UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark one)
xAnnual report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20172019 or
oTransition report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the transition period from                        to                         
Commission file number 001-34470
ECHO GLOBAL LOGISTICS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware20-5001120
(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
600 West Chicago Avenue, Suite 725
Chicago, Illinois
60654
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)
Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (800) 354-7993
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading SymbolName of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per shareECHOThe Nasdaq Global Select Market
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 x
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes o    No x
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 x    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 x    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, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filerx
x
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o
Smaller reporting  company o
Emerging growth company o
(Do not check if a smaller
reporting company)
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 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 x



The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2017,2019, the last business day of the registrant's most recent completed second quarter, was $515,351,096$553.9 million (based upon closing price of these shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market).
The number of shares of the registrant's common stock outstanding as of the close of business on February 23, 201827, 2020 was 28,024,629.26,809,472.




Documents incorporated by reference:
Portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, provided that if such Proxy Statement is not filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Form 10-K, an amendment to this Form 10-K shall be filed no later than the end of such 120-day period.











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Part I.TABLE OF CONTENTSPage
Part I.Page
Part II.
Part III.
Part III.
Part IV.



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Part I






Item 1.    Business
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") to "Echo Global Logistics," "Echo," the "Company," "we," "us" or "our" are to Echo Global Logistics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries.
Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors which could materially affect such forward-looking statements can be found in Part I, Item 1 "Business," Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" and Part II, Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Investors are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating any forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are only made as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.


Our Company


Echo Global Logistics is a leading provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management solutions. We utilize a proprietary technology platform to compile and analyze data from our multi-modal network of transportation providers to satisfy the transportation and logistics needs of our clients. This modelOur platform enables us to quickly adapt to and offer efficient and cost-effective solutions for our clients' shipping needs. We focus primarily on arranging transportation with truckload ("TL") and less than truckload ("LTL") carriers. We also offer intermodal (which involves moving a shipment by rail and truck), small parcel, domestic air, expedited and international transportation services. Our core logistics services, include rate negotiation, shipment executionprimarily brokerage and tracking,transportation management services, include carrier selection, and management, routing compliance, freight bill payment and audit, payment and performancedispatch, load management and reporting functions, including executive dashboard tools.tracking.


The success of our modelplatform and its ability to deliver a competitive value proposition to shippers (our clients) has been the main driver behind our historical growth and we believe will serve as the basis for our continued expansion. Our market share has grown within this market segment in recent years, primarily through organic growth with the addition of new customers, the expansion of relationships with existing customers, the addition of new services, and the development of a training program that enables better client service and the hiring of additional salespeople. We also have supplemented our organic growth through selective acquisitions.


We were formed as a Delaware limited liability company in January 2005 and converted our legal form to a Delaware corporation in June 2006. In October 2009, we completed an initial public offering of our shares of common stock. Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ECHO.”


Our Clients


We procure transportation and provide logistics services for clients across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, construction, food and beverage, consumer products and retail. Our clients fall into two categories: Transactional and Managed Transportation.


Transactional Clients


We service Transactional clients on a shipment-by-shipment basis. PricingTransactional clients benefit from access to our capacity, our advanced technology, service quality and competitive pricing. Our sales representatives' objective is often quoted according to pre-existing price agreements maintained with our LTL carriers or pricing procured in the spot market for TL carriers. It is the objective of our sales representatives to expand client relationships by increasing the shipper's percentage of total freight spend directed to Echo. Transactional clients benefit from access to our advanced technology, service quality and competitive pricing.


Our revenue from Transactional clients was $1.7 billion in 2019, $1.9 billion in 2018 and $1.5 billion in 2017, $1.4 billion in 2016 and $1.2 billion in 2015.2017. Revenue from Transactional clients as a percentage of total revenue was 79.2%77.1%, 81.3%78.5% and 81.0%79.2%, in 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively.



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Managed Transportation Clients


We typically enter into multi-year contracts with our Managed Transportation clients, generally with terms of one to three years, to satisfy some, or substantially all, of their transportation management needs. Each Managed Transportation client is assigned one or more dedicated account executives. In limited instances, a Managed Transportation client will request that its account executives work on-site at the client's location.
Dedicated account executives, together with account management and technology staff formfrom our Solutions and Implementation team that initiatesteams, initiate the on-boarding process for each new Managed Transportation client. This team reviewsThese teams review the client's existing business processes, developsdevelop a preliminary freight management plan and targetstarget a percentage cost savings achievable for the client over the life of the contract. The Implementation team then develops an implementation plan that links the client's back office processes to our proprietary technology platform.
The Managed Transportation relationship is initially predicated on a high level of personalized service, cost savings and the improved efficiency, transparency and reporting achieved through reliance on our systems. Each client's dedicated account team seeks to become more knowledgeable about the client's supply chain operations through an ongoing series of quarterly business reviews. Through this process, additional opportunities for efficiency gains, operating improvements and cost savings are identified and recommended by account managers who generally have significant industry experience.
Managed Transportation contracts often are on an exclusive basis for a certain transportation mode or point of origin and may apply to one or more modes used by the client. These provisions help us secure, but do not guarantee, a significant portion of a Managed Transportation client's transportation spend. While the application of these contractual exclusivity provisions historically has varied, we work closely with our Managed Transportation clients to maintain our status as their exclusive provider of transportation management services for a particular mode or point of origin.
We also provide freight bill payment and audit services, claims processing and small parcel consulting services to a limited number of Managed Transportation clients. Under these arrangements, we review the client's small parcel shipping contracts and shipment data, analyzing their volumes, distribution, rates and savings opportunities, prepare negotiation strategies and directly or indirectly participate in negotiations with carriers to improve the client's rates, charges, services and commitments.
Our revenue from Managed Transportation clients was $500.1 million in 2019, $524.1 million in 2018 and $404.3 million in 2017, $320.3 million in 2016 and $287.0 million in 2015.2017. Revenue from Managed Transportation clients as a percentage of total revenue was 20.8%22.9%, 18.7%21.5% and 19.0%20.8% in 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively.
Our Proprietary Technology
Our proprietary technology platform ("Optimizer") is fundamental to our operating system and solutions offering. We run our business on a technology platform engineered and built from the ground up and believe its proprietary nature differentiates us from our competition in a number of critical ways. All parties toparticipants in each transaction (clients, carriers and Echo employees) are unified on a single platform through access portals customized to each party'sparticipant's needs. We believe such integration yields critical synergies throughout our organization as well as with our clients and carriers. Equally important, internal integration ensures speed and accuracy of data capture, information exchange, shipment execution and back-end reporting capabilities.
As our business has grown, our technology platform has continued to evolve in order to incorporate new multi-modal capabilities and integrate with new technology partners. Our next generation architecture (“EchoAccelerator”) focuses on driving development, automation and speed to market through all of the processes that we manage across modes. The four key areas of emphasis are: 1) quoting and pricing; 2) carrier selection, load-matching, and booking; 3) in-transit visibility, monitoring, and notifications; and 4) settlement. The agility of EchoAccelerator is essential to keep pace with the changing needs of our business and offers us a critical advantage in the competitive transportation marketplace. In 2019, 2018 and 2017, we spent approximately $16.9 million, $18.2 million and $19.0 million, respectively, on the continued development of Optimizer, EchoAccelerator, and related technologies.
Each mode involves different vendors exchanging unique order and price data that must be shared with multiple parties to any given transaction. Our integration layer (“EchoConnect”) enables us to connect to thousands of shippers and carriers via Application Programming Interface ("API") and Electronic Data Interchange ("EDI"). Our technology engineers build mode-specific requirements into our system that support our ability to sell and service that particular mode on an enterprise-wide basis.
When communicating their transportation needs to us, clients have the flexibility to do so electronically through our web portalportals, ("EchoShip") and ("EchoTrak"), by other computer protocolsAPI/EDI integration via EchoConnect or by email/phone. Our system generates
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price and carrier options for our clients based on either rates pre-negotiated with preferred carriers or historical price and capacity data stored in our system. If a client enters its own shipment through EchoShip or EchoTrak, these interfaces automatically alertsalert the appropriate account executive. Once the carrier is selected, the client's account executive uses our system to manage all aspects of the shipping process through the life-cycle of the shipment. Our clients use Optimizer's "track and trace" tools to monitor shipment status through both EchoShip and EchoTrak.
As our business has grown, our technology platform has continued to evolve inIn order to incorporate new multi-modal capabilities. We believestreamline communication and electronic tracking during the agilitylifecycle of Optimizer is essentiala load, we utilize our carrier portal and mobile app (“EchoDrive”), which provides carriers with more flexibility, transparency and control. With EchoDrive, drivers receive fewer update phone calls, and dispatchers have a more efficient way to keep pace with the changing needs of our business and offers us a critical advantage in the competitive transportation marketplace. Each mode involves different vendors exchanging unique order and price data that must be shared with multiple parties to any given transaction. Our technology engineers build mode-specific requirements into our system that support our ability to sell and service that mode on an enterprise-wide basis. In 2017, 2016 and 2015, we spent approximately $19.0 million, $14.6 million and $8.2 million, respectively, on the development of Optimizer and related technologies.manage their drivers.
We believe our web-based suite of applications connects clients with every function required to run an efficient transportation and logistics program. Transportation solutions developed for Managed Transportation clients often involve

back-end systems integration, and both the solution and the specific integration requirements vary by client. Optimizer affords us the flexibility to support the supply chain needs of each client, regardless of specifications of the client's own system.
We rely primarily on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, license agreements and other contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. Some of our intellectual property rights relate to proprietary business process enhancements. It is our practice to enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with all of our employees and independent contractors. Such agreements include a confidentiality undertaking by the employee or independent contractor; ensure that all new intellectual property developed in the course of our relationship with employees or independent contractors is assigned to us; and require the employee or independent contractor to cooperate with us to protect our intellectual property during and after his or her relationship with us.
Our Transportation Solutions
We satisfy the market demand for freight transportation solutions by delivering a competitive value proposition that combines advanced technology, exceptional client service, competitive pricing and highly customized transportation solutions to businesses seeking external transportation management expertise. As a non-asset based provider of technology-enabled transportation and logistics services, our solutions offerings take many forms, including multi-modal transportation brokerage and logistics services.
Mode-Specific Offerings
For our Transactional clients, Echo offers a wide array of shipping options from which to choose:
Truckload.    We provide TL service across all TL segments, including dry van, temperature-controlled and flatbed trucks. Our Truckload Quoting Tool technology uses our predictive pricing algorithms, industry relationships and historical lane-specific price and capacity data to quickly satisfy our clients' TL needs.
Less than Truckload.     We maintain relationships with, and utilize the vast majority of LTL carriers in the market. Using our innovative RateIQ 2.0, EchoShip and EchoTrak technology, we obtain real-time price and transit time information for every LTL shipment we broker.
Small Parcel.    We provide small parcel services for packages of all sizes. Using our EchoPak technology, we often are able to deliver cost saving opportunities to those clients with significant small parcel freight spend.
Intermodal.    Intermodal transportation is the shipping of freight by multiple modes. We offer intermodal transportation services for our clients that utilize a combination of truck and rail. Our dedicated intermodal team can select the combination of truck and rail services that best satisfies each client's individual price and shipment criteria.
Domestic Air and Expedited Services.    We provide domestic air and expedited shipment services for our clients whose delivery requirements cannot be satisfied by traditional over-the-road service.
International.    For clients seeking the ease of a comprehensive international delivery option, we provide air and ocean transportation services. Dedicated account teams are able to consolidate shipments, coordinate routing, prearrange custom clearance and organize local pick-up and delivery, all in an effort to minimize the time and economic burdens associated with international shipping.

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Logistics Services OfferingOfferings
Many clients, often in our Managed Transportation group, prefer a comprehensive and customized freight management solution that maximizes system-wide efficiencies as well as cost savings. In these instances, the shippersclients outsource their freight management needs to us. For these shippers, often part of our Managed Transportation group,us, and we develop a plan involving a wide range of multi-modal freight brokerage and transportation management services that often includes the redesign and reengineering of distribution networks that connect a client to its suppliers and customers.
Transportation management and logistics services that we provide to such clients can include:
Rate negotiation;
Procurement of transportation, both contractually and in the spot market;
Shipment execution and tracking;

Carrier management, selection, reporting and compliance;
Executive dashboard presentations and detailed shipment reports;
Freight bill payment and audit;
Claims processing and service refund management;
Design and management of inbound client freight programs;
Individually configured web portals and self-service data warehouses;
Enterprise resource planning ("ERP") integration with transactional shipment data;
Integration of shipping applications into client e-commerce sites; and
Back-end reports customized to the internal reporting needs of the client's business.
Our Employees
As of December 31, 2017,2019, Echo had 2,4532,539 employees, of which 1,6411,669 were sales representatives and agents.
Our sales representatives and agents are located in more thanapproximately 30 offices throughout the United States. Sales representatives are employees focused on identifying and growing relationships with shippers and carriers. Sales agents work independently or in station offices and generally are experienced industry sales professionals managing their own client relationships. Both sales representatives and agents are primarily responsible for managing and servicing the client and carrier relationships whose business they secure.
Candidates for employment are identified and screened through traditional means, such as career fairs, search firms, job postings, advertisements in industry publications and referrals. The majority of hires within our sales and service organization are recent college graduates. We invest extensively in their training and ongoing development to ensure their long-term success as a part of our organization. Employees who join Echo as a result of an acquisition also participate in training tailored to their needs. We are confident that our employee training and development efforts contribute to longer tenure, increased productivity and a greater commitment to client satisfaction. NoneNone of our employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements. We consider our relationships with our employees to be good.
Our Carrier Network
In 2017,2019, we continued to enhance our vast carrier network of motor, rail, air and ocean freight transportation providers. We select our carriers on the basis of their capabilities, geographic coverage, quality of service and price. Carriers selected to join our network provide physical transportation services to our clients. In our capacity as intermediary, we track our clients' shipments from origin to destination. Since we do not own any transportation equipment and do not employ those directly involved in the delivery of our clients' shipments, the nature of our carrier relationships is essential to our success.
We believe we provide value to our carriers through our proprietary technology (EchoDrive), which gives our carriers the flexibility to adjust pricingsimplify load management, manage drivers and freight by lane or season.review invoice status. Our carriers benefit by gaining access to our clients and our carrier communication tools, which allow us to match our clients’ freight with our carriers' excess capacity.
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We maintain the quality of our carrier network by obtaining documentation from each carrier that ensures the carrier is properly licensed and insured, and satisfies our safety requirements. Additionally, we continuously monitor data from our network on capacity, price trends, reliability, quality control standards and overall client service. We believe this quality control program helps to ensure shippers are provided the highest quality service, regardless of the specific carrier selected for an individual shipment.
The carriers in our network range in size from large national trucking companies to owner-operators of single trucks. We are not dependent on any one carrier.or a limited number of carriers. Our largest carrier accounted for less than 4% of our total 20172019 transportation costs.
Competition
We operate in the highly competitive and fragmented market for commercial freight transportation and third-party logistics services. Primary competitors to our services include other national non-asset based third-party logistics companies, as well as regional or niche freight brokerages, asset-based carriers offering brokerage and/or logistics services, wholesale intermodal transportation service providers and rail carriers. In addition, we may from time to time compete against carriers' internal sales

forces or shippers' internal transportation departments. We also buy transportation services from, and sell services to, some of the companies with which we compete.
We believe we compete for business on the basis of service, reliability and price. Some of our competitors may have more clients, larger clients, more resources, and possibly greater expertise in a single transportation mode than we do. We compete successfully with these companies by delivering a multi-modal solution using advanced technology combined with excellent client service, competitive pricing and highly customized transportation solutions.
Our clients may choose not to outsource their transportation business to us in the future by performing formerly outsourced services for themselves, either in-house or through external partnerships or other arrangements. We believe our key advantage over clients' in-house operations is our ability to simplify the transportation process for our clients by delivering volume-based pricing and service superior to what our clients can secure independent of Echo. In short, we provide companiesour clients the opportunity to focus on their core operations by providing our transportation buying power and expertise.
Government Regulation
We are licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a broker authorized to arrange for the transportation of general commodities by motor vehicle. Subject to applicable federal and state regulation, we arrange for the transportation of most types of freight to and from any point in the United States. We arrange transportation for United States domestic shipments by land that are mostly governed by federal regulation, such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (the “FMCSA”), which is an agency of the Department of Transportation; some shipments are also regulated by various state agencies. The FMCSA has broad regulatory powers in areas such as safety and insurance relating to interstate motor-carrier and property broker operations. The transportation industry is generally subject to possible changes in the governing law (such as the possibility of more stringent environmental or safety regulations, or limits on vehicle weight and size) that could impact the economics of the industry.
Our international operations are impacted by a wide variety of United States regulations from various government departments,agencies, along with foreign regulatory authorities. Regulations set by these departments may cover matters such as the type of commodities that may be shipped and how certain commodities may be shipped. These departments also issue regulations regarding unfair international trade practices and limitations on entities with which we may engage in business.
We contract with indirect air carriers who have been approved by the Transportation Security Administration (the “TSA”) and the Department of Transportation to arrange for transportation by air for our customers.clients. The air freight industry is generally subject to regulatory and legislative changes that could affect the economics of the industry by requiring changes in operating practices or influencing the demand for, and the costs of providing, services to clients.
Our ocean transportation business in the United States is subject to regulation by the Federal Maritime Commission (the “FMC”). We are not licensed as an ocean freight forwarder or a non-vessel operating common carrier operator. However, we do engage in business with entities who are licensed in ocean transportation so that we may arrange for transportation by sea for our customers.clients.
Although Congress enacted legislation in 1994 that substantially preempts the authority of states to exercise economic regulation of motor-carriers and property brokers, some intrastate shipments for which we arrange transportation may be subject to additional licensing registration or permit requirements. Generally, we contractually require the carrier transporting the shipment to ensure compliance with these types of requirements. Although compliance with the regulations governing
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licenses in these areas has not had a material adverse effect on our operations or financial condition in the past, there can be no assurance that such regulations or changes will not adversely impact our operations in the future. Violation of these regulations could also subject us to fines as well as increased claims liability.
Risk Management and Insurance


If a client's shipment is damaged during the delivery process, our customer may file a claim for the damaged shipment with us, which we will pursue directly with the carrier on our client's behalf. In the cases where we have agreed (either contractually or otherwise) to pay for claims for damage to freight while in transit, we may pay the claim to our client while we independently pursue reimbursement from the carrier. If we are unable to recover all or any portion of the claim amount from our carrier, or our carrier's insurance, we may bear the financial loss of such claim. We mitigate this risk by using our quality control program to carefully select carriers with adequate insurance, quality control procedures and safety ratings. We also take steps to ensure that the coverage we provide to our clients for damaged shipments is substantially similar to the coverage that our carriers provide.



 We require all motor carriers we work with to carry at least $1 million in automobile liability insurance and $0.1 million in cargo insurance. We also maintain a broad cargo liability insurance policy to protect us against cargo damages that may not be recovered from the responsible motor-carrier. We carry various liability insurance policies, including automobile and general liability. Our contingent automobile liability coverage has a retention of $5$10 million per incident.


We extend credit to certain clients as part of our business model. These clients are subject to an approval process prior to any extension of credit or increase in their current credit limit. Our accounting department reviews each credit request and considers, among other factors, payment history, current billing status, recommendations by various rating agencies and capitalization. Clients that passsatisfy our credit review may receive a line of credit or an increase in their existing credit amount. We believe this review and approval process helps mitigate the risk of client defaults on extensions of credit and any related bad debt expense. Additionally, the Company maintains a credit insurance policy for certain accounts.


Seasonality

The transportation industry has historically been subject to seasonal sales fluctuations as shipments generally are lower during and after the winter holiday season because many companies ship goods and stock inventories prior to the winter holiday season. While we experience some seasonality, differences in our revenue between periods have been driven primarily by growth in our client base.

Our Website


Our website is http://www.echo.com. We make available, free of charge through our website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including exhibits and any amendments to those reports, filed with or furnished to the SEC.Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). We make these reports available through our website as soon as reasonably practical after our electronic filing of such materials with, or the furnishing of them to, the SEC. The information contained on our website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other public filing made by us with the SEC. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.



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Item 1A.    Risk Factors
Set forth below are certain risk factors that could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. You should carefully read the following risk factors, together with the financial statements, related notes and other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our business, financial condition and operating results may suffer if any of the following risks are realized. If any of these risks or uncertainties occur, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that contain risks and uncertainties. Please refer to the discussion of "Forward-Looking Statements" on page three of this Annual Report on Form 10-K in connection with your consideration of the risk factors and other important factors that may affect future results described below.
Risks Related to Our Business
We operate in a highly competitive industry, and if we are unable to address factorscompetitive pressures and developments that may adversely affect our operating results, it could substantially impair our business.
The transportation services industry is highly competitive. We compete against other national non-asset based third-party logistics companies, as well as regional or niche freight brokerages, asset-based carriers offering brokerage and/or logistics services, wholesale intermodal transportation service providers and rail carriers. In addition, we may from time to time compete against carriers' internal sales forces or shippers'clients' internal transportation departments. At times, we buy transportation services from, and sell services to, our competitors. Historically, competition has created a downward pressure on freight rates and continuation of this rate pressure may adversely affect our revenue and income from operations.
In addition, a software platform and database similar to Optimizer could be created over time by a competitor with sufficient financial resources and comparable experience in the transportation services industry. If our competitors are able to offer comparable services, we could lose clients, and our market share and profit margin could decline. Our competitors may also establish cooperative relationships to increase their ability to address client needs. Increased competition may lead to revenue reductions, reduced profit margins or loss of market share, any one of which could harm our business.
A decrease in levels of excess capacity in the U.S. transportation services industry could have an adverse impact on our business.
We believe that, historically, the U.S. transportation services industry has experienced significant levels of excess capacity. Our business seeks to capitalize on imbalances between supply and demand in the transportation services industry by obtaining favorable pricing terms from carriers in our network through a competitive bid process. Reduced excess capacity in the transportation services industry generally, and in our carrier network specifically, could have an adverse impact on our ability to execute our business strategy and on our business results and growth prospects.
A decrease in the number of carriers participating in our network could adversely affect our business.

In 2017,2019, we continued to enhance our sizable carrier network of motor, rail, air and ocean freight transportation providers. We expect to continue to rely on these carriers to fulfill our clients' shipping orders in the future. However, these carriers are not contractually required to continue to accept orders from us. If shipping capacity tightens or the transportation industry experiences further consolidation among carriers, our ability to serve our clients on competitive terms could be significantly limited. In addition, we rely on price bids provided by our carriers to populate our database. If the number of our carriers decreases significantly, we may be unable to obtain sufficient pricing information to effectively utilize Optimizer, which could affect our ability to obtain favorable pricing for our clients.
If our carriers do not meet our transportation, or information reporting, needs or expectations, or those of our clients, our business could suffer.
The success of our business depends to a large extent on our relationships with our clients and our reputation for providing high-quality technology-enabled transportation and logistics services. We do not own or control the transportation assets that deliver our clients' freight, and we do not employ the people directly involved in delivering the freight. We rely on independent third parties to provide TL, LTL, small parcel, intermodal, domestic air, expedited and international carrier services and to report certain information to us, including information relating to delivery status and freight claims. This reliance could cause delays in providing our clients with important service data and in the financial reporting of certain events, including recognizing revenue and recording claims. If we are unable to secure sufficient transportation services to meet our commitments to our clients, our operating results could be adversely affected, and our clients could utilize the services of our competitors temporarily or permanently. Many of these risks are beyond our control and difficult to anticipate, including:
changes in rates charged by transportation providers;
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supply shortages in the transportation industry, particularly among TL carriers;
interruptions in service or stoppages in transportation as a result of labor disputes; and
changes in regulations impacting transportation.
If any of the third parties we rely on do not meet our needs or expectations, or those of our clients, our professional reputation may be damaged and our business could suffer.
Higher carrier prices may result in decreased net revenue margin.
Carriers may charge higher prices if market conditions warrant, or to cover higher operating expenses. Our net revenues and income from operations may decrease if we are unable to correspondingly increase our pricing to our customers. Increased market demand for TL services and pending changes in regulations may reduce available capacity and increase carrier pricing. Net revenue is a non-GAAP measure calculated as revenue minus transportation costs. Net revenue margin is a non-GAAP measure calculated as net revenue (as previously defined) divided by revenue.
Changes in fuel prices may change carrier prices, and volatility in fuel prices may make it more difficult to pass through this costincreased costs to our clients, which may impair our operating results.
Fuel prices can be volatile and difficult to predict. Fuel prices have fluctuated significantly over the last threefive years. Our clients expect fuel savings to be passed along through lower prices. If carriers do not lower their prices to reflect declines in fuel costs, this could negatively impact our shipment volume, as our clients wouldcould seek other shipping options. This decrease in volume would negatively impact our gross profits and income from operations.
In the event of rising fuel prices, carriers can be expected to charge higher prices to cover higher operating expenses, and our gross profits and income from operations may decrease if we are unable to continue to pass through to our clients the full amount of these increased costs. Higher fuel costs could also cause material shifts in the percentage of our revenue by transportation mode, as our clients may elect to utilize alternative transportation modes. Any material shifts to transportation modes with respect to which we realize lower gross profit margins could impair our operating results.
Our obligation to pay our carriers is not contingent upon receipt of payment from our clients, and we extend credit to certain clients as part of our business model.model, which exposes us to additional credit risk.
In most cases, we take full risk of credit loss for the transportation services we procure from carriers. Our obligation to pay our carriers is not contingent upon receipt of payment from our clients. If any of our key clients fail to pay for our services, our profitability would be negatively impacted.
We extend credit to certain clients in the ordinary course of business as part of our business model. By extending credit, we increase our exposure to uncollected receivables. A deterioration in the global or domestic economy could drive an increase in

business failures, downsizing and delinquencies, which could cause an increase in our credit risk. If we fail to monitor and manage effectively any increasedour credit risk,risks, our immediate and long-term liquidity may be adversely affected.
We are reliant on technology to operate our business and our continued success is dependent on our systems continuing to provide the necessary support to service our customersclients effectively.
We rely heavily on Optimizer to track and store externally and internally generated market data, analyze the capabilities of our carrier network and recommend cost-effective carriers in the appropriate transportation mode. To keep pace with changing technologies and client demands, we must correctly interpret and address market trends and enhance the features and functionality of our Optimizer platform in response to these trends, which may lead to significant ongoing research and development costs. We may be unable to accurately determine the needs of our clients and the trends in the transportation services industry or to design and implement the appropriate features and functionality of our Optimizer platform in a timely and cost-effective manner, which could result in decreased demand for our services and a corresponding decrease in our revenue. Despite testing, we may be unable to detect defects in existing or new versions of our proprietary software, or errors may arise in our software. Any failure to identify and address such defects or errors could result in loss of revenue or market share, liability to clients or others, diversion of resources, injury to our reputation, and increased service and maintenance costs. Correction of such errors could prove to be impossible or very costly, and responding to resulting claims or liability could similarly involve substantial cost.
The success of our business depends upon our ability to deliver time-sensitive, up-to-date data and information. We rely on our Internet access, computer equipment, software applications, database storage facilities and other office equipment, which are mainlyprimarily located in our Chicago headquarters. Our operations and those of our carriers and clients are vulnerable to
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interruption by fire, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks, wars, computer viruses, hackers, cyber-attacks, equipment failure, physical break-ins and other events beyond our control, including disasters affecting Chicago. We attempt to mitigate these risks through various means, including system backup and security measures, but our precautions will not protect against all potential problems. We maintain fully redundant off-site backup facilities for our Internet access, computer equipment, software applications, database storage and network equipment, but these facilities could be subject to the same interruptions that could affect our headquarters. If we suffer a database or network facility outage, our business could experience disruption, possibly resulting in reduced revenue and the loss of clients.
Our ability to deliver our services depends upon the capacity, reliability and security of services provided to us by our telecommunication service providers, our electronic delivery systems and the Internet. We have no control over the operation, quality or maintenance of these services or whether the vendors will improve their services or continue to provide services that are essential to our business. In addition, our telecommunication service providers may increase the prices at which they provide services, which would increase our costs. If our telecommunication service providers were to cease to provide essential services or to significantly increase their prices, we could be required to find alternative vendors for these services. With a limited number of vendors, we could experience significant delays in obtaining new or replacement services, which could significantly harm our reputation and could cause us to lose clients and revenue. Moreover, our ability to deliver information using the Internet may be impaired because of infrastructure failures, service outages at third-party Internet providers or increased government regulation. If disruptions, failures or slowdowns of our electronic delivery systems or the Internet occur, our ability to effectively provide technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management services and to serve our clients may be impaired.
Breaches in data security could adversely affect our business.
Failure to prevent or mitigate data loss, or system intrusions, from cyber-attacks or other security breaches could expose us, our vendors, or our customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affecting our operating results, or result in litigation or potential liability for our business. Likewise, data privacy breaches by employees or others accessing our systems may pose a risk that sensitive vendor or customer data may be exposed to unauthorized persons or to the public, adversely impacting our customer service, employee relationships and reputation. While we believe that we have taken appropriate security measures to protect our data and information technology systems, and to prevent data loss, our precautions may not protect against all potential breakdowns or breaches in our systems that could have an adverse affect on our business.
We have not registered any patents, orand only a limited number of trademarks onwith respect to our proprietary technology to date, and our inability to protect our intellectual property rights may impair our competitive position.
Our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights could harm our competitive position. We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as license agreements and other contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. In addition, we attempt to protect our intellectual property and proprietary information by requiring all of our employees and independent contractors to enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements. To date, we have not pursued patent protection for our technology. We currently have six

thirteen registered trademarks to protect our brands.brands and certain of our proprietary technology. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate or will prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our rights, imitating or duplicating our technology, services or methodologies, including Optimizer, or using trademarks similar to ours. Should we need to resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the rights of others, such litigation could be time-consuming and costly, and the result of any litigation is subject to uncertainty. In addition, Optimizer incorporates open source software components that are licensed to us under various public domain licenses. Although we believe that we have complied with our obligations under the various applicable licenses for the open source software that we use, there is little or no legal precedent governing the interpretation of many of the terms of these licenses, and the potential impact of such terms on our business is, therefore, difficult to predict.
We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, effectively integrate newly acquired businesses or achieve expected profitability from acquisitions.
Part of our growth strategy is to increase our revenue and the market regions that we serve through the acquisition of complementary businesses. There can be no assurance that suitable candidates for acquisitions can be identified or, if suitable candidates are identified, that acquisitions can be completed on acceptable terms, if at all. Even if suitable candidates are identified, any future acquisitionsacquired, they may entail a number of risks that could adversely affect our business and the market price of our common stock, including the integration of the acquired operations, diversion of management's attention, risks of entering new market regions in which we have limited experience, adverse short-term effects on our reported operating results, the potential loss of key employees of acquired businesses and risks associated with unanticipated liabilities.
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We may use our common stock to pay for acquisitions. If the owners of potential acquisition candidates are not willing to receive our common stock in exchange for their businesses, our acquisition prospects could be limited. Future acquisitions could also result in accounting charges, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities and increased debt and contingent liabilities, including liabilities related to unknown or undisclosed circumstances, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and the market price of our common stock.
Our clients may terminate their relationships with us on short notice with limited or no penalties, and our clients are generally not obligated to spend a minimum amount with us.
Our Transactional clients, which accounted for 79.2%77.1% and 81.3%78.5% of our revenue in 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively, use our services on a shipment-by-shipment basis rather than under long-term contracts. These clients have no obligation to continue using our services and may stop using them at any time without penalty or with only limited penalties. Our contracts with Managed Transportation clients typically have terms of one to three years and are subject to termination provisions negotiated on a contract-by-contract basis. If we fail to adhere to the terms of the contract, the client can terminate the relationship. Managed Transportation contracts accounting for 5.8%11.3% and 4.9%3.9% of our total 20172019 revenue are scheduled to expire (subject to possible renewal) in 20182020 and 2019,2021, respectively.
The volume and type of services we provide each client may vary from year to year and could be reduced if the client were to change its outsourcing or shipping strategy. Our Managed Transportation clients generally are not obligated to spend any particular amount with us, although our Managed Transportation contracts are typically exclusive with respect to point of origin or one or more modes of transportation, meaning that the client is obligated to use us if it ships from the point of origin or uses thosecertain modes. These contractual exclusivity provisions help ensure, but do not guarantee, we receive a significant portion of the amount that our Managed Transportation clients spend on transportation in the applicable mode or modes or from the applicable point of origin. In our experience, compliance with such exclusivity provisions varies from client to client and over time. Our clients' failure to comply with these exclusivity provisions may adversely affect our revenue.
If a significant number of our Transactional or Managed Transportation clients elect to terminate or not renew their engagements with us, or if the shipping volume of a significant number of our clients decreases, our business, operating results and financial condition could suffer. If we are unable to renew our Managed Transportation contracts at favorable rates, our revenue may decline.
We have extensive selling and implementation cycles to secure a new Managed Transportation contract, which require significant investments of resources.resources by us and by our clients.
In the course of acquiring a Managed Transportation customer, we typically face extensive selling and implementation cycles to secure a new Managed Transportation contract, which requires significant investment of resources and time by both our clients and us. Before committing to use our services, potential Managed Transportation clients require us to spend time and resources educating them on the value of our services and assessing the feasibility of integrating our systems and processes with theirs. Our clients then evaluate our services before deciding whether to use them. Therefore, our Managed Transportation

selling cycle is subject to many risks and delays over which we have little control, including our clients' decisions to choose alternatives to our services and the timing of our clients' budget cycles and approval processes.
Implementing our Managed Transportation services, which can take from one to six months, involves a significant commitment of resources over an extended period of time from both our clients and us. Depending on the scope and complexity of the processes being implemented, these time periods may be significantly longer. Our current and future clients may not be willing or able to invest the time and resources necessary to implement our services, and we may fail to close sales with potential clients to which we have devoted significant time and resources. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, as we do not recognize significant revenue until after we have completed the implementation phase.
Economic recessions could have a significant, adverse impact on our business.  
The transportation and supply chain industry historically has experienced cyclical fluctuations in financial results due to economic recessions, downturns in business cycles of industry clients, interest rate fluctuations, and other economic factors beyond our control. Deterioration in the economic environment subjects our business to various risks, which may have a material and adverse impact on our operating results and cause us to not reach our long-term growth goals:
Decrease in volumes: A reduction in overall freight volumes in the marketplace reduces our opportunities for growth. A significant portion of our freight is transactional or “spot” market opportunities. The transactional market may be more impacted than the freight market by overall economic conditions. In addition, if a downturn in our clients’ business cycles causes a reduction in the volume of freight they ship, particularly among certain national retailers or in
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the food, beverage, retail, manufacturing, paper, or printing industries, our operating results could be adversely affected.

Credit risk and working capital: Some of our clients may face economic difficulties and may not be able to pay us, and some may go out of business. In addition, some clients may not pay us as quickly as they have in the past, causing our working capital needs to increase.

Transportation carrier failures:A significant number of our transportation carriers may go out of business and we may be unable to secure sufficient equipment or other transportation services to meet our commitments to our clients.

Expense management: We may not be able to appropriately adjust our expenses to changing market demands. In order to maintain high variability in our business model, it is necessary to adjust staffing levels to changing market demands. In periods of rapid change, it is more difficult to match our staffing levels to our business needs. In addition, we have other expenses that are fixed for a period of time, and we may not be able to adequately adjust them in a period of rapid change in market demand.
Our industry is subject to seasonal sales fluctuations. If our business experiences unusual or otherwise unanticipated seasonality, it could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Our industry is subject to some degree of seasonal sales fluctuations as shipments generally are lower during and after the winter holiday season because many of our retail clients ship goods and stock inventories prior to the winter holiday season. If we were to experience lower than expected revenue during any such period, whether from a general decline in economic conditions or other factors beyond our control, our expenses may not be sufficiently offset, which would have a disproportionately adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition for that period.
The impact of the coronavirus on our operations, and the operations of our shippers and carriers, may harm our business.
We are monitoring the potential impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China. This includes evaluating the impact on our shippers and carriers, as well as evaluating governmental actions being taken to curtail the spread of the virus. The significance of the impact on us is yet uncertain; however, a material adverse effect on our shippers and carriers could impact our operating results.
Our ability to appropriately staff and retain sales representatives and agents is important to our business.business, and the cost of enforcing non-compete agreements with former employees may be substantial.
Our ability to expand our business will depend, in part, on our ability to attract additional sales representatives and agents with established client relationships. Competition for qualified and successful sales representatives and agents can be intense, and we may be unable to hire such persons. Any difficulties we experience in expanding the number of our sales representatives and agents could have a negative impact on our ability to expand our client base, increase our revenue and continue our growth.
In addition, we must retain our current sales representatives and agents and properly incentivize them to obtain new clients and maintain existing client relationships. If a significant number of our sales representatives and agents leave us, our revenue could be negatively impacted. We have entered into agreements with our sales representatives and agents that contain non-compete provisions to mitigate this risk, but we may need to litigate to enforce our rights under these agreements, which could be time-consuming, expensive and ineffective. A significant increase in the turnover rate among our current sales representatives and agents could also increase our recruiting costs and lead to a decline in the demand for our services.
We are subject to loss, accident and other liability claims arising from our transportation operations.
We use the services of thousands of transportation companies and their drivers in connection with our transportation operations. From time to time, these drivers are involved in accidents, or goods carried by these drivers are lost or damaged and the carriers may not have adequate insurance coverage. Although these drivers are not our employees and all of these drivers are employees of, or independent contractors working for, carriers, or are owner-operators, claims may be asserted against us for their actions or for our actions in retaining them. Claims against us may exceed the amount of our insurance coverage, or may not be covered by insurance at all. If a shipment is lost or damaged during the delivery process, a client may file a claim for the damaged shipment with us and we may bear the risk of recovering the claim amount from the carrier. If we are unable to recover all or any portion of the claim amount from the carrier, or the carrier's insurance, and to the extent each claim exceeds the amount which may be recovered from our own insurance, we will bear the financial loss. A material increase in the frequency or severity of accidents, claims for lost or damaged goods, liability claims or workers' compensation claims, or unfavorable resolutions of claims, could adversely affect our operating results. Significant increases in insurance costs or the inability to purchase insurance as a result of these claims could also reduce our profitability.
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Our insurance coverage and self-insurance reserves may not cover future claims.


We maintain various insurance policies for employee health, worker’s compensation, general liability, property damage and automobile liability. We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance policies for our employee health plans.

For policies under which we are responsible for losses, we record a liability that represents our estimated cost of claims incurred and unpaid as of the balance sheet date. Our estimated liability is not discounted and is based on a number of assumptions and factors, including historical trends, actuarial assumptions and economic conditions, and is closely monitored and adjusted when warranted by changing circumstances. Our history of claims experience is short and our significant growth rate could affect the accuracy of estimates based on historical experience. If a greater amount of claims occurs compared to what we estimated, or if medical costs exceed what we expected, our accrued liabilities might not be sufficient and we may be

required to record additional expense. In addition, unanticipated changes may produce materially different amounts of expense than reported under these programs, which could adversely impact our results of operations.
OurLaws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad that apply to us, our clients or our vendors may expose us to liability, cause us to incur significant expense, affect our ability to compete in certain markets, or limit the profitability of or demand for our solutions and services. If these laws and regulations require us to change our solutions and services, it could adversely affect our business depends on compliance with many government regulations.and results of operations. New legislation or regulations, or changes to existing laws and regulations, may also negatively impact our business and increase our costs of doing business.

International and domestic transportation of goods is subject to a number of governmental regulations, including licensing and financial security requirements, import and export regulations, security requirements, packaging regulations and notification requirements. These regulations and requirements are subject to change based on new legislation and regulatory initiatives, which could affect the economics of the transportation industry by requiring changes in operating practices or influencing the demand for, and the cost of providing, transportation services.
We are licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a broker authorized to arrange for the transportation of general commodities by motor vehicle. We must comply with certain insurance and surety bond requirements to act in this capacity.
We are currently providing customs broker services through contracts with licensed customs brokers. We contract with indirect air carriers that have been approved by the TSA, and are required to comply with air security regulations imposed by the TSA. In addition, our ocean transportation business is subject to regulation by the FMC.
We may experience an increase in operating costs, such as security costs, as a result of governmental regulations that have been and will be adopted in response to criminal, terrorist and potential terrorist activities. No assurances can be given that we will be able to pass any or all of these increased costs on to our clients in the form of rate increases or surcharges.
From time to time, we arrange for the movement of hazardous materials at the request of our clients. As a result, we are subject to various environmental laws and regulations relating to the handling, transport and disposal of hazardous materials. If our clients or carriers are involved in a spill or other accident involving hazardous materials, or if we are found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to substantial fines or penalties, response or remediation costs and civil and criminal liability, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, current and future national laws and multilateral agreements relating to carbon emissions and the effects of global warming could have a significant impact on the transportation sector, including the operations and profitability of our carriers, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Uncertainty about the future of the London Interbank Offer Rate ("LIBOR") may adversely affect our business and financial results.
Advances under our senior secured revolving credit facility entered into in June 2015 (the "ABL Facility") generally bear interest based on one of the following, at our election, plus an applicable margin (1) the federal funds rate, (2) the base commercial lending rate of PNC Bank, or (3) LIBOR. On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (the authority that regulates LIBOR) announced that it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021 and it is unclear whether new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established. If LIBOR ceases to exist after 2021, the interest rates under our ABL Facility will be based on the federal funds rate or the PNC Bank base rate, which may result in higher interest rates. To the extent that these interest rates increase, our interest expense will increase, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

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Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited, and our failure to raise capital when needed could prevent us from growing.
In the future, we may be required to raise capital through public, private or other financing arrangements. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could harm our business. Additional equity financing may dilute the interests of our common stockholders, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile.
Since our initial public offering in October 2009 through February 23, 2018,27, 2020, the closing sale price of our common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market has ranged from a low of $10.04 on November 11, 2010 to a high of $34.14$36.65 on June 23, 2015.September 10, 2018.
Certain factors may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, including:
fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies with which we compete or which are perceived to be similar to us;
changes in market valuations of similar companies;
success of competitors' products or services;
changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities;
announcements by us, our competitors, our clients or our suppliers of significant products or services, contracts, acquisitions or strategic alliances;

regulatory developments in the United States or foreign countries;
litigation involving our company, our general industry or both;
additions or departures of key personnel;
investors' general perception of us;
changes in general economic, industry and market conditions; and
the impact of our common stock and convertible note repurchase program.programs.
In addition, if the stock market experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, operating results or financial condition. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to class action lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and distracting to management. As a result, you could lose all or part of your investment.
Our quarterly results are difficult to predict and may vary from quarter to quarter, which may result in our failure to meet the expectations of investors and increased volatility of our stock price.
The degree to which our clients continue to use our services depends in part on the business activities of our clients and our ability to continue to meet their cost saving and efficiency needs. A significant percentage of our revenue is subject to the discretion of our Transactional clients, who may stop using our services at any time. In addition, the transportation industry in which we operate is subject to some degree of seasonal sales fluctuation, as shipments generally are lower during and after the winter holiday season because many of our retail clients ship goods and stock inventories prior to the winter holiday season. Therefore, the number, size and profitability to us of our clients' shipments may vary significantly from quarter to quarter. As a result, our quarterly operating results are difficult to predict and may fall below the expectations of current or potential investors in future quarters, which could lead to a significant decline in the market price of our stock and increased volatility in our stock price.
We do not currently intend to pay dividends, which may limit the return on stockholder investment in us.
We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
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If our Board of Directors authorizes the issuance of preferred stock, holders of our common stock could be diluted and harmed.
Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 2,500,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to establish the preferred stock's voting powers, preferences and other rights and qualifications without any further vote or action by the stockholders. It is possible that we may need, or find it advantageous, to raise capital through the sale of preferred stock in the future. The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power and dividend liquidation rights of the holders of common stock. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third-party to acquire, or discourage a third-party from acquiring, a majority of our outstanding voting stock or otherwise adversely affect the market price of our common stock. It is possible that we may need, or find it advantageous, to raise capital through the sale of preferred stock in the future.
We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of our 2.50% convertible notes due May 1, 2020 (the "Notes") or to repurchase the Notes upon a fundamental change, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon conversion or repurchase of the Notes.


Holders of our Notes have the right to require us to repurchase their Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at a fundamental change repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, upon conversion of our Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain sufficient financing at the time we areto fund required to make repurchases of Notes surrendered therefor or to pay cash for the Notes being converted.upon conversion. In addition, our ability to repurchase the Notes or to pay cash upon conversions of the Notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase Notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the related indenture or to pay any cash payable on future conversions of the Notes as required by the related indenture would constitute a default under such indenture. A default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our current and future indebtedness. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.


The conditional conversion feature of the Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.


In the event certain conversion features of the Notes are triggered, holders of the Notes will be entitled to convert the Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.


The fundamental change repurchase feature of the Notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to takeover ourthe Company.


The terms of the Notes require us to repurchase the Notes in the event of a fundamental change. A takeover of our Company would trigger options by the respective holders of the applicable Notes to require us to repurchase such Notes. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of our Company that would otherwise be beneficial to our stockholders.


Item 1B.    Unresolved staff commentsStaff Comments
None.




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Item 2.    Properties


Our corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois. As of December 31, 2017,2019, we leased approximately 225,000 square feet for our corporate headquarters. Up until December 2016, we also leased space in Skokie, Illinois, the former headquarters of Command Transportation, LLC ("Command"), totaling approximately 25,000 square feet. The lease of the former Command headquarters in Skokie terminated on December 20, 2016.


As of December 31, 2017,2019, we also operated overapproximately 30 branch sales offices and two data centers located across the contiguous United States. All of these facilities are leased, and none is larger than 20,000 square feet. See Note 20 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for information regarding our obligations under leases.


We consider these properties to be in good condition. We believe that our facilities are adequate for our operations and provide sufficient capacity to meet our anticipated requirements.


Item 3.    Legal Proceedings


In the normal course of business, we are subject to potential claims and disputes related to our business, including claims for freight lost or damaged in transit. Some of these matters may be covered by our insurance and risk management programs or may result in claims or adjustments with our carriers.

Management does not believe that the outcome of any of the legal proceedings to which we are a party will have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.


Item 4.    Mine Safety Disclosures


Not applicable.





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Part II


Item 5.    Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "ECHO." The following table sets forth the high and low sales price for our common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market for each of the periods listed.
2017High Low
First Quarter$25.95
 $20.03
Second Quarter$21.40
 $17.90
Third Quarter$20.70
 $13.00
Fourth Quarter$29.00
 $18.70
2016High Low
First Quarter$28.49
 $18.65
Second Quarter$27.17
 $20.52
Third Quarter$26.70
 $21.23
Fourth Quarter$28.90
 $20.25
Holders
As of February 23, 2018,27, 2020, there were fivefour individual holders of record of our common stock. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share.
Dividends
We currently do not intend to pay any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and the expansion of our business. Any determination in the future to pay dividends will depend on our financial condition, capital requirements, operating results and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors, including any contractual or statutory restrictions on our ability to pay dividends.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The table below gives information on a monthly basis regarding purchases made by us of our common stock and the number of shares delivered to us by employees to satisfy the mandatory tax withholding requirement upon vesting of restricted stock during the fourth quarter of 2017.2019.
DateNumber of Shares PurchasedAverage Price Paid Per Share
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Program(1)
Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(1)
10/1/19-10/31/192,153  $22.11  —  $23,189  
11/1/19-11/30/19—  —  —  $23,189  
12/1/19-12/31/19175,909  $20.22  175,855  $19,629  
Total178,062  $20.25  175,855  
Date Number of Shares Purchased Average Price Paid Per Share 
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Program(1)
 
Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(1)
10/1/17-10/31/17 12,212
 $19.58
 
 $30,181,701
11/1/17-11/30/17 
 $
 
 $30,181,701
12/1/17-12/31/17 79
 $26.85
 
 $30,181,701
Total 12,291
 $19.62
 
 

(1)
On May 1, 2017, the Board of Directors authorized a repurchase program for up to an aggregate of $50 million of the Company's outstanding common stock and Notes prior to its expiration on April 30, 2019. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may be discontinued or suspended at any time.





(1)On May 1, 2017, the Board of Directors authorized a repurchase program for up to an aggregate of $50 million of the Company's outstanding common stock and Notes prior to its expiration on April 30, 2019. On November 1, 2018, the Board of Directors amended the repurchase program to add an additional $50.0 million of capacity and extend the expiration date to October 31, 2020. Most recently, on April 30, 2019, the Board of Directors amended the ongoing repurchase program to add an additional $50 million of capacity through October 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2019, $19.6 million remained available under the repurchase plan, as amended. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may be discontinued or suspended at any time.
Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plan
Plan Category(a) Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise
of Outstanding Options
Weighted Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options
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)
43,589  $12.43  1,087,749  
(2)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders—  $—  —  
Total43,589  $12.43  1,087,749  
(1)Includes our 2008 Stock Incentive Plan, which was amended and restated as of June 16, 2017 as the Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Incentive Plan.
(2)Includes shares remaining available for future issuance under our Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Incentive Plan.


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Plan Category
(a) Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise
of Outstanding Options
 
Weighted Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options
 
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)
431,331
 $11.16
 1,488,515
(2) 
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders(3)

 
 
 
Total431,331
 $11.16
 1,488,515
  
Table of Contents
____________________
(1)
Includes our 2005 Stock Option Plan, which was merged with our Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Incentive Plan.
(2)
Includes shares remaining available for future issuance under our Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Incentive Plan.
(3)
In connection with the Command acquisition, on June 1, 2015, the Company adopted the 2015 Inducement and Retention Stock Plan for Command Employees pursuant to NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), which provides an exception to the NASDAQ shareholder approval requirements for the issuance of securities with regard to grants to prospective employees of the Company, including without limitation grants to prospective employees in connection with a merger or other acquisition (the "Inducement Plan"). As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no securities available for future issuance under the Inducement Plan.


Item 6.    Selected Financial Data
The following tables present selected consolidated financial and other data as of and for the periods indicated. YouThis information should be read the following information together with the more detailed information contained in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 Year ended December 31,
 201920182017(1)20162015
 (in thousands, except per share data)
Consolidated statements of operations data:    
Revenue$2,184,977  $2,439,701  $1,943,086  $1,716,152  $1,512,299  
Transportation costs1,798,944  2,019,337  1,604,046  1,397,578  1,222,035  
Net revenue(2)
386,033  420,363  339,041  318,574  290,264  
Operating expenses:   
Commissions116,959  126,822  103,088  95,631  85,957  
Selling, general and administrative expenses195,120  202,928  183,149  175,302  157,056  
Contingent consideration expense (benefit)1,050  410  991  (108) 201  
Depreciation and amortization38,387  36,638  32,728  32,138  24,143  
Total operating expenses351,516  366,798  319,955  302,963  267,357  
Income from operations34,517  53,566  19,085  15,611  22,907  
Interest expense(12,639) (15,546) (14,768) (14,227) (11,276) 
Interest income and other expense—   32  —  (103) 
Income before provision for income taxes21,878  38,020  4,350  1,384  11,528  
Income tax (expense) benefit(7,032) (9,296) 8,273  206  (3,682) 
Net income14,846  28,723  12,623  1,590  7,846  
Net income applicable to common stockholders$14,846  $28,723  $12,623  $1,590  $7,846  
Earnings per common share:   
Basic$0.56  $1.04  $0.46  $0.06  $0.29  
Diluted$0.55  $1.03  $0.45  $0.05  $0.28  
Shares used in per share calculations (in thousands):   
Basic26,682  27,598  27,715  28,715  27,473  
Diluted26,823  27,922  28,023  29,302  28,110  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
 Year ended December 31,
 
2017(1)
 2016 2015 2014 2013
 (in thousands, except per share data)
Consolidated statements of operations data:         
Revenue$1,943,086
 $1,716,152
 $1,512,299
 $1,173,383
 $884,193
Transportation costs1,604,046
 1,397,578
 1,222,035
 965,165
 728,544
Net revenue (2)
339,041
 318,574
 290,264
 208,218
 155,649
Operating expenses:         
Commissions103,088
 95,631
 85,957
 57,678
 39,481
Selling, general and administrative expenses183,149
 175,302
 157,056
 106,974
 82,298
Contingent consideration expense (benefit)991
 (108) 201
 2,160
 101
Depreciation and amortization32,728
 32,138
 24,143
 13,876
 10,565
Total operating expenses319,955
 302,963
 267,357
 180,688
 132,445
Income from operations19,085
 15,611
 22,907
 27,530
 23,204
Interest expense(14,768) (14,227) (11,276) (106) (1)
Interest income and other expense32
 
 (103) (144) (355)
Income before provision for income taxes4,350
 1,384
 11,528
 27,280
 22,848
Income tax benefit (expense)8,273
 206
 (3,682) (10,492) (8,645)
Net income12,623
 1,590
 7,846
 16,788
 14,203
 

        
Net income applicable to common stockholders$12,623
 $1,590
 $7,846
 $16,788
 $14,203
Earnings per common share:         
Basic$0.46
 $0.06
 $0.29
 $0.73
 $0.62
Diluted$0.45
 $0.05
 $0.28
 $0.71
 $0.61
Shares used in per share calculations (in thousands):         
Basic27,715
 28,715
 27,473
 23,044
 22,861
Diluted28,023
 29,302
 28,110
 23,634
 23,404
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

(1) 2017 results included a tax benefit of $8.9 million resulting from the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the "Act" or "TCJA").
(2) Net revenue is a non-GAAP measure calculated as revenue less transportation costs. We believe net revenue information is useful to investors because it provides information about the financial performance of the Company'sour ongoing business, and is one of the primary operational and financial measures used by management to evaluate theour business. Net revenue may be different than similarly titled measures used by other companies, and is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The following table presents a reconciliation of net revenue to revenue, the most comparable GAAP measure:
 Year ended December 31,
 20192018201720162015
 (in thousands)
Revenue$2,184,977  $2,439,701  $1,943,086  $1,716,152  $1,512,299  
Transportation costs1,798,944  2,019,337  1,604,046  1,397,578  1,222,035  
Net revenue$386,033  $420,363  $339,041  $318,574  $290,264  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

19

 Year ended December 31,
 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
  (in thousands)
Revenue$1,943,086
 $1,716,152
 $1,512,299
 $1,173,383
 $884,193
Transportation costs1,604,046
 1,397,578
 1,222,035
 965,165
 728,544
Net revenue$339,041
 $318,574
 $290,264
 $208,218
 $155,649
Table of Contents




Employee Count


The number of employees on the last day of the applicable period were as follows:


 Year ended December 31,
 20192018201720162015
Total employees2,539  2,595  2,453  2,350  2,335  


 As of December 31,
 20192018201720162015
 (in thousands)
Consolidated balance sheet data:
Cash and cash equivalents$34,626  $40,281  $23,515  $16,646  $56,522  
Working capital105,784  126,825  113,973  100,360  123,432  
Total assets826,666  878,325  838,079  766,768  746,510  
Total liabilities443,353  488,394  479,207  408,618  351,260  
Total stockholders' equity$383,312  $389,932  $358,872  $358,150  $395,250  

20
 Year ended December 31,
 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Total employees2,453
 2,350
 2,335
 1,734
 1,297



 As of December 31,
 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
 (in thousands)
Consolidated balance sheet data:         
Cash and cash equivalents$23,515
 $16,646
 $56,522
 $32,542
 $52,507
Working capital113,973
 100,360
 123,432
 58,421
 87,674
Total assets838,079
 766,768
 746,510
 316,044
 245,147
Total liabilities479,207
 408,618
 351,260
 134,170
 85,917
Total stockholders' equity$358,872
 $358,150
 $395,250
 $181,874
 $159,230

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


Overview


We are a leading provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management solutions. We utilize a proprietary technology platform to compile and analyze data from our multi-modal network of transportation providers to satisfy the transportation and logistics needs of our clients. This model enables us to quickly adapt to and offer efficient and cost-effective solutions for our clients' shipping needs. We focus primarily on arranging transportation by TLtruckload ("TL") and LTLless than truckload ("LTL") carriers. We also offer intermodal (which involves moving a shipment by rail and truck), small parcel, domestic air, expedited and international transportation services. Our core logistics services include rate negotiation, shipment execution and tracking, carrier selection, and management, routing compliance, freight bill payment and audit, payment and performancedispatch, load management and reporting functions, including executive dashboard tools.tracking.


We procure transportation and provide logistics services for clients across a wide range of industries, such as manufacturing, construction, food and beverage, consumer products and retail. Our clients fall into two categories, Transactional and Managed Transportation. We provide brokerage and transportation and logisticsmanagement services to our Transactional clients on a shipment-by-shipment basis, typically with individual, or spot market, pricing. We typically enter into multi-year contracts with our Managed Transportation clients, which are often on an exclusive basis for a specific transportation mode or point of origin. As part of our value proposition, we also provide core logistics services to these clients.



This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses 2019 and 2018 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2019 and 2018. Discussions of 2017 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2018 and 2017 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on February 22, 2019, and which is incorporated by reference herein.

21

Results of Operations


The following table represents certain results of operations data:


 Year Ended December 31,
 20192018
2017(1)
(in thousands, except per share data)
Consolidated statements of operations data:
Revenue$2,184,977  $2,439,701  $1,943,086  
Transportation costs1,798,944  2,019,337  1,604,046  
Net revenue(2)
386,033  420,363  339,041  
Operating expenses:
Commissions116,959  126,822  103,088  
Selling, general and administrative expenses195,120  202,928  183,149  
Contingent consideration expense1,050  410  991  
Depreciation and amortization38,387  36,638  32,728  
Total operating expenses351,516  366,798  319,955  
Income from operations34,517  53,566  19,085  
Interest expense(12,639) (15,546) (14,768) 
Interest income and other expense—   32  
Income before provision for income taxes21,878  38,020  4,350  
Income tax (expense) benefit(7,032) (9,296) 8,273  
Net income$14,846  $28,723  $12,623  
Stated as a percentage of net revenue:
Net revenue(2)
100.0 %100.0 %100.0 %
Operating expenses:   
Commissions30.3 %30.2 %30.4 %
Selling, general and administrative expenses50.5 %48.3 %54.0 %
Contingent consideration expense0.3 %0.1 %0.3 %
Depreciation and amortization9.9 %8.7 %9.7 %
Total operating expenses91.1 %87.3 %94.4 %
Income from operations8.9 %12.7 %5.6 %
Earnings per common share:
      Basic$0.56  $1.04  $0.46  
      Diluted$0.55  $1.03  $0.45  
Shares used in per share calculations (in thousands):
      Basic26,682  27,598  27,715  
      Diluted26,823  27,922  28,023  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
 Year Ended December 31,
 
2017(1)
 2016 2015
 (in thousands, except per share data)
Consolidated statements of operations data:     
Revenue$1,943,086
 $1,716,152
 $1,512,299
Transportation costs1,604,046
 1,397,578
 1,222,035
Net revenue(2)
339,041
 318,574
 290,264
Operating expenses:     
Commissions103,088
 95,631
 85,957
Selling, general and administrative expenses183,149
 175,302
 157,056
Contingent consideration expense (benefit)991
 (108) 201
Depreciation and amortization32,728
 32,138
 24,143
Total operating expenses319,955
 302,963
 267,357
Income from operations19,085
 15,611
 22,907
Interest expense(14,768) (14,227) (11,276)
Interest income and other expense32
 
 (103)
Income before provision for income taxes4,350
 1,384
 11,528
Income tax benefit (expense)8,273
 206
 (3,682)
Net income$12,623
 $1,590
 $7,846
      
Stated as a percentage of net revenue:     
Net revenue(2)
100.0% 100.0 % 100.0%
Operating expenses:   
  
Commissions30.4% 30.0 % 29.6%
Selling, general and administrative expenses54.0% 55.0 % 54.1%
Contingent consideration expense (benefit)0.3% (0.0)% 0.1%
Depreciation and amortization9.7% 10.1 % 8.3%
Total operating expenses94.4% 95.1 % 92.1%
Income from operations5.6% 4.9 % 7.9%
      
Earnings per common share:     
      Basic$0.46
 $0.06
 $0.29
      Diluted$0.45
 $0.05
 $0.28
Shares used in per share calculations (in thousands):     
      Basic27,715
 28,715
 27,473
      Diluted28,023
 29,302
 28,110
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

(1) 2017 results included a tax benefit of $8.9 million resulting from the enactment of the Act.Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the "Act" or "TCJA").
(2) Net revenue is a non-GAAP measure calculated as revenue less transportation costs. See Item 6, "Selected Financial Data" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a reconciliation of net revenue to revenue, the most comparable GAAP measure.






22

Revenue


We generate revenue through the sale of brokerage and transportation and logisticsmanagement services to our clients. RevenueFor our brokerage and transportation management services, revenue is recognized whenas the client's product is deliveredshipment travels from origin to destination by a third-party carrier. Our revenue was $1.9 billion, $1.7$2.2 billion and $1.5$2.4 billion for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, respectively, reflecting growth rates of 13.2% and 13.5%a 10.4% decrease in 2017 and 2016, respectively, compared to the corresponding prior year.2019.


Our revenue is generated from two different types of clients: Transactional and Managed Transportation. Most of our clients are categorized as Transactional clients.Transactional. We provide services to our Transactional clients on a shipment-by-shipment basis. We categorize a client as a Managed Transportation client if we have a contract with the client for the provision of services on a recurring basis. Our contracts with Managed Transportation clients typically have a multi-year term and are often on an exclusive basis for a certainspecific transportation mode or point of origin. In several cases, we provide substantially all of a client's transportation and logistics requirements. Our Managed Transportation accounts typically generate higher dollar amounts and volume than our Transactional relationships. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016In 2019 and 2015,2018, Transactional clients accounted for 79.2%, 81.3%77.1% and 81.0%78.5% of our revenue, respectively, and Managed Transportation clients accounted for 20.8%, 18.7%22.9% and 19.0%21.5% of our revenue, respectively. We expect to continue to expand both our Transactional and Managed Transportation client base in the future, although the rate of growth for each type of client will vary depending on opportunities in the marketplace.


Revenue recognized per shipment will vary depending on the transportation mode, fuel prices, shipment weight, density and mileage of the product shipped. The primary shipment modes that we transact in are TL LTL and intermodal.LTL. Other transportation modes include intermodal, small parcel, domestic air, expedited services, international and small parcel.international. Material shifts in the percentage of our revenue by transportation mode could have a significant impact on our revenue growth. In 2017,2019, TL accounted for 68.1%65.8% of our revenue, LTL accounted for 26.8% of our revenue, intermodal accounted for 3.5%29.6% of our revenue and other transportation modes accounted for 1.6%4.6% of our revenue. In 2018, TL accounted for 69.1% of our revenue, LTL accounted for 26.2% of our revenue and other transportation modes accounted for 4.7% of our revenue.


The transportation industry has historically been subject to seasonal sales fluctuations as shipments generally are lower during and after the winter holiday season because many companies ship goods and stock inventories prior to the winter holiday season. While we experience some seasonality, differences in our revenue between periods have been driven primarily by growth in our client base.


Transportation costs and net revenue


We act primarily as a service provider to add value and expertise in the procurement and execution of brokerage and transportation and logisticsmanagement services for our clients. Our pricing structure is primarily variable, although we have entered into a limited number of fixed-fee arrangements that represent an insignificant portion of our revenue. Net revenue is a non-GAAP measure equal to revenue minus transportation costs. Net revenue margin is calculated as net revenue (as previously defined) divided by revenue. Our transportation costs consist primarily of the direct cost of transportation paid to the carrier.


Net revenue is considered by management to be an important measurement of our success in the marketplace. Our transportation costs are typically lower for an LTL shipment than for a TL shipment. In turn, our net revenue margin is typically higher for an LTL shipment than for a TL shipment. Material shifts in the percentage of our revenue by transportation mode could have a significant impact on our net revenue. The discussion of our results of operations below focuses on changes in our expenses as a percentage of net revenue. In 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, our net revenue was $339.0$386.0 million, $318.6 and $420.4 million, and $290.3 million, respectively, reflecting growth rates of 6.4% and 9.8%an 8.2% decrease in 2017 and 2016, respectively, compared to the corresponding prior year.2019.


Operating expenses


Our costs and expenses, excluding transportation costs, consist of commissions paid to our sales personnel, general and administrative expenses to run our business, changes in our contingent consideration, acquisition-related transaction costs, and depreciation and amortization.


Commissions paid to our sales personnel, including employees and agents, are a significant component of our operating expenses. These commissions are based on the net revenue we collect from the clients for which the sales personnel have primary responsibility. In 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, commission expense was $103.1 million, $95.6$117.0 million and $86.0$126.8 million, respectively. In 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, commission expense as a percentage of net revenue was 30.4%, 30.0%30.3% and 29.6%30.2%, respectively. TL shipments typically have higher commission percentages than other modes. The percentage of net revenue paid

as commissions varies depending on the
23

type of client, composition of the sales team and mode of transportation. Commission expense, stated as a percentage of net revenue, could increase or decrease in the future depending on the composition and sources of our revenue growth.


We accrue for commission expense when we recognize the related revenue. Some of our sales personnel receive a monthly advance to provide them with a more consistent income stream. Cash paid to our sales personnel in advance of commissions earned is recorded as a prepaid expense. As our sales personnel earn commissions, a portion of their commission payment is withheld and offset against their prepaid commission balance, if any.


Our selling,Selling, general and administrative expenses, which excludeexcluding commission expense and changes to contingent consideration relating to acquired businesses, consist of compensation costs for our sales, operations, information systems, finance and administrative support employees as well as occupancy costs, professional fees, acquisition-related transaction costs, and other general and administrative expenses. In 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, our selling, general and administrative expenses were $183.1$195.1 million, $175.3 and $202.9 million, respectively. In 2019 and $157.1 million, respectively. In 2017, 2016 and 2015,2018, selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenue were 54.0%, 55.0%50.5% and 54.1%48.3%, respectively.


Our contingent consideration expense or benefit relates to acquired businesses and is the change in the fair value of our contingent consideration assets and liabilities. The contingent consideration assets and liabilities presented on our consolidated balance sheets reflect the fair value of expected earn-out payments that may be paid to or received from the sellers of certain acquired businesses upon the achievement of certain performance measures. The fair value of the contingent consideration assets and liabilities are evaluated on a quarterly basis, and the change in fair value is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. In 2017,2019 and 2018, we recorded a chargecharges of $1.0$1.1 million compared to a net benefit of $0.1and $0.4 million, in 2016 and a charge of $0.2 million in 2015respectively, due to fair value adjustments to our contingent consideration assets and liabilities.


Our depreciation expense is primarily attributable to our depreciation of computer hardware and software, equipment, software, including internal use software,leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and office equipment,internally developed software. In 2019 and leasehold improvements. In 2017, 2016 and 2015,2018, depreciation expense was $18.5$26.6 million, $16.3 and $23.6 million, and $12.4 million, respectively.


Our amortization expense is attributable to our amortization of intangible assets acquired from business combinations, including customer and carrier relationships, trade names and non-compete agreementsagreements. In 2019 and trade names. In 2017, 2016 and 2015,2018, amortization expense was $14.2$11.8 million, $15.8 and $13.0 million, and $11.7 million, respectively.


Interest expense


The interest expense included in our consolidated statementsstatement of operations consists of interest expense related to our $230 million aggregate principal amount of 2.50%ABL Facility and our convertible senior notes due May 1, 2020 issued in May 2015 (the "Notes") and our. In October 2018, we entered into Amendment No. 2 to the ABL Facility (the "Amended ABL Facility") which provides for a senior secured revolving credit facility in an initial aggregate principal amount of up to $200 million entered into in June 2015 (the "ABL Facility").$350 million. We amortize the debt discount and issuance costs related to the Notes over the 5 year life of the Notes using the effective interest method. We amortize the issuance costs related to our ABL Facility and the Amended ABL Facility over the remaining 5 year life of the Amended ABL facility using straight-line amortization, as the amount drawn on the line (and thus the interest rate and commitment fee paid by Echo) will fluctuate from period to period. As of December 31, 2019, an aggregate principal amount of $158.3 million of the Notes remained outstanding. The Company has the intent and ability to refinance on a long-term basis the remaining principal amount of the Notes on May 1, 2020 using the Amended ABL Facility. Interest expense included in our consolidated statements of operations also consists of the recognized loss on extinguishment of debt upon our repurchase of the Notes. Interest expense was $14.8 million, $14.2$12.6 million and $11.2$15.5 million for 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, respectively.

Critical Accounting Policies
Revenue Recognition
In accordance withLeases

We adopted Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 842 Leases ("ASC Topic 842") on January 1, 2019. Results for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019 are presented under ASC 842, of which prior amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the account standards in effect for those periods. Under ASC Topic 842, a lessee is required to record, on the balance sheet, the assets and liabilities for the right-of-use assets and lease obligations created by leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. We lease office space for purposes of conducting our business. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; lease expense for these leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. All Company leases, consisting primarily of facility leases, are considered operating leases. For leases with a lease term of greater than 12 months, we use an incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate when measuring operating lease liabilities. The incremental borrowing rate represents an estimate of the interest
24

rate we would incur at lease commencement to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over the term of the lease within a particular currency environment. Refer to Note 3, New Accounting Pronouncements, and Note 20, Leases, to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition
We adopted ASC Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASC Topic 606") on January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC Topic 606, of which prior amounts are not adjusted and continue to be in accordance with the accounting standards in effect for those periods. Under ASC Topic 606, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for services. We generate revenue from two different client types: Transactional and Managed Transportation. Most clients are categorized as Transactional clients. For our Transactional business, we provide brokerage and transportation management services on a shipment-by-shipment basis. Carrier selection, dispatch, load management and tracking are integrated services that occur within the brokerage and transportation management performance obligation. We categorize a client as a Managed Transportation client if there is an agreement with the client for the provision of services, typically for a multi-year term. Brokerage and transportation management services is typically the performance obligation for our Managed Transportation clients. For the brokerage and transportation management services performance obligation, revenue is recognized as the client's shipment travels from origin to destination by a third-party carrier. We are the principal in these transactions and recognize revenue on a gross and relative transit time basis.
Other performance obligations for Managed Transportation clients may include transportation management services, which includes the integrated services of dispatch, tracking and carrier payment. For these types of transactions, revenue is recorded on a net basis as we do not have latitude in carrier selection or establish rates with the carrier. We also perform project-based services, such as compliance management, customized re-billing services and freight studies for certain Managed Transportation clients. Refer to Note 5, Revenue, to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
Our 2017 revenue was recognized in accordance with ASC Topic 605-20, Revenue Recognition - Services, transportation. Transportation revenue and related transportation costs arewere recognized when the shipment has beenwas delivered by a third-party carrier. Fee for service revenue iswas recognized when the services have beenwere rendered. At the time of delivery or rendering of services, as applicable, our obligation to fulfill a transaction iswas complete and collection of revenue iswas reasonably assured.
In accordance with ASC Topic 605-45 Revenue Recognition - Principal Agent Considerations, we generally recognizerecognized revenue on a gross basis, as opposed to a net basis similar to a commission arrangement, because we bearundertook the risks and benefits associated with revenue-generated activities by, among other things: (1) acting as a principal in the transaction; (2) establishing prices; (3) managing all aspects of the shipping process, including selection of the carrier; and (4) taking the risk of loss for collection, delivery and returns. Certain transactionsto provide specific services arewere recorded at the net amount charged to the client due to the following key factors: (a) we dodid not have latitude in carrier selection; (b) we dodid not establish rates with the carrier; and (c) we havehad credit risk for only the net revenue earned from our client while the carrier has credit risk for the transportation costs. Net revenue equals revenue minus transportation costs.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Accounts receivable are uncollateralized customer obligations due under normal trade terms. We extend credit to certain clients in the ordinary course of business based on the customers'clients' credit history. Invoices require payment within 30 to 90 days from the invoice date. Accounts receivable are stated at the amount billed to the customer. Customerclient. Client account balances with invoices past due 90 days are considered delinquent. We generally do not charge interest on past due amounts.
The carrying amount of accounts receivable is reduced by an allowance for doubtful accounts that reflects management's best estimate of amounts that will not be collected. The allowance is based on historical loss experience and any specific risks identified in client collection matters. Accounts receivable are charged off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when it is determined that the receivable is uncollectible.
Internal Use Software
Certain costs incurred in the planning and evaluation stage of internal use computer software projects are expensed as incurred. Cost incurred during the application development stage are capitalized and included in property and equipment. Capitalized internal use software costs are amortized over the expected economic life of three years using the straight-line method, with total expense included in depreciation expense.

25

Goodwill and Other Intangibles
Goodwill represents the excess of consideration transferred over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired. In accordance with ASC Topic 350 Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment, goodwill is not amortized, but instead is tested for impairment annually, or more frequently if circumstances indicate a possible impairment may exist. Absent any special circumstances that could require an interim test, we have elected to test for goodwill impairment during the fourth quarter of each year.
We manage the business as one operating segment and one reporting unit pursuant to the provisions of ASC Topic 280 Segment Reporting, which established accounting standards for segment reporting. In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") approved Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2011-08, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment." This ASU permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. After assessing qualitative factors, if an entity determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, no further testing is necessary. In October 2017,2019, we performed a qualitative goodwill impairment assessment of the reporting unit in accordance with ASC Topic 350. As part of the qualitative assessment, the Companywe compared itsour current results to the forecasted expectations of our most recent quantitative analysis, along with analyzing our market cap as of the assessment date, macroeconomic conditions, current industry trends and transactions, and other market data of our industry trends.peers. We concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount.
ASC Topic 350 also requires that intangible assets with finite lives be amortized over their respective estimated useful lives and reviewed for impairment whenever impairment indicators exist in accordance with ASC Topic 360 Property, Plant and Equipment. Our intangible assets consist of customer relationships, carrier relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names, which are being amortized over their estimated weighted average useful lives of 14.8 years, 17.0 years, 6.7 years and 4.0 years, respectively. The customerCustomer relationships are being amortized using an accelerated method, while carrier relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names and non-compete agreements are being amortized using the straight-line method. Refer to Note 7.8, Intangibles and Other Assets, to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
Stock-Based Compensation
We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC Topic 718 Compensation - Stock Compensation which requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based upon their fair values. Share-based employee compensation costs are recognized as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. For more information about our stock-based compensation programs, see Note 14--Stock-Based Compensation Plans.15 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes in accordance with ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes, under which deferred assets and liabilities are recognized based upon anticipated future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying values of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. A valuation allowance is established to reduce the carrying value of deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. Any change in the valuation allowance would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement.
On December 22, 2017, the Act was signed into legislation. The Act reduces the federal corporate tax rate from 35% Refer to 21%, and imposes a one-time transition tax on certain foreign earnings, effective January 1, 2018.

On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118"), which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Act's enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740, Note 12, Income Taxes,. Since the Act was passed late in the fourth quarter of 2017, and ongoing guidance and accounting interpretation are expected over the next 12 months, we consider the deferred tax re-measurements and other items to be reasonable estimates, but provisional, due to the forthcoming guidance and our ongoing analysis of final year-end data and tax positions. We expect to complete our analysis within the measurement periodconsolidated financial statements included in accordance with SAB 118. As of December 31, 2017, we have recorded a decrease in our net deferred tax liability of $8.9 million, with a corresponding net adjustment to deferred income tax benefit. No transition tax was recorded as we do not have any foreign subsidiaries.this Form 10-K.


Comparison of years ended December 31, 20172019 and 20162018


Revenue


Revenue was $1.9$2.2 billion in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease of 13.2%10.4% from $1.7$2.4 billion in 2016.2018. The increasedecrease in revenue was primarily attributable to an increase in shipment volume and an increasea 9.7% decrease in revenue per shipment, driven by an increasealong with a decrease of 0.8% in TL rates.volume. Included in our 2019 and 2018 revenue was $17.8 million and $9.7 million, respectively, of revenue from Freight Management Plus, Inc. ("Freight Management" or "FMP"), which we acquired in July 2018.


26

Revenue from Transactional clients was $1.5$1.7 billion in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease of 10.2%12.0% from $1.4$1.9 billion in 2016.2018. The increasedecrease in Transactional revenue was driven by an increase in volume and an increasea decrease in revenue per shipment driven by an increaseand volume decreases in the TL rates. Our percentage of revenuemode. Revenue from Transactional clients was 79.2%77.1% of our revenue in 2017,2019, a decrease from 81.3%78.5% in 2016.2018.

Revenue from Managed Transportation clients was $500.1 million in 2019, a decrease of 4.6% from $524.1 million in 2018. The decrease in TransactionalManaged Transportation revenue was driven by a decrease in revenue per shipment. Revenue from Managed Transportation clients was 22.9% of our revenue for 2019, an increase from 21.5% of revenue in 2018. This increase in Managed Transportation revenue as a percent of total revenue was driven by an increasethe decrease in Managed Transportation volume.Transactional revenue per shipment.

Revenue from Managed Transportation clients was $404.3 million in 2017, an increase of 26.2% from $320.3 million in 2016. This increase was driven by the addition of new clients, along with an increase in revenue from existing clients. In 2017, 20.8% of our revenue was generated from Managed Transportation clients, an increase from 18.7% in 2016.


Transportation costs


Transportation costs were $1.6$1.8 billion in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease of 14.8%10.9% from $1.4$2.0 billion in 2016. The growth in the total number of shipments and higher carrier rates drove the increase in our transportation costs during this period.2018. Our transportation costs as a percentage of revenue increased to 82.6%decreased to 82.3% in 20172019 from 81.4%82.8% in 2016 due to margin compression resulting from higher2018. The 10.2% decrease in carrier rates.

Net revenue

Net revenue was $339.0 millionrates per shipment and the 0.8% decline in 2017, an increase of 6.4% from $318.6 million in 2016. The growth in the total number of shipments accounted for most of the increase in our net revenue during this period. Net revenue margins decreased to 17.4% in 2017 from 18.6% in 2016. The decline in both TL and LTL margins, primarily due to higher carrier rates, accounted for most ofdrove the decrease in our transportation costs during this period.

Net revenue

Net revenue was $386.0 million in 2019, a decrease of 8.2% from $420.4 million in 2018. The decrease in net revenue margin during the period.was driven by a 9.7% decrease in revenue per shipment. Net revenue margins increased to 17.7% in 2019 from 17.2% in 2018 due to an increase in TL net revenue margins.


Operating expenses


Commission expense was $103.1$117.0 million in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease of 7.8% from $95.6$126.8 million in 2016. This increase was primarily attributable2018 due to the increase inlower net revenue. For 2017 and 2016,2019, commission expense was 30.4% and 30.0%, respectively,30.3% of our net revenue.revenue, compared to 30.2% in 2018. The modest increase in commission expense as a percentage of net revenue for 2019 was due to the fluctuationfluctuations in the composition of our net revenue by mode as TL shipments typically have higher commission percentages than other modes.and sales channel type.


Selling, general and administrative expenses were $183.1was $195.1 million in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease of 4.5%3.8% from $175.3$202.9 million in 2016, due to an increased investment in our sales force2018. The decrease was the result of lower headcount and operating personnel.lower incentive compensation. As a percentage of net revenue, selling, general and administrative expenses decreasedincreased to 54.0%50.5% in 20172019 from 55.0%48.3% in 2016,2018. The increase is due to higherlower net revenue.revenue, primarily due to the decline in TL rates.


The contingent consideration fair value adjustment resulted in a net expense of $1.0$1.1 million and net benefit of $0.1$0.4 million in 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively. The expense for 2017both periods was thea result of adjustments made to the fair value of the contingent assets and liabilities primarily due to financial performance of previous acquisition owners and the time value of money. The fair value of the contingent consideration obligation for each acquisition reflectsliabilities reflected the updated probabilities and assumptions as of December 31, 2017.2019.

Depreciation expense was $18.5$26.6 million in 2017,2019, an increase of 13.2%12.6% from $16.3$23.6 million in 2016.2018. The increase in depreciation expense was primarily attributabledue to the depreciation of additional leasehold improvements, furniturethe increased investments in internally developed software and computer equipment for the new Chicago expansion space added in the fourth quarter of 2016.equipment.


Amortization expense was $11.8 million in 2017 was $14.2 million,2019, a decrease of 9.9%9.4% from $15.8$13.0 million in 2016,2018. The decrease in amortization expense was primarily attributable to the complete amortization of a few of our previously acquired intangible assets, along with the accelerated method of amortization of our acquired customer relationships along with the complete amortization of previously acquired intangible assets.relationships.


Income from operations


Income from operations was $19.1$34.5 million in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease of 22.3%35.6% from $15.6$53.6 million in 2016.2018. The increasedecrease in income from operations was attributableprimarily due to the increase inlower net revenue in excess of the increase in operating expenses.revenue.


Interest expense


Interest expense was $14.8$12.6 million in 2017, an increase2019, a decrease from $14.2$15.5 million in 2016.2018. The decrease in interest expense is primarily due to the lower outstanding balance of the Notes due to repurchases in both years primarily related to our Notes and the ABL Facility.2019.



27

Income tax benefitexpense


We recognized income tax benefitsexpense of $8.3$7.0 million and $0.2$9.3 million for the years ended December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively. Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 20172019 was (190.2)%32.1%, compared to an effective tax rate of (14.9)%24.5% in the comparable period of 2016.2018. The difference in our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 20172019 from our statutory federal tax rate of 35%21% was primarily due to state taxes; non-deductible expense, primarily executive stock-based compensation; offset in part by the favorable impact of the federal rate change, as a result of the Act, and the related re-measurement of deferredcertain tax liabilities, along with the favorable effects of a state tax credit and amended returns to claim domestic production tax deductions. These favorable items were partially offset by the share-based payment awards recognized as income tax expense, and higher pre-tax income.credits.


Net Income

Net income was $12.6 million in 2017, compared to $1.6 million in 2016 as a result of the items previously discussed.

Comparison of years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015

Revenue

Revenue was $1.7 billion in 2016, an increase of 13.5% from $1.5 billion in 2015. The increase in revenue was attributable to a full year of revenue from Command and an increase in shipment volume, offset by a decline in TL rates. Command contributed $477.9 million of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2016. In the prior year, Command contributed $286.4 million of revenue from the acquisition date through December 31, 2015.

Revenue from Transactional clients was $1.4 billion in 2016, an increase of 13.9% from $1.2 billion in 2015. Our percentage of revenue from Transactional clients was 81.3% in 2016, an increase from 81.0% in 2015. The increase in Transactional revenue was driven by the full year impact of the Command acquisition, along with increases in both the number and productivity of client sales employees, offset by a decline in TL Rates.

Revenue from Managed Transportation clients was $320.3 million in 2016, an increase of 11.6% from $287.0 million in 2015. This increase was driven by an increase in the number of Managed Transportation clients and overall Managed Transportation shipment volume. In 2016, 18.7% of our revenue was generated from Managed Transportation clients, a decrease from 19.0% in 2015. This decrease was driven by the inclusion of a full year of Transactional revenue resulting from the acquisition of Command.

Transportation costs

Transportation costs were $1.4 billion in 2016, an increase of 14.4% from $1.2 billion in 2015. The growth in the total number of shipments, including the shipments attributable to a full year of results from the Command acquisition, drove the increase in our transportation costs during this period. Our transportation costs as a percentage of revenue increased to 81.4% in 2016 from 80.8% in 2015 due to a decline in TL margins.


Net revenue

Net revenue was $318.6 million in 2016, an increase of 9.8% from $290.3 million in 2015. The growth in the total number of shipments, including the shipments attributable to a full year of results from the Command acquisition, accounted for most of the increase in our net revenue during this period. Net revenue margins decreased to 18.6% in 2016 from 19.2% in 2015 due to a decline in TL margins.

Operating expenses

Commission expense was $95.6 million in 2016, an increase of 11.3% from $86.0 million in 2015. This increase was primarily attributable to the increase in net revenue, including the net revenue attributable to a full year of results from the Command acquisition. For 2016 and 2015, commission expense was 30.0% and 29.6%, respectively, of our net revenue. The marginal increase in commission expense as a percentage of net revenue was due to the fluctuation in the composition of our net revenue by mode, as TL shipments typically have higher commission percentages than other modes. The increase in TL net revenue as a percent of total net revenue was driven by a full year of results from the Command acquisition and by organic TL growth at Echo.

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $175.3 million in 2016, an increase of 11.6% from $157.1 million in 2015. As a percentage of net revenue, selling, general and administrative expenses increased to 55.0% in 2016 from 54.1% in 2015. These increases are primarily attributable to integration costs resulting from the Command integration and lower net revenue margins.

The contingent consideration fair value adjustment resulted in a benefit of $0.1 million and expense of $0.2 million in 2016 and 2015, respectively. In the current year, the benefit is the result of adjustments made to the fair value of the contingent obligation due to previous acquisition owners as a result of financial performance and the time value of money. The benefit was offset by an increase in the fair value of the receivable due from the former owner of Command, as the likelihood of employee retention was adjusted along with the time value of money. The fair value of the contingent consideration obligation for each acquisition reflects updated probabilities as of December 31, 2016.
Depreciation expense was $16.3 million in 2016, an increase of 31.7% from $12.4 million in 2015. The increase in depreciation expense was primarily attributable to the leasehold improvements, addition of furniture and the addition of computer equipment for the new Chicago space, as the former Command employees located in Skokie moved to the Chicago headquarters in October 2016. The increase was also due to purchases of computer hardware and software, equipment, leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and internally developed software.

Amortization expense in 2016 was $15.8 million, an increase of 34.6% from $11.7 million in 2015. The increase in amortization expense was attributable to the amortization of intangible assets for a full year of expense related to the 2015 acquisitions of Command and Xpress Solutions, Inc. ("Xpress").

Income from operations

Income from operations was $15.6 million in 2016, a decrease of 31.9% from $22.9 million in 2015. The decrease in income from operations was primarily due to the increase of Command integration expenses, depreciation and amortization expenses along with the lower net revenue margins.

Interest expense

Interest expense was $14.2 million in 2016, an increase from $11.2 million in 2015. The increase in interest expense was primarily related to a full year of interest expense on our Notes issued in May 2015 and the ABL Facility we entered into in June 2015.

Income tax benefit (expense)

An income tax benefit of $0.2 million was recognized in 2016, compared to an expense of $3.7 million in 2015. Our effective tax rate decreased to approximately (14.9)% in 2016 from 31.9% in 2015. Our effective tax rate decreased due to an increase of the research and development credit, a tax credit related to a state incentive program and lower pre-tax income.


Net Income


Net income was $1.6$14.8 million in 2016,2019, compared to $7.8$28.7 million in 2015 as a result of the2018, due to items previously discussed.


Quarterly Results of Operations
The following table represents our unaudited results of operations data for our most recent eight fiscal quarters. You should read the following table in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations of any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period.
Three Months Ended
 Dec. 31, 2019Sept. 30, 2019June 30, 2019Mar. 31, 2019Dec. 31, 2018Sept. 30, 2018June 30, 2018Mar. 31, 2018
 (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited)
Revenue$531,677  $561,441  $553,775  $538,083  $582,978  $644,821  $634,811  $577,091  
Net revenue(1)
89,682  96,982  100,603  98,766  102,431  111,220  106,789  99,923  
Operating income5,076  9,665  10,672  9,103  13,673  16,281  13,112  10,500  
Net income1,439  4,843  5,067  3,497  6,935  9,383  7,678  4,727  
Earnings per common share:
     Basic$0.05  $0.18  $0.19  $0.13  $0.25  $0.34  $0.28  $0.17  
     Diluted$0.05  $0.18  $0.19  $0.13  $0.25  $0.33  $0.28  $0.17  
 Three Months Ended
 
Dec. 31, 2017(1)
 Sept. 30, 2017 June 30, 2017 Mar. 31, 2017 Dec. 31, 2016 Sept. 30, 2016 June 30, 2016 Mar. 31, 2016
 (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited)
Revenue$547,718
 $509,531
 $470,086
 $415,752
 $406,853
 $460,192
 $443,830
 $405,278
Net revenue(2)
96,229
 86,701
 81,613
 74,498
 71,708
 80,863
 85,178
 80,827
Operating income (loss)10,132
 6,293
 3,439
 (777) (1,284) 6,027
 7,046
 3,821
Net income (loss)13,349
 2,392
 (245) (2,872) (2,966) 2,362
 1,931
 263
Earnings (Loss) per common share:               
     Basic$0.49
 $0.09
 $(0.01) $(0.10) $(0.10) $0.08
 $0.07
 $0.01
     Diluted$0.48
 $0.09
 $(0.01) $(0.10) $(0.10) $0.08
 $0.07
 $0.01
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

(1)Fourth quarter 2017 results included a tax benefit of $8.9 million resulting from the enactment of the Act.
(2)Net revenue is a non-GAAP measure calculated as revenue less transportation costs. See Item 6, "Selected Financial Data" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a reconciliation of net revenue to revenue, the most comparable GAAP measure.


Liquidity and Capital Resources


As of December 31, 2017,2019, we had $23.5$34.6 million in cash and cash equivalents, $114.0$105.8 million in working capital and $199.2$216.9 million available under our ABL Facility.


Cash provided by operating activities


For the year ended December 31, 2017, $48.72019, $84.5 million of cash was provided by operating activities. This was a decrease from $59.7activities, compared to $94.2 million in 2016 and $70.8 million in 2015.2018. In 2017,2019, we generated $59.3$76.6 million in cash from net income, adjusted for noncash operating items, an increaserepresenting a decrease from $58.9$91.3 million in 2016 and $51.1 million in 2015.2018. Changes in working capital primarily relate to changes in accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expense balances.


Cash used in investing activities


Cash used in investing activities was $20.7$24.0 million, $46.9 million and $405.1$31.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018 respectively. In 2017 and 2016,2019, the primary investing activities were capital expenditures.expenditures, primarily internal use software. In 2015,2018, the primary investing activities were capital expenditures, including internal use software, investments and the cash consideration transferred for the acquisitionsacquisition of Command and Xpress, as well as capital expenditures.FMP.


Our capital expenditures were $20.7 million, $46.9$23.9 million and $14.7$24.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019 and 2015,2018, respectively. Our capitalcapital expenditures decreased in 20172019 as compared to 2018 due to the 2016 expansion of our office space at our Chicago headquarters, which included the purchasesa slight decrease in internal development of computer equipment, software, including internal use software, furniture, fixtures and office equipment, and leasehold improvements.software.




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Cash (used in) provided byused in financing activities


Cash used in financing activities was $21.1$66.2 million and $52.7$45.7 million in 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively. Cash provided by financing activities was $358.3 million in 2015.


In 2017,2019, the primary financing activities were the purchases of $20.7$33.9 million of treasury stock as part of the share repurchase programNotes (described in Note 1210 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report onForm 10-K) and $29.0 million of our common stock as part of the repurchase program (described in Note 13 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K), the $0.7$1.2 million payments of contingent consideration up to the amount of contingent consideration liability recognized at the acquisition date, and the $1.8$2.1 million use of cash to satisfy employee tax withholdings upon the vesting of restricted stock. We also drew $84.0$35.0 million on our ABL Facility (all of which was repaid as of December 31, 2017)2019)


In 2016,2018, the primary financing activities were the purchases of $49.1$37.2 million of treasuryNotes and $9.5 million of our common stock as part of the share repurchase program, (described in Note 12 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K), the $2.3$0.6 million payments of contingent consideration, and the $4.9$2.6 million use of cash to satisfy employee tax withholdingswithinholdings upon the vesting of restricted stock. These outflows were offset by the $4.2 million of proceeds from exercise of stock options. We also drew $48.5$12.0 million on our ABL Facility (all of which was repaid as of December 31, 2016)2018).

In 2015, we generated $223.1 million in cash from the issuance of the Notes (net of underwriting discounts and commissions) and $158.4 million from the issuance of our common stock (net of underwriting discounts and commissions). We also drew $40.0 million on our ABL Facility and $34.8 million on our LOC Facility (all of which was repaid as of December 31, 2015). See the "ABL Facility" section below for descriptions of our ABL Facility and LOC Facility. This cash generation was partially offset by 2015 payments of $17.5 million to the former owners of One Stop, $4.1 million of debt and equity issuance costs, $2.9 million to settle contingent consideration obligations and activities related to the exercise of employee stock options.


ABL Facility


On June 1, 2015,October 23, 2018, we entered into aAmendment No. 2 to its Revolving Credit and Security Agreement, withwhich amended the terms of its Revolving Credit and Security Agreement, dated as of June 1, 2015, as amended, by and among the Company, the lenders party thereto, and PNC Bank, (the "CreditNational Association, as administrative agent (as amended, restated or otherwise modified the "Amended Credit Agreement"). The ABL Facility replaced our previous Credit Agreement dated May 2, 2014 with PNC Bank (the "LOC Facility"). TheAmended Credit Agreement provides for a senior secured revolving credit facility in an initial aggregate principal amount of up to $200 million.$350 million (the "Amended ABL Facility"), and a maturity date of October 23, 2023. The initial aggregate principal amount under the Amended ABL Facility may be increased from time to time by an additional $150 million to a maximum aggregate principal amount of $500 million; provided that certain requirements are satisfied. Our obligations under the Amended ABL Facility are secured, on a first lien priority basis, by certain of our working capital assets.


At December 31, 2017,2019, there was no outstanding balance on the Amended ABL Facility. The issuance of letters of credit under the ABL Facility also reduces available borrowings. At December 31, 2017,2019, there were $0.7 million of letters of credit outstanding. The total draw allowed under the Amended ABL Facility at December 31, 2017,2019, as determined by the working capital assets pledged as collateral, was $199.9$217.6 million. After adjusting for the letters of credit, our remaining availability for borrowing under the Amended ABL Facility at December 31, 20172019 was $199.2$216.9 million. Using the availability on the Amended ABL Facility, we have the intent and ability to refinance on a long-term basis the remaining $158.3 million principal amount of the Notes due May 1, 2020.


Anticipated uses of cash


Our priority is to continue to grow our revenue and net revenue. We anticipate that our operating expenses and planned expenditures will constitute material uses of cash, and we expect to use available cash to expand our sales force, to enhance our technology, to acquire or make strategic investments in complementary businesses, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.


In 2018,2020, we expect to use available cash to make approximately $0.9$1.0 million of potential contingent earn-out payments as well as $5.8and$2.0 million to satisfy the semi-annual Note coupon payments due May 1, 2018 and November 1, 2018.payment. In addition, we currently expect to use approximately $22$25 million to $26$27 million for capital expenditures in 2018.2020.


As discussed in Note 1213 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we may also opt to use cash to repurchase the remainderup to $19.6 million of the $50.0 million from our 2017 common stock andor Notes under the remaining authority under our repurchase program. The timing and amount of any common stock or convertible notes repurchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors. We expect our use of cash for working capital purposes and other purposes to be offset by the cash flow generated from operating activities during the same period.


Historically, our average accounts receivable life-cycle has been longer than our average accounts payable life-cycle, meaning that we have used cash to pay carriers in advance of collecting from our clients. We elect to provide this benefit to foster strong relationships with our clients and carriers. As our business grows, we expect this use of cash to continue. The amount of cash we use for these purposes will depend on the growth of our business.

29

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements


We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.
Contractual Obligations


On February 17, 2016,Our corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois. As of December 31, 2019, we signed an 11-year lease for an additional 132,000leased approximately 225,000 square feet at our Chicago, Illinoiscorporate headquarters bringing our total leased square footage at our headquarters to 224,678 square feet. As of December 31, 2017,and we continue to also lease overapproximately 30 branch sales offices, with averagea range of lease terms between 3-53-11 years.
As of December 31, 2017,2019, we had the following contractual obligations (in thousands):
 TotalWithin 1 year2-3 years4-5 yearsMore than
5 years
Operating leases$48,333  $8,357  $12,536  $11,810  $15,630  
Senior convertible notes, including interest160,274  160,274  —  —  —  
Contingent consideration obligations(1)
1,907  $953  953—  —  
Total$210,513  $169,584  $13,489  $11,810  $15,630  
 Total Within 1 year 2-3 years 4-5 years 
More than
5 years
Operating leases$62,643
 $8,171
 $15,965
 $11,814
 $26,693
Senior convertible notes, including interest244,375
 5,750
 238,625
 
 
Contingent consideration obligations (1)
2,275
 925
 1,350
 
 
Total$309,293
 $14,846
 $255,940
 $11,814
 $26,693
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
____________________
(1)
This represents the maximum undiscounted contingent consideration obligations that may become payable in each period. The actual payouts will be determined at the end of the applicable performance periods based on the acquired entities' achievement of the targets specified in the purchase agreements. See Note 5 in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the fair values of these contingent consideration obligations as of December 31, 2017.

_________________
(1)This represents the maximum undiscounted contingent consideration obligations that may become payable in each period. The actual payouts will be determined at the end of the applicable performance periods based on the acquired entities' achievement of the targets specified in the purchase agreements. See Note 6 in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for a discussion of the fair values of these contingent consideration obligations as of December 31, 2019.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements


Recently adopted accounting pronouncements


ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting
In MarchFebruary 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016 -09, Compensation - Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The new standard provides for a change to accounting for stock compensation including: 1) excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies related to share-based payment awards will be recognized as an income tax benefit or expense in the reporting period in which they occur; 2) excess tax benefits will be classified as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows; 3) the option to elect to estimate forfeitures or account for them when they occur; and 4) an increase in the tax withholding requirements threshold to qualify for equity classification. We adopted ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017 prospectively (prior periods have not been restated). For the year ended December 31, 2017, a net excess tax deficiency was recognized as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations and any excess tax benefits were classified as operating activity in the consolidated statements of cash flows. We will continue to estimate forfeitures.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted

ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, to clarify the principles used to recognize revenue for all entities. The guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. This new standard requires an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. Two methods of adoption are permitted - a full retrospective method that applies the new standard to each prior reporting period presented, or a modified retrospective approach that recognizes the cumulative effect of applying the new standard at the date of initial application.
We adopted this standard on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach. As a result of using this approach, we will recognize the cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings for initial application of the guidance at the date of initial adoption. We evaluated our existing contracts and determined that this standard did not have a significant impact on our gross versus net revenue recognition policies for our Transactional and Managed Transportation revenues. The new standard required us to evaluate whether we transfer control of our performance obligations as of either (i) a point in time or (ii) over

time. The adoption of this new standard will adjust the revenue recognition timing of our brokerage and transportation management services performance obligation from point in time to over time, which will result in a cumulative transition adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings, on January 1, 2018, of approximately $1.0 million to $1.5 million, net of tax. While this transition also effects the corresponding direct costs of revenue, including commissions, we do not expect this change to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements due to the short term nature of our performance obligations. As we continue our assessment of these matters, we are preparing to implement changes to our accounting policies, practices and internal controls over financial reporting to support the new standard. In addition, the new standard will expand our existing revenue recognition disclosures based on the new qualitative and quantitative disclosure requirements upon adoption.
ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to provide guidance regarding which changes to a share-based payment award require modification accounting in Topic 718. The new accounting standard is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. The new standard should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The impact of this guidance, which was applied prospectively on January 1, 2018, is dependent on future modifications, if any, to our share-based payment awards.
ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. This new accounting standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. We are evaluating the effects that the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying the Definition of a Business

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying the Definition of a Business, to clarify the definition of a business to assist entities when evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses. The new accounting standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. The impact of this guidance, which was applied prospectively on January 1, 2018, may result in the accounting of future transactions as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses.
ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows,to clarify the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows, including debt prepayment or extinguishment costs and settlement of contingent consideration arising from an acquisition. An update to this standard was issued in November 2016 (ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows). This update requires companies to explain a change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. This new accounting standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Full retrospective adoption is required. We adopted this standard on January 1, 2018, and we do not expect this adjustment to have a material effect on our consolidated statements of cash flows.

ASU 2016-02, Leases,

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, requiring a lessee to record, on the balance sheet, the assets and liabilities for the right-of-use assets and lease obligations created by leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. ThisIn July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, which added amendments to create an optional transition method that provided an option to use the effective date of Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 842, Leases ("ASC Topic 842"), as the date of initial application of the transition. In addition, the new standard requires enhanced qualitative and quantitative disclosures related to the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.

The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective approach. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. Upon adoption, the Company elected the package of practical expedients that allows it to (i) not reassess whether an arrangement contains a lease, (ii) carry forward its lease classification as operating or capital leases and (iii) not reassess its previously recorded initial direct costs. In addition, the Company elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components whereby both components are accounted for and recognized as lease components.

The adoption resulted in a lease asset of $21.0 million and lease liability of $41.2 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. The Company's previous liability for deferred rent of $20.3 million, as of January 1, 2019, was offset against the right of use asset upon adoption of the new standard. The standard did not impact the Company's consolidated statement of operations or consolidated statement of cash flows. The Company fully describes the adoption and impact of this standard in Note 20. As part of the adoption of this standard, the Company implemented changes to its accounting policies, practices and internal controls over financial reporting.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include all share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. The amendments in this update will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years.years, with early adoption permitted. Our current share-based payment awards to non-employees consist only of grants made to our non-employee Directors as compensation solely relates to each individual's role as a non-employee Director. As such, in accordance with ASC 718, we account for these share-based payment awards to our non-employee Directors in the same manner as share-based payment awards for our employees. We plan to adoptadopted this standard on January 1, 2019. Adoption will require2019, and the amendments
30

in this guidance had no effect on the accounting for our share-based payment awards to our non-employee Directors, and had no effect on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, which aligns the accounting for implementation costs of a modified retrospective approach beginningcloud computing arrangement that is a service contract with the earliest period presented, alongguidance on capitalizing costs associated with enhanced qualitativedeveloping or obtaining internal-use software. This guidance also requires companies to amortize these implementation costs over the life of the service contract in the same line item within the consolidated statements of operations as the fees associated with the hosting service. This accounting standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We early adopted this accounting standard prospectively in the third quarter of 2019, and quantitative disclosures. We anticipate that the adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In July 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-07, Codification Updates to SEC Sections, which clarifies the disclosure and presentation requirements of a variety of codification topics by aligning them with the SEC's regulations, thereby eliminating redundancies and making the codification easier to apply. This ASU was effective upon issuance and did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. This new accounting standard will materially affectbe effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. Under ASU 2017-04, an entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value up to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. On October 1, 2019, we early adopted ASU 2017-04. The adoption of this new standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement, which modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement. This new accounting standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We adopted the standard on January 1, 2020, prospectively, and we anticipate that the standard will not have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), which replaces the incurred loss methodology previously employed to measure credit losses for most financial assets and requires the use of a forward-looking expected loss model. Current accounting delays the recognition of credit losses until it is probable a loss has been incurred, while the update requires financial assets to be measured at amortized costs less a reserve and equal to the net amount expected to be collected. This standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We adopted this standard on January 1, 2020, prospectively, and we do not anticipate the standard having a material effect on our consolidated balance sheets. We have established an implementation team and are evaluating the accounting, transition and disclosure requirementsfinancial statements.


31


Item 7A.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk


Commodity Risk


We generally pass through fluctuations in fuel prices to our clients. As a result, we believe that there is no material risk exposure to our earnings due to fluctuations in fuel prices.


Interest Rate Risk


We have exposure to changes in interest rates onunder our ABL Facility. Borrowings bear interest at one of the following, plus an applicable margin: (1) the federal funds rate, (2) the base commercial lending rate of PNC Bank, or (3) the LIBOR rate, based on the Company's election for each tranche of borrowing. The interest rate on our line of credit fluctuates based on the rates described above. Assuming the $200$350 million ABL Facility was fully drawn, a 1.0% increase in the interest rate selected would increase our annual interest expense by $2.0$3.5 million.


Our interest income is sensitive to changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates, in particular because all of our investments are in cash equivalents. Due to the short-term nature of our investments, we believe that there is no material risk exposure.


We do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative trading purposes.


Impact of Inflation


We believe that our results of operations are not materially impacted by moderate changes in the inflation rate. Inflation and changing prices did not have a material impact on our operations in 2017, 20162019 and 2015.2018.


32

Item 8.    Financial Statements and Supplementary Data


INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA







Management’s
33

Management��s Assessment of
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting




The Company's management is responsible for the preparation, integrity and objectivity of the financial statements and other financial information presented in this Annual Report. The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and reflect the effects of certain estimates and judgments made by management.


The Company's management is also responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework).


Based on the Company's evaluation under the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework, management concluded that internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017.2019. The effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 20172019 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their attestation report, which is included herein.




Echo Global Logistics, Inc.
February 26, 201828, 2020





34

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries


Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019 and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements“). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 28, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Adoption of New Accounting Standard

As discussed in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for revenue as a result of the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), and related amendments effective January 1, 2018.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidatedfinancial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosure to which it relates.









35

Capitalization of Internal Use Software Development Costs
Description of the Matter
As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company capitalizes costs for internal use computer software projects that relate to the application development stage. The Company capitalized $16.9 million of internal use computer software costs during the year ended December 31, 2019 and the net book value of internal use software costs was $31.5 million as of December 31, 2019.

Auditing the Company’s capitalization of internal use computer software costs was complex because management’s determination of which projects and activities that qualify for capitalization requires significant judgment, as only those costs incurred in certain stages of software development can be capitalized in accordance with the applicable accounting standards. In addition, measuring the appropriate amounts to capitalize requires the Company to maintain detailed records of time spent by information technology personnel on software development activities.
How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit
We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of controls over the Company’s processes for accounting for costs associated with internal use software projects. Our procedures included testing controls over management’s determination of which projects and costs qualify for capitalization in accordance with the applicable accounting standards and the Company’s controls over monitoring time and costs associated with the software development activities.
To test the Company’s capitalization of internal use computer software costs, we performed audit procedures that included, among others, inspecting Company documentation describing the nature of the software projects. We also inquired of the Company’s information technology project managers for significant projects to understand the objective and status of the software projects, and to assess the nature of the costs incurred and the time devoted to capitalizable activities. We also inspected documentation related to the Company’s identification of time and costs supporting amounts recorded as software development.


/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2007.

Chicago, Illinois
February 28, 2020
36

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm


To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries


Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting


We have audited Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries' internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017,2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017,2019, based on the COSO criteria.


We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the 20172019 consolidated financial statements of the Company and our report dated February 26, 201828, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.


Basis for Opinion


The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Assessment of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.


We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.


Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting


A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.



/s/ Ernst & Young LLP




Chicago, Illinois
February 26, 201828, 2020

Report
37



To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries


Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013) framework and our report dated February 26, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.


Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.



/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company‘s auditor since 2007.

Chicago, Illinois
February 26, 2018




Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets
December 31,
December 31,
2017 2016
(In thousands, except share data)(In thousands, except share data)20192018
Assets   Assets  
Current assets:   Current assets:  
Cash and cash equivalents$23,514,818
 $16,646,089
Cash and cash equivalents$34,626  $40,281  
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $3,745,104 and $3,018,995 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively309,733,156
 231,430,645
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,255 and $4,618 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectivelyAccounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,255 and $4,618 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively286,989  337,426  
Income taxes receivable5,100,937
 7,757,841
Income taxes receivable2,473  2,805  
Prepaid expenses6,191,392
 7,856,366
Prepaid expenses8,999  9,048  
Other current assets3,760,431
 4,609,933
Other current assets3,106  4,172  
Total current assets348,300,734
 268,300,874
Total current assets336,193  393,732  
Noncurrent assets:   Noncurrent assets:
Property and equipment, net63,061,890
 57,450,059
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $130,320 and $110,010 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectivelyProperty and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $130,320 and $110,010 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively58,620  61,955  
Goodwill307,314,171
 307,314,171
Goodwill309,589  309,589  
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $56,834,038 and $42,590,238 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively117,483,941
 131,727,741
Other noncurrent assets1,917,902
 1,975,071
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $81,656 and $69,855 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectivelyIntangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $81,656 and $69,855 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively97,762  109,563  
Operating lease assetsOperating lease assets19,638  —  
Other assetsOther assets4,863  3,485  
Total noncurrent assets489,777,904
 498,467,042
Total noncurrent assets490,473  484,593  
Total assets$838,078,638
 $766,767,916
Total assets$826,666  $878,325  
   
Liabilities and stockholders' equity   Liabilities and stockholders' equity 
Current liabilities:   Current liabilities: 
Accounts payable$193,749,003
 $135,386,424
Accounts payable$187,524  $216,280  
Due to seller, current919,000
 743,600
Due to seller, current937  2,243  
Accrued expenses39,660,034
 31,810,671
Accrued expenses35,229  48,129  
Other current liabilitiesOther current liabilities6,719  255  
Total current liabilities234,328,037
 167,940,695
Total current liabilities230,409  266,907  
Noncurrent liabilities:   Noncurrent liabilities:
Convertible notes, net210,918,935
 203,564,011
Convertible notes, net156,298  183,168  
Due to seller, noncurrent1,156,000
 956,400
Due to seller, noncurrent770  717  
Other noncurrent liabilities20,301,082
 19,487,942
Other noncurrent liabilities641  18,369  
Deferred income taxes12,502,648
 16,669,138
Deferred income taxes23,761  19,233  
Noncurrent operating lease liabilitiesNoncurrent operating lease liabilities31,475  —  
Total noncurrent liabilities244,878,665
 240,677,491
Total noncurrent liabilities212,945  221,487  
Total liabilities479,206,702
 408,618,186
Total liabilities443,353  488,394  
Stockholders' equity:   Stockholders' equity: 
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share,100,000,000 shares authorized; 30,768,050 shares issued and 27,241,180 shares outstanding at December 31, 2017; 30,421,273 shares issued and 28,131,479 shares outstanding at December 31, 20163,080
 3,045
Treasury stock, 3,526,870 and 2,289,794 shares at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016(69,818,299) (49,148,912)
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 31,507,247 shares issued and 26,229,809 shares outstanding at December 31, 2019; 31,345,220 shares issued and 27,397,760 shares outstanding at December 31, 2018Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 31,507,247 shares issued and 26,229,809 shares outstanding at December 31, 2019; 31,345,220 shares issued and 27,397,760 shares outstanding at December 31, 2018  
Treasury stock, 5,277,438 and 3,947,460 shares at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectivelyTreasury stock, 5,277,438 and 3,947,460 shares at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively(109,239) (79,571) 
Additional paid-in capital337,445,078
 328,676,749
Additional paid-in capital356,600  348,397  
Retained earnings91,242,077
 78,618,848
Retained earnings135,948  121,102  
Total stockholders' equity358,871,936
 358,149,730
Total stockholders' equity383,312  389,932  
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$838,078,638
 $766,767,916
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$826,666  $878,325  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
See accompanying notes.


38

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Operations


Year Ended December 31,
Year Ended December 31,
2017 2016 2015
(In thousands, except per share data)(In thousands, except per share data)201920182017
Revenue$1,943,086,192
 $1,716,152,159
 $1,512,298,686
Revenue$2,184,977  $2,439,701  $1,943,086  
Costs and expenses:     Costs and expenses:
Transportation costs1,604,045,563
 1,397,577,664
 1,222,035,371
Transportation costs1,798,944  2,019,337  1,604,046  
Selling, general and administrative expenses287,227,430
 270,826,387
 243,214,264
Selling, general and administrative expenses313,129  330,160  287,227  
Depreciation and amortization32,727,727
 32,137,592
 24,142,527
Depreciation and amortization38,387  36,638  32,728  
Income from operations19,085,472
 15,610,516
 22,906,524
Income from operations34,517  53,566  19,085  
Interest income31,883
 
 23,909
Interest income—   32  
Interest expense(14,767,621) (14,226,796) (11,276,207)Interest expense(12,639) (15,546) (14,768) 
Other expense
 
 (126,295)
Interest and other expense(14,735,738) (14,226,796) (11,378,593)
Interest expense, netInterest expense, net(12,639) (15,546) (14,736) 
Income before provision for income taxes4,349,734
 1,383,720
 11,527,931
Income before provision for income taxes21,878  38,020  4,350  
Income tax benefit (expense)8,273,495
 205,958
 (3,682,257)
Income tax (expense) benefitIncome tax (expense) benefit(7,032) (9,296) 8,273  
Net income$12,623,229
 $1,589,678
 $7,845,674
Net income$14,846  $28,723  $12,623  
     
Earnings per common share:     Earnings per common share:
Basic$0.46
 $0.06
 $0.29
Basic$0.56  $1.04  $0.46  
Diluted$0.45
 $0.05
 $0.28
Diluted$0.55  $1.03  $0.45  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
See accompanying notes.



39

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017
Common StockTreasury StockAdditional
Paid-In
Capital
Retained
Earnings
 
Common Stock Additional
Paid-In
Capital
 Treasury Stock Retained
Earnings
  
Shares Amount Shares Amount Total
Balance at January 1, 201523,207,051
 $2,322
 $112,688,360
 
 $
 $69,183,496
 $181,874,178
Share compensation expense
 
 14,023,751
 
 
 
 14,023,751
Exercise of stock options150,701
 15
 1,057,868
 
 
 
 1,057,883
Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stock209,510
 22
 (22) 
 
 
 
Common stock issued for vesting of performance shares17,375
 2
 (2) 
 
 
 
Common stock issued from Equity Offering5,750,000
 575
 157,835,675
 
 
 
 157,836,250
Equity component of convertible debt offering, net of issuance costs and deferred taxes
 
 18,956,232
 
 
 
 18,956,232
Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock(72,941) (7) (1,922,140) 
 
 
 (1,922,147)
Common shares issued for acquisition503,829
 50
 14,745,950
 
 
 
 14,746,000
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options
 
 1,616,582
 
 
 
 1,616,582
Purchases of treasury stock
 
 
 (37,937) (784,829) 
 (784,829)
Net income
 
 
 
 
 7,845,674
 7,845,674
Balance at December 31, 201529,765,525
 2,979
 319,002,254
 (37,937) (784,829) 77,029,170
 395,249,574
Share compensation expense
 
 13,134,402
 
 
 
 13,134,402
Exercise of stock options191,237
 19
 1,156,741
 
 
 
 1,156,760
Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stock638,003
 64
 (64) 
 
 
 
Common stock issued for vesting of performance shares37,547
 4
 (4) 
 
 
 
Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock(211,039) (21) (4,868,935) 
 
 
 (4,868,956)
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options
 
 252,355
 
 
 
 252,355
Purchases of treasury stock
 
 
 (2,251,857) (48,364,083) 
 (48,364,083)
Net income
 
 
 
 
 1,589,678
 1,589,678
Balance at December 31, 201630,421,273
 3,045
 328,676,749
 (2,289,794) (49,148,912) 78,618,848
 358,149,730
(In thousands, except share data)(In thousands, except share data)SharesAmountSharesAmountAdditional
Paid-In
Capital
TotalRetained
Earnings
Balance at January 1, 2017Balance at January 1, 201730,421,273  $ (2,289,794) $(49,149) $328,677  $78,619  
Share compensation expense
 
 9,021,933
 
 
 
 9,021,933
Share compensation expense—  —  —  —  9,022  —  9,022  
Exercise of stock options146,950
 15
 1,539,317
 
 
 
 1,539,332
Exercise of stock options146,950   —  —  1,539  —  1,539  
Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stock256,851
 26
 (26) 
 
 
 
Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stock256,851   —  —  (0) —  —  
Common stock issued for vesting of performance shares28,804
 3
 (3) 
 
 
 
Common stock issued for vesting of performance shares28,804   —  —  (0) —  —  
Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock(85,828) (9) (1,792,892) 
 
 
 (1,792,901)Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock(85,828) (0) —  —  (1,793) —  (1,793) 
Purchases of treasury stock
 
 
 (1,237,076) (20,669,387) 
 (20,669,387)Purchases of treasury stock—  —  (1,237,076) (20,669) —  —  (20,669) 
Net income
 
 
 
 
 12,623,229
 12,623,229
Net income—  —  —  —  —  12,623  12,623  
Balance at December 31, 201730,768,050
 $3,080
 $337,445,078
 (3,526,870) $(69,818,299) $91,242,077
 $358,871,936
Balance at December 31, 201730,768,050   (3,526,870) (69,818) 337,445  91,242  358,872  
Share compensation expenseShare compensation expense—  —  —  —  9,289  —  9,289  
Exercise of stock optionsExercise of stock options384,092   —  —  4,230  —  4,230  
Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stock Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stock  221,291   —  —  (0) —  —  
Common stock issued for vesting of performance shares Common stock issued for vesting of performance shares  40,868   —  —  (0) —  —  
Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock  (94,304) (0) —  —  (2,623) —  (2,623) 
Common shares issued for acquisitionCommon shares issued for acquisition25,223   —  —  693  —  693  
Repurchase of convertible notes, net of deferred taxesRepurchase of convertible notes, net of deferred taxes—  —  —  —  (637) —  (637) 
Purchases of treasury stockPurchases of treasury stock—  —  (420,590) (9,752) —  —  (9,752) 
Cumulative effect of accounting changeCumulative effect of accounting change—  —  —  —  —  1,136  1,136  
Net incomeNet income—  —  —  —  —  28,723  28,723  
Balance at December 31, 2018Balance at December 31, 201831,345,220   (3,947,460) (79,571) 348,397  121,102  389,932  
Share compensation expenseShare compensation expense—  —  —  —  10,194  —  10,194  
Exercise of stock optionsExercise of stock options3,000   —  —  37  —  37  
Common stock issued for vesting of restricted stockCommon stock issued for vesting of restricted stock234,706   —  —  (0) —  —  
Common stock issued for vesting of performance sharesCommon stock issued for vesting of performance shares13,267   —  —  (0) —  —  
Common shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stockCommon shares withheld and retired to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon vesting of restricted stock(88,946) (0) —  —  (2,131) —  (2,131) 
Repurchase of convertible notes, net of deferred taxesRepurchase of convertible notes, net of deferred taxes—  —  —  —  103  —  103  
Purchases of treasury stockPurchases of treasury stock—  —  (1,329,978) (29,668) —  —  (29,668) 
Net incomeNet income—  —  —  —  —  14,846  14,846  
Balance at December 31, 2019Balance at December 31, 201931,507,247  $ (5,277,438) $(109,239) $356,600  $135,948  $383,312  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
See accompanying notes.

40

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Year Ended December 31,
Year Ended December 31,
2017 2016 2015
(In thousands)(In thousands)201920182017
Operating activities     Operating activities  
Net income$12,623,229
 $1,589,678
 $7,845,674
Net income$14,846  $28,723  $12,623  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:     Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Deferred income taxes(4,166,490) 4,149,089
 (5,122)Deferred income taxes4,783  7,124  (4,166) 
Noncash stock compensation expense9,021,933
 13,134,402
 14,023,751
Noncash stock compensation expense10,194  9,289  9,022  
Noncash interest expense8,065,111
 7,614,220
 4,867,364
Noncash interest expense7,345  9,077  8,065  
Change in contingent consideration due to seller1,069,533
 (112,954) 201,452
Change in contingent consideration due to seller1,050  410  1,070  
Change in contingent consideration due from seller(78,728) 5,145
 
Change in contingent consideration due from seller—  —  (79) 
Loss on disposal of assets12,666
 409,020
 
Loss on disposal of assets—  —  13  
Depreciation and amortization32,727,727
 32,137,592
 24,142,527
Depreciation and amortization38,387  36,638  32,728  
Change in assets, net of acquisitions:     Change in assets, net of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable(78,302,511) (35,010,031) 12,508,623
Accounts receivable50,469  (12,700) (78,303) 
Income taxes receivable2,858,012
 (8,533,585) (1,464,187)Income taxes receivable469  2,542  2,858  
Prepaid expenses and other assets1,440,186
 (5,528,243) (450,824)Prepaid expenses and other assets(700) (4,492) 1,440  
Change in liabilities, net of acquisitions:     Change in liabilities, net of acquisitions:
Accounts payable58,055,759
 31,400,638
 5,745,669
Accounts payable(28,586) 11,225  58,056  
Accrued expenses and other liabilities5,389,253
 18,480,794
 3,421,529
Accrued expenses and other liabilities(12,628) 6,783  5,389  
Payment of contingent consideration in excess of amounts established in purchase accountingPayment of contingent consideration in excess of amounts established in purchase accounting(1,097) (375) —  
Net cash provided by operating activities48,715,680
 59,735,765
 70,836,456
Net cash provided by operating activities84,532  94,245  48,716  
Investing activities   
  Investing activities 
Purchases of property and equipment(20,729,462) (46,887,769) (14,744,850)Purchases of property and equipment(23,926) (24,101) (20,729) 
Investments in business entitiesInvestments in business entities—  (1,000) —  
Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
 
 (390,395,041)Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired(33) (6,720) —  
Net cash used in investing activities(20,729,462) (46,887,769) (405,139,891)Net cash used in investing activities(23,959) (31,821) (20,729) 
Financing activities 
  
  Financing activities  
Tax benefit of stock options exercised
 1,660,750
 2,222,458
Receipt of contingent consideration due from seller500,000
 750,000
 
Receipt of contingent consideration due from seller—  —  500  
Payments of contingent consideration due to seller(694,533) (2,273,743) (2,945,833)Payments of contingent consideration due to seller(1,206) (550) (695) 
Proceeds from exercise of stock options1,539,332
 1,156,760
 1,057,883
Proceeds from exercise of stock options37  4,230  1,539  
Employee tax withholdings related to net share settlements of equity-based awards(1,792,901) (4,868,956) (1,922,147)Employee tax withholdings related to net share settlements of equity-based awards(2,131) (2,623) (1,793) 
Purchases of treasury stock(20,669,387) (49,148,912) 
Purchases of treasury stock(29,014) (9,497) (20,669) 
Proceeds from borrowing on line of credit
 
 34,782,500
Repayments of amounts borrowed on line of credit
 
 (34,782,500)
Purchases of Convertible NotesPurchases of Convertible Notes(33,915) (37,217) —  
Proceeds from borrowing on ABL facility84,000,000
 48,500,000
 40,000,000
Proceeds from borrowing on ABL facility35,000  12,000  84,000  
Repayments of amounts borrowed on ABL facility(84,000,000) (48,500,000) (40,000,000)Repayments of amounts borrowed on ABL facility(35,000) (12,000) (84,000) 
Proceeds from sale of common stock, net of underwriting discounts and commissions
 
 158,412,500
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes, net of underwriting discounts and commissions
 
 223,100,000
Payment of common stock and debt issuance costs
 
 (4,133,851)
Payment to former owners of One Stop Logistics
 
 (17,507,500)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities(21,117,489) (52,724,101) 358,283,510
Increase (Decrease) in cash and cash equivalents6,868,729
 (39,876,105) 23,980,075
Net cash used in financing activitiesNet cash used in financing activities(66,229) (45,657) (21,117) 
(Decrease) Increase in cash and cash equivalents(Decrease) Increase in cash and cash equivalents(5,656) 16,766  6,869  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period16,646,089
 56,522,194
 32,542,119
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period40,281  23,515  16,646  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$23,514,818
 $16,646,089
 $56,522,194
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$34,626  $40,281  $23,515  
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information 
  
  Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information  
Cash paid during the year for interest$6,719,959
 $6,913,056
 $5,450,509
Cash paid during the year for interest$5,430  $6,594  $6,720  
Cash paid during the year for income taxes258,879
 3,100,284
 3,074,254
Cash paid during the year for income taxes5,173  174  259  
Cash received during the year for income taxes refunded6,658,834
 
 
Cash received during the year for income taxes refunded3,363  189  6,659  
Noncash investing activity     
Issuance of common stock in connection with Command acquisition
 
 14,746,000
Noncash financing activity 
  
  Noncash financing activity  
Fair value of due to seller obligation at acquisition date
 
 1,500,000
Liability for purchases of treasury stock not yet settled$
 $
 $784,829
Liability for purchases of treasury stock not yet settled$909  $255  $—  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
See accompanying notes.


41

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

1. Description of Business
Echo Global Logistics, Inc. ("the Company") is a leading provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management services. These services are delivered on a proprietary technology platform that serves the transportation and logistics needs of the Company's clients. The Company provides services across all major transportation modes, including truckload ("TL"), less than truckload ("LTL"), small parcel, intermodal, domestic air, expedited and international. The Company's core logistics services, include rate negotiation, shipment executionprimarily brokerage and tracking,transportation management services, include carrier selection, and management, routing compliance, freight bill payment and audit, and payment and performancedispatch, load management and reporting functions, including executive dashboard tools.tracking.


The Company's common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ECHO.”


2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the Company). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidation. The consolidated statements of operations include the results of entities or assets acquired from the effective date of the acquisition for accounting purposes.
Preparation of Financial Statements and Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results can differ from those estimates.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying value of the Company's financial instruments, which consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable, approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature. The fair value of the due to seller liabilities are determined based on the likelihood of the Company making contingent earn-out payments (see Note 5)6). The fair value of the due from seller asset related to the Command Transportation, LLC ("Command") acquisition was determined based on employee retention criteria which was settled in June 2017 (see Note 5)6). The fair value of the liability component of the Notes (as defined in Note 9)10) was determined using the discounted cash flow analysis discussed in Note 9.10.
Revenue RecognitionLeases
In accordance withThe Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 605-20 Revenue Recognition - Services842 Leases ("ASC Topic 842") on January 1, 2019, of which prior amounts are not adjusted and continue to be in accordance with the accounting standards in effect for those periods. The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Operating leases are recorded as right-of-use assets ("ROU assets"), transportation revenuewhich are included in operating lease assets, and related transportation costslease liabilities, which are included in other current liabilities and noncurrent operating lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2019, all Company leases were operating leases.
ROU assets represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Most leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term. The Company also has some leases that include termination options. The exercise of lease renewal or termination options is at the Company's sole discretion, and it does not recognize these options as part of its ROU assets or lease liabilities. The Company's lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.
The Company's leases generally do not provide an implicit rate, and therefore, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate when measuring operating lease liabilities. The incremental borrowing rate represents an estimate of the interest rate the Company would incur at lease commencement to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a grosscollateralized basis whenover the shipment has been deliveredterm of a lease within a particular currency environment. The incremental borrowing rate is influenced by a third-party carrier. Fee for service revenue, recognized on a net basis, is recognized when the services have been rendered. At the time of delivery or rendering of services, as applicable, the Company's obligation to fulfill a transaction is completecredit rating and collection of revenue is reasonably assured.lease term and may differ for individual leases.
In accordance with ASC Topic 605-45 Revenue Recognition - Principal Agent Considerations, the Company generally recognizes revenue on a gross basis, as opposed to a net basis similar to a commission arrangement, because it bears the risks and benefits associated with revenue-generated activities by, among other things: (1) acting as a principal in the transaction; (2) establishing prices; (3) managing all aspects of the shipping process, including the selection of the carrier; and (4) taking the risk of loss for collection, delivery, and returns. Certain transactions to provide specific services are recorded at the net amount charged to the client due to the following key factors: (a) we do not have latitude in carrier selection; (b) we do not establish rates with the carrier; and (c) we have credit risk for only the net revenue earned from our client while the carrier has credit risk for the transportation costs. Net revenue equals revenue minus transportation costs.

42

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

The Company adopted the package of practical expedients that allows it to (i) not reassess whether an arrangement contains a lease, (ii) carry forward its lease classification as operating or capital leases and (iii) not reassess its previously recorded initial direct costs. In addition, the Company elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components, and therefore both components are accounted for and recognized as lease components.
The Company's 2018 and 2017 leases were recognized in accordance with ASC Topic 840 Leases.
Revenue Recognition
The Company adopted ASC Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASC Topic 606") on January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC Topic 606, of which prior amounts are not adjusted and continue to be in accordance with the accounting standards in effect for those periods. Under ASC Topic 606, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the Company's customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for services. The Company generates revenue from two different client types: Transactional and Managed Transportation. Most clients are categorized as Transactional clients. For its Transactional business, the Company provides brokerage and transportation management services on a shipment-by-shipment basis. Carrier selection, dispatch, load management and tracking are integrated services that occur within the brokerage and transportation management performance obligation. The Company categorizes a client as a Managed Transportation client if there is an agreement with the client for the provision of services, typically for a multi-year term. Brokerage and transportation management services is typically the performance obligation for the Company's Managed Transportation clients. For the brokerage and transportation management services performance obligation, revenue is recognized as the client's shipment travels from origin to destination by a third-party carrier. The Company is the principal in these transactions and recognizes revenue on a gross and relative transit time basis.
Other performance obligations for Managed Transportation clients may include transportation management services, which includes the integrated services of dispatch, tracking and carrier payment. For these types of transactions, revenue is recorded on a net basis as the Company does not have latitude in carrier selection or establish rates with the carrier. The Company also performs project-based services, such as compliance management, customized re-billing services and freight studies for certain Managed Transportation clients. Further discussion of the changes to the revenue recognition policy under the new standard is discussed in Note 5.
The Company's 2017 revenue was recognized in accordance with ASC Topic 605-20 Revenue Recognition - Services, transportation revenue and related transportation costs were recognized when the shipment was delivered by a third-party carrier. In accordance with ASC Topic 605-45 Revenue Recognition - Principal Agent Considerations, revenue was primarily recognized on a gross basis.
Rebates
The Company has entered into agreements with certain clients to rebate to them a portion of the costs that they pay to the Company for transportation services, based on certain conditions and/or pricing schedules that are specific to each individual agreement, but that are typically constructed as a percentage of the costs that the client incurs. Refer to further discussion in Note 5.
Rebates are recognized at the same time that the related transportation revenue is recognized and are recorded as a reduction of transportation revenue.
Segment Reporting
For operating purposes, the Company is organized as one1 operating segment pursuant to the provisions of ASC Topic 820 280 Segment Reporting, which establishes accounting standards for segment reporting. The Company's chief operating decision-maker assesses performance and makes resource allocation decisions for the business as a single operating segment. There has been no change from prior periods in the Company's determination that it has one1 reportable segment for reporting purposes.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

43

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Accounts receivable are uncollateralized customer obligations due under normal trade terms. Invoices require payment within 30 to 90 days from the invoice date. Accounts receivable are stated at the amount billed to the customer. Customer account balances with invoices 90 days past due are considered delinquent. The Company generally does not charge interest on past due amounts. Additionally, the Company maintains a credit insurance policy for certain accounts.
The carrying amount of accounts receivable is reduced by an allowance for doubtful accounts that reflects management's best estimate of amounts that will not be collected. The allowance is based on historical loss experience and any specific risks identified in client collection matters. Accounts receivable are charged off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when it is determined that the receivable is uncollectible. The Company recorded $1,894,485, $1,069,165$2.3 million, $2.7 million and $1,427,983$1.9 million of bad debt expense for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Leasehold improvements under operating leases are depreciated over the estimated useful life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease, whichever is shorter. The estimated useful lives, by asset class, are as follows:
Computer equipment and software3 years
Office equipment5 years
Furniture and fixtures5 - 7 years
Operating Leases
Certain operating leases include rent increases during the initial lease term. For these leases, we recognize the related rental expenses on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease, which includes any rent holiday period, and record the difference between the amounts charged to rent expense and amounts paid as deferred rent.
Internal Use Software
Certain costs incurred in the planning and evaluation stage of internal use computer software projects are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred during the application development stage are capitalized and included in property and equipment. The Company capitalized $16.9 million and $18.2 million of internal use software costs during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Capitalized internal use software costs are amortized over the expected economic life of three years using the straight-line method. The total expense, included in depreciation expense, for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017 was $10,013,198, $9,031,147$17.9 million, $15.0 million and $8,648,096,$10.0 million, respectively. At December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the net book value of internal use software costs was $29,270,620$31.5 million and $20,234,055,$32.5 million, respectively.

43

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Goodwill and Other Intangibles
Goodwill represents the excess of consideration transferred over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired. In accordance with ASC Topic 350 Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment, goodwill is not amortized, but instead is tested for impairment annually, or more frequently if circumstances indicate a possible impairment may exist. Absent any special circumstances that could require an interim test, the Company has elected to test for goodwill impairment during the fourth quarter of each year.
The Company manages the business as one operating segment and one reporting unit pursuant to the provisions of ASC Topic 280 Segment Reporting, which established accounting standards for segment reporting. In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") approved Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2011-08, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment." This ASU permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. After assessing qualitative factors, if an entity determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, no further testing is necessary. In October 2017,2019, the Company performed a qualitative goodwill impairment assessment of the reporting unit in accordance with ASC 350. As part of the qualitative assessment, the Company compared its current results to the forecasted expectations of our most recent quantitative analysis, along with analyzing its market cap as of the assessment date, macroeconomic conditions, current industry trends and transactions, and other market data of its industry trends.peers. The Company concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount.
ASC Topic 350 also requires that intangible assets with finite lives be amortized over their respective estimated useful lives and reviewed for impairment whenever impairment indicators exist in accordance with ASC Topic 360 Property, Plant and Equipment. The Company's intangible assets consist of customer relationships, carrier relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names, which are being amortized over their estimated weighted-average useful lives of 14.8 years, 17.0years,17.0 years, 6.7
44

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
years and 4.0 years, respectively. The weighted-average useful life of total intangible assets is 14.4 years. The customer relationships are being amortized using an accelerated method, while carrier relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names and non-compete agreements are being amortized using the straight-line method.
Self-Insurance Liability
The Company is self-insured for its employee health plans and records a liability that represents its estimated cost of claims incurred and unpaid as of the balance sheet date. The Company's estimated liability is not discounted and is based on a number of assumptions and factors, including historical trends, actuarial assumptions and economic conditions. The total estimated self-insurance liabilities atas of December 31, 20172019 and 20162018 were $919,344$0.8 million and $1,127,177,$0.9 million, respectively.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC Topic 718 Compensation - Stock Compensation which requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based upon their fair values. Share-based employee compensation costs are recognized as a component of selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations. See Note 14—Stock-Based Compensation Plans15 for a description of the Company's accounting for stock-based compensation plans.
Income Taxes
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Act" or "TCJA") was signed into legislation. The Act reducesreduced the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, and imposesimposed a one-time transition tax on certain foreign earnings, effective January 1, 2018. The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118"), which provides guidance on accounting forAt December 31, 2017, the tax effects of the Act. The Company recorded a decrease in its deferred tax liabilities, with a corresponding net adjustment to the deferred income tax benefit. Refer to Note 11 for further information related toNo transition tax was recorded as the Company's provisional estimate of the effects of the Act.
Company does not have any foreign subsidiaries. The Company accounts for income taxes2018 and 2019 tax provisions were recorded in accordance with the Act and the updated guidance within ASC 740, Income Taxes.
Under ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes, under which deferred assets and liabilities are recognized based upon anticipated future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying values of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. A valuation allowance is established to reduce the carrying value of deferred tax assets if it is considered more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. Any change in the valuation allowance would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.

44

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement.


3. New Accounting Pronouncements


Recently adopted accounting pronouncements


ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting
In MarchFebruary 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016 -09, Compensation - Stock Compensation: ImprovementsASU 2016-02, Leases, requiring a lessee to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The new standard providesrecord, on the balance sheet, the assets and liabilities for a change to accounting for stock compensation including: 1) excess tax benefitsthe right-of-use assets and tax deficiencies related to share-based payment awards will be recognized as an income tax benefit or expense in the reporting period in which they occur; 2) excess tax benefits will be classified as an operating activity in the statementlease obligations created by leases with lease terms of cash flows; 3) the option to elect to estimate forfeitures or account for them when they occur; and 4) an increase in the tax withholding requirements threshold to qualify for equity classification. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017 prospectively (prior periods have not been restated). For the year ended December 31, 2017, a net excess tax deficiency was recognized as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations and any excess tax benefits were classified as operating activity in the consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company will continue to estimate forfeitures.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted

ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers
more than 12 months. In May 2014,July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers,2018-11which added amendments to clarify the principles used to recognize revenue for all entities. The guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. This new standard requirescreate an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. Two methods of adoption are permitted - a full retrospectiveoptional transition method that appliesprovided an option to use the new standard to each prior reporting period presented, or a modified retrospective approach that recognizes the cumulative effecteffective date of applying the new standard atASC 842, Leases, as the date of initial application.application of the transition. In addition, the new standard requires enhanced qualitative and quantitative disclosures related to the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.

The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 20182019 using the modified retrospective approach. As a result of using this approach,The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those period. Upon adoption, the Company will recognizeelected the cumulative effect adjustmentpackage of practical expedients that allows it to retained earnings for(i) not reassess whether an arrangement contains a lease, (ii) carry forward its lease classification as operating or capital leases and (iii) not reassess its previously recorded initial application of the guidance at the date of initial adoption. The Company evaluated its existing contracts and determined that this standard did not have a significant impact on its gross versus net revenue recognition policies for its Transactional and Managed Transportation revenues. This new standard required the Company to evaluate whether it transfers control of its performance obligations as of either (i) a point in time or (ii) over time. The adoption of this new standard will adjust the revenue recognition timing of its brokerage and transportation management services performance obligation from point in time to over time, which will result in a cumulative transition adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings, on January 1, 2018, of approximately $1.0 million to $1.5 million, net of tax. While this adoption also effects the corresponding direct costs of revenue, including commissions, the Company does not expect this change to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements due to the short term nature of its performance obligations. As the Company continues its assessment of these matters, it is preparing to implement changes to its accounting policies, practices and internal controls over financial reporting to support the new standard.costs. In addition, the new standard will expandCompany elected the existing revenue recognition disclosures based on the new qualitativepractical expedient to not separate lease and quantitative disclosure requirements upon adoption.non-lease components whereby both components are accounted for and recognized as lease components.


ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation to provide guidance regarding which changes to a share-based payment award require modification accounting in Topic 718. The new accounting standard is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. The new standard should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The impact of this guidance, which was applied prospectively on January 1, 2018, is dependent on future modifications, if any, to the Company's share-based payment awards.


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Table of Contents
Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

The adoption resulted in a lease asset of $21.0 million and a lease liability of $41.2 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. The Company's previous liability for deferred rent of $20.3 million, as of January 1, 2019, was offset against the right of use asset upon adoption of the new standard. The standard did not impact the Company's consolidated statement of operations or consolidated statement of cash flows. The Company fully describes the adoption and impact of this standard in Note 20. As part of the adoption of this standard, the Company implemented changes to its accounting policies, practices and internal controls over financial reporting.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include all share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. The amendments in this update were effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company's current share-based payment awards to non-employees consist only of grants made to the Company's non-employee Directors as compensation solely related to each individual's role as a non-employee Director. As such, in accordance with ASC 718, the Company accounts for these share-based payment awards to its non-employee Directors in the same manner as share-based payment awards for its employees. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2019, and the amendments in this guidance had no effect on the accounting for its share-based payment awards to its non-employee Directors, and had no effect on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, which aligns the accounting for implementation costs of a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract with the guidance on capitalizing costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. This guidance also requires companies to amortize these implementation costs over the life of the service contract in the same line item within the consolidated statements of operations as the fees associated with the hosting service. This new accounting standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this accounting standard prospectively in the third quarter of 2019, and the adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In July 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-07, Codification Updates to SEC Sections, which clarifies the disclosure and presentation requirements of a variety of codification topics by aligning them with the SEC's regulations, thereby eliminating redundancies and making the codification easier to apply. This ASU was effective upon issuance and did not have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. This new accounting standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early2019, with early adoption is permitted. TheOn October 1, 2019, the Company is evaluating the effects that theearly adopted ASU 2017-04. The adoption of this guidance willnew standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.


ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying the Definition of a BusinessRecently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted


In January 2017,August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying2018-13, Fair Value Measurement, which modifies the Definition of a Business, to clarify the definition of a business to assist entities when evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses. Thedisclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement. This new accounting standard iswill be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those periods.2019. The impact of this guidance, which was applied prospectivelyCompany adopted the standard on January 1, 2018, may result in2020, prospectively, and it anticipates that the accounting of future transactions as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses.standard will not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.


ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows

In AugustJune 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows ("ASU 2016-15"). ASU 2016-15 clarifies2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), which replaces the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows, including debt prepayment or extinguishment costs and the settlement of contingent consideration arising from an acquisition. An updateincurred loss methodology previously employed to this standard was issued in November 2016 (ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows). This update requires companies to explain a change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. This new accounting standard is effectivemeasure credit losses for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Full retrospective adoption is required. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2018 and does not expect this adjustment to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated statements of cash flows.

ASU 2016-02, Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, requiring a lessee to record, on the balance sheet, themost financial assets and liabilities forrequires the right-of-useuse of a forward-looking expected loss model. Current accounting delays the recognition of credit losses until it is probable a loss has been incurred, while the update will require financial assets to be measured at amortized costs less a reserve and lease obligations created by leases with lease terms of more than 12 months.equal to the net amount expected to be collected. This new accounting standard will be effective for fiscal yearsannual periods beginning after December 15, 2018,2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company plans to adopt thisadopted the standard on January 1, 2019. Adoption will require a modified retrospective approach beginning with the earliest period presented, along with enhanced qualitative2020, prospectively, and quantitative disclosures. The Companyit anticipates that the adoption of this standard will materially affectnot have a material effect on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company has established an implementation teamfinancial statements.


46

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and is evaluating the accounting, transitionSubsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and disclosure requirements of the new standard.2017

4. Acquisitions

2015 Acquisitions

Xpress Solutions, Inc.


On February 1, 2015,July 6, 2018, the Company acquired Xpress Solutions,Freight Management Plus, Inc. ("Xpress"Freight Management", or "FMP"), a non-asset based TLtruckload and LTLless than truckload transportation brokerage based in Frankfort, Illinois,Allison Park, Pennsylvania, and the results of XpressFMP have been included in the Company's consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date. The Company purchased the assets and assumed certain liabilities of XpressFMP for $6,054,937$6.7 million in cash subject to working capital adjustments,payable at closing, $0.7 million of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and an additional $3,000,000$2.9 million in contingent consideration that may become payable upon the achievement of certain performance measures on or prior to January 31, 2019.June 30, 2021. The acquisition date fair value of the total consideration transferred was $10.5 million. The Company recorded $2.3 million of goodwill, $1.4 million as the estimated opening balance sheet fair value of the contingent consideration obligation and $5.1 million of customer relationship intangible assets. The fair values of the contingent consideration obligation and the customer relationship intangible assets are considered Level 3 fair value estimates. The fair value of the contingent consideration obligation was based on the probability of reaching the financial forecasts of future operating results, an appropriate discount rate and the Company's historical experience with similar arrangements as further described in Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements. The fair value of the customer relationship intangible assets was determined using a discounted cash flow analysis based on the current customers of FMP at the time of the acquisition. The amount of goodwill deductible for U.S. income tax purposes is $0.9 million, which excludes the opening balance sheet fair value of the contingent consideration obligation.


The opening balance sheet fair value of the contingent consideration was $1.4 million. During 2019, the Company has recognizedmade a $1,049,533 increase inpayment of $1.0 million to the seller of FMP based on the achievement of certain financial measures as defined within the acquisition purchase agreement. As of December, 31, 2019 the fair value of the remaining contingent consideration was $1.7 million. The Company will continue to reassess the fair value of the contingent consideration obligation each quarter.

5. Revenue

Adoption of ASC Topic 606, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers"

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASC Topic 606"), using the modified retrospective method. The Company recorded an increase to the opening balance of retained earnings of $1.1 million, net of tax, as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adoption of ASC Topic 606.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for its services. The Company generates revenue from two different client types: Transactional and Managed Transportation. Most clients are categorized as Transactional clients. For its Transactional business, the Company provides brokerage and transportation management services on a shipment-by-shipment basis. Carrier selection, dispatch, load management and tracking are integrated services that occur within the brokerage and transportation management performance obligation. For the brokerage and transportation management services performance obligation, revenue is recognized as the client's shipment travels from origin to destination by a third-party carrier. The Company is the principal in these transactions and recognizes revenue on a gross and relative transit time basis.

The Company categorizes a client as a Managed Transportation client if there is an agreement with the client for the year ended December 31, 2017, resulting inprovision of services, typically for a contingent considerationmulti-year term. Brokerage and transportation management services is typically the performance obligation of $1,700,000 at December 31, 2017.for the Company's Managed Transportation clients. For the year ended December 31, 2016,this performance obligation, revenue is recognized gross as the Company is the principal in these transactions and is recognized as the Managed Transportation client's shipment travels from origin to destination on a $192,091 decreaserelative transit time basis. Other performance obligations for Managed Transportation clients may include transportation management services, which includes the integrated services of dispatch, tracking and carrier payment. For these types of transactions, revenue is recorded on a net basis as the Company does not have
latitude in carrier selection or establish rates with the fair value of the contingent consideration obligation, resulting in a contingent consideration obligation of $970,000 at December 31, 2016.carrier. The Company also performs project-based services, such as compliance management, customized re-billing services and freight studies for certain Managed Transportation clients.




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47

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

The following table presents the Company's revenue disaggregated by client type (in thousands):
Command Transportation, LLC
Year Ended December 31,
Client Type201920182017(1)
Transactional$1,684,872  $1,915,589  $1,538,766  
Managed Transportation500,105  524,112  404,321  
Revenue$2,184,977  $2,439,701  $1,943,086  

Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
On June 1, 2015,(1) 2017 amounts have not been adjusted under the modified retrospective method.

Revenue recognized per shipment varies depending on the transportation mode. The primary modes of shipment in which the Company completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding membership units of Command Transportation, LLC ("Command"), one of the largest privately held TL brokerstransacts are truckload and non-asset basedless than truckload. Other transportation providers in the United States. Command was headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, with satellite locations in Texas, Missourimodes include intermodal, small parcel, domestic air, expedited and Kansas. In October 2016, the majority of Command employees previously located in Skokie moved tointernational.

The following table presents the Company's headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.revenue disaggregated by mode (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
Mode20192018
2017(1)
Truckload$1,437,566  $1,686,358  $1,322,311  
Less than truckload646,594  638,404  520,593  
Other revenue100,817  114,939  100,183  
Revenue$2,184,977  $2,439,701  $1,943,086  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
(1) 2017 amounts have not been adjusted under the modified retrospective method.

Variable Consideration

Certain customers may receive rebates based on the terms of their agreement with the Company, which are accounted for as variable consideration. Rebates are estimated based on the expected amount to be provided to customers and reduce revenue recognized. The Company also estimates for possible additional fees based on a portfolio approach.

Practical Expedients

The Company financedadopted the cash purchase price forpractical expedient to recognize commission expense when incurred because the Command acquisition, in part,amortization period is less than one year. Commission expense recognition aligns with the proceeds from the issuance of shares of its common stock and Notes,Company's revenue recognition policy under ASC Topic 606, as defined in Note 9. commission expense is recognized on a relative transit time basis.

The Company financedapplied the remainderdisclosure exemption in ASC Topic 606 that permits the omission of the cash purchase price for the Command acquisition with drawings under its ABL Facility, also defined in Note 9. Additionally, a portionremaining performance obligations that have an original expected duration of the purchase price consisted of shares of Echo common stock issued to one of the sellers. The acquisition date fair value of the total consideration transferred was $407.7 million. The following table summarizes the allocation of the total consideration transferred for the acquisition of Command:year or less.


Cash$394,279,778
Echo common stock, fair value14,746,000
Contingent consideration, fair value(1,176,417)
Working capital adjustment, December 2015(142,969)
Total consideration transferred$407,706,392

On June 1, 2015, the Company issued 335,882 shares of restricted common stock to 33 Command employees as employment inducement awards pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). This restricted common stock vested on June 1, 2016 and was recognized as compensation expense over the vesting period. Additionally, at the closing, the Company issued 100,766 and 67,178 shares of restricted common stock and performance stock, respectively, to two of the sellers who entered into new employment agreements with the Company as employment inducement awards pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). As of December 31, 2017, there were no shares of restricted common stock and performance stock outstanding. As of December 31, 2016, 33,588 and 33,589 shares of restricted common stock and performance stock, respectively, were outstanding. The stock compensation expense related to these issuances for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $0.4 million, $5.3 million and $7.3 million, respectively.

5.6. Fair Value Measurement


The Company applies ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, for its financial assets and financial liabilities. The guidance requires disclosures about assets and liabilities measured at fair value. The Company's financial liabilities primarily relate to contingent earn-out payments due to sellers in connection with various acquisitions. The fair value of the due to seller liabilities at December 31, 20172019 and 2018 was $2.1 million.$1.7 million and $3.0 million, respectively. The potential earnout payments and performance are defined in the individual purchase agreement for each acquisition. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") is the performance target defined and measured to determine the earnout payment due, if any, after each defined measurement period.

The Company's financial assets related to contingent payments that were due from the seller of Command based upon certain employee retention criteria. As of December 31, 2017, there was no remaining balance of the due from seller asset as the employee retention criteria were met.


ASC Topic 820 includes a fair value hierarchy that is intended to increase consistency and comparability in fair value measurements and related disclosures. The fair value hierarchy is based on observable or unobservable inputs to valuation techniques that are used to measure fair value. Observable inputs reflect assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources while unobservable inputs reflect a reporting entity's pricing based upon its own market assumptions. The fair value hierarchy consists of the following three levels:

Level 1: Inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.


47
48

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

Level 1: Inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Inputs are quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in an active market, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable and market-corroborated inputs, which are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3: Inputs that are derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or value drivers are unobservable.


The significant inputs used to derive the fair value of the amounts due to seller include financial forecasts of future operating results, the probability of reaching the forecast and an appropriate discount rate for each contingent liability. Probabilities are estimated by reviewing financial forecasts and assessing the likelihood of reaching the required performance measures based on factors specific to each acquisition as well as the Company’s historical experience with similar arrangements. If an acquisition reaches the required performance measure, the estimated probability would be increased to 100% and would still be classified as a contingent liability on the balance sheet. If the measure is not reached, the probability would be reduced to reflect the amount earned, if any, depending on the terms of the agreement. Discount rates used in determining the fair value of the contingent consideration due to seller ranged between 5%2% and 6%3%. Historical results of the respective acquisitions serve as the basis for preparing the financial forecasts used in the valuation.


Quantitative factors are also considered in these forecasts, including acquisition synergies, growth and sales potential and potential operational efficiencies gained. Changes to the significant inputs used in determining the fair value of the contingent consideration due to seller could result in a change in the fair value of the contingent consideration. However, the correlation and inverse relationship between higher projected financial results to the discount rate applied and probability of meeting the financial targets mitigates the effect of any changes to the unobservable inputs.


The following tables set forth the Company's financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and the basis of measurement at December 31, 20172019 and 2016:2018 (in thousands):


Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2019
 TotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3
Liabilities: 
Contingent consideration due to seller$(1,707) —  —  $(1,707) 
 Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2017
 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Liabilities:       
Contingent consideration due to seller$(2,075,000) 
 
 $(2,075,000)


Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2018
 TotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3
Liabilities:
Contingent consideration due to seller$(2,960) —  —  $(2,960) 
 Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2016
 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Liabilities:       
Contingent consideration due to seller$(1,700,000) 
 
 $(1,700,000)
Assets:       
Contingent consideration due from seller$421,272
 
 
 $421,272


The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for the liabilities measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) (in thousands):
Due to Seller Liability
Balance at January 1, 2018$(2,075)
  FMP acquisition, acquisition date fair value(1,400)
  Change in contingent consideration due to seller(410)
  Payments of contingent consideration due to seller925 
Balance at December 31, 2018(2,960)
  Change in contingent consideration due to seller(1,050)
  Payments of contingent consideration due to seller2,303 
Balance at December 31, 2019$(1,707)
 Due to Seller Liability
Balance at January 1, 2016$(4,086,697)
  Change in contingent consideration due to seller112,954
  Payments of contingent consideration due to seller2,273,743
Balance at December 31, 2016(1,700,000)
  Change in contingent consideration due to seller(1,069,533)
  Payments of contingent consideration due to seller694,533
Balance at December 31, 2017$(2,075,000)



For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized net expense of $1.1 million, $0.4 million and $1.0 million, respectively, in selling, general and administrative expense due to the change in fair value determined
48
49

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for the assets measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):
Due from Seller Asset
Balance at January 1, 2016$
  Command purchase price adjustment1,176,417
  Receipt of contingent consideration due from seller(750,000)
  Change in contingent consideration due from seller(5,145)
Balance at December 31, 2016421,272
  Receipt of contingent consideration due from seller(500,000)
  Change in contingent consideration due from seller78,728
Balance at December 31, 2017$

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized a net expense of $990,805 in selling, general and administrative expense due to the change in fair value determined by a level three valuation technique. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company recognized a net benefit of $107,809 and a net expense of $201,452, respectively. These changes in fair value resulted from using revised forecasts that took into account the most recent performance at each acquired business and the effect of the time value of money and the satisfaction of the employee retention criteria.money.


For the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, the Company made contingent earn-out payments of $694,533, $2,273,743$2.3 million, $0.9 million and $2,945,833,$0.7 million, respectively, to sellers of businesses acquired by the Company. The Company did not receive any contingent payments during 2019 and 2018. During 2017, and 2016, the Company received $500,000 and $750,000, respectively,$0.5 million of contingent payments from the seller of Command. The Company did not receive any contingent payments from the seller of Command in 2015.


6.
7. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment at December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, consisted of the following:following (in thousands):
December 31, 2019December 31, 2018
Computer equipment$24,950  $25,060  
Software, including internal use software124,692  107,821  
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment9,678  9,594  
Leasehold improvements29,621  29,491  
188,940  171,966  
Less accumulated depreciation(130,320) (110,010) 
Net property and equipment$58,620  $61,955  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016
Computer equipment$21,528,462
 $18,976,263
Software, including internal use software89,580,293
 70,530,529
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment9,268,429
 8,797,633
Leasehold improvements29,233,960
 27,441,169
 149,611,144
 125,745,594
Less accumulated depreciation(86,549,254) (68,295,535)
Net property and equipment$63,061,890
 $57,450,059
Depreciation expense, including amortization of capitalized internal use software, was $18,483,928, $16,333,164$26.6 million, $23.6 million and $12,403,273$18.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively.


7.8. Intangibles and Other Assets


The following is a summary of goodwill as of December 31, 2016:2018 (in thousands):
Balance as of January 1, 2018$307,314 
FMP acquisition, goodwill acquired2,275 
Balance as of December 31, 2018$309,589 
Balance as of January 1, 2016$308,490,588
  Command acquisition, purchase accounting adjustment(1,176,417)
Balance as of December 31, 2016$307,314,171


The balance of goodwill was $307,314,171$309.6 million as of December 31, 2017,2019 as no changes occurred during the period.



49

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

The following is a summary of intangible assets as of December 31, 20172019 and December 31, 20162018 (in thousands):
December 31, 2019December 31, 2018
 CostAccumulated AmortizationNetCostAccumulated AmortizationNet
Customer relationships$150,239  $(67,317) $82,922  $150,239  $(57,875) $92,364  
Carrier relationships18,300  (4,934) 13,366  18,300  (3,857) 14,443  
Non-compete agreements5,239  (3,765) 1,474  5,239  (3,003) 2,236  
Trade names5,640  (5,640) —  5,640  (5,119) 521  
Total intangible assets$179,418  $(81,656) $97,762  $179,418  $(69,855) $109,563  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016
 Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Cost Accumulated Amortization Net
Customer relationships$145,138,979
 $(48,058,392) $97,080,587
 $145,138,979
 $(37,018,562) $108,120,417
Carrier relationships18,300,000
 (2,780,882) 15,519,118
 18,300,000
 (1,704,412) 16,595,588
Non-compete agreements5,239,000
 (2,215,597) 3,023,403
 5,239,000
 (1,428,097) 3,810,903
Trade names5,640,000
 (3,779,167) 1,860,833
 5,640,000
 (2,439,167) 3,200,833
Total intangible assets$174,317,979
 $(56,834,038) $117,483,941
 $174,317,979
 $(42,590,238) $131,727,741


The customer relationships are being amortized using an accelerated method, as an accelerated method best approximates the distribution of cash flows generated by the acquired customer relationships. The carrier relationships, trade names and non-compete agreements are being amortized using the straight-line method. Amortization expense related to intangible assets was $14,243,800, $15,804,428$11.8 million, $13.0 million and $11,739,254$14.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, 2016respectively.


50

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and 2015, respectively.Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
The estimated amortization expense for the next five years and thereafter is as follows:follows (in thousands):
2018$12,861,305
201911,470,909
202010,638,587
202110,025,278
20229,668,247
Thereafter62,819,615
Total$117,483,941

2020$10,973  
202110,362  
202210,005  
20239,501  
20248,897  
Thereafter48,023  
Total$97,762  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

8.
9. Accrued Expenses and Other Noncurrent Liabilities


The components of accrued expenses at December 31, 20172019 and December 31, 20162018 are as follows:follows (in thousands):
 December 31, 2019December 31, 2018
Accrued compensation$21,192  $31,825  
Accrued rebates3,119  2,669  
Accrued employee benefits4,235  2,620  
Accrued professional service fees1,395  2,082  
Accrued interest881  1,017  
Deferred rent—  2,439  
Other4,407  5,476  
Total accrued expenses$35,229  $48,129  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016
Accrued compensation$24,205,876
 $15,947,570
Accrued rebates2,037,537
 1,566,825
Accrued employee benefits2,480,348
 2,796,050
Accrued professional service fees697,950
 619,502
Accrued interest1,138,527
 1,158,854
Deferred rent2,641,228
 2,847,842
Other6,458,568
 6,874,028
Total accrued expenses$39,660,034
 $31,810,671


The other noncurrent liabilities of $20,301,082 and $19,487,942$0.6 million at December 31, 2017 and2019 consist of the long-term portion of the Company's uncertain tax liability. The other noncurrent liabilities of $18.4 million at December 31, 2016, respectively,2018 consist primarily of the portion of deferred rent in excess of twelve months.months, and the long-term uncertain tax liability.


9.10. Long-Term Debt


ABL Facility


On June 1, 2015,October 23, 2018, the Company and Command, as co-borrowers, entered into aAmendment No. 2 to its Revolving Credit and Security Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”"Second Amendment") with, which amended the terms of its existing Revolving Credit and Security Agreement, dated as of June 1, 2015, by and among the Company, the lenders party thereto, and PNC Bank, National Association, as administrative agent Bank of America, N.A.(as amended, restated or otherwise modified prior to the Second Amendment, the "Existing Credit Agreement" and, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., each as co-syndication agents, andamended by the lenders from time to time party thereto.Second Amendment, the "Amended Credit Agreement"). The Amended Credit Agreement provides for a senior secured revolving credit facility in an initial aggregate principal amount of up to $200$350 million (the “ABL Facility”"Amended ABL Facility"). The Company’s obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured, on a first lien priority basis, by certain working

50

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

capital assets.October 23, 2023. The initial aggregate principal amount under the Amended ABL Facility may be increased from time to time by an additional $100$150 million to a maximum aggregate principal amount of $300 million.$500 million; provided that certain requirements are satisfied. The Company's obligations under the Amended ABL Facility are secured, on a first lien priority basis, by certain working capital assets.


Interest is payable at a rate per annum equal to, at the option of the Company, any of the following, plus, in each case, an applicable margin: (a) a base rate determined by reference to the highest of (1) the federal funds effective rate, plus 0.50%, (2) the base commercial lending rate of PNC Bank, National Association and (3) a daily LIBOR rate, plus 1.00%; or (b) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the costs of funds for deposits in the relevant currency for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs. The applicable margin will beis 0.25% to 0.75%0.50% for borrowings at the base rate and 1.25% to 1.75%1.50% for borrowings at the LIBOR rate, in each case, based on the excess availability under the Amended ABL Facility.


51

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
The terms of the Amended ABL Facility include various covenants, including a covenant that requires the Company to maintain a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio at any time (a) a specified default occurs or (b) if excess availability falls below certain specified levels.

The Company isincurred issuance costs of $0.8 million in 2018 related to the Amended ABL Facility. In 2015, the Company incurred issuance costs of $3.1 million related to the ABL Facility. If the Company has an amount outstanding on the ABL Facility, these issuance costs are presented on the consolidated balance sheet as a reduction to the carrying amount of the debt and amortized to interest expense using straight-line amortization over the 5 year life of the Amended ABL Facility. If the Company has no outstanding draw on the ABL Facility, the unamortized issuance costs are presented as a deferred asset on the consolidated balance sheet. For each of the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded $0.5 million, $0.7 million and $0.7 million of interest expense related to the ABL Facility issuance costs, respectively.

Under the Amended ABL Facility, the Company will be required to pay a commitment fee in respect to the unutilized commitments under the Amended ABL Facility, in an amount between 0.25% and 0.375%, based on the excess availability for the prior calendar quarter under the ABL Facility. At December 31, 2017, the Company's commitment fee was calculated at a rate of 0.375%0.25%. The Company recognized interest expense related to the commitment fee and borrowings on the ABL Facility of $1.0$1.1 million, $0.9$0.8 million and $0.6$1.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively.


The Company drew $84.0$35.0 million, $48.5$12.0 million and $40.0$84.0 million on the ABL Facility for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively, all of which was repaid as of December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015. No2017. NaN amounts were outstanding on the ABL Facility as of December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015, respectively.2017. As there is no outstanding draw on the ABL Facility at December 31, 2019, the unamortized issuance costs are presented as a deferred asset on the consolidated balance sheets. Since June 1, 2015, the Company has been in compliance with all covenants related to the ABL Facility.


The issuance of letters of credit under the ABL Facility reduces available borrowings. At December 31, 2017,2019, there were $0.7 million of letters of credit outstanding. The total draw allowed on the Amended ABL Facility at December 31, 2017,2019, as determined by the working capital assets pledged as collateral, was $199.9$217.6 million. After adjusting for the letters of credit, the Company's remaining availability to borrow under the Amended ABL Facility at December 31, 20172019 was $199.2$216.9 million.

The Company incurred issuance costs of $3.1 million in 2015 related to the ABL Facility. These issuance costs are being amortized to interest expense using straight-line amortization over the 5 year life of the ABL Facility. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, the Company recorded $0.7 million, $0.7 million and $0.4 million of interest expense related to the ABL Facility issuance costs, respectively. As there is no outstanding draw on the ABL Facility at December 31, 2017, the unamortized issuance costs are presented as a deferred asset on the consolidated balance sheets.


Convertible Senior Notes


On May 5, 2015, the Company issued $230 million aggregate principal amount of 2.50% convertible senior notes due 2020 in a registered public offering (the "Notes").


The Notes bear interest at a rate of 2.50% per year payable semiannually in arrears in cash on May 1 and November 1 of each year, beginning on November 1, 2015. The Notes will mature on May 1, 2020, unless earlier converted or repurchased in accordance with the terms discussed below. The Notes are the Company's senior unsecured obligations and rank senior in right of payment to any of the Company's indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Notes; equal in right of payment to any of the Company's unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of the Company's secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of the Company's subsidiaries.


The Notes will be convertible, under certain circumstances and during certain periods, into cash, shares of the Company's common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of common stock at the Company's election, at an initial conversion rate of 25.5428 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $39.15 per share of common stock.


The Company's intent and policy will be to settleAt issuance, the $230 million principal amount of Notes in cash, and any excess conversion premium in shares of common stock. As such, the principal amount of the Notes will not be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per common share, but any conversion premium that exists will be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per common share using the treasury stock method. As of December 31, 2017, none of the conditions allowing holders of the Notes to convert have been met, and no conversion spread exists. As such, the Notes did not have a dilutive impact on diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2017.

51

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015


The accounting guidance in ASC 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, requires that the principal amount of the Notes be separated into liability and equity components at issuance. The value assigned to the liability component is the estimated fair value, as of the issuance date, of a similar debt instrument without the conversion feature. The difference between the principal amount of the Notes and the estimated fair value of the liability component, representing the value of the conversion premium assigned to the equity component, is recorded as a debt discount on the issuance date. The fair value of the liability component of the Notes was determined using a discounted cash flow analysis, in which the projected interest and principal payments were discounted back to the issuance date of the Notes at an estimated market yield for a similar debt instrument without the conversion feature. The Company estimated the straight debt yield using a combination of inputs observable in the marketplace, including the credit spread indicated by the terms of the Company's ABL Facility, LIBOR rates, and U.S. Treasury bonds. This represents a Level 2 valuation technique. The Company estimated the straight debt borrowing rates at issuance to be 5.75% for similar debt to the Notes without the conversion feature, which resulted in a fair value of the liability component of $198.5 million and a fair value of the equity component of $31.5 million. The fair value of the equity component was recorded as a debt discount, with the offset recorded as a credit to additional paid-in capital within stockholders' equity. The $31.5 million debt discount and Note issuance costs are being amortized to interest expense under the effective interest method over the 5 year life of the Notes, using an effective interest rate of 6.33%.


The Company allocated the total issuance costs related to the Notes to the liability and equity components based on their relative fair values. Issuance costs attributable to the liability component were recorded on the consolidated balance sheets as a contra-liability that reduces the carrying amount of the convertible note liability. This amount is being amortized to interest
52

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
expense over the term of the Notes using the effective interest method and an effective interest rate of 6.33%. Issuance costs attributable to the equity component were recorded as a charge to additional paid-in capital within stockholders' equity.


The Company has the intent and ability to refinance on a long-term basis the remaining principal amount of the Notes on May 1, 2020 using the Amended ABL Facility. As of December 31, 2019, the Company continues to classify the convertible debt as a noncurrent liability on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company expects to settle any excess conversion premium that exists in shares of common stock. As such, the principal amount of the Notes will not be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per common share, but any conversion premium that exists will be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per common share using the treasury stock method. As of December 31, 2019, none of the conditions allowing holders of the Notes to convert have been met, and no conversion spread exists. As such, the Notes did not have a dilutive impact on diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2019.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company repurchased $34.3 million par value of the 2.50% convertible senior notes for $33.9 million in cash. The Company accounted for this transaction in accordance with ASC 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, resulting in the recognition of a loss of $0.7 million for the year ended loss December 31, 2019. The loss is primarily for the write-off of the unamortized debt discount related to the Notes, which was included in interest expense in the Company's respective consolidated statements of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company repurchased $37.4 million par value of the 2.50% convertible senior notes for $37.2 million in cash, resulting in a $0.8 million loss.

As of December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the carrying amount of the Notes on the consolidated balance sheets is calculated as follows:follows (in thousands):
December 31, 2019December 31, 2018
Convertible senior notes, principal amount$158,295  $192,585  
Unamortized debt discount(1,667) (7,862) 
Unamortized debt issuance costs(330) (1,555) 
Convertible senior notes, net$156,298  $183,168  
 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016
Convertible senior notes, principal amount$230,000,000
 $230,000,000
Unamortized debt discount(15,930,370) (22,070,838)
Unamortized debt issuance costs(3,150,695) (4,365,151)
Convertible senior notes, net$210,918,935
 $203,564,011


The Notes are carried on the consolidated balance sheets at their principal amount, net of the unamortized debt discount and unamortized debt issuance costs, and are not marked to market each period. The approximate fair value of the Notes as of December 31, 20172019 was $232.3$158.1 million. The fair value of the Notes was estimated based on the trading price of the Notes at December 31, 2017.2019. As trading volume is low, these are quoted prices for identical instruments in markets that are not active, and thus are Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.


For 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, interest expense related to the Notes consisted of the following:following (in thousands):
December 31, 2019December 31, 2018December 31, 2017
Contractual coupon interest$4,243  $5,647  $5,750  
Debt discount amortization5,161  6,403  6,140  
Loss on extinguishment of debt711  751  —  
Debt issuance cost amortization1,021  1,266  1,214  
Interest expense, Notes$11,137  $14,067  $13,105  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 December 31, 2015
Contractual coupon interest$5,750,000
 $5,750,000
 $3,769,444
Debt discount amortization6,140,468
 5,764,549
 3,645,613
Debt issuance cost amortization1,214,456
 1,140,108
 721,026
Interest expense, Notes$13,104,924
 $12,654,657
 $8,136,083


The total undiscounted interest and principal payments due in relation to the Notes from December 31, 20172019 to the maturity date of the Notes on May 1, 2020 are as follows:is $160.3 million.


53
 Total201820192020
Senior convertible notes, including interest$244,375,000
5,750,000
5,750,000
$232,875,000


52

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

10.11. Commitments and Contingencies


Contingencies


In the normal course of business, we arethe Company is subject to potential claims and disputes related to ourits business, including claims for freight lost or damaged in transit. Some of these matters may be covered by ourits insurance and risk management programs or may result in claims or adjustments with ourthe Company's carriers. Management does not believe that the outcome of any of the legal proceedings to which the Company is a party will have a material adverse effect on its financial position or results of operations.


In July 2016, the Company received an unfavorable appeals assessment regarding a state activity-based tax matter of $1,291,941,$1.3 million, including penalties and interest, for the state tax audit period from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2014. The Company believes the assessment is without merit and is currently defending the Company's position through a formal appeals process. The Company has not recorded any potential loss related to this matter as of December 31, 2017.2019.


Leases
On February 17, 2016, the Company signed an 11-year lease for an additional 132,000 square feet at its Chicago, Illinois headquarters, bringing the total leased square footage at its headquarters to 224,678 square feet. The amended lease agreement expires in September 2027 and has escalating base monthly rental payments, plus an additional monthly payment for real estate taxes and common area maintenance fees related to the building. Leasehold improvements for the new space are amortized over the 11-year life of the lease.
In December 2016, Echo terminated its lease at the former Command headquarters in Skokie, Illinois (refer to Note 18). Subsequent to the relocation of Command employees to the Chicago headquarters, Echo recorded a termination liability, classified as accrued expenses on the consolidated balance sheets, related to the other Skokie lease as part of the Command acquisition. The balance of the termination liability was $84,807 and $646,410 as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, the Company continues to lease over 30 branch sales offices, with average lease terms between 3-5 years.
The Company recognizes operating lease rental expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The total rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $5,900,309, $8,426,920 and $5,620,731, respectively. The decrease in rental expense was primarily due to the 2016 termination costs related to the lease of the former Command headquarters.
Future minimum annual rental payments for the next five years and thereafter are as follows:
 
Operating
Leases
2018$8,170,842
20198,153,510
20207,811,715
20215,710,504
20226,103,127
Thereafter26,693,289
Total$62,642,987


11.12. Income Taxes
On December 22, 2017, the Act was signed into legislation. The Act reducesreduced the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, and imposesimposed a one-time transition tax on certain foreign earnings, effective January 1, 2018.
On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued SAB 118, which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Act's enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740, Income Taxes. Since the Act was passed late in the fourth quarter of

53

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

2017, and ongoing guidance and accounting interpretation are expected over the next 12 months, the Company considers the deferred tax re-measurements, and other items to be reasonable estimates, but provisional, due to the forthcoming guidance and its ongoing analysis of final year-end data and tax positions. The Company expects to complete its analysis within the measurement period in accordance with SAB 118. Asrecorded an adjustment of December 31, 2017, the Company has recorded$8.9 million as a decrease in itsto net deferred tax liability, of $8.9 million, with a corresponding net adjustment to deferred income tax benefit. No transition tax was recorded as the Company does not have any foreign subsidiaries.
The Company accounts for income taxes and related uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC Topic 740. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, the Company recognized net increaseincreases of $359,114$115 thousand, $44 thousand and net decreases of $160,672 and $112,599,$359 thousand, respectively, in unrecognized tax benefits that impact the tax rate. The Company's policy is to recognize interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. The Company has recorded interest on its unrecognized tax benefits in 20172019 and 2016.2018. The following is a reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits excluding interest and penalties for the years ended December 31, 20172019 and 2016:2018 (in thousands):
 20192018
Balance at January 1$498  $475  
Increases related to prior year tax positions21   
Increases related to current year tax positions90  67  
Decreases based on settlements with taxing authorities—  (48) 
Balance at December 31$609  $498  
 2017 2016
Balance at January 1$364,324
 $420,909
Increases related to prior year tax positions98,177
 410,170
Increases related to current year tax positions213,152
 82,500
Decreases based on settlements with taxing authorities(200,700) (549,255)
Balance at December 31$474,953
 $364,324
Of the total unrecognizedUnrecognized tax benefits, disclosed above, $257,119including interest and $54,649penalties, are classified as other noncurrent liabilities for the years ended December 31, 20172019 and 2016, respectively, and $26,475 and $227,175 are offsets to income taxes receivable as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, in the consolidated balance sheets. The remainder is included in deferred income taxes in the consolidated balance sheets.2018, respectively. The Company does not believe it will have any significant changes in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits in the next 12twelve months. The total amount of the unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, for the years ended December 31, 20172019 and 2016, respectively,2018, would affect the effective tax rate. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal examinations by tax authorities before 2014,2016, and state and local income tax examinations, by tax authorities for years before 2013.2015.
The provision for income taxes consists of the following components for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015:
 2017 2016 2015
Current:     
Federal$(4,281,810) $(5,027,290) $3,889,649
State174,805
 672,243
 (202,270)
Total current(4,107,005) (4,355,047) 3,687,379
Deferred:     
Federal(4,294,656) 5,406,027
 (23,265)
State128,166
 (1,256,938) 18,143
Total deferred(4,166,490) 4,149,089
 (5,122)
Income tax (benefit) expense$(8,273,495) $(205,958) $3,682,257

54

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

The provision for income taxes consists of the following components for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):
 201920182017
Current:   
Federal$1,628  $1,879  $(4,282) 
State621  293  175  
Total current2,248  2,172  (4,107) 
Deferred:   
Federal3,214  5,572  (4,295) 
State1,570  1,552  128  
Total deferred4,783  7,124  (4,166) 
Income tax expense (benefit)$7,032  $9,296  $(8,273) 
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017 differs from the amount computed by applying the U.S. federal income tax rate of 21% for 2019 and 2018 and 35% for 2017 to pretax income because of the effect of the following items:items (in thousands):
 201920182017
Tax expense at U.S. federal income tax rate$4,594  $7,984  $1,522  
State income taxes, net of federal income tax effect1,264  1,441  269  
Nondeductible expenses and other951  (289) 317  
Effect of state rate change on deferred items79  —  148  
Research and development credit(573) (420) (528) 
Changes in unrecognized tax benefits115  44  359  
Provision to return adjustments242  515  (298) 
Remeasurement of net deferred tax liability resulting from the TCJA—  —  (8,945) 
State tax credits(2,179) (1,647) (3,259) 
Valuation allowance2,552  1,613  2,951  
Audit settlements16  72  —  
Amended return refund—  —  (811) 
Work opportunity tax credit(30) (18) —  
Income tax expense (benefit)$7,032  $9,296  $(8,273) 
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

55

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
 2017 2016 2015
Tax expense at U.S. federal income tax rate$1,522,407
 $484,302
 $4,034,776
State income taxes, net of federal income tax effect268,933
 52,823
 36,308
Nondeductible expenses and other317,264
 188,813
 119,705
Effect of state rate change on deferred items148,101
 (88,468) (25,338)
Research and development credit(527,642) (467,500) (364,050)
Changes in unrecognized tax benefits359,114
 (160,672) (112,599)
Provision to return adjustments(297,579) (71,588) (6,545)
Remeasurement of net deferred tax liability resulting from the TCJA(8,944,734) 
 
State tax credits(3,258,650) (1,232,381) 
Valuation allowance2,950,575
 556,888
 
Audit settlements
 531,825
 
Amended return refund(811,284) 
 
Income tax (benefit) expense$(8,273,495) $(205,958) $3,682,257
For the years ended December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the Company's noncurrent deferred tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following:
following (in thousands):
2017 2016 20192018
Noncurrent deferred tax assets:   Noncurrent deferred tax assets:
Reserves and allowances$6,848,510
 $9,487,067
Reserves and allowances$3,922  $6,808  
Stock options2,873,788
 3,899,180
Stock options2,540  2,517  
Research and development credit1,320,334
 467,500
Net operating loss carryforward958,271
 456,639
Net operating loss carryforward16  170  
Credit carryforwards4,756,466
 1,232,381
Credit carryforwards8,953  6,389  
AMT credit271,825
 
Lease liabilityLease liability8,824  —  
Subtotal17,029,194
 15,542,767
Subtotal24,255  15,884  
Valuation allowance(3,627,408) (556,888)Valuation allowance(8,336) (5,241) 
Total noncurrent deferred tax assets13,401,786
 14,985,879
Total noncurrent deferred tax assets15,919  10,643  
Noncurrent deferred tax liabilities:   Noncurrent deferred tax liabilities:
Prepaid and other expenses302,918
 494,744
Prepaid and other expenses1,046  682  
Intangible assets9,381,475
 7,607,703
Intangible assets19,636  14,320  
Property and equipment12,428,241
 15,508,307
Property and equipment12,268  12,724  
Convertible debt3,791,800
 8,044,263
Convertible debt398  1,871  
481(a) adjustment - revenue recognition481(a) adjustment - revenue recognition1,482  277  
Right of use assetRight of use asset4,849  —  
Total noncurrent deferred tax liabilities25,904,434
 31,655,017
Total noncurrent deferred tax liabilities39,680  29,875  
Net deferred tax liability$(12,502,648) $(16,669,138)Net deferred tax liability$(23,761) $(19,233) 
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
For the years ended December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the Company recorded deferred tax assets of $4,756,466$9.0 million and $1,232,381,$6.4 million, respectively, for certain state tax credits with a 5 year credit carryforward period. The Company believes that it is more likely than not that a portion of the benefit from these state tax credit carryforwards will not be realized. In recognition of this risk, the Company recorded valuation allowances of $3,627,408$8.3 million and $556,888$5.2 million on the deferred tax asset relating to these state tax credit carryforwards as of December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, respectively.
As of December 31, 20172019 and 2016,2018, the Company recorded deferred tax assets for federal and state income tax net operating loss carryforwards of $958,271$16 thousand and $456,639,$170 thousand, respectively, which will expire at various dates from tax years 2026 through 2036.

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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015


12.13. Stockholders' Equity
Preferred Stock
The Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 2,500,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to establish the preferred stock's voting powers, preferences and other rights and qualifications without any further vote or action by the stockholders. As of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017,, there was no0 preferred stock outstanding.
Treasury Stock
On December 29, 2015, the Board of Directors authorized a repurchase program for up to an aggregate of $50.0 million of the Company's outstanding common stock and Notes through December 31, 2017. The timing and amount of any repurchases was determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program has concluded.
On May 1, 2017, the Board of Directors authorized a repurchase program for up to an aggregate of $50.0 million of the Company's outstanding common stock and Notes prior to its expiration on April 30, 2019. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may be discontinued or suspended at any time.
AsOn November 1, 2018, the Board of Directors amended the ongoing repurchase program to add an additional $50.0 million of capacity and extend the expiration date from April 30, 2019 to October 31, 2020. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may be discontinued or suspended at any time.
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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company has repurchased 3,526,8701,329,978, 420,590 and 1,237,076 shares of common stock at a cost of $69.8$29.7 million,. $9.8 million and $20.7 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2016,2019, the Company hadhas repurchased 2,289,7945,277,438 shares of common stock, in aggregate, at a cost of $49.1$109.2 million.

Convertible Notes
In accordance with the ongoing repurchase program mentioned above, the Company repurchased $34.3 million par value of the 2.50% convertible senior notes for $33.9 million in cash for the year ended December 31, 2019. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company repurchased $37.4 million, par value of the 2.50%, convertible senior notes for $37.2 million in cash.
13.

14. Earnings Per Share


Basic earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted average shares outstanding plus share equivalents that would arise from the exercise of share options and the vesting of restricted stock and performance shares. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company excluded 5,377 unvested restricted stock from the calculation of diluted earnings per common share because the effect was anti-dilutive. There were no employee stock options and no unvested restricted stockperformance and performancemarket-based shares excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2019. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, 2016no unvested restricted stock, no employee stock options and 2015.no unvested performance and market-based shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per comment share. The computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017 are as follows:follows (in thousands, except share and per share data):
Year Ended December 31,
201920182017
Numerator:      
Net income$14,846  $28,723  $12,623  
Denominator:
Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted-average shares26,682,323  27,597,950  27,715,131  
Effect of dilutive securities:      
Employee stock awards140,665  323,936  308,033  
Denominator for dilutive earnings per common share26,822,988  27,921,886  28,023,164  
Basic earnings per common share$0.56  $1.04  $0.46  
Diluted earnings per common share$0.55  $1.03  $0.45  


 Year Ended December 31,
 2017 2016 2015
Numerator: 
  
  
Net income$12,623,229
 $1,589,678
 $7,845,674
Denominator:     
Denominator for basic earnings per common share - weighted-average shares27,715,131
 28,714,910
 27,473,054
Effect of dilutive securities: 
  
  
Employee stock awards308,033
 586,947
 636,495
Denominator for dilutive earnings per common share28,023,164
 29,301,857
 28,109,549
Basic earnings per common share$0.46
 $0.06
 $0.29
Diluted earnings per common share$0.45
 $0.05
 $0.28

14.15. Stock-Based Compensation Plans
In March 2005, the Company adopted the 2005 Stock Option Plan providing for the issuance of stock options of Series A common shares. During the fourth quarter of 2009, the Company adopted the 2008 Stock Incentive Plan ("the 2008 Plan"). Upon adoption, the 2005 Stock Option Plan was merged into the 2008 Plan and ceased to separately exist. Outstanding awards under the 2005 Stock Option Plan are now subject to the 2008 Plan and no additional awards may be made under the 2005 Stock Option Plan on or after the effective date of the 2008 Plan. The 2008 Plan was further amended and restated as of June 16, 2017 as the Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Incentive Plan ("the Amended 2008 Plan"). A total of 3,400,000 shares of common stock have been reserved for issuance under the Amended 2008 Plan. The Amended 2008 Plan is administered by the Board of Directors who determine the type of award, exercise price of options, the number of options to be issued, and the

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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

vesting period. As specified in the Amended 2008 Plan, the exercise price per share shall not be less than the fair market value on the effective date of grant. Upon exercise of a stock option under the Amended 2008 Plan, new stock is issued. The term of an option does not exceed 10 years, and the options generally vest ratably over one to five years from the date of grant. Under the 2008 Plan, three3 types of stock incentives have been issued: stock option awards, restricted stock awards and performance and market-based stock awards.
In 2017,Total stock compensation for the Company awarded 268,300 shares of restricted stockyears ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $10.2 million, 9.3 million and 9.0 million, respectively.
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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to certain employeesConsolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and directors, of which 29,430 will vest ratably over one year, 15,192 will vest ratably over three years and 223,678 will vest ratably over four years based on the employees' continued employment. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock granted ranged from $16.75 to $27.80.2017
In 2016, the Company awarded 284,086 shares of restricted stock to certain employees and directors, of which 23,634 will vest ratably over one year, 59,577 will vest ratably over three years and 200,875 will vest ratably over four years based on the employees' continued employment. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock granted ranged from $23.02 to $27.79.
There was $11,495,449$12.7 million, $11.4 million and $13,018,218$11.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to the stock-based compensation granted under the plans as of December 31, 20172019, 2018 and 2016,2017, respectively. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.192.23 years.


Stock Option Awards


There were no stock options granted during 2017, 20162019, 2018 or 2015.2017. Since all options were fully vested as of December 31, 2017,2016, the Company recorded no0 compensation expense with no0 corresponding tax benefits for stock option awards for the year ended December 31, 2017. The Company recorded $32,681 and $226,050 in compensation expense with corresponding tax benefits of $12,288 and $88,160 for stock option awards for the years ended December 31, 20162019, 2018 and 2015, respectively.2017.

A summary of stock option activity is as follows:
SharesWeighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (Years)
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Shares 
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
 
Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (Years)
 
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding at January 1, 2015921,889
 $9.32
 4.2 $18,329,554
Granted
 
 
  
Exercised(150,701) 7.02
 
 2,014,921
Forfeited or canceled(1,660) 12.01
 
  
Outstanding at December 31, 2015769,528
 9.76
 3.4 8,178,882
Granted
 
 
  
Exercised(191,237) 6.05
 
 3,633,746
Forfeited or canceled
 
 
  
Outstanding at December 31, 2016578,291
 10.99
 3.0 8,131,137
Outstanding at January 1, 2017Outstanding at January 1, 2017578,291  $10.99  3.0$8,131  
Granted
 
 
  Granted—  —  
Exercised(146,950) 10.48
 
 1,533,353
Exercised(146,950) 10.48  1,533  
Forfeited or canceled(10) 10.18
 
  Forfeited or canceled(10) 10.18  
Outstanding at December 31, 2017431,331
 $11.16
 2.3 $7,261,634
Outstanding at December 31, 2017431,331  11.16  2.37,262  
Options vested and exercisable at December 31, 2017431,331
 $11.16
 2.3 $7,261,634
GrantedGranted—  —  
ExercisedExercised(384,092) 11.01  7,025  
Forfeited or canceledForfeited or canceled(650) 11.06  
Outstanding at December 31, 2018Outstanding at December 31, 201846,589  12.42  2.0368  
GrantedGranted—  —  
ExercisedExercised(3,000) 12.38  36  
Forfeited or canceledForfeited or canceled—  —  
Outstanding at December 31, 2019Outstanding at December 31, 201943,589  $12.43  1.0$361  
Options vested and exercisable at December 31, 2019Options vested and exercisable at December 31, 201943,589  $12.43  1.0$361  
The following table provides information about stock options granted and vested in the years ended December 31:31 2019, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):
 201920182017
Options vested/exercisable:  
Grant date fair value$243  $259  $2,090  
Aggregate intrinsic value$361  $368  $7,262  
 2017 2016 2015
Options vested/exercisable:     
Grant date fair value of options vested$2,089,591
 $2,747,547
 $2,950,446
Aggregate intrinsic value of options vested and exercisable at end of period$7,261,634
 $8,131,137
 $7,997,359

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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding represents the total pretax intrinsic value (the difference between the fair value of the Company's stock on the last day of each fiscal year and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of options where the exercise price exceeds the fair value) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options as of December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively. These amounts change based on the fair market value of the Company's stock, which was $28.00, $25.05$20.70, $20.33 and $20.39$28.00 on the last business day of the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively.



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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
Restricted Stock Awards
In 2017, theThe Company awarded restricted shares to certain key employees that vest based on their continued employment. The value of these awards was established by the market price on the grant date and is being expensed ratably over the vesting period of the awards. The following table summarizes these non-vested restricted share grants as of December 31, 2017:2019, 2018 and 2017:
 Number of Restricted SharesWeighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested at January 1, 2017559,491  $25.21  
Granted268,300  22.36  
Vested(248,833) 24.18  
Forfeitures(57,618) 25.38  
Non-vested at December 31, 2017521,340  23.82  
Granted228,014  27.79  
Vested(204,845) 23.56  
Forfeitures(46,198) 25.36  
Non-vested at December 31, 2018498,311  25.60  
Granted360,266  24.14  
Vested(206,943) 25.74  
Forfeitures(29,357) 24.69  
Non-vested at December 31, 2019622,277  $24.75  
 Number of Restricted Shares Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested at January 1, 2017559,491
 $25.21
Granted268,300
 22.36
Vested(248,833) 24.18
Forfeitures(57,618) 25.38
Non-vested at December 31, 2017521,340
 $23.82


In 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, the Company recorded $5,731,731, $10,625,440$6.2 million, $5.3 million and $11,821,382$5.7 million in compensation expense with corresponding tax benefits of $2,155,131, $3,995,165$1.5 million, $1.3 million and $4,610,339$2.2 million for restricted stock awards, respectively.

In 2019, the Company awarded 360,266 shares of restricted stock to certain employees and directors, of which 33,042 will vest ratably over one year, 1,793 will vest ratably over three years and 325,431 will vest ratably over four years based on the employees' continued employment. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock granted ranged from $19.25 to $29.50.
Performance-Based SharesIn 2018, the Company awarded 228,014 shares of restricted stock to certain employees and directors, of which 21,197 will vest ratably over one year, 887 will vest ratably over three years and 205,930 will vest ratably over four years based on the employees' continued employment. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock granted ranged from $27.55 to $36.65.

In 2017, the Company awarded 268,300 shares of restricted stock to certain employees and directors, of which 29,430 will vest ratably over one year, 15,192 will vest ratably over three years and 223,678 will vest ratably over four years based on the employees' continued employment. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock granted ranged from $16.75 to $27.80.

Performance-Based Shares

In 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company granted 20,722, 19,598 and 27,185 shares of restricted stock at a grant date fair valuevalues of $28.05, $25.35 and $21.01, respectively, to certain branch executives, which were issued based on financial targets achieved during the performance period. In 2016, the Company granted 24,064 shares of restricted stock at a grant date fair value of $28.45 to certain branch executives, which was issued based on financial targets achieved during therespective performance period.


In 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized $405,700$0.5 million, $0.2 million and $0.4 million in stock compensation expense with corresponding tax benefits of $152,543$0.1 million, $0.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively, for performance-based shares described in the paragraphs above. In 2016, the Company recognized $235,880 in stock compensation expense with corresponding tax benefits of $88,691 for performance-based shares described in the paragraphs above. The Company recognized $595,870 in stock compensation expense with corresponding tax benefits of $232,389 for the year ended December 31, 2015.shares.


Performance and Market-Based Stock


In 2014, the Company initiated a performance and market-based stock incentive plan for certain executives that provides vesting based on specific financial and market-based performance measurements. Stock compensation expense related to these awards is recognized using the accelerated attribution method. The Company granted 99,933105,543, 97,966 and 91,61299,933 shares of
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
performance and market-based stock at a grant date fair valuevalues of $31.15$34.54, $35.41 and $34.67$31.15 during the years ended December 31, 20172019, 2018 and December 31, 2016,2017, respectively.

The Company recorded $2,884,502, $2,240,401$3.5 million, $3.0 million and $1,380,449$2.9 million in compensation expense with corresponding tax benefits of $1,084,573, $842,391$0.9 million, $0.7 million and $538,375$1.1 million in 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, respectively. 


15.16. Benefit Plans
The Company maintains a 401(k) savings plan, covering all of the Company's employees upon hiring. Employees may contribute a percentage of eligible compensation on both a before-tax basis and an after-tax basis. The Company has the right to make discretionary contributions to the plan. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015,2017, the Company contributed $1,756,850, $1,651,111$2.0 million, $2.0 million and $1,182,094, respectively.$1.8 million, respectively, which were recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses on the consolidated statements of operations.


17. Significant Customer Concentration

For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, all revenue consisted of sales generated from customers that individually represented less than 10% of the Company's revenue.

18. Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
Year Ended December 31, 2019
In thousands, except per share dataFirst
Quarter
Second
Quarter
Third
Quarter
Fourth
Quarter
Revenue$538,083  $553,775  $561,441  $531,677  
Operating income9,103  10,672  9,665  5,076  
Net income3,497  5,067  4,843  1,439  
Earnings per common share:
Basic$0.13  $0.19  $0.18  $0.05  
Diluted$0.13  $0.19  $0.18  $0.05  
 Year Ended December 31, 2018
In thousands, except per share dataFirst
Quarter
Second
Quarter
Third
Quarter
Fourth
Quarter
Revenue$577,091  $634,811  $644,821  $582,978  
Operating income10,500  13,112  16,281  13,673  
Net income4,727  7,678  9,383  6,935  
Earnings per common share:
Basic$0.17  $0.28  $0.34  $0.25  
Diluted$0.17  $0.28  $0.33  $0.25  


19. Related Parties

There were no related party transactions during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 or 2017.

20. Leases

The Company adopted ASC Topic 842 on January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective approach. Comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under ASC 840, Leases ("ASC Topic 840"), which was the accounting standard in effect for those periods.

The Company leases office space for purposes of conducting its business. As of December 31, 2019, the Company leases approximately 225,000 square feet at its corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, with a lease term expiring in September 2027. In addition, the Company continues to lease approximately 30 branch sales offices, with a range of lease terms between
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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 20152017

3-11 years. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; lease expense for these leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. All Company leases, consisting primarily of facility leases, were evaluated upon the adoption of ASC Topic 842, and it was determined that these were all operating leases.
16. Significant Customer Concentration

Most leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term. The Company also has some leases that include termination options. The exercise of lease renewal or termination options is at the Company's sole discretion, and it does not recognize these options as part of its ROU assets or lease liabilities. The Company's lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.
For
The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. The Company has performed an evaluation of other contracts with customers and suppliers in accordance with ASC Topic 842 and has determined that, except for the yearsfacility leases described above, none of its contracts contain a lease.

The balance sheet classification of lease assets and liabilities is as follows (in thousands):
December 31, 2019
ROU assets:
Operating lease assets$19,638 
Operating lease liabilities:
Current portion in other current liabilities$5,810 
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities31,475 
Total operating lease liabilities$37,285 

The components of lease cost for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, all revenue consisted of sales generated from customers that2019 were individually represented less than 10% of the Company's revenue.as follows (in thousands):


December 31, 2019
Operating lease cost$5,930 
Short-term lease cost261 
Total lease cost$6,191 
17. Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
 Year Ended December 31, 2017
 
First
Quarter
 
Second
Quarter
 
Third
Quarter
 
Fourth
Quarter(1)
Revenue$415,752,274
 $470,085,693
 $509,530,511
 $547,717,714
Operating (loss) income(777,320) 3,438,503
 6,292,598
 10,131,691
Net (loss) income(2,872,043) (245,366) 2,391,682
 13,348,956
(Loss) Earnings per common share:       
Basic$(0.10) $(0.01) $0.09
 $0.49
Diluted$(0.10) $(0.01) $0.09
 $0.48
 Year Ended December 31, 2016
 
First
Quarter
 
Second
Quarter
 Third
Quarter
 Fourth
Quarter
Revenue$405,277,532
 $443,829,924
 $460,191,903
 $406,852,800
Operating income (loss)3,820,994
 7,046,310
 6,026,809
 (1,283,597)
Net income (loss)262,611
 1,930,769
 2,362,050
 (2,965,752)
Earnings (Loss) per common share:       
Basic$0.01
 $0.07
 $0.08
 $(0.10)
Diluted$0.01
 $0.07
 $0.08
 $(0.10)
(1) The fourth quarter of 2017 included a tax benefit of $8.9 million resulting from the enactment of the Act.

18. Related Parties

From the closing of the Command acquisition on June 1, 2015 through December 20, 2016,In accordance with ASC Topic 840, the Company leasedrecognized operating lease rental expense on a straight-line basis over the Command office building headquarters in Skokie, Illinois from a company owned by Paul Loeb, the former owner of Command. This lease was terminated in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the Company paid $994,569 to Paul Loeb to settle the terminationterm of the lease. The lease required monthly rental payments of $54,638 through its termination date. The Company was obligated to pay real estate taxes, insurance and all building maintenance costs in addition to the minimum rental payments for the facility related to this lease. The total rental expense related to this lease included in the Company's consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 20162018 and 20152017 was $1,347,2776.0 million and $382,466,5.9 million, respectively. All

Cash paid for amounts due underincluded in the measurement of lease liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $8.6 million and was included in net cash provided by operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows. During the year ended December 31, 2019, a total of $2.1 million of right-of-use assets were obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities.

The average lease term and discount rate were as follows:

December 31, 2019
Weighted average remaining lease term (in years)6.9
Weighted average operating discount rate7.5 %

The Company's leases generally do not provide an implicit rate, and therefore the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate when measuring operating lease liabilities. The incremental borrowing rate represents an estimate of the interest rate the Company would incur at lease commencement to borrow an amount equal to the lease were paidpayments on a collateralized basis over the term of a lease within a particular currency environment. The incremental borrowing rate is influenced by the Company's credit rating and lease term and may differ for individual leases. The Company used incremental borrowing rates as of January 1, 2019 for operating leases that commenced prior to that date.

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Echo Global Logistics, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years Ended December 20, 2016,31, 2019, 2018 and thus there was no further liability due to the related party as2017
As of December 31, 20172019, maturities of operating lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

Operating Leases
20208,357  
20216,139  
20226,397  
20236,137  
20245,673  
Thereafter15,630  
Total lease payments$48,333  
Less: imputed interest11,048  
Total operating lease liabilities$37,285  

Practical Expedients

The Company adopted the package of practical expedients that allows it to (i) not reassess whether an arrangement contains a lease, (ii) carry forward its lease classification as operating or December 31, 2016.capital leases and (iii) not reassess its previously recorded initial direct costs. In addition, the Company elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components, and therefore both components are accounted for and recognized as lease components.



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Item 9.    Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure


None.


Item 9A.    Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the specified time periods and accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2017. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as(as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) andor 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.Act) at December 31, 2019. Based on thethis evaluation required by paragraph (b) of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2017,Rules 13a-15 or 15d-15, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, concluded that as of such date, the Company'sour disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.as of December 31, 2019.
Internal Control over Financial Reporting


Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control system was designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Based on its evaluation, management concluded that our internal controlscontrol over financial reporting werewas effective as of December 31, 2017.2019. As required under this Item 9A, the management's report titled “Management's Assessment of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting” is set forth in “Item 8 - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and is incorporated herein by reference.


Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm


As required under this Item 9A, the auditor's attestation report titled “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” is set forth in “Item 8 - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and is incorporated herein by reference.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarterly period ended December 31, 20172019 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.



Item 9B. Other Information

None.
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Part III




Item 10.    Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Certain information required by this Item 10 relating to our directors and executive officers is incorporated by reference herein from our 20182020 proxy statement to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 20172019 or an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within such 120-day period.
We have adopted a code of ethics, which is posted in the Investor sectionavailable alongside our audit committee charter, nominating and governance charter and compensation committee charter on our website under the "Corporate Governance" tab within the "Governance" subsection of the "Investors" section of our website at http://www.echo.com. www.echo.com. We intend to include on our website any amendments to, or waivers from, a provision of the code of ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or controller that relates to any element of the code of ethics definition contained in Item 406(b) of SEC Regulation S-K.


Item 11.    Executive Compensation
Certain information required by this Item 11 relating to remuneration of directors and executive officers and other transactions involving management is incorporated by reference herein from our 20182020 proxy statement to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 20172019 or an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within such 120-day period.


Item 12.    Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Certain information required by this Item 12 relating to security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management is incorporated by reference herein from our 20182020 proxy statement to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 20172019 or an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within such 120-day period.


Item 13.    Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Certain information required by this Item 13 relating to certain relationships and related transactions and director independence is incorporated by reference herein from our 20182020 proxy statement to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 20172019 or an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within such 120-day period.


Item 14.    Principal AccountingAccountant Fees and Services
Certain information required by this Item 14 regarding principal accounting fees and services is incorporated by reference herein from the section entitled "Matters Concerning Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" in our 20182020 proxy statement to be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 20172019 or an amendment to this Form 10-K filed within such 120-day period.

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PART IV. OTHER INFORMATION


Item 15.    Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1)    Financial Statements:    Reference is made to the Index to Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the section entitled "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(2)    Financial Statement Schedule:    The financial statement schedule required by this item is listed below and included in this report. Schedules not listed are omitted because they are not required or because the required information is given in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts for the years ended December 31, 2017, 20162019, 2018 and 2015.2017.
(3)    Exhibits:    Exhibits are as set forth in the section entitled "Exhibit Index" which immediately precedes the section entitled "Signatures" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain of the exhibits listed in the Exhibit Index have been previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such exhibits are identified by the parenthetical references following the listing of each such exhibit and are incorporated by reference.
Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference rooms maintained by the SEC in Washington, D.C., New York, New York, and Chicago, Illinois. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference rooms. SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the Web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.




SCHEDULE II - VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS


Valuation and Qualifying Accounts


2017 2016 2015
(In thousands)(In thousands)2019  2018  2017  
Allowance for doubtful accounts:Allowance for doubtful accounts:     Allowance for doubtful accounts:
Balance at beginning of yearBalance at beginning of year$3,018,995
 $1,627,315
 $1,226,297
Balance at beginning of year$4,618  $3,745  $3,019  
Command, allowance at acquisition date
 
 500,000
Provision, charged to expenseProvision, charged to expense1,894,485
 1,069,165
 1,427,983
Provision, charged to expense2,333  2,654  1,894  
Net change of presentation of insurance recoveriesNet change of presentation of insurance recoveries298,816
 1,435,933
 
Net change of presentation of insurance recoveries—  —  299  
Write-offs, less recoveriesWrite-offs, less recoveries(1,467,192) (1,113,418) (1,526,965)Write-offs, less recoveries(2,696) (1,781) (1,467) 
Balance at end of yearBalance at end of year$3,745,104
 $3,018,995
 $1,627,315
Balance at end of year$4,255  $4,618  $3,745  
Deferred tax assets - valuation allowance:Deferred tax assets - valuation allowance:     Deferred tax assets - valuation allowance:
Balance at beginning of yearBalance at beginning of year$556,888
 $
 $
Balance at beginning of year$5,241  $3,627  $557  
AdjustmentsAdjustments3,070,520
 556,888
 
Adjustments3,095  1,613  3,071  
Balance at end of yearBalance at end of year$3,627,408
 $556,888
 $
Balance at end of year$8,336  $5,241  $3,627  
Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.
   

Item 16.Form 10-K Summary

None.
65

EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. Description
3.1  (1)
3.2  (1)
3.3  (5)
4.1  (1)
4.2  (4)
4.3  (4)
4.4*  
10.1  (1)†
10.2  (7)†
10.3  (1)†
10.4  (2)†
10.5  (2)†
10.6  (2)†
10.7  (1)
10.8  (3)
10.9  (6)
10.10*  
10.11  (8)
21.1*  
23.1*  
31.1*   
31.2*   
32.1*   
32.2*  
101.INS*  XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH*  XBRL Schema Document.
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Table of Contents
Exhibit No. Description
2.1
(5)
   
3.1
(1)
   
3.2
(1)
   
3.3
(5)
   
4.1
(1)
   
4.2
(4)
   
4.3
(4)
   
10.1
(1)†
   
10.2
(7)†
   
10.3
(1)†
   
10.4
(2)†
   
10.5
(2)†
   
10.6
(2)†
   
10.7
(1)
   
10.8
(3)
   
10.9
(6)
   
21.1
 
   
23.1
 
   
31.1
 
   
31.2
 
   
32.1
 
   
32.2
 
   
101.INS*
 XBRL Instance Document
   
101.SCH*
 XBRL Schema Document
   
101.CAL*
 XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document
   
101.DEF*
 XBRL Definition Linkbase Document
   
101.LAB*
 XBRL Label Linkbase Document
   
101.PRE*
 XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document

____________________
(1)101.CAL* Incorporated by reference to Form S-1 Registration Statement (File No. 333-150514).XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document.
(2)101.DEF* Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 19, 2016.XBRL Definition Linkbase Document.
(3)101.LAB* Incorporated by reference to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on July 31, 2014.XBRL Label Linkbase Document.
(4)101.PRE* Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 5, 2015.XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document.
(5)104*,** Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 21, 2015.Cover Page Interactive Data File.
(6)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 1, 2015.
(7)Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Company's definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed on May 1, 2017.

____________________
(1)Incorporated by reference to Form S-1 Registration Statement (File No. 333-150514).
(2)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 19, 2016.
(3)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on July 31, 2014.
(4)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 5, 2015.
(5)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 21, 2015.
(6)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 1, 2015.
(7)Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Company's definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed on May 1, 2017.
(8)Incorporated by reference to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 24, 2018.
† Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement of the Company.
* Filed herewith.

**  The XBRL Instance Document and Cover Page Interactive Data File do not appear in the Interactive Data file because the XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.


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SIGNATURES


Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on this 26th28nd day of February, 2018.2020.
ECHO GLOBAL LOGISTICS, INC.
By:/s/ DOUGLAS R. WAGGONER
Douglas R. Waggoner
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
KNOWN BY ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the individuals whose signatures appear below hereby constitute and appoint Douglas R. Waggoner and Kyle L. Sauers, and each of them severally, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do or perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or of his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do to cause to be done by virtue hereof.


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
SignatureTitleDate
/s/ DOUGLAS R. WAGGONERChief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer)
and Chairman of the Board
February 28, 2020
Douglas R. Waggoner
SignatureTitleDate
/s/ DOUGLAS R. WAGGONER
Chief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer)
and Chairman of the Board
February 26, 2018
Douglas R. Waggoner
/s/ KYLE L. SAUERS
Chief Financial Officer

(principal financial and accounting officer)
February 26, 201828, 2020
Kyle L. Sauers
/s/ SAMUEL K. SKINNERDirectorFebruary 26, 201828, 2020
Samuel K. Skinner
/s/ DAVID C. HABIGERDirectorFebruary 26, 201828, 2020
David C. Habiger
/s/ WILLIAM M. FARROW IIIDirectorFebruary 26, 201828, 2020
William M. Farrow III
/s/ MATTHEW W. FERGUSONDirectorFebruary 26, 201828, 2020
Matthew W. Ferguson
/s/ NELDA J. CONNORSDirectorFebruary 26, 201828, 2020
Nelda J. Connors
/s/ VIRGINIA L. HENKELSDirectorFebruary 28, 2020
Virginia L. Henkels






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