June 11, 2021
June 11, 2021
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Maryland | | | 27-5466153 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
☒260 Franklin 711th Floor_____________________________260 Franklin711th Floor_____________________________Kenneth L. BettsWinston & Strawn LLP2121 N. Pearl Street, Suite 900Dallas, Texas 75201(214) 453-6500_____________________________ ☑ ☑ ☒ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)☐
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Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered | Amount to be Registered | Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(2) | Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | $30,000,000 | $3,735 | ||||||
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered | | | Amount to be Registered | | | Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share | | | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(2) | | | Amount of Registration Fee |
Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. | | | | | | | | | ||||
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | | | (3) | | | (3) | | | | | ||
Preferred Stock | | | (3) | | | (3) | | | | | ||
Depositary Shares | | | (3) | | | (3) | | | | | ||
Warrants (4) | | | (3) | | | (3) | | | | | ||
Rights | | | (3) | | | (3) | | | | | ||
Guarantees of Debt Securities (5) | | | | | | | | | ||||
Plymouth Industrial OP, LP | | | | | | | | | ||||
Debt Securities (6)(7) | | | (3) | | | (3) | | | | | ||
Total | | | | | | | $750,000,000 (8) | | | $81,825 (9)(10) |
(1) | The securities covered by this registration statement may be sold or otherwise distributed separately, together or as units with other securities covered by this registration statement. This registration statement covers offers, sales and other distributions of the securities listed in this table from time to time at prices to be determined. This registration statement also covers common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants, rights and debt securities that may be offered or sold under delayed delivery contracts pursuant to which the counterparty may be required to purchase such securities, as well as such contracts themselves. Such contracts would be issued with the securities. |
(2) | In U.S. dollars or the equivalent thereof for any security denominated in one or more, or units of two or more, foreign currencies or composite currencies based on the exchange rate at the time of sale. Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, the registration statement includes an indeterminate number of shares of common stock that may be issued by the registrant by way of a stock dividend, stock split or in connection with a stock combination, recapitalization or similar event. |
(3) | Omitted pursuant to General Instruction II.D of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. |
(4) | The warrants covered by this registration statement may be warrants for common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares. |
(5) | These guarantees may be issued by Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. in connection with issuances of debt securities by Plymouth Industrial OP, LP. Pursuant to Rule 457(n) of the rules and regulations under the Securities Act, no separate registration fee will be paid in respect of the registration of any such guarantees. |
(6) | If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price shall be in such greater principal amount as may be sold for an aggregate initial offering price of up to the proposed maximum aggregate offering price. |
(7) | The debt securities issued by Plymouth Industrial OP, LP will be accompanied by guarantees issued by Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. |
(8) | Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee under Rule 457 under the Securities Act. The aggregate maximum offering price of all securities issued under this registration statement will not exceed $750,000,000. No separate consideration will be received for preferred stock or common stock that are issued upon conversion or exchange of preferred stock or depositary shares registered hereunder or for preferred stock distributed upon termination of a deposit arrangement for depositary shares. |
(9) | Calculated under Rule 457(o) of the rules and regulations under the Securities Act. |
(10) | Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities |
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
June 11, 2021
750,000,000
This prospectus describes the general termsfollowing securities:
preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants, rights, guarantees and debt securities registered for issuance hereunder collectively as the “securities.” We may offer common stockthese securities with an aggregate public offering price of up to $750,000,000, or its equivalent in a foreign currency based on the exchange rate at the time of sale, in amounts, at initial prices and on terms determined at the time of the offering.
those securities.
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We have provided to youany combination of the securities described in this prospectus. This prospectus only provides you with a general description of the shares of common stock thatsecurities we may offer.offer, which is not meant to be a complete description of each security. Each time we sell common stock under this shelf registration process,offer securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement thatand attach it to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. Wesecurities being offered at that time. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change in the applicable prospectus supplement any of the information contained in this prospectus or in the documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you
This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” As permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC, the registration statement that contains this prospectus includes additional information not contained in this prospectus. You may read the registration statement and the other reports we file with the SEC at the SEC’s web site or at the SEC’s offices described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
We urge you to carefully read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and any related free writingprospects may have changed since those dates.
earlier prospectus supplement.
PLYMOUTH INDUSTRIAL REIT, INC.
target markets.
1
We were
Risks Related to Our Business and Operations
Our portfolio is concentrated in the industrial real estate sector, and our business would be adversely affected by an economic downturn in that sector.
Our assets are comprised entirely of industrial facilities, including warehouse/distribution facilities, light manufacturing facilities and flex/office facilities. This concentration may expose us to the risk of economic downturns in the industrial real estate sector to a greater extent than if our properties were more diversified across other sectors of the real estate industry. In particular, an economic downturn affecting the market for industrial properties could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
Our portfolio is geographically concentrated in nine states, which causes us to be especially susceptible to adverse developments in those markets.
In addition to general, regional, national and international economic conditions, our operating performance is impacted by the economic conditions of the specific geographic markets in which we have concentrations of properties. Our portfolio consists of holdings in the following states (which accounted for the percentage of our total annualized rent indicated) as of June 30, 2018: Illinois (43.4%); Ohio (19.2%); Indiana (12.4%); and Tennessee (12.9%). This geographic concentration could adversely affect our operating performance if conditions become less favorable in any of the states or regions in which we have a concentration of properties. We cannot assure you that any of our target markets will grow or that underlying real estate fundamentals will be favorable to owners and operators of industrial properties. Our operations may also be affected if competing properties are built in our target markets. Any adverse economic or real estate developments in our target markets, or any decrease in demand for industrial space resulting from the regulatory environment, business climate or energy or fiscal problems, could materially and adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
Our portfolio is comprised almost entirely of Class B industrial properties in secondary markets, which subjects us to risks associated with concentrating our portfolio on such assets.
Our portfolio is comprised of almost entirely Class B industrial properties in secondary markets. While we believe that Class B industrial properties in secondary markets have shown positive trends, we cannot give any assurance that these trends will continue. Any developments or circumstances that adversely affect the value of Class B industrial properties generally could have a more significant adverse impact on us than if our portfolio was diversified by asset type, which could materially and adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
2
Our business strategy depends on achieving revenue growth from anticipated increases in demand for Class B industrial space in our target markets; accordingly, any delay or a weaker than anticipated economic recovery could materially and adversely affect us and our growth prospects.
Our business strategy depends on achieving revenue growth from anticipated near-term growth in demand for Class B industrial space in our target markets as a result of improving demographic trends and supply and demand fundamentals. As a result, any delay or a weaker than anticipated economic recovery, particularly in our target markets, could materially and adversely affect us and our growth prospects. Furthermore, even if economic conditions generally improve, we cannot provide any assurances that demand for Class B industrial space will increase from current levels. If demand does not increase in the near future, or if demand weakens, our future results of operations and our growth prospects could also be materially and adversely affected.
We may not be aware of characteristics or deficiencies involving any one or all of the properties that we acquire in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Newly acquired properties may have characteristics or deficiencies unknown to us that could affect their valuation or revenue potential and such properties may not ultimately perform to our expectations. We cannot assure you that the operating performance of any newly acquired properties will not decline under our management. Any characteristics or deficiencies in any newly acquired properties that adversely affect the value of the properties or their revenue-generation potential could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to risks associated with single-tenant leases, and the default by one or more tenants could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to the risk that the default, financial distress or bankruptcy of a single tenant could cause interruptions in the receipt of rental revenue and/or result in a vacancy, which is likely to result in the complete reduction in the operating cash flows generated by the property leased to that tenant and may decrease the value of that property. In addition, a majority of our leases generally require the tenant to pay all or substantially all of the operating expenses normally associated with the ownership of the property, such as utilities, real estate taxes, insurance and routine maintenance. Following a vacancy at a single-tenant property, we will be responsible for all of the operating costs at such property until it can be re-let, if at all.
We are subject to risks related to tenant concentration, which could materially adversely affect our cash flows, results of operations and financial condition.
As of June 30, 2018, our top three tenants collectively comprised approximately 17.5% of our total annualized rent. As a result, our financial performance will be dependent, in large part, on the revenues generated from these significant tenants and, in turn, the financial condition of these tenants. In the event that a tenant occupying a significant portion of one or more of our properties or whose rental income represents a significant portion of the rental revenue at our properties were to experience financial weakness or file bankruptcy, it could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire.
Leases representing 5.0%, 17.6% and 18.2% of the rentable square footage of the industrial properties in our portfolio will expire in the remainder of 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. We cannot assure you that our leases will be renewed or that our properties will be re-leased at rental rates equal to or above the current average rental rates or that we will not offer substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options to attract new tenants or retain existing tenants. If the rental rates for our properties decrease, or if our existing tenants do not renew their leases or we do not re-lease a significant portion of our available space and space for which leases will expire, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock could be adversely affected.
Certain of our properties are subject to tenant rights of first refusal and options to repurchase, which could inhibit our ability to sell or retain such properties.
Our tenants at 8288 Green Meadows Drive and 3100 Creekside Parkway each have rights of first refusal to purchase the property before we can sell any of these properties to a third party. The existence of such rights of first refusal could limit third-party offers for such properties, inhibit our ability to sell a property or adversely affect the timing of any sale of any such property and our ability to obtain the highest price for any sale of such property.
3
Our tenant at 1875 Holmes Rd. has an option to repurchase the property at fair market value at the end of the lease term on October 31, 2019. The existence of the repurchase right could inhibit our ability to retain the 1875 Holmes Rd. property upon the expiration of the current lease.
We may be unable to identify and complete acquisitions of properties that meet our investment criteria, which may have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects.
Our primary investment strategy involves the acquisition of Class B industrial properties predominantly in secondary markets. These activities require us to identify suitable acquisition candidates or investment opportunities that meet our investment criteria and are compatible with our growth strategies. We may be unable to acquire properties identified as potential acquisition opportunities. Our ability to acquire properties on favorable terms, or at all, may expose us to the following significant risks:
If we are unable to finance property acquisitions or acquire properties on favorable terms, or at all, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock could be adversely affected. In addition, failure to identify or complete acquisitions of suitable properties could limit our growth.
Our acquisition activities may pose risks that could harm our business.
In connection with future acquisitions, we may be required to incur debt and expenditures and issue additional common stock, preferred stock or units of limited partnership interest in our operating partnership, or OP units, to pay for the acquired properties. These acquisitions may dilute our stockholders’ ownership interests, delay or prevent our profitability and may also expose us to risks such as:
We cannot assure you that the price for any future acquisitions will be similar to prior acquisitions. If our revenue does not keep pace with these potential acquisition and expansion costs, we may incur net losses. There is no assurance that we will successfully overcome these risks or other problems encountered with acquisitions. See “—We are a holding company with no direct operations and, as such, we will rely on funds received from our operating partnership to pay liabilities, and the interests of our stockholders will be structurally subordinated to all liabilities and obligations of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries.”
We may obtain limited or no warranties when we purchase a property, which increases the risk that we may lose invested capital in or rental income from such property.
The seller of a property will often sell such property in its “as is” condition on a “where is” basis and “with all faults,” without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, purchase agreements may contain only limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will only survive for a limited period after the closing. Also, many sellers of real estate are single-purpose entities without any other significant assets. The purchase of properties with limited warranties or from undercapitalized sellers increases the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property as well as the loss of rental income from such property.
4
We have significant indebtedness outstanding, which may expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations.
Our total consolidated indebtedness as of June 30, 2018 consists of approximately $277.9 million of indebtedness. We may incur significant additional debt to finance future acquisition and development activities.
Payments of principal and interest on borrowings may leave us with insufficient cash resources to operate our properties or to pay the dividends currently contemplated or necessary to maintain our REIT qualification. Our level of debt and the limitations imposed on us by our debt agreements could have significant adverse consequences, including the following:
If any one of these events were to occur, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock could be materially adversely affected. Furthermore, foreclosures could create taxable income without accompanying cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code.
We face significant competition for acquisitions of industrial properties, which may reduce the number of acquisition opportunities available to us and increase the costs of these acquisitions.
The current market for acquisitions of industrial properties in our target markets continues to be extremely competitive. This competition may increase the demand for our target properties and, therefore, reduce the number of suitable acquisition opportunities available to us and increase the prices paid for such acquisition properties. We also face significant competition for attractive acquisition opportunities from an indeterminate number of investors, including publicly traded and privately held REITs, private equity investors and institutional investment funds, some of which have greater financial resources than we do, a greater ability to borrow funds to acquire properties and the ability to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the geographic proximity of investments and the payment of higher acquisition prices. This competition will increase if investments in real estate become more attractive relative to other forms of investment. Competition for investments may reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us and may have the effect of increasing prices paid for such acquisition properties and/or reducing the rents we can charge and, as a result, adversely affecting our operating results.
We may be unable to source “off-market” or “lightly-marketed” deal flow in the future, which may have a material adverse effect on our growth.
A key component of our investment strategy is to acquire additional industrial real estate assets. We seek to acquire properties before they are widely marketed by real estate brokers. Properties that are acquired in off-market or lightly-marketed transactions are typically more attractive to us as a purchaser because of the absence of a formal sales process, which could lead to higher prices. If we do not have access to off-market or lightly-marketed deal flow in the future, our ability to locate and acquire additional properties in our target markets at attractive prices could be materially adversely affected.
5
Our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we expect.
Our future acquisitions and our ability to successfully operate the properties we acquire in such acquisitions may be exposed to the following significant risks:
If we cannot operate acquired properties to meet our financial expectations, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock could be materially and adversely affected.
High mortgage rates and/or unavailability of mortgage debt may make it difficult for us to finance or refinance properties, which could reduce the number of properties we can acquire, our net income and the amount of cash distributions we can make.
If mortgage debt is unavailable to us in the future at reasonable rates, we may not be able to finance the purchase of additional properties or refinance our properties on favorable terms or at all. If interest rates are higher when we refinance our properties, our income could be reduced. If any of these events occur, our cash flow could be reduced. This, in turn, could reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and materially and adversely affect our ability to raise more capital by issuing additional equity securities or by borrowing more money.
Our existing loan agreements, and some of our future financing arrangements are expected to, involve balloon payment obligations, which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to make distributions.
Our existing loan agreements require, and some of our future financing arrangements may, require us to make a lump-sum or “balloon” payment at maturity. Our ability to satisfy a balloon payment at maturity is uncertain and may depend upon our ability to obtain additional financing or our ability to sell property securing such financing. At the time the balloon payment is due, we may or may not be able to refinance the existing financing on terms as favorable as the original loan or sell the property at a price sufficient to satisfy the balloon payment. The effect of a refinancing or sale could affect the rate of return to stockholders and the projected time of disposition of our assets. In addition, payments of principal and interest made to service our debts may leave us with insufficient cash to pay the distributions that we are required to pay to maintain our qualification as a REIT.
Our existing loan agreements contain, and future indebtedness we incur may contain, various covenants, and the failure to comply with those covenants could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Our existing loan agreements contain, and any future indebtedness we incur, including debt assumed pursuant to property acquisitions, may contain, certain covenants, which, among other things, restrict our activities, including, as applicable, our ability to sell the underlying property without the consent of the holder of such indebtedness, to repay or defease such indebtedness or to engage in mergers or consolidations that result in a change in control of our company. We may also be subject to financial and operating covenants. Failure to comply with any of these covenants would likely result in a default under the applicable indebtedness that would permit the acceleration of amounts due thereunder and under other indebtedness and foreclosure of properties, if any, serving as collateral therefor.
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Our existing loan agreements are secured by various properties within our portfolio or by the equity of our property owning subsidiaries, so a default under any of these loan documents could result in a loss of the secured properties.
Our existing loan agreements are secured by a first lien mortgage on various properties within our portfolio. A default under certain of the loan agreements could result in the foreclosure on all, or a material portion, of the properties within our portfolio, which could leave us with insufficient cash to make debt service payments under our loan agreements and to make distributions to our stockholders. In addition, our Term Loan, or the KeyBank Term Loan, with KeyBank National Association, or Key Bank, is secured by a pledge of our equity interests in our subsidiary, Plymouth Industrial 20 LLC, which is the sole member of each of the owners of the Plymouth Industrial 20 portfolio, consisting of 20 of our properties. As a result, a default under the KeyBank Term Loan could result in the loss of all of our equity in Plymouth Industrial 20, resulting in the loss of all cash flow from the Plymouth Industrial 20 portfolio.
Our existing loan agreements restrict our ability to engage in some business activities, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our existing loan agreements contain customary negative covenants and other financial and operating covenants that, among other things:
These limitations and the common stock restrict our ability to engage in some business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock. In addition, debt agreements we enter into in the future may contain specific cross-default provisions with respect to specified other indebtedness, giving the lenders the right to declare a default if we are in default under other loans in some circumstances. We received a waiver from KeyBank under our Credit Agreement with KeyBank in order to be able to make our most recent distribution. We may have to seek similar waivers in the future, and we can provide no assurances that our lenders will continue to grant them.
Future mortgage and other secured debt obligations expose us to the possibility of foreclosure, which could result in the loss of our investment in a property or group of properties subject to mortgage debt.
Incurring mortgage and other secured debt obligations increases our risk of property losses because defaults on indebtedness secured by properties may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders and ultimately our loss of the property securing any loans for which we are in default. Any foreclosure on a mortgaged property or group of properties could adversely affect the overall value of our portfolio. For tax purposes, a foreclosure on any of our properties that is subject to a nonrecourse mortgage loan would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code.
7
We may not be able to successfully operate our business or generate sufficient cash flows to make or sustain distributions to our stockholders as a publicly traded company or maintain our qualification as a REIT.
We may not be able to successfully operate our business or implement our operating policies and investment strategy as describedStatements” in this prospectus. Failure to operate successfully as a listed public company, to develop and implement appropriate control systems and procedures in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or maintain our qualification as a REIT would have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our common stock. See “—Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT—Failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT would have significant adverse consequences to us and the per share trading price of our common stock.” Furthermore, we may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to pay our operating expenses, service any debt we may incur in the future and make distributions to our stockholders. Our ability to successfully operate our business and implement our operating policies and investment strategy will depend on many factors, including:
We are required to implement substantial control systems and procedures in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, satisfy our periodic and current reporting requirements under applicable SEC regulations and comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or Dodd Frank, and the NYSE American or other relevant listing standards. As a result, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses, and our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to comply with these rules and regulations and establish the corporate infrastructure and control systems and procedures demanded of a publicly traded REIT. These costs and time commitments could be substantially more than we currently expect.
We face significant competition in the leasing market, which may decrease or prevent increases of the occupancy and rental rates of our properties.
We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of real estate, many of whom own properties similar to ours in the same submarkets in which our properties are located. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates, or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose existing or potential tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge or to offer more substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options in order to retain tenants when our tenants’ leases expire. As a result, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the value of, our common stock could be adversely affected.
We may be required to make rent or other concessions and/or significant capital expenditures to improve our properties in order to retain and attract tenants, causing our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock to be adversely affected.
In order to attract and retain tenants, we may be required to make rent or other concessions to tenants, accommodate requests for renovations, build-to-suit remodeling and other improvements or provide additional services to our tenants. Additionally, when a tenant at one of our properties does not renew its lease or otherwise vacates its space, it is likely that, in order to attract one or more new tenants, we will be required to expend funds for improvements in the vacated space. As a result, we may have to make significant capital or other expenditures in order to retain tenants whose leases expire and to attract new tenants in sufficient numbers. Additionally, we may need to raise capital to make such expenditures. If we are unable to do so or if capital is otherwise unavailable, we may be unable to make the required expenditures. This could result in non-renewals by tenants upon expiration of their leases, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A substantial majority of the leases in our portfolio are with tenants who have non-investment grade credit ratings, which may result in our leasing to tenants that are more likely to default in their obligations to us than an entity with an investment grade credit rating.
A substantial majority of the leases in our portfolio are with tenants who have non-investment grade credit ratings. The ability of a non-investment grade tenant to meet its obligations to us cannot be considered as well assured as that of an investment grade tenant. All of our tenants may face exposure to adverse business or economic conditions which could lead to an inability to meet their obligations to us. However, non-investment grade tenants may not have the financial capacity or liquidity to adapt to these conditions or may have less diversified businesses, which may exacerbate the effects of adverse conditions on their businesses. Moreover, the fact that so many of our tenants are not investment grade may cause investors or lenders to view our cash flows as less stable, which may increase our cost of capital, limit our financing options or adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
The actual rents we receive for our portfolio may be less than our asking rents, and we may experience lease roll down from time to time.
As a result of various factors, including competitive pricing pressure in our submarkets, adverse conditions in our target markets, a general economic downturn and a decline in the desirability of our properties compared to other properties in our submarkets, we may be unable to realize the asking rents for properties in our portfolio. In addition, the degree of discrepancy between our asking rents and the actual rents we are able to obtain may vary both from property to property and among different leased spaces within a single property. If we are unable to obtain rental rates comparable to our asking rents for the properties in our portfolio, our ability to generate cash flow growth will be negatively impacted. In addition, depending on fluctuations in asking rental rates at any given time, from time to time rental rates for expiring leases in our portfolio may be higher than starting rental rates for new leases.
Our acquisition of properties or portfolios of properties through tax-deferred contribution transactions, which could result in stockholder dilution and limit our ability to sell such assets.
We have acquired, and in the future we may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax-deferred contribution transactions in exchange for OP units, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we are able to deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and requires that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of partnership debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. These restrictions limit our ability to sell an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.
Any real estate development and re-development activities are subject to risks particular to development and re-development.
We may engage in development and redevelopment activities with respect to certain of our properties. To the extent that we do so, we will be subject to the following risks associated with such development and redevelopment activities:
These risks could result in substantial unanticipated delays or expenses and, under certain circumstances, could prevent completion of development or redevelopment activities once undertaken, any of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
9
Our success depends on key personnel whose continued service is not guaranteed, and the departure of one or more of our key personnel could adversely affect our ability to manage our business and to implement our growth strategies, or could create a negative perception in the capital markets.
Our continued success and our ability to manage anticipated future growth depend, in large part, upon the efforts of key personnel, particularly Mr. Jeffery E. Witherell, our Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Pendleton P. White, our President and Chief Investment Officer, who have extensive market knowledge and relationships and exercise substantial influence over our operational, financing, acquisition and disposition activity.
Our ability to retain our senior management, particularly Messrs. Witherell and White, or to attract suitable replacements should any member of our senior management leave, is dependent on the competitive nature of the employment market. We have not obtained and do not expect to obtain key man life insurance on any of our key personnel. The loss of services of one or more members of our senior management team, or our inability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, could adversely affect our business, diminish our investment opportunities and weaken our relationships with lenders, business partners, existing and prospective tenants and industry participants. Further, the loss of a member of our senior management team could be negatively perceived in the capital markets. Any of these developments could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the value of, our common stock.
Potential losses, including from adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, may not be covered by insurance.
We carry commercial property, liability and terrorism coverage on all the properties in our portfolio under a blanket insurance policy, in addition to other coverages that may be appropriate for certain of our properties. We will select policy specifications and insured limits that we believe to be appropriate and adequate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and industry practice. Some of our policies will be insured subject to limitations involving large deductibles or co-payments and policy limits that may not be sufficient to cover losses, which could affect certain of our properties that are located in areas particularly susceptible to natural disasters. In addition, we may discontinue terrorism or other insurance on some or all of our properties in the future if the cost of premiums for any such policies exceeds, in our judgment, the value of the coverage discounted for the risk of loss. We do not carry insurance for certain types of extraordinary losses, such as loss from riots, war, earthquakes and wildfires because such coverage may not be available or is cost prohibitive or available at a disproportionately high cost. As a result, we may incur significant costs in the event of loss from riots, war, earthquakes, wildfires and other uninsured losses.
If we or one or more of our tenants experiences a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, we could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties as well as the anticipated future cash flows from those properties. In addition, if the damaged properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we would continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties were irreparably damaged. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable costs in the future as the costs associated with property and casualty renewals may be higher than anticipated.
We may not be able to rebuild our portfolio to its existing specifications if we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of such properties.
In the event that we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of one of our properties, we may not be able to rebuild such property to its existing specifications. Further, reconstruction or improvement of such a property would likely require significant upgrades to meet zoning and building code requirements. Environmental and legal restrictions could also restrict the rebuilding of our properties.
Existing conditions at some of our properties may expose us to liability related to environmental matters.
Independent environmental consultants conducted a Phase I or similar environmental site assessment of our properties at the time of their acquisition or in connection with subsequent financings. Such Phase I or similar environmental site assessments are limited in scope and may not include or identify all potential environmental liabilities or risks associated with the relevant properties. We have not obtained and do not intend to obtain new or updated Phase I or similar environmental site assessments in connection with this offering, which may expose us to liability related to unknown or unanticipated environmental matters. Unless required by applicable laws or regulations, we may not further investigate, remedy or ameliorate the liabilities disclosed in the existing Phase I or similar environmental site assessments and this failure may expose us to liability in the future.
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We may be unable to sell a property if or when we decide to do so.
We expect to hold the various properties in our portfolio until such time as we decide that a sale or other disposition is appropriate. Our ability to dispose of properties on advantageous terms depends on factors beyond our control, including competition from other sellers and the availability of attractive financing for potential buyers of our properties. We cannot predict the various market conditions affecting the industrial real estate market which will exist at any particular time in the future. Due to the uncertainty of market conditions which may affect the future disposition of our properties, we cannot assure you that we will be able to sell our properties at a profit in the future, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the value of, our common stock.
Furthermore, we may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements before a property can be sold. We cannot assure you that we will have funds available to correct such defects or to make such improvements.
Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on co-venturers’ financial condition and disputes between us and our co-venturers.
We may co-invest in the future with third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, acquiring non-controlling interests in or sharing responsibility for managing the affairs of a property, partnership, joint venture or other entity. In such event, we would not be in a position to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the property, partnership, joint venture or other entity. Investments in partnerships, joint ventures or other entities may, under certain circumstances, involve risks not present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that partners or co-venturers might become bankrupt or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions. Partners or co-venturers may have economic or other business interests or goals which are inconsistent with our business interests or goals, and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives, and they may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflict of interest issues. Such investments may also have the potential risk of impasses on decisions, such as a sale, because neither we nor the partner or co-venturers would have full control over the partnership or joint venture. In addition, prior consent of our joint venture partners may be required for a sale or transfer to a third party of our interests in the joint venture, which would restrict our ability to dispose of our interest in the joint venture. If we become a limited partner or non-managing member in any partnership or limited liability company and such entity takes or expects to take actions that could jeopardize our company’s status as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. Disputes between us and partners or co-venturers may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and/or directors from focusing their time and effort on our business. Consequently, actions by or disputes with partners or co-venturers might result in subjecting properties owned by the partnership or joint venture to additional risk. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our third-party partners or co-venturers. Our joint ventures may be subject to debt and, in the current volatile credit market, the refinancing of such debt may require equity capital calls.
If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of integrated internal controls, or to remediate the material weaknesses we have identified in our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results.
As a publicly traded company, we are required to comply with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and effective disclosure controls and procedures for making required filings with the SEC. Effective internal and disclosure controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed.
The process for designing and implementing an effective system of integrated internal controls is a continuous effort that requires significant resources and devotion of time, and material weaknesses in our internal controls also may result in certain deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures. As part of the ongoing monitoring of internal controls required of publicly traded companies, and in connection with management’s evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2018, we identified a material weakness in our internal controls and our disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we identified as a material weakness, that due to limited financial and accounting resources, the Company has not fully tested existing controls to meet the COSO 2013 framework. In order to remediate this deficiency, we initiated a full review and evaluation of key processes, procedures and documentation in the fourth quarter of 2017 that is continuing in 2018 and will be monitored and tested independently.
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Although we have developed and are in the process of implementing a remediation plan for the identified material weakness, we can provide no assurances that our remediation plan will adequately remediate the identified material weakness. We continue to evaluate what additional policies and procedures may be necessary, how to most effectively communicate the policies and procedures to our personnel and how to improve our financial reporting system. We expect that work on the plan to remediate the identified weakness will continue throughout 2018.
If the remedial measures we are implementing are insufficient to address the identified material weakness or are not implemented effectively, or additional deficiencies arise in the future, material misstatements in our interim or annual financial statements may occur in the future. Among other things, any un-remediated material weaknesses could result in material post-closing adjustments in future financial statements. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm has not been required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
Any failure to maintain effective controls or timely effect any necessary improvement of our internal and disclosure controls could harm operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, which could adversely affect our ability to remain listed with the NYSE American. Ineffective internal and disclosure controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the per share trading price of our common stock.
Our growth depends on external sources of capital that are outside of our control and may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required under the Code, among other things, to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, including any net capital gains. Because of these distribution requirements, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary acquisition financing, from operating cash flow. Consequently, we intend to rely on third-party sources to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain such financing on favorable terms or at all and any additional debt we incur will increase our leverage and likelihood of default. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on:
In recent years, the capital markets have been subject to significant disruptions. If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire or develop properties when strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our portfolio, satisfy our debt service obligations or make the cash distributions to our stockholders necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT.
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Risks Related to the Real Estate Industry
Our performance and value are subject to risks associated with real estate assets and the real estate industry.
Our ability to pay expected dividends to our stockholders depends on our ability to generate revenues in excess of expenses, scheduled principal payments on debt and capital expenditure requirements. Events and conditions generally applicable to owners and operators of real property that are beyond our control may decrease cash available for distribution and the value of our properties. These events include many of the risks set forth above under “—Risks Related to Our Business and Operations,” as well as the following:
In addition, periods of economic downturn or recession, rising interest rates or declining demand for real estate, or the public perception that any of these events may occur, could result in a general decline in rents or an increased incidence of defaults under existing leases, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our properties and harm our financial condition.
The real estate investments made, and to be made, by us are relatively difficult to sell quickly. As a result, our ability to promptly sell one or more properties in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions is limited. Return of capital and realization of gains, if any, from an investment generally will occur upon disposition or refinancing of the underlying property. We may be unable to realize our investment objectives by sale, other disposition or refinancing at attractive prices within any given period of time or may otherwise be unable to complete any exit strategy. Our ability to dispose of one or more properties within a specific time period is subject to the possible weakness in or even the lack of an established market for a property, changes in the financial condition or prospects of prospective purchasers, changes in national or international economic conditions, and changes in laws, regulations or fiscal policies of jurisdictions in which the property is located.
In addition, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs effectively require that we hold our properties for investment, rather than primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forego or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be in our best interest. Therefore, we may not be able to vary our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions promptly or on favorable terms, which may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Declining real estate valuations and impairment charges could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
We intend to review the carrying value of our properties when circumstances, such as adverse market conditions, indicate a potential impairment may exist. We intend to base our review on an estimate of the future cash flows (excluding interest charges) expected to result from the property’s use and eventual disposition on an undiscounted basis. We intend to consider factors such as future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of leasing demand, competition and other factors. If our evaluation indicates that we may be unable to recover the carrying value of a real estate investment, an impairment loss will be recorded to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the property.
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Impairment losses have a direct impact on our operating results because recording an impairment loss results in an immediate negative adjustment to our operating results. The evaluation of anticipated cash flows is highly subjective and is based in part on assumptions regarding future occupancy, rental rates and capital requirements that could differ materially from actual results in future periods. A worsening real estate market may cause us to reevaluate the assumptions used in our impairment analysis. Impairment charges could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Adverse economic conditions and the dislocation in the credit markets could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Ongoing challenging economic conditions have negatively impacted the lending and capital markets, particularly for real estate. The capital markets have experienced significant adverse conditions in recent years, including a substantial reduction in the availability of, and access to, capital. The risk premium demanded by lenders has increased markedly, as they are demanding greater compensation for risk, and underwriting standards have been tightened. In addition, failures and consolidations of certain financial institutions have decreased the number of potential lenders, resulting in reduced lending sources available to the market. These conditions may limit the amount of indebtedness we are able to obtain and our ability to refinance our indebtedness, and may impede our ability to develop new properties and to replace construction financing with permanent financing, which could result in our having to sell properties at inopportune times and on unfavorable terms. If these conditions continue, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock could be materially adversely affected.
The lack of availability of debt financing may require us to rely more heavily on additional equity issuances, which may be dilutive to our current stockholders, or on less efficient forms of debt financing. Additionally, the limited amount of financing currently available may reduce the value of our properties and limit our ability to borrow against such properties, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Acquired properties may be located in new markets where we may face risks associated with investing in an unfamiliar market.
We have acquired, and may continue to acquire, properties in markets that are new to us. When we acquire properties located in new markets, we may face risks associated with a lack of market knowledge or understanding of the local economy, forging new business relationships in the area and unfamiliarity with local government and permitting procedures.
We may choose not to distribute the proceeds of any sales of real estate to our stockholders, which may reduce the amount of our cash distributions to stockholders.
We may choose not to distribute any proceeds from the sale of real estate investments to our stockholders. Instead, we may elect to use such proceeds to:
Any decision to retain or invest the proceeds of any sales, rather than distribute such proceeds to our stockholders may reduce the amount of cash distributions you receive on your common stock.
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Uninsured losses relating to real property may adversely affect your returns.
We attempt to ensure that all of our properties are adequately insured to cover casualty losses. However, there are certain losses, including losses from floods, earthquakes, wildfires, acts of war, acts of terrorism or riots, that are not generally insured against or that are not generally fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so. In addition, changes in the cost or availability of insurance could expose us to uninsured casualty losses. In the event that any of our properties incurs a casualty loss that is not fully covered by insurance, the value of our assets will be reduced by the amount of any such uninsured loss, and we could experience a significant loss of capital invested and potential revenue in these properties and could potentially remain obligated under any recourse debt associated with the property. Moreover, we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, generally will be liable for all of our operating partnership’s unsatisfied recourse obligations, including any obligations incurred by our operating partnership as the general partner of joint ventures. Any such losses could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock. In addition, we may have no source of funding to repair or reconstruct the damaged property, and we cannot assure you that any such sources of funding will be available to us for such purposes in the future. We evaluate our insurance coverage annually in light of current industry practice through an analysis prepared by outside consultants.
Our property taxes could increase due to property tax rate changes or reassessment, which could adversely impact our cash flows.
Even if we maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we will be required to pay some state and local taxes on our properties. The real property taxes on our properties may increase as property tax rates change or as our properties are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. The amount of property taxes we pay in the future may increase substantially from what we have paid in the past. If the property taxes we pay increase, our cash flow would be adversely impacted to the extent that we are not reimbursed by tenants for those taxes, and our ability to pay any expected dividends to our stockholders could be adversely affected.
We could incur significant costs related to government regulation and litigation over environmental matters.
Under various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment, as a current or former owner or operator of real property, we may be liable for costs and damages resulting from the presence or discharge of hazardous or toxic substances, waste or petroleum products at, on, in, under or migrating to or from such property, including costs to investigate, clean up such contamination and liability for harm to natural resources. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such contamination, and the liability may be joint and several. These liabilities could be substantial and the cost of any required remediation, removal, fines or other costs could exceed the value of the property and/or our aggregate assets. In addition, the presence of contamination or the failure to remediate contamination at our properties may expose us to third-party liability for costs of remediation and/or personal, property, or natural resources damage or materially adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or develop our properties or to borrow using the properties as collateral. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated sites in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on our properties, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures.
Some of the properties in our portfolio have been or may be impacted by contamination arising from current or prior uses of the property, or adjacent properties, for commercial or industrial purposes. Such contamination may arise from spills of petroleum or hazardous substances or releases from tanks used to store such materials.
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From time to time, we may acquire properties with known adverse environmental conditions where we believe that the environmental liabilities associated with these conditions are quantifiable and that the acquisition will yield a superior risk-adjusted return. We usually perform a Phase I environmental site assessment at any property we are considering acquiring. In connection with certain financing transactions our lenders have commissioned independent environmental consultants to conduct Phase I environmental site assessments on the properties in our portfolio. However, we have not always received copies of the Phase I environmental site assessment reports commissioned by our lenders and, as such, may not be aware of all potential or existing environmental contamination liabilities at the properties in our portfolio. In addition, Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and do not involve sampling of soil, soil vapor, or groundwater, and these assessments may not include or identify all potential environmental liabilities or risks associated with the property. Even where subsurface investigation is performed, it can be very difficult to ascertain the full extent of environmental contamination or the costs that are likely to flow from such contamination. We cannot assure you that the Phase I environmental site assessment or other environmental studies identified all potential environmental liabilities, or that we will not face significant remediation costs or other environmental contamination that makes it difficult to sell any affected properties. Also, we have not always implemented actions recommended by these assessments, and recommended investigation and remediation of known or suspected contamination has not always been performed. As a result, we could potentially incur material liability for these issues, which could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Environmental laws also govern the presence, maintenance and removal of asbestos-containing building materials, or ACBM, and may impose fines and penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. Such laws require that owners or operators of buildings containing ACBM (and employers in such buildings) properly manage and maintain the asbestos, adequately notify or train those who may come into contact with asbestos, and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, if asbestos would be disturbed during renovation or demolition of a building. In addition, the presence of ACBM in our properties may expose us to third-party liability (e.g., liability for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos).
In addition, the properties in our portfolio also are subject to various federal, state and local environmental and health and safety requirements, such as state and local fire requirements. Moreover, some of our tenants routinely handle and use hazardous or regulated substances and wastes as part of their operations at our properties, which are subject to regulation. Such environmental and health and safety laws and regulations could subject us or our tenants to liability resulting from these activities. Environmental liabilities could affect a tenant’s ability to make rental payments to us. In addition, changes in laws could increase the potential liability for noncompliance. This may result in significant unanticipated expenditures or may otherwise materially and adversely affect our operations, or those of our tenants, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on us.
We cannot assure you that costs or liabilities incurred as a result of environmental issues will not affect our ability to make distributions to you or that such costs or other remedial measures will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock. If we do incur material environmental liabilities in the future, we may face significant remediation costs, and we may find it difficult to sell any affected properties.
Our properties may contain or develop harmful mold or suffer from other air quality issues, which could lead to liability for adverse health effects and costs of remediation.
When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Indoor air quality issues can also stem from inadequate ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor or outdoor sources, and other biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and bacteria. Indoor exposure to airborne toxins or irritants above certain levels can be alleged to cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold or other airborne contaminants from the affected property or increase indoor ventilation. In addition, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants could expose us to liability from our tenants, employees of our tenants or others if property damage or personal injury is alleged to have occurred.
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We may incur significant costs complying with various federal, state and local laws, regulations and covenants that are applicable to our properties.
The properties in our portfolio are subject to various covenants and federal, state and local laws and regulatory requirements, including permitting and licensing requirements. Local regulations, including municipal or local ordinances and zoning restrictions may restrict our use of our properties and may require us to obtain approval from local officials or restrict our use of our properties and may require us to obtain approval from local officials of community standards organizations at any time with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking renovations of any of our portfolio. Among other things, these restrictions may relate to fire and safety, seismic or hazardous material abatement requirements. There can be no assurance that existing laws and regulatory policies will not adversely affect us or the timing or cost of any future acquisitions or renovations, or that additional regulations will not be adopted that increase such delays or result in additional costs. Our growth strategy may be adversely affected by our ability to obtain permits, licenses and zoning relief. Our failure to obtain such permits, licenses and zoning relief or to comply with applicable laws could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
In addition, federal and state laws and regulations, including laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988, or FHAA, impose further restrictions on our properties and operations. Under the ADA and the FHAA, all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Some of our properties may currently be in non-compliance with the ADA or the FHAA. If one or more of the properties in our portfolio is not in compliance with the ADA, the FHAA or any other regulatory requirements, we may be required to incur additional costs to bring the property into compliance, including the removal of access barriers, and we might incur governmental fines or the award of damages to private litigants. In addition, we do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether future requirements will require us to make significant unanticipated expenditures that will adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future between the interests of our stockholders and the interests of holders of OP units, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and our operating partnership or any partner thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our company under Maryland law in connection with their management of our company. At the same time, we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, have fiduciary duties and obligations to our operating partnership and its limited partners under Delaware law and the partnership agreement of our operating partnership in connection with the management of our operating partnership. Our fiduciary duties and obligations as the general partner of our operating partnership may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our company.
Under Delaware law, a general partner of a Delaware limited partnership has fiduciary duties of loyalty and care to the partnership and its partners and must discharge its duties and exercise its rights as general partner under the partnership agreement or Delaware law consistent with the obligation of good faith and fair dealing. The partnership agreement provides that, in the event of a conflict between the interests of our operating partnership or any partner, on the one hand, and the separate interests of our company or our stockholders, on the other hand, we, in our capacity as the general partner of our operating partnership, may give priority to the separate interests of our company or our stockholders (including with respect to tax consequences to limited partners, assignees or our stockholders), and, in the event of such a conflict, any action or failure to act on our part or on the part of our directors that gives priority to the separate interests of our company or our stockholders that does not result in a violation of the contract rights of the limited partners of our operating partnership under its partnership agreement does not violate the duty of loyalty or any other duty that we, in our capacity as the general partner of our operating partnership, owe to our operating partnership and its partners or violate the obligation of good faith and fair dealing.
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Additionally, the partnership agreement provides that we generally will not be liable to our operating partnership or any partner for any action or omission taken in our capacity as general partner, for the debts or liabilities of our operating partnership or for the obligations of the operating partnership under the partnership agreement, except for liability for our fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence, pursuant to any express indemnity we may give to our operating partnership or in connection with a redemption of our OP units. Our operating partnership must indemnify us, our directors and officers, officers of our operating partnership and our designees from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of our operating partnership, unless (1) an act or omission of the person was material to the matter giving rise to the action and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (2) the person actually received an improper personal benefit in violation or breach of the partnership agreement or (3) in the case of a criminal proceeding, the indemnified person had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. Our operating partnership must also pay or reimburse the reasonable expenses of any such person in advance of a final disposition of the proceeding upon its receipt of a written affirmation of the person’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has been met and a written undertaking to repay any amounts paid or advanced if it is ultimately determined that the person did not meet the standard of conduct for indemnification. Our operating partnership is not required to indemnify or advance funds to any person with respect to any action initiated by the person seeking indemnification without our approval (except for any proceeding brought to enforce such person’s right to indemnification under the partnership agreement) or if the person is found to be liable to our operating partnership on any portion of any claim in the action.
Our charter and bylaws, the partnership agreement of our operating partnership and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change of control transaction.
Our charter contains certain ownership limits with respect to our stock.
Our charter authorizes our board of directors to take such actions as it determines are advisable, in its sole and absolute discretion, to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Our charter also prohibits the actual, beneficial or constructive ownership by any person of more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, in each case excluding any shares that are not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes. Our board of directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, may exempt a person, prospectively or retroactively, from these ownership limits if certain conditions are satisfied. However, our bylaws provide that the board of directors must waive the ownership limit with respect to a particular person if it: (1) determines that such person’s ownership will not cause any individual’s beneficial ownership of shares of our stock to violate the ownership limit and that any exemption from the ownership limit will not jeopardize our status as a REIT; and (2) determines that such stockholder does not and will not own, actually or constructively, an interest in a tenant of ours (or a tenant of any entity whose operations are attributed in whole or in part to us) that would cause us to own, actually or constructively, more than a 9.8% interest (as set forth in Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code) in such tenant or that any such ownership would not cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code. The restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock may:
We could increase the number of authorized shares of stock, classify and reclassify unissued stock and issue stock without stockholder approval.
Our board of directors, without stockholder approval, has the power under our charter to amend our charter to increase the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we are authorized to issue, to authorize us to issue authorized but unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock and set the terms of such newly classified or reclassified shares. See “Description of Stock—Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Shares of Common Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Common and Preferred Stock.” As a result, we may issue additional classes or series of preferred stock with preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, that are senior to, or otherwise conflict with, the rights of holders of our common stock and could, depending on the terms of such series, delay or prevent a transaction or change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
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Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control, which may discourage third parties from conducting a tender offer or seeking other change of control transactions that could trigger rights to require us to redeem our shares of common stock.
Certain provisions of the MGCL may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change of control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of shares of our common stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of such shares, including:
As permitted by the MGCL, our bylaws provide that we will not be subject to the control share provisions of the MGCL, and our board of directors has, by resolution, exempted us from the business combination between us and any other person. In addition, the board resolution opting out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL provides that any alteration or repeal of the resolution shall be valid only if approved, at a meeting duly called, by the affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally for directors, and our bylaws provide that any such alteration or repeal of the resolution, or any amendment, alteration or repeal of the provision in our bylaws exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock, will be valid only if approved, at a meeting duly called, by the affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally for directors.
Certain provisions of the MGCL permit the board of directors of a Maryland corporation with at least three independent directors and a class of stock registered under the Exchange Act without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in its charter or bylaws, to implement certain corporate governance provisions, some of which (for example, a classified board) are not currently applicable to us. These provisions may have the effect of limiting or precluding a third party from making an unsolicited acquisition proposal for our company or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the current market price.
Certain provisions in the partnership agreement of our operating partnership may delay or prevent unsolicited acquisitions of us.
Provisions of the partnership agreement of our operating partnership may delay or make more difficult unsolicited acquisitions of us or changes of our control. These provisions could discourage third parties from making proposals involving an unsolicited acquisition of us or change of our control, although some stockholders or limited partners might consider such proposals, if made, desirable. These provisions include, among others:
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Our charter and bylaws, the partnership agreement of our operating partnership and Maryland law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest. See “Material Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws—Removal of Directors,” “—Control Share Acquisitions” and “—Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business.”
Our board of directors may change our investment and financing policies without stockholder approval and we may become more highly leveraged, which may increase our risk of default under our debt obligations.
Our investment and financing policies are exclusively determined by our board of directors. Accordingly, our stockholders, do not control these policies. Further, our charter and bylaws do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness, funded or otherwise, that we may incur. Our board of directors may alter or eliminate our current policy on borrowing at any time without stockholder approval. If this policy changed, we could become more highly leveraged which could result in an increase in our debt service. Higher leverage also increases the risk of default on our obligations. In addition, a change in our investment policies, including the manner in which we allocate our resources across our portfolio or the types of assets in which we seek to invest, may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, real estate market fluctuations and liquidity risk. Changes to our policies with regard to the foregoing could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited.
As permitted by Maryland law, our charter eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from:
In addition, our charter authorizes us to obligate our company, and our bylaws require us, to indemnify our directors and officers for actions taken by them in those and certain other capacities to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time. Generally, Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers except in instances where the person seeking indemnification acted in bad faith or with active and deliberate dishonesty, actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services or, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his or her actions were unlawful. Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation also may not indemnify a director or officer in a suit by or on behalf of the corporation in which the director or officer was adjudged liable to the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received. A court may order indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct; however, indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by us or on our behalf, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors and officers than might otherwise exist. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken in good faith by any of our directors or officers impede the performance of our company, your ability to recover damages from such director or officer will be limited. See “Material Provisions of Maryland law and of Our Charter and Bylaws—Indemnification and Limitation of Directors’ and Officers’ Liability.”
We are a holding company with no direct operations and, as such, we will rely on funds received from our operating partnership to pay liabilities, and the interests of our stockholders will be structurally subordinated to all liabilities and obligations of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries.
We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through our operating partnership. We do not have, apart from an interest in our operating partnership, any independent operations. As a result, we will rely on distributions from our operating partnership to pay any dividends we might declare on shares of our common stock. We will also rely on distributions from our operating partnership to meet any of our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from our operating partnership. In addition, because we are a holding company, your claims as stockholders will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations (whether or not for borrowed money) of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets and those of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries will be available to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and our operating partnership’s and its subsidiaries’ liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.
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Our operating partnership may issue additional OP units to third parties without the consent of our stockholders, which would reduce our ownership percentage in our operating partnership and would have a dilutive effect on the amount of distributions made to us by our operating partnership and, therefore, the amount of distributions we can make to our stockholders.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have issued 421,438 OP units in connection with the acquisition of certain properties in our portfolio and may in the future, in connection with our acquisition of properties or otherwise, cause our operating partnership to issue additional OP units to third parties. Such issuances would reduce our ownership percentage in our operating partnership and affect the amount of distributions made to us by our operating partnership and, therefore, the amount of distributions we can make to our stockholders. Because you will not directly own OP units, you will not have any voting rights with respect to any such issuances or other partnership level activities of our operating partnership.
Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT
Failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT would have significant adverse consequences to us and the per share trading price of our common stock.
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2012 and have operated in a manner that we believe will allow us to maintain our qualification as a REIT. We cannot assure you that we will remain qualified as a REIT in the future. If we lose our REIT qualification, we will face serious tax consequences that would substantially reduce the funds available for distribution to you for each of the years involved because:
Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce our cash available for, among other things, our operations and distributions to stockholders. In addition, if we fail to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we will not be required to make distributions to our stockholders. As a result of all these factors, our failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT also could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and could materially and adversely affect the per share trading price of our common stock.
Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations. The complexity of these provisions and of the applicable Treasury regulations that have been promulgated under the Code, or the Treasury regulations, is greater in the case of a REIT that, like us, holds its assets through a partnership. The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must satisfy a number of requirements, including requirements regarding the ownership of our stock, requirements regarding the composition of our assets and a requirement that at least 95% of our gross income in any year must be derived from qualifying sources, such as “rents from real property.” Also, we must make distributions to stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains and losses. In addition, legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may materially adversely affect our investors, our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or the desirability of an investment in a REIT relative to other investments. Even if we maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state and local income, property and excise taxes on our income or property and, in certain cases, a 100% penalty tax, in the event we sell property as a dealer. In addition, any taxable REIT subsidiaries that we own will be subject to tax as regular C corporations in the jurisdictions in which they operate.
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If our operating partnership failed to qualify as a partnership or a disregarded entity for federal income tax purposes, we would cease to qualify as a REIT and suffer other adverse consequences.
We believe that our operating partnership will be treated as a partnership or a disregarded entity for federal income tax purposes. During periods in which our operating partnership is treated as a disregarded entity, our operating partnership will not be subject to federal income tax on its income. Rather, its income will be attributed to us as the sole owner for federal income tax purposes of the operating partnership. During periods in which our operating partnership has limited partners other than Plymouth OP Limited, LLC, the operating partnership will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, our operating partnership would not be subject to federal income tax on its income. Instead, each of its partners would be allocated, and may be required to pay tax with respect to, its share of our operating partnership’s income. We cannot assure you, however, that the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, will not challenge the status of our operating partnership or any other subsidiary partnership in which we own an interest as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the IRS were successful in treating our operating partnership or any such other subsidiary partnership as an entity taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would fail to meet the gross income tests and certain of the asset tests applicable to REITs and, accordingly, we would likely cease to maintain our qualification as a REIT. Also, if our operating partnership or any subsidiary partnerships were treated as entities taxable as corporations, such entities could become subject to federal and state corporate income tax, which would reduce significantly the amount of cash available for debt service and for distribution to its partners, including us.
Our taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to federal income tax, and we will be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if our transactions with our taxable REIT subsidiaries are not conducted on arm’s length terms.
We own interests in one taxable REIT subsidiary and may acquire interests in more taxable REIT subsidiaries in the future. A taxable REIT subsidiary is a corporation other than a REIT in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds stock, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. If a taxable REIT subsidiary owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a taxable REIT subsidiary may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of its parent REIT. A taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to federal income tax as a regular C corporation. In addition, a 100% excise tax will be imposed on certain transactions between a taxable REIT subsidiary and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis.
To maintain our REIT qualification, we may be forced to borrow funds during unfavorable market conditions.
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income each year, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains, and we will be subject to regular corporate income taxes to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income each year. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. Accordingly, we may not be able to retain sufficient cash flow from operations to meet our debt service requirements and repay our debt. Therefore, we may need to raise additional capital for these purposes, and we cannot assure you that a sufficient amount of capital will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, when needed, which would materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock. Further, in order to maintain our REIT qualification and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds to meet the REIT distribution requirements even if the then prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. These borrowing needs could result from, among other things, differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and inclusion of income for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt or amortization payments. These sources, however, may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current debt levels, the per share trading price of our common stock, and our current and potential future earnings. We cannot assure you that we will have access to such capital on favorable terms at the desired times, or at all, which may cause us to curtail our investment activities and/or to dispose of assets at inopportune times, and could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
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Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.
The maximum tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for such reduced tax rates. Instead, our ordinary dividends generally are taxed at the higher tax rates applicable to ordinary income, the current maximum rate of which is 37%. Although these rules do not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, investors who are individuals, trusts and estates may perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including the per share trading price of our common stock. However, for taxable years prior to 2026, individual stockholders are generally allowed to deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations, which would reduce the maximum marginal effective federal income tax rate for individuals on the receipt of such ordinary dividends to 29.6%.
The tax imposed on REITs engaging in “prohibited transactions” may limit our ability to engage in transactions which would be treated as sales for federal income tax purposes.
A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Although we do not intend to hold any properties that would be characterized as held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business, unless a sale or disposition qualifies under certain statutory safe harbors, such characterization is a factual determination and no guarantee can be given that the IRS would agree with our characterization of our properties or that we will always be able to make use of the available safe harbors.
Complying with REIT requirements may affect our profitability and may force us to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments.
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments in order to satisfy the asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. We also may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. As a result, having to comply with the distribution requirement could cause us to: (1) sell assets in adverse market conditions; (2) borrow on unfavorable terms; or (3) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt. Accordingly, satisfying the REIT requirements could have an adverse effect on our business results, profitability and ability to execute our business plan. Moreover, if we are compelled to liquidate our investments to meet any of these asset, income or distribution tests, or to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with one or more of the requirements applicable to REITs or may be subject to a 100% tax on any resulting gain if such sales constitute prohibited transactions.
Legislative, regulatory, or administrative changes could adversely affect us or our security holders.
The tax laws or regulations governing REITs or the administrative interpretations thereof may be amended at any time. We cannot predict if or when any new or amended law, regulation, or administrative interpretation will be adopted, promulgated, or become effective, and any such change may apply retroactively. We and our security holders may be adversely affected by any new or amended law, regulation, or administrative interpretation.
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules related to the taxation of individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. In addition to reducing corporate and non-corporate tax rates, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminates and restricts various deductions and limits the ability to utilize net operating losses. Most of the changes applicable to individuals are temporary and apply only to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes numerous large and small changes to the tax rules that do not affect REITs directly but may affect our security holders and may indirectly affect us.
Prospective investors are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the status of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and any other regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on investment in our securities.
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Risk Related to our Common Stock
The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile.
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American. As if an active trading market develops for our common stock, the per share trading price of our common stock may be volatile. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the per share trading price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the public offering price. We cannot assure you that the per share trading price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future.
Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock include:
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the price of their common stock. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on, and the per share trading price of, our common stock.
Increases in market interest rates may have an effect on the per share trading price of our common stock.
One of the factors that will influence the price of our common stock will be the dividend yield on the common stock (as a percentage of the price of our common stock) relative to market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates, which are currently at low levels relative to historical rates, may lead prospective purchasers of our common stock to expect a higher dividend yield and higher interest rates would likely increase our borrowing costs and potentially decrease funds available for distribution. Thus, higher market interest rates could cause the market price of our common stock to decrease.
The rights of our common stockholders are limited by and subordinate to the rights of the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock and these rights may have a negative effect on the value of shares of our common stock.
The holders of shares of our 7.50% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, or the Series A Preferred Stock, have rights and preferences generally senior to those of the holders of our common stock. The existence of these senior rights and preferences may have a negative effect on the value of shares of our common stock. These rights are more fully set forth in the articles supplementary governing our Series A Preferred Stock, and include, but are not limited to: (i) the right to receive a liquidation preference, prior to any distribution of our assets to the holders of our common stock; and (ii) the right to require us to redeem shares of Series A Preferred Stock upon the occurrence of a change of control (as defined in the articles supplementary governing the Series A Preferred Stock). In addition, the Series A Preferred Stock ranks senior to our common stock with respect to priority of such dividend payments, which may limit our ability to make distributions to holders of our common stock.
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The issuance of substantial numbers of shares of our common stock in the public market, or upon exchange of OP units, or the perception that such issuances might occur, could adversely affect the per share trading price of the shares of our common stock.
The exchange of OP units for common stock or the vesting of any stock awards granted to certain directors, executive officers and other employees under our 2014 Incentive Award Plan, the issuance of our common stock or OP units in connection with future property, portfolio or business acquisitions and other issuances of our common stock could have an adverse effect on the per share trading price of our common stock, and the authorization of grants of awards covering OP units or shares of our common stock under our 2014 Incentive Award Plan, may adversely affect the terms upon which we may be able to obtain additional capital through the sale of equity securities. In addition, future issuances of shares of our common stock may be dilutive to existing stockholders.
Future offerings of debt securities, which would be senior to our common stock upon liquidation, and/or preferred equity securities which may be senior to our common stock for purposes of dividend distributions or upon liquidation, may adversely affect the per share trading price of our common stock.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or equity securities (or causing our operating partnership to issue debt or equity securities), including medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes and additional classes or series of preferred stock. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will be entitled to receive our available assets prior to distribution to the holders of our common stock. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and may result in dilution to owners of our common stock. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Our Series A Preferred Stock has, and additional classes or series of preferred stock, if issued, could have, a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability pay dividends to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our industry or if they downgrade our common stock or the industrial properties related real estate sector, the price of our common stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock relies in part upon the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our industry. We have no control over these analysts. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrades our shares or our industry, or the stock of any of our competitors, the market price of our common stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company, we could lose attention in the market which in turn could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
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Additional Information” for information on how to obtain documents from us, including our charter and bylaws.
Common Stock
Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be specified in the terms of any class or series of our common stock, each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors, and, except as provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of shares of our common stock will possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our directors. Directors are elected by a plurality of all of the votes cast in the election of directors.
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Warrants
Certain affiliates of Torchlight Investors, LLC own warrants to acquire 250,000 shares of our common stock. Each warrant represents the right to purchase one share of our common stock. The number of shares deliverable upon the exercise of the warrants is subject to adjustment and certain anti-dilution protection as provided in the warrant agreement. The initial exercise price applicable to each warrant is $23.00 per share of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised. All or any portion of the warrants may be exercised in whole or in part at any time and from time to time on or before 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the date that is five years following the completion of our initial listed public offering. At the election of the holder, the exercise price may be paid by the withholding by us of a number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants equal to the value of the aggregate exercise price of the warrants so exercised, determined by reference to the market price of our common stock on the trading day on which the warrants are exercised. Any value of the warrants so exercised in excess of the number of shares withheld by us will be paid to the holder of the exercised warrants in shares of our common stock valued by reference to the same market price. We will at all times reserve the aggregate number of shares of our common stock for which the warrants may be exercised. The warrant holders will have no rights or privileges of holders of our common stock, including any voting rights and rights to dividend payments, until (and then only to the extent) the warrants have been exercised. Issuance of any shares of common stock deliverable upon the exercise of the warrants will be made without charge to the warrant holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expenses in respect of the issuance of those shares. The holders of the common stock deliverable upon the exercise of the warrants will be entitled to certain customary registration rights.
Preferred Stock
Our charter authorizes our board of directors to classify any unissued shares of our preferred stock and to reclassify any previously classified but unissued shares into one or more classes or series of stock. Prior to issuance of shares of each new class or series, our board of directors is required by the MGCL and our charter to set, subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of each such class or series. As a result, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock that have priority over shares of our common stock with respect to dividends or other distributions or rights upon liquidation, exclusive or class voting rights or with other terms and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control of our company that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock or that our common stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interests.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have 2,040,000 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding. The Series A Preferred Stock ranks senior, with respect priority of payment of dividends and distributions and rights upon the liquidation of our company, to the common stock. The Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to receive cumulative cash dividends, payable quarterly, at the rate of 7.50% per annum on the $25.00 liquidation preference per share (equivalent to a fixed annual rate of $1.875 per share). The Series A Preferred Stock may be redeemed by us, at our option, on and after December 31, 2022, at a redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus accrued and unpaid dividends. The holders of the Series A Preferred Stock generally do not have voting rights; however, if dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are in arrears for six or more quarterly periods (whether or not consecutive), then the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, voting together as a single class, will be entitled to vote for the election of two additional directors to serve on our board of directors.
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Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Shares of Our Common Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Our Common and Preferred Stock
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As a condition of the exception, our board of directors may require an opinion of counsel or IRS ruling, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to our board of directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, in order to determine or ensure our status as a REIT and representations and undertakings from the person seeking the exemption or excepted holder limit in order to make the determinations above. Our board of directors may impose such conditions or restrictions as it deems appropriate in connection with such an exception.
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Shares of our stock transferred to the trustee are deemed offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer of the shares to the trust (or, in the event of a gift, devise or other such transaction, the last reported sale price at the time of such gift, devise or other transaction) and (ii) the last reported sale price on the date we accept, or our designee accepts, such offer. We may reduce the amount payable to the prohibited owner by the amount of dividends and distributions paid to the prohibited owner and owed by the prohibited owner to the trustee and pay the amount of such reduction to the trustee for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. We have the right to accept such offer until the trustee has sold the shares of our stock held in the trust. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold terminates and the trustee must distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited owner and any dividends or other distributions held by the trustee with respect to such stock will be paid to the charitable beneficiary.
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Any certificates representing shares of our stock will bear a legend referring to the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock described above.
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In approving a transaction, however, a board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of the approval, with any terms and conditions determined by it.
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If voting rights of control shares are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an “acquiring person statement” as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of stockholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a
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pursuant to our notice of the meeting; |
by or at the direction of our board of directors; or |
by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated or on such other business and who has provided the information and certifications required by the advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws. |
by or at the direction of our board of directors; or |
provided that the meeting has been called for the purpose of electing directors, by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has provided the information and certifications required by the advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws. |
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Indemnification and Limitation of Directors’ and Officers’ Liability
was committed in bad faith; or |
was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
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Capital Contributions
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These exchange rights may not be exercised, however, if and to the extent that the delivery of shares upon exercise would (1) result in any person owning shares in excess of our ownership limits, (2) result in shares being owned by fewer than 100 persons, (3) cause us to be “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code, (4) cause us to own 10% or more of the ownership interests in a tenant within the meaning of Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code, or (5) cause the acquisition of shares by a redeemed limited partner to be “integrated” with any other distribution of our shares for purposes of complying with the Securities Act.
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Voting Rights
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Dentons US LLP has acted as our tax counsel in connection with this offering. Dentons US LLP will render an opinion to us to the effect that, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2012, and subject to certain assumptions and qualifications, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and that our actual and proposed method of operation has enabled and will continue to enable us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for such taxable year and thereafter. In addition, it must be emphasized that the opinion of Dentons US LLP will be based on various assumptions and representations as to factual matters, including representations made by us in a factual certificate provided by one of our officers. In addition, the opinion will be based upon our factual representations set forth in this prospectus. The opinion of Dentons US LLP is not binding upon the IRS or any court. Moreover, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet the various qualification tests imposed under the Code, which are discussed below, including through actual annual operating results, asset composition, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership, the results of which have not been and will not be reviewed by Dentons US LLP. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements. Further, the anticipated U.S. federal income tax treatment described in this prospectus may be changed, perhaps retroactively, by legislative, administrative or judicial action at any time. Dentons US LLP has no obligation to update its opinion subsequent to the date of such opinion.
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(1) | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
(2) | that issues transferable shares or transferable certificates of beneficial interest to evidence its beneficial ownership; |
(3) | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation, but for Sections 856 through 860 of the Code; |
(4) | that is not a financial institution or an insurance company within the meaning of certain provisions of the Code; |
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(5) | that is beneficially owned by 100 or more persons; |
(6) | not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, including certain specified entities, during the last half of each taxable year; |
(7) | that elects to be a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status; |
(8) | that uses a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and |
(9) | that meets other tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions. |
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We may from time to time own and operate certain properties through wholly owned subsidiaries that we intend to be treated as “qualified REIT subsidiaries” under the Code. A corporation will qualify as our qualified REIT subsidiary if we own 100% of the corporation’s outstanding stock and do not elect with the subsidiary to treat it as a “taxable REIT subsidiary,” as described below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not treated as a separate corporation, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of a qualified REIT subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the parent REIT for all purposes under the Code, including all REIT qualification tests. Thus, in applying the federal tax requirements described in this discussion, any qualified REIT subsidiaries we own are ignored, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of such corporations are treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not subject to federal income tax, and our ownership of the stock of a qualified REIT subsidiary does not violate the restrictions on ownership of securities, as described below under “—Taxation of Our Company—Asset Tests.”
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Rents we receive from a tenant will qualify as “rents from real property” for the purpose of satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT described above only if all of the following conditions are met:
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Income we receive that is attributable to the use of parking spaces at the properties will generally constitute rents from real property for purposes of the gross income tests if certain services we provide with respect to the parking spaces are performed by independent contractors from whom we derive no revenue, either directly or indirectly, or by a taxable REIT subsidiary, and certain other conditions are met. We believe that the income we receive that is attributable to parking spaces meets these tests and, accordingly, will constitute rents from real property for purposes of the gross income tests.
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47
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Although we intend to satisfy the asset tests described above and plan to take steps to ensure that we satisfy such tests for any quarter with respect to which retesting is to occur, there can be no assurance we will always be successful, or will not require a reduction in our operating partnership’s overall interest in an issuer (including in a taxable REIT subsidiary). If we fail to cure any non-compliance with the asset tests in a timely manner, and the relief provisions described above are not available, we would cease to qualify as a REIT.
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Entity Classification
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Tax Allocations With Respect to the Properties
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U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for Holders of Our Stock
Securities
Securities
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To the extent that we make distributions on our stock in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to such stock, these distributions will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to a U.S. holder. This treatment will reduce the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such shares of stock by the amount of the distribution, but not below zero. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits and in excess of a U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares will be taxable as capital gain. Such gain will be taxable as long-term capital gain if the shares have been held for more than one year. Dividends we declare in October, November, or December of any year and which are payable to a holder of record on a specified date in any of these months will be treated as both paid by us and received by the holder on December 31 of that year, provided we actually pay the dividend on or before January 31 of the following year.
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Dispositions of Our Stock
Securities
(i) | is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. stockholder; |
(ii) | results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. stockholder’s stock interest in us; or |
(iii) | is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. stockholder, |
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Securities
Securities
1) | a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. holder files with us an IRS Form W-8BEN (or Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable) evidencing eligibility for that reduced treaty rate; or |
2) | the non-U.S. holder files an IRS Form W-8ECI with us claiming that the distribution is income effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s trade or business. |
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Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to a non-U.S. holder to the extent that such distributions do not exceed the adjusted basis of the holder’s stock, but rather will
1) | the investment in our stock is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s U.S. trade or business (through a U.S. permanent establishment, where applicable), in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. holders with respect to such gain, except that a non-U.S. holder that is a non-U.S. corporation may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, as discussed above; or |
2) | the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met, in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% on the non-U.S. holder’s capital gains (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of such non-U.S. holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses. |
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Sale of Our Stock
1) | such class of stock is “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market such as the |
2) | such non-U.S. holder owned, actually and constructively, 10% or less of such class of stock throughout the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the sale or exchange or the non-U.S. holder’s holding period. |
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Redemption or Repurchase by Us
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Tax Rates
securities.
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On December 22, 2017, H.R. 1, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was signed into law. The Tax Act makes major changes to the Code, including a number of provisions of the Code that may affect the taxation of REITs and the holders of their securities. The most significant of these provisions are described below. The individual and collective impact of these changes on REITs and their security holders is uncertain and may not become evident for some period of time. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of the Tax Act on their investment.
Revised Individual Tax Rates and Deductions
The Tax Act adjusted the tax brackets and reduced the top federal income tax rate for individuals from 39.6% to 37%. In addition, numerous deductions were eliminated or limited, including the deduction for state and local taxes being limited to $10,000 per year. These individual income tax changes are generally effective beginning in 2018, but without further legislation, they will sunset after 2025.
Pass-Through Business Income Tax Rate Lowered through Deduction
Under the Tax Act, individuals, trusts, and estates generally may deduct 20% of “qualified business income” (generally, domestic trade or business income other than certain investment items) of a partnership, S corporation, or sole proprietorship. In addition, “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) and certain other income items are eligible for the deduction. The deduction, however, is subject to complex limitations to its availability. As with the other individual income tax changes, the provisions related to the deduction are effective beginning in 2018, but without further legislation, they will sunset after 2025.
Maximum Corporate Tax Rate Reduced Elimination of Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax
The Tax Act reduced the maximum corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% and reduced the dividends received deduction for certain corporate subsidiaries. The Tax Act also permanently eliminated the corporate alternative minimum tax. These provisions are effective beginning in 2018.
Net Operating Loss Modifications
The Tax Act limited the net operating loss (“NOL”) deduction to 80% of taxable income (before the deduction). The Tax Act also generally eliminated NOL carrybacks for individuals and non-REIT corporations (NOL carrybacks did not apply to REITs under prior law) but allows indefinite NOL carryforwards. The new NOL rules apply beginning in 2018.
Limitations on Interest Deductibility
The Tax Act limits the net interest expense deduction of a business to 30% of the sum of adjusted taxable income, business interest, and certain other amounts. The Tax Act allows a real property trade or business to elect out of such limitation so long as it uses the alternative depreciation system which lengthens the depreciation recovery period with respect to certain property. The limitation with respect to the net interest expense deduction applies beginning in 2018.
Withholding Rate Reduced
The Tax Act reduced the highest rate of withholding with respect to distributions to non-U.S. holders that are treated as attributable to gains from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property interests from 35% to 21%. These provisions are effective beginning in 2018.
Other Tax Consequences
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We may solicit directly offers to purchase the common stock being offered by this prospectus. We may also designate agents to solicit offers to purchase the common stock from time to time. We will name in a prospectus supplement anyagents. Any such underwriter, dealer or agent involved in the offer orand sale of our common stock.
We, or agents designated by us, may directly solicit, from time to time, offers to purchase our common stock. Any such agent maythe securities will be deemed to be an underwriter as that term is defined in the Securities Act. We will name the agents involved in the offer or sale of our common stock and describe any commissions payable by us to these agentsnamed in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicatedWe may sell securities directly to investors on our own behalf in those jurisdictions where we are authorized to do so.
If we utilize a dealer in the sale of the common stock being offered by this prospectus, we will sell the common stock to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the common stock to the publicchanged, at varyingmarket prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.
If we utilize an underwriter in the sale of the common stock being offered by this prospectus, we will execute an underwriting agreement with the underwriterprevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. We also may, from time to time, authorize dealers or agents to offer and will providesell the name of any underwritersecurities upon such terms and conditions as may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement which the underwriter will use to make resales of the common stock to the public.supplement. In connection with the sale of any of the common stock, we, or the purchasers of common stock for whom the underwritersecurities, underwriters may act as agent, may compensate the underwriterreceive compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwritercommissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of the securities for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell the common stocksecurities to or through dealers, and the underwritersuch dealers may compensate those dealersreceive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions.
With respectcommissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents.
To the extent that we make sales through one or more underwriters or agents in at-the-market offerings, we will do so pursuant to the terms of a sales agency agreement or other at-the-market offering arrangement between uscertain conditions precedent, and the underwriters or agents. If wewill be obligated to purchase all of such securities, if any are purchased.
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Sharescondition that the purchase of common stock sold pursuantthe securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and other agents will not have any responsibility with regard to the registration statementvalidity or performance of which this prospectus is a part will be authorized for quotation and trading on the NYSE American or such other national securities exchange, quotation system or over-the-counter market on which our common stock is then-listed or quoted for trading. these delayed delivery contracts.
The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in other transactions with us, or perform other services for us, in the ordinary course of their business.
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the common stock offered by this prospectus may be sold in these jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the common stock offered by this prospectus may not be sold unless such common stock have been registered or qualified for sale in these states or an exemption from registration or qualification is available and complied with.
Any securities that we issue, other than our common stock, our Series A Preferred Stock and our Series B Preferred Stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market and may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange, quotation system or over-the-counter market. Any underwriters or agents to or through which securities are sold by us may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters or agents will not be obligated to do so and any of them may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of or trading market for any securities sold by us.
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Additionally, we file annual, quarterly and current reports and proxy statements with the SEC. The periodic reports and other confirmation are available for inspection and copying at the SEC’s public reference facilities and the website of the SEC referred to above. We will make available to our stockholders’ annual reports containing audited financial information for each year and quarterly reports for the first three quarters of each fiscal year containing unaudited interim financial information.
• | Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, |
• | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, |
• | The portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April |
• | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K or Form 8-K/A, as applicable, filed with the SEC on |
• | Our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on |
• | Our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on October 23, 2017, which incorporates the description of our Series A Preferred Stock from our prospectus dated October 18, 2017 filed pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act and forms a part of our Registration Statement on Form S-11 |
terminated;terminated, including all filings made after the date of the initial filing of this registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to the efffectiveness of the registration statement provided, however, that we are not incorporating any information furnished under eitherItem 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any current report on Form 8-K. These documents may include, among others, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements.
260 Franklin
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Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
SEC registration fee | $ | 3,735 | ||
NYSE American listing fee | $ | * | ||
FINRA filing fee | $ | * | ||
Accounting fees and expenses | $ | * | ||
Legal fees and expenses | $ | * | ||
Printing expenses | $ | * | ||
Miscellaneous expenses | $ | * | ||
Total | $ | * |
_____________
SEC registration fee | | | $ 81,825 |
NYSE listing fee | | | $ * |
FINRA filing fee | | | $ * |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | $ * |
Legal fees and expenses | | | $ * |
Printing expenses | | | $ * |
Miscellaneous expenses | | | $ * |
Total | | | $ * |
Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
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The MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify and advance expenses to its directors, officers, employees and agents. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that (a) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was a result of active and
Item 16. | Exhibits |
Exhibit Number | | | Description |
1.1 | | Form of Underwriting Agreement* | |
| |||
Second Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Amendment No. 2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-196798) filed on September 11, 2014) | |||
| | Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-173048) filed on September 10, 2014) | |
| | Articles of Amendment of Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Amendment No. 8 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-19748) filed on June 1, 2017) | |
| | Articles Supplementary designating the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-381061) filed on October 23, 2017) | |
| | Articles Supplementary designating the terms of the Series B Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-381061) filed on December 17, 2018) | |
4.1 | | | Articles Supplementary with respect to any preferred stock issued pursuant to this registration statement.* |
4.2 | | | Form of Deposit Agreement for Depositary Shares.* |
4.3 | | | Form of Equity Warrant Agreement.* |
4.4 | | | Form of Rights Agreement.* |
| | Form of Indenture (for Debt Securities) (open ended).** | |
4.6 | | | Form of Debt Security.* |
| | Opinion of Winston & Strawn LLP regarding the validity of the securities being | |
| | Opinion of Dentons US LLP regarding tax | |
| | Consent of Winston & Strawn LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).** | |
| | Consent of Dentons US LLP (included in Exhibit 8.1).** | |
| | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP** | |
| | Consent of Marcum | |
| | Consent of Frazier & Deeter, LLC | |
| | Power of Attorney (included | |
25.1 | | | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the Trustee under the Indenture. *** |
___________________
* | To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the specific offering of |
** | Filed herewith. |
*** | Where applicable, to be incorporated by reference to a subsequent filing in accordance with Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. |
† | Compensatory plan or arrangement. |
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Item 17. | Undertakings |
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(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on July 2, 2018.
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Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. | ||||||
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| | By: | | | /s/ Jeffrey E. Witherell | |
| | | | Jeffrey E. Witherell | ||
| | | | Chief Executive Officer |
Title July 2, 2018 (Principal (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) July 2, 2018 July 2, 2018 DirectorJuly 2, 2018 DirectorJuly 2, 2018 s Richard J. DeAgazio DirectorJuly 2, 2018 DirectorJuly 2, 2018