revenues and budgetary constraints, which fluctuate from time to time, can affect budgetary allocations for these customers. Many domestic and foreign government agencies have in the past experienced budget deficits that have led to decreased spending in defense, law enforcement and other military and security areas. In addition, first responder budgets have been the subject of increased discussions as a result of controversies relating to police reform. Our results of operations may be subject to substantial period-to-period fluctuations because of these and other factors affecting military, law enforcement and other governmental spending. A reduction of funding for state, local, municipal as well as federal and foreign governmental agencies could have a material adverse effect on sales of our products and our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Our markets are highly competitive, and if we are unable to compete effectively, we will be adversely affected.
The markets in which we operate include a large number of competitors ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations and are highly competitive. Competitors who are larger, better financed and better known than we are may compete more effectively than we can. In order to stay competitive in our industry, we must keep pace with changing technologies and customer preferences. If we are unable to differentiate our services from those of our competitors, our revenues may decline. In addition, our competitors have established relationships among themselves or with third parties to increase their ability to address customer needs. As a result, new competitors or alliances amongst competitors may emerge and compete more effectively than we can. There is also a significant industry trend towards consolidation, which
 
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may result in the emergence of companies which are better able to compete against us. Any such development could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
There are limited sources for some of our raw materials and components, which may significantly curtail our manufacturing operations.
The raw materials and components that we use to manufacture our products, include SpectraShield®,a patented product of Honeywell, Inc.; Kevlar®, a patented product of E.I. du Pont de Nemours Co., Inc.; Dyneema®, a patented product of Koninklijke DSM N.V.; and Twaron®, a patented product of Teijin Limited, amongst others, which we use in manufacturing ballistic resistant garments. We purchase the materials and components that we use in manufacturing ballistic resistant garments directly from these suppliers and also through five independent weaving companies. The supply of the materials and components that we use to manufacture our products may be constrained by a number of factors, including a supplier’s need to prioritize the manufacture of rated orders issued under the Defense Production Act of 1950 (the “DPA”). We cannot predict when the United States government will invoke the DPA, and in the past we have faced shortages from our sources of materials and components when the DPA has been invoked, including shortages in the raw materials and components that we use in manufacturing ballistic resistant garments.
Should these materials or components become unavailable for any reason, we would not necessarily be able to replace them with materials or components of like weight and strength, as our ballistic resistant garments must be manufactured to specific standards using specific materials and components that are not necessarily interchangeable based on metrics such as weight and strength. When we have faced shortages in the past, we have been able to ameliorate the issue by obtaining substitutable alternative materials and components from other commercially available sources. However, the use of alternative materials and components in our ballistic resistant garments requires research and development, recertification as well as customer acceptance of the new products utilizing these alternative materials and components, and there is no guarantee that any such recertification or acceptance will be obtained by us. Thus, if our supply of any of these materials or components were materially reduced or cut off or if there were a material increase in the prices of these materials or components, our manufacturing operations could be adversely affected and our costs increased, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected.
Our resources may be insufficient to manage demand.
As we expand our operations, any growth may place significant demands on our management, administrative, operating and financial resources. The growth of our customer base, the types of services and products offered and the geographic markets we serve place a significant strain on our resources. In addition, we cannot easily identify and hire personnel qualified both in the provision and marketing of our products and systems. Our future performance and profitability will depend in large part on our ability to attract and retain additional management and other key personnel; our ability to implement successful enhancements to our management, accounting and information technology systems; and our ability to adapt those systems, as necessary, to respond to any growth in our business.
We are dependent on industry relationships.
A number of our products are components in our customers’ final products. Accordingly, to gain market acceptance, we must demonstrate that our products will provide advantages to the manufacturers of final products, including increasing the safety of their products, providing such manufacturers with competitive advantages or assisting such manufacturers in complying with existing or new government regulations affecting their products. There can be no assurance that our products will be able to achieve any of these advantages for the products of our customers. Furthermore, even if we are able to demonstrate such advantages, there can be no assurance that such manufacturers will elect to incorporate our products into their final products, or if they do, that our products will be able to meet such customers’ manufacturing requirements. Additionally, there can be no assurance that our relationships with our manufacturer customers will ultimately lead to volume orders for our products. The failure of manufacturers to incorporate our products into their final products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
 
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We may be unable to protect our proprietary technology.
We depend upon a variety of methods and techniques that we regard as proprietary trade secrets. We also depend upon a variety of trademarks, service marks and designs to promote brand name development and recognition. We rely on a combination of trade secret, copyright, patent, trademark, unfair competition and other intellectual property laws as well as contractual agreements to protect our rights to such intellectual property. Due to the difficulty of monitoring unauthorized use of and access to intellectual property, however, such measures may not provide adequate protection. It is possible that our competitors may access our intellectual property and proprietary information and use it to their advantage. In addition, there can be no assurance that courts will always uphold our intellectual property rights, or enforce the contractual arrangements that we have entered into to protect our proprietary technology. Any unenforceability or misappropriation of our intellectual property could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Furthermore, we cannot assure you that any pending patent application or trademark application made by us will result in an issued patent or registered trademark, or that, if a patent is issued, it will provide meaningful protection against competitors or competitor technologies. In addition, if we bring or become subject to litigation to defend against claimed infringement of our rights or of the rights of others or to determine the scope and validity of our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Unfavorable results in such litigation could also result in the loss or compromise of our proprietary rights, subject us to significant liabilities, require us to seek licenses from third parties on unfavorable terms, or prevent us from manufacturing or selling our products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Technological advances, the introduction of new products, and new design and manufacturing techniques could adversely affect our operations unless we are able to adapt to the resulting change in conditions.
Our future success and competitive position depend to a significant extent upon our proprietary technology. We must make significant investments to continue to develop and refine our technologies. We will be required to expend substantial funds for and commit significant resources to research and development activities, the engagement of additional engineering and other technical personnel, the purchase of advanced design, production and test equipment, and the enhancement of design and manufacturing processes and techniques. Our future operating results will depend to a significant extent on our ability to continue to provide design and manufacturing services for new products that compare favorably on the basis of time to introduction, cost and performance with the design and manufacturing capabilities. The success of new design and manufacturing services depends on various factors, including utilization of advances in technology, innovative development of new solutions for customer products, efficient and cost-effective services, timely completion and delivery of new product solutions and market acceptance of customers’ end products. Because of the complexity of our products, we may experience delays from time to time in completing the design and manufacture of new product solutions. In addition, there can be no assurance that any new product solutions will receive or maintain customer or market acceptance. If we are unable to design and manufacture solutions for new products of our customers on a timely and cost-effective basis, such inability could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We may be adversely affected by applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.
We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations governing environment, health and safety (“EHS”) matters, including those regulating discharges to the air and water, the management of wastes, the control of noise and odors, and the maintenance of a safe and healthy operating environment for our employees. We cannot assure you that we are at all times in complete compliance with all such requirements. Like all companies in our industry, we are subject to potentially significant fines or penalties if we fail to comply with various EHS requirements. Such requirements are complex, change frequently, and could become more stringent in the future. Accordingly, we cannot assure you whether these requirements will change in a manner requiring material capital or operating expenditures or will otherwise have a material adverse effect on us in the future. In addition, we are also subject to environmental laws requiring the
 
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investigation and clean-up of environmental contamination. We may be subject to liability, including liability for clean-up costs, if contamination is discovered at one of our current or former facilities, in some circumstances even if such contamination was caused by a third party such as a prior owner. We also may be subject to liability if contamination is discovered at a landfill or other location where we have disposed of wastes, notwithstanding that historic disposal practices may have been in accordance with all applicable requirements. We use Orthochlorabenzalmalononitrile and Chloroacetophenone chemical agents in connection with our production of our crowd control products, and these chemicals are hazardous and could cause environmental damage if not handled and disposed of properly. Moreover, private parties may bring claims against us based on alleged adverse health impacts or property damage caused by our operations. The amount of liability for cleaning up contamination or defending against private party claims could be material and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We may lose money or generate less than expected profits on our fixed-price contracts.
Our direct government contracts are primarily fixed-price for a specified term. Under these contracts, we agree to perform a specific scope of work or deliver a certain quantity of end items for a fixed price. Typically, we assume more risk with fixed-price contracts since we are subject to rising labor costs and commodity price risk. Fixed-price contracts require us to price our contracts by forecasting our expenditures. When making proposals for fixed-price contracts, we rely on our estimates of costs and timing for completing these projects. These estimates reflect management’s judgments regarding our capability to complete projects efficiently and timely. Our production costs may, however, exceed forecasts due to unanticipated delays or increased cost of materials, components, labor, capital equipment or other factors. Therefore, we may incur losses on fixed price contracts that we had expected to be profitable, or such contracts may be less profitable than expected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
As it relates to our Products segment, fixed-price contracts represented less than 12% of annual net sales in 2020. For our Distribution segment, we estimate that fixed-price contracts represented approximately 55% of annual net sales in 2020.
Our business is subject to various laws and regulations favoring the U.S. government’s contractual position, and our failure to comply with such laws and regulations could harm our operating results and prospects.
As a direct and indirect contractor to the U.S. government, which represents approximately 16% of our business in 2020, we must comply with laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of federal government contracts, which effect how we do business with our clients and may impose added costs on our business. These rules generally favor the U.S. government’s contractual position.
For example, these regulations and laws include provisions that subject contracts we have been awarded to:

protest or challenge by unsuccessful bidders; and

unilateral termination, reduction or modification by the government.
The accuracy and appropriateness of certain costs and expenses used to substantiate our direct and indirect costs for the U.S. government under both cost-plus and fixed-price contracts are subject to extensive regulation and audit by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Responding to governmental audits, inquiries or investigations may involve significant expense and divert management’s attention. Our failure to comply with these or other laws and regulations could result in contract termination, suspension or debarment from contracting with the federal government, civil fines and damages and criminal prosecution and penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Our Chief Executive Officer has divided responsibilities and is not required to devote any specified amount of time to our business.
Our Chief Executive Officer, Warren B. Kanders, is also the Executive Chairman of Clarus Corporation, which is in the business of designing, manufacturing, and marketing equipment for outdoor recreation
 
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activities. Our employment agreement with Mr. Kanders requires that he devote his time, attention, energy, knowledge, best professional efforts and skills to the duties assigned to him by us, but he is permitted to pursue other professional endeavors and investments that do not violate the terms of his employment agreement, including provisions relative to non-competition. Mr. Kanders’ employment agreement does not require him to devote any specific amount of time to the Company. Accordingly, it is possible that Mr. Kanders will fail to devote the necessary time to our Company which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We may be subject to disruptions, failures or cyber-attacks in our information technology systems and network infrastructures that could have a material adverse effect on us.
We maintain and rely extensively on information technology systems and network infrastructures for the effective operation of our business. Techniques used to gain unauthorized access to private networks are constantly evolving, and we may be unable to anticipate or prevent unauthorized access to data pertaining to our customers, including credit card and debit card information and other personally identifiable information. Like all Internet services, our direct-to-consumer service, which is supported by our own systems and those of third-party vendors, is vulnerable to computer viruses, Internet worms, break-ins, phishing attacks, attempts to overload servers with denial-of-service or other attacks and similar disruptions from unauthorized use of our and third-party vendor computer systems, any of which could lead to system interruptions, delays or shutdowns, causing loss of critical data or the unauthorized access to personally identifiable information. If an actual or perceived breach of our systems or a vendor’s systems security occurs, we may face civil liability and public perception of our security measures could be diminished, either of which would negatively affect our ability to attract customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We also would be required to expend significant resources to mitigate the breach of security and to address related matters.
Further, a disruption, infiltration or failure of our information technology systems or any of our data centers including the systems and data centers of our third-party vendors as a result of software or hardware malfunctions, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, employee theft or misuse, power disruptions, natural disasters or accidents could cause breaches of data security and loss of critical data, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business. In addition, our ability to integrate, expand, and update our information technology infrastructure is important for our contemplated growth, and any failure to do so could have an adverse effect on our business.
We cannot fully control the actions of third parties who may have access to the customer data we collect and the customer data collected by our third party vendors. We may be unable to monitor or control such third parties and the third parties having access to our other websites in their compliance with the terms of our privacy policies, terms of use, and other applicable contracts, and we may be unable to prevent unauthorized access to, or use or disclosure of, customer information. Any such misuse could hinder or prevent our efforts with respect to growth opportunities and could expose us to liability or otherwise adversely affect our business. In addition, these third parties may become the victim of security breaches or have practices that may result in a breach, and we could be responsible for those third-party acts or failures to act.
Any failure, or perceived failure, by us or the prior owners of acquired businesses to maintain the security of data relating to our customers and employees, to comply with our posted privacy policies, our predecessors’ posted policies, laws and regulations, rules of self-regulatory organizations, or industry standards and contractual provisions to which we or they may be bound, could result in the loss of confidence in us, or result in actions against us by governmental entities or others, all of which could result in litigation and financial losses, and could potentially cause us to lose customers, revenue and employees.
Misuse of our products may adversely affect the Company’s reputation.
The target end users of the products that we sell, which include firearms, ammunition and body armor, are licensed professionals that include state and local law enforcement, federal agencies, foreign police, military agencies as well as private security firms. However, if any misuse of our products were to occur, the Company’s reputation could be harmed. The occurrence of any misuse of our products could seriously
 
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damage our reputation and the image of our brands or cause our customers to consider alternatives to the Company’s products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Adverse publicity about the Company and/or its brands, including without limitation, through social media or in connection with brand damaging events and/or public perception, could negatively impact our business.
Negative claims or publicity involving us, our board of directors, our brands, our products, services and experiences, consumer data, or any of our key employees, or suppliers could seriously damage our reputation and the image of our brands, regardless of whether such claims are accurate. Social media, which accelerates and potentially amplifies the scope of negative publicity, can increase the challenges of responding to negative claims. Negative attention or scrutiny on the various products sold by our brands can also possibly result in negative publicity. For example, heightened governmental scrutiny of the safety of crowd control products has resulted in requests by two subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform for information from major U.S. manufacturers, including us, relating to the production, sale, safety, and regulation of crowd control products. Congressional scrutiny and other similar inquiries by governmental bodies may damage our reputation and may also result in potential legislation designed to regulate the various products sold by our brands. See “Business — Government Regulation” and “Business — Legal Proceedings”.
Adverse publicity could also damage our reputation and the image of our brands, undermine consumer confidence in us and reduce long-term demand for our products, even if such adverse publicity is unfounded or not material to our operations. If the reputation, culture or image of any of our brands is tarnished or receives negative publicity, then our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected.
The terms of our outstanding long-term debt and any requirements to incur further indebtedness or refinance our outstanding indebtedness in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our significant payment obligations under the terms of our long-term debt, $225.9 million of which was outstanding as of September 30, 2021, together with any additional indebtedness we may incur in the future (including under the New Credit Agreement), could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. For example, our indebtedness or any additional financing may:

make it more difficult for us to pay or refinance debts as they become due;

require us to use a larger portion of cash flow for debt service, reducing funds available for other purposes;

limit our ability to pursue business opportunities, such as potential acquisitions, and to react to changes in market or industry conditions;

reduce the funds available for other purposes, such as implementing our strategy, funding capital expenditures and making distributions to stockholders;

increase our vulnerability to adverse economic, industry or competitive developments;

affect our ability to obtain additional financing;

decrease our profitability or cash flow, or require us to dispose of significant assets in order to satisfy debts and other obligations if we are not able to satisfy these obligations using cash from operations or other sources; and

disadvantage us compared to competitors.
Any of the foregoing, alone or in combination, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. A breach of, or the inability to comply with, the covenants in our term loan facility and revolving credit agreement could result in an event of default, in which case the lenders will have the right to declare all borrowings to be immediately due and payable, which
 
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would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and could lead to foreclosure on our assets
In the future, we may need to refinance our indebtedness. However, additional financing may not be available on favorable commercial terms to us, or at all. If, at such time, market conditions are materially different or our credit profile has deteriorated, the cost of refinancing such debt may be significantly higher than our indebtedness existing at that time. Furthermore, we may not be able to procure refinancing at all. Any failure to meet any future debt service obligations through use of cash flow, refinancing or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks Related to our Acquisition Strategy
A number of other companies are seeking to make acquisitions in our industry, which may make our acquisition strategy more difficult or expensive to pursue.
We compete with many other companies, and certain of them have greater financial resources than we do for pursuing and consummating acquisitions and to further develop and integrate acquired businesses. Our strategy of growing through the acquisition of businesses and assets relies on our ability to consummate acquisitions to develop and offer new products that foster the growth of our core business, and to establish ourselves in other geographic regions and related businesses in which we do not currently operate. Increased competition for acquisition opportunities may impede our ability to acquire these companies because they choose another acquirer. It could also increase the price that we must pay for these companies. Either of these outcomes could reduce our growth, harm our business and adversely impact our ability to consummate acquisitions.
We may be unsuccessful in identifying suitable acquisition candidates, which may negatively impact our competitive position and our growth strategy.
In addition to organic growth, our future growth will be driven by our selective acquisition of additional businesses, our competitors and complementary businesses. Our growth through acquisitions, to date, has consisted of 12 acquisitions and two divestitures and we are in discussions to acquire additional businesses including our planned acquisitions. We may be unable to identify other suitable targets for future acquisition or acquire businesses at favorable prices, which would negatively impact our growth strategy. We may not be able to execute our growth strategy through organic expansion, and if we are unable to identify and successfully acquire new businesses complementary to ours, we may not be able to offer new products in line with industry trends.
The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with acquisitions may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an investment.
Before making acquisitions and other investments, we conduct due diligence of the target company that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to each acquisition. The objective of the due diligence process is to assess the investment opportunities based on the facts and circumstances surrounding an investment or acquisition. When conducting due diligence, we may be required to evaluate important and complex business, financial, tax, accounting, environmental and legal issues.
The due diligence process may at times be subjective with respect to newly-organized companies for which only limited information is available. Accordingly, we cannot be certain that the due diligence investigation that we conduct with respect to any investment or acquisition opportunity will reveal or highlight all relevant facts that may be necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity. For example, instances of fraud, accounting irregularities and other deceptive practices can be difficult to detect. Executive officers, directors and employees may be named as defendants in litigation involving a company we are acquiring or have acquired. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a particular investment or acquisition, we may fail to uncover all material issues relating to such investment, including regarding the controls and procedures of a particular target or the full scope of its contractual arrangements. We rely on our due diligence to identify potential liabilities in the businesses we acquire, including such things as potential or actual lawsuits, contractual obligations or liabilities imposed by government regulation. However, our
 
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due diligence process may not uncover these liabilities, and where we identify a potential liability, we may incorrectly believe that we can consummate the acquisition without subjecting ourselves to that liability. If our due diligence fails to identify issues specific to an investment or acquisition, we may obtain a lower return from that transaction than the investment would return or otherwise subject ourselves to unexpected liabilities. We may also be forced to write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our shares of common stock.
We may face difficulty in integrating the operations of the businesses we have acquired and may acquire in the future.
Acquisitions have been and will continue to be an important component of our growth strategy; however, we will need to integrate these acquired businesses successfully in order for our growth strategy to succeed and for our Company to become profitable. We will implement, and the management teams of the acquired businesses will adopt, our policies, procedures and best practices. We may face difficulty with the integration of the businesses we acquire, such as coordinating geographically dispersed organizations, integrating personnel with disparate business backgrounds and combining different corporate cultures.
Furthermore, we may fail in implementing our policies and procedures, or the policies and procedures may not be effective or provide the results we anticipate for a particular business. Further, we will be relying on these policies and procedures in preparing our financial and other reports as a public company, so any failure of acquired businesses to properly adopt these policies and procedures could impair our public reporting.
Management of the businesses we acquire may not have the operational or business expertise that we require to successfully implement our policies, procedures and best practices.
We typically retain the management of the businesses we acquire and rely on them to continue running their businesses, which leaves us vulnerable in the event they leave our Company.
We seek to acquire businesses that have strong management teams that will continue to run the business after the acquisition. We often rely on these individuals to conduct the day-to-day operations, and pursue the growth, of these acquired businesses. Although we typically seek to sign employment agreements with the managers of acquired businesses, it remains possible that these individuals will leave our organization.
This would harm the prospects of the businesses they manage, potentially causing us to lose money on our investment and harming our growth and financial results.
Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and the rules of the SEC and, as a result, qualify for, but do not intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
Warren B. Kanders beneficially owns in excess of 50% of the voting power of common stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirement that:

a majority of our board of directors consists of “independent directors” as defined under the rules of the NYSE;

our director nominees be selected, or recommended for our board of directors’ selection, by a nominating/corporate governance committee comprised solely of independent directors; and

the compensation of our executive officers be determined, or recommended to our board of directors for determination, by a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors.
 
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If the Company were to rely on the foregoing exemptions, we may not have a majority of independent directors, and our compensation committee and nominating/corporate governance committee may not consist entirely of independent directors, and therefore you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE. However, we do not intend to utilize any of the foregoing corporate governance exemptions.
Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders, if they choose to act together, will continue to have the ability to control all matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
Our executive officers, directors and stockholders who own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock and their respective affiliates held, in the aggregate, shares representing approximately 53.07% of our outstanding voting stock. As a result, if these stockholders were to choose to act together, they would be able to control or significantly influence all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act together, would control or significantly influence the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of ownership control may:

delay, defer or prevent a change in control;

entrench our management and the board of directors; or

impede a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us that other stockholders may desire.
An active trading market for our common stock may not develop.
Prior to our initial public offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. Although our common stock is listed on NYSE, an active trading market for our shares may never develop or be sustained following our initial public offering. Although our common stock is listed on NYSE, an active trading market for our shares may never develop or be sustained following our initial public offering. If an active market for our common stock does not develop, it may be difficult for you to sell shares without depressing the market price for the shares or at all.
Our stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, resulting in substantial losses for investors.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations;

the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;

failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our company, changes in financial estimates or ratings by any securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;

announcements by us or our competitors of significant technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, operating results or capital commitments;

changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other technology or retail companies generally, or those in our industry in particular;

price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;

changes in our board of directors or management;

sales of large blocks of our common stock, including sales by our executive officers, directors and significant stockholders;

lawsuits threatened or filed against us;
 
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changes in laws or regulations applicable to our business;

the expiration of contractual lock-up agreements;

changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities;

short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock;

general economic conditions in the United States and abroad;

other events or factors, including those resulting from war, pandemics, incidents of terrorism or responses to these events; and

the other factors described in the sections of the prospectus titled “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
In addition, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many technology companies, including e-commerce companies. Stock prices of many technology companies, including e-commerce companies, have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
Substantial future sales of shares of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our common stock.
All of our executive officers, directors, holders of substantially all of our outstanding capital stock and substantially all of our stock options and restricted stock units are subject to lock-up agreements that restrict their ability to transfer shares of our capital stock for 180 days from November 3, 2021. Subject to certain exceptions, the lock-up agreements limit the number of shares of capital stock that may be sold immediately following the Company’s initial public offering. Subject to certain limitations, as of May 2, 2022, approximately 27,392,350 shares of common stock will become eligible for sale upon expiration of the 180‑day lock-up period. The representatives of the underwriters of the initial public offering may, in their sole discretion, permit our stockholders who are subject to these lock-up agreements to sell shares prior to the expiration of the lock-up agreements.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our shares, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company, and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies, including:
 
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not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;

reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and annual report on Form 10-K; and

exemptions from the requirements of holding non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
We could be an emerging growth company until December 31, 2026. Our status as an emerging growth company will end as soon as any of the following takes place:

the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue;

the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates;

the date on which we have issued, in any three-year period, more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or

the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, which is December 31, 2026.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded emerging growth companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive because we rely on any of these exemptions, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the market price of our common stock may be more volatile.
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act. As a result, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Therefore, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain additional executive management and qualified board members.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and results of operations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. We will need to hire additional employees or engage outside consultants to comply with these requirements, which will increase our costs and expenses.
 
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In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business may be materially adversely affected.
We also expect that being a public company will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation committee, and qualified executive officers.
As a result of disclosure of information in this prospectus and in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock, which may also have the consequence of depressing the market price of our common stock.
Our status as a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult, including the following:

permitting the board of directors, and not stockholders, to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships;

authorizing the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that our board of directors could use to implement a stockholder rights plan;

restricting the forum for certain litigation against us to Delaware;

establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at annual stockholder meetings;

preventing stockholders from taking any action except at a formal meeting of stockholders;

requiring certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be approved by the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our then-outstanding common stock; and/or

requiring that any special meeting of our stockholders will only be able to be called by a majority of our board of directors, the chairperson of our board of directors, our Chief Executive Officer, or our President.
These provisions, alone or together, may (a) frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to select or replace
 
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members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management: (b) discourage, delay, or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our Company, and/or (c) discourage proxy contests, any of which, under certain circumstances, could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the market price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or other state courts of the State of Delaware if the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction or the federal district court for the District of Delaware if no state court in the State of Delaware has jurisdiction) is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine or any action asserting an “internal corporate claim” as that term is defined in Section 115 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that this choice of forum does not apply to any complaint asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Finally, our amended and restated bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders cannot waive our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Our payment of future quarterly dividends on our common stock is subject to the discretion and approved of our Board of Directors.
On November 11, 2021, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend program of $0.08 per share of the Company’s common stock or $0.32 per share on an annualized basis (the “Quarterly Cash Dividend”). While we intend to pay regular Quarterly Cash Dividends for the foreseeable future, all subsequent dividends will be reviewed quarterly and declared at the discretion and approval of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, our results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions, contractual restrictions under our New Credit Agreement on the payment of dividends, legal and regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends, and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. Therefore, you should not purchase our common stock if you need immediate or future income by way of dividends from your investment. In addition, upon an event of default under our New Credit Agreement, we are prohibited from declaring or paying any dividends on our common stock or generally making other distributions to our stockholders.
We could be subject to securities class action litigation.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.
 
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of shares of blank check preferred stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors will be authorized to issue from time to time, without further stockholder approval, up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix or alter the designations, preferences, rights and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of each series, including the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, including sinking fund provisions, redemption price or prices, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any series or designations of any series. Such shares of preferred stock could have preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends and liquidation rights. We may issue additional preferred stock in ways which may delay, defer or prevent a change in control of us without further action by our stockholders. Such shares of preferred stock may be issued with voting rights that may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock by increasing the number of outstanding shares having voting rights, and by the creation of class or series voting rights.
We may issue a substantial amount of our common stock in connection with future acquisitions, and the sale of those shares could adversely affect our stock price.
As part of our acquisition strategy, we anticipate issuing additional shares of common stock as consideration for such acquisitions. To the extent that we are able to grow through acquisitions and issue shares of our common stock as consideration, the number of outstanding shares of common stock that will be eligible for sale in the future is likely to increase substantially. Persons receiving shares of our common stock in connection with these acquisitions may be more likely to sell large quantities of their common stock, which may influence the price of our common stock. In addition, the potential issuance of additional shares in connection with anticipated acquisitions could lessen demand for our common stock and result in a lower price than would otherwise be obtained.
 
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward- looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “might,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, but are not limited to, statements about:

the availability of capital to satisfy our working capital requirements;

anticipated trends and challenges in our business and the markets in which we operate;

our ability to anticipate market needs or develop new or enhanced products to meet those needs;

our expectations regarding market acceptance of our products;

the success of competing products by others that are or become available in the market in which we sell our products;

the impact of adverse publicity about the Company and/or its brands, including without limitation, through social media or in connection with brand damaging events and/or public perception;

changes in political, economic or regulatory conditions generally and in the markets in which we operate;

our ability to maintain or broaden our business relationships and develop new relationships with strategic alliances, suppliers, customers, distributors or otherwise;

our ability to retain and attract senior management and other key employees;

our ability to quickly and effectively respond to new technological developments;

the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business;

the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors;

the ability of our information technology systems or information security systems to operate effectively, including as a result of security breaches, viruses, hackers, malware, natural disasters, vendor business interruptions or other causes;

our ability to properly maintain, protect, repair or upgrade our information technology systems or information security systems, or problems with our transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems;

our ability to protect our trade secrets or other proprietary rights and operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others and prevent others from infringing on the proprietary rights of the Company;

the Company’s ability to maintain a quarterly dividend;

the increased expenses associated with being a public company; and

other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 of this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
These forward-looking statements are only predictions, are uncertain and involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our (or our industry’s) actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus sets forth detailed risks, uncertainties and cautionary statements regarding our business and these forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing regulatory
 
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environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of the risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus.
We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus. These cautionary statements should be considered with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the U.S., we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect actual results, later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Our forward- looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or other investments or strategic transactions we may engage in.
 
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INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
This prospectus contains statistical data, estimates, and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications, or other publicly available information, as well as other information based on our internal sources. Although we believe that the third-party sources referred to in this prospectus are reliable, we have not independently verified the information provided by these third parties. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any third-party information presented in this prospectus, their estimates, in particular, as they relate to projections, involve numerous assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.
 
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USE OF PROCEEDS
All of the Common Stock offered by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Securityholders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales.
 
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DIVIDEND POLICY
We have previously declared and paid a one-time cash dividend on our common stock, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share which was paid on December 7, 2021 and we expect to pay a quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share, or $0.32 on an annualized basis, on our common stock for the foreseeable future, but we may elect to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be dependent on a number of factors, including the terms of our New Credit Agreement, our earnings, capital requirements, our overall financial condition and other factors that our board of directors considers relevant.
 
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our consolidated cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of September 30, 2021. Such information is set forth on the following basis:

an actual basis;

an as adjusted basis, giving effect to (1) the sale of the shares in this offering at the initial public offering price of $13.00 per share, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by us and excluding any exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and (2) the use of the net proceeds of this offering to repay a portion of outstanding borrowings under the New Credit Agreement.
The information discussed below is illustrative only. You should read this table together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited and unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
As of
September 30, 2021
Actual
As Adjusted
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 15,275 $ 29,141
Debt:
Revolver
$ 25,500 $
Current portion of long-term debt
12,904 $ 12,904
Long-term debt
187,446 149,028
Total debt
225,850 161,932
Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares authorized,
no shares issued and outstanding actual and as adjusted
Shareholders’ equity:
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 190,000,000 shares authorized, 27,483,350 shares issued and outstanding actual; $0.0001 par value per share, 190,000,000 shares authorized, 34,383,350 shares issued and outstanding as adjusted
3 3
Additional paid-in capital
48,670 128,192
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(2,747) (2,747)
Accumulated deficit
(38,589) (39,950)
Total shareholders’ equity
7,337 85,498
Capitalization
$ 233,187 $ 247,430
 
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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following tables summarize our consolidated financial and other data. We have derived the summary consolidated statements of operations data for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and the summary consolidated balance sheet data as of September 30, 2021 from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the summary consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. The following summary consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis,” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
(In thousands, except for share and per share amounts)
Nine months ended
September 30,
Year ended December 31,
2021
2020
2020
2019
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Net sales
$ 323,751 $ 297,019 $ 404,642 $ 420,736
Cost of goods sold
192,256 183,869 251,704 274,699
Gross profit
131,495 113,150 152,938 146,037
Operating expenses Selling, general and administrative
87,168 79,963 106,627 124,270
Restructuring and transaction costs
1,491 3,143 5,822 918
Related party expense
437 480 1,635 1,096
Other general income
(10,950) (10,950) (7,630)
Total operating expenses
89,096 72,636 103,134 118,654
Operating income
42,399 40,514 49,804 27,383
Other expense
Interest expense
(14,129) (18,275) (24,388) (29,848)
Loss on extinguishment of debt
(15,155) (200)
Other (expense) income, net
(881) 1,925 2,659 395
Total other expense, net
(30,165) (16,350) (21,929) (29,453)
Income (loss) before (provision) benefit for income taxes
12,234 24,164 27,875 (2,070)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
(3,861) (1,491) 10,578 142
Net income (loss)
$ 8,373 $ 22,673 $ 38,453 $ (1,928)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic
$ 0.30 $ 0.82 $ 1.40 $ (0.07)
Diluted
$ 0.30 $ 0.82 $ 1.40 $ (0.07)
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic
27,483,350 27,483,350 27,483,350 27,402,082
Diluted
27,483,350 27,483,350 27,483,350 27,402,082
 
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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Data:
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
2021
2020
2020
2019
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Cash flows provided by operating activities
$ 30,989 $ 28,192 $ 45,419 $ 7,414
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
(In thousands)
As of September 30, 2021
(Unaudited)
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 15,275
Total assets
302,024
Total liabilities
294,687
Total shareholders’ equity
7,337
Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures
We review the following non-GAAP and other financial measures to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. Increases or decreases in our non-GAAP and other financial measures may not correspond with increases or decreases in our revenue and our non-GAAP and other financial measures may be calculated in a manner different than non-GAAP and other financial measures used by other companies. For additional information regarding these measures, see the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Measures.”
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2021
2020
2020
2019
EBITDA
$ 36,789 $ 53,646 $ 66,996 $ 43,221
Adjusted EBITDA
56,120 42,487 57,982 43,699
Capital expenditures
2,225 3,913 4,708 3,082
Adjusted EBITDA conversion rate
96% 91% 92% 93%
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations of Cadre Holdings, Inc. (D/B/A The Safariland Group) (“Cadre,” “the Company” “we,” “us” and “our”) should be read together with our unaudited consolidated financial statements as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and our audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 in each case together with related notes thereto, included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. The forward-looking statements are dependent upon events, risks and uncertainties that may be outside of Cadre’s control. Our actual results may differ significantly from those projected in the forward- looking statements. Factors that might cause future results to differ materially from those projected in the forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this prospectus. Certain total amounts may not foot due to rounding.
Our Business
Cadre is a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of safety and survivability equipment for first responders. Our equipment provides critical protection to allow its users to safely and securely perform their duties and protect those around them in hazardous or life-threatening situations. Through our dedication to superior quality, we establish a direct covenant with end users that our products will perform and keep them safe when they are most needed. We sell a wide range of products including body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment and duty gear through both direct and indirect channels. In addition, through our owned distribution, we serve as a one-stop shop for first responders providing equipment we manufacture as well as third-party products including uniforms, optics, boots, firearms and ammunition. The majority of our diversified product offering is governed by rigorous safety standards and regulations. Demand for our products is driven by technological advancement as well as recurring modernization and replacement cycles for the equipment to maintain its efficiency, effective performance and regulatory compliance.
We service the ever-changing needs of our end users by investing in research and development for new product innovation and technical advancements that continually raise the standards for safety and survivability equipment in the first responder market. Our target end user base includes domestic and international first responders such as state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, emergency medical technicians (“EMT”), fishing and wildlife enforcement and departments of corrections, as well as federal agencies including the U.S. Department of State (“DoS”), U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”), U.S. Department of Interior (“DoI”), U.S. Department of Justice (“DoJ”), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), U.S. Department of Corrections (“DoC”) and numerous foreign government agencies in over 104 countries.
The following table sets forth a summary of our financial highlights for the periods indicated:
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
2020
2019
Net sales
$ 323,751 $ 297,019 $ 404,642 $ 420,736
Net income (loss)
$ 8,373 $ 22,673 $ 38,453 $ (1,928)
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 56,120 $ 42,487 $ 57,982 $ 43,699
(1)
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures” below for our definition of, and additional information about, Adjusted EBITDA, and for a reconciliation to net income (loss), the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure.
Net sales increased by $26.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily as a result of higher demand for structural armor, body armor, crowd control products and distribution of ammunition and firearms. Net sales decreased by
 
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$16.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to December 31, 2019, primarily as a result of the Mustang Survival Holdings Corporation (“Mustang”) sale in June 2019 which contributed $18.8 million in sales in 2019.
Net income decreased by $14.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily as a result of a loss on extinguishment of debt incurred from the execution of the New Credit Agreement, an increase in provision for income taxes due to the release of a valuation allowance on a portion of our deferred tax assets in December 2020 and the following non-recurring transactions recognized in the period ended September 30, 2020: a gain on the sale of a long-lived asset and receipt of earn-out stock payments. These were offset by improvements in gross profit due to increased sales, favorable pricing and product mix.Net income increased by $40.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to December 31, 2019, primarily as a result of improvements in gross profit of $6.9 million driven by price, continuous improvement projects, product / customer rationalization and portfolio mix; reduction in certain selling, general and administrative expenses due primarily to $7.6 million of goodwill impairments taken in 2019 compared to no goodwill impairment in 2020, reduced travel, marketing and health care costs of $3.4 million, an increase in other general income of $6.2 million from a long-lived asset sale, gains on sales of equity securities in other (expense) income, net of $2.2 million, and a benefit for income taxes of $10.6 million from the release of a valuation allowance on a portion of our deferred tax assets, partially offset by higher transaction and restructuring costs of $4.9 million.
COVID-19
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced a global health emergency because of a new strain of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China (the “COVID-19 outbreak”) and the risks to the international community as the virus spreads globally beyond its point of origin. In March 2020, the WHO classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, based on the rapid increase in exposure globally.
The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as of the date of this prospectus. During 2020 and the first nine months of 2021, the financial results of our business were relatively unaffected by COVID-19. In all of the countries and states in which our business operates, the relevant local authorities have deemed our business to be essential in nature and thereby allowed us to continue operations during any government mandated shutdowns. We took and continue to take many measures to mitigate outbreaks in any of our facilities that would negatively impact the business, such as allowing employees to work remote, new manufacturing layouts to enable social distancing and daily temperature checks. The extent to which our business may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will largely depend on both current and future developments, including its duration, spread and treatment, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be reasonably predicted. While any impact to global markets is uncertain, the Company continues to monitor developments.
 
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FACTORS AFFECTING RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The below factors have been important to our business and we anticipate them to impact our results of operations in future periods:
Broad-based, Public Sector Customer Base
We have a highly diversified customer base, with our largest customer accounting for 6.4% of our 2020 net sales and our top 10 customers accounting for 25.9% of our 2020 net sales. Our extensive distribution network of over 1,000 distributors and retailers allows us to service both large and small agencies globally. We believe our business is resilient to varying economic cycles, as our customers’ demand for many of our products is non-discretionary. In addition, technological developments and manufacturers’ warranties contribute to relatively steady equipment replacement rates. For example, domestically we offer five-year warranties for soft armor, an important product for domestic law enforcement, and our customers typically replace their equipment before the related warranties expire. We have a dedicated sales force and third-party distributors that maintain longstanding relationships with our end users, providing training and information on the effective use of our products. We will continue to invest in our marketing and sales teams at similar levels to maintain those relationships.
On the other hand, demand for our products, as well as the timing of that demand, may be subject to governmental budget constraints at the national (including U.S. federal) and local government levels. Government spending levels, as well as political conditions, electoral agendas and public opinion, can have a direct impact on appropriations decisions and demand for specific Personal Protective Equipment. Our business has in the past been both positively and negatively affected by such trends and may be impacted in the future.
Diverse Supplier Base
We depend on certain domestic and international suppliers for the delivery of components used in the manufacturing of our products. Our reliance on third-party suppliers creates risks related to our potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of raw materials or components and reduced control over pricing and timing of delivery of components and sub-assemblies. Specifically, we depend on suppliers for materials such as ballistic fabrics, customized metals and plastics, sub-assemblies and machined parts. We seek to preserve access to necessary materials through long-term supply agreements with select suppliers and the diversification of our supplier base. No vendor makes up more than 10% of total purchases and our top 10 vendors account for less than 30% of total purchases. We will maintain a diverse supplier base and continue to evaluate our suppliers and implement long-term supply agreements as necessary to mitigate our risk.
Business Optimization Initiatives
As part of our productivity initiatives, we have in the past and continue to take advantage of opportunities to enhance margins through productivity, including the rationalization of manufacturing facilities, asset sales and other productivity initiatives to drive efficiencies. The costs of these initiatives, which are typically incurred before we internalize projected benefits, may distort our underlying financial performance in a given period. For example, over the last three years, we implemented programs aimed at making our manufacturing facilities more productive, consolidating select manufacturing facilities and making more efficient use of our raw materials and inventory, among others. We also practice as part of our operating system, a practice often referred to as root-cause/countermeasure (“RCCM”) whereas we identify root causes that unlock efficiencies and implement sustainable long term countermeasures to ensure we capture the opportunity. All of these practices allow us to more effectively manage our manufacturing efficiency and cost base. We anticipate to continue to invest in our business optimization initiatives to offset inflation and expand margins in the future.
Research and Development
Research and Development (“R&D”) is a critical component of our business strategy as a means of differentiating our products from competitors. R&D primarily consists of personnel costs, employee benefits, certification, and testing fees. Our continued investment in R&D allows us to market and patent innovative
 
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solutions to address our customer’s needs in a rapidly changing environment. These investments allow us to be innovative in the industry and ensure our law enforcement and military personnel have the safest and most secure solutions. We also engage with government agencies for funded R&D programs that allow us to work directly with end users so that we ensure we understand all the challenges they face in the field. We anticipate our investment in R&D excluding government funding to be relatively stable in as a percentage of sales, but could increase due to government mandated certification changes or as we explore new technologies. These investments will further differentiate our business and products, providing accelerated sales growth and margin expansion.
Targeted Mergers & Acquisition program
To supplement business growth and internal research and development, our management team has historically undertaken a targeted M&A program, completing 12 business acquisitions between 2012 and 2017. These strategic acquisitions have allowed us to expand our product and technology offerings, enter new markets and expand geographically to achieve attractive returns on our invested capital.
Leveraging our successful track record of acquisitions, we maintain a robust pipeline of M&A opportunities, spanning our existing core products and markets as well as attractive adjacencies within the safety and survivability landscape. We plan to utilize our relatively high Adjusted EBITDA Conversion(1) and historical success in acquisitions to drive favorable acquisition structures and seamless integration. Our experience and operating model allow us to optimize operations, scale appropriately, leverage our direct connection with end users and distribution partners, and utilize our procurement power to help maximize the value created from our acquisitions. Our focus on maintaining a robust pipeline of targets will continue in the future and we anticipate will lead to expanded margins.
(1)
Adjusted EBITDA Conversion is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures” below for our definition of, and additional information about Adjusted EBITDA Conversion, and for a reconciliation to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure.
 
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KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS
Orders backlog
We monitor our orders backlog, which we believe is a forward-looking indicator of potential sales. Our orders backlog for products includes all orders that have been received and are believed to be firm. Due to municipal government procurement rules, in certain cases orders included in backlog are subject to budget appropriation or other contract cancellation clauses. Consequently, our orders backlog may differ from actual future sales. Orders backlog can be helpful to investors in evaluating the performance of our business and identify trends over time.
The following table presents our orders backlog as of the periods indicated:
As of September 30,
As of December 31,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
2020
2019
Orders backlog
$ 123,208 $ 120,017 $ 127,379 $ 131,814
Orders comprising backlog as of a given balance sheet date are typically invoiced in subsequent periods. The majority of our products are generally processed and shipped within one to six weeks of an order being placed, though the fulfillment time for certain products, for example, explosive ordnance disposal equipment, may take three months or longer. Our orders backlog could experience volatility between periods, including as a result of customer order volumes and the speed of our order fulfilment, which in turn may be impacted by the nature of products ordered, the amount of inventory on hand and the necessary manufacturing lead time.
Orders backlog increased by $3.2 million as of September 30, 2021 compared to September 30, 2020, primarily due to an increases of $6.2 million from incremental ammunition and firearms demand, $5.4 million from the crew survivability line due to customer refresh cycles and $3.2 million from increased demand for structural armor. These were partially offset by decreases of $6.5 million from duty gear holsters driven by a reduction in government and commercial backlog and $4.7 million from 2021 shipments of international and government backlog.
Orders backlog increased by $23.6 million as of December 31, 2020 compared to December 31, 2019 primarily due to an increase of $7.6 million from the explosive ordnance disposal line due to customer refresh cycles, an increase of $7.2 million from crowd control products due to higher demand, an increase of $9.7 million from incremental ammunition and firearms demand, partially offset by a decrease in duty gear backlog.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN COMPONENTS OF FINANCIAL DATA
Net sales
We recognize revenue when a contract exists with a customer that specifies the goods and services to be provided at an agreed upon sales price and when the performance obligation is satisfied by transferring the goods or service to the customer. The performance obligation is considered satisfied when control transfers, which is generally determined when products are shipped or delivered to the customer but could be delayed until the receipt of customer acceptance, depending on the terms of the contract. At the time of revenue recognition we also provide for estimated sales returns and miscellaneous claims from customers as reductions to revenues. Charges for shipping and handling fees billed to customers are included in net sales. Taxes collected from customers and remitted to government authorities are reported on a net basis and are excluded from sales. See Note 1 “Significant Accounting Policies — Revenue Recognition” to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
We generate sales primarily through our four main sales channels: U.S. state and local agencies, international, U.S. federal agencies, and commercial.
Costs and Expenses
Cost of goods sold.   Cost of goods sold includes raw material purchases, manufacturing-related labor costs, contracted labor, shipping, reimbursable research and development costs, allocated manufacturing overhead, facility costs, depreciation and amortization, and product warranty costs. We anticipate our cost of goods sold will increase in absolute dollars to support the growth of our revenue however will stay relatively consistent as a percentage of revenue.
Selling, general and administrative.   Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense includes personnel-related costs, professional services, marketing and advertising expense, research and development, depreciation and amortization, and impairment charges. We anticipate our SG&A to stay relatively consistent from year to year in absolute dollars. Further, as a result of becoming a public company, we anticipate to incur additional expenses for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ (“D&O”) liability insurance, outside director fees and additional internal and external accounting, legal and administrative resources, including increased audit and legal fees.
Restructuring and transaction costs.   Restructuring costs consist primarily of termination benefits and relocation of employees, termination of operating leases and other contracts related to consolidating or closing facilities. Transaction costs consist of legal fees and consulting costs related to one-time transactions. We anticipate our restructuring and transaction costs will be correlated with future restructuring and transaction activities, if any, which could be greater than or less than historic levels.
Related party expense.   Related party expense primarily consists of rent expense related to 5 distribution locations owned by certain employees and any one-time transaction fees paid to related parties. We anticipate our related party expense to stay relatively consistent from year to year in absolute dollars.
Other general income.   Other general income consists primarily of gains from the disposition of a long-lived asset coupled with earn-out stock payments. We anticipate our other general income will be correlated with future long-lived asset dispositions and other investment activities, if any, which could be greater than or less than historic levels.
Interest expense.   Interest expense consists primarily of interest on outstanding debt. We anticipate our interest expense will vary with the level of debt in any given period.
Loss on extinguishment of debt.   Loss on extinguishment of debt consists primarily of recorded losses associated with debt restructuring. We anticipate our loss on extinguishment of debt will be correlated with future debt restructuring activities, if any, which could be greater than or less than historic levels.
Other (expense) income, net.   Other (expense) income, net primarily consists of non-operating gains and losses, such as gains or losses on the sale of equity securities and foreign currency impacts. We anticipate
 
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our other (expense) income, net gains and losses will be correlated with foreign currency movements, which could be greater than or less than historic levels.
(Provision) benefit for income taxes.   A provision or benefit for income tax is calculated for each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. The provision or benefit for income taxes is determined using the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the future tax consequences expected to occur when the reported amounts of assets and liabilities are recovered or paid. The benefit or provision for income taxes represents income taxes paid or payable for the current year plus the change in deferred taxes during the year. Deferred taxes result from differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are adjusted for changes in tax rates and tax laws when changes are enacted. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. See Note 14 “Income Taxes” in our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
 
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
In order to reflect the way our chief operation decision maker reviews and assesses the performance of the business, Cadre has determined that it has two reportable segments — the Product segment and the Distribution segment. Segment information is consistent with how the chief operating decision maker, our chief executive officer, reviews the business, makes investing and resource allocation decisions and assesses operating performance.
The following table presents data from our results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands unless otherwise noted):
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
2021
2020
% Chg
2020
2019
% Chg
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Net sales
$ 323,751 $ 297,019 9.0% $ 404,642 $ 420,736 (3.8)%
Cost of goods sold
192,256 183,869 4.6% 251,704 274,699 (8.4)%
Gross profit
131,495 113,150 16.2% 152,938 146,037 4.7%
Operating expenses
Selling, general and administrative
87,168 79,963 9.0% 106,627 124,270 (14.2)%
Restructuring and transaction costs
1,491 3,143 (52.6)% 5,822 918 534.2%
Related party expense
437 480 (9.0)% 1,635 1,096 49.2%
Other general income
(10,950) 100.0% (10,950) (7,630) 43.5%
Total operating expenses
89,096 72,636 22.7% 103,134 118,654 (13.1)%
Operating income
42,399 40,514 4.7% 49,804 27,383 81.9%
Other expense
Interest expense
(14,129) (18,275) (22.7)% (24,388) (29,848) (18.3)%
Loss on extinguishment of debt
(15,155) (200)
Other (expense) income, net
(881) 1,925 (145.8)% 2,659 395 573.2%
Total other expense, net
(30,165) (16,350) 84.5% (21,929) (29,453) (25.5)%
Income (loss) before (provision) benefit for income taxes
12,234 24,164 (49.4)% 27,875 (2,070) 1,446.6%
(Provision) benefit for income taxes
(3,861) (1,491) 159.0% 10,578 142 7,349.3%
Net income (loss)
$ 8,373 $ 22,673 (63.1)% $ 38,453 $ (1,928) 2,094.5%
Comparison of Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
Net sales.    Product segment net sales increased by $22.6 million, or 9.0%, from $251.4 million to $274.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily due to $22.9 million increase in the international channel due to shipment timing for customer contracts, a $1.4 million increase in the U.S. state and local agencies channel primarily due to an increase in shipments for body armor and a $2.0 million increase in the commercial channel primarily due to an increase in duty gear holster demand, partially offset by a $4.4 million decrease in the U.S. federal agencies channel due to shipment timing for a customer contract for duty gear holsters. Distribution segment net sales increased by $6.4 million, or 10.2%, from $62.7 million to $69.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020, mainly due to increases in retail and e-commerce sales as a result of market demand for our ammunition and firearms. Reconciling items consisting primarily of intercompany eliminations were ($19.4) million and ($17.1) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Cost of goods sold and Gross Profit.   Product segment cost of goods sold increased by $6.7 million, or 4.4%, from $153.2 million to $159.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to
 
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the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily due to material and labor costs to manufacture product. Product segment gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased by 2.6% to 41.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 from 39.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, mainly driven by favorable pricing and product mix. Distribution segment cost of goods sold increased by $3.8 million, or 7.9%, from $47.9 million to $51.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020, primarily due to increased costs to acquire products. Distribution segment gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased by 1.6% to 25.2% for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 from 23.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, mainly driven by an increase in ammunition and firearms sales and favorable pricing. Reconciling items consisting primarily of intercompany eliminations were ($19.4) million and ($17.3) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative.   SG&A increased by $7.2 million, or 9.01%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily due to the implementation of the LTIP bonus plan in 2021 and increases in incentive bonus and commissions.
Restructuring and transaction costs.   Restructuring and transaction costs decreased by $1.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily due to lower transactions costs and consulting fees incurred.
Related party expense.   Related party expense was relatively consistent period over period with $0.4 million and $0.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We recorded rent expense relating to distribution warehouses and retail stores that we lease from certain employees.
Other general income.   Other general income decreased by $11.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease is related to a gain from Ontario facility asset sale of $6.2 million and earn-out stock payments from Axon Enterprise, Inc. (“Axon”) for $4.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to no activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Interest expense.   Interest expense decreased by $4.1 million, or 22.7%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to 2020, due to an interest rate decrease as a result of our recent refinancings and voluntary debt repayments on our outstanding debt.
Loss on extinguishment of debt.   Loss on extinguishment of debt increased by $15.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, due to the refinancing of our long-term debt in August 2021.
Other (expense) income, net.   Other (expense) income, net decreased by $2.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020, primarily due to a $1.5 million unrealized gain on the appreciation of Axon stock and a $0.3 million gain on foreign exchange transactions for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to no activity in 2021 due to the Axon stock being sold in December 2020 and a $0.6 million loss on foreign exchange transactions for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
(Provision) benefit for income taxes.   (Provision) benefit for income taxes increased by $2.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020, primarily due to the release of a valuation allowance on a portion of our deferred tax assets in December 2020.
Comparison of Year Ended December 31, 2020 to Year Ended December 31, 2019
Impact of divestiture.   The comparability of our operating results for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 was impacted by a business sale. In June 2019, we sold Mustang, which manufactured and sold mainly inflatables, including small combat craft, whitewater rafting solutions, life rafts and marine doors and windows. The sale of Mustang did not meet the criteria for classification as discontinued operations as the deconsolidation did not represent a strategic shift in the business. As result of the Mustang sale, our financial information presented in this prospectus is not comparable between periods. Expense contributions from the divestiture for each of the respective period
 
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comparisons generally were not separately identifiable due to the integration of this businesses into our existing operations or were insignificant to our results of operations during the periods presented.
Net sales.   Product segment net sales decreased by $22.2 million or 6.1%, from $365.9 million to $343.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019, primarily driven by the sale of Mustang, which contributed $18.8 million in net sales in 2019 before its sale. Excluding the impact of Mustang, net sales decreased $3.4 million in 2020 as compared to 2019, reflecting an $11.4 million increase in the commercial channel (expansion of direct-to-consumer sales), a $4.0 million increase in the U.S. state and local agencies channel and a $3.2 million increase in funded research and development projects partially offset by a $14.4 million decrease in the international channel due to shipment timing for a customer contract and a $7.6 million decrease in the U.S. federal agencies channel due to shipment timing for certain products. Distribution segment net sales increased by $6.8 million or 8.6%, from $78.2 million to $84.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019, due to an increase in the U.S. state and local agencies channel. Reconciling items consisting primarily of intercompany eliminations were ($24.0) million and ($23.3) million for year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Cost of goods sold.   Product segment cost of goods sold decreased by $25.3 million, or 10.7%, from $236.4 million to $211.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019 primarily related to the sale of Mustang, which contributed to $12.9 million in cost of goods sold in 2019 before its sale. Excluding the impact of Mustang, cost of goods sold decreased by $12.4 million, principally from cost improvement projects and product portfolio mix. Product segment gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased by 3.2% to 38.6% in 2020 from 35.4% in 2019 mainly driven by price increases, and the aforementioned reasons. Distribution segment cost of goods sold increased by $3.1 million, or 5.0%, from $61.7 million to $64.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019 primarily due to higher costs to acquire products. Distribution segment gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased by 2.6% to 23.7% in 2020 from 21.1% in 2019 mainly driven by an increase in firearm and ammunition sales in the second quarter of 2020. Reconciling items consisting primarily of intercompany eliminations were ($24.1) million and ($23.3) million for year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Selling, general and administrative.   SG&A decreased by $17.6 million, or 14.2%, for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019. Excluding the impact of Mustang, which contributed $5.3 million to SG&A in 2019, these costs decreased by $12.3 million. The decrease is primarily related to a $7.6 million goodwill impairment expense recorded in 2019 compared to no goodwill impairment in 2020, lower travel in 2020, marketing and healthcare costs of $3.4 million, and a $2.1 million reduction in bad debt expense due to overall improvement in collection efforts.
Restructuring and transaction costs.   Restructuring and transaction costs increased by $4.9 million, for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019. The increase primarily relates to an increase in legal fees of $1.3 million related to a U.S. Federal Trade Commission matter relating to our sale of VieVu, LLC, an increase in consulting for debt restructuring of $1.9 million and an increase in transactions costs and consulting of $1.4 million. See Note 13 “Commitments and Contingencies” in our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for a discussion of our sale of VieVu, LLC.
Related party expense.   Related party expense increased by $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019. The increase primarily related to a $1.0 million transaction fee paid to Kanders & Company, Inc., a company controlled by our Chief Executive Officer in connection with the execution of the Term Loan Agreement. In 2019, Kanders & Company received compensation from Cadre of $0.5 million due to sale of Mustang.
Other general income.   Gains in other general income increased by $3.3 million, or 43.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019. The increase is primarily related to a gain from Ontario facility asset sale of $6.2 million as well as earn-out stock payments from Axon Enterprise, Inc. (“Axon”) for $4.7 million as compared to 2019 that included a $3.0 million gain from Mustang sale and $4.6 million in earn-out stock payments from Axon.
Interest expense.   Interest expense decreased by $5.5 million, or 18.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019 primarily due to voluntary debt repayments on our outstanding debt. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Debt” below.
 
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Loss on extinguishment of debt.   Loss on extinguishment of debt increased by $0.2 million due to losses associated with debt restructuring in 2020.
Other (expense) income, net.   Other (expense) income, net increased by $2.3 million, for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019 primarily due to $4.5 million realized gains on the appreciation of Axon stock received in connection with the sale of VieVu, LLC, offset in part by a $2.3 million stock collar transaction we entered in order to mitigate the impact of market volatility on our equity securities. The stock collar was settled at the time the equity securities were sold in December 2020 and resulted in a loss of $2.3 million. See Note 3 “Investments in Equity Securities” in our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for more information.
(Provision) benefit for income taxes.   Income tax benefit increased by $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019 primarily due to the release of a valuation allowance on a portion of our deferred tax assets. Our effective tax rate in 2020 was (37.9)% as compared to 6.9% in 2019. See Note 14 “Income Taxes” in our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for more information.
 
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NON-GAAP MEASURES
This prospectus includes EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate, which are non-GAAP measures that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. EBITDA is defined as net income before depreciation and amortization expense, interest expense and Provision (benefit) for income tax. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA that excludes restructuring and transaction costs, other general income, other (expense) income, net, contingent consideration and other, long term incentive plan (“LTIP”) bonus, and goodwill impairment as these items do not represent our core operating performance. We also present Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate, which we define as Adjusted EBITDA less capital expenditures divided by Adjusted EBITDA. We use Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate as a measurement of the cash generation capacity of our underlying operations, exclusive of impacts relating to our capital structure.
EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate are performance measures that we believe are useful to investors and analysts because they illustrate the underlying financial and business trends relating to our core, recurring results of operations and enhance comparability between periods. Adjusted EBITDA is identical to the financial metric used under our existing credit facilities to measure our covenant compliance and is also considered by our Board and management as an important factor in determining performance-based compensation. Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate is a liquidity measure that we believe provides investors and analysts with important information about our core, recurring cash generation trends, which are an indication of our ability to make acquisitions, incur additional debt or return capital to investors, after making the capital investments required to support our business operations.
EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate are not recognized measures under U.S. GAAP and are not intended to be a substitute for any U.S. GAAP financial measure and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly-titled measures of performance of other companies. Investors should exercise caution in comparing our non-GAAP measures to any similarly titled measures used by other companies. These non-GAAP measures exclude certain items required by U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to information reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
The table below presents our EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate reconciled to the most comparable GAAP measure for the periods indicated:
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
2020
2019
Net income (loss)
$ 8,373 $ 22,673 $ 38,453 $ (1,928)
Add back:
Depreciation and amortization
10,426 11,207 14,733 15,443
Interest expense
14,129 18,275 24,388 29,848
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
3,861 1,491 (10,578) (142)
EBITDA
$ 36,789 $ 53,646 $ 66,996 $ 43,221
Add back:
Restructuring and transaction costs(1)
1,491 3,143 5,822 918
Other general income(2)
(10,950) (10,950) (7,630)
Loss on extinguishment of debt(3)
15,155 200
Other (expense) income, net(4)
881 (1,925) (2,659) (395)
Contingent consideration(5)
(1,427) (1,427)
LTIP bonus(6)
1,804
Goodwill impairment(7)
7,585
Adjusted EBITDA
$ 56,120 $ 42,487 $ 57,982 $ 43,699
Less: Capital expenditures
(2,225) (3,913) (4,708) (3,082)
Adjusted EBITDA less capital expenditures
$ 53,895 $ 38,574 $ 53,274 $ 40,617
Adjusted EBITDA conversion rate
96% 91% 92% 93%
(1)
Reflects the “Restructuring and transaction costs” line item on our consolidated statement of operations.
 
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Full year 2020 is primarily transaction costs composed of legal and consulting fees compared to 2019, which is primarily termination benefits and relocation of employees associated with consolidating or closing of facilities. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, and 2020, it primarily includes transaction costs composed of legal and consulting fees.
(2)
Reflects the “Other general income” line item on our consolidated statement of operations. Full year 2020 includes a gain from a long-lived asset sale and earn-out stock payments, whereas 2019 includes a gain from the sale of Mustang in addition to earn-out stock payments. The nine months ended September 30, 2020 includes a gain from a long-lived asset sale and earn-out stock payments.
(3)
Reflects losses incurred in connection with refinancing our credit facilities.
(4)
Reflects the “Other (expense) income, net” line item on our consolidated statement of operations. Full year 2020 includes realized gains on equity securities offset in part by a stock collar transaction we entered into in order to mitigate the impact of market volatility whereas 2019 includes unrealized gains on equity securities offset by losses on foreign currency transactions. The nine months ended September 30, 2021 primarily includes losses on foreign currency transactions while the nine months ended September 30, 2020 primarily includes gains on foreign exchange transactions and unrealized gains on equity securities.
(5)
Reflects a gain on the settlement of contingent consideration.
(6)
Reflects the cost of a cash-based long-term incentive plan awarded to employees that vest over three years.
(7)
Reflects primarily goodwill impairment expense in 2019 relating to our Distribution reporting unit. Refer to our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus for a discussion of our goodwill impairment expense.
Adjusted EBITDA increased $13.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to increased sales volume and margin rate increases attributable to favorable pricing and product mix. Adjusted EBITDA increased by $14.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to 2019, primarily due to an increase in net income for the period partially offset by an increase in the deduction for benefit for income taxes.
 
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Liquidity refers to our ability to generate sufficient cash flows to meet the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital needs, capital expenditures, service debt, acquisitions and other commitments. Our principal sources of liquidity have been cash provided by operating activities, cash on hand and amounts available under our revolving credit facility.
As of September 30, 2021, we had net cash provided by operating activities of $31.0 million and cash and cash equivalents of $15.3 million. We believe that our cash flows from operations and cash on hand, and available borrowing capacity under Debt (as described below) will be adequate to meet our liquidity requirements for at least the 12 months following the date of this prospectus. Our future capital requirements will depend on several factors, including future acquisitions and investments in our manufacturing facilities and equipment. We could be required, or could elect, to seek additional funding through public or private equity or debt financings; however, additional funds may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
Debt
As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had $225.9 million and $212.8 million in outstanding debt, net of debt discounts and debt issuance costs, respectively, primarily related to the term loan facility (the “Term Loan”).
New Credit Agreement
On August 20, 2021 (the “Closing Date”), the Company refinanced its existing credit facilities and entered into a new credit agreement whereby Safariland, LLC, as borrower (the “Borrower”), the Company and certain domestic subsidiaries of the Borrower, as guarantors (the “Guarantors”), closed on and received funding under a credit agreement (initially entered into on July 23, 2021), pursuant to a First Amendment to Credit Agreement (collectively, the “New Credit Agreement”) with PNC Bank, National Association (“PNC”), as administrative agent, and the several lenders from time to time party thereto (together with PNC, the “Lenders”) pursuant to which the Borrower (i) borrowed $200.0 million under a term loan (the “Term Loan”), and (ii) may borrow up to $100.0 million under a revolving credit facility (including up to $15.0 million for letters of credit and up to $10.0 million for swing line loans) (the “Revolving Loan”). Each of the Term Loan and the Revolving Loan mature on July 23, 2026. Commencing December 31, 2021, the New Term Loan requires scheduled quarterly payments in amounts equal to 1.25% per quarter of the original aggregate principal amount of the Term Loan, with the balance due at maturity. The New Credit Agreement is guaranteed, jointly and severally, by the Guarantors and, subject to certain exceptions, secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all of the assets of the Borrower and the Guarantors pursuant to a Security and Pledge Agreement (the “Security Agreement”) and a Guaranty and Suretyship Agreement (the “Guaranty Agreement”), each dated as of the Closing Date.
As of September 30, 2021, the Revolving Loan had $25.5 million in outstanding borrowings, $2.8 million in outstanding letters of credit, and $71.7 million of availability. As of January 3, 2022, there were no amounts outstanding under the Revolving Loan.
The Borrower may elect to have the Revolving Loan and Term Loan under the New Credit Agreement bear interest at a base rate or a LIBOR rate, in each case, plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin for these borrowings will range from 0.50% to 1.50% per annum, in the case of base rate borrowings, and 1.50% to 2.50% per annum, in the case of LIBOR borrowings, in each case based upon the level of the Company’s consolidated total net leverage ratio. The New Credit Agreement also requires the Borrower to pay a commitment fee on the unused portion of the loan commitments. Such commitment fee will range between 0.175% and 0.25% per annum, and is also based upon the level of the Company’s consolidated total net leverage ratio.
The New Credit Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties, and affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations on additional indebtedness, dividends, and other distributions, entry into new lines of business, use of loan proceeds, capital expenditures, restricted payments, restrictions on liens on the assets of the Borrowers or any Guarantor, transactions with affiliates, amendments to organizational documents, accounting changes, sale and leaseback transactions, dispositions, and mandatory
 
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prepayments in connection with certain liquidity events. The New Credit Agreement contains certain restrictive debt covenants, which require us to: (i) maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.25 to 1.00, starting with the quarter ended December 31, 2021, which is to be determined for each quarter end on a trailing four quarter basis and (ii) maintain a quarterly maximum consolidated total net leverage ratio of 3.75 to 1.00 from the quarter ended December 31, 2021 until the quarter ended September 30, 2022, and thereafter 3.50 to 1.00, which is in each case to be determined on a trailing four quarter basis; provided that under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations, in the event of a material acquisition, we may temporarily increase the consolidated total net leverage ratio by up to 0.50 to 1.00 for four fiscal quarters following such acquisition. The New Credit Agreement contains customary events of default that include, among others, non-payment of principal, interest or fees, violation of covenants, inaccuracy of representations and warranties, failure to make payment on, or defaults with respect to, certain other material indebtedness, bankruptcy and insolvency events, material judgments and change of control provisions. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, and after the expiration of any applicable grace period, payment of any outstanding loans under the New Credit Agreement may be accelerated and the Lenders could foreclose on their security interests in the assets of the Borrowers and the Guarantors.
The foregoing description of the New Credit Agreement, Security Agreement and Guaranty Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the New Credit Agreement, Security Agreement and Guaranty Agreement which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Canadian Credit Facility
On October 14, 2021, Med-Eng Holdings ULC and Pacific Safety Products Inc., the Company’s Canadian subsidiaries, as borrowers (the “Canadian Borrowers”), and Safariland, LLC, as guarantor (the “Canadian Guarantor”), closed on a line of credit pursuant to a Loan Agreement (the “Canadian Loan Agreement”) and a Revolving Line of Credit Note (the “Note”) with PNC Bank Canada Branch (“PNC Canada”), as lender pursuant to which the Canadian Borrowers may borrow up to CDN$10.0 million under a revolving line of credit (including up to $3.0 million for letters of credit) (the “Revolving Canadian Loan”). The Revolving Canadian Loan matures on July 23, 2026. The Canadian Loan Agreement is guaranteed by Safariland, LLC pursuant to a Guaranty and Suretyship Agreement (the “Canadian Guaranty Agreement”).
The Canadian Borrowers may elect to have borrowings either in United States dollars or Canadian dollars under the Canadian Loan Agreement, which will bear interest at a base rate or a LIBOR rate, in each case, plus an applicable margin, in the case of borrowings in United States dollars, or at a Canadian Prime Rate (as announced from time to time by PNC Canada) or a Canadian deposit offered rate (“CDOR”) as determined from time to time by PNC Canada in accordance with the Canadian Loan Agreement. The applicable margin for these borrowings will range from 0.50% to 1.50% per annum, in the case of base rate borrowings and Canadian Prime Rate borrowings, and 1.50% to 2.50% per annum, in the case of LIBOR borrowings and CDOR borrowings. The Canadian Loan Agreement also requires the Canadian Borrowers to pay (i) an unused line fee on the unused portion of the loan commitments in an amount ranging between 0.175% and 0.25% per annum, based upon the level of the Company’s consolidated total net leverage ratio, and (ii) an upfront fee equal to 0.25% of the principal amount of the Note.
The Canadian Loan Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties, and affirmative and negative covenants, including, among others, limitations on additional indebtedness, entry into new lines of business, entry into guarantee agreements, making of any loans or advances to, or investments in, any other person, restrictions on liens on the assets of the Canadian Borrowers and mergers, transfers of assets and acquisitions. The Canadian Loan Agreement and Note also contain customary events of default that include, among others, non-payment of principal, interest or fees, violation of covenants, inaccuracy of representations and warranties, failure to make payment on, or defaults with respect to, certain other material indebtedness, bankruptcy and insolvency events, material judgments and change of control provisions. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, and after the expiration of any applicable grace period, payment of any outstanding loans under the Canadian Loan Agreement may be accelerated. As of January 3,2022, there were no amounts outstanding under the Revolving Canadian Loan.
 
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The foregoing description of the Canadian Loan Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Canadian Loan Agreement, which is included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Cash Flows
The following table presents a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Nine months ended September 30,
Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)
2021
2020
2020
2019
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Net cash provided by operating activities
$ 30,988 $ 28,192 $ 45,419 $ 7,414
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
(2,225) 14,064 19,784 26,372
Net cash used in financing activities
(16,358) (42,298) (64,902) (32,417)
Effects of foreign exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
(3) 6 52 (139)
Change in cash and cash equivalents
12,402 (36) 353 1,230
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
2,873 2,520 2,520 1,290
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$ 15,275 $ 2,484 $ 2,873 $ 2,520
Net cash provided by operating activities
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, net cash provided by operating activities of $31.0 million resulted primarily from net income of $8.4 million, a $15.2 million addition to net income for loss on extinguishment of debt and changes in operating assets and liabilities of ($6.8) million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily driven by increases in inventories of $10.3 million and prepaid expenses and other assets of $4.6 million, offset in part by an increase in accounts payable and other liabilities of $6.6 million.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, net cash provided by operating activities of $28.2 million resulted primarily from net income of $22.7 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $7.1 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily driven by increases in accounts receivable of $10.9 million and accounts payable and other liabilities of $3.4 million offset in part by a decrease in inventories of $4.9 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, net cash provided by operating activities of $45.4 million resulted primarily from net income of $38.5 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $17.4 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily driven by a decrease in accounts receivable of $11.8 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, net cash provided by operating activities of $7.4 million resulted primarily from net loss of $1.9 million, adjusted non-cash items of $16.6 million partially offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $7.2 million. Non-cash items included depreciation and amortization of $15.4 million and goodwill impairment of $7.6 million partially offset by non-cash consideration received from sale of VieVu, LLC of $5.2 million and gain on sale of Mustang of $3.0 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily driven by a decrease in accounts payable and other liabilities of $19.7 million offset by a decrease in accounts receivable of $8.7 million and a decrease in inventories of $5.7 million.
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we used $2.2 million of cash in investing activities, consisting of purchases of property and equipment.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we provided $14.1 million of cash from investing activities, consisting of proceeds from the disposition of property and equipment of $12.4 million and the sale of equity securities of $5.6 million partially offset by purchases of property and equipment of $3.9 million.
 
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During the year ended December 31, 2020, we provided $19.8 million of cash from investing activities, primarily consisting of proceeds from disposition of property and equipment of $12.4 million and proceeds from sale of equity securities of $14.4 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, we provided $26.4 million of cash from investing activities, primarily consisting of proceeds from the sale of Mustang of $26.9 million.
Net cash used in financing activities
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we used $16.4 million of cash in financing activities, primarily consisting of principal payments on revolving credit facilities of $223.1 million, principal payments on term loans of $224.5 million, and dividends distributed of $10.0 million, partially offset by proceeds from revolving credit facilities of $248.0 million and proceeds from term loans of $198.8 million.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we used $42.3 million of cash in financing activities, primarily consisting of principal payments on revolving credit facilities of $283.9 million and principal payments on term loans of $40.8 million offset in part by proceeds from revolving credit facilities of $281.8 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we used $64.9 million of cash in financing activities, primarily consisting of proceeds from Revolving Credit Facility of $382.1 million, proceeds from the Term Loan of $219.6 million, offset by principal payments on the Revolving Credit Facility of $384.2 million and principal payments on the Term Loan of $276.4 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, we used $32.4 million of cash in financing activities, primarily consisting of proceeds from the Revolving Credit Facility of $383.5 million, offset by principal payments on the Revolving Credit Facility of $406.4 million.
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes our significant contractual obligations as of September 30, 2021 by period:
(in thousands)
Total
Less than
1 year
1-3 Years
3-5 Years
More than
5 Years
Lease obligations(1)
$ 14,044 $ 1,160 $ 8,224 $ 4,191 $ 469
Debt(2) 228,517 3,546 21,886 20,047 183,038
Interest on debt(3)
25,790 1,518 11,278 10,217 2,777
Total contractual obligations
$ 268,351 $ 6,224 $ 41,388 $ 34,455 $ 186,284
(1)
Includes future minimum lease payments required under non-cancelable operating and capital leases.
(2)
Includes scheduled cash principal payments on our debt, excluding interest, original issuance discount and debt issuance costs.
(3)
Represents the estimated interest payments on our outstanding debt, assuming a 2.59% interest rate, which was the weighted average interest rate applicable to our borrowings at September 30, 2021.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not engage in off-balance sheet financing arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
 
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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATES
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of net sales and expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and when the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in notes in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Goodwill
Goodwill is initially recorded at the fair value. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of acquisitions over the fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not subject to any amortization but is tested for impairment annually as of October 31, and when events or circumstances indicate that the estimated fair value of a reporting unit may no longer exceed its carrying value. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.
In evaluating goodwill for impairment, qualitative factors are considered to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, through this qualitative assessment, the conclusion is made that it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is an impairment test is conducted by comparing of the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, for which we use the discounted cash flow method of the income approach and market approach as management believes this is the most direct approach to incorporate the specific economic attributes and risk profiles of our reporting units into our valuation model. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. We had three reporting units as of December 31, 2020: Safariland, Med-Eng, and Distribution.
We determine the fair value of its reporting units based on a combination of the income approach and market approach, weighted based on the circumstances. Under the income approach, the discounted cash flow model determines fair value based on the present value of projected cash flows over a specific projection period and a residual value related to future cash flows beyond the projection period. Both values are discounted using a rate that reflects our best estimate of the weighted average cost of capital of a market participant and is adjusted for appropriate risk factors. We perform sensitivity tests with respect to growth rates and discount rates used in the income approach. Under the market approach, valuation multiples are derived based on a selection of comparable companies and acquisition transactions and applied to projected operating data for each reporting unit to arrive at an indication of fair value.
During 2019, as a result of the decline in the forecasted financial performance for our Distribution reporting unit, we performed an impairment evaluation and determined that the carrying value of the goodwill of the Distribution reporting unit exceeded the implied fair value. The decline in the fair value of the Distribution reporting unit was primarily due to unfavorable performance in 2019 that was impacting operating margins and led us to use a higher discount rate due to an increase in the risk-free rate of return. We recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $7.6 million for the Distribution segment within selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019. No impairment losses were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Emerging Growth Company
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible for exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable
 
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to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, presenting only two years of audited financial statements, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation, and an exemption from the requirements to obtain a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements.
In addition, an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This provision allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act. As a result, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Therefore, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
 
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QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We have in the past and may in the future be exposed to certain market risks, including interest rate, foreign currency exchange in the ordinary course of our business. Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial condition or results of operations due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. These risks are not significant to our results of operations, but they may be in the future. We do not hold or issue financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes.
Interest rate risk
Changes in interest rates affect the amount of interest expense we are required to pay on borrowings under floating rate debt. As of September 30, 2021, we had $225.5 million in outstanding floating rate debt, based mainly on LIBOR.
As of September 30, 2021, the applicable interest rate of the New Credit Agreement bears interest at an applicable rate of LIBOR plus 2.5%.
In September 2021, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement for the notional amount of $100 million to hedge a portion of our forecasted monthly interest rate payments on our floating rate debt. We performed a sensitivity analysis on the principal amount of debt as of September 30, 2021, as well as the effect of our interest rate swap. Further, in this sensitivity analysis, the change in interest rates is assumed to be applicable for an entire year. An increase of 100 basis points in the applicable interest rate would cause an increase in interest expense of $2.3 million on an annual basis ($1.3 million including the effect of our current interest rate swaps). A decrease in the applicable interest rate to 0% would cause a decrease in interest expense of $0.2 million on an annual basis ($0.1 million including the effect of our current interest rate swaps) as the 1-month LIBOR 0.09% as of September 30, 2021.
As of September 30, 2021, we had the following interest rate swap agreement (the “Swap Agreement”):
Effective date
Notional amount
Fixed rate
September 30, 2021 through July 23, 2026
$ 100,000 0.875%
Under the terms of the Swap Agreement, we receive payments based on the 1-month LIBOR (approximately 0.09% as of September 30, 2021).
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, there were no interest rate swap agreements that expired.
We entered into the Swap Agreement to convert a portion of the interest rate exposure on our floating rate debt from variable to fixed. We designated this Swap Agreement as a cash flow hedge. A portion of the amount included in accumulated other comprehensive loss is reclassified into interest expense, net as a yield adjustment as interest is either paid or received on the hedged debt. The fair value of our Swap Agreement is based upon Level 2 inputs. We have considered our own credit risk and the credit risk of the counterparties when determining the fair value of our Swap Agreement
Foreign currency exchange rate risk
Our operations are geographically diverse and we are exposed to foreign currency exchange risk primarily for the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso, related to our transactions and our subsidiaries’ balances that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, our functional currency. We do not currently hedge our foreign currency transaction or translation exposure, though we have done so in the past and may do so in the future. Significant currency fluctuations could impact the comparability of our results of operations between periods. A 10% increase or decrease in the value of the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar would have caused our reported net sales to increase or decrease by approximately $1.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, and a 10% increase or decrease in the value of the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar would have caused our reported net income to increase or decrease by approximately $0.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. A 10% increase or decrease in the value of the Mexican peso to the U.S. dollar would have caused our reported net income to increase or decrease by approximately $1.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
 
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BUSINESS
Business Overview
For over 55 years, we have been a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of safety and survivability equipment for first responders. Our equipment provides critical protection to allow its users to safely and securely perform their duties and protect those around them in hazardous or life-threatening situations. Through our dedication to superior quality, we establish a direct covenant with end users that our products will perform and keep them safe when they are most needed. We sell a wide range of products including body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment and duty gear through both direct and indirect channels. In addition, through our owned distribution, we serve as a one-stop shop for first responders providing equipment we manufacture as well as third-party products including uniforms, optics, boots, firearms and ammunition. The majority of our diversified product offering is governed by rigorous safety standards and regulations. Demand for our products is driven by technological advancement as well as recurring modernization and replacement cycles for the equipment to maintain its efficiency, effective performance and regulatory compliance.
As discussed below, we believe we have established leading market positions across our product portfolio through high-quality standards, innovation and a direct connection to the end users, including being a leading provider of explosive ordnance disposal technician equipment globally as well as a leading provider of safety holsters and a top provider of soft body armor for first responders in the U.S. We service the ever- changing needs of our end users by investing in research and development for new product innovation and technical advancements that continually raise the standards for safety and survivability equipment in the first responder market. Our target end user base includes domestic and international first responders such as state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, emergency medical technicians (“EMT”), fishing and wildlife enforcement and departments of corrections, as well as federal agencies including the U.S. Department of State (“DoS”), U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”), U.S. Department of Interior (“DoI”), U.S. Department of Justice (“DoJ”), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), U.S. Department of Corrections (“DoC”) and numerous foreign government agencies in over 104 countries. We have a large and diverse customer base, with our top 10 customers representing approximately 26% of sales, with no individual customer representing more than 6.5% of our total revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2020.
We are committed to honoring those who put their lives in danger through the SAVES CLUB®, which pays homage to first responders who experience a life-threatening incident in the line of work in which our armor or gear contribute to saving their lives. The club currently has 2,123 members and counting. With the help of our suppliers, distributors and first responder end users, we strive to fulfill the Company creed: Together, We Save Lives.
Industry Overview
The market for safety and survivability equipment serving first responders focuses on providing a diverse set of protective and mission enhancing products and solutions to our target end users. The market is driven by multiple factors including customer refresh cycles, growing number of personnel employed by first responder organizations, equipment replacement and modernization trends, greater emphasis on public and first responders’ safety and demographic shifts.
Body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment and duty gear comprise the core product areas in the safety and survivability equipment market and law enforcement personnel growth is a significant driver for our business. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of law enforcement personnel in the U.S. to increase at a faster rate than broader labor market growth over the 10-year period from 2019 to 2029, or 5%, from 813,500 in 2019 to 854,200 in 2029. Demand for first responder safety and survivability equipment is also fueled by increasing law enforcement budgets. Law enforcement budgets have grown significantly on a per capita basis since 2000, supported by increased spending in major cities and by federal agencies. Per the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in real dollars (adjusted for inflation), local police-protection spending per capita rose 29% from 2000 to 2017. In 2017, state and local real police protection spending per capita was $326 vs. $258 in 2000.
 
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The following charts highlight budget growth for major departments from 2008 to 2020 and for domestic state and local police protection spend from 2008 to 2018 (based on available data):
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In addition to the macro industry trends, each of these product segments experience unique drivers in and of themselves. Increasing mandatory body armor use and refresh policies, evolving technical standards and increases in tactical or special weapons and tactics (“SWAT”) law enforcement personnel act as tailwinds to the body armor market. Meanwhile, the explosive ordnance disposal equipment market is driven by the continued emergence of new global threats while duty gear is driven mainly by product use and replacement cycles.
Our management estimates the annual addressable market for soft body armor (including tactical soft armor) in 2020 to be approximately $870 million. We also estimate explosive ordnance disposal equipment to have an addressable market of approximately $245 million over the seven-to-ten year life cycle of the products’ installed base. Finally, the annual addressable market for holsters for the global law enforcement and military and consumer markets is estimated to be approximately $380 million.
The international market is also poised for growth as foreign governments face increasingly complex safety challenges and seek to replace legacy equipment. Additionally, we foresee the demand for safety and survivability equipment from overseas markets to increase due to heightened awareness of the importance and effectiveness of such products and as countries are exposed to new threats. Our management estimates our addressable number of total law enforcement personnel outside the U.S. to be approximately 9,658,000, representing a substantial market opportunity.
Our management team believes that the safety and survivability equipment industry for first responders represents a stable and growing market with long-term opportunities. Given our strong market standing, direct connection to the end users, extensive distribution network, long history of innovations and high-quality standards, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on the positive market dynamics.
Competitive Strengths
Leading, independent global provider of safety and survivability equipment for first responders.   Our history as a leading provider of high-quality safety and survivability equipment dates back to 1964. Our differentiated value proposition is built on superior quality combined with an unwavering focus on critical safety standards, making us the trusted brand name for first responders. Our extensive product breadth allows us to serve as a one-stop shop for our end users and their safety and survivability equipment needs.
Strong market positions.   Based on data we collect related to end users and publicly available information on awarded contracts and purchases, we believe we have leading market positions across multiple product categories through superior quality and performance differentiating us from our competition. By way of reference, we sell either concealable tactical or hard armor to 34 of the top 50 police departments in the U.S. by size. Likewise, we sell our duty retention holsters to 48 of the top 50 police departments in the U.S. by size. Furthermore, we are a party to multi-year contracts for the largest bomb suit teams in the world including the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force. Our products continually exceed stringent industry safety standards and are recognized for advancements in performance through innovation and technological enhancement.
 
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Mission-critical products with recurring demand characteristics.   Our products provide critical protection to their end users as well as those around them, with limited or no room for error. As a result, stringent safety standards and customary warranty provisions create refresh cycles on over 80% of the equipment we supply to ensure efficient and effective performance at all times. Demand associated with these refresh cycles drives a highly predictable recurring revenue stream. The majority of our remaining revenue is associated consumable products driving recurring sales based on replenishment needs.
Attractive macro-economic and secular tailwinds driving demand and visibility for our products.   The vast majority of our end markets are acyclical in nature as their demand is driven primarily by the first responder budgets and relatively unaffected by economic cycles. Our business has benefitted from key shifts serving as tailwinds to our growth strategy including the increasing focus on safety, replacement and modernization trends as well as demographic shifts and urbanization.
Compelling organic and inorganic growth roadmap.   Leveraging our differentiated product development process and technical knowhow, leading domestic market position and first mover advantage with our suppliers, we plan to drive profitable organic revenue growth via new product development and geographic expansion. In particular, international expansion is an especially important initiative in our organic growth roadmap due to the significant market share opportunity and increasing investments in safety and survivability equipment in various key geographic markets. We expect to supplement our organic growth through a targeted M&A program spanning our existing core products and markets as well as attractive adjacencies.
Attractive financial profile with strong EBITDA margins and free-cash-flow generation.   We generate strong profitability through diligent portfolio management of customers and contracts and continued focus on cost structure to drive operating leverage. Our strong profitability combined with minimal capital expenditure requirements result in high free-cash-flow generation, which is a key driver for our internal research and development initiatives and targeted M&A program. Our Adjusted EBITDA Conversion Rate is consistently greater than 90%.
Tenured management with significant public company platforms.   Our management team is comprised of executive officers with extensive experience at public company platforms including Armor Holdings Inc., Danaher Corporation, General Electric Company and IDEX Corporation. Together they bring an established track record of strong performance operating and growing public companies both organically and via acquisitions. This experience has created a differentiated approach to our operating model through their expertise in building a culture of operational and cultural excellence, complexity reduction, and innovation.
Long-term customer relationships across diverse end markets and geographies.   We maintain long-term relationships with over 23,000 first responders and federal agencies both domestically and internationally, with top customer relationships averaging an excess of 15 years. Our global presence spans over 104 countries across North America, Europe and other regions.
Products
We design and manufacture a diversified product portfolio of critical safety and survivability equipment to protect first responders. We maintain clear market-leadership positions in certain core product categories including body armor, explosive ordnance disposal equipment and duty gear. Over 80% of our product
line is tied to customary or mandated refresh cycles of between seven and ten years, which drives a highly predictable, recurring revenue stream. The majority of the remaining revenue is associated consumable products. Our overall strategy is to drive growth by leveraging our leading market shares and competitively- differentiated offerings in each of our core product categories, including:
Body Armor.   We offer a full range of field-proven advanced armor solutions. Our products incorporate cutting-edge technology, innovative materials and processes in order to provide the best protection, reduce weight and optimize ergonomics for the end user. The majority of our armor products are made-to-measure in accordance with the applicable NIJ and industry standards. We recently launched an industry-first partnership to provide law enforcement officers and first responders with the ability to determine size through the use of mobile phone scanning and artificial intelligence technologies.
 
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Our principal body armor product offerings include concealable, corrections and tactical armor, which provide varying levels of protection against ballistic or sharp instrument threats. Our body armor products are sold under the well-known Safariland® and Protech® Tactical brand names. We also sell products in partnership with industry leading developer Hardwire LLC.
Our body armor panels that are manufactured in the United States are designed to be built in compliance with guidelines established by the NIJ. We also manufacture body armor in Ontario, Canada; Manchester, England; and Kaunas, Lithuania; that is certified to meet various international standards. We also distribute a variety of third-party items, including helmets, and face shields for protection from blunt trauma and explosive shrapnel.
[MISSING IMAGE: tm2135428d2-pht_panels4clr.jpg]
Explosive Ordnance Disposal.   We are the global leader of a highly engineered portfolio of critical- operator survival suits, remotely operated vehicles, specialty tools, blast sensors, accessories and vehicle blast attenuation seats for bomb safety technicians. As the most trusted brand in the market, Med-Eng is the go-to source for explosive ordnance solutions in the developed world. Our products provide end users with the latest protective technologies integrated with electronic components and communications equipment.
Med-Eng has a fielded installed base of bomb suits in over 100 countries, yielding predictable, recurring replacement cycles. Our continuous investment in R&D supported by our existing IP portfolio, drives next- generation technologies designed to meet the ever-evolving threats for operators in the field. Select customers include our position as a provider for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marines, FBI, ATF and all NATO countries.
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Duty Gear.   We are the industry leader in holster innovation and safety engineering and our products incorporate industry standard safety locking mechanisms on which a majority of first responders are trained. The end user base for our holster products includes state and local law enforcement, federal agencies including the DoS, DoD, DoI, DHS, and DoC, foreign police and military agencies, and the commercial concealed carry market. We also offer a complementary line of officer duty gear including belts, and accessories.
In connection with the mission critical nature of duty gear products, we dedicate significant product development resources to ensure efficient and effective performance of our products. We manufacture and sell duty gear and commercial offerings under the widely recognized Safariland® and Bianchi® brands.
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Other Protective and Law Enforcement Equipment.   Supplementary to our core product offerings, we design, manufacture, assemble, and market a suite of equipment to round out our product portfolio. Key products include communications gear, forensic and investigation products, firearms cleaning solutions, and crowd control products. These products are marketed under several well-known niche brands. In addition,
 
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through our owned distribution, we serve as a one-stop shop for first responders providing equipment we manufacture as well as third-party products including uniforms, optics, boots, firearms and ammunition.
Growth Strategy
Our growth plan consists of a multi-pronged approach that includes driving profitable core revenue growth through new product introductions and international market expansion combined with targeted acquisitions, enhanced through our operating model.
Profitable Core Revenue Growth.   We believe that our leading market positions across a range of core categories will continue to yield significant growth opportunities. Our management team is focused on delivering new product launches, increasing customer wallet share, executing on key new contract opportunities and expanding our high-margin e-commerce and direct-to-consumer capabilities to continue to drive revenue growth. Examples of recent product innovation include the development of a 3D body sizing solution for soft armor, introduction of our next generation holsters, and working with key suppliers on the use of emerging materials for utilization in new armor products. We are also seeking to expand our leadership in high-growth technologies through the development of our blast sensor equipment for soldier protection. We believe this opportunity could represent a total potential addressable market opportunity of up to approximately $500 million based on the total size of the U.S. Department of Defense branches ultimately participating in the program. The requirement for blast sensors and the potential market for all branches of the U.S. military is supported by the Blast Pressure Exposure Study Improvement Act which was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
International Market Expansion.   We are also committed to increasing our market share internationally. Given our leading domestic market position and our products’ high-quality standards and performance, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of the growth in international demand for safety and survivability equipment for first responders. We intend to penetrate certain international markets through leveraging existing relationships, building local market teams and expansion into relevant market adjacencies.
Targeted M&A Program.   To supplement organic growth and internal research and development, our management team has historically undertaken a targeted M&A program, completing 12 transactions between 2012 and 2017. These strategic acquisitions have allowed us to expand our product and technology offerings, enter new markets and expand geographically to achieve attractive returns in our invested capital period.
We maintain a robust pipeline of opportunistic M&A opportunities, spanning our existing core products and markets as well as attractive adjacencies within the safety and survivability landscape. We plan to utilize our relatively high free-cash-flow generation and historical success in acquisitions to drive favorable acquisition structures and efficient integration. Our operating model, passion around connecting with customers and expansive channel help maximize the value created from our acquisitions.
Continuous Margin Improvement Initiatives.   Our management team has shown a strong track record of achieving cost structure optimization to drive operating leverage, as evidenced by past years’ margin improvements. Our operating model starts with complexity reduction then uses lean tools and methods to continuously improve operational and commercial processes. Strategic initiatives completed over the past few years include among others, rationalizing the Company’s manufacturing footprint, divesting non-core activities, enhancing our supply-chain and optimizing customer relationships and key contracts. Together these activities have helped enhance the Company’s manufacturing and sales operations, ultimately driving profitability growth.
Customers and Selling Channels
We sell our products through distributors and work directly with agencies to effectively reach end users. We classify our first responder customers into four categories: U.S. State and Local Agencies, International, U.S. Federal Agencies, and Commercial (which includes our direct-to-consumer sites). Our top 10 customers represented approximately 26% of sales, with no individual customer representing more than 6.5% of our total revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2020.
U.S. State and Local Agencies.   We have built relationships with nearly every domestic law enforcement agency in the country, selling at least one product category to each of the top 50 major departments. Other
 
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end users in this category include fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, EMT, fishing and wildlife enforcement and departments of corrections. We sell our products through a network of longstanding third-party distributors as well as an owned distribution platform, both of which interact directly with agencies and end users. The U.S. State and Local Agencies channel represented our largest selling channel at approximately 57% of net sales for the year ended December 31, 2020.
International.   We sell products to more than 104 countries globally. We service foreign defense ministries, foreign national law enforcement agencies and other foreign agencies through our distribution partners as well as through agency agreements with representatives to help service broad regions. In total, the International channel currently represented 17% of net sales for the year ended December 31, 2020, and is a key category we would like to expand.
U.S. Federal Agencies.   We sell to a variety of federal agencies including the DoS, DoD, DoI, DoJ and DHS Inc. Furthermore, we have long-standing contracts with key departments within the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. In total, the U.S. Federal Agencies channel represented 16% of net sales, with only 5% of the total from U.S. Military branches, for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Commercial.   Our Commercial channel consists primarily of sales through largely recognized e-commerce companies and retailers as well as through our own e-commerce sites. The Commercial channel represented less than 10% of net sales for the year ended December 31, 2020.
We service each of our channels through in-field technical salespeople and an owned distribution network. Our traditional distribution network consists of longstanding distribution partners and agents for first responders and federal agencies, retailers and e-commerce platforms and our own website where we sell directly to the end user. We pair our in-house expertise with outside partners in order to provide our customers with the best service possible while maintaining a real-time understanding of end user needs. In total, we have 61 sales people domestically and 9 internationally, with more than 791 authorized indirect selling partners worldwide. We believe that by combining our third party network with our in-house salesforce and our extensive owned distribution network, we create continuous customer interaction and best- in-class service and training, providing us with a distinct advantage over our peers.
Our brand name recognition and reputation among our customers, diversified product line and extensive distribution network are central to our marketing strategy. We leverage these advantages along with involvement and support of several law enforcement associations to market our products.
Manufacturing and Raw Materials
We operate a global manufacturing footprint with 15 sites across North America and Europe. Each site has capacity to scale up without further material investment in machinery and equipment. Additionally, we manage a diverse global supplier base of leading textile, fabric and raw material providers. We have multiple sources for each input in order to limit our dependency on any single vendor. No vendor makes up more than 10% of total purchases and our top 10 vendors account for less than 30% of total purchases.
We are reliant on certain suppliers that provide us with the raw materials and components that we utilize in manufacturing our ballistic resistant garments. Although in some cases substitutable alternative materials and components may be obtained from other commercially available sources, any change in the materials and components that we utilize in manufacturing our ballistic resistant garments may require additional research and development, recertification as well as customer acceptance.
Facilities
We own our corporate headquarters located at 13386 International Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32218 where we occupy approximately 36,941 square feet of office space and 95,283 square feet of manufacturing space. In total, we operate 15 facilities (two owned) across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe, spanning more than 750,000 square feet. Additionally, we lease 11 retail locations across the East Coast through which we service our Distribution segment. Our properties are well maintained, and we consider them to be sufficient for our existing capacity requirements.
The following table identifies and provides certain information regarding our facilities:
 
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Primary Activity
Location
Country
Owned/Leased
Sq Ft
Corporate HQ and Manufacturing
Jacksonville, Florida USA Owned
132,224
Manufacturing and R&D
Jacksonville, Florida USA Owned
63,000
Warehouse and Distribution
Jacksonville, Florida USA Leased
27,405
Manufacturing and R&D
Ontario, California USA Leased
41,475
Manufacturing
Casper, Wyoming USA Owned
73,700
Manufacturing
Dalton, Massachusetts USA Leased
33,862
Manufacturing
Dover, Tennessee USA Leased
87,652
Manufacturing
Ogdensburg, New York USA Leased
23,220
Manufacturing
Tijuana, Baja California Mexico Leased
158,614
Sales, R&D & Manufacturing
Ottawa, Ontario Canada Leased
39,273
Manufacturing
Pembroke, Ontario Canada Leased
26,154
Manufacturing
Arnprior, Ontario Canada Leased
48,853
Manufacturing
Warrington, Cheshire UK Leased
21,958
Manufacturing & Sales
Daventry, Northhamptonshire
UK Leased/Owned
19,429
Manufacturing
Vilnius Lithuania Leased
19,160
Backlog
As of September 30, 2021, we had $123.2 million in backlog. The Company expects 92% of the orders to be filled within 12 months. At the same point in 2020, our backlog was $120.0 million. Orders comprising backlog as of a given balance sheet date are typically invoiced in subsequent periods. The majority of our products are generally processed and shipped within one to six weeks of an order being placed, depending on the size and customization required for an order, though the fulfillment time for certain products, for example, explosive ordnance disposal equipment, may take three months or longer.
Competition
We compete in the large public safety and outdoor and recreation markets amongst other ancillary addressable markets. Competition in the public safety markets depends on the specific product in question but is generally based on a number of factors including product quality, safety performance, fit, price, and brand recognition. We believe that we have been able to compete successfully driven by the combination of our brand and product dependability, superior engineering and manufacturing capabilities, industry- leading product innovations, as well as on the breadth of our offering to customers.
Our primary competitors include, but are not limited to, Point Blank Enterprises, Inc., Avon Protection Systems, Inc., Central Lake Armor Express, Inc. (d/b/a Armor Express), as well as the Blackhawk division of Vista Outdoor Inc. None of our competitors across individual product categories compete in each our product verticals, making us the only one-stop provider of critical safety and survivability equipment solutions in the market.
Certain of our products cross over into the broader outdoor and recreation market, which is highly fragmented and highly competitive. While we believe that acceptance in this market is principally driven by the ability to bring new and innovative products to market, price point is critical.
Human Capital
As of September 30, 2021, we had a total of 2,250 employees. Of these employees, 1,728 were engaged in manufacturing, 201 in sales, marketing, product management and customer support, 151 in corporate functions (IT, Finance, HR, Legal and Compliance, etc.), 124 in R&D, engineering technicians, manufacturing engineers and project managers, 35 retail store associates and 11 in various executive and administrative functions. None of our employees are represented by a union in collective bargaining with us. We believe that
 
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our employee relations are good. Our human capital objectives center around identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and new employees. We maintain and grow our team utilizing practices that help us identify, hire, incentivize and retain our existing employees and integrate new employees into our Company.
Research and Development
Our significant IP portfolio combined with best-in-class product development and advanced materials processing separates us from our competitors. We have 85 design engineers and related technicians across our business. We have dedicated research and development centers at our manufacturing sites that specialize in product categories, including ballistics developments and state-of-the-art testing laboratory in Ontario, Canada, blast impact and technology development for explosive ordnances in Ottawa, Canada, and holster development and design in Jacksonville, FL, each of which focus on quality and product performance in order to generate critical real-time feedback. We aim to achieve efficient integration of quality materials and latest technologies to develop our products, which will allow us to leverage our first mover advantage from our suppliers.
Intellectual Property and Trademarks
We own significant intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, manufacturing processes and trade secrets related to our products, processes and business. Although our intellectual property plays an important role in maintaining our competitive position, we do not consider any single patent, trademark, manufacturing process or trade secret to be of material importance to any segment or to the business as a whole.
We own a total of 247 patents and pending patent applications worldwide, of which 226 are patents granted and 21 are pending patent applications, with expiry dates ranging from 2021 to 2045 in 29 jurisdictions. Of those 247 patents and pending patent applications, 155 are for utility patents and 92 are for design patents. We own patents and pending patent applications in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union.
The loss of patent protection for patents expiring in 2021 is not expected to have a material effect on our business.
Our material registered trademarks include SAFARILAND® and MED-ENG®.
The following table describes the material patents and patent applications owned or licensed by us, segregated by product category, including the range of expiry dates:
Product Category
Ownership
Number of
Patents
Granted
Range of
Expiration
Dates
for Granted
Patents
Number of
Pending Patent
Applications
Range of
Expiration Dates
(if Pending Patent
Granted)
Body Armor
Safariland, LLC 36
2022 – 2037
1
2040
Body Armor
Pacific Safety Products, Inc.
1
2023
Duty Gear
Safariland, LLC 62
2022 – 2040
6
2036 – 2041
EOD
Med-Eng, LLC 76
2022 – 2045
5
2036 – 2040
Crowd Control
Safariland, LLC 26
2026 – 2038
3
2035 – 2041
Other – Diversified
Safariland, LLC 25
2021 – 2038
6
2036 – 2041
 
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Government Regulation
We are subject to federal licensing requirements with respect to the sale of some of our products in foreign countries. In addition, we are obligated to comply with a variety of federal, state and local regulations, both domestically and abroad, governing certain aspects of our operations and workplace.
The export of certain of our products from the U.S. is subject to various U.S. regulations, including laws and regulations relating to import-export controls, technology transfers, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), and the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). More specifically, to export some of our products in accordance with ITAR or EAR, we must obtain export authorizations or licenses from the U.S. government, primarily the U.S. Department of State for ITAR and the U.S. Department of Commerce for EAR. Also, the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (“AECA”) requires that a certification be provided to the U.S. Congress prior to the granting of any license or other approval for certain transactions involving exports of any defense articles and defense services and for exports of major defense equipment.
Our business in Canada is subject to the Canadian Controlled Good Directorate Registration regime, which regulates commerce in controlled goods, meaning those that require a license to export, including ITAR items.
We are also subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) along with similar anti-corruption laws worldwide which prohibit improper payments to foreign governments and their officials by U.S. and other business entities.
The transportation of certain of our products is subject to U.S. Department of Transportation Hazardous Material Regulations (“HMR”), which govern the transportation of hazardous materials in interstate, intrastate, and foreign commerce. Prior to transportation into and within the United States, explosives must be tested and classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Domestically, the manufacture, sale, and purchase of certain products are subject to extensive federal, state, and local governmental regulation, with the primary regulatory body being the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”). The primary federal laws are the National Firearms Act of 1934 (“NFA”), the Gun Control Act of 1968 (“GCA”) and the AECA. Among other things, the ATF conducts periodic audits of our facilities that hold Federal Firearms Licenses.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) governs the majority of our contracts with U.S. federal agencies, mandating uniform policies and procedures across agencies and with each agency supplementing the FAR as needed. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense implements the FAR through the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”). Finally, agencies routinely audit and review government contractors for performance and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards.
In addition, like many other manufacturers, we are subject to compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”), data privacy laws, and many other regulations surrounding employment law, environmental law, taxation, and consumer protection.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business, as well as governmental and other regulatory investigations and proceedings. In addition, third parties from time to time assert claims against us in the form of letters and other communications. We are not currently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to us, would, in our opinion, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Future litigation may be necessary to defend ourselves and our business partners and to determine the scope, enforceability, and validity of third-party proprietary rights, or to establish our proprietary rights. The results of any current or future litigation cannot be predicted with certainty, and regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors.
In March 2020, the Company settled an administrative enforcement action filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) relating to Company’s sale of VieVu, LLC to Axon Enterprise Inc. (“Axon”)
 
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wherein the FTC alleged that the operative agreements contained non-compete and non-solicitation provisions in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 45, and Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 18. The FTC’s administrative complaint sought only injunctive relief against the Company to enjoin the enforcement of these provisions, now and in the future, and did not seek monetary damages against the Company. In January 2020, the Company and Axon had rescinded these provisions. Pursuant to a consent agreement and proposed consent order entered into by the FTC and the Company, on June 11, 2020, the FTC issued a Decision and Order accepting the Consent Agreement (the “Order”). Under the Order, the Company agreed to not modify and reinstate the rescinded provisions and to not enter into any new similar provisions with Axon, absent prior approval from the FTC. In addition, as part of the Company’s compliance program, the Order imposes an obligation to distribute to, and train the directors and officers on, the requirements of the consent order and to report annually for five years to the FTC ensuring compliance with the consent order. On July 10, 2020, the Company filed its Interim Verified Compliance Report and, on June 11, 2021, filed its First Annual Compliance Report, both as required by the Order.
In June 2020, the Company received a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) from the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”), Western District of Washington (Seattle, WA), pertaining to a False Claims Act investigation, 31 U.S.C, sections 3729-3733 (“FCA”), concerning allegations that soft body armor vest accessory panels sold by the Company are falsely labeled as compliant with the National Institute of Justice performance standards. In September 2020, the Company made its First Production of Documents which contained only documents and data that had been deemed to be of a “priority” nature pursuant to an agreement reached between the Company’s counsel and the Assistant U.S. Attorney handling the matter. In July 2021, the Company received a request for additional information relating to the subject matter of the investigation, with which the Company intends to comply. In October 2021 and November 2021, the Company produced additional documents responsive to the correspondence containing requests for specific documents and supplemental information. At this preliminary stage of the investigation, the Company does not have enough information to make an evaluation of the merits, exposure or potential risks regarding this matter.
In June 2021, two subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform initiated an inquiry into the safety of crowd control products. Major U.S. manufacturers of crowd control products, including us, received a letter from the subcommittees requesting information and documents about the production, sale, safety, and regulation of crowd control products. The Company has provided information to the subcommittees who released a Memorandum on this issue on October 14, 2021, noting the absence of Federal regulation on the use of tear gas and the safety risks arising from its use. The implementation of additional regulations governing the sale of crowd control products would not be expected to have a material effect on our business.
In September 2021, Safariland, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, received a jury verdict awarding $7.5 million to a plaintiff relating to a personal injury case wherein the plaintiff alleged various product liability claims against Safariland, LLC. The plaintiff in the proceeding, Mr. David Hakim, instituted the proceeding on July 24, 2015, through the filing of a complaint with the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. In the proceeding, the plaintiff, a SWAT officer with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office (“DCSO”), alleged that he suffered injuries during a training exercise conducted by DCSO in which a Defense Technology Shotgun Breaching TKO round was deployed and passed through a door and lower-floor ceiling causing a fragment to strike plaintiff’s back resulting in injury. Prior to the jury rendering its verdict, the court deferred ruling on Safariland, LLC’s Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law (“JMOL”) and, thus, no judgment has been issued. On November 8, 2021, Safariland, LLC filed its post-trial motions, including a supplemental JMOL, motion for new trial and remittitur. Plaintiff’s response is due on January 8, 2022, and Safariland’s reply would be due on February 8, 2022. In the event of an unfavorable ruling by the court, Safariland, LLC intends to pursue an appeal. While any litigation contains an element of uncertainty, the Company believes it is reasonably possible, not probable, that the Company could incur losses related to this case, however, any losses would be indemnified by our insurance carrier under applicable policies.
Environmental Laws and Regulations
Our operations are subject to a variety of federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection, including those governing the discharge, treatment, storage, transportation,
 
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remediation, and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes; the restoration of damages to the environment; and health and safety matters. We have an excellent workplace safety track record and believe that our operations are in material compliance with these laws and regulations. We incur expenses in complying with environmental requirements and could incur higher costs in the future as a result of more stringent requirements that may be enacted in the future.
Impact of COVID-19
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced a global health emergency because of a new strain of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China (the “COVID-19 outbreak”) and the risks to the international community as the virus spreads globally beyond its point of origin. In March 2020, the WHO classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, based on the rapid increase in exposure globally.
The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as of the date of this prospectus. During 2020 and the first nine months of 2021, the financial results of our business were unaffected by COVID-19. In all countries and states in which our business operates, the relevant local authorities have deemed the business to be essential in nature and thereby allowed us to continue operations during any government mandated shutdowns. The business has taken and continues to take many measures to ensure there is no outbreak in any of its facilities that would negatively impact the business. The extent to which the Company’s business may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will largely depend on both current and future developments, including its duration, spread and treatment, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be reasonably predicted.
 
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MANAGEMENT
Directors and Executive Officers
Our directors and executive officers as of the date of this prospectus are as follows:
Name
Age
Position
Executive Officers:
Warren B. Kanders 64 Chief Executive Officer
Brad Williams 47 President
Blaine Browers 43 Chief Financial Officer
Directors:
Warren B. Kanders 64 Director
Hamish Norton 62 Director
Nicholas Sokolow 72 Director
William Quigley 60 Director
Executive Officers
Warren B. Kanders, 64, has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as one of our directors since April 2012. Since June 2002 and December 2002, respectively, Mr. Kanders has served as a director and as Executive Chairman of Clarus Corporation, a NASDAQ listed company focused on the outdoor and consumer industries. From January 1996 until its sale to BAE Systems plc (“BAE Systems”) on July 31, 2007, Mr. Kanders served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and from April 2003 as the Chief Executive Officer, of Armor Holdings, Inc. (“Armor Holdings”), formerly a New York Stock Exchange- listed company and a manufacturer and supplier of military vehicles, armored vehicles, and safety and survivability products and systems to the aerospace and defense, public safety, homeland security, and commercial markets. Mr. Kanders received an A.B. degree in Economics from Brown University. Based upon Mr. Kanders’ role as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, service as a chairman and a director of a wide range of other public companies, financial background and education, as well as his extensive investment, capital raising, acquisition and operating expertise, the Company believes that Mr. Kanders has the requisite set of skills to serve as a Board member of the Company.
Brad Williams, 47, was appointed Chief Operating Officer in March 2017 and promoted to President in 2019. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Williams served in various roles of increasing responsibility at IDEX Corporation from June 2010 to March 2017, including President, Material Processing Technologies Group, President, Energy & Fuels Midstream Group and Vice President & General Manager, Toptech Systems. Prior to IDEX Corporation, Mr. Williams held various positions within Danaher Corporation and Ingersoll-Rand Company. Mr. Williams received an MBA from Kelley School of Business — Indiana University, a M.S. in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, and a B.S in Engineering Science & Mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.
Blaine Browers, 43, was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer in May 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Browers served in various roles of increasing responsibility at IDEX Corporation from September 2010 to April 2018, including Group Vice President Finance & IT — Fire and Safety, Group Vice President Finance & IT — BAND-IT, IDEX Optics & Photonics and Micropump, Vice President Finance & IT, BAND-IT, and Finance Manager Northeast. Prior to IDEX Corp. Mr. Browers held various positions within General Electric Co. Mr. Browers received a B.A. in Finance from University of South Florida and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
Non-Management Directors
Hamish Norton, 62, has served as one of our directors since October 2012. Since July 2014, Mr. Norton has been the President of Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a NASDAQ listed company focused on global shipping in the dry bulk sector. Mr. Norton has over 28 years of experience as an investment banker advising
 
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companies on capital market as well as merger and acquisition matters. Mr. Norton received an A.B. in physics from Harvard College and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. Based upon Mr. Norton’s education and extensive experience as an investment banker advising companies on capital market as well as merger and acquisition matters, the Company believes that Mr. Norton has the requisite set of skills to serve as a Board or Board committee member of the Company.
Nicholas Sokolow, 72, has served as one of our directors since July 2012. Since June 2002, Mr. Sokolow has served as a director and has been designated as the “lead independent director” since June 2016 of Clarus Corporation, a NASDAQ listed company focused on the outdoor and consumer industries. From January 1996 until its sale to BAE Systems on July 31, 2007, Mr. Sokolow served as a member of the Board of Directors of Armor Holdings. Mr. Sokolow served as a member of the Board of Directors of Stamford Industrial Group, Inc. from October 2006 until September 2009. From 2007 until December 31, 2014, Mr. Sokolow practiced law at the firm of Lebow & Sokolow LLP. From 1994 to 2007, Mr. Sokolow was a partner at the law firm of Sokolow, Carreras & Partners. From June 1973 until October 1994, Mr. Sokolow was an associate and partner at the law firm of Coudert Brothers. Mr. Sokolow graduated with Economics and Finance degrees from the Institut D’Etudes Politiques, a Law degree from the Faculte de Droit and a Masters of Comparative Law degree from the University of Michigan. Mr. Sokolow is also an honorary member of the French Bar. Based upon Mr. Sokolow’s role as the chairperson of the compensation committee and the nominating/corporate governance committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, education, legal background involving mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance expertise and extensive experience serving as a member of the boards of directors and committees of other public companies, the Company believes that Mr. Sokolow has the requisite set of skills to serve as a Board or Board committee member of the Company.
William Quigley, 60, has served as one of our directors since February 2016 and Chairman of the audit committee of our Board of Directors since March 2016. Since June 2016, Mr. Quigley has been the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nexteer Automotive Group Limited, a tier one automotive supplier operating from 27 manufacturing facilities and three global technical centers with over 13,000 employees. From March 2012 to March 2016, Mr. Quigley was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dana Holding Corporation and from March 2007 to October 2011 was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Visteon Corporation. Mr. Quigley received a B.A. from Michigan State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Based upon Mr. Quigley’s role as the Chairman of the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, education and extensive financial and accounting experiences, the Company believes that Mr. Quigley has the requisite set of skills to serve as a Board or Board committee member of the Company.
Board Composition and Election of Directors
Each of Mr. Nate Ward and Mr. Roger Werner, two members of our board of directors, resigned from the board of directors, effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering. Since that time, our board of directors has consisted, and will continue to consist, of four directors, with each director being elected to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified. All elections for the board of directors will be decided by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote on such matter.
Director Independence
Our board of directors has determined that each of our non-employee directors, Nicholas Sokolow, Hamish Norton and William Quigley, satisfy the criteria for independence under NYSE listing rules for independence of directors and of committee members. In addition, each of the members of our audit committee is “independent” as such term is defined in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Exchange Act, which is different from the test under NYSE listing rules for independence of board and committee members. We currently have a fully independent compensation committee, nominating/corporate governance committee, and audit committee.
Stockholder Communications
Stockholders may send communications to our board of directors or any committee thereof by writing to the board of directors or any committee thereof at Cadre Holdings, Inc., Attention: Secretary, 13386
 
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International Pkwy, Jacksonville, FL 32218. The Secretary will distribute all stockholder communications to the intended recipients and/or distribute to the entire board of directors, as appropriate.
In addition, stockholders may also contact the non-management directors as a group or any individual director by writing to the non-management directors or the individual director, as applicable, at Cadre Holdings, Inc., 13386 International Pkwy, Jacksonville, FL 32218.
Complaint Procedures
Complaints and concerns about accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing or related matters pertaining to the Company may be submitted by writing to the Chairman of the Audit Committee as follows: Cadre Holdings, Inc., Attention: Chairman of the Audit Committee, 13386 International Pkwy, Jacksonville, FL 32218. Complaints may be submitted on a confidential and anonymous basis by sending them in a sealed envelope marked “Confidential.”
Board Committees
Our board of directors has established an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating/ corporate governance committee. Each of the committees reports to the board of directors as they deem appropriate, and as the board of directors may request. The composition, duties and responsibilities of these committees are set forth below. In the future, our board of directors may establish other committees, as it deems appropriate, to assist it with its responsibilities.