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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)  

ý

 

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20112013

or

o

 

Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Transitiontransition period from                        to                       

Commission File No. 001-34728

DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 134275891
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

7777 N 73rd Street

 

 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(Address of principal executive offices)
 53223
(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code(414) 354-2310

         Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $.01 Par Value New York Stock Exchange

         Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:NONE

         Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o    No ý.

         Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o    No ý.

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý    No o.

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ý    No o.

         Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer o Accelerated filer ý Non-accelerated filer o
(Do not check if a
smaller reporting company)
 Smaller reporting company o

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o    No ý.

         At June 30, 2011,28, 2013, the aggregate market value of the voting stock of the Registrant held by stockholders who were not affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $291$288 million (based upon the closing price of Registrant's Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date). At March 13, 2012,11, 2014, the Registrant had outstanding an aggregate of 22,130,99622,260,082 shares of its Common Stock.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

         Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Registrant's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 2, 2012April 30, 2014, which Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, are incorporated into Parts II and III.

   


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PART I

  3 

Item 1.

 

Business

  34 

Item 1A.

 

Risk Factors

  10 

Item 1B.

 

Unresolved Staff Comments

  1920 

Item 2.

 

Properties

  1920 

Item 3.

 

Legal Proceedings

  1920 

Item 4.

 

Mine Safety Disclosures

  1920 

PART II

  2021 

Item 5.

 

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

  20

We did not make any purchases of equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during 2011

2221 

Item 6.

 

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

  2223 

Item 7.

 

Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

  2325 

Item 7A.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

  4344 

Item 8.

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

  4344 

Item 9.

 

Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

  4344 

Item 9A.

 

Controls and Procedures

  4345 

Item 9B.

 

Other Information

  4446 

PART III

  4546 

Item 10.

 

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

  4546 

Item 11.

 

Executive Compensation

  4546 

Item 12.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters

  4546 

Item 13.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

  4546 

Item 14.

 

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

  4547 

PART IV

  4647 

Item 15.

 

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

  4647 

Signatures

  4748 

Exhibit Index

  4849 

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

  F-1 


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PART I

Forward Looking Statements

        This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains "forward-looking statements" made within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "continue," "should," "could," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-lookingforward- looking statements. In addition, statements covering our future sales or financial performance and our plans, performance and other objectives, expectations or intentions are forward-looking statements, such as statements regarding our liquidity, debt, planned capital expenditures, and adequacy of capital resources and reserves. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

        We undertake no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to reflect any future events or circumstances. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Factors in addition to those listed above that could cause or contribute to such differences are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of the Annual Report on Form 10-K.


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Item 1.    Business

Overview

        Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (the "Company," "we," "us," "our") is the North American leader in the design, manufacture and sale of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks, which consists of snowplows, sand and salt spreaders, and related parts and accessories. We sell our products under the WESTERN®, FISHER® and BLIZZARD® brands which are among the most established and recognized in the industry. We believe that in 2011 our shareOn May 6, 2013, the Company acquired substantially all of the light truck snowassets of TrynEx. The acquired assets include TrynEx's full line of product offerings, including its SnowEx, TurfEx and ice control equipment market was greater than 50%.SweepEx brands, and access to TrynEx's network of authorized dealers. We operate as a single segment.


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        We offer the broadest and most complete product line of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders for light trucks in the U.S. and Canadian markets. We also provide a full range of related parts and accessories, which generates an ancillary revenue stream throughout the lifecycle of our snow and ice control equipment. For the yearyears ended December 31, 2013, December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 85%, 88% and 85% of our net sales were generated from sales of snow and ice control equipment, respectively and 15%, 12% and 15% of our net sales were generated from sales of parts and accessories.accessories, respectively.

        We sell our products through a distributor network primarily to professional snowplowers who are contracted to remove snow and ice from commercial, municipal and residential areas. Over the last 50 years, we have engendered exceptional customer loyalty for our products because of our ability to satisfy the stringent demands of our customers for a high degree of quality, reliability and service. As a result, we believe our installed base is the largest in the industry with over 500,000 snowplows and sand and salt spreaders in service. Because sales of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders are primarily driven by the need of our core end-user base to replace worn existing equipment, we believe our substantial installed base provides us with a high degree of predictable sales over any extended period of time.

        We believe we have the industry's most extensive North American distributordistribution network worldwide, which primarily consists of over 7202,100 points of sale. Direct points of shipment are predominantly through North American truck equipment and lawn care equipment distributors. Most of our distributors who purchase directly from us and are located throughout the snow belt regions in North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada). We have longstanding relationships with many of our distributors, with an average tenure of approximately 15 years.distributors. We continually seek to grow and optimize our network by opportunistically adding high-quality, well-capitalized distributors in select geographic areas and by cross-selling our industry-leading brands within our distribution network. Beginning in 2005, we began to extend our reach to international markets, establishing distribution relationships in Northern Europe and Asia, where we believe meaningful growth opportunities exist.

        We believe we are the industry's most operationally efficient manufacturer due to our vertical integration, highly variable cost structure and intense focus on lean manufacturing. We continually seek to use lean principles to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of our manufacturing operations. We currently manufacture our products in twothree facilities that we own in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockland, Maine and Rockland, Maine.Madison Heights, Michigan. Furthermore, our manufacturing efficiency allows us to deliver desired products quickly to our customers during times of sudden and unpredictable snowfall events when our customers need our products immediately.


        On May 10, 2010, we completed our initial public offering ("IPO"). In connection with our IPO, we listed our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the stock symbol "PLOW." On May 20, 2011 and December 6, 2011, certainTable of our stockholders, including affiliates of Aurora Capital Group and Ares Management, completed registered secondary offerings of 5,750,000 and 1,966,479 shares, respectively, of our common stock. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling stockholders in the offerings.Contents

Our Industry

        The light truck snow and ice control equipment industry in North America consists predominantly of domestic participants that manufacture their products in North America. The annual demand for snow and ice control equipment is driven primarily by the replacement cycle of the existing installed base, which is predominantly a function of the average life of a snowplow or spreader and is driven by usage and maintenance practices of the end-user. We believe actively-used snowplows are typically replaced, on average, every 79 to 812 years.

        The primary factor influencing the replacement cycle for snow and ice control equipment is the level, timing and location of snowfall. Sales of snow and ice control equipment in any given year and region are most heavily influenced by local snowfall levels in the prior snow season. Heavy snowfall


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during a given winter causes equipment usage to increase, resulting in greater wear and tear and shortened life cycles, thereby creating a need for replacement equipment and additional parts and accessories.

        While snowfall levels vary within a given year and from year-to-year, snowfall, and the corresponding replacement cycle of snow and ice control equipment, is relatively consistent over multi-year periods. The following chart depicts aggregate annual and eight-yearten-year (based on the typical life of our snowplows) rolling average of the aggregate snowfall levels in 66 cities in 26 snow belt states across the Northeast, East, Midwest and Western United States where we monitor snowfall levels from 1980 to 2011.2013. As the chart indicates, since 19821984 aggregate snowfall levels in any given rolling eight-yearten-year period have been fairly consistent, ranging from 2,742 to 3,4193,318 inches.


Snowfall in Snowbelt States (inches)
(for October 1 through March 31)


Note:
The 8-year10-year rolling average snowfall is not presented prior to 19821984 for purposes of the calculation due to lack of snowfall data prior to 1975. Snowfall data in this chart is not adjusted for snowfall outside of the 66 cities in the 26 states reflected.



Source:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service.

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        The demand for snow and ice control equipment can also be influenced by general economic conditions in the United States, as well as local economic conditions in the snow-belt regions in North America. In stronger economic conditions, our end-users may choose to replace or upgrade existing equipment before its useful life has ended, while in weak economic conditions, our end-users may seek to extend the useful life of equipment, thereby increasing the sales of parts and accessories. However, since snow and ice control management is a non-discretionary service necessary to ensure public safety and continued personal and commercial mobility in populated areas that receive snowfall, end-users cannot extend the useful life of snow and ice control equipment indefinitely and must replace equipment that has become too worn, unsafe or unreliable, regardless of economic conditions. While our parts and accessories yield slightly higher gross margins than our snow and ice control equipment, they yield significantly lower revenue than equipment sales, which adversely affects our results of operations. However, since snow and ice control management is a non-discretionary service necessary to ensure public safety and continued personal and commercial mobility in populated areas that receive snowfall, end-users cannot extend the useful life of snow and ice control equipment indefinitely and


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must replace equipment that has become too worn, unsafe or unreliable, regardless of economic conditions.

        Sales of parts and accessories for 2010 and 2011, respectively,2013 were approximately 21.9% and 51.2%31% higher than average annual parts and accessories sales over the preceding ten years, which management believes is largely a resultyears. The higher than average parts and accessories sales was partially due to acquisition of the deferralTrynEx business. TrynEx parts and accessories sales contributed approximately 9% of new equipment purchases dueincreased parts and accessory sales. The remaining 22% increase can be attributed to the recent economic downturn. Although salestiming of the snowfall for the six-month snow and ice control units increased in 2011season ended March 31, 2013. From October 2012 through January 2013, there was very little snowfall across our key markets, while the snow season as compared to 2010, management believes that absenta whole was slightly above historical average snowfall levels. Consequently, the recent economic downturn, equipment sales in 2010 and 2011 would have been considerably higher due to the high levelsmajority of snowfall during these years, ascame in February and March of 2013. When snowfall occurs late in the snow season, end users will typically choose to repair rather than replace existing equipment unit sales in 2010thus driving up parts and 2011 remained below the ten-year average, while snowfall levels for snow seasons ending March 31, 2010 and 2011 were considerably above the ten-year average. Management believes this deferral of new equipment purchases could result in an elevated multi-year replacement cycle as the economy recovers.accessory sales.

        Long-term growth in the overall snow and ice control equipment market also results from geographic expansion of developed areas in the snow belt regions of North America, as well as consumer demand for technological enhancements in snow and ice control equipment and related parts and accessories that improves efficiency and reliability. Continued construction in the snow belt regions in North America increases the aggregate area requiring snow and ice removal, thereby growing the market for snow and ice control equipment. In addition, the development and sale of more reliable, more efficient and more sophisticated products have contributed to an approximate 2% to 4% average unit price increase in each of the past five years.

Our Competitive Strengths

        We compete solely with other North American manufacturers who do not benefit from our extensive distributor network, manufacturing efficiencies and depth and breadth of products. As the market leader in snow and ice control equipment for light trucks, we enjoy a set of competitive advantages versus smaller equipment providers, which allows us to generate robust cash flows in all snowfall environments and to support continued investment in our products, distribution capabilities and brand regardless of annual volume fluctuations. We believe these advantages are rooted in the following competitive strengths and reinforces our industry leadership over time.

        Exceptional Customer Loyalty and Brand Equity.    Our brands enjoy exceptional customer loyalty and brand equity in the snow and ice control equipment industry with both end-users and distributors, which have been developed through over 50 years of superior innovation, productivity, reliability and support, consistently delivered season after season. We believe past brand experience, rather than price, is the key factor impacting snowplow purchasing decisions.

        Broadest and Most Innovative Product Offering.    We provide the industry's broadest product offering with a full range of snowplows, sand and salt spreaders and related parts and accessories. We believe we maintain the industry's largest and most advanced in-house new product development program, historically introducing several new and redesigned products each year. Our broad product offering and


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commitment to new product development is essential to maintaining and growing our leading market share position as well as continuing to increase the profitability of our business.

        Extensive North American Distributor Network.    With over 720 direct distributors,2,100 points of sale, we benefit from having the most extensive North American direct distributor network in the industry, providing a significant competitive advantage over our peers. Our distributors function not only as sales and support agents (providing access to parts and service), but also as industry partners providing real-time end-user information, such as retail inventory levels, changing consumer preferences or desired functionality enhancements, which we use as the basis for our product development efforts.


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        Leader in Operational Efficiency.    We believe we are a leader in operational efficiency in our industry, resulting from our application of lean manufacturing principles and a highly variable cost structure. By utilizing lean principles, we are able to adjust production levels easily to meet fluctuating demand, while controlling costs in slower periods. This operational efficiency is supplemented by our highly variable cost structure, driven in part by our access to a sizable temporary workforce (comprising approximately 10-15% of our total workforce)workforce during average snowfall years), which we can quickly adjust, as needed. These manufacturing efficiencies enable us to respond rapidly to urgent customer demand during times of sudden and unpredictable snowfalls, allowing us to provide exceptional service to our existing customer base and capture new customers from competitors that we believe cannot service their customers' needs with the same speed and reliability.

        Strong Cash Flow Generation.    We are able to generate significant cash flow as a result of relatively consistent high profitability, low capital spending requirements and predictable timing of our working capital requirements. Our cash flow results will also benefit substantially from approximately $18$19.5 million of annual tax-deductible intangible and goodwill expense over the next eightfive years, which has the impact of reducing our corporate taxes owed by approximately $6.7$7.4 million on an annual basis during this period, in the event we have sufficient taxable income to utilize such benefit. Our significant cash flow has allowed us to reinvest in our business, pay down long term debt, and pay substantial dividends on a pro rata basis to our stockholders.

        Experienced Management Team.    We believe our business benefits from an exceptional management team that is responsible for establishing our leadership in the snow and ice control equipment industry for light trucks. Our senior management team, consisting of four officers, has an average of approximately 2023 years of weather-related industry experience and an average of over eleventhirteen years with our company. James Janik, our President and Chief Executive Officer, has been with us for over 1921 years and in his current role since 2000, and through his strategic vision, we have been able to expand our distributor network and grow our market leading position.

Our Business Strategy

        Our business strategy is to capitalize on our competitive strengths to maximize cash flow to pay dividends, reduce indebtedness and reinvest in our business to create stockholder value. The building blocks of our strategy are:

        Continuous Product Innovation.    We believe new product innovation is critical to maintaining and growing our market-leading position in the snow and ice control equipment industry. We will continue to focus on developing innovative solutions to increase productivity, ease of use, reliability, durability and serviceability of our products and on incorporating lean manufacturing concepts into our product development process, which has allowed us to reduce the overall cost of development and, more importantly, to reduce our time-to-market by nearly one-half.

        Distributor Network Optimization.    We will continually seek opportunities to continue to expand our extensive distribution network by adding high-quality, well-capitalized distributors in select geographic


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areas and by cross-selling our industry-leading brands within our distribution network to ensure we maximize our ability to generate revenue while protecting our industry leading reputation, customer loyalty and brands. We will also focus on optimizing this network by providing in-depth training, valuable distributor support and attractive promotional and incentive opportunities. As a result of these efforts, we believe a majority of our distributors choose to sell our products exclusively. We believe this sizable high quality network is unique in the industry, providing us with valuable insight into purchasing trends and customer preferences, and would be very difficult to replicate.

        Aggressive Asset Management and Profit Focus.    We will continue to aggressively manage our assets in order to maximize our cash flow generation despite seasonal and annual variability in snowfall levels.


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We believe our ability is unique in our industry and enables us to achieve attractive margins in all snowfall environments. Key elements of our asset management and profit focus strategies include:

        Additionally, although modest, our capital expenditure requirements and operating expenses can be temporarily reduced in response to anticipated or actual lower sales in a particular year to maximize cash flow.

        Flexible, Lean Enterprise Platform.    We will continue to utilize lean principles to maximize the flexibility, efficiency and productivity of our manufacturing operations while reducing the associated costs, enabling us to increase distributor and end-user satisfaction. For example, in an environment where shorter lead times and near-perfect order fulfillment are important to our distributors, we believe our lean processes have helped us to improve our shipping performance and build a reputation for providing industry leading shipping performance.

Our Growth Opportunities

        Opportunistically Seek New Products and New Markets.    On May 6, 2013, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Trynex, including its full line of product offerings and access to its network of authorized dealers. We expect to continue to consider external growth opportunities within the snow and ice control industry and other equipment or component markets. We plan to continue to evaluate other acquisition opportunities within our industry that can help us expand our distribution reach, enhance our technology and as a consequence improve the breadth and depth of our product lines. We also consider diversification opportunities in adjacent markets that complement our business model and could offer us the ability to leverage our core competencies to create stockholder value.

Increase Our Industry Leading Market Share.    We plan to leverage our industry leading position, distribution network and new product innovation capabilities to capture market share in the North American snow and ice control equipment market, focusing our primary efforts on increasing penetration in those North American markets where we believe our overall market share is less than 50%. We also plan to continue growing our presence in the snow and ice control equipment market outside of North America, particularly in Asia and Europe, which we believe could provide significant growth opportunities in the future.


        Opportunistically Seek New Products and New Markets.    We will consider external growth opportunities within the snow and ice control industry and other equipment or component markets. We plan to continue to evaluate acquisition opportunities within our industry that can help us expand our distribution reach, enhance our technology and as a consequence improve the breadth and depthTable of our product lines. We also consider diversification opportunities in adjacent markets that complement our business model and could offer us the ability to leverage our core competencies to create stockholder value.Contents

Employees

        As of December 31, 2011,2013, we employed approximately 525520 employees on a full-time basis. None of our employees are represented by a union and we are not party to any collective bargaining agreements.


Financing program

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Sales Programs

        We offer a number of sales programs to our distributors to finance the purchase of our products. One such program is our pre-season sales program, which not only benefits our distributors, but also benefits us by helping us to manage the seasonality of our business. During the second and third quarters, we offer our distributors the option of either (1) a purchase price discount, with the percentage discount being highest the earlier in the season that the distributor purchases and pays for our products, or (2) deferring payment until the fourth quarter. Under either option product shipment occurs during the pre-season sales period. On average, approximately 60% to 65% of our annual shipments occur during the pre-season sales period. Distributors who purchase our products during the first or fourth quarter, on the other hand, must deliver payment to us within 30 days of shipment. Our backlog as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 was $0.8 million and $0.7 million, respectively. We expect that all backlog as of December 31, 2011 will be shipped in 2012.

        We are also party to an accounts receivable securitization facility pursuant toa financing program in which certain distributors may elect to finance their purchases from us through a third party financing company. Distributors who purchase our products through this financing arrangement are offeredWe provide the same pre-season sales incentives as distributors who purchase directly from us, the terms of which are described above. In the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, 1.3%, 1.0% and 1.9%, respectively of our net sales were financed by our distributors through a third party financing company. Pursuant tocompany recourse against us regarding the terms of this facility, we maintain the risk of collectability of the receivable under this facility. Ifthe program due to the fact that if the third party financing company is unable to collect from the distributor the amounts due in respect of the product financing,financed, we arewould be obligated to repurchase any remaining inventory related to the outstanding receivable balance plusproduct financed and reimburse any legal fees incurred by the financing company. Historically, repurchasesDuring the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, distributors financed purchases of inventory$2.9 million, $1.6 million and $2.8 million through this financing program, respectively. At both December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, there were $0.0 million, of uncollectible amountsoutstanding receivables related to receivables soldsales financed under the financing program. The amount owed by our distributors to the third party financing company under this program have been less than $100 thousand on averageat December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $1.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively. We were required to repurchase repossessed inventory of $0.0 million, $0.2 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 20102013, December 31, 2012 and 2011.December 31, 2011, respectively.

        In 2011, we also unveiledthe past, minimal losses have been incurred under this agreement. However, an end-user financing program. We have partnered with a third party financing company which has agreedadverse change in distributor retail sales could cause this situation to extend creditchange and thereby require us to our-end users for purchases of our products, subjectrepurchase repossessed units. Any repossessed units are inspected to credit approval. Once approval is obtained, our end-users can then place an order directly for our products with our distributors. This program is designed to facilitate our end-users' access to credit.ensure they are current, unused product and are restocked and resold.

Intellectual Property

        We maintain patents relating to snowplow mounts, assemblies, hydraulics, electronics and lighting systems, brooms as well as sand, salt and saltfertilizer spreader assemblies and our patent applications relate to each of the foregoing except for hydraulics and sand and salt spreader assemblies. When granted, each patent has ahydraulics. Patents are valid for the longer period of 17 year duration.years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. The duration of the patents we currently possess range between one yearthree years and 1713 years of remaining life. Our patent applications date from 2001 to 2011.1999 through 2013.

        We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. We hold approximately 2029 U.S. registered trademarks (including the trademarks WESTERN®, FISHER® BLIZZARD®, SNOWEX®, TURFEX® and BLIZZARD®SWEEPEX®), 510 Canadian registered trademarks, 255 European trademarks, 43 U.S. issued patents, 1511 Canadian patents and two Chinese patents.trademarks.

Raw Materials

        During 2013, we experienced slightly favorable commodity costs compared to the average prices paid for commodities in 2012. Historically, we have mitigated, and we currently expect to continue to mitigate, commodity cost increases in part by engaging in proactive vendor negotiations, reviewing alternative sourcing options, substituting materials, engaging in internal cost reduction efforts, and increasing prices on some of our products, all as appropriate.

        Most of the components of our products are also affected by commodity cost pressures and are commercially available from a number of sources. In 2013, we experienced no significant work stoppages because of shortages of raw materials or commodities. The highest raw material and component costs are generally for steel, which we purchase from several suppliers.


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Other Information

        We were formed as a Delaware corporation in 2004. We maintain a website with the address www.douglasdynamics.com. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this report. We make available free of charge (other than an investor's own Internet access charges) through our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as


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soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

Item 1A.    Risk Factors

        The Company operates in an environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. The risk described below highlight some of the factors that have affected, and in the future could affect our operations.

Our results of operations depend primarily on the level, timing and location of snowfall. As a result, a decline in snowfall levels in multiple regions for an extended time could cause our results of operations to decline and adversely affect our ability to pay dividends.

        As a manufacturer of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks, and related parts and accessories, our sales depend primarily on the level, timing and location of snowfall in the regions in which we offer our products. A low level or lack of snowfall in any given year in any of the snow-belt regions in North America (primarily the Midwest, East and Northeast regions of the United States as well as all provinces of Canada) will likely cause sales of our products to decline in such year as well as the subsequent year, which in turn may adversely affect our results of operations and ability to pay dividends. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonality and Year-to-Year Variability." A sustained period of reduced snowfall events in one or more of the geographic regions in which we offer our products could cause our results of operations to decline and adversely affect our ability to pay dividends.

The year-to-year variability of our business can cause our results of operations and financial condition to be materially different from year-to-year; whereas the seasonality of our business can cause our results of operations and financial condition to be materially different from quarter-to-quarter.

        Because our business depends on the level, timing and location of snowfall, our results of operations vary from year-to-year. Additionally, because the annual snow season typically only runs from October 1 through March 31, our distributors typically purchase our products during the second and third quarters. As a result, we operate in a seasonal business. We not only experience seasonality in our sales, but also experience seasonality in our working capital needs. Consequently, our results of operations and financial condition can vary from year-to-year, as well as from quarter-to-quarter, which could affect our ability to pay dividends. If we are unable to effectively manage the seasonality and year-to-year variability of our business, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay dividends may suffer.

If economic conditions in the United States continue to remain weak or deteriorate further, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay dividends may be adversely affected.

        Historically, demand for snow and ice control equipment for light trucks has been influenced by general economic conditions in the United States, as well as local economic conditions in the snow-belt regions in North America. During the last few years, economic conditions throughout the United States


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have been extremely weak, although they began to improve inweak. Although conditions improved from 2011 through 2013, they may not become strong in the foreseeable future. Weakened economic conditions may cause our end-users to delay purchases of replacement snow and ice control equipment and instead repair their existing equipment, leading to a decrease in our sales of new equipment. Weakened economic conditions may also cause our end-users to delay their purchases of new light trucks. Because our end-users tend to purchase new snow and ice control equipment concurrent with their purchase of new light trucks, their delay in purchasing new light trucks can also result in the deferral of their purchases of new snow and ice control equipment.


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The deferral of new equipment purchases during periods of weak economic conditions may negatively affect our results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay dividends.

        Weakened economic conditions may also cause our end-users to consider price more carefully in selecting new snow and ice control equipment. Historically, considerations of quality and service have outweighed considerations of price, but in a weak economy, price may become a more important factor. Any refocus away from quality in favor of cheaper equipment could cause end-users to shift away from our products to less expensive competitor products, or to shift away from our more profitable products to our less profitable products, which in turn would adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to pay dividends.

Our failure to maintain good relationships with our distributors, the loss or consolidation of our distributor base or the actions or inactions of our distributors could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and our ability to pay dividends.

        We depend on a network of truck equipment distributors to sell, install and service our products. Nearly all of these sales and service relationships are at will, so almost all of our distributors could discontinue the sale and service of our products at any time, and those distributors that primarily sell our products may choose to sell competing products at any time. Further, difficult economic or other circumstances could cause any of our distributors to discontinue their businesses. Moreover, if our distributor base were to consolidate or if any of our distributors were to discontinue their business, competition for the business of fewer distributors would intensify. If we do not maintain good relationships with our distributors, or if we do not provide product offerings and pricing that meet the needs of our distributors, we could lose a substantial amount of our distributor base. A loss of a substantial portion of our distributor base could cause our sales to decline significantly, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and ability to pay dividends.

        In addition, our distributors may not provide timely or adequate service to our end-users. If this occurs, our brand identity and reputation may be damaged, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and ability to pay dividends.

Lack of available financing options for our end-users or distributors may adversely affect our sales volumes.

        Our end-user base is highly concentrated among professional snowplowers, who comprise over 50% of our end-users, many of whom are individual landscapers who remove snow during the winter and landscape during the rest of the year, rather than large, well-capitalized corporations. These end-users often depend upon credit to purchase our products. If credit is unavailable on favorable terms or at all, our end-users may not be able to purchase our products from our distributors, which would in turn reduce sales and adversely affect our results of operations and ability to pay dividends.

        In addition, because our distributors, like our end-users, rely on credit to purchase our products, if our distributors are not able to obtain credit, or access credit on favorable terms, we may experience delays in payment or nonpayment for delivered products. Further, if our distributors are unable to obtain credit or access credit on favorable terms, they could experience financial difficulties or bankruptcy and cease purchases of our products altogether. Thus, if financing is unavailable on


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favorable terms or at all, our results of operations and ability to pay dividends would be adversely affected.

The price of steel, a commodity necessary to manufacture our products, is highly variable. If the price of steel increases, our gross margins could decline.

        Steel is a significant raw material used to manufacture our products. During 2011, 20102013, 2012 and 2009,2011, our steel purchases were approximately 15%13%, 13%18% and 18%15% of our revenue, respectively. The steel industry is highly cyclical in nature, and steel prices have been volatile in recent years and may remain


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volatile in the future. Steel prices are influenced by numerous factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions domestically and internationally, the availability of raw materials, competition, labor costs, freight and transportation costs, production costs, import duties and other trade restrictions. Steel prices are volatile and may increase as a result of increased demand from the automobile and consumer durable sectors. If the price of steel increases, our variable costs may increase. We may not be able to mitigate these increased costs through the implementation of permanent price increases or temporary invoice surcharges, especially if economic conditions remain weak and our distributors and end-users become more price sensitive. If we are unable to successfully mitigate such cost increases in the future, our gross margins could decline.

If petroleum prices increase, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

        Petroleum prices have fluctuated significantly in recent years. Prices and availability of petroleum products are subject to political, economic and market factors that are outside of our control. Political events in petroleum-producing regions as well as hurricanes and other weather-related events may cause the price of fuel to increase. If the price of fuel increases, the demand for our products may decline, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on outside suppliers who may be unable to meet our volume and quality requirements, and we may be unable to obtain alternative sources.

        We purchase certain components essential to our snowplows and sand and salt spreaders from outside suppliers, including off-shore sources. Most of our key supply arrangements can be discontinued at any time. A supplier may encounter delays in the production and delivery of such products and components or may supply us with products and components that do not meet our quality, quantity or cost requirements. Additionally, a supplier may be forced to discontinue operations. Any discontinuation or interruption in the availability of quality products and components from one or more of our suppliers may result in increased production costs, delays in the delivery of our products and lost end-user sales, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

        We have continued to increase the number of our off-shore suppliers. Our increased reliance on off-shore sourcing may cause our business to be more susceptible to the impact of natural disasters, war and other factors that may disrupt the transportation systems or shipping lines used by our suppliers, a weakening of the dollar over an extended period of time and other uncontrollable factors such as changes in foreign regulation or economic conditions. In addition, reliance on off-shore suppliers may make it more difficult for us to respond to sudden changes in demand because of the longer lead time to obtain components from off-shore sources. We may be unable to mitigate this risk by stocking sufficient materials to satisfy any sudden or prolonged surges in demand for our products. If we cannot satisfy demand for our products in a timely manner, our sales could suffer as distributors can cancel purchase orders without penalty until shipment.


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We do not sell our products under long-term purchase contracts, and sales of our products are significantly impacted by factors outside of our control; therefore, our ability to estimate demand is limited.

        We do not enter into long-term purchase contracts with our distributors and the purchase orders we receive may be cancelled without penalty until shipment. Therefore, our ability to accurately predict future demand for our products is limited. Nonetheless, we attempt to estimate demand for our products for purposes of planning our annual production levels and our long-term product development and new product introductions. We base our estimates of demand on our own market assessment, snowfall figures, quarterly field inventory surveys and regular communications with our distributors. Because wide fluctuations in the level, timing and location of snowfall, economic conditions and other factors may occur, each of which is out of our control, our estimates of demand may not be accurate. Underestimating demand could result in procuring an insufficient amount of materials necessary for the


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production of our products, which may result in increased production costs, delays in product delivery, missed sale opportunities and a decrease in customer satisfaction. Overestimating demand could result in the procurement of excessive supplies, which could result in increased inventory and associated carrying costs.

If we are unable to enforce, maintain or continue to build our intellectual property portfolio, or if others invalidate our intellectual property rights, our competitive position may be harmed.

        Our patents relate to snowplow mounts, assemblies, hydraulics, electronics and lighting systems, brooms as well as sand, salt and saltfertilizer spreader assemblies and our patent applications relate to each of the foregoing except for hydraulics and sand and salt spreader assemblies. When granted, each patent has ahydraulics. Patents are valid for the longer period of 17 year duration.years from issue date or 20 years from filing date. The duration of the patents we currently possess range between one yearthree years and 1713 years of remaining life. Our patent applications date from 20011999 through 2011.2013.

        We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets and trademarks to protect certain of the proprietary aspects of our business and technology. We hold approximately 2029 U.S. registered trademarks (including the trademarks WESTERN®, FISHER®, BLIZZARD® SNOWEX®, TURFEX® and BLIZZARD®SWEEPEX®), 510 Canadian registered trademarks, 255 European trademarks, 43 U.S. issued patents, 1511 Canadian patents and two Chinese patents.trademarks. Although we work diligently to protect our intellectual property rights, monitoring the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult, and the steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use by others. In addition, in the event a third party challenges the validity of our intellectual property rights, a court may determine that our intellectual property rights may not be valid or enforceable. An adverse determination with respect to our intellectual property rights may harm our business prospects and reputation. Third parties may design around our patents or may independently develop technology similar to our trade secrets. The failure to adequately build, maintain and enforce our intellectual property portfolio could impair the strength of our technology and our brands, and harm our competitive position. Although we have no reason to believe that our intellectual property rights are vulnerable, previously undiscovered intellectual property could be used to invalidate our rights.

If we are unable to develop new products or improve upon our existing products on a timely basis, it could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

        We believe that our future success depends, in part, on our ability to develop on a timely basis new technologically advanced products or improve upon our existing products in innovative ways that meet or exceed our competitors' product offerings. Continuous product innovation ensures that our consumers have access to the latest products and features when they consider buying snow and ice control equipment. Maintaining our market position will require us to continue to invest in research and development and sales and marketing. Product development requires significant financial, technological and other resources. We may be unsuccessful in making the technological advances necessary to develop new products or improve our existing products to maintain our market position.


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Industry standards, end-user expectations or other products may emerge that could render one or more of our products less desirable or obsolete. If any of these events occur, it could cause decreases in sales, a failure to realize premium pricing and an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We face competition from other companies in our industry, and if we are unable to compete effectively with these companies, it could have an adverse effect on our sales and profitability. Price competition among our distributors could negatively affect our market share.

        We primarily compete with regional manufacturers of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks. While we are the most geographically diverse company in our industry, we may face increasing competition in the markets in which we operate. In saturated markets, price competition may lead to a decrease in our market share or a compression of our margins, both of which would affect our


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profitability. Moreover, current or future competitors may grow their market share and develop superior service and may have or may develop greater financial resources, lower costs, superior technology or more favorable operating conditions than we maintain. As a result, competitive pressures we face may cause price reductions for our products, which would affect our profitability or result in decreased sales and operating income. Additionally, saturation of the markets in which we compete or channel conflicts among our brands and shifts in consumer preferences may increase these competitive pressures or may result in increased competition among our distributors and affect our sales and profitability. In addition, price competition among the distributors that sell our products could lead to significant margin erosion among our distributors, which could in turn result in compressed margins or loss of market share for us. Management believes that, after ourselves, the next largest competitors in the market for snow and ice control equipment for light trucks are Northern Star Industries, Inc. (the manufacturer of the Boss brand of snow and ice control equipment) and Meyer Products LLC, respectively, and accordingly represent our primary competitors for market share.

We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental and safety regulations that can adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business.

        Our operations are subject to certain federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation, disposal and discharge of hazardous and non-hazardous substances and materials into the environment, the manufacturing of motor vehicle accessories and employee health and safety. We cannot be certain that existing and future laws and regulations and their interpretations will not harm our business or financial condition. We currently make and may be required to make large and unanticipated capital expenditures to comply with environmental and other regulations, such as:

        While we monitor our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and attempt to budget for anticipated costs associated with compliance, we cannot predict the future cost of such compliance. In 2011,2013, the amount expended for such compliance was insignificant, but we could incur material expenses in the future in the event of future legislation changes or unforeseen events, such as a workplace accident or environmental discharge, or if we otherwise discover we are in non-compliance with an applicable regulation. In addition, under these laws and regulations, we could be liable for:


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        Our operations could be significantly delayed or curtailed and our costs of operations could significantly increase as a result of regulatory requirements, restrictions or claims. We are unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with these requirements or their effect on our operations.


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Financial market conditions have had a negative impact on the return on plan assets for our pension plans, which may require additional funding and negatively impact our cash flows.

        Our pension expense and required contributions to our pension plan are directly affected by the value of plan assets, the projected rate of return on plan assets, the actual rate of return on plan assets and the actuarial assumptions we use to measure the defined benefit pension plan obligations. Due toDespite modest recent market recoveries, the recent significantfunding status of our pension plans, remain impacted by the financial market downturn over the last several years, which had severely impacted the funded status of our pension plans has declined.plans. As of December 31, 2011,2013, our pension plans were underfunded by approximately $14.2$7.1 million. In 2011,2013, contributions to our defined benefit pension plans were approximately $1.9$0.8 million. If plan assets continue to perform below expectations, future pension expense and funding obligations will increase, which would have a negative impact on our cash flows. Moreover, under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, it is possible that continued losses of asset values may necessitate accelerated funding of our pension plans in the future to meet minimum federal government requirements.

The statements regarding our industry, market positions and market share in this filing are based on our management's estimates and assumptions. While we believe such statements are reasonable, such statements have not been independently verified.

        Information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K concerning the snow and ice control equipment industry for light trucks, our general expectations concerning this industry and our market positions and other market share data regarding the industry are based on estimates our management prepared using end-user surveys, anecdotal data from our distributors and distributors that carry our competitors' products, our results of operations and management's past experience, and on assumptions made, based on our management's knowledge of this industry, all of which we believe to be reasonable. These estimates and assumptions are inherently subject to uncertainties, especially given the year-to-year variability of snowfall and the difficulty of obtaining precise information about our competitors, and may prove to be inaccurate. In addition, we have not independently verified the information from any third-party source and thus cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness, although management also believes such information to be reasonable. Our actual operating results may vary significantly if our estimates and outlook concerning the industry, snowfall patterns, our market positions or our market shares turn out to be incorrect.

We are subject to product liability claims, product quality issues, and other litigation from time to time that could adversely affect our operating results or financial condition.

        The manufacture, sale and usage of our products expose us to a risk of product liability claims. If our products are defective or used incorrectly by our end-users, injury may result, giving rise to product liability claims against us. If a product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of our insurance coverage, and it is ultimately determined that we are liable, our business and financial condition could suffer. Any losses that we may suffer from any liability claims, and the effect that any product liability litigation may have upon the reputation and marketability of our products, may divert management's attention from other matters and may have a


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negative impact on our business and operating results. Additionally, we could experience a material design or manufacturing failure in our products, a quality system failure or other safety issues, or heightened regulatory scrutiny that could warrant a recall of some of our products. A recall of some of our products could also result in increased product liability claims. Any of these issues could also result in loss of market share, reduced sales, and higher warranty expense.

We are heavily dependent on our Chief Executive Officer and management team.

        Our continued success depends on the retention, recruitment and continued contributions of key management, finance, sale and marketing personnel, some of whom could be difficult to replace. Our success is largely dependent upon our senior management team, led by our Chief Executive Officer and


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other key managers. The loss of any one or more of such persons could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our operations, including our ability to perform our obligations and pay dividends.

        As of December 31, 2011,2013, we had approximately $123$110 million of senior secured indebtedness, $13.0 million in outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility and $70$48 million of remaining borrowing availability under ourthe revolving credit facility. We may also be able to incur substantial indebtedness in the future, including senior indebtedness, which may or may not be secured.

        Our indebtedness could have important consequences, including the following:

        If any of these consequences occur, our financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay dividends could be adversely affected. This, in turn, could negatively affect the market price of our common stock, and we may need to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our debt, selling assets, reducing or delaying capital investments or seeking to raise additional capital. We cannot assure you that any refinancing would be possible, that any assets could be sold, or, if sold, of the timing of the sales and the amount of proceeds that may be realized from those sales, or that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms, if at all.


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Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly and could impose adverse consequences.

        Certain of our borrowings, including our term loan and any revolving borrowings under our senior credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. In addition, the interest rate on any revolving borrowings is subject to an increase in the interest rate if the average daily availability under our revolving credit facility falls below a certain threshold. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows would correspondingly decrease.


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Our senior credit facilities impose restrictions on us, which may also prevent us from capitalizing on business opportunities and taking certain corporate actions. One of these facilities also includes minimum availability requirements, which if unsatisfied, could result in liquidity events that may jeopardize our business.

        Our senior credit facilities contain, and future debt instruments to which we may become subject may contain, covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that could otherwise benefit our company. Under the credit facilities as modified in April 2011 and amended again in November 2012, these covenants include restrictions on our ability to:

        Our amended revolving credit facility also includes limitations on capital expenditures and requires that if we fail to maintain the greater of $8,750,000 and 12.5% of the revolving commitments in borrowing availability, we must comply with a fixed charge coverage ratio test. In addition, if a liquidity event occurs because our borrowing availability is less than the greater of $10,500,000 and 15% of the aggregate revolving commitments (or an event of default occurs and is continuing), subject to certain limited cure rights, all proceeds of our accounts receivable and other collateral will be applied to


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reduce obligations under our amended revolving credit facility, jeopardizing our ability to meet other obligations. Our ability to comply with the covenants contained in our senior credit facilities or in the agreements governing our future indebtedness, and our ability to avoid liquidity events, may be affected by events, or our future performance, which are subject to factors beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial, industry and weather conditions, such as the level, timing and location of snowfall and general economic conditions in the snowbelt regions of North America. A failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default under our senior credit facilities, which could prevent us from paying dividends, borrowing additional amounts and using proceeds of our inventory and accounts receivable, and also permit the lenders to accelerate the payment of such debt. If any of our debt is accelerated or if a liquidity event (or event of default) occurs that results in collateral proceeds being applied to reduce such debt, we may not have sufficient funds available to repay such


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debt and our other obligations, in which case, our business could be halted and such lenders could proceed against any collateral securing that debt. Further, if the lenders accelerate the payment of the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full the indebtedness under our senior credit facilities and our other indebtedness, if any. We cannot assure you that these covenants will not adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs to pursue available business opportunities or react to changes in our business and the industry in which we operate.

Provisions of Delaware law and our charter documents could delay or prevent an acquisition of us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to you.

        Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. These provisions include:

        We are also subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits us from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder, as defined in that section, for a period of three years following the date on which that stockholder became an interested stockholder. This provision, together with the provisions discussed above, could also make it more difficult for you and our other stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions, and could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.


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Our dividend policy may limit our ability to pursue growth opportunities.

        If we continue to pay dividends at the level contemplated by our dividend policy, as in effect on the date of this filing, or if we increase the level of our dividend payments in the future, we may not retain a sufficient amount of cash to finance growth opportunities, meet any large unanticipated liquidity requirements or fund our operations in the event of a significant business downturn. In addition, because a significant portion of cash available will be distributed to holders of our common stock under our dividend policy, our ability to pursue any material expansion of our business, including through acquisitions, increased capital spending or other increases of our expenditures, will depend more than it otherwise would on our ability to obtain third party financing. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available to us at all, or at an acceptable cost. If we are unable to take timely


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advantage of growth opportunities, our future financial condition and competitive position may be harmed, which in turn may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

        In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, as well as personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in our data centers and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to malicious attacks or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions, including as a result of rollouts of new systems. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings and/or regulatory penalties, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and/or cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, which could adversely affect our business.

We may be unable to identify, complete or benefit from strategic transactions.

        Our long-term growth strategy includes building value for our company through a variety of methods. These methods may include acquisition of, investment in, or joint ventures involving, complementary businesses. We cannot assure that we will be able to identify suitable parties for these transactions. If we are unable to identify suitable parties for strategic transactions we may not be able to capitalize on market opportunities with existing and new customers, which could inhibit our ability to gain market share. Even if we identify suitable parties to participate in these transactions, we cannot assure that we will be able to make them on commercially acceptable terms, if at all.

        In May 2013, we acquired substantially all of the assets of TrynEx. We may not be able to achieve the projected financial performance with the acquired assets, and may incur unexpected costs or liabilities related to the acquisition of the TrynEx assets. In addition, if in the future we acquire another company or its assets, it may be difficult to assimilate the acquired businesses, products, services, technologies and personnel into our operations. These difficulties could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and workforce, increase our expenses and adversely affect our operating results and ability to compete and gain market share. Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky and are subject to many factors outside our control. No assurance can be given that any future acquisitions will be successful and will not materially adversely affect our business, operating results, or financial condition. In addition, we may incur debt or be required to issue equity securities to pay for future acquisitions or investments. The issuance of any equity securities could be dilutive to our stockholders. We also may need to make further investments to support any acquired company and may have difficulty identifying and acquiring appropriate resources. If we divest or otherwise exit certain portions of our business in connection with a strategic transaction, we may be required to record additional


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expenses, and our estimates with respect to the useful life and ultimate recoverability of our carrying basis of assets, including goodwill and purchased intangible assets, could change.

Item 1B.    Unresolved Staff Comments

        Not applicable.

Item 2.    Properties

        We are headquartered in Milwaukee, WI and currently have manufacturing facilities in Milwaukee, WI, Rockland, ME and Rockland, ME. We closed our Johnson City, TN facility in August 2010, and are currently holding it for sale.Madison Heights, MI. Additionally, we operate a sourcing office in China. We operate as a single segment.

Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

        In the ordinary course of business, we are engaged in various litigation primarily including product liability and intellectual property disputes. However, management does not believe that any current litigation is material to our operations or financial position. In addition, we are not currently party to any environmental-related claims or legal matters.

Item 4.    Mine Safety Disclosures

        Not applicable.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

        Our executive officers as of December 31, 20112013 were as follows:

Name
 Age Position

James Janik

  5557 President and Chief Executive Officer; Director

Robert McCormick

  5153 Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

Mark Adamson

  5355 Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Keith Hagelin

  5153 Senior Vice President, Operations

        James Janik has been serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer since 2000 and as a director since 2004. Mr. Janik was General Manager of our Western Products division from 1994 to 2000 and Vice President of Marketing and Sales from 1998 to 2000. Prior to joining us, Mr. Janik was the Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Sunlite Plastics Inc., a custom extruder of thermoplastic materials, for two years. During the 11 prior years, Mr. Janik held a number of key marketing, sales and production management positions for John Deere Company.

        Robert McCormick has been serving as our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer since September 2004 and as our Secretary since May 2005. Mr. McCormick served as our Assistant Secretary from September 2004 to May 2005 and as our Treasurer from September 2004 through December 2010. Prior to joining us, Mr. McCormick served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Xymox Technology Inc. from 2001 to 2004. Prior to that, Mr. McCormick served in various capacities in the Newell Rubbermaid Corporation, including President from 2000 to 2001 and Vice President Group Controller from 1997 to 2000. While Mr. McCormick served as President, he was responsible for Newell's Mirro / Wearever Cookware, and as Vice President Group Controller, he was responsible for worldwide strategic and financial responsibilities for 12 company divisions with sales of over two billion dollars.


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        Mark Adamson has been serving as our Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing since 2013. Prior to becoming our Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing he had served as our Vice President, Sales and Marketing since 2007. Prior to joining us, Mr. Adamson held numerous senior level management positions with industry leaders in the grounds care industry, including John Deere Company from 1980 to 2002 and Gehl Corporation from 2002 to 2007. From 2003 to 2005, he was the Manager, Regional Sales & Distribution of Gehl Company, directing the sales and marketing activities of certain sales field managers in the northeastern United States responsible for Gehl product sales and rental., and from 2005 to 2007, he was the Director, Training and Customer Support, where he directed the aftermarket and training activities of five departments and thirty-two individuals responsible for Gehl and Mustang products worldwide. From 1980 to 2002, Mr. Adamson held several senior level management positions with John Deere Company.

        Keith Hagelin has been serving as our Senior Vice President, Operations since September 2013. Prior to becoming our Senior Vice President, Operations, he had served as our Vice President, Operations since 2009, having previously spent twelve years in progressive roles with us, including Plant Manager and General Manager—Rockland and most recently Vice President of Manufacturing from 2007 to 2009. Prior to joining Douglas, Mr. Hagelin spent 13 years at Raytheon Corporation in various manufacturing, production and new product development roles.

        Executive officers are elected by, and serve at the discretion of, the Board of Directors. There are no family relationships between any of our directors or executive officers.


PART II

Item 5.    Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

        The Company's common stock is listed, and principallyOur Common Stock has been traded on the NYSE. The Company'sNew York Stock Exchange since the second quarter of 2010 under the symbol for its common stock is "PLOW." The followingprices in the table setsset forth below indicate the range of high and low per share sales prices of our Common Stock per the Company's common stockNew York Stock Exchange Composite Price History for each quarter in 2013 and per share dividends for the periods indicated. As the company was not listed until it listed its common stock in the second quarter 2010 in connection with the IPO, no market price data is available for the first quarter of 2010.2012.


 2011 2010  2013 2012 

 Price Range Price Range  Price Range Price Range 

 High Low Dividends High Low Dividends  High Low Dividends High Low Dividends 

Fourth Quarter

 $15.57 $12.50 $0.21 $16.84 $11.97 $0.20  $17.45 $14.41 $0.21 $15.67 $12.87 $0.21 

Third Quarter

 16.27 11.38 0.20 13.00 10.20 0.18  15.30 13.14 0.21 15.70 12.69 0.21 

Second Quarter

 16.68 14.10 0.20 12.54 10.93   14.55 12.72 0.21 14.27 12.52 0.21 

First Quarter

 16.96 13.48 0.57     14.86 12.65 0.21 14.93 12.37 0.21 

        At March 13, 2012,11, 2014, there were 2420 record holders of our Common Stock.

        In accordance with the Company's dividend policy, dividends are declared and paid quarterly at the discretion of the board of directors. Additionally, special dividends may be declared and paid at the discretion of the board of directors. The first quarterly dividend to common shareholders subsequent to IPO was made in the third quarter of 2010 for $0.1825 per share paid on September 30, 2010. Additionally, the Company paid a $0.20 per share quarterly dividend on December 31, 2010. In the first, quartersecond and third quarters of 2011,2012, the Company both declared and paid a special dividend of $0.37 in addition to a stated dividend of $0.20. In both the second and third quarters of 2011, the Company both declared and paid a stated dividend of $0.20$0.205 per share. In the fourth quarter of 2011,2012, the Company increased its annual statedimplied dividend from $0.80$0.82 to $0.82$0.83 and both declared and paid a dividend of $0.205$0.2075 per share. In the first, second and third quarters of 2013, the Company both declared and paid a dividend of $0.2075 per share. In the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company increased its annual implied dividend from $0.83 to $0.85 and both declared and paid a dividend of $0.2125 per share.

        The Company's senior credit facilities include certain negative and operating covenants, including restrictions on its ability to pay dividends, and other customary covenants, representations and warranties and events of default. The senior credit facilities entered into and recorded by the


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Company's subsidiaries significantly restrict its subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring assets to Douglas Dynamics, Inc. The terms of the Company's revolving credit facility specifically restrict the Company from paying dividends if a minimum availability under the revolving credit facility, the greater of $10.5 million and 15% of the aggregate revolving commitments at the time of determination, is not maintained. Additionally, both senior credit facilities restrict the Company from paying dividends above certain levels not to exceed $5.25 million in any fiscal quarter of 2011 calculated without regard to a one-time special dividend not to exceed $8.0 million, $5.5 million in any fiscal quarter of 2012, $5.75 million in any fiscal quarter of 2013, $6.0 million in any fiscal quarter of 2014, $6.25 million in any fiscal quarter of 2015 and $6.5 million in any fiscal quarter of 2016 and thereafter or at all if an event of default has occurred. These restrictions would affect the Company indirectly since the Company relies principally on distributions from its subsidiaries to have funds available for the payment of dividends.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

        The following table sets forth information with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities of the Company are authorized for issuance as of December 31, 2011.2013.


Equity Compensation Plan Information

PLAN CATEGORY
 Number of securities
to be issued upon
the exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
 Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding
options,
warrants and rights
 Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected
in the first column)
 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders:(1)

          

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

  
20,612
 
$

  
1,779,602
 

2004 Stock Incentive Plan

  
37,240
 
$

4.21
  
 

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

  
  
  
 
        

Total

  57,852 $2.71  1,779,602 
        
Plan Category
 Number of
securities to be
issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
(a)
 Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
(b)
 Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column(a))
 

Equity Compensation plans approved by security holders(1):

          

2010 Stock Incentive Plan(2):

  74,518    1,415,636 

2004 Stock Incentive Plan

  37,240 $4.21   

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

       
        

Total(3)

  111,758 $4.21  1,415,636 
        
        

(1)
Includes the Company's 2010 Stock Incentive Plan and 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, both of which were approved by our stockholders prior to our initial public offering, or IPO.

(2)
Excludes 105,300 shares of restricted stock previously granted under the 2010 Stock Incentive Plan.

(3)
Calculated excluding the 74,518 securities shown as to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights under the 20102 Stock Incentive Plan in column (a), which are subject to performance share awards and have no exercise price.

        The following information in this Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not deemed to be "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such a filing.


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        The graph set forth below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock between May 5, 2010 (the date of our initial public offering, or IPO) and December 31, 2011,2013, with the cumulative total return of The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100 on May 5, 2010 in our common stock at our IPO offering price of


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$11.25 $11.25 per share, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index, and assumes the reinvestment of dividends.

        We did not sell any equity securities during 2011,201, in offerings that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933.

        We did not make any purchases of equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during 2011.

Item 6.    Selected Consolidated Financial Data

        The following table sets forth our selected historical consolidated financial data for the periods and at the dates indicated. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 20102012 and 20112013 and for the three years in the periods ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements.

        The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 2007, 20082009, 2010 and 20092011 and for the years ended December 31, 20072009 and 20082010 is derived from our historical financial statements not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.


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        The selected consolidated financial data presented below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this document.


 As of December 31,  As of December 31, 

 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
 

Selected Balance Sheet Data

            

Cash and cash equivalents

 $35,519 $53,552 $69,073 $20,149 $39,432  $69,073 $20,149 $39,432 $24,136 $19,864 

Total current assets

 91,491 115,414 133,534 88,972 103,462  133,534 88,972 103,462 89,582 98,372 

Total assets

 375,649 391,264 404,619 348,043 359,017  404,619 348,043 359,017 338,371 364,339 

Total current liabilities

 19,013 23,858 25,187 15,976 32,611  25,187 15,976 32,611 16,670 36,098 

Total debt

 234,363 233,513 232,663 121,154 122,937  232,663 121,154 122,937 111,966 123,994 

Total liabilities

 283,705 293,203 296,395 178,550 195,628  296,395 178,550 195,628 184,639 209,018 

Total redeemable stock and shareholders' equity

 91,944 98,061 108,224 169,493 163,389  108,224 169,493 163,389 153,732 155,321 

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 For the year ended December 31,  For the year ended December 31, 

 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands, except per share data)
  (in thousands, except per share data)
 

Consolidated Statement of Operations Data

            

Total sales

 $140,065 $180,108 $174,342 $176,795 $208,798  $174,342 $176,795 $208,798 $140,033 $194,320 

Gross profit

 42,816 62,197 57,078 60,301 71,817  57,078 60,301 71,817 43,963 65,650 

Income from operations

 20,636 35,636 29,439 21,408 40,181  29,439 21,408 40,181 18,869 27,506 

Income tax expense (benefit)

 (749) 6,793 3,986 872 11,332 

Net income (loss)

 (1,057) 11,471 9,843 1,662 19,040 

Net income (loss) per basic share, as adjusted(1)

 $(0.07)$0.79 $0.68 $0.09 $0.87 

Net income (loss) per diluted share, as adjusted(1)

 $(0.07)$0.77 $0.67 $0.09 $0.85 

Income tax expense

 3,986 872 11,332 4,144 7,378 

Net income

 9,843 1,662 19,040 6,012 11,639 

Net income per basic share, as adjusted(1)

 $0.68 $0.09 $0.87 $0.27 $0.52 

Net income per diluted share, as adjusted(1)

 $0.67 $0.09 $0.85 $0.26 $0.51 

Cash dividends paid per commmon share

 $ $0.38 $1.18 $0.82 $0.84 

 


 For the year ended December 31,  For the year ended December 31, 

 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
 

Other Data

            

Adjusted EBITDA

 $32,745 $47,742 $45,180 $47,345 $52,461  $45,180 $47,345 $52,461 $29,732 $44,569 

Capital expenditures(2)

 $1,049 $3,160 $8,200 $3,009 $2,373  $8,200 $3,009 $2,373 $1,446 $2,775 

(1)
Represents net income (loss) per share after giving effect to a 23.75-for-one stock split of our common stock that occurred in conjunction with the initial public offering.offering in 2010.

(2)
Capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2009 include $5 million related to the investments in our Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Rockland, Maine manufacturing facilities to support the closure of our Johnson City, Tennessee manufacturing facility.

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Item 7.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2009, 20102011, 2012 and 20112013 should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including information with respect to our plans and strategies for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the "Risk Factors" section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Results of Operations

Overview

        In assessing our results of operations in a given period, one of the primary factors we consider is the level of snowfall experienced within the prior snow season. We typically compare the snowfall level in a given period both to the snowfall level in the prior season and to those snowfall levels we consider to be average. References to "average snowfall" levels below refer to the aggregate average inches of snowfall recorded in 66 cities in 26 snow-belt states in the United States during the annual snow season, from October 1 through March 31, from 1980 to 2011.2013. During this period, snowfall averaged 3,0383,008 inches, with the low in such period being 2,0941,794 inches and the high being 4,502 inches.


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        During the six-month snow seasons endingseason ended March 31, 2009, 2010 and2013 snowfall was 3,274 inches which was 9.0% higher than average. Meanwhile, during the six-month snow seasons ended March 31, 2012, we experienced historically below average snowfall (approximately 40% below average). During the six-month snow season ended March 31, 2011, we experienced above average snowfall (approximately 20%, 18% and 37%39% above average). In addition to the severity of the low snowfall of snow season ended March 31, 2012, management believes that the timing of the snowfall in the snow season ended March 31, 2013, despite being slightly above average duringin amount, negatively impacted our pre-season business in 2013. As the six months endingtiming of the snowfall was predominantly in the second half of the snow season ended March 31, 2009, 20102013, management believes end users were more likely to repair existing equipment rather than replacing equipment. Consequently we believe our distributors entered the 2013 pre-season period with higher inventory levels than desired. As a result, we believe distributors ordered less equipment in the pre-season period in 2013. While we believe the historically low snowfall levels for the six-month snow season ended March 31, 2012, and 2011slow start to the March 31, 2013 snow seasons, respectively). Despite above average snowfalls during these periods,season and continued macro-economic uncertainty negatively impacted our business in 2013, we believe that other factors had a positive impact. These additional factors included the economic downturn resultedtiming, amount, and location of snowfall in lowerthe fourth quarter of 2013, positively trending light truck sales in 2013 and a large number of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders, but increased sales of our parts and accessories as a percentage of total net sales during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2010 and 2011 as compared to prior periods. We experienced lower equipment and higher parts and accessories sales as weakened economic conditions tend to cause our end-users to delay purchase of replacement snow and ice control equipment and instead repair their existing equipment.new products launched in 2013.

        Sales of parts and accessories for 20112013 and 20102012 were $31.0$29.9 million and $25.0$16.7 million, respectively, or approximately 51.2%31% higher than and 21.9% higher than27% below average annual parts and accessories sales over the preceding ten years, (from 2002respectively. Sales of equipment unit sales for 2013 and 2012 were $164.5 million and $123.3 million, respectively. In 2013, equipment unit sales increased 32.2% as we sold 45,560 equipment units in 2013 as compared to 2007, sales34,457 equipment units in 2012. We believe that the increase of both parts and accessories ranged from approximately $9 million to $19 million per year, with an average of approximately $15 million). Management believes the increased sales of parts and accessories are largely a result of the deferral of new equipment purchases dueunit sales in 2013 as compared to the severe economic downturn that began in 2008 from which conservative re-ordering has continued subsequently, as many end-users chose to extend the life of their existing equipment beyond the typical replacement cycle. In 2011, unit sales increased 12.8% which was the first significant increase since 2008, which management believesprior calendar year is a direct result of higher than normalthe historically low snowfall of 2012. Meanwhile, we believe that pent up demand due to deferred new equipment purchases still exists in the six month snow season ending March 31, 2011. Management believesmarketplace and could be released in or following a year of average or better snowfall that absent the recent economic downturn, equipment sales in 2011, 2010 and 2009 would have been considerably higher due to the high levels of snowfall during the year. Although equipment unit sales increased significantly in 2011, they were only 1% above the immediately preceding ten-year average despite snowfall levels in snow season ending March 31, 2011 that were approximately 26% above the immediately preceding ten-year average (excluding units soldis accompanied by Blizzard Corporation prior to its acquisition by us in November 2005). Equipment unit sales in 2010 remained 12% below the immediately preceding ten-year average, despite the fact that snowfall levels in snow season ending March 31, 2010 were approximately 13% above the immediately preceding ten-year average (excluding units sold by Blizzard Corporation prior to its acquisition by us in November 2005). Management believesstronger macro-economic conditions. We believe this deferral of new equipment purchases could result in an elevated multi-year replacement cycle as the economy recovers.


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        The following table shows our sales of snow and ice control equipment and related parts and accessories as a percentage of net sales for the periods indicated. During the years ended December 31, 2009, 20102011, 2012 and 2011,2013, we sold 44,444, 45,05450,801, 34,457 and 50,80145,560 units of snow and ice control equipment, respectively.


 Year Ended
December 31,
  Year Ended
December 31,
 

 2009 2010 2011  2011 2012 2013 

Equipment

 85% 86% 85% 85% 88% 85%

Parts and accessories

 
15

%
 
14

%
 
15

%
 
15

%
 
12

%
 
15

%

        The following table sets forth, for the periods presented, the consolidated statements of income of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. In the table below and throughout this "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," consolidated statements of income data for the years ended December 31, 2009, 20102011, 2012 and 20112013 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The information contained in the table below should be read in conjunction with our


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consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.


 For the year ended December 31,  For the year ended December 31, 

 2009 2010 2011  2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
 

Net sales

 $174,342 $176,795 $208,798  $208,798 $140,033 $194,320 

Cost of sales

 117,264 116,494 136,981  136,981 96,070 128,670 
              

Gross profit

 57,078 60,301 71,817  71,817 43,963 65,650 

Selling, general, and administrative expense

 
20,085
 
26,509
 
26,389
  
26,435
 
19,895
 
31,872
 

Intangibles amortization

 6,161 6,001 5,201  5,201 5,199 5,625 

Management fees-related party

 1,393 6,383 46 

Impairment of assets held for sale

   647 
              

Income from operations

 29,439 21,408 40,181  40,181 18,869 27,506 

Interest expense, net

 
(15,520

)
 
(10,943

)
 
(8,918

)
 
(8,918

)
 
(8,393

)
 
(8,328

)

Loss on extinguishment of debt

  (7,967) (673) (673)   

Other income (expense), net

 (90) 36 (218)

Other expense, net

 (218) (320) (161)
              

Income before taxes

 13,829 2,534 30,372  30,372 10,156 19,017 

Income tax expense

 
3,986
 
872
 
11,332
  
11,332
 
4,144
 
7,378
 
              

Net income

 $9,843 $1,662 $19,040  $19,040 $6,012 $11,639 
              
       

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        The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage of certain items in our consolidated statement of income data, relative to net sales:


 For the year ended December 31,  For the year ended
December 31,
 

 2009 2010 2011  2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
 

Net sales

 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Cost of sales

 67.3% 65.9% 65.6% 65.6% 68.6% 66.2%
              

Gross profit

 32.7% 34.1% 34.4% 34.4% 31.4% 33.8%

Selling, general, and administrative expense

 
11.5

%
 
15.0

%
 
12.7

%
 
12.7

%
 
14.2

%
 
16.4

%

Intangibles amortization

 3.5% 3.4% 2.5% 2.5% 3.7% 2.9%

Management fees-related party

 0.8% 3.6% 0.0%

Impairment of assets held for sale

 0.0% 0.0% 0.3%
              

Income from operations

 16.9% 12.1% 19.2% 19.2% 13.5% 14.2%

Interest expense, net

 
(8.9

)%
 
(6.2

)%
 
(4.3

)%
 
(4.3

)%
 
(6.0

)%
 
(4.3

)%

Loss on extinguishment of debt

 0.0% (4.5)% (0.3)% (0.3)% 0.0% 0.0%

Other income (expense), net

 (0.1)% 0.0% (0.1)%

Other expense, net

 (0.1)% (0.2)% (0.1)%
              

Income before taxes

 7.9% 1.4% 14.5% 14.5% 7.3% 9.8%

Income tax expense

 
2.3

%
 
0.5

%
 
5.4

%
 
5.4

%
 
3.0

%
 
3.8

%
              

Net income

 5.6% 0.9% 9.1% 9.1% 4.3% 6.0%
              
       

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Year Ended December 31, 20112013 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 20102012

        Net Sales.    Net sales were $208.8$194.3 million for the year ended December 31, 20112013 compared to $176.8$140.0 million in 2010,2012, an increase of $32.0$54.3 million, or 18.1%38.8%. This increase was primarily driven by increases of $26.0$41.2 million in sales of snow and ice control equipment and $6.0$13.1 million in parts and accessories sales. The increase in sales of snow and ice control equipment for the year ended December 31, 20112013 was attributable to (1) an increase in sales volume of snow and ice control equipment of $19.4$39.7 million, or 12.8%32.2%, as compared to the prior year, and (2)by price increases that we implemented beginning in the third quarter of 2010 and that extended throughout the remainder of 2010 and 2011. Additionally, we implemented a temporary one percent surcharge in both the second and thirdfourth quarters of 2011 due to inflationary costs due to increases in costs of commodities, while no such surcharges existed in 20102012 and we increased prices by three percentan additional price increase that was effective in the third and fourth quarterquarters of 2011.2013. The increase in sales volume was largely a result of the above averagetiming of late snowfall for the snow season ending March 31, 2011.2013 causing the snow season to be slightly above average in most of the markets we serve. Net sales of parts and accessories increased in the year ended December 31, 20112013 from the year ended December 31, 20102012 by 24.0%78.5%, from $25.0$16.7 million to $31.0$29.9 million. Net sales of parts and accessories remained comparatively high in 2011, exceeding2013, above the preceding ten-year average by approximately 51.2%31.1%. As discussed above, the comparatively stronghigher sales of parts and accessories waswere due in large part to above averagethe timing of snowfall resulting in increased equipment usage and subsequent repair.the markets in which our products are sold. Additionally, equipment sales were only slightly higher (1% abovelower (5% below the immediately preceding ten-year average), as many end-users continuemainly due to repair their existing snow and ice control equipment insteadthe timing of purchasing new equipment.snowfall. Sales related to TrynEx products of $12.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 also contributed to the increase in net sales for the period.

        Cost of Sales.    Cost of sales was $137.0$128.7 million for the year ended December 31, 20112013 compared to $116.5$96.1 million in 2010,2012, an increase of $20.5$32.6 million, or 17.6%33.9%. This increase was driven primarily by increased volume as cost of sales as a percentage of total sales did not fluctuate significantly.volume. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased slightly from 65.9%68.6% for the year ended December 31, 20102012 to 65.6%66.2% for the year ended December 31, 2011. Negative2013 as a result of higher volumes to absorb fixed spending in the year ending December 31, 2013 as compared to the year ending December 31, 2012. Additionally, in 2013, inflationary commodity experience throughout the year was more than offset by lower costs per unit resulting from increases in volume of equipment units and parts and accessories.slightly positive. As a


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percentage of cost of sales, fixed and variable costs were approximately 15%18% and 85%82%, respectively, for both of the yearyears ended December 31, 2011 versus approximately 19%2013 and 81%, respectively for the year ended December 31, 2010.2012.

        Gross Profit.    Gross profit was $71.8$65.7 million for the year ended December 31, 20112013 compared to $60.3$44.0 million in 2010,2012, an increase of $11.5$21.7 million, or 19.1%49.3%, due to the increase in net sales volume described above under "—Net Sales" and "—Cost of Sales." As a percentage of net sales, gross profit increased from 34.1%31.4% for the year ended December 31, 20102012 to 34.4%33.8% for the corresponding period in 2011,2013, as a result of the factors discussed above under "—Net Sales" and "—Cost of Sales."

        Selling, General and Administrative Expense.    Selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, and management fees, were $31.6$37.5 million for the year ended December 31, 20112013 compared to $38.9$25.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, a decrease2012, an increase of $7.3$12.4 million, or 18.7%49.4%, driven by non-recurring expenses incurred at the time of the IPO in 2010. The non-recurring charges associated with the IPO totaled $8.5 million, and were comprised of the buyout of the management services agreement at $5.8 million, compensation expense associated with net exercises of stock options totaling $1.7 million and the expense and payment of cash bonuses under the our liquidity bonus plan of $1.0 million. Additionally, in 2010 there was non-recurring compensation expense associated with net exercises of stock options subsequent to the IPO totaling $1.2 million. In addition, the closure costs associated with the Johnson City facility were $0.7 million in the prior year. Amortization expense decreased $0.8 million compared to 2010 due to certain intangible assets becoming fully amortized. Additionally, contributing to the reduction, in 2011, we spent $0.9 million less on legal and consulting fees compared to 2010 in order to defend patents and explore potential acquisitions. Meanwhile, offsetting the decreases, in 2011 we incurred higher incentive based


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compensation of $2.1$3.2 million due to better operating results. Recurring stock basedAdditionally in 2013 we recorded $4.0 million of earnout compensation increased $0.8 million comparedexpense related to 2010 due to a full year as a public company in the current year. We spent $1.3TrynEx acquisition and $2.2 million in 2011 on offering costsselling, general and administrative expenses related to allow our former principal stockholdersTrynEx after the date of acquisition. The remaining increase in 2013 is a result of management returning to dispose of their remaining holdingsnormal discretionary spending which was significantly cut back in our common stock. Finally, health insurance costs increased $0.6 million2012 in the year ended December 31, 2011 comparedorder to 2010.preserve profitability in a low sales volume year. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangibles amortization, and management fees, decreasedincreased from 22.0%17.9% for the year ended December 31, 20102012 to 15.2%19.3% for the corresponding period in 20112013 due to items discussed above.

        Impairment of Assets Held for Sale.    We recorded assets held for sale on our balance sheet in conjunction with the closure of the Johnson City, Tennessee location in 2010. The land and building have been held for sale since the closure. In an effort to stimulate sales activity, we lowered the listed sale price which caused us to reassess the fair value of the assets held for sale. Consequently, we recorded an impairment charge of $0.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2013. On February 26, 2014, the Company entered into an agreement for the sale of the land and building, which the Company anticipates closing within seventy-five days of the sale agreement, subject to closing conditions.

        Interest Expense.    Interest expense was $8.9$8.3 million for the year ended December 31, 20112013 compared to $10.9$8.4 million in the corresponding period in 2010, a decrease of $2.0 million. This decrease was due to less interest expense as a result of the redemption of our 73/4% Senior Notes due 2012 ("Senior Notes") with proceeds from the IPO, additional borrowings under our senior credit facilities and cash on hand. Additionally, interest expense was lower for year ending December 31, 2011 compared to 2010 as we incurred a favorable rate as a result of the April 2011 refinancing.

        Loss on Extinguishment of Debt.    Loss on extinguishment of debt totaling $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 was entirely driven by our entry into a new term loan facility resulting in a significant modification of our debt which resulted in the write off of unamortized capitalized deferred financing costs of $0.3 million and write off of unamortized debt discount of $0.3 million. Loss on extinguishment of debt totaling $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 was entirely driven by costs associated with the amendment of our senior credit facilities and the redemption of the Senior Notes, including both the call premium on the redemption of our Senior Notes, and the write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs relating to the redemption of our Senior Notes and the amendment of our senior credit facilities.2012.

        Income Taxes.    Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The largest item affecting deferred taxes is the difference between book and tax amortization of goodwill and other intangibles amortization. Our effective combined federal and state tax rate for 20112013 was 37.3%38.8% compared to 34.4%40.8% for 2010.2012. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 20112013 is higherlower than 20102012 due to an increasethe 2012 and 2013 Federal research and development credit recognition in federal rate from 34.0%2013 due to retroactive legislation passed in year ending December 31, 2010 compared to 35.0% for the year ending December 31, 2011.January 2013.

        Net Income.    Net income for the year ended December 31, 20112013 was $19.0$11.6 million compared to net income of $1.7$6.0 million for the corresponding period in 2010,2012, an increase of $17.3$5.6 million. This increase was driven by the factors described above, and primarily by the non-recurring charges associated with the IPO incurred in 2010.above.

Year Ended December 31, 20102012 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 20092011

        Net Sales.    Net sales were $176.8$140.0 million for the year ended December 31, 20102012 compared to $174.3$208.8 million in 2009, an increase2011, a decrease of $2.5$68.8 million, or 1.4%33.0%. This increasedecrease was primarily driven by a $4.3decreases of $54.5 million increase in sales of snow and ice control equipment slightly offset by a $1.9and $14.3 million decrease in parts and accessories sales. The increasedecrease in sales of snow and ice control equipment for the year ended December 31, 20102012 was attributable to (1) an increasea decrease in sales volume of snow and ice control equipment of $2.1$57.2 million, or 1.4%32.2%, as compared to the prior year, and (2)slightly offset by price increases that we implemented in the second quarter of 2010 and that extended throughout 2010. The 1.4% increase in sales volume was largely a result of strengthening economic conditions towards the end of 2010 which we believed led to lower parts and accessories sales compared to 2009. However, compared to a ten year historical average, parts and accessories sales were still higher than average, while equipment sales were lower than average, as many end-users continue to repair their existing snow and ice control equipment instead of purchasing new equipment. Net sales of parts and accessories declined in the year


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fourth quarter of 2011 and that extended throughout the remainder of 2011 and 2012 and an additional price increase that was effective in the third and fourth quarters of 2012. The decrease in sales volume was largely a result of the below average snow season ending March 31, 2012. Net sales of parts and accessories decreased in the year ended December 31, 20102012 from the year ended December 31, 20092011 by 7.0%46.0%, from $26.9$31.0 million to $25.0$16.7 million. Notwithstanding this decline, netNet sales of parts and accessories remained comparatively highlow in 2010, exceeding2012, below the preceding ten-year average by approximately 34.4%21.2%. As discussed above, the comparatively stronglower sales of parts and accessories was due in large part to below average snowfall resulting in decreased equipment usage. Additionally, equipment sales were lower (30% below the continued downturn in general economic conditions and local economic conditions in the snowbelt regions, which we believed led manyimmediately preceding ten-year average), mainly attributable to lack of our end-users to repair their existing snow and ice control equipment instead of purchasing new equipment.snowfall.

        Cost of Sales.    Cost of sales was $116.5$96.1 million for the year ended December 31, 20102012 compared to $117.3$137.0 million in 2009,2011, a decrease of $0.8$40.9 million, or 0.7%29.9%. This decrease was driven primarily by reduced costs due to material cost savings as steel costs were lower in 2010 as compared to 2009. Steel purchases were approximately 15% and 18% of our sales revenue for the years ending December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Lower steel costs were slightly offset by increases in snow and ice control equipment unit volume as discussed above. Costsdecreased volume. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreasedincreased from 67.3%65.6% for the year ended December 31, 20092011 to 65.9%68.6% for the year ended December 31, 20102012 as a result of the materiallower volumes to absorb fixed spending. In 2012, inflationary commodity experience was cost savingsneutral as discussed above.compared to negative inflationary commodity experience throughout 2011. The favorability of inflation experienced in 2012 was more than offset by negative fixed cost absorption resulting from decreases in volume of equipment units and parts and accessories. As a percentage of cost of sales, fixed and variable costs were approximately 19%18% and 81%82%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 20102012 versus approximately 17%15% and 83%85%, respectively for the year ended December 31, 2009.2011.

        Gross Profit.    Gross profit was $60.3$44.0 million for the year ended December 31, 20102012 compared to $57.1$71.8 million in 2009, an increase2011, a decrease of $3.2$27.8 million, or 5.6%38.7%, due to the increasedecrease in net sales volume described above under "—Net Sales" And the reduction in material costs as described underand "—Cost of Sales." As a percentage of net sales, gross profit increaseddecreased from 32.7%34.4% for the year ended December 31, 20092011 to 34.1%31.4% for the corresponding period in 2010,2012, as a result of the factors discussed above under "—Net Sales" and "—Cost of Sales."

        Selling, General and Administrative Expense.    Selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization and management fees, were $38.9$25.1 million for the year ended December 31, 20102012 compared to $27.6$31.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, an increase2011, a decrease of $11.3$6.5 million, or 40.9%20.6%, driven by non-recurring expenses incurred at the timelower incentive based compensation of the IPO. The non-recurring charges associated with the IPO totaled $8.5$3.4 million and were comprised of the buyout of the management services agreement at $5.8 million, compensation expense associated with net exercises of stock options totaling $1.7 million and the expense and payment of cash bonuses under our liquidity bonus plan of $1.0 million. Additionally, there was non-recurring compensation expense associated with net exercises of stock options subsequentdue to the IPO totaling $1.2 million.lower operating results. We also spent $1.3 million more in 20102011 on defendingoffering costs to allow our patents comparedformer principal stockholders to 2009. Finally, the closuredispose of their remaining holdings in our common stock while we did not incur any offering costs associated with the Johnson City facility increased $0.4 million comparedin 2012. The remaining decrease in 2012 is a result of management pulling back on discretionary spending in order to the priorpreserve profitability in a low sales volume year. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, including intangibles amortization and management fees, increased from 15.8%15.2% for the year ended December 31, 20092011 to 22.0%17.9% for the corresponding period in 20102012 due to the non-recurring chargesitems discussed above.

        Interest Expense.    Interest expense was $10.9$8.4 million for the year ended December 31, 20102012 compared to $15.5$8.9 million in the corresponding period in 2009, a2011. The decrease of $4.6 million. This decreasein interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to the prior year was due to less interest expense as a result ofvoluntary $10 million payment made on the redemption of our 73/4% Senior Notes due 2012 ("Senior Notes") with proceeds from the IPO, additional borrowings under our senior credit facilities and cash on hand.term loan in January 2012.

        Loss on Extinguishment of Debt.    Loss on extinguishment of debt totaling $8.0was zero for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to a total of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 20102011. The loss on extinguishment of debt in 2011 was entirely driven by costs associated with the amendmentour entry into a new term loan facility resulting in a significant modification of our senior credit facilities anddebt which resulted in the redemptionwrite off of the Senior Notes, including both the call premium on the redemption of our Senior Notes, and the write-off of unamortized capitalized deferred financing costs relating to the redemption of our Senior Notes$0.3 million and the amendmentwrite off of our senior credit facilities.unamortized debt discount of $0.3 million.


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        Income Taxes.    Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The largest item affecting deferred taxes is the difference between book and tax amortization of goodwill and other intangibles amortization. Our effective combined federal and state tax rate for 20102012 was 34.4%40.8% compared to 28.8%37.3% for 2009.2011. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 20102012 is higher than 2009 due to state net operating2011 as we were in a taxable loss allowances ("NOLs") related to the closure of the Johnson City, Tennessee facility. Additionally, the 2009 effective rate was lower due to the release of a valuation allowance for Wisconsin NOLsposition in the first quarter of 2009 due to a tax law change in the state of Wisconsin resulting in the ability2012 and thus unable to utilize the NOLsdomestic production activities deduction while we were in future periods.a taxable income position in 2011 and able to utilize the domestic production activities deduction.

        Net Income.    Net income for the year ended December 31, 20102012 was $1.7$6.0 million compared to net income of $9.8$19.0 million for the corresponding period in 2009,2011, a decrease of $8.1 million, or 82.7%.$13.0 million. This decrease was driven by the factors described above, and primarily by the non-recurring charges associated with the IPO.above.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

        This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains financial information calculated other than in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP").

        These non-GAAP measures include:

        These non-GAAP disclosures should not be construed as an alternative to the reported results determined in accordance with GAAP.

        Free cash flow (as defined below) for the year ended December 31, 20112013 was $45.4$29.5 million compared to $12.8$14.2 million in the corresponding period in 2010,2012, an increase in free cash providedflow of $32.6$15.3 million, or 255.2%107.7%. The increase in free cash providedflow is primarily a result of $32.0$16.6 million lessmore cash usedprovided by operating activities, as discussed below under Liquidity and Capital Resources. In addition to the changes in cash usedprovided by operating activities, capital expenditures decreasedincreased by $0.6$1.3 million. In 2010,2013, there were higher capital expenditures due to accommodate the increased production demandsreduced spending in Milwaukee and Rockland because of the closure of our Johnson City, TN manufacturing plant in the first half of the year.2012 to preserve cash flow following a low snowfall season ending March 2012.

        Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure, which we define as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. Free cash flow should be evaluated in addition to, and not considered a substitute for, other financial measures such as net income and cash flow provided by operations. We believe that free cash flow represents our ability to generate additional cash flow from our business operations.

        The following table reconciles net cash provided by operating activities, a GAAP measure, to free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure.


 For the year ended December 31,  For the year ended December 31, 

 2011 2010 2009  2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 $47,728 $15,777 $25,571  $47,728 $15,619 $32,248 

Acquisition of property and equipment

 (2,373) (3,009) (8,200) (2,373) (1,446) (2,775)
              

Free cash flow

 $45,355 $12,768 $17,371  $45,355 $14,173 $29,473 
              
       

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        Adjusted net income represents net income as determined under GAAP, excluding certain expenses incurred at the time of our IPO in 2010 (namely the buyout of our management services agreement, loss on extinguishment of debt stock based compensation expense associated with the net exercise of stock options and the payment of cash bonuses under our liquidity bonus plan);incurred in 2011, costs incurred to pursue potential acquisitions in 2011, certain expenses incurred at the time of our secondary offeringofferings in 2011; costs incurred to pursue acquisitions2011 and a loss recognized on extinguishmentimpairment


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of assets held for sale in 2011.2013. We believe that the presentation of adjusted net income for the years ended December 30,31, 2011, December 31, 2012 and December 30, 201031, 2013 allows investors to make meaningful comparisons of our operating performance between periods and to view our business from the same perspective as our management. Because the excluded items are not predictable or consistent, management does not consider them when evaluating our performance or when making decisions regarding allocation of resources.

        The following table presents a reconciliation of net income, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, to adjusted net income for the years ending December 31, 2011, December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2010.2013.

 
 Years Ended 
(in millions)
 December 31,
2011
 December 31,
2010
 

Net Income—(GAAP)

 $19.0 $1.7 

Addback non-recurring expenses, net of tax at 37.0% and 38.0%, for 2011 and 2010, respectively:

       

—Buyout of the management services agreement

    3.6 

—Loss on extinguishment of debt

  0.4  4.9 

—Liquidity bonus payment

    0.6 

—Non-recurring stock based compensation expense

    1.9 

—Acquisition costs

  0.6   

—Offering costs

  0.8   
      

Adjusted Net Income—(non-GAAP)

 $20.8 $12.7 
      
 
 Years Ended 
(in millions)
 December 31,
2011
 December 31,
2012
 December 31,
2013
 

Net income—(GAAP)

 $19.0 $6.0 $11.6 

Addback non-recurring expenses, net of tax at 37.0% and 38.8% for 2011 and 2013, respectively:

          

Loss on extinguishment of debt

  0.4     

Loss recognized on impairment of assets held for sale

      0.4 

Acquisition costs

  0.6     

Offering costs

  0.8     
        

Adjusted net income—(non-GAAP)

 $20.8 $6.0 $12.0 
        
        

        Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as further adjusted for certain non-recurring charges related to the closureconsisting of our Johnson City, Tennessee manufacturing facility and certain non-recurringunrelated legal and consulting fees, as well as management fees paid by us to affiliates of our former principal stockholders, stock based compensation, payment of cash bonuses under our liquidity bonus plan, loss on extinguishment of debt, impairment on assets held for sale, certain purchase accounting expenses and offering costs. We use, and we believe our investors benefit from the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA in evaluating our operating performance because it provides us and our investors with additional tools to compare our operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of certain items that management believes do not directly reflect our core operations. In addition, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors and other external users of our consolidated financial statements in evaluating our operating performance as compared to that of other companies, because it allows them to measure a company's operating performance without regard to items such as interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods and book value of assets and liabilities, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired. Our management also uses Adjusted EBITDA for planning purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and financial projections. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ability to make certain payments, including dividends, in compliance with our senior credit facilities, which is determined based on a calculation of "Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA" that is substantially similar to Adjusted EBITDA.

        Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool. As a result, you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for net income, operating income, cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. Some of these limitations are:


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        Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $44.6 million compared to $29.7 million in 2012, an increase of $14.9 million, or 49.9%. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA increased from 21.2% for the year ended December 31, 2012 to 22.9% for the year ended December 31, 2013. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2012 was $29.7 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $52.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, was $52.5 million compared to $47.3 million in the corresponding period in 2010, an increasea decrease of $5.2$22.8 million, or 11.0%43.4%. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA decreased from 26.8% for the year ended December 31,


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2010 to 25.1% for the year ended December 31, 2011. Adjusted EBITDA2011 to 21.2% for the year ended December 31, 2010 was $47.3 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $45.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, an increase of $2.1 million, or 4.6%. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA increased from 25.9% for the year ended December 31, 2009 to 26.8% for the year ended December 31, 2010.2012. In addition to the specific changes resulting from the exceptions, the changes to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods discussed resulted from factors discussed above under "—Results of Operations."

        The following table presents a reconciliation of net income, the most comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA, for each of the periods indicated.


 For the year ended December 31,  For the year ended December 31, 

 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

 (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
 

Net income (loss)

 $(1,057)$11,471 $9,843 $1,662 $19,040 

Net income

 $9,843 $1,662 $19,040 $6,012 $11,639 

Interest expense—net

 
19,622
 
17,299
 
15,520
 
10,943
 
8,918
  15,520 10,943 8,918 8,393 8,328 

Income taxes

 (749) 6,793 3,986 872 11,332  3,986 872 11,332 4,144 7,378 

Depreciation expense

 4,632 4,650 5,797 5,704 2,975  5,797 5,704 2,975 2,819 3,068 

Amortization

 6,164 6,160 6,161 6,001 5,201  6,161 6,001 5,201 5,199 5,625 
                      

EBITDA

 28,612 46,373 41,307 25,182 47,466  41,307 25,182 47,466 26,567 36,038 

Management fees

 1,400 1,369 1,393 6,383 46  1,393 6,383 46   

Stock based compensation

   732 4,029 1,873  732 4,029 1,873 2,166 2,587 

Loss on extinguishment of debt

 2733   7,967 673   7,967 673   

Management liquidity bonus

    1,003    1,003    

Offering costs

     1,342    1,342   

Other non-recurring charges(1)

   1,748 2,781 1,061 

Trynex purchase accounting(1)

     4,506 

Other charges(2)

 1,748 2,781 1,061 999 1,438 
                      

Adjusted EBITDA

 $32,745 $47,742 $45,180 $47,345 $52,461  $45,180 $47,345 $52,461 $29,732 $44,569 
                      
           

(1)
Reflects $3,951 and $555 in earn out compensation and inventory that was written up for purchase accounting and sold in the year ended 2013.

(2)
Reflects severance and one-time, non-recurring expenses for costs related to the closure of our Johnson City facility of $1,054 and $1,435 for the years ended 2009 and 2010, respectively, $694, $2,013, $1,061, $999 and $1,061$790 of unrelated legal and consulting fees for the years ended 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2011,2013, respectively, and a $667 gain on other post employment benefit plan

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