UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
þ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2012
o | TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number 000-51718
COLORADO GOLDFIELDS INC.
(Name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Nevada | 20-0716175 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
10920 West Alameda Avenue, Suite 201 Lakewood, CO | 80226 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(303) 984-5324
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No þ
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ¨ No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “accelerated filer”, “large accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
(Check one):
Largeaccelerated filer ¨ �� Accelerated filer ¨
Non-accelerated filer ¨ Smaller reporting company þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No þ
The aggregate market value of the Class A common stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates as of February 29, 2012 the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter based on the closing sale price of the registrant’s Class A common stock on that date as reported on the OTC Markets OTCQB system was $2,637,546.
Class | Shares Outstanding at November 16, 2012 | |
Class A Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value | 43,665,223 | |
Class B Common Stock (Restricted), $0.001Par Value | 490,371,533 |
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
PART I | 1 | ||||
Item 1. | Business | 3 | |||
Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 8 | |||
Risks Relating to Our Company | 8 | ||||
Risks Associated with Our Common Stock in General | 12 | ||||
Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | 15 | |||
Item 2. | Properties | 15 | |||
Pride of the West Mill | 15 | ||||
Silver Wing Mine | 17 | ||||
King Solomon Mine | 18 | ||||
Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group | 19 | ||||
Item 3. | Legal Proceedings | 20 | |||
Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 21 | |||
PART II | 22 | ||||
Item 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | 22 | |||
Item 6. | Selected Financial Data | 26 | |||
Item 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 26 | |||
Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk | 32 | |||
Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | 33 | |||
Balance Sheets | 34 | ||||
Statements of Operations | 35 | ||||
Statements of Cash Flows | 36 | ||||
Statements of Stockholders' (Deficit) Equity | 37 | ||||
Notes to the Financial Statements | 38 | ||||
Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | 52 | |||
Item 9A. | Controls and Procedures | 52 | |||
PART III | 54 | ||||
Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | 54 | |||
Item 11. | Executive Compensation | 57 | |||
Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | 61 | |||
Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | 62 | |||
Item 14. | Principal Accountant Fees and Services | 63 | |||
PART IV | 64 | ||||
Item 15. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules | 64 | |||
SIGNATURES | 65 | ||||
EXHIBIT INDEX | 66 |
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This document (including information incorporated herein by reference) contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which involve a degree of risk and uncertainty due to various factors affecting Colorado Goldfields Inc. For a discussion of some of these factors, see the discussion in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this report.
PART I
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this report (including information incorporated by reference) are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided for under these sections. Our forward-looking statements include, without limitation:
● | Statements regarding future earnings; |
● | Estimates of future mineral production and sales, for specific operations and on a consolidated or equity basis; |
● | Estimates of future costs applicable to sales, other expenses and taxes for specific operations and on a consolidated basis; |
● | Estimates of future cash flows; |
● | Estimates of future capital expenditures and other cash needs, for specific operations and on a consolidated basis, and expectations as to the funding thereof; |
● | Estimates regarding timing of future capital expenditures, construction, production or closure activities; |
● | Statements as to the projected development of certain ore deposits, including estimates of development and other capital costs and financing plans for these deposits; |
● | Estimates of reserves and statements regarding future exploration results and reserve replacement and the sensitivity of reserves to metal price changes; |
● | Statements regarding the availability and costs related to future borrowing, debt repayment and financing; |
● | Statements regarding modifications to hedge and derivative positions; |
● | Statements regarding future transactions; |
● | Statements regarding the impacts of changes in the legal and regulatory environment in which we operate; and |
● | Estimates of future costs and other liabilities for certain environmental matters. |
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Where we express an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, our forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by those forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to: the ability of Colorado Goldfields to obtain or maintain necessary financing; the price of gold, silver and other commodities; currency fluctuations; geological and metallurgical assumptions; operating performance of equipment, processes and facilities; labor relations; timing of receipt of necessary governmental permits or approvals; domestic laws or regulations, particularly relating to the environment and mining; domestic and international economic and political conditions; and other risks and hazards associated with mining operations. More detailed information regarding these factors is included in Item 1, Business, Item 1A, Risk Factors, and elsewhere throughout this report. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Colorado Goldfields or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Colorado Goldfields disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
Colorado Goldfields maintains an internet website at www.cologold.com. Colorado Goldfields makes available, free of charge, through the Investor Information section of the web site, its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Section 16 filings and all amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Colorado Goldfields’ Code of Business Ethics and Conduct are available on the web site at
www.cologold.com/uploads/Code_of_Business_Conduct_Ethics.pdf
Any of the foregoing information is available in print to any stockholder who requests it by contacting Colorado Goldfields’ Investor Relations Department at 866-579-9444.
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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Background
We were organized under the laws of the State of Nevada on February 11, 2004 under the name Garpa Resources Inc. On June 18, 2007, we changed our name to Colorado Goldfields Inc.
Our principal executive offices are located at 10920 West Alameda Avenue, Suite 201, Lakewood, Colorado, 80226 and our telephone number is (303) 984-5324. Our common stock is quoted on the OTC Markets Inc. owned and operated OTCQB Inter-dealer Quotation System and FINRA owned and operated OTC Pinksheets under the symbol “CGFI.”
Our Business
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”) is a milling and mining exploration stage company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties, primarily for gold, silver, copper, uranium, lead, and zinc, and the milling and processing of ore from both owned and non-owned mining properties.
As of the filing date of this report, our five properties are:
1. | The Pride of the West Mill, Silverton, Colorado |
2. | Silver Wing Mine, San Juan County, Colorado |
3. | Champion Mine, San Juan County, Colorado |
4. | King Solomon Mine, San Juan County, Colorado |
5. | Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group, Monticello, Utah |
The Pride of the West Mill (“Mill”), is located 5.3 miles northeast of Silverton, Colorado. The Mill is located on approximately 120 acres of patented mining claims on San Juan County Road 2, within a nine air-mile radius of the Silver Wing Mine Property, the King Solomon Mine Property and many other mine properties. The Mill is located within the famous “San Juan Triangle” mining center of southwestern Colorado, which also includes the historic mining towns of Telluride and Ouray, and encompasses one of the most richly mineralized areas of North America. The Mill is currently not operational. We hope to bring the Mill into operation, as more fully described in “Item 2. Properties,” in 2013.
The Silver Wing Mine consists of ten patented mining claims across 70 acres in San Juan County, in southwestern Colorado. The mine’s poly-metallic ore contains recoverable metal values in gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc.
The Champion Mine consists of approximately 354 acres located in the San Juan Mountains at Silverton, Colorado. The mine is located within the historically productive rim (i.e. over $700 million in gold, silver and base metals produced since 1874) of the Silverton Caldera complex at the southwestern extremity of the very prolific Colorado mineral belt. Several major narrow (i.e. average 3 to 6 feet wide with stopes up to 9,000 feet long and vertical extent of at least 2,500 feet) vein deposits each up to 10 million tons or more have previously operated profitably in the district
The King Solomon Mine is located on the southern flank of King Solomon Mountain, just a few hundred yards up the mountain from the first discovery of gold in the San Juan Mountains in Little Giant Basin. Opened in 1876, the mine was in production until 1883.
The Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group is located in San Juan County, Utah. The Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group consists of 63 (55 Pay Day and 8 Rage) claims. The Pay Day claim group is located in Township 32 South, Range 24 East of the Salt Lake Meridian in Sections 26, 27, 34, and 35, in San Juan County northeast of Monticello, Utah. The Rage claim group spans Stevens Canyon on the southeast flank of the Seven Sisters Buttes in Township 33 South, Range 20 East of the Salt Lake Meridian in Section 33, San Juan County, Utah.
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We refer to these properties collectively as “the CGFI Mineral Properties” throughout this report. We are presently in the exploration stage at the CGFI Mineral Properties. We have not generated revenue from mining operations.
As an exploration stage mining company that owns a mill, our activities are currently focused on mill re-activation, mine development, exploration, geological evaluation and feasibility studies for gold and other metals and, where warranted, efforts to develop and construct mining and processing facilities. We may enter into joint ventures, partnerships or other arrangements to accomplish these activities.
We continually evaluate acquisition of other mining companies or their mining properties.
Recent Events
Throughout fiscal 2011 and 2012, we constructed a third comprehensive amendment (“AM-03”), to the Mill permit and submitted extensive engineering and operations plans to the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (“DRMS”).
This third amendment was approved with conditions on August 9, 2012. The core of the permit consists of nine Environmental Protection Faculties (“EPFs”), which are: 1) Mill Building, 2) Ore Stockpile Area, 3) Laboratory Facility, 4) Leach Plant Building, 5) Flood Protection Dike, 6) Plant Waste Water Disposal, 7) Groundwater intercept Drain, 8) Upland Stormwater Intercept Ditch, 9) Mill Tailings Repository.
The conditions specified by the DRMS regard the ninth EPF, the Mill Tailings Repository and simply request additional geotechnical substrate stability analysis, structure specific engineering designs for the cover of the repository, the repository’s reserve capacity, and the always on-going recalculation of financial warranty. See “Item 2. Properties” for additional detail.
In November 2012, we entered into a contract to purchase the Silver Wing Mine and a contract to purchase the Champion Mine. These two past producing mines solidify the sources of ore to be processed by the Mill and provide the clearest most efficient path toward operating the Mill at full capacity. See “Item 2. Properties” for additional detail.
In the third and fourth quarter of 2010, two outside funding sources became involved with the Company. A Delaware Partnership and a group of New York Private Investors have provided funding to us in the form of convertible debt. These investors continued to provide limited funding for the Company throughout fiscal 2012. However, the funding was, and is, at their sole discretion. See Item 8. Notes to the Financial Statements for additional details.
We compete with many companies in the mining business, including larger, more established mining companies with substantial capabilities, personnel and financial resources. There is a limited supply of desirable mineral lands available for claim-staking, lease or acquisition in the United States and other areas where we may conduct exploration activities. Because we compete with individuals and companies that have greater financial resources and larger technical staffs, we may be at a competitive disadvantage in acquiring desirable mineral properties. From time to time, specific properties or areas that would otherwise be attractive to us for exploration or acquisition are unavailable due to their previous acquisition by other companies or our lack of financial resources. Competition in the mining industry is not limited to the acquisition of mineral properties but also extends to the technical expertise to find, advance, and operate such properties; the labor to operate the properties; and the capital needed to fund the acquisition and operation of such properties. Competition may result in our company being unable not only to acquire desired properties, but to recruit or retain qualified employees, to obtain equipment and personnel to assist in our exploration activities or to acquire the capital necessary to fund our operation and advance our properties. Our inability to compete with other companies for these resources would have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and business.
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General Government Regulations
Federal Lands. The Company’s property is situated adjacent to lands owned by the United States, which may require that the Company obtain certain special use permits in order to gain access to our land for exploration and mining activities.
Mining Operations. The operation of mines is governed by both federal and state laws. Federal laws, such as those governing the purchase, transport or storage of explosives, and those governing mine safety and health, also apply.
The State of Colorado likewise requires various permits and approvals before mining operations can commence, and permits and approvals that must regulate all operations. Among other things, a detailed reclamation plan must be prepared and approved, with bonding in the amount of projected reclamation costs. The bond is used to ensure that proper reclamation takes place, and the bond will not be released until that time. The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety is the state agency that administers the reclamation permits, mine permits and related closure plans on our property. Local jurisdictions (such as San Juan County) may also impose permitting requirements (such as conditional use permits or zoning approvals). Some permits require, or will require, monitoring, compliance, reporting, periodic renewal, or review of their conditions and may be subject to a public review process during which opposition to our proposed operations may be encountered.
The primary body of law that affects the Company’s operations in Colorado is the Mineral Rules And Regulations Of The Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board For Hard Rock, Metal And Designated Mining Operations, first Promulgated May, 1977 Amended June-December, 1977; March-July, 1978; July-August, 1979; May, 1980; April, 1981; February-April, 1982; April, 1983; October, 1983; June, 1985; March, 1987; December, 1987; October, 1988; November, 1990; September, 1991; March, 1993; April, 1994; January, 1995; October, 1995; April, 1999, January, 2000; August, 2001;June 2005, August 2006, and August 2010.
And, Title 34 Mineral Resources Article 32, Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act, of the Colorado Revised Statutes. The complete and current rules may be retrieved from the Internet at: http://mining.state.co.us/Rules%20and%20Regs.htm.
Also, the “Statement of Basis, Specific Statutory Authority, and Purpose for New Rules and Amendments to the Mineral Rules and Regulations of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board for Hard Rock, Metal and Designated Mining Operations, 2 CCR 407-1,” may be retrieved at: http://mining.state.co.us/rulesregs/Rulemaking%20SBP%20Final%20Draft.pdf
When the Mill or mines come into production we will also be subject to the rules and regulations of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, a Division of the United States Department of Labor.
Statutory and Regulatory authority for this agency is found in Code of Federal Regulations - 30 CFR - Parts 1 to 199, and may be retrieved at: http://www.msha.gov/regsinfo.htm
Environmental Laws. Mining activities at the Company’s properties are also subject to various environmental laws, both federal and state, including but not limited to the federal National Environmental Policy Act, CERCLA (as defined below), the Resource Recovery and Conservation Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, and certain Colorado state laws governing the discharge of pollutants and the use and discharge of water. Various permits from federal and state agencies are required under many of these laws. Local laws and ordinances may also apply to such activities as construction of facilities, land use, waste disposal, road use and noise levels.
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These laws and regulations are continually changing and, as a general matter, are becoming more restrictive. Colorado Goldfields’ policy is to conduct our business in a manner that safeguards public health and mitigates the environmental effects of our business activities. To comply with these laws and regulations, we have made, and in the future may be required to make, capital and operating expenditures.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA), imposes strict, joint, and several liability on parties associated with releases or threats of releases of hazardous substances. Liable parties include, among others, the current owners and operators of facilities at which hazardous substances were disposed or released into the environment and past owners and operators of properties who owned such properties at the time of such disposal or release. This liability could include response costs for removing or remediating the release and damages to natural resources. Our properties, because of past mining activities, could give rise to potential liability under CERCLA.
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and related state laws, mining companies may incur costs for generating, transporting, treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous or solid wastes associated with certain mining-related activities. RCRA costs may also include corrective action or clean up costs.
Mining operations may produce air emissions, including fugitive dust and other air pollutants, from stationary equipment, such as crushers and storage facilities, and from mobile sources such as trucks and heavy construction equipment. All of these sources are subject to review, monitoring, permitting, and/or control requirements under the federal Clean Air Act and related state air quality laws. Air quality permitting rules may impose limitations on our production levels or create additional capital expenditures in order to comply with the permitting conditions.
Under the federal Clean Water Act and the delegated Colorado water-quality program, point-source discharges into waters of the State are regulated by the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. Stormwater discharges also are regulated and permitted under that statute. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act regulates the discharge of dredge and fill material into Waters of the United States, including wetlands. All of those programs may impose permitting and other requirements on our operations.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an assessment of the environmental impacts of major federal actions. The federal action requirement must be satisfied if the project involves federal land or if the federal government provides financing or permitting approvals. NEPA does not establish any substantive standards, but requires the analysis of any potential impacts. The scope of the assessment process depends on the size of the project. An Environmental Assessment (EA) may be adequate for smaller projects. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is much more detailed and broader in scope than an EA, is required for larger projects. NEPA compliance requirements for any of our proposed projects could result in additional costs or delays.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of Interior. The purpose of the ESA is to conserve and recover listed endangered and threatened species and their habitat. Under the ESA, endangered means that a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The term threatened under such statute means that a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. Under the ESA, it is unlawful to take a listed species, which can include harassing or harming members of such species or significantly modifying their habitat. Future identification of endangered species or habitat in our project areas may delay or adversely affect our operations.
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U.S. federal and state reclamation requirements often mandate concurrent reclamation and require permitting in addition to the posting of reclamation bonds, letters of credit or other financial assurance sufficient to guarantee the cost of reclamation. If reclamation obligations are not met, the designated agency could draw on these bonds or letters of credit to fund expenditures for reclamation requirements. Reclamation requirements generally include stabilizing, contouring and re-vegetating disturbed lands, controlling drainage from portals and waste rock dumps, removing roads and structures, neutralizing or removing process solutions, monitoring groundwater at the mining site, and maintaining visual aesthetics.
Employees
There were three people employed by Colorado Goldfields as of August 31, 2012:
1. | Lee R. Rice, President Chief Executive Officer, and Director |
2. | C. Stephen Guyer, Chief Financial Officer and Director |
3. | John Ferguson, Director of Operations |
We make extensive use of consultants and advisors for specific technical projects so that the resource is most closely matched to the need. See Item 11 Executive Compensation for additional details.
Office Facilities
Due to frequent travel, our executive staff generally offices remotely from the corporate offices in Lakewood, Colorado and we do not pay rent for the Lakewood facility. We also have an office and housing facility at our Pride of the West Mill near Silverton, Colorado in San Juan County Colorado. We believe these arrangements are and will be adequate for our needs for the foreseeable future.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
High Degree of Risk
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risks, along with all of the other information included in this report, before deciding to buy our common stock. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also impair our business operations. If we are unable to prevent events that have a negative effect from occurring, then our business may suffer.
This report, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation, contains forward-looking statements that may be materially affected by several risk factors, including those summarized below.
Risks Relating to Our Company
We have incurred losses since our inception in 2004 and may never be profitable which raises doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Since our inception in 2004, we have had nominal operations and incurred operating losses. As of August 31, 2012, our accumulated deficit since inception was approximately $23.5 million. We have substantial current obligations and at August 31, 2012, we had approximately $2.6 million of current liabilities as compared to only approximately $25 thousand of current assets. Since August 31, 2011, we have been able to raise only minimal additional capital, and we have minimal cash on hand. Accordingly, the Company does not have sufficient cash resources or current assets to pay its current obligations, and we have been meeting many of our obligations through the issuance of our Class A common stock to our employees, consultants and advisors as payment for the goods and services.
Our management continues to search for additional financing; however, considering the difficult U.S. and global economic conditions along with the substantial turmoil in the capital and credit markets, there is a significant possibility that we will be unable to obtain financing to continue our operations.
As we are in the beginning stages of our exploration activities on the CGFI Mineral Properties, we expect to incur additional losses in the foreseeable future, and such losses may continue to be significant. To become profitable, we must be successful in raising capital to continue with our mill re-activation efforts, exploration activities, meet the work commitment requirements on the CGFI Mineral Properties, discover economically feasible mineralization deposits and establish reserves, successfully develop the properties and finally realize adequate prices on our minerals in the marketplace. It could be years before we receive any revenues from gold and mineral production, if ever. Thus, we may never be profitable.
These circumstances raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern as described in an explanatory paragraph to our independent registered public accounting firm's report on our audited financial statements as of and for the year ended August 31, 2012. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, investors will likely lose all of their investment in our company. The financial statements included in this report do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Please see “Item 7 – Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources,” for further information.
The feasibility of mineral extraction from the CGFI Mineral Properties has not been established; as we have not completed exploration or other work necessary to determine if it is commercially feasible to develop the properties.
We are currently a mining exploration stage company. See “Item 2 Properties” of this Report for more information regarding our mining assets.
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The CGFI Mineral Properties do not have any proven or probable reserves. A “reserve,” as defined by the SEC, is that part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination. A reserve requires a feasibility study demonstrating with reasonable certainty that the deposit can be economically extracted and produced. We have not carried out any feasibility study with regard to the CGFI Mineral Properties. As a result, we currently have no reserves and there are no assurances that we will be able to prove that there are reserves on the CGFI Mineral Properties.
On June 29, 2007, the Company acquired the Pride of the West Mill located in Howardsville, Colorado. The cost of the Mill was $1,400,677. In connection with the acquisition, the Company entered into a $650,000 mortgage with the seller, which is collateralized by the property and bears interest at 12% per year. All unpaid principal was originally due June 29, 2009. The due date on the mortgage was extended and is currently due in full on December 31, 2012. We will be required to obtain debt or equity financing from external sources in order to fund payment on the mortgage. In addition, as the Mill is currently inactive and under a cease and desist order issued by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety due to operational deficiencies, we will require further funds to cure the deficiencies and bring the Mill back into active status.
We cannot generate any income from the Mill until such time as we (i) cure the deficiencies contained in the cease and desist order, (ii) obtain unconditional approval from the State of Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board of the previously described permit amendment, and (iii) refurbish it to operational status. Please see "Item 2 – Properties – Pride of the West Mill" and “ Item 7 – Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources” for further information.
We may never find commercially viable gold or other reserves.
Mineral exploration and development involve a high degree of risk and few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. We cannot assure you that any future mineral exploration and development activities will result in any discoveries of proven or probable reserves as defined by the SEC since such discoveries are remote. Nor can we provide any assurance that, even if we discover commercial quantities of mineralization, a mineral property will be brought into commercial production. Development of our mineral properties will follow only upon obtaining sufficient funding and satisfactory exploration results.
We will require significant additional capital to continue our exploration activities, and, if warranted, to develop mining operations.
Under our lease with an option to purchase the King Solomon Mine, we are required to expend $50,000 over three years in the form of a work commitment. We are required to pay approximately $3.16 million to consummate fully our contracts to purchase the Silver Wing and Champion Mines. Management estimates that re-activating the Mill and bringing the Silver Wing and Champion Mines into production will require approximately $11 million of additional funding.
We will be required to raise significantly more capital in order to develop the CGFI Mineral Properties for mining production assuming that economically viable reserves exist. There is no assurance that our investments in the CGFI Mineral Properties will be financially productive. Our ability to obtain necessary funding depends upon a number of factors, including the price of gold and other base metals and minerals which we are able to mine, the status of the national and worldwide economy and the availability of funds in the capital markets. If we are unable to obtain the required financing in the near future for these or other purposes, our exploration activities would be delayed or indefinitely postponed, we would likely lose our lease/options and option to acquire an ownership interest in the CGFI Mineral Properties and this would likely, eventually, lead to failure of our Company. Even if financing is available, it may be on terms that are not favorable to us, in which case, our ability to become profitable or to continue operating would be adversely affected. If we are unable to raise funds to continue our exploration and feasibility work on the CGFI Mineral Properties, or if commercially viable reserves are not present, the market value of our securities will likely decline, and our investors may lose some or all of their investment.
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Historical production of gold at the CGFI Mineral Properties may not be indicative of the potential for future development or revenue.
Historical production of gold and other metals and minerals from the mines encompassed under our Lease/Options cannot be relied upon as an indication that the CGFI Mineral Properties will have commercially feasible reserves. Investors in our securities should not rely on historical operations of the CGFI Mineral Properties as an indication that we will be able to place the CGFI Mineral Properties into commercial production again. We expect to incur losses unless and until such time as the properties enter into commercial production and generate sufficient revenue to fund our continuing operations.
Fluctuating gold, metal and mineral prices could negatively impact our business plan.
The potential for profitability of our gold and other metal and mineral mining operations and the value of any mining properties we may acquire will be directly related to the market price of gold and the metals and minerals that we mine. Historically, gold and other mineral prices have widely fluctuated, and are influenced by a wide variety of factors, including inflation, currency fluctuations, regional and global demand and political and economic conditions. Fluctuations in the price of gold and other minerals that we mine may have a significant influence on the market price of our common stock and a prolonged decline in these prices will have a negative effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Reclamation obligations on the CGFI Mineral Properties, and our Mill could require significant additional expenditures.
We are responsible for the reclamation obligations related to any exploratory and mining activities located on the CGFI Mineral Properties. Since we have only begun exploration activities, we cannot estimate these costs at this time. In November 2007, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety transferred the Mill permit into our name, and we delivered to the Division a reclamation bond in the amount of $318,154 and deposited an additional $196,976 in June, 2011 for a total of $515,130. We have currently estimated the total reclamation costs on the Mill at $515,130 and have recorded a liability in this amount as of August 31, 2012. The satisfaction of current and future bonding requirements and reclamation obligations will require a significant amount of capital. There is a risk that we will be unable to fund these additional bonding requirements, and further that increases to our bonding requirements or excessive actual reclamation costs will negatively affect our financial position and results of operation.
Title to mineral properties can be uncertain, and we are at risk of loss of ownership of our property.
Our ability to explore and mine the leased and optioned properties depends on the validity of title to that property. The CGFI Mineral Properties, some of which are subject to our Lease/Options, consist of patented and unpatented mining claims. Unpatented mining claims are effectively only a lease from the federal government to extract minerals; thus an unpatented mining claim is subject to contest by third parties or the federal government. These uncertainties relate to such things as the sufficiency of mineral discovery, proper posting and marking of boundaries, failure to meet statutory guidelines, assessment work and possible conflicts with other claims not determinable from descriptions of record. Since a substantial portion of all mineral exploration, development and mining in the United States now occurs on unpatented mining claims, this uncertainty is inherent in the mining industry. We have not obtained a title opinion on our leased properties or the San Juan Properties we have under option. Thus, there may be challenges to the title to the properties which, if successful, could impair development and/or operations.
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Our ongoing operations and past mining activities of others are subject to environmental risks, which could expose us to significant liability and delay, suspension or termination of our operations.
Mining exploration and exploitation activities are subject to federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies, including laws regulating the removal of natural resources from the ground and the discharge of materials into the environment. These regulations mandate, among other things, the maintenance of air and water quality standards and land reclamation. They also set forth limitations on the generation, transportation, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous waste. Exploration and exploitation activities are also subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations which seek to maintain health and safety standards by regulating the design and use of exploration methods and equipment.
Environmental and other legal standards imposed by federal, state or local authorities are constantly evolving, and typically in a manner which will require stricter standards and enforcement, and increased fines and penalties for non-compliance. Such changes may prevent us from conducting planned activities or increase our costs of doing so, which would have material adverse effects on our business. Moreover, compliance with such laws may cause substantial delays or require capital outlays in excess of those anticipated, thus causing an adverse effect on us. Additionally, we may be subject to liability for pollution or other environmental damages that we may not be able to or elect not to insure against due to prohibitive premium costs and other reasons. Unknown environmental hazards may exist on the CGFI Mineral Properties, or we may acquire properties in the future that have unknown environmental issues caused by previous owners or operators, or that may have occurred naturally.
The CGFI Mineral Properties are subject to royalties on production.
As part of the Lease/Options for the King Solomon Mine, the Company granted a Net Smelter Royalty ("NSR") of 3.5%. Both the Silver Wing and Champion Mines carry a 5% NSR payable to the prior owners. In addition, historical royalties may be asserted by third-parties which are currently unknown to us.
Weather interruptions in the San Juan County, Colorado area may delay or prevent exploration on the CGFI Mineral Properties
The CGFI Mineral Properties in Colorado are located in a mountainous, high alpine region of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The area receives extreme winter conditions which delay or prevent exploration of the properties during the winter months.
Our industry is highly competitive, attractive mineral lands are scarce and we may not be able to obtain quality properties.
We compete with many companies in the mining industry, including large, established mining companies with capabilities, personnel and financial resources that far exceed our limited resources. In addition, there is a limited supply of desirable mineral lands available for claim-staking, lease or acquisition in the United States, and other areas where we may conduct exploration activities. We are at a competitive disadvantage in acquiring mineral properties, since we compete with these larger individuals and companies, many of which have greater financial resources and larger technical staffs. Likewise, our competition extends to locating and employing competent personnel and contractors to prospect, develop and operate mining properties. Many of our competitors can offer attractive compensation packages that we may not be able to meet. Such competition may result in our company being unable not only to acquire desired properties, but to recruit or retain qualified employees or to acquire the capital necessary to fund our operation and advance our properties. Our inability to compete with other companies for these resources would have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and business.
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We depend on our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and the loss of these individuals could adversely affect our business.
Our company is completely dependent on our Chief Executive Officer, Lee R. Rice, and on our Chief Financial Officer, C. Stephen Guyer, both of whom are also members of our Board of Directors. As of the date of this report, we only employed three individuals: Messrs. Rice and Guyer and our Director of Operations. Thus, the loss of either Messrs. Rice or Guyer could significantly and adversely affect our business, and certainly the loss of both individuals on or about the same time could result in a complete failure of the Company. We do not carry any life insurance on the lives of either Messrs. Rice or Guyer.
The nature of mineral exploration and production activities involves a high degree of risk and the possibility of uninsured losses that could materially and adversely affect our operations.
Exploration for minerals is highly speculative and involves greater risk than many other businesses. Many exploration programs do not result in the discovery of economically feasible mineralization. Few properties that are explored are ultimately advanced to the stage of producing mines. We are subject to all of the operating hazards and risks normally incident to exploring for and developing mineral properties such as, but not limited to:
● economically insufficient mineralized material;
● fluctuations in production costs that may make mining uneconomical;
● labor disputes;
● unanticipated variations in grade and other geologic problems;
● environmental hazards;
● water conditions;
● difficult surface or underground conditions;
● industrial accidents; personal injury, fire, flooding, cave-ins and landslides;
● metallurgical and other processing problems;
● mechanical and equipment performance problems; and
● decreases in revenues and reserves due to lower gold and mineral prices.
Any of these risks can materially and adversely affect, among other things, the development of properties, production quantities and rates, costs and expenditures and production commencement dates. We currently have no insurance to guard against any of these risks. If we determine that capitalized costs associated with any of our mineral interests are not likely to be recovered, we would incur a write-down of our investment in these interests. All of these factors may result in losses in relation to amounts spent which are not recoverable.
Our operations are subject to permitting requirements which could require us to delay, suspend or terminate our operations on our mining property.
Our operations, including our planned mill re-activation and exploration activities on the CGFI Mineral Properties, require permits from the state and federal governments. We may be unable to obtain these permits in a timely manner, on reasonable terms or at all. If we cannot obtain or maintain the necessary permits, or if there is a delay in receiving these permits, our timetable and business plan for exploration of the CGFI Mineral Properties will be adversely affected.
Risks Associated with Our Common Stock in General
Trading on the Over the Counter markets may be volatile and sporadic, which could depress the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for our stockholders to resell their shares.
Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB Inter-Dealer Quotation System owned and operated by the OTCMarkets Group, Inc. and the OTC Pink Sheet service of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). Trading in stock quoted on over the counter markets is often thin, volatile, and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices due to many factors that may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. This volatility could depress the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to operating performance. Moreover, the over the counter markets are not a stock exchange, and trading of securities on the over the counter markets is often more sporadic than the trading of securities listed on other stock exchanges such as the NASDAQ Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange or American Stock Exchange. Accordingly, our shareholders may have difficulty reselling any of their shares.
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Our stock is a penny stock. Trading of our stock may be restricted by the SEC’s penny stock regulations and the FINRA’s sales practice requirements, which may limit a stockholders ability to buy and sell our stock.
Our stock is a penny stock. The SEC has adopted Rule 15g-9 which generally defines penny stock to be any equity security that has a market price (as defined) less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. The term accredited investor refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customers’ account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules; the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage broker-dealer and investor interest in, and limit the marketability of, our common stock.
FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit a stockholders ability to buy and sell our stock.
In addition to the penny stock rules promulgated by the SEC, which are discussed in the immediately preceding risk factor, FINRA rules require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may limit the ability to buy and sell our stock and have an adverse effect on the market value for our shares.
Because the SEC imposes additional sales practice requirements on brokers who deal in shares of penny stocks, some brokers may be unwilling to trade our securities. This means that you may have difficulty reselling your shares, which may cause the value of your investment to decline.
Our shares are classified as penny stocks and are covered by Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) which imposes additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell our securities in this offering or in the aftermarket. For sales of our securities, broker-dealers must make a special suitability determination and receive a written agreement prior from you to making a sale on your behalf. Because of the imposition of the foregoing additional sales practices, it is possible that broker-dealers will not want to make a market in our common stock. This could prevent you from reselling your shares and may cause the value of your investment to decline.
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Although DTC eligible, our stock is “chilled for deposits” at DTCC, and the National Securities Clearing Corporation has exited our stock from the Continuous Net Settlement System, therefore, trades are executed and cleared on a trade for trade basis in certificate form.
As a result, the settlement of physical certificated positions can carry significant pass-through charges, including: execution fees, DTC fees, deposit fees, and transfer agent fees. These fees, which can vary and may be substantial, increase the cost that shareholders must bear for clearing and execution of trades. Furthermore, pass-through charges described above may not be immediately charged to a customer account following a trade in non-DTC eligible securities, as our clearing firms may receive notice of such fees as late as three weeks following the trade. Broker-dealers may reserve the right to withhold funds in a customer account pending potential assessment of fees associated with trading in low priced or sub-penny securities.
A decline in the price of our common stock could affect our ability to raise further working capital, it may adversely impact our ability to continue operations and we may go out of business.
A prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital. Because we may attempt to acquire a significant portion of the funds we need in order to conduct our planned operations through the sale of equity securities, or convertible debt instruments, a decline in the price of our common stock could be detrimental to our liquidity and our operations because the decline may cause investors to not choose to invest in our stock. If we are unable to raise the funds we require for all our planned operations, we may be forced to reallocate funds from other planned uses and may suffer a significant negative effect on our business plan and operations, including our ability to develop new products and continue our current operations. a result, our business may suffer, and not be successful and we may go out of business. We also might not be able to meet our financial obligations if we cannot raise enough funds through the sale of our common stock and we may be forced to go out of business.
We have never paid a cash dividend on our common stock and we do not anticipate paying any in the foreseeable future.
We have not paid a cash dividend on our common stock to date, and we do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Our ability to pay dividends will depend on our ability to successfully develop one or more properties and generate revenue from operations. Notwithstanding, we will likely elect to retain any earnings, if any, to finance our growth. Future dividends may also be limited by bank loan agreements or other financing instruments that we may enter into in the future. The declaration and payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors.
We have not voluntarily implemented various corporate governance measures, in the absence of which, shareholders may have more limited protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters.
Recent federal legislation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, has resulted in the adoption of various corporate governance measures designed to promote the integrity of the corporate management and the securities markets. Some of these measures have been adopted in response to legal requirements. Others have been adopted by companies in response to the requirements of national securities exchanges, such as the NYSE or The NASDAQ Stock Market, on which their securities are listed. Among the corporate governance measures that are required under the rules of national securities exchanges and NASDAQ are those that address board of directors’ independence, audit committee oversight and the adoption of a code of ethics. While our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, we have not yet adopted any of these corporate governance measures and, since our securities are not listed on a national securities exchange or NASDAQ, we are not required to do so. It is possible that if we were to adopt some or all of these corporate governance measures, shareholders would benefit from somewhat greater assurances that internal corporate decisions were being made by disinterested directors and that policies had been implemented to define responsible conduct. For example, in the absence of audit, nominating and compensation committees comprised of at least a majority of independent directors, decisions concerning matters such as compensation packages to our senior officers and recommendations for director nominees may be made by a majority of directors who have an interest in the outcome of the matters being decided. Prospective investors should bear in mind our current lack of corporate governance measures in formulating their investment decisions.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Since we are not an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer, as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, or a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act this item is not applicable.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Pride of the West Mill
The Pride of the West Mill (“Mill”) is an inactive mining mill located at Howardsville, Colorado in San Juan County. The Pride of the West Mill is located on approximately 120 acres of patented mining claims on San Juan County Road 2, within a six air mile radius of the Silver Wing, Champion, and King Solomon Mines. The physical address is 3701 County Road 2, Silverton, Colorado. No mineral is known to exist in deposit form on the property. The economic significance of the property is as a mineral processing site, with residual post-mining value. The Mill is located within the famous “San Juan Triangle” mining center of southwestern Colorado, which also includes the historic mining towns of Telluride and Ouray, and encompasses one of the most richly mineralized areas of North America. Fourteen thousand feet mountain peaks tower over the mill, which is accessible year round because of its location on county maintained access roads.
The mill has the capability to process five metals: gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. In operation as recently as 2004, the mill contains virtually all of its working components enclosed within one complex. The complex includes: 1) ore stockpile pad, 2) crushing plant consisting of a coarse ore bin adjacent to the stockpile area, an apron feeder, conveyor to the crushing section, a 3 foot Symons vibrating grizzly, jaw crusher, 4’x 8’ Symons rod deck screen, conveyors, a 3 foot Symons standard cone crusher, and electromagnets, 3) grinding circuit including a Macy Rod mill and a Denver Ball mill, 4) flotation circuit and ancillary equipment all in one building. The leach plant is in a separate building and is configured for 2 or 4 tank agitation leach with carbon in leach. The carbon stripping plant is in the main mill building as is the melt furnace. A separate building houses a metallurgical laboratory for sample preparation, and an assay laboratory. A large steel frame metal building houses offices and a truck shop, with living quarters for personnel upstairs.
The Mill is readily accessible by heavy trucks, has a power substation in place, and has two water rights from Cunningham and Hematite Creeks with associated water pipelines on the property that are sufficient to supply the needs of the mill complex.
In March 2008, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety transferred the mill permit into our name, and in connection therewith, we posted a bond in the amount of $318,154, which has now increased to $515,130 with the DRMS in the form of restricted cash on deposit with the State of Colorado. We have recorded a corresponding estimated asset retirement obligation of $515,130 in connection with our estimated future reclamation costs.
The Pride of the West Mill was (and is) the subject of a cease and desist order (“C&D”), issued by the State of Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board due to the operational deficiencies of the previous operator in the period 2002-2003.
A key factor for curing the C&D and re-activating the Mill is the disposal of tailings; that is, the material that remains after ore has been processed. Our original mill tailings disposal method was to move mill tailings (finely ground waste rock from which the valuable metals have been removed in the milling process) as a slurry, generally consisting of 15% solids and 85% water, to a closed, lined tailings pond. After the solids have settled and separated from the water, some of the process water is returned to the Mill for re-use. The tailings pond is essentially a lake containing liquid mud.
However, through the permit amendment process and working with the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, we have learned that this method of tailings disposal has more challenges than originally anticipated.
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Therefore, we developed a “dry stack” method of tailings disposal as part of a new permit amendment (“AM-03”).
In a Filtered Tailings or Dry Stacking system, the Mill tailings are filtered (de-watered), to remove approximately 85% of the water at the Mill plant itself. The resulting material is approximately 85% solids and 15% water and can be transported by belt conveyor or trucks to a disposal area where they can be placed in an environmentally contained area and handled with earth moving equipment.
Utilizing this approach for tailings disposal will remove some of the issues associated with our prior permit amendment, such as:
● | Providing improved long term geotechnical stability of the tailings disposal area; |
● | Reducing concerns about potential seismic activity; |
● | Greatly reduce environmental risks of contamination of ground and surface water; |
● | Making overall compliance with environmental regulations much more efficient and straight forward. |
We will also realize some immediate benefits from this Dry Stack approach, such as:
● | Smaller environmental footprint for tailings disposal area; |
● | Smaller operating area at any one time, which is easier to manage; |
● | Vastly improved management of tailing disposal operations during winter season, which is approximately 7 months of the year; |
● | Facilitates the ability to use tailings for mine backfill to improve underground ore extraction efficiency and reduce need for additional tailings disposal area; |
● | Conserves water use in the milling process; |
● | Lower long-term environmental liability from possible failure of conventional tailings dam structures. |
On August 9, 2012, the DRMS approved with conditions Reclamation Permit Amendment (AM-03). The core of the permit consists of nine Environmental Protection Faculties (“EPF”), which are: 1) Mill Building, 2) Ore Stockpile Area, 3) Laboratory Facility, 4) Leach Plant Building, 5) Flood Protection Dike, 6) Plant Waste Water Disposal, 7) Groundwater intercept Drain, 8) Upland Stormwater Intercept Ditch, 9) Mill Tailings Repository.
The conditions specified by DRMS regard the ninth EPF, the Mill Tailings Repository and request additional geotechnical substrate stability analysis, structure specific engineering designs for the cover of the repository, the repository’s reserve capacity, and the always on-going recalculation of financial warranty.
While we are completing the analysis necessary to satisfy the DRMS’s conditions, work began on the ore stockpile area in September 2012.
We believe that approval of the AM-03 permit amendment along with the extension of the Mill mortgage to December 31, 2012, will move the business plan forward.
The Pride of the West Mill is also subject to certain local, state and federal regulations.
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Silver Wing Mine
The property consists of 10 patented mining claims (70 acres) in San Juan County, in southwestern Colorado, known as the Silver Wing Mine. The Company intends to develop a mining and milling operation to produce gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc concentrates.
The initial ore discovery and location for the first Silver Wing Mine was made in 1874 on the Silver Wing claim itself. All ore production from early operations (1874 through 1909) was based on silver values. The early ore was so rich that it was direct-shipped to smelters on pack mules over mountain passes in excess of 12,500 ft. high.
On October 31, 2012, the Company entered into a contract for purchase of the Silver Wing Mine. The terms of the contract provide that the Company:
1. | Issue to Jo Grant Mining Company, Inc. (“Jo Grant”), 12,000,000 (post-split) four-year restricted shares of Class A Common Stock on or before January 6, 2013. |
2. | Pay off Jo Grant’s existing note in favor of a Colorado bank, dated March, 6, 2008, assigned to Jo Grant on October 17, 2012, having a present balance of approximately $60,353, as of October 31, 2012 on or before January 6, 2013. |
3. | To pay to Jo Grant a sum of $50,000, no later than January 6, 2013. |
4. | Provide Jo Grant for a period of 99 years a 5% Net Smelter Royalty (“NSR”), from the Silver Wing Mining Claims. The payment of the NSR shall be made not more than 45 days after the close of the month during which the payment is received from the smelter or buyer on which such NSR is calculated. |
Champion Mine
The Champion Mine consists of approximately 354 acres located in the San Juan Mountains at Silverton, Colorado. The mine is located within the rim of the Silverton Caldera complex at the southwestern extremity of the Colorado Mineral Belt.
The property has been intermittently developed and mined by numerous separate operators between 1876 and 1942, during which period an estimated 375,000 ounces of gold and 15,000,000 ounces of silver have been produced from a northwesterly trending and steeply south dipping vein system. Production was halted in 1942 as a result of the US Government's Gold Mine Closing Order, brought on by World War II.
On November 2, 2012, the Company entered into a contract for purchase of the Champion Mine. The terms of the contract provide that the Company:
1. | Issue to Jo Grant 24,000,000 (post-split) four-year restricted shares of Class A Common Stock on or before January 6, 2013. |
2. | Pay $3,000,000 to Jo Grant, only for the purpose of consummating the contract to buy and sell real estate (Land), between Jo Grant Mining, Inc. (as the Buyer), and a Texas limited liability company, (as the Seller), dated October 9, 2012, no later than January 6, 2013; and |
3. | To pay to Jo Grant a sum of $50,000, no later than January 6, 2013. |
4. | Provide Jo Grant for a period of 99 years a 5% Net Smelter Royalty (“NSR”), from the Champion Mining Claims. The payment of the NSR shall be made not more than 45 days after the close of the month during which the payment is received from the smelter or buyer on which such NSR is calculated. |
The stock issued for both the Silver Wing and Champion Mines is non-refundable and represents one component of a contemplated comprehensive funding transaction.
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King Solomon Mine
The King Solomon Mine is located on the southern flank of King Solomon Mountain, just a few hundred yards up the mountain from the first discovery of gold in the San Juan Mountains in Little Giant Basin. Opened in 1876, the mine was in production until 1883. Newspaper accounts and shipping records of the day indicate that the product was good to very high grade silver ore with substantial credits for lead and copper.
The King Solomon Mine is of particular interest to Colorado Goldfields because of its strategic placement in Little Giant Basin. Although no activity has occurred on the property since 1883, nearby properties in Little Giant Basin have produced significant gold.
During fiscal 2012, the land position surveys were completed and corner monuments were set for the King Solomon claims. Several original corners, first placed in the 1800s, were found and the monuments were reset, which verifies the claim locations. Specific survey control points were completed to establish and fix the location of the two principal mine portals relative to the claim boundaries and surface vein expressions.
Exploration teams entered and explored the underground workings, locating important vein structures, and took ore samples from each. Underground workings also revealed areas that are ready to be mined along with those that will require re-habilitation and timbering.
Most importantly, sufficient data was collected to begin the construction of the 3-D model of the mine, the most efficient way to develop the surface and underground diamond drilling exploration plan.
Terms of our Option and Related Agreements on the King Solomon Mine
In summary,
1. | The Lease/Option is for a period of three years in consideration for which we issued 50,000,000 pre-split (10,000 post-split) shares of restricted Class A Common Stock. The stock is further restricted from sale during the initial term of the lease. |
2. | The Lease/Option shall automatically renew and continue so long as ores, minerals, or metals are produced or sold. |
3. | We shall perform exploration, mining, development, production, processing or any other activity (“work” herein) which benefits the Leased Premises at a minimum cost of $50,000 for each successive three year term during the term of the Lease/Option. |
4. | We shall pay Lessor a 3.5% Net Smelter Royalty on all mineral bearing ores. |
5. | We have the sole and exclusive option to purchase all of Lessor's right, title and interest in the property (the Leased Premises) for a total purchase price of $1,250,000. This amount may be paid in cash or other cash equivalent as mutually agreed by Lessor and us. |
On October 11, 2012, we entered into an Extension and Renewal of Mining Lease with Option to Purchase, effective September 18, 2012.
1. | The Extension and Renewal is for a period of three years in consideration for which we issued 250,000 post-split shares of restricted Class A Common Stock, with an additional 25,000 post-split shares to be issued upon each yearly anniversary. The stock is further restricted for two years. |
2. | We shall perform exploration, mining, development, production, processing or any other activity (“work” herein) which benefits the Leased Premises at a minimum cost of $50,000 for each successive three-year term during the term of the Lease/Option. The work commitment from the original Lease is considered fulfilled. |
3. | We shall pay Lessor a 3.5% Net Smelter Royalty on all mineral bearing ores. |
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4. | We have the sole and exclusive option to purchase all of Lessor's right, title and interest in the property (the Leased Premises) for a total purchase price of $1,250,000. This amount may be paid in cash or other cash equivalent as mutually agreed by Lessor and us. |
5. | All other terms and conditions of the original Lease remain in effect. |
Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group
On June 13, 2011, we purchased the Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group. These claim groups consist of 63 (55 Pay Day and 8 Rage) claims. The Pay Day claim group is located in Township 32 South, Range 24 East of the Salt Lake Meridian in Sections 26, 27, 34, and 35, in San Juan County northeast of Monticello, Utah. The Rage claim group spans Stevens Canyon on the southeast flank of the Seven Sisters Buttes in Township 33 South, Range 20 East of the Salt Lake Meridian in Section 33, San Juan County, Utah. Both claim groups have been plotted on USGS topographic maps as shown.
An initial internal analysis by Company president Lee R. Rice indicates that the historical information used by others did not account for all possible sources and additional potential resource at depth. For that reason, we have engaged Allan P. Juhas, Ph.D. in Economic Geology, University of Manitoba 1973, to undertake the preparation of an NI43-101 technical report based upon the Company’s exploration plan and previous work that can be verified. Dr. Juhas has over 50 years’ experience in a broad spectrum of precious metals and base metals geological pursuits. He is well recognized in the industry, and prepares a number of NI43-101 reports each year.
We will be performing exploration and constructing an N1431-01 Report to confirm and verify the value of these assets. We acquired the properties in all stock transaction consisting of 125,000,000 pre-split (25,000 post-split) shares of 1-year restricted Class A Common Stock and 125,000,000 pre-split (25,000 post-split) shares of 2-year restricted Class A Common Stock.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The Company is involved in the following legal proceeding:
San Juan Properties and Hennis Proceedings
On April 6, 2009, Todd C. Hennis (the former President and CEO of the Company), and entities San Juan Corp., and Salem Minerals Inc. (which are substantially owned by Mr. Hennis), served upon the Company a Complaint seeking among other things, a $100,000 payment pursuant to the option agreement, and release from his shareholder lock-up agreement and from Rule 144 trading restrictions on approximately 51,500,000 pre-split (10,300 post-split) shares of Class A Common Stock held by Hennis. On May 12, 2009, a counter-claim with jury demand was filed against Mr. Hennis and his entities for wrongful conversion, breach of duty of loyalty, lack of good faith, breach of fiduciary duty, and significant conflicts of interest.
Hennis filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on October 16, 2009. On September 2, 2010, the court granted partial summary judgment in favor of Mr. Hennis and awarded him damages of $230,707. On September 22, 2010, the court awarded additional damages in the amount of $114,896 to Mr. Hennis for a total of $345,603, which has been recorded as an accrued liability by the Company as of August 31, 2011 and 2012. On March 25, 2011, the court awarded an additional $58,989 to Hennis for attorney’s fees, which has been accrued as of August 31, 2011 and 2012.
The Company filed motions for (a) a new trial on all or part of the issues; (b) an amendment of findings; and (c) an amendment of judgment pursuant to C.R.C.P. Rule 58(a). On March 25, 2011, the court evoked C.R.C.P. 59(j) and denied the post-trial motions by not ruling on them.
The Company filed a Notice of Appeal with the Colorado Court of Appeals on January 7, 2011. On April 5, 2012, the Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment ($345,603), however the order awarding plaintiffs their trial attorney fees ($58,989) and costs was vacated, and the case was remanded to the district court for further proceedings. The Company filed a Petition for Rehearing in the Court of Appeals on April 9, 2012, which was denied on May 17, 2012.
On August 31, 2012, The Company filed a Petition of Certiorari with the Colorado Supreme Court. As of the date of this report, the Company is awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision.
Other Legal Proceedings
The Company is not involved in any other legal proceedings, however mines and mining claims near to the CGFI Mineral Properties are owned by other parties. Because the various mines possibly have interconnections between adits and tunnels and common stormwater conveyances and treatment sites, the environmental issues are both factually and legally complex. Disputes among the various property owners, over environmental liabilities, responsibility for clean-up and maintenance of the sites and facilities, and responsibility for site remediation continue.
Permitting requirements can be a costly undertaking and we could be at risk for fines and penalties if required permits are not timely in place.
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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
In accordance with Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, there are no applicable mine safety violations or other regulatory matters to report.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
On February 23, 2011, the Company's stock quotation coverage moved from the FINRA operated OTC Bulletin Board to the OTC Markets Group, Inc.’s OTCQB under the same symbol "CGFIA." OTCQB is the middle tier of the OTC market. OTCQB companies are fully reporting with the SEC or a U.S. banking regula]tor. Our Class A common stock also continues to trade on the FINRA owned OTC Pink Sheets. Our Class B common stock is restricted and does not trade on any market.
On September 12, 2012, the Company received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), of a 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split. The post-split shares are assigned the new CUSIP number of 19647Y609. The symbol is “CGFI.”
The table below sets forth the high and low sales prices for our Class A common stock for the periods indicated as reported by the NASDAQ Historical Quotation System. Sales prices represent prices between dealers, do not include retail markups, markdowns or commissions and do not necessarily represent prices at which actual transactions were effected.
Year Ended | High* | Low* | ||||||
August 31, 2008 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 4,250.00 | $ | 2,550.00 | ||||
Second Quarter | 4,250.00 | 2,750.00 | ||||||
Third Quarter | 4,250.00 | 1,100.00 | ||||||
Fourth Quarter | 1,250.00 | 400.00 | ||||||
August 31, 2009 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 650.00 | $ | 100.00 | ||||
Second Quarter | 100.00 | 50.00 | ||||||
Third Quarter | 100.00 | 29.00 | ||||||
Fourth Quarter | 45.50 | 15.00 | ||||||
August 31, 2010 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 21.50 | $ | 6.00 | ||||
Second Quarter | 15.50 | 7.50 | ||||||
Third Quarter | 14.50 | 8.00 | ||||||
Fourth Quarter | 10.50 | 4.50 | ||||||
August 31, 2011 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 14.50 | $ | 3.50 | ||||
Second Quarter | 5.00 | 4.50 | ||||||
Third Quarter | 5.00 | 3.00 | ||||||
Fourth Quarter | 4.00 | 2.00 | ||||||
August 31, 2012 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 2.50 | $ | 1.00 | ||||
Second Quarter | 1.50 | 0.50 | ||||||
Third Quarter | 1.00 | 0.50 | ||||||
Fourth Quarter | 1.00 | 0.50 |
____________
* The prices set forth above have been adjusted for the 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split.
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On November 14, 2012 the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock as reported by the OTCMarkets OTCQB was $0.088 per share. As of November 14, 2012, there were 101 holders of record of our Class A common stock. The number of holders of record does not include those shareholders who own their shares in “street name.” We estimate that the ultimate number of beneficial owners of both Class A and Class B shares is approximately 7,000.
We have never paid a cash dividend. Payment of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors after taking into account various factors, including the terms of any credit arrangements, our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs and plans for growth. Our initial earnings, if any, will likely be retained to finance our growth. At the present time, we are not party to any agreement that would limit our ability to pay dividends.
The Securities Enforcement and Penny Stock Reform Act of 1990
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00 (other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on the NASDAQ system, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system). Our shares are currently subject to the penny stock rules.
A purchaser is purchasing penny stock which limits the ability to sell the stock. The classification of penny stock makes it more difficult for a broker-dealer to sell the stock into a secondary market, which makes it more difficult for a purchaser to liquidate his/her investment. Any broker-dealer engaged by the purchaser for the purpose of selling his or her shares in us will be subject to Rules 15g-1 through 15g-10 of the Securities and Exchange Act. Rather than creating a need to comply with those rules, some broker-dealers will refuse to attempt to sell penny stock.
The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the Commission, which:
● | contains a description of the nature and level of risk in the market for penny stocks in both public offerings and secondary trading; |
● | contains a description of the broker’s or dealer’s duties to the customer and of the rights and remedies available to the customer with respect to a violation to such duties or other requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended; |
● | contains a brief, clear, narrative description of a dealer market, including “bid” and “ask” prices for penny stocks and the significance of the spread between the bid and ask price; |
● | contains a toll-free telephone number for inquiries on disciplinary actions; |
● | defines significant terms in the disclosure document or in the conduct of trading penny stocks; and |
● | contains such other information and is in such form (including language, type, size and format) as the Securities and Exchange Commission shall require by rule or regulation. |
● | The broker-dealer also must provide, prior to effecting any transaction in a penny stock, to the customer: |
● | the bid and offer quotations for the penny stock; |
● | the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction; |
● | the number of shares to which such bid and ask prices apply, or other comparable information relating to the depth and liquidity of the market for such stock; and |
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● | monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. |
In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules; the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement, a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks, and a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our stock. Thus, stockholders may have difficulty selling their securities.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following sets forth information for the equity compensation plans outstanding as of August 31, 2012 (including individual compensation arrangements) under which shares of our common stock are authorized for issuance:
Equity Compensation Plan Information
Plan Category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Weighted average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance as of November 16, 2012(1) | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders: | - | - | - | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders: | - | - | - | |||||||||
2008 Employee Stock Incentive Plan | - | - | 14 | |||||||||
2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation Plan. | - | - | 20,000,909 | |||||||||
2008 Stock Compensation Plan | - | - | 20,089,120 |
____________________
(1) Share amounts are adjusted for the 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split effective September 12, 2012
2008 Stock Incentive Plan
In February 2008, the Company approved the 2008 Stock Incentive Plan (“2008 Plan”) which provides incentive stock and non-statutory options to be granted to select employees, directors and consultants of the Company. The 2008 Plan provides that awards may be granted for up to 2,496(1) shares of the Company’s Class A common shares.
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2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation Plan
On September 12, 2008, our Board of Directors approved the 2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation Plan (the “2008 Consultants Plan”). As of November 16, 2012 we are authorized to issue up to 20,373,000(1) shares of our Class A Common Stock (subject to adjustment in case of a subdivision of our outstanding shares of Common Stock, recapitalization, stock dividend, or other change in our corporate structure that affects our Common Stock) to consultants or advisors in connection with services rendered by such persons or entities. The 2008 Consultants Plan is administered by our Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, or if the we do not have a Compensation Committee, then a committee appointed by the Board which is to consist of one executive officer of the Company and at least one independent, non-employee member of the Board. If no committee is appointed, then the Board of Directors administers the plan. We currently do not have a Compensation Committee. Our Board has appointed C. Stephen Guyer, our Chief Financial Officer and Director, and Norman J. Singer, one of our independent Directors, to act as the committee to administer the 2008 Consultants Plan. We have registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission the common shares issuable under the 2008 Consultants Plan. One of the primary purposes of the plan is to give our company the flexibility to pay for services with shares of our common stock rather than with cash during our exploratory stage.
2008 Stock Compensation Plan (Formerly the Employee & Director Stock Compensation Plan)
In November, 2008, our Board of Directors approved the Employee & Director Stock Compensation Plan (the “2008 Employee Plan”). The purpose of the 2008 Employee Plan is (i) to further our growth by allowing us to compensate employees and Directors who have provided bona fide services to our company through the award of shares of our Common Stock, and (ii) attract, motivate, retain and reward quality employees and directors to acquire or increase a proprietary interest in our company. Considering that we are an exploratory mining company which faces challenging economic times and difficult capital markets, the Board of Directors believes that using our common stock is an important means of retaining and compensating employees and directors. As of November 16, 2012, we are authorized to issue up to 23,322,160(1) Shares of our Class A Common Stock (subject to adjustment in case of a subdivision of our outstanding shares of Common Stock, recapitalization, stock dividend, or other change in our corporate structure that affects our Common Stock). The 2008 Employee Plan is administered by a committee consisting of at least two persons to be appointed by the Board of Directors, one of whom is an independent director, or in the absence of such a committee, the Plan is to be administered by the Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors appointed C. Stephen Guyer, our CFO, and Norman J. Singer, one of our independent directors, to the committee. Any of our employees or directors are eligible to receive awards under the Plan.
On April 18, 2011 the Board of Directors amended the 2008 Employee Plan defining eligible persons to be: “officers, directors, employees, consultants, and advisors of the Company and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, if any.” On June 1, 2011, The Board of Directors amended the name of the 2008 Employee and Director Stock Compensation Plan to “2008 Stock Compensation Plan."
____________________
(1) Share amounts are adjusted for the 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split effective September 12, 2012
Transfer Agent
Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc. is the transfer agent for our common stock. Their address is at 3200 Cherry Creek Drive, Suite 430, Denver, Colorado 80209, and their telephone number is (303) 282-4800.
Issuer purchase of equity securities
There were no issuer purchases of securities during the period covered by this report.
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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required under this item.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of the financial condition and results of operations of Colorado Goldfields Inc. (the “Company”).
This discussion addresses matters we consider important for an understanding of our financial condition and results of operations as of and for the two years ended August 31, 2012, as well as our future results. It consists of the following subsections:
● | “Results and Plan of Operation” which provides a brief summary of our consolidated results and financial position and the primary factors affecting those results, as well as a summary of our expectations for fiscal 2013; |
● | “Liquidity and Capital Resources,” which contains a discussion of our cash flows and liquidity, investing activities and financing activities, contractual obligations, and critical obligations; |
● | “Results of Operations and Comparison”,” which sets forth an analysis of the operating results for the last two years; |
● | “Critical Accounting Policies,” which provides an analysis of the accounting policies we consider critical because of their effect on the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and/or expenses in our consolidated financial statements and/or because they require difficult, subjective or complex judgments by our management; |
● | “Recent Accounting Pronouncements and Developments,” which summarizes recently published authoritative accounting guidance, how it might apply to us and how it might affect our future results. |
This item should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes thereto included in this annual report.
Results and Plan of Operation
Plan of Operation
Our plan of operation for fiscal 2013 is to: 1) complete all necessary permitting requirements, 2) bring the Mill into operation, 3) continue seeking funding for our operations and mining exploration program, and 4) commence milling of ore.
The following discussion updates our plan of operation for the foreseeable future. The discussion also summarizes the results of our operations for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2012 and compares those results to the fiscal year ended August 31, 2011.
During fiscal year 2012, we continued to experience the negative effects of the financial markets upheaval, which made capital acquisition extremely difficult.
During fiscal year 2012, we focused primarily on re-activation of the Pride of the West Mill, primarily working towards amending the current reclamation permit, securing agreements for “custom” or “toll” milling, and seeking out new properties to acquire, explore and develop.
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Operations at the Pride of the West Mill:
During fiscal year 2012, we submitted additional detailed design material for the “Mill Tailings Repository” to the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. On July 20, 2012, the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division or Office) issued its recommendation to approve with conditions, over public objection, the application to amend the permit. By August 8, 2012, all objecting parties to the application withdrew and Colorado Goldfields reiterated its consent to the Division's conditions for approval. Because of the withdrawal of all objectors, on August 9, 2012 the DRMS recommendation to the Board was revised from a recommendation to a decision.
A key factor for re-activating the Mill and the approval of the permit is the disposal of tailings. We developed a “dry stack” method of tailings disposal as part of a new permit amendment. This approach is unique and a first in Colorado.
The core of the permit consists of nine Environmental Protection Faculties (“EPFs”), which are: 1) Mill Building, 2) Ore Stockpile Area, 3) Laboratory Facility, 4) Leach Plant Building, 5) Flood Protection Dike, 6) Plant Waste Water Disposal, 7) Groundwater intercept Drain, 8) Upland Stormwater Intercept Ditch, 9) Mill Tailings Repository.
The conditions specified by the Division regard the ninth EPF, the Mill Tailings Repository and simply request additional geotechnical substrate stability analysis, structure specific engineering designs for the cover of the repository, the repository’s reserve capacity, and the always on-going recalculation of financial warranty.
Company Management believes that these conditions will be satisfied by the end of second quarter, 2013. However, operations within the approved areas have been rapidly initiated.
In addition, as part of the Mill re-activation plan, we are reclaiming the old tailings ponds on the property. That work is pursuant to a Technical Revision (“TR”), to the existing permit. On March 25, 2011, we filed Technical Revision 11 (“TR-11”) with the DRMS. TR-11 was approved by the DRMS on June 27, 2011.
TR-11 consists of 8 work tasks that will commence immediately upon approval from the DRMS. The 8 tasks within TR-11 will address the closure of six test pits and two geotechnical drill holes located within the Upper and Lower Tailings Pond areas of the site and the relocation and final disposition of certain Waste Rock, initiates the final reclamation of the Mill Drain Pond, the Upper Tailings Pond and the Lower Tailings Pond. These were the major problem areas in the December 2010 permit amendment, and now are removed from the scope of the permit.
The first several tasks were completed during the summer of 2011; however, early snowfall caused suspension of the remaining work until spring 2012. Cleanup work began in May 2012 at the Mill site and continued throughout the summer of 2012. In September 2012, we began work on the ore receiving area of the Mill.
We believe that this new permit amendment along with the extension of the Mill mortgage to December 31, 2012, will move the business plan forward.
Operations at the Silver Wing Mine:
In anticipation of our final acquisition of the Silver Wing Mine, we submitted a Notice of Intent to Conduct Prospecting Activities (“NOI”) for activities at the Silver Wing Mine. The application was approved on November 18, 2011. Prior to any work commencing on at the Silver Wing Mine, we were required to post a $25,000 financial warranty with the DRMS for reclamation costs. We did not supply the required financial warranty timely; therefore, this NOI was cancelled. A new NOI is being prepared.
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Activities to be completed at the Silver Wing Mine will include re-sampling key areas of the mine by taking approximately 250 channel samples to verify records of sample data taken by prior operators and consultants. In preparation for drilling, work will also include the verification of underground mine maps, evaluation of prior underground development work and the condition of existing workings. This information will be utilized to develop an on-going core drilling program and an initial mining plan.
This project is particularly significant because it allows for an investigation to be made to determine the source of the existing mine drainage of approximately 20 gallons per minute and evaluate the potential for controlling or eliminating this discharge with an underground grouting program which could avoid the need for a discharge permit. If it is determined that the discharge cannot be eliminated, then an evaluation will be made of what actions can be taken to minimize the discharge, and assuming a permit is required, what permit conditions would be most effective and appropriate for preventing discharges of pollutants into the Animas River.
As of the date of this report, we are in the process of constructing the necessary permit application materials so the work may commence. Furthermore, the Company has prepared a Property of Merit report for the Silver Wing to be used in fund raising activities.
Operations at the Champion Mine:
The Company has prepared a Property of Merit report for the Champion Mine to be used in fund raising activities.
Operations at the Brooklyn Mine:
The Lease with an Option to Purchase for the Brooklyn was terminated on September 6, 2012. After extensive analysis of potential acid mine drainage problems, we decided not to seek to renew the lease.
Operations at the King Solomon Mine:
We completed our 2011 exploration program on the King Solomon Mine during the first quarter of 2012.
The land position surveys were completed and corner monuments were set for the King Solomon claims. Several original corners, first placed in the 1800s, were found and re-monumented, which verifies the claim locations. Specific survey control points were completed to establish and fix the location of the two principal mine portals relative to the claim boundaries and surface vein expressions.
Exploration teams entered and explored the underground workings, locating important vein structures, and taking ore samples from each. Underground workings also revealed areas that are ready to be mined along with those that will require re-habilitation and timbering.
Most importantly, sufficient data was collected to begin the construction of the 3-D model of the mine, the most efficient way to develop the surface and underground diamond drilling exploration plan.
The King Solomon Mine is located on the southern flank of King Solomon Mountain, just a few hundred yards up the mountain from the first discovery of gold in the San Juan Mountains in Little Giant Basin.
On October 11, 2012, we entered into a three-year Extension and Renewal of Mining Lease with Option to Purchase the King Solomon Mine under substantially the same terms as the original lease. Plans to develop the King Solomon property are moving forward.
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Operations at the Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group
On June 13, 2011, we purchased the Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group. These claim groups consist of 63 (55 Pay Day and 8 Rage) claims. The Pay Day claim group is located in Township 32 South, Range 24 East of the Salt Lake Meridian in Sections 26, 27, 34, and 35, in San Juan County northeast of Monticello, Utah. The Rage claim group spans Stevens Canyon on the southeast flank of the Seven Sisters Buttes in Township 33 South, Range 20 East of the Salt Lake Meridian in Section 33, San Juan County, Utah.
An initial internal analysis by Company president Lee R. Rice indicates that the historical information used by others did not account for all possible sources and additional potential resource at depth. For that reason, we have engaged Allan P. Juhas, Ph.D. in Economic Geology, University of Manitoba 1973, to undertake the preparation of an NI43-101 technical report based upon the Company’s exploration plan and previous work that can be verified. Dr. Juhas has over 50 years’ experience in a broad spectrum of precious metals and base metals geological pursuits. He is well recognized in the industry, and prepares a number of NI43-101 reports each year.
We are in the process of constructing an N1431-01 compliant report to confirm and verify the value of these assets.
We acquired the Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group properties in all stock transaction consisting of 125,000,000 pre-split (25,000 post-split) shares of 1-year restricted Class A Common Stock and 125,000,000 pre-split (25,000 post-split) shares of 2-year restricted Class A Common Stock.
General Operations
Weather conditions in San Juan County, Colorado vary by season. During the winter season, our activities are concentrated on analysis, planning, and development of properties in more temperate climates. Surface drilling and property exploration in San Juan County can reasonably take place between May and late October. Of course, underground operations continue year-round.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We were formed in early 2004 and have had limited activity until our acquisition of the option to acquire interests in the San Juan Properties. Since we have received no revenue from the production of gold or other metals, we have relied on funds received in connection with our equity and debt offerings to finance our ongoing operations. We have experienced net losses since inception, and we expect we will continue to incur losses for the next several years. As of the date of this filing, we do not have any available external source of funds. We require additional capital in the near term to maintain our current operations. Although we are actively seeking additional equity and debt financing, such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.
Our financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. Since our inception in February 2004, we have not generated revenue and have incurred net losses. The Company has a working capital deficit of $2,596,711 at August 31, 2012; a net loss of $4,299,576 for the year ended August 31, 2012, and has a deficit accumulated during the exploration stage of $23,503,824 for the period from February 11, 2004 (inception) through August 31, 2012. Accordingly, we have not generated cash flows from operations and have primarily relied upon advances from stockholders, promissory notes, advances from unrelated parties, and equity financing to fund our operations. These conditions (as indicated in the 2012 audit report of our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm), raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We currently have minimal cash on hand. Accordingly, we do not have sufficient cash resources or current assets to pay our obligations, and we have been meeting many of our obligations through the issuance of our common stock to our employees, consultants and advisors as payment for goods and services. Considering the foregoing, we are dependent on additional financing to continue our operations and exploration efforts and, if warranted, to develop and commence mining operations. Our significant capital requirements for the foreseeable future include $50,000 on our mining property options, payment of $456,900 on a promissory note and accrued interest, which is collateralized by the Mill (due December 31, 2012), payment on notes payable to related parties including accrued interest totaling $338,914, re-activation expenses for the Mill, and our corporate overhead expenses. Additionally, we must raise and pay approximately $3,160,000 to consummate fully the acquisition of the Silver Wing and Champion Mines.
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We are actively seeking additional equity or debt financing, and have secured two sources of funding. However, there can be no assurance that the total funds required during the next twelve months or thereafter will be available from external sources. The lack of additional capital resulting from the inability to generate cash flow from operations or to raise capital from external sources would force us to substantially curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, there can be no assurance that any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly dilutive effect on our existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely unsettled credit and capital markets presently existing.
We are dependent upon the DRMS and State of Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board ("MLRB"), fully approving an amendment to the existing reclamation permit for the Mill. Full approval of the amendment would cure the current cease and desist order, which was issued in 2005, and allow the Mill to become operational. The permit amendment process is lengthy and complex. We submitted an amendment to our existing reclamation permit on January 27, 2012 and the DRMS approved the amendment with conditions on August 9, 2012. We are now preparing material that will satisfy the remaining conditions of the approval.
Ultimately, should the Company not be able to satisfy the conditions of approval and bring the Mill into operation, management anticipates that the Mill will be reclaimed and liquidated.
As of August 31, 2012, we had cash of approximately $6,000, and other current assets of approximately $19,000 and current liabilities of approximately $2,621,000, resulting in a working capital deficit of approximately $2,597,000. We used cash of approximately $433,000 in operating activities for the year ended August 31, 2012. Investing activities provided cash of approximately $35,000 for the year ended August 31, 2012, and financing activities provided cash of approximately $392,000 received primarily from the issuance of convertible debt.
Coincident with the approval of the Mill permit, the Board of Directors approved a 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split of the Company’s Class A Common Stock. The Board of Directors believes that the current market price of the Company’s Class A Common Stock is impairing its acceptability to certain investors, clearing firms, and other members of the investing public, and approved the reverse split in anticipation that it could result in a significant improvement in the per share price of the stock.
We effected a reverse stock split to better align the stock price with our accomplishments and operational objectives. We believe this transaction will broaden our shareholder base, increase the appeal of the stock to investors, and help facilitate electronic transactions of our stock through Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. We strongly believe that this split will provide benefits to our shareholders by improving trading accessibility and liquidity, thereby enhancing long-term shareholder value.
Effective September 12, 2012, every 5,000 shares of Class A common stock of CGFIA were automatically combined into one share of Class A common stock. The reverse split reduced the number of shares of outstanding Class A common stock from approximately 28.2 billion pre-split to approximately 5.7 million post-split at August 31, 2012. The number of authorized shares of Class A common stock was reduced from 35 billion to 7 million. Proportional adjustments were made to our convertible notes and equity compensation plans. All fractional shares were rounded up to the nearest whole number. The reverse split will did not negatively affect any of the rights that accrue to holders of CGFIA common stock or common stock equivalents. The reverse split was not a taxable event to existing stockholders. All references to Class A common stock in this document have been adjusted to reflect the post-split amounts
On October 10, 2012 pursuant to Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) 78.320 we received written consents in lieu of a Meeting of Stockholders from the Officer and Director Stockholders holding 92% of the total possible votes outstanding, to establish and fix the total number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, that the Company is authorized to issue, at one billion.
The increase to the authorized capital was made, in part, to provide us with more flexibility and opportunities to conduct equity financings, acquisitions, satisfy the reserved but unissued requirements of convertible debt financings, option agreements, and warrant reserves in connection potential with financings. Having such additional authorized shares of capital stock available for issuance in the future should give us greater flexibility and may allow such shares to be issued without the expense and delay of a special shareholders’ meeting or obtaining written consents. Although such issuance of additional shares with respect to future financings and acquisitions would dilute existing shareholders, management believes that such transactions would increase the total value of the Company to its shareholders. The increase in authorized Class A Common Stock will not have any immediate effect on the rights of existing shareholders.
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Results of Operations
Year Ended August 31, 2012 compared to the Year Ended August 31, 2011
For the year ended August 31, 2012, we incurred a net loss of approximately $4,300,000 compared to a net loss of approximately $6,163,000 for the years ended August 31, 2011 a 33% improvement of $2,040,000
Mineral property and exploration costs were $667,000 and $711,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The decrease of $45,000 was due to timing delays related to the Mill permit approval.
Professional fees decreased $45,000 from $360,000 for the years ended August 31, 2011 to $315,000 for the year ended August 31, 2012. The decrease was due to reduced legal expenses related to the Hennis lawsuit. (See “Legal Proceedings”.)
General and administrative costs were approximately $1,874,000 and $2,821,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, a 34% decrease of $947,000. The decrease was due primarily to the specific reasons presented below.
Consulting expenses were $873,000 and $1,831,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, a decrease 52% of $958,000. The decrease is due to the reduced use of outside services for corporate communications, economic imaging, and an increase in the use of results based compensation for services rendered.
Salaries were $519,000 and $461,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, an increase of $58,000. The increase is due to higher compensation pursuant to our executive compensation agreements effective in July 2012. Salaries are generally either accrued as an unpaid liability or, paid in the form of stock awards in lieu of cash, which are exempt under Rule 16b-3. Amounts owed pursuant to our executive employment agreements have been fully accrued as of August 31, 2012.
Filing fees and transfer agent fees were $59,000 and $34,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and August 31, 2011, respectively. The $25,000 increase was due to filing fees in the state of Nevada associated with an increase of the number of authorized Class A Common Stock shares in 2012.
Printing and reproduction costs were $11,000 and $1,700 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and August 31, 2011, respectively. The $9,300 increase was due to preparing material for the Mill permit amendment.
Bank and brokerage fees increased to $41,000 for the year ended August 31, 2012 from $26,000 for the year ended August 31, 2011. The increase was due to higher costs associated with transacting the Class A Common Stock shares of the Company.
Investor relations costs were $20,000 and $251,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and August 31, 2011, respectively, a decrease of $231,000. The decrease was due to reduced media presence on radio and web based analyst coverage.
Interest expense was $1,221,000 and $2,660,000 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The decrease of $1,439,000 is primarily related to the required accounting treatment of convertible debt derivative liabilities and the amortization of debt discounts, and lower total outstanding debt balances.
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Critical Accounting Policies
We have identified the following critical accounting policies which were used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Exploration and Development Costs: Costs of exploration and development costs are expensed as incurred unless proven and probable reserves exist and the property is a commercially minable property. When it has been determined that a mineral property can be economically developed as a result of established proven and probable reserves, the costs to develop such property will be capitalized. Costs of abandoned projects will be charged to operations upon abandonment.
Long-lived Assets: We periodically evaluate the carrying value of property, plant and equipment costs, to determine if these costs are in excess of their net realizable value and if a permanent impairment needs to be recorded. The periodic evaluation of carrying value of capitalized costs and any related property, plant and equipment costs are based upon expected future cash flows expected to result from the use and the eventual disposal of the asset, as well as specific appraisal in certain circumstances.
Property Retirement Obligation: Asset retirement costs are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of certain long-lived assets. Accretion expense is recorded in each subsequent period to recognize the changes in the liability resulting from the passage of time. Changes resulting from revisions to the original fair value of the liability are recognized as an increase or decrease in the carrying amount of the liability and the related asset retirement costs capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset.
Mining Rights: The Company has determined that its mining rights meet the definition of mineral rights and are tangible assets. As a result, the costs of mining rights are initially capitalized as tangible assets when purchased. If proven and probable reserves are established for a property and it has been determined that a mineral property can be economically developed, costs will be amortized using the units-of-production method over the estimated life of the probable reserves. For mining rights in which proven and probable reserves have not yet been established, the Company assesses the carrying value for impairment at the end of each reporting period. Mining rights are stated at cost less accumulated amortization and any impairment losses. Mining rights for which probable reserves have been established will be amortized based on actual units of production over the estimated reserves of the mines.
Derivatives: The Company follows the relevant accounting guidance and records derivative instruments (including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts) in the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at its fair value, with changes in the derivative’s fair value recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. The Company values these derivative securities under the fair value method at the end of each reporting period (quarter), and their value is marked to market at the end of each reporting period with the gain or loss recognition recorded in earnings. The Company continues to revalue these instruments each quarter to reflect their current value in light of the current market price of our Common Stock. The Company utilizes a valuation pricing model to estimate fair value. Key assumptions of the valuation pricing model include applicable volatility rates, risk-free interest rates and the instrument’s expected remaining life. These assumptions require significant management judgment.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2011, FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation of Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2011-05”). ASU 2011-05 requires entities to present net income and other comprehensive income in either a single continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements of net income and other comprehensive income. ASU 2011-05 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011 (March 1, 2012 for the Company). The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-05 to have a material impact on its results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As a “smaller reporting company”, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item. However, please see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a discussion of the risks associated with the Company.
32
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Board of Directors and Stockholders
Colorado Goldfields Inc.
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Colorado Goldfields Inc. (an Exploration Stage Company) as of August 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related statements of operations, cash flows and stockholders’ (deficit) equity for each of the years then ended, and for the period from February 11, 2004 (inception) through August 31, 2012. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Colorado Goldfields Inc. as of August 31, 2012 and 2011, and the results of its operations and cash flows for each of the years then ended, and for the period from February 11, 2004 (inception) through August 31, 2012, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company incurred a net loss of $4,299,576 for the year ended August 31, 2012, and a deficit accumulated during the exploration stage of $23,503,824 for the period from February 11, 2004 (inception) through August 31, 2012. The Company also has a limited history and no revenue producing operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans with regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/ GHP HORWATH, P.C.
Denver, Colorado
November 16, 2012
33
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company)
Balance Sheets
August 31, | August 31, | |||||||
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current Assets | ||||||||
Cash | $ | 6,093 | $ | 11,838 | ||||
Prepaid expenses and other | 18,550 | 88,823 | ||||||
Total Current Assets | 24,643 | 100,661 | ||||||
Non-Current Assets | ||||||||
Property, plant and equipment, net (Note 3) | 1,396,414 | 1,605,878 | ||||||
Mining rights and claims (Note 4) | 158,889 | 294,722 | ||||||
Restricted cash (Note 3) | 515,428 | 515,428 | ||||||
Deferred financing costs | 15,580 | 28,805 | ||||||
Other | 4,743 | 11,520 | ||||||
Total Non-Current Assets | 2,091,054 | 2,456,353 | ||||||
Total Assets | $ | 2,115,697 | $ | 2,557,014 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT | ||||||||
Current Liabilities | ||||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 330,519 | $ | 253,453 | ||||
Accrued liabilities | 859,488 | 1,023,340 | ||||||
Convertible notes, less unamortized discount of $214,059 and $285,693, (Note 7) | 141,082 | 153,605 | ||||||
Derivative liabilities (Note 8) | 469,370 | 529,146 | ||||||
Promissory note payable, including accrued interest (Note 6) | 25,081 | - | ||||||
Notes payable, including accrued interest - related parties (Note 5) | 338,914 | 320,521 | ||||||
Mortgage notes payable, including accrued interest (Note 3) | 456,900 | 453,575 | ||||||
Total Current Liabilities | 2,621,354 | 2,733,640 | ||||||
Non-Current Liabilities | ||||||||
Promissory note payable, including accrued interest (Note 6) | 86,207 | - | ||||||
Asset retirement obligation | 515,500 | 656,570 | ||||||
Total Non-Current Liabilities | 601,707 | 656,570 | ||||||
Total Liabilities | 3,223,061 | 3,390,210 | ||||||
Contingencies and Commitments (Note 10) | ||||||||
Stockholders' Deficit (Note 9) | ||||||||
Class A common stock, 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, $0.001 par value; | ||||||||
5,647,989 and 1,554,155 issued and outstanding, respectively | 5,647 | 1,553 | ||||||
Class B common stock, 500,000,000 shares authorized, $0.001 par value; | ||||||||
490,371,533 shares issued and outstanding, respectively | - | - | ||||||
Additional paid in capital | 22,361,563 | 18,340,249 | ||||||
Donated capital | 29,250 | 29,250 | ||||||
Deficit accumulated during the exploration stage | (23,503,824 | ) | (19,204,248 | ) | ||||
Total Stockholders' Deficit | (1,107,364 | ) | (833,196 | ) | ||||
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Deficit | $ | 2,115,697 | $ | 2,557,014 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
34
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company)
Statements of Operations
Accumulated | ||||||||||||
from February 11, | ||||||||||||
For the Year | For the Year | 2004 (Date of | ||||||||||
Ended | Ended | Inception) to | ||||||||||
August 31, 2012 | August 31, 2011 | August 31, 2012 | ||||||||||
Revenue | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
Operating expenses | ||||||||||||
Donated rent | - | - | 9,750 | |||||||||
Donated services | - | - | 19,500 | |||||||||
General and administrative | 1,873,586 | 2,820,984 | 14,376,146 | |||||||||
Mineral property and exploration costs | 666,516 | 711,122 | 3,263,584 | |||||||||
Professional fees | 314,996 | 359,536 | 1,835,994 | |||||||||
Total operating expenses | (2,855,098 | ) | (3,891,642 | ) | (19,504,974 | ) | ||||||
Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||
Other income | 85,045 | 22,119 | 187,986 | |||||||||
Interest income | - | 647 | 33,781 | |||||||||
(Loss) gain on derivative liabilities | (309,021 | ) | 365,735 | 67,503 | ||||||||
Interest expense | (1,220,502 | ) | (2,660,253 | ) | (4,288,120 | ) | ||||||
Total other expense | (1,444,478 | ) | (2,271,752 | ) | (3,998,850 | ) | ||||||
Net Loss | $ | (4,299,576 | ) | $ | (6,163,394 | ) | $ | (23,503,824 | ) | |||
Net Loss Per Common Share - Basic and Diluted | (1.27 | ) | (7.85 | ) | ||||||||
Weighted Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding | 3,385,014 | 785,523 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
35
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company)
Statements of Cash Flows
For the Year Ended | For the Year Ended | Accumulated from February 11, 2004 | ||||||||||
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities: | ||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (4,299,576 | ) | $ | (6,163,394 | ) | $ | (23,503,824 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||||||
Donated services and rent | - | - | 29,250 | |||||||||
Amortization of debt discount and deferred financing costs | 1,088,310 | 2,512,402 | 3,689,479 | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 17,410 | 32,039 | 147,874 | |||||||||
Loss (gain) on derivative liabilities | 309,021 | (365,735 | ) | (67,503 | ) | |||||||
Impairment of mining rights | 135,833 | 135,834 | 398,611 | |||||||||
Stock issued for services | 1,059,619 | 2,368,137 | 10,471,080 | |||||||||
Stock-based compensation - options | - | - | 899,303 | |||||||||
Accrued interest | 129,566 | 107,483 | 439,945 | |||||||||
Accretion expense on asset retirement obligation | 35,065 | 44,020 | 191,635 | |||||||||
Gain on sale of property, plant and equipment | (19,252 | ) | (20,802 | ) | (93,009 | ) | ||||||
Change in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||||||
Increase in restricted cash | - | (197,274 | ) | (515,428 | ) | |||||||
Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses and other | 10,451 | (14,214 | ) | (3,763 | ) | |||||||
Increase in accounts payable | 527,273 | 430,053 | 2,126,361 | |||||||||
Increase in accrued liabilities | 566,974 | 511,969 | 1,586,082 | |||||||||
Decrease (increase) in other assets | 6,777 | - | (4,743 | ) | ||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | (432,529 | ) | (619,482 | ) | (4,208,650 | ) | ||||||
Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||||||||||
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment | 38,232 | 42,900 | 240,632 | |||||||||
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment | (3,061 | ) | - | (720,797 | ) | |||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 35,171 | 42,900 | (480,165 | ) | ||||||||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||||||||||
Advances received | - | - | 405,733 | |||||||||
Repayment of advances | - | - | (405,733 | ) | ||||||||
Proceeds from notes from related parties | - | - | 581,452 | |||||||||
Repayment of advances from related party | - | (10,544 | ) | (20,596 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from note payable | 24,000 | - | 124,000 | |||||||||
Repayment of notes payable | (7,787 | ) | (513,704 | ) | (696,491 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds from issuance of convertible debt | 427,000 | 1,218,977 | 1,845,977 | |||||||||
Loan acquisition costs | (51,600 | ) | (126,898 | ) | (198,498 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds from exercise of warrants | - | 570 | 570 | |||||||||
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock | - | - | 3,058,494 | |||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 391,613 | 568,401 | 4,694,908 | |||||||||
(Decrease) increase in cash | (5,745 | ) | (8,181 | ) | 6,093 | |||||||
Cash - Beginning of Period | 11,838 | 20,019 | - | |||||||||
Cash - End of Period | $ | 6,093 | $ | 11,838 | $ | 6,093 | ||||||
Supplemental Disclosures: | ||||||||||||
Interest paid | $ | 3,645 | $ | 16,459 | $ | 98,426 | ||||||
Income taxes paid | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
Non-cash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||||||
Exchange of accounts payable and accrued liabilities for debt | $ | 80,000 | $ | 30,742 | $ | 246,036 | ||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accounts payable | $ | 450,207 | $ | 459,024 | $ | 1,623,074 | ||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accrued liabilities | $ | 682,560 | $ | - | $ | 682,560 | ||||||
Issuance of common stock for prepaid expenses | $ | 21,580 | $ | 191,140 | $ | 550,159 | ||||||
Issuance of common stock for mining rights | $ | - | $ | 150,000 | $ | 557,500 | ||||||
Exchange of convertible debt for common shares | $ | 1,892,844 | $ | 2,771,502 | $ | 4,771,482 | ||||||
Exchange of mortgage payable for convertible debt | $ | 50,000 | $ | 50,000 | ||||||||
Exchange of property, plant and equipment for accounts payable | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 2,750 | ||||||
Forgiveness of related party debt and accrued interest | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 288,361 | ||||||
Change in estimate of asset retirement obligation | $ | 176,135 | $ | 176,135 | ||||||||
Acquisition of land and building: | ||||||||||||
Cash paid | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 250,677 | ||||||
Mortgage note given to seller | - | - | 650,000 | |||||||||
Asset retirement obligation assumed | - | - | 500,000 | |||||||||
Assets acquired | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 1,400,677 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
36
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company)
Statements of Stockholders' (Deficit) Equity
From February 11, 2004 (Date of Inception) to August 31, 2012
Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | Additional | During the | Stockholders' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common Stock | Common Stock | Paid in | Donated | Exploration | (Deficit) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Capital | Stage | Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - February 11, 2004 (Date of inception) | - | $ | - | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for cash | 10,270 | 10 | - | - | 2,490 | - | - | 2,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Donated services and rent | - | - | - | - | - | 4,500 | - | 4,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (5,898 | ) | (5,898 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2004 | 10,270 | $ | 10 | - | $ | - | $ | 2,490 | $ | 4,500 | $ | (5,898 | ) | $ | 1,102 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for cash | 12,632 | 13 | - | - | 53,737 | - | - | 53,750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Donated services and rent | - | - | - | - | - | 9,000 | - | 9,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (35,319 | ) | (35,319 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2005 | 22,902 | $ | 23 | - | $ | - | $ | 56,227 | $ | 13,500 | $ | (41,217 | ) | $ | 28,533 | |||||||||||||||||
Donated services and rent | - | - | - | - | - | 9,000 | - | 9,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (36,148 | ) | (36,148 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2006 | 22,902 | $ | 23 | - | $ | - | $ | 56,227 | $ | 22,500 | $ | (77,365 | ) | $ | 1,385 | |||||||||||||||||
Donated services and rent | - | - | - | - | - | 6,750 | - | 6,750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (300,193 | ) | (300,193 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2007 | 22,902 | $ | 23 | - | $ | - | $ | 56,227 | $ | 29,250 | $ | (377,558 | ) | $ | (292,058 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for cash (net of offering costs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
of $282,231) | 2,277 | 2 | - | - | 3,002,242 | - | - | 3,002,244 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for services | 1,966 | 2 | - | - | 869,737 | - | - | 869,739 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation - options | - | - | - | - | 895,209 | - | - | 895,209 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (3,721,021 | ) | (3,721,021 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2008 | 27,145 | $ | 27 | - | $ | - | $ | 4,823,415 | $ | 29,250 | $ | (4,098,579 | ) | $ | 754,113 | |||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for services | 74,057 | 74 | - | - | 4,241,209 | - | - | 4,241,283 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accounts payable | 5,878 | 6 | - | - | 370,009 | - | - | 370,015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation - options | - | - | - | - | 4,094 | - | - | 4,094 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock issued to beneficial owners of Class A Common Stock | - | - | 35,732,285 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Forgiveness of related party debt and accrued interest | - | - | - | - | 288,361 | - | - | 288,361 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (5,281,857 | ) | (5,281,857 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2009 | 107,080 | $ | 107 | 35,732,285 | $ | - | $ | 9,727,088 | $ | 29,250 | $ | (9,380,436 | ) | $ | 376,009 | |||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for services | 184,241 | 184 | - | - | 1,950,576 | - | - | 1,950,760 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accounts payable | 28,962 | 29 | - | - | 343,799 | - | - | 343,828 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for mining rights | 25,000 | 25 | - | - | 407,475 | - | - | 407,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for convertible debt | 9,375 | 9 | - | - | 107,127 | - | - | 107,136 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock issued to beneficial owners of Class A Common Stock | - | - | 5,012,068 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (3,660,418 | ) | (3,660,418 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2010 | 354,658 | $ | 354 | 40,744,353 | $ | - | $ | 12,536,065 | $ | 29,250 | $ | (13,040,854 | ) | $ | (475,185 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for services | 603,354 | 603 | - | - | 2,423,684 | - | - | 2,424,287 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accounts payable | 116,710 | 117 | - | - | 458,907 | - | - | 459,024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for convertible debt | 429,433 | 429 | - | - | 2,771,073 | - | - | 2,771,502 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for mining rights | 50,000 | 50 | - | - | 149,950 | - | - | 150,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock issued to officers | - | - | 449,623,244 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class B warrants exercised and shares issued | - | - | 3,936 | - | 570 | - | - | 570 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (6,163,394 | ) | (6,163,394 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2011 | 1,554,155 | $ | 1,553 | 490,371,533 | $ | - | $ | 18,340,249 | $ | 29,250 | $ | (19,204,248 | ) | $ | (833,196 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for services (Note 9) | 1,118,227 | 1,118 | - | - | 998,679 | - | - | 999,797 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accounts payable (Note 9) | 513,050 | 513 | - | - | 449,694 | - | - | 450,207 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock to satisfy accrued liabilities (Note 9) | 632,560 | 633 | - | - | 681,927 | - | - | 682,560 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares issued for convertible debt (Note 9) | 1,829,997 | 1,830 | - | - | 1,891,014 | - | - | 1,892,844 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | - | (4,299,576 | ) | (4,299,576 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances - August 31, 2012 | 5,647,989 | $ | 5,647 | 490,371,533 | $ | - | $ | 22,361,563 | $ | 29,250 | $ | (23,503,824 | ) | $ | (1,107,364 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
37
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company)
Notes to the Financial Statements
August 31, 2012
1. Organization, Nature of Business, Going Concern and Management’s Plans
Organization and Nature of Business
Colorado Goldfields Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Nevada on February 11, 2004. The Company is considered to be an Exploration Stage Company. The Company’s principal business is the reactivation of a mill facility, and acquisition and exploration of mineral resources. The Company has not presently determined whether the properties it has acquired and intends to acquire contain mineral reserves that are economically recoverable.
Going Concern and Management’s Plans
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. Since its inception in February 2004, the Company has not generated revenue and has incurred net losses. The Company has a working capital deficit of $2,596,711 at August 31, 2012, has incurred net losses of $4,299,576 and $6,163,394 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and has incurred a deficit accumulated during the exploration stage of $23,503,824 for the period from February 11, 2004 (inception) through August 31, 2012. Accordingly, it has not generated cash flows from operations and has primarily relied upon advances from stockholders, promissory notes, advances from unrelated parties, and equity financing to fund its operations.
The Company is dependent upon the State of Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (“DRMS”) and State of Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (“MLRB”), approving an amendment to the existing reclamation permit for the Company’s Pride of the West Mill (“the Mill”). The amendment would cure a current cease and desist order, which was issued in 2005, and allow the Mill to become operational.
In December 2010, the Company presented a proposed permit amendment (“AM-02”) to the MLRB. While portions of that permit amendment were approved, there remained deficiencies that required additional work.
The Company prepared additional material for consideration by the DRMS and the MLRB. Management submitted a new permit amendment application (“AM0-03”), to the DRMS on January 27, 2012 and April 23, 2012. On August 9, 2012, the DRMS approved, with conditions, AM-03.
The core of the permit consists of nine Environmental Protection Facilities (“EPFs”), which are: 1) Mill Building, 2) Ore Stockpile Area, 3) Laboratory Facility, 4) Leach Plant Building, 5) Flood Protection Dike, 6) Plant Waste Water Disposal, 7) Groundwater intercept Drain, 8) Upland Stormwater Intercept Ditch, and 9) Mill Tailings Repository. The DRMS approved the first eight EPFs, and work has commenced in these areas.
The conditions specified by the DRMS regard the ninth EPF, which is the Mill Tailings Repository. The DRMS requested 1) additional geotechnical substrate stability analysis, 2) structure specific engineering designs for the cover of the repository, 3) analysis of the repository’s reserve capacity, 4) recalculation of financial warranty. The Company estimates that the conditions will be satisfied by the end of second quarter of fiscal 2013.
The Company currently faces a severe working capital shortage and is not presently generating any revenues. The Company will need to obtain additional capital to fund its operations, continue mining exploration activities, fulfill its obligations under its mineral property lease/option agreements, and satisfy existing creditors.
38
These circumstances raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets, or the amounts or classification of liabilities that may result from the possible inability of the Company to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans with regards to these conditions are described below.
The Company continues to explore sources of additional financing to satisfy its current operating requirements. During the fiscal years ended August 31, 2010, 2011, and 2012, the Company entered into funding arrangements with an institutional investor (the “Delaware Partnership Investor”), under which the Delaware Partnership Investor has provided convertible debt financing to the Company of approximately $1.6 million, ($377,000 during the year ended August 31, 2012).
During the fiscal years ended August 31, 2010, 2011, and 2012, the Company also entered into seven funding arrangements for a total of $315,000 ($100,000 during the year ended August 31, 2012), with a group of New York private investors in the form of convertible notes (Note 7).
Considering the difficult U.S. and global economic conditions, along with the substantial stability problems in the capital and credit markets, there is a significant possibility that the Company will be unable to obtain financing to continue its operations.
There is no assurance that required funds during the next twelve months or thereafter will be generated from operations, or that those funds will be available from external sources, such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of additional capital resulting from the inability to generate cash flow from operations or to raise capital from external sources would force the Company to substantially curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on its business. Further, there can be no assurance that any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly dilutive effect on the Company's existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely unsettled credit and capital markets presently existing.
2. Summary of Significant Account Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and are expressed in US dollars. The Company’s fiscal year-end is August 31.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Share
Basic earnings (loss) per share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing net loss available to common stockholders (numerator) by the weighted average number of shares of the Class A Common Stock outstanding (denominator) during the period. During the year ended August 31, 2011, the Company issued shares of Class B Common Stock, which are not publicly-traded. The Class B Common Stock share dividends equally with Class A Common Stock, and are defined as participating securities under US GAAP; however, they have no contractual obligation to share in losses of the Company. The Company has therefore not included the Class B Common Stock in determining basic EPS. Diluted EPS gives effect to all potential dilutive common shares outstanding during the periods using the treasury stock method (for options and warrants) and the two-class method (for Class B common stock). In computing diluted EPS, the average stock price for the period is used in determining the number of shares assumed to be purchased from the exercise of stock options or warrants. Diluted EPS excludes all dilutive potential shares if their effect is anti-dilutive. For the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, the effect of the conversion of outstanding debt and Class B common shares would have been anti-dilutive. The following table represents the potential dilutive securities excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share.
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August 31, 2012 | August 31, 2011 | |||||||
Class B Common Stock | 490,371,533 | 490,371,533 | ||||||
Convertible debt | 1,102,866 | 279,837 |
Effective September 12, 2012, the Financial Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA”), approved a 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split. All references to Class A common stock in these financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the post-reverse split amounts.
Comprehensive Income (Loss)
For the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011 there were no differences between net loss and comprehensive loss.
Cash
Cash, excluding restricted cash, includes deposits in banks that are unrestricted as to withdrawal or use.
Mineral Property and Exploration Costs
The Company has been in the exploration stage since its formation on February 11, 2004, and has not yet realized any revenues from its planned operations. It is primarily engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mining properties.
Before mineralization is classified as “proven and probable” reserves; costs are expensed and classified as Mineral property and exploration costs. Capitalization of mine development project costs, that meet the definition of an asset, begins once mineralization is classified as “proven and probable reserves.”
When it has been determined that a mineral property can be economically developed as a result of establishing proven and probable reserves, the costs incurred to acquire and develop such property are capitalized. Such costs will be amortized using the units-of-production method over the estimated life of the probable reserve. If mineral properties are subsequently abandoned or impaired, any capitalized costs will be charged to operations.
Mining Rights and Claims
The Company has determined that its mining rights and claims meet the definition of mineral rights, as defined by accounting standards, and are tangible assets. As a result, the costs of mining rights are initially capitalized as tangible assets when purchased. If proven and probable reserves are established for a property and it has been determined that a mineral property can be economically developed, costs will be amortized using the units-of-production method over the estimated life of the probable reserves. The Company’s rights to extract minerals are contractually limited by time. However, the Company has the ability to extend the leases (Note 4). For mining rights in which proven and probable reserves have not yet been established, the Company assesses the carrying value for impairment at the end of each reporting period. The Company recorded impairment charges of $135,833 and $135,834 during the year ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
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Long-Lived Assets
The Company tests long-lived assets or asset groups for recoverability when events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Circumstances which could trigger a review include, but are not limited to: significant decreases in the market price of the asset; significant adverse changes in the business climate or legal factors; accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or construction of the asset; current period cash flow or operating losses combined with a history of losses or a forecast of continuing losses associated with the use of the asset; and current expectation that the asset will more likely than not be sold or disposed significantly before the end of its estimated useful life.
Recoverability is assessed based on the carrying amount of the asset and its fair value which is generally determined based on the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and the eventual disposal of the asset, as well as specific appraisal in certain instances. An impairment loss is recognized when the carrying amount is not recoverable and exceeds fair value. Management believes no impairment exists as of August 31, 2012.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date in the principal or most advantageous market. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that has three levels of inputs, both observable and unobservable, with use of the lowest possible level of input to determine fair value.
Level 1 – quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2 – observable inputs other than Level 1, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, and model-derived prices whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable; and
Level 3 – assets and liabilities whose significant value drivers are unobservable.
Observable inputs are based on market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs are based on the Company’s market assumptions. Unobservable inputs require significant management judgment or estimation. In some cases, the inputs used to measure an asset or liability may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is required to be classified using the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Such determination requires significant management judgment.
As of August 31, 2012, the Company had the following financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value:
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | ||||||||||
Restricted cash | - | $ | 515,428 | - | ||||||||
Derivative liabilities | - | $ | 469,370 | - |
The fair values of financial instruments, which include cash, accounts payable, short-term notes payable, and convertible debt, were estimated to approximate their carrying values due to the immediate or short-term maturity of these financial instruments. The fair value of amounts due to related parties are not practicable to estimate, due to the related party nature of the underlying transactions. The long-term fixed-rate note payable approximates fair value as it bears interest at a rate commensurate with market rates. The fair value of the restricted cash deposit held by the State of Colorado (Note 3) approximates the amount of fees to obtain it.
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Income Taxes
Potential benefits of income tax losses are not recognized in the accounts until realization is determined to be more likely than not. The potential benefit of net operating losses have not been recognized in these financial statements because the Company cannot be assured that it is more likely than not it will utilize the net operating losses carried forward in future years.
The Company has no unrecognized tax benefits. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and in the state of Colorado. Management does not believe there will be any significant changes in the Company’s tax positions over the next 12 months.
The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. There was no income tax expense recognized during the years ended August 31, 2012 or 2011, for interest and penalties.
Asset Retirement Obligation
The fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation is required to be recognized in the period that it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. In connection with the Company’s acquisition of the Pride of the West Mill (the “Mill”) in June 2007, an asset retirement obligation of $500,000 was estimated and recorded. The associated asset retirement costs were capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the Mill (See Note 3). Accretion expense is recorded in each subsequent period to recognize the estimated changes in the liability resulting from the passage of time. During the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company recorded accretion expense of $35,065 and $44,020, respectively. Changes resulting from revisions to the original fair value of the liability are recognized as an increase or decrease in the carrying amount of the liability and the related asset retirement costs capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset.
During fiscal year 2012, the Company re-evaluated the original fair value of the asset retirement obligation as it relates to the Mill. Unique to this asset, the reclamation permit for the Mill requires that the cost of retirement (reclamation), be calculated by the DRMS on a continuing basis, and a financial warranty be provided to guarantee that obligation.
As of August 31, 2012, the State of Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety has determined that $515,130 would be required to close and reclaim the asset and the Company has placed those funds as cash held as a restricted cash deposit with the State of Colorado.
Therefore, the asset retirement obligation relating to the Mill has been reduced by $176,135 to $515,130; the amount equal to the financial warranty calculated by the DRMS. The reduction was recognized as a decrease in the carrying amount of property, plant and equipment (Note 3).
Recent accounting pronouncements
In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation of Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2011-05”). ASU 2011-05 requires entities to present net income and other comprehensive income in either a single continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements of net income and other comprehensive income. ASU 2011-05 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011 (the interim period ending November 30, 2012 for the Company). The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-05 to have a material impact on its results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.
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3. Property, Plant and Equipment
On June 29, 2007, the Company acquired the Mill located in Howardsville, Colorado. The cost of the Mill was $1,400,677. In connection with the acquisition, the Company entered into a $650,000 mortgage with the seller, which is collateralized by the property and bears interest at 12% per year. All unpaid principal was originally due June 29, 2009. The due date on the mortgage was extended and is currently due in full on December 31, 2012. During the year ended August 31, 2012, $50,000 of the mortgage was paid through the issuance of convertible notes (Note 7).
Interest expense in connection with the Mill mortgage for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011 was $53,324 and $70,679, respectively.
In connection with the acquisition of the Mill, the Company replaced a financial warranty that the seller had provided to the DRMS in the amount $318,654. During the 2011 fiscal year, the DRMS required and the Company provided an additional $196,476 of financial warranty. As of August 31, 2012, the total funds, which are held as a restricted cash deposit with the State of Colorado, related to the Mill financial warranty is $515,130.
Property, plant and equipment consist of the following as of August 31, 2012 and August 31, 2011:
August 31, 2012 | August 31, 2011 | |||||||
Computer equipment | $ | 5,179 | $ | 2,118 | ||||
Mine and drilling equipment | 4,650 | 77,150 | ||||||
Mobile mining equipment | 13,300 | 28,400 | ||||||
Land and mill | 1,391,041 | 1,567,176 | ||||||
1,414,170 | 1,674,844 | |||||||
Less accumulated depreciation | (17,756 | ) | (68,966 | ) | ||||
$ | 1,396,414 | $ | 1,605,878 |
Depreciation expense was $17,410 and $32,039 for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Property, plant and equipment are depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives ranging from three to five years. However, a significant portion of the Company’s property, plant and equipment has not yet been placed in service and accordingly is not being depreciated.
4. Mining Rights and Claims
Silver Wing Mine
On October 31, 2012, the Company entered into a contract for purchase of the Silver Wing Mine. The terms of the contract provide that the Company:
1. | Issue to Jo Grant Mining Company, Inc. (“Jo Grant”), 12,000,000 four-year restricted shares of Class A Common Stock on or before January 6, 2013. |
2. | Pay off Jo Grant’s existing note in favor of a Colorado bank, dated March, 6, 2008, assigned to Jo Grant on October 17, 2012, having a present balance of approximately $60,353, as of October 31, 2012 on or before January 6, 2013. |
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3. | To pay to Jo Grant a sum of $50,000, no later than January 6, 2013. |
4. | Provide Jo Grant for a period of 99 years a 5% Net Smelter Royalty (“NSR”), with a minimum of $10 per ton for the first 54,350 tons of ore produced from the Silver Wing Mining Claims. The payment of the NSR shall be made not more than 45 days after the close of the month during which the payment is received from the smelter or buyer on which such NSR is calculated. |
The property consists of 10 patented mining claims (70 acres) in San Juan County, in southwestern Colorado, known as the Silver Wing Mine. The Company intends to develop a mining and milling operation to produce gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc concentrates.
Champion Mine
On November 2, 2012, the Company entered into a contract for purchase of the Champion Mine. The terms of the contract provide that the Company:
1. | Issue to Jo Grant 24,000,000 four-year restricted shares of Class A Common Stock on or before January 6, 2013. |
2. | Pay $3,000,000 to Jo Grant, only for the purpose of consummating the contract to buy and sell real estate (Land), between Jo Grant Mining, Inc. (as the Buyer), and a Texas limited liability company, (as the Seller), dated October 9, 2012, no later than January 6, 2013; and |
3. | To pay to Jo Grant a sum of $50,000, no later than January 6, 2013. |
4. | Provide Jo Grant for a period of 99 years a 5% Net Smelter Royalty (“NSR”), from the Champion Mining Claims. The payment of the NSR shall be made not more than 45 days after the close of the month during which the payment is received from the smelter or buyer on which such NSR is calculated. |
The Champion Mine consists of approximately 354 acres located in the San Juan Mountains at Silverton, Colorado. The Mine is located within the rim of the Silverton Caldera complex at the southwestern extremity of the Colorado Mineral Belt.
King Solomon Mine
On September 18, 2009, the Company entered into a lease with an option to purchase the King Solomon Mine, in consideration for which the Company issued 50,000,000 pre-split (10,000 post-split) shares of restricted Class A Common Stock valued at $0.0035 pre-split ($17.50 post-split) per share (the quoted market price on the date the Company entered into the agreement and obtained the mining rights) totaling $175,000. The lease/option was for a period of three years. The stock was restricted from sale during the initial term of the lease. The lease/option automatically renewed and continued so long as ores, minerals, or metals are produced or sold. The lease granted the Company the exclusive right to perform exploration, mining, development, production, processing or any other activity that benefits the leased premises and required a minimum work commitment of $50,000 to be expended by the Company for each successive three year term during the term of the lease/option. The lease also required the Company to pay the lessor a 3.5% NSR on all mineral bearing ores. In addition, before royalties are computed, 5% of the value of NSR on all materials produced and sold from the mining property must be deducted for the purpose of a contingency reclamation reserve fund for paying potential reclamation costs, up to $200,000. The Company had the sole and exclusive option to purchase all of lessor's right, title and interest in the property for a total purchase price of $1,250,000. This amount may be paid in cash or other cash equivalents as mutually agreed by the lessor and the Company.
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On October 11, 2012, the Company entered into an extension and renewal of mining lease with option to purchase, effective September 18, 2012, for which the Company issued 250,000 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock, with an additional 25,000 shares to be issued upon each yearly anniversary. The stock is further restricted for two years. The original work commitment outlined above is considered fulfilled. All other terms and conditions of the original lease remain in effect.
Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group
On June 13, 2011, the Company purchased mineral rights to 63 mining claims. The claims are referred to as The Pay Day and Rage Uranium Claim Group and are located in San Juan County northeast of Monticello, Utah. In consideration for the acquisition of these claims, the Company issued 250,000,000 pre-split (50,000 post-split) shares of restricted Class A Common Stock, which had a value of $150,000 on the purchase date, (based on the quoted market price on the date the Company entered into the agreement and obtained the mineral rights). The shares were issued in two blocks of 125,000,000 pre-split (25,000 post-split) shares each and are subject to lock-up provisions for periods of one and two years respectively, during which no sales or other conveyances of the shares may be undertaken. The Company has paid all required annual fees through August 31, 2013 to the Bureau of Land Management and the claims remain in good standing.
Brooklyn Mine
On September 30, 2009, the Company entered into a lease with an option to purchase the Brooklyn Mine, in consideration for which the Company issued 75,000,000 pre-split (15,000 post-split) shares of restricted Class A Common Stock valued at $0.0031 pre-split ($15.50 post-split) per share (the quoted market price on the date of the Company entered into the agreement and obtained the mining rights) totaling $232,500. The lease/option was for a period of three years. The stock was restricted from sale during the initial term of the lease. The lease/option automatically renewed and continued so long as ores, minerals, or metals are produced or sold. The lease granted the Company the exclusive right to perform exploration, mining, development, production, processing or any other activity that benefits the leased premises and requires a minimum work commitment of $150,000 for the first year, $200,000 for the second year and $250,000 for the third year to be expended by the Company. The lease also required the Company to pay the lessor a 5% NSR on all mineral bearing ores. In addition, before royalties are computed, 5% of the value of NSR on all materials produced and sold from the mining property must be deducted for the purpose of a contingency reclamation reserve fund for paying potential reclamation costs, up to $500,000. The Company had the sole and exclusive option to purchase all of lessor's right, title and interest in the property for a total purchase price of $4,000,000, plus a perpetual 2% NSR. This amount was to be paid in cash or other cash equivalents as mutually agreed by the Company and the lessor.
The lease with an option to purchase for the Brooklyn Mine was terminated on September 6, 2012. After extensive analysis of potential acid mine drainage problems, we decided not to seek to renew the lease.
5. Notes payable – related parties
As of August 31, 2012, the Company has notes payable to related parties, including accrued interest, of $91,105 and $247,809 with its chief executive officer (“CEO”) and its chief financial officer (“CFO”), respectively. In connection with the borrowings, the Company executed unsecured promissory notes (“Notes”) which are due six months from the dates of issue and accrue interest at 6.5% per annum (or 18% per annum, if the Notes are in default). The funds received in exchange for the Notes have primarily been used by the Company to finance working capital requirements. On April 8, 2011, the Company secured the amounts owed to the CEO and CFO, with the Mill, and filed Second Deeds of Trust in San Juan County, Colorado. In connection with the Deeds of Trust, all of the individual Notes were combined into two promissory Notes, and are now due in their entirety on December 31, 2012. None of the Notes are currently in default. During each of the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011 the Company recorded interest expense of $18,393 and $18,486, respectively.
6. Promissory notes payable
On September 12, 2011, the Company entered into a settlement agreement and mutual general release with an individual that had originally filed a breach of contract complaint against the Company in November 2009 (the “Plaintiff”) and the Company agreed to pay the Plaintiff $80,000 with interest of 8.00% per annum due in full on September 12, 2013. At August 31, 2011, the Company had accrued $80,000 related to this settlement. During the year ended August 31, 2012, this accrued liability was reclassified to a long-term note payable in accordance with the settlement agreement. Interest expense of $6,207 has been recorded for the year ended August 31, 2012.
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On December 22, 2011, the Company entered into a promissory note with one of its vendors in exchange for $24,000. The promissory note bears interest at 6.5% per annum and was due on June 22, 2012. In June 2012, the note was extended, and is now due on December 22, 2012. All other terms remain the same. If the Company fails to pay off the note on its due date, the entire principal and accrued interest will bear interest at 18% per annum. The Company recorded interest expense of $1,081 for the year ended August 31, 2012.
7. Convertible notes
Delaware Partnership Investor
At September 1, 2011, the Company owed the Delaware Partnership Investor $87,261 (net of unamortized discounts of $212,739) under multiple funding arrangements. During the year ended August 31, 2012, the Company issued two convertible notes under multiple funding arrangements with the Delaware Partnership Investor, totaling $65,000, which bear interest at 6.25% per annum one note matured on September 12, 2012 and one matures on November 23, 2012. On December 23, 2011, the Company also issued a $150,000 multi-tranche convertible note, which provided for multiple disbursements through April 16, 2012, all of which were received as of August 31, 2012. On May 25, 2012, the Company issued a $112,000 multi-tranche convertible note, which provides for multiple disbursements through July 9, 2012, all of which were received as of August 31, 2012. For financial statement purposes, each tranche is treated as a distinct note. Therefore, during the year ended August 31, 2012 the Company received a total of $327,000 from the Delaware Partnership Investor, in addition to $50,000 used specifically to pay down the mortgage on the Mill (Note 3). The notes are convertible at any time, at the option of the holder, into shares of Class A common stock of the Company at a conversion rate of 50% of the average of the two lowest volume-weighted average closing prices of the Company’s Class A common stock for the ten trading days immediately prior to the date a conversion notice is received by the Company. The Company recorded a discount in the amount of $377,000 related to the conversion features on the notes issued during the year ended August 31, 2012 (Note 8). During the year ended August 31, 2012, $480,000 of the convertible notes were converted into common stock (any unamortized debt discount related to the converted notes was immediately charged to interest expense on the day the notes were converted). During the year ended August 31, 2012, the Company recorded $233,086 of debt discount amortization and the carrying value of the notes was $60,536 (net of unamortized discounts of $136,465) as of August 31, 2012. On October 3, 2012, the Company issued a $52,000 multi-tranche convertible note, which provides for multiple disbursements through October 12, 2012, all of which were received as of the filing date of this report. The terms of the note are substantially the same as described above.
New York Private Investors
At September 1, 2011, the Company owed the New York Private Investors $51,062 (net of unamortized discount of $48,938), under multiple funding arrangements. During the year ended August 31, 2012, the Company issued two convertible notes for $100,000 under two funding arrangements with a group of New York Private Investors. The notes bear interest at 8% per annum. One note matured on June 21, 2012 and one note matured on November 8, 2012. The notes are convertible at any time after 180 days from the date of the note’s execution, at the option of the holder, into shares of Class A common stock of the Company at a conversion rate of 58% of the average of the three lowest volume-weighted average closing prices of the Company’s Class A common stock for the ten trading days immediately prior to the date a conversion notice is received by the Company. The Company recorded a debt discount of $100,000 relating to the conversion feature of the note. During the year ended August 31, 2012, $118,000 of the convertible notes were converted into Class A common stock (any unamortized debt discount related to the converted notes was immediately charged to interest expense on the day the notes were converted). For the year ended August 31, 2012, the Company recorded debt discount amortization of $109,081 and the carrying value of the notes as of August 31, 2012 was $69,913 (net of unamortized discounts of $12,087). On October 24, 2012, the Company issued a convertible note for $53,000. The note is convertible at any time after 180 days from the date of the note's execution, at the option of the holder, into shares of Class A common stock of the Company at a conversion rate of 35% of the average of the three lowest volume-weighted average closing prices of the Company's Class A common stock for the thirty days immediately prior to the date a conversion notice is received by the Company.
Conversion of accounts payable
During the year ended August 31, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with a vendor whereby the balance owed to the vendor for past services of $28,661 was exchanged for a convertible promissory note bearing interest at 6.5% per annum. The Company is required to make monthly payments under the terms of the note; however, the note holder has the right at its election to convert all or part of the outstanding principal and interest into the Company’s Class A common stock at a conversion rate of 70% of the average of the two lowest volume-weighted average closing prices of the Company’s Class A common stock for the ten trading days immediately prior to the date a conversion notice is received by the Company. The Company recorded a debt discount of $27,550 relating to the conversion feature of the note. In August 2011, the Company and the vendor agreed to increase the amount of the convertible promissory note for additional past services owed totaling $2,081 and agreed to defer the initial monthly payment on the note until January 2012, while all other terms of the note were unchanged. The Company recorded a debt discount of $2,081 related to the conversion feature of the increased portion of the note. For the year ending August 31, 2012, the Company recorded debt discount amortization of $2,975 and the carrying value of the note as of August 31, 2012 was $10,633 (net of unamortized discount of $508).
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8. Derivative Liabilities
In accordance with ASC 815-15, Embedded Derivatives, the Company determined that the conversion features of the convertible notes described in Note 7 meet the criteria of an embedded derivative, and therefore the conversion features of the debt have been bifurcated and accounted for as derivatives. The debt does not meet the definition of “conventional convertible debt” because the number of shares which may be issued upon the conversion of the debt is not fixed. Therefore, the conversion features, pursuant to ASC 815-40, Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity, have been accounted for as derivative liabilities. The Company adjusts the fair value of these derivative liabilities to fair value at each reporting date.
The Company uses a valuation pricing model to calculate the fair value of its derivative liabilities. Key assumptions used to apply this model were as follows:
Year ended | Year ended | |||||||
August 31, 2012 | August 31, 2011 | |||||||
Expected term | 1 to 12 months | 2 to 12 months | ||||||
Volatility | 186%-570 | % | 157%-766 | % | ||||
Risk-free interest rate | 0.01 - 0.20 | % | 0.02 - 0.31 | % | ||||
Dividend yield | 0 | % | 0 | % |
The following table represents the Company’s derivative liability activity for the embedded conversion features for the year ended August 31, 2012:
Balance at August 31, 2011 | $ | 529,146 | ||
Issuance of derivative liabilities | 916,933 | |||
Derecognition of derivative liabilities related to conversion of convertible debt | (1,276,017 | ) | ||
Derecognition of derivative liabilities related to paydown of convertible debt | (9,713 | ) | ||
Loss on derivative liabilities | 309,021 | |||
Balance at August 31, 2012 | $ | 469,370 |
9. Stockholders’ Deficit
Effective September 12, 2012, FINRA approved a 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split of the Company's Class A common stock. On October 11, 2012, the symbol became “CGFI.” The post-split shares are assigned the new CUSIP number of 19647Y609. The following describes transactions in both pre-split and post-split shares where applicable. All references to Class A common stock in these financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the post-reverse split amounts.
Fiscal Year 2011 Common Stock Transactions
Class A Common Stock
During the year ended August 31, 2011, the stockholders of the Company and the Board of Directors approved an amendment to the articles of incorporation of the Company to establish and fix the number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock that the Company can have outstanding at five billion (5,000,000,000 pre-split), (1,000,000 post-split), and subsequently approved another amendment to the articles of incorporation of the Company to establish and fix the number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock that the Company can have outstanding at fifteen billion (15,000,000,000 pre-split), (3,000,000 post-split).
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On April 18, 2011, the Board of Directors amended the 2008 Employee Plan defining eligible persons to be: “officers, directors, employees, consultants, and advisors of the Company and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, if any.” On June 1, 2011, the Board of Directors amended the name of the 2008 Employee and Director Stock Compensation Plan to “2008 Stock Compensation Plan."
During the year ended August 31, 2011, the Company issued 226,000,000 pre-split (45,200 post-split) shares of restricted Class A Common Stock to four consultants for corporate communications services and business and financial services valued at $0.0006 to $0.0022 (the quoted market prices as of the date of the issuances) per share, which resulted in $257,200 being recorded as expense. During the year ended August 31, 2011, the Company converted debt and derecognized derivative liabilities totaling $2,771,502 into 2,147,165,941 pre-split (429,433 post-split), shares of restricted Class A Common Stock. During the year ended August 31, 2011, the Company also issued 250,000,000 pre-split (50,000 post-split), shares of restricted Class A Common Stock valued at $150,000 for the purchase of mineral claims.
As of August 31, 2011, the Company is authorized to grant up to 1,865,000,000 pre-split (373,000 post-split), shares under the 2008 Consultants Plan, of which 1,860,455,943 pre-split (372,091 post-split), shares have been issued as of August 31, 2011. During the year ended August 31, 2011, 1,021,250,400 (204,250 post-split), shares of Class A Common Stock were issued to consultants for services rendered valued at $0.0007 to $0.0024 per share (the quoted market prices at the dates of the respective stock grants), which resulted in $723,890 being recorded as expense, $238,142 recorded as a reduction in accounts payable, and $113,940 being recorded as prepaid expense. During the year ended August 31, 2011, the Company recorded expense of $134,990 for prepaid services previously issued in shares that have been earned during the period.
As of August 31, 2011, the Company is authorized to grant up to 6,110,800,000 pre-split (1,222,160 post-split), shares under the 2008 Employee Plan, of which 2,703,745,633 pre-split (540,749 post-split), have been issued as of August 31, 2011. During the year ended August 31, 2011, 2,353,070,100 pre-split (470,614 post-split), shares of Class A Common Stock were issued to employees for services rendered valued at $0.0004 to $0.0021 per share (the quoted market prices at the dates of the respective stock grants), which resulted in $1,252,057 being recorded as expense and $220,883 recorded as a reduction in accounts payable, and $77,200 being recorded as prepaid expense.
Class B Common Stock
In February 2009, the Company authorized a new series of common stock designated as Class B Common Stock with $0.001 Par Value. Class B Common Stock is not convertible, has no preference over Class A Common Stock and shares equally in dividends with Class A Common Stock. The total number of authorized Class B Common Stock is 500,000,000 shares, and each share of Class B common stock is entitled to two votes.
On February 27, 2009, the Company announced that the beneficial owners of Class A Common Stock as of that date will be issued one share of restricted Class B Common Stock and one restricted Class B warrant, (“Class B Securities”) for every four shares of Class A common stock. The Class B warrants have a term of one year from date of issuance at an exercise price of $0.50 per share. The Class B Securities will be issued only to, and in the name of bona fide and verified beneficial owners of Class A common stock. In order for Series A common stockholders to receive Class B Securities, certain conditions must be met. As of August 31, 2011, 40,744,353 (out of a potential of 50,376,756) Class B Securities have been issued under this corporate action.
The date of any future issuances of Class B Securities is uncertain. On March 9, 2010, the Board of Directors extended the maturity date of the Class B Warrants to February 27, 2011; therefore all warrants not exercised have expired. All other terms of the Class B Warrants remain the same.
In September 2010, a total of 449,623,244 shares of restricted Class B Common Stock were issued to the CEO and CFO in exchange for the CEO and CFO agreeing not to accept issuances of Class A Common Stock for a period of one year. The value attributable to this transaction was determined to be nominal.
During the year ended August 31, 2011, 1,141 Class B warrants were exercised, resulting in cash proceeds of $570 and the issuance of 1,141 shares of Class B Common Stock. An additional 2,795 shares of Class B Common Stock were issued pursuant to the 2009 corporate action. In October 2010, the Board of Directors amended the voting rights of Class B shares. Each Class B share is now entitled to 100 votes.
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Fiscal Year 2012 Common Stock Transactions
Class A Common Stock
In January 2012, the stockholders approved an amendment to the articles of incorporation of the Company to establish and fix the number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock that the Company can have outstanding at thirty five billion (35,000,000,000) pre-split, (7,000,000 post-split).
During the year ended August 31, 2012, the Company converted debt and derecognized derivative liabilities totaling $1,892,844 into 9,149,983,706 pre-split (1,829,997 post-split), shares of restricted Class A Common Stock.
During the year ended August 31, 2012, the Company issued 45,656,400 pre-split (9,131 post-split), shares of restricted Class A Common Stock in partial satisfaction of costs associated with the King Solomon mining lease.
As of August 31, 2012, the Company is authorized to grant up to 16,610,800,000 pre-split (3,322,160 post-split), shares under the 2008 Stock Compensation Plan (formerly the 2008 Employee Stock Compensation Plan), of which 12,154,099,933 pre-split (2,430,820 post-split) have been issued as of August 31, 2012. During the year ended August 31, 2012, 11,273,529,300 pre-split (2,254,706 post-split), shares of Class A Common Stock valued at $0.0001 to $0.0005 per share (the quoted market prices at the dates of the respective stock grants), were issued to employees and consultants for services rendered, which resulted in $978,217 being recorded as expense, $21,580 being recorded as prepaid expense, $450,207 recorded as a reduction in accounts payable and $682,560 as a reduction in accrued liabilities.
Common Stock Transactions Subsequent to August 31, 2012
As a result of the rounding provision of the reverse stock split, which stated that fractional shares always be rounded up to the nearest whole share, 224 new Class A shares were created on September 12, 2012.
On October 22, 2012, the Company amended its Articles of Incorporation in part to establish and fix the total number of authorized shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, that the Company is authorized to issue, at one billion (1,000,000,000).
Subsequent to August 31, 2012, the Company issued 802,220 post-split shares of its Class A Common Stock to employees, directors, consultants, and advisors for services under the 2008 Stock Compensation Plan (formerly the 2008 Employee Stock Compensation Plan), valued at $166,149, and 964,790 post-split shares of restricted Class A Common Stock pursuant to the conversion of debt valued totaling $263,662.
Subsequent to August 31, 2012, the Company issued 250,000 two-year restricted post-split Class A common stock shares to the owner of the King Solomon Mine in partial consideration for the extension and renewal of the Company’s mining lease with option of that property.
Subsequent to August 31, 2012, the Company issued 36,000,000 four-year restricted post-split Class A common stock shares to the owner of the Silver Wing Mine and the Champion Mine in partial consideration for the acquisition of those properties.
10. Transactions with Former President and CEO
During the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company recorded $28,563 and $85,713, respectively of litigation settlement activities, and interest expense related to proceedings with the former President and CEO, Todd C. Hennis. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities at August 31, 2012 and 2011, include $459,879 and $431,316, respectively, due to Mr. Hennis, and entities substantially owned by him. These amounts are the subject of litigation, more fully described in Note 12.
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11. Income Taxes
The reconciliation between the expected federal income tax benefit computed by applying the Federal statutory rate to loss before income taxes and the actual benefit for taxes on loss for the years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011 are as follows:
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
Expected income tax benefit at statutory rate | $ | 1,504,851 | $ | 2,157,188 | ||||
State taxes | 107,489 | 154,085 | ||||||
Permanent differences | (503,458 | ) | (767,905 | ) | ||||
Other | (6,529 | ) | (28,958 | ) | ||||
Change in valuation allowance | (1,102,353 | ) | (1,514,410 | ) | ||||
Income tax benefit | $ | - | $ | - |
The Company has net operating loss carry-forwards (“NOLs”) for tax purposes of approximately $14,428,000 as of August 31, 2012. These NOLs expire in the years 2023 through 2031. On June 17, 2007, a change in control occurred which may substantially limit utilization of net operating losses incurred prior to that date.
The Company’s deferred tax assets as of August 31, 2012 and 2011 are estimated as follows:
2012 | 2011 | |||||||
Net operating losses | $ | 5,409,030 | $ | 4,647,527 | ||||
Property, plant and equipment | 762,024 | 630,959 | ||||||
Stock-based compensation | 1,299,287 | 1,089,502 | ||||||
Deferred tax assets | 7,470,341 | 6,367,988 | ||||||
Valuation allowance | (7,470,341 | ) | (6,367,988 | ) | ||||
Net deferred tax assets | $ | - | $ | - |
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company has provided a valuation allowance of 100% of its net deferred tax asset due to the uncertainty of generating future profits that would allow for the realization of such deferred tax assets.
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12. Litigation
The Company is involved in the following legal proceeding:
San Juan Properties and Hennis Proceedings
On April 6, 2009, Todd C. Hennis (the former President and CEO of the Company), and entities San Juan Corp., and Salem Minerals Inc. (which are substantially owned by Mr. Hennis), served upon the Company a Complaint seeking among other things, a $100,000 payment pursuant to the option agreement, and release from his shareholder lock-up agreement and from Rule 144 trading restrictions on approximately 51,500,000 pre-split (10,300 post-split) shares of Class A Common Stock held by Mr. Hennis. On May 12, 2009, a counter-claim with jury demand was filed against Mr. Hennis and his entities for wrongful conversion, breach of duty of loyalty, lack of good faith, breach of fiduciary duty, and significant conflicts of interest.
Hennis filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on October 16, 2009. On September 2, 2010, the court granted partial summary judgment in favor of Mr. Hennis and awarded him damages of $230,707. On September 22, 2010, the court awarded additional damages in the amount of $114,896 to Mr. Hennis for a total of $345,603, which has been recorded as an accrued liability by the Company as of August 31, 2011 and May 31, 2012. On March 25, 2011, the court awarded an additional $58,989 to Hennis for attorney’s fees, which has been accrued as of August 31, 2011 and 2012.
The Company filed motions for (a) a new trial on all or part of the issues; (b) an amendment of findings; and (c) an amendment of judgment pursuant to C.R.C.P. Rule 58(a). On March 25, 2011, the court evoked C.R.C.P. 59(j) and denied the post-trial motions by not ruling on them.
The Company filed a Notice of Appeal with the Colorado Court of Appeals on January 7, 2011. On April 5, 2012, the Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment ($345,603), however the order awarding plaintiffs their trial attorney fees ($58,989) and costs was vacated, and the case was remanded to the district court for further proceedings. The Company filed a Petition for Rehearing in the Court of Appeals on April 9, 2012, which was denied on May 17, 2012.
On August 31, 2012, The Company filed a Petition of Certiorari with the Colorado Supreme Court. As of the date of this report, the Company is awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision.
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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
In accordance with Item 304(b) of Regulation S-K, there are no changes or disagreements to report.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of August 31, 2012, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer), and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer), management has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of August 31, 2012 as a result of the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting discussed below.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the last fiscal quarter covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-15(f). Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO Framework").
The Company’s management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of August 31, 2012. Based on this evaluation, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of August 31, 2012. Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded we have a material weakness due to lack of segregation of duties and a limited corporate governance structure.
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Our size has prevented us from being able to employ sufficient resources to enable us to have an adequate level of supervision and segregation of duties within our internal control system. Therefore while there are some compensating controls in place, it is difficult to ensure effective segregation of accounting and financial reporting duties. Management reported a material weakness resulting from the combination of the following significant deficiencies:
- | Lack of segregation of duties in certain accounting and financial reporting processes including the approval and execution of disbursements; |
- | Certain reports prepared and accounting and reporting conclusions reached in connection with the financial statement preparation process are not submitted timely to the Board of Directors for review or approval; |
- | The Company’s corporate governance responsibilities are performed by the Board of Directors; we do not have an audit committee or compensation committee. Because our Board of Directors only meets periodically throughout the year, several of our corporate governance functions are not performed concurrent (or timely) with the underlying transaction, evaluation, or recordation of the transaction. |
While we strive to segregate duties as much as practicable, there is an insufficient volume of transactions at this point in time to justify additional full time staff. We believe that this is typical in most exploration stage companies. We may not be able to fully remediate the material weakness until we commence mining operations at which time we would expect to hire more staff. We will continue to monitor and assess the costs and benefits of additional staffing.
Attestation by the Company's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
This report does not include an attestation report of the Company's independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management's report was not subject to attestation by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Identify Directors and Executive Officers
The directors named below were elected for one-year terms. Officers hold their positions at the discretion of the Board of Directors absent any employment agreements, none of which currently exist or are contemplated.
The names, addresses and ages of each of our directors and executive officers and the positions and offices held by them, which director positions are for a period of one year, are:
Name and Address | Age | First Became Officer and/or Director | Position(s) | |||
Lee R. Rice | 68 | Jul-08 | Director, President and CEO | |||
10920 W. Alameda Ave. | ||||||
Suite 201 | ||||||
Lakewood, CO 80226 | ||||||
C. Stephen Guyer | 59 | Feb-08 | Director and CFO | |||
10920 W. Alameda Ave. | ||||||
Suite 201 | ||||||
Lakewood, CO 80226 | ||||||
Norman J. Singer | 71 | Sep-08 | Director | |||
885 S. Garfield St. | ||||||
Denver, CO 80209 |
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LEE R. RICE, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director. Mr. Rice is an experienced geological engineer, having worked as a geologist and engineer in the natural resources industry since 1970. Since 1990, Mr. Rice has been employed by, and is currently Chief Engineer for, Data Technology Services, Inc. a Colorado-based, privately owned company that provides information technology services to various industries, including finance, oil & gas, geology, and chemistry. Prior to this, Mr. Rice held various geological, engineering and management positions with the U.S. Bureau of Mines and private industry. Mr. Rice holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Case-Western Reserve University and a Master of Science in Geology and Geological Engineering (with High Honors) from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Mr. Rice has been a Registered Professional Engineer in Colorado for more than 30 years and is a Registered Member of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. Mr. Rice is also a director of International Beryllium Corporation, a public company traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange with its headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia.
C. STEPHEN GUYER, Chief Financial Officer and Director. Mr. Guyer is a senior financial executive, having served as Chief Financial Officer for both public and private firms. Prior to joining Colorado Goldfields, he was a founder and Chief Financial Officer of Antelope Technologies, Inc., a privately-held international high-technology manufacturing venture with offices in both the USA and Switzerland. Mr. Guyer has also served as Chief Financial Officer for TCOM Ventures, Staff Administrators and the Moore Companies. Mr. Guyer was Chief Credit Officer for Monaco Finance and a divisional vice-president for a subsidiary of British Petroleum, and the former United Cable Television Corporation (now a part of COMCAST). Mr. Guyer holds an MBA, Finance, and Master of Arts, University of Denver, both with honors, a BA, Metropolitan State College, Magna Cum Laude, and BS, McPherson College.
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NORMAN J. SINGER, Director. Since 2006 Mr. Singer has been an independent investor in the oil and gas sector, having previously served as a senior consultant to a publicly traded oil company assisting the firm with their Turkish drilling program and assembling a U.S. based acreage position. From 1978 to 2004, Mr. Singer was with the Usaha Tegas Group of Companies, a $5 billion diversified multi-national enterprise. While with the Usaha Tegas Group, Mr. Singer opened two new energy related subsidiaries in Houston, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was later Chairman of the Group's U.S. energy activities and its diversified acquisitions program. Mr. Singer was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Director for Oceanic Exploration Company in Denver, Colorado. Additionally, he served as legal and economic advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. Mr. Singer holds a BA in Economics from Colgate University, an MA in International Affairs and Economics from Tufts University in conjunction with Harvard University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and an LL.B. from Columbia University. Additionally, Mr. Singer has completed post graduate studies at the London School of Economics.
Significant Employees
We have no significant employees other than our executive officers and Director of Operations.
Director Independence
Our common stock is listed on the OTC Market Inc.’s OTCQB and OTC Pink Sheets inter-dealer quotation systems, which does not have director independence requirements. Nevertheless, for purposes of determining director independence, we have applied the definition set forth in NASDAQ Rule 4200(a)(15). The following directors are considered “independent” as defined under Rule 4200(a)(15): Beverly E. Rich and Norman J. Singer. Lee R. Rice and C. Stephen Guyer would not be considered "independent" under the NASDAQ rule due to the fact that they are employees of our company.
Board Meetings
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2012, we had three directors. During the year fiscal year ended August 31, 2012, the Board held three meetings and took numerous actions by unanimous written consent.
Audit, Compensation and Nominating Committees
As noted above, our common stock is listed on OTC Market Inc.’s OTCQB and the OTC Pink Sheets, which does not require companies to maintain audit, compensation or nominating committees. Considering the foregoing and the fact that we are an early stage exploration company, we do not maintain standing audit, compensation or nominating committees. The functions typically associated with these committees are performed by the entire Board of Directors which currently consists of four members, two of which are considered independent.
Although there is no formal process in place regarding the consideration of any director candidates recommended by security holders, our Board of Directors will consider a director candidate proposed by a shareholder. A candidate must be highly qualified in terms of business experience and be both willing and expressly interested in serving on the Board. A shareholder wishing to propose a candidate for the Board’s consideration should forward the candidate’s name and information about the candidate’s qualifications to Colorado Goldfields Inc., Board of Directors, 10920 West Alameda Avenue, Suite 201, Lakewood, Colorado 80226, Attn.: C. Stephen Guyer, CFO. Submissions must include sufficient biographical information concerning the recommended individual, including age, employment history for at least the past five years indicating employer’s names and description of the employer’s business, educational background and any other biographical information that would assist the Board in determining the qualifications of the individual. The Board will consider recommendations received by a date not later than 120 calendar days before the date our proxy statement was released to shareholders in connection with the prior year’s annual meeting for nomination at that annual meeting. The Board will consider nominations received beyond that date at the annual meeting subsequent to the next annual meeting.
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The Board evaluates nominees for directors recommended by shareholders in the same manner in which it evaluates other nominees for directors. Minimum qualifications include the factors discussed above.
Material Changes to Nominations by Security Holders of Director Candidates
In the past fiscal year, there has been no material change to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to the small business issuer’s board of directors.
Shareholder Communications and Investor Relations
We do not have a formal shareholder communications process nor employ an investor relations professional. Shareholders are welcome to communicate with the Company by forwarding correspondence to Colorado Goldfields Inc., Board of Directors, 10920 West Alameda Avenue, Suite 201, Lakewood, Colorado 80226, Attn.: C. Stephen Guyer, CFO and Director.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, requires the Company’s officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of the Company’s Common Stock, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership of the Company’s Common Stock with the SEC. To our knowledge, during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2012, based solely on a review of such materials as are required by the SEC, all required reporting is current and accurate.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a code business conduct and ethics that applies to all of our executive officers and employees. The Code addresses conflicts of interest, compliance with all laws and other legal requirements, conduct of business in an honest and ethical manner, integrity and actions in the Company’s best interest. Directors, officers and employees are required to report any conduct that they believe in good faith to be an actual or apparent violation of the Code. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires companies to have procedures to receive, retain and treat complaints received regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and to allow for the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. The Company currently has such procedures in place. Colorado Goldfields’ Code of Business Ethics and Conduct is available on our web site at www.cologold.com/uploads/Code_of_Business_Conduct_Ethics.pdf.
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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Covered – All Executive Officers
The executive officers for most recent fiscal year ended August 31, 2012 are as follows.
Lee R. Rice, President, President, CEO
C. Stephen Guyer, Chief Financial Officer
Summary Compensation Table
The following table summarizes all compensation(1) recorded by us in the most recent fiscal years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011 for our named executive officers.
Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Option Awards ($) | Non- Equity Incentive Plan Compen- sation | Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) | All other Compen- sation ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lee R. Rice | 2012 | 60,000 | 24,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 84,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
President, CEO | 2011 | 60,000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Stephen Guyer, | 2012 | 300,000 | 50,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 350,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Financial Officer | 2011 | 250,000 | 70,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 320,000 |
____________________________
(1) Compensation for our executive officers is generally recorded as an accrued but unpaid compensation liability in lieu of cash, or is paid through the issuance of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the 2008 Stock Compensation Plan.
Executive Employment Agreements
Lee R. Rice. We employed Lee R. Rice on September 10, 2008, as our Interim Chief Executive Officer. On December 15, 2008, we entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Rice. Under the new agreement which is month to month, we have agreed to the following: (i) the payment by our company to Mr. Rice of a salary of $5,000 per month; (ii) certain employee benefits, including group health insurance, pension and profit sharing and other such benefits that we may elect to provide our other employees from time to time. The executive employment agreement may be terminated, among other things: (i) by notice of termination from one party to the other; (ii) upon the death of Mr. Rice. Upon the termination of the executive employment agreement, Mr. Rice will generally be entitled to separation pay equal to one month of pay for each year of service.
C. Stephen Guyer. We employed C. Stephen Guyer on February 14, 2008, as our Chief Financial Officer on a part-time basis pursuant to an employment agreement which compensated Mr. Guyer on an hourly basis. On July 1, 2012, we entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Guyer. Under the new agreement which is for a period of one year, we have agreed to the following: (i) the payment by our company to Mr. Guyer of a salary of $25,000 per month; (ii) certain employee benefits, including group health insurance, pension and profit sharing and other such benefits that we may elect to provide our other employees from time to time. Mr. Guyer acknowledges that salary and/or expenses may, upon consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, be paid in stock pursuant to the Company’s 2008 Stock Compensation Plan in lieu of cash. The executive employment agreement may be terminated, among other things: (i) by notice of termination from one party to the other; (ii) upon the death of Mr. Guyer. Upon the termination of the executive employment agreement, Mr. Guyer will generally be entitled to separation pay equal to six months of pay for each year of service
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Equity Compensation Plans
2008 Stock Incentive Plan
On February 14, 2008, our Board of Directors unanimously approved our 2008 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2008 Plan”). The purpose of the Plan is to retain current, and attract new, employees, directors, consultants and advisors that have experience and ability, along with encouraging a sense of proprietorship and interest in the Company’s development and financial success. The Board of Directors believes that option grants and other forms of equity participation are an increasingly important means of retaining and compensating employees, directors, advisors and consultants. The 2008 Plan authorizes us to issue up to 2,496(1) shares of our common stock. The plan allows us to grant tax-qualified incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options and restrictive stock awards to employees, directors and consultants of our company.
In order to be able to grant qualified “incentive stock options” under the 2008 Plan in accordance with Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, we must obtain shareholder approval of the 2008 Plan within 12 months before or after the 2008 Plan was adopted. Accordingly, we submitted the Plan for shareholder approval in March 2008 as part of the annual shareholders meeting, but were unable to achieve a quorum. To the extent that the 2008 Plan is not approved by our shareholders at the annual meeting, the 2008 Plan will nonetheless continue in existence as a valid plan, but any stock options granted under the 2008 Plan will be non-qualified stock options for tax purposes.
Unless terminated earlier by the Board, the 2008 Plan will expire on February 13, 2018. As of November 16, 2012, there are no outstanding options under the 2008 Plan, and 2,482(1) shares of Class A Common Stock has been issued under the 2008 Stock Incentive Plan.
2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation Plan
On September 12, 2008, our Board of Directors approved the 2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation Plan (the “2008 Consultants Plan”). The 2008 Consultants Plan is administered by our Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, or if the we do not have a Compensation Committee, then a committee appointed by the Board which is to consist of one executive officer of the Company and at least one independent, non-employee member of the Board. If no committee is appointed, then the Board of Directors administers the plan. We currently do not have a Compensation Committee. Our Board has appointed C. Stephen Guyer, our Chief Financial Officer and Director, and Norman Singer, one of our independent Directors, to act as the committee to administer the 2008 Consultants Plan. As of November 16, 2012 we are authorized to issue up to 20,373,000(1) shares of our Class A Common Stock, subject to adjustment in case of a subdivision of our outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, recapitalization, stock dividend, or other change in our corporate structure that affects our Common Stock. One of the primary purposes of the 2008 Consultants Plan is to give our company the flexibility to pay for services with shares of our Class A common stock rather than with cash during our exploratory stage.
As of November 16, 2012, 372,092(1) shares of Class A Common Stock have been issued under the 2008 Consultants Plan.
2008 Stock Compensation Plan
In November, 2008, our Board of Directors approved the 2008 Employee & Director Stock Compensation Plan (“2008 Employee Plan”). The purpose of this plan is (i) to further our growth by allowing us to compensate employees and Directors who have provided bona fide services to our company through the award of shares of our Common Stock, and (ii) attract, motivate, retain and reward quality employees and directors to acquire or increase a proprietary interest in our company. Considering that we are an exploratory mining company which faces challenging economic times and difficult capital markets, the Board of Directors believes that using our common stock is an important means of retaining and compensating employees and directors. As of November 16, 2012 we are authorized to issue up to 23,322,160(1) shares of our Class A Common Stock, subject to adjustment in case of a subdivision of our outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, recapitalization, stock dividend, or other change in our corporate structure that affects our Class A Common Stock. The 2008 Employee Plan is administered by a committee consisting of at least two persons to be appointed by the Board of Directors, one of whom is an independent director, or in the absence of such a committee, the 2008 Employee Plan is to be administered by the Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors appointed C. Stephen Guyer, our CFO, and Norman Singer, one of our independent directors, to the committee. Any of our employees or directors are eligible to receive awards under this plan.
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On April 18, 2011, the Board of Directors amended the 2008 Employee and Director Stock Compensation Plan to include awards to consultants and advisors as well as employees and directors. On June 1, 2011, the Board of Directors changed the name of the plan to “2008 Stock Compensation Plan”
As of November 16, 2012, 3,233,040(1) shares of Class A Common Stock have been issued under the 2008 Stock Compensation Plan.
_____________________________________________
(1) Share amounts are adjusted for the 1 for 5,000 reverse stock split of September 12, 2012.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-end.
There was one outstanding equity award for our executive officers in the most recent fiscal year ended August 31, 2012. Pursuant to his Executive Employment Agreement dated July 1, 2012, Mr. Guyer was to be issued 20,000 shares of Class A Common Stock. These shares were issued to Mr. Guyer on November 8, 2012 pursuant to the 2008 Stock Compensation Plan.
Stock Option Exercised
There were no stock options exercised on common shares in fiscal year 2012, with respect to the named executives listed in the Summary Compensation Table.
Expense Reimbursement
We will reimburse our officers and directors for reasonable expenses incurred during the course of their performance.
Retirement Plans and Benefits.
None.
Director Compensation
The following table summarizes all director compensation for our Executive officers in the most recent fiscal year ended August 31, 2012. There are no other standard compensation arrangements in place and all directors are treated equally with respect to any compensation.
Name | Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | Stock awards ($) | Option awards ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||
Lee R. Rice | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
C. Stephen Guyer | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Norman Singer | - | $ | 30,000 | (1) | - | - |
______________________________
(1) 60,000 shares of Class A Common Stock valued at $0.50 per share issued pursuant to the 2008 Stock Compensation Plan
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Standard Director Compensation Arrangement
We do not have a standard compensation arrangement for directors.
Indemnification and Limitation on Liability of Directors
Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that we must indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Nevada, any of our directors, officers, employees or agents made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding, by reason of the person serving or having served in a capacity as such, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses incurred by the person in connection with the proceeding if certain standards are met.
The Nevada Revised Statutes allows indemnification of directors, officers, employees and agents of a company against liabilities incurred in any proceeding in which an individual is made a party because he or she was a director, officer, employee or agent of the company if such person conducted himself in good faith and reasonably believed his actions were in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the company, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. A person must be found to be entitled to indemnification under this statutory standard by procedures designed to assure that disinterested members of the board of directors have approved indemnification or that, absent the ability to obtain sufficient numbers of disinterested directors, independent counsel or shareholders have approved the indemnification based on a finding that the person has met the standard. Indemnification is limited to reasonable expenses.
At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors, officers, employees or agents where indemnification will be required or permitted. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the 1933 Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
Our Articles of Incorporation limit the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. Specifically, our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as directors, except for:
· | any breach of the duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
· | acts or omissions not in good faith or that involved intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
· | dividends or other distributions of corporate assets that are in contravention of certain statutory or contractual restrictions; |
· | violations of certain laws; or |
· | any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit. |
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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Company’s Class A Common Stock as of November 16, 2012, by (i) each person known by the Company to beneficially own more than five percent of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) each current director and named executive officer of the Company and (iii) all executive officers and directors as a group. Except as indicated, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned. Except as indicated, the address of each of the persons named in the table is that of the Company’s principal executive offices.
As of November 16, 2012, there were 1,000,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock authorized and 43,665,223 shares outstanding.
Amount and | ||||||||||
Nature of | ||||||||||
Beneficial | Percentage of | |||||||||
Title of Class | Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Ownership | Common Stock | |||||||
Class A | Jo Grant Mining Co., Inc. | 36,000,200 | (1 | )(2) | 82 | % | ||||
PO Box 790 | ||||||||||
Silverton, CO 81433 | ||||||||||
Class A | C. Stephen Guyer, Officer & Director | 958,694 | (1 | ) | 2.2 | % | ||||
10920 W. Alameda Avenue, Suite 201 | ||||||||||
Lakewood, CO 80226 | ||||||||||
Class A | Lee R. Rice, Officer & Director | 150,324 | (1 | ) | 0.3 | % | ||||
10920 W. Alameda Avenue, Suite 201 | ||||||||||
Lakewood, CO 80226 | ||||||||||
Class A | Norman J. Singer, Director | 60,530 | (1 | ) | 0.1 | % | ||||
885 S. Garfield St. | ||||||||||
Denver, CO 80209 | ||||||||||
Class A | Beverly E. Rich, Director | 530 | (1 | )(3) | 0.0 | % | ||||
1553 Greene Street | ||||||||||
Silverton, CO 81433 | ||||||||||
Common Stock | All officers and directors (4 persons) | 1,170,078 | 2.7 | % | ||||||
Total outstanding | 43,665,223 | |||||||||
Total Affiliate | 37,170,278 |
(1) | All shares are owned directly. |
(2) | Shares are restricted from sale until November 2, 2016 |
(3) | Ms. Rich resigned as a director on September 29, 2011. |
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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Loans from Officers
We have borrowed funds, including accrued interest, of $91,105 and $247,809 from our chief executive officer (“CEO”) and our chief financial officer (“CFO”), respectively. In connection with the borrowings, we executed unsecured promissory notes (“Notes”) which were due six months from the dates of issue and accrue interest at 6.5% per annum (or 18% per annum, if the Notes are in default). The funds received in exchange for the Notes have primarily been used by us to finance working capital requirements. On April 8, 2011, we secured the amounts owed to the CEO and CFO, with the Mill, and filed Second Deeds of Trust in San Juan County, Colorado. In connection with the Deeds of Trust, all of the individual Notes were combined into two promissory Notes, and are now due in their entirety on December 31, 2012. None of the Notes are currently in default
Director Independence
Our common stock is listed on the OTCMarkets OTCQB inter-dealer quotation system and the FINRA owned OTC Pink Sheet inter-dealer quotation system, which does not have director independence requirements. Nevertheless, for purposes of determining director independence, we have applied the definition set forth in NASDAQ Rule 4200(a)(15). The following directors are considered “independent” as defined under Rule 4200(a)(15): Beverly E. Rich1 and Norman J. Singer. Lee R. Rice and C. Stephen Guyer would not be considered “independent” under the NASDAQ rule due to the fact that they are employees of our company.
_____________________
1Beverly E. Rich resigned as a director on September 29, 2011.
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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
GHP Horwath, P.C. has served as Colorado Goldfields Inc.’s independent registered public accounting firm since November 8, 2007. The following discussion presents fees for services rendered for 2012 and 2011.
Audit Fees
Audit fees include fees incurred for professional services rendered in connection with the audit of Colorado Goldfields Inc.’s annual financial statements for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, the reviews of the quarterly interim financial statements included in Colorado Goldfields’ Forms 10-Q for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012 and 2011, and services rendered to issue consents required in certain of the Company’s registration statements. The audit fees billed and expected to be billed (for the year ended August 31, 2012) to us by GHP Horwath, P.C. for the year ended August 31, 2011, including out-of-pocket costs were approximately $48,000 and $58,000, respectively. There were no audit related, tax, or other fees billed by GHP Horwath, P.C.
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PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
See the Exhibit Index following the signature page of the report.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Colorado Goldfields Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Lee R. Rice | ||
Lee R. Rice | |||
Chief Executive Officer | |||
By: | /s/ C. Stephen Guyer | ||
C. Stephen Guyer | |||
Chief Financial Officer & Principal Accounting Officer |
November 16, 2012
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on November 16, 2012.
Signature | Title | |
/s/ Lee R. Rice | President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | |
Lee R. Rice | ||
/s/ C. Stephen Guyer | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer) and Director | |
C. Stephen Guyer | ||
/s/ Norman J. Singer | Director | |
Norman J. Singer |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit Number | Description | |
2 | Articles of Merger between Colorado Goldfields Inc. (surviving entity) and Garpa Resources, Inc., effective June 18, 2007. Filed with Form 8-K dated June 20, 2007, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
3.1 | Amended and Restated Bylaws filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K dated September 4, 2008 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
3.2 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as Exhibit A to Schedule DEF 14C dated November 4, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
3.3 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as Exhibit A to Schedule DEF 14C dated March 9, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
3.4 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as Exhibit A to Schedule DEF 14C dated January 9, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
3.5 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as Exhibit A to Schedule DEF 14C dated October 23, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.1 | Mining Lease Agreement between Colorado Goldfields Inc. and Larry H. Killian dated September 18, 2009. Filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on September 23, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.2 | Mining Lease Agreement between Colorado Goldfields Inc. and Frank J. Montonati and Don Laeding dated September 30, 2009. Filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on October 6, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.3 | Amendment to 2008 Employee and Director Stock Compensation Plan. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on April 23, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.4 | Amendment to 2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on October 4, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.5 | Amendment to 2008 Employee and Director Stock Compensation Plan. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on October 4, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.6 | Amendment to 2008 Employee and Director Stock Compensation Plan. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on June 14, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.7 | Employment Agreement of C. Stephen Guyer dated July 1, 2011. Filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed on June 17, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.8 | Purchase Agreement dated as of June 13, 2011, between Algae Farm (USA), Inc. and Colorado Goldfields Inc, filed as exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on June 17, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.9 | Amendment to 2008 Stock Compensation Plan. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on February 28, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.10 | Contract for Purchase of the Silver Wing Mine dated October 31, 2012 between Colorado Goldfields Inc. and Jo Grant Mining, Co., Inc. Filed as Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on November 6, 2012. | |
10.11 | Contract for Purchase of the Champion Mine dated November 2, 2012 between Colorado Goldfields Inc. and Jo Grant Mining, Co., Inc. Filed as Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed on November 6, 2012. | |
10.12 | Amendment to 2008 Stock Compensation Plan. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on November 16, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
10.13 | Amendment to 2008 Non-Qualified Consultants & Advisors Stock Compensation Plan. Filed as exhibit 4.1 to Form S-8 filed on November 16, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference. | |
14 | Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Filed as Exhibit 14 to Form 8-K filed February 20, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference. | |
31.1 | Certification Pursuant to Rule 13A-14 or 15D-14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed by the Principal Executive Officer.* | |
31.2 | Certification Pursuant to Rule 13A-14 or 15D-14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed by the Principal Financial Officer.* | |
32.1 | Certification Required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed by Principal Executive Officer.* | |
32.2 | Certification Required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed by Chief Financial Officer.* | |
101†† | The following financial statements from Colorado Goldfields Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2012 as filed with the SEC on November 16, 2012, formatted in XBRL, as follows: | |
(i) the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||
(ii) the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income | ||
(iii) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows |
____________
* Filed herewith.
†† As provided in Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, this information is furnished and not filed for purposes of Sections 11 and 12 of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
____________
*Filed herewith.
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