ACORN ENERGY, INC. - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

ACORN ENERGY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

302-656-1708

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

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

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

Common Stock, par value $.01 per share

(Title of class)

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

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 [X]

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes [X] 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. [X]

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

Large accelerated filer [  ]        Accelerated filer [  ]        Non-accelerated filer [  ]

Smaller reporting company [X]       Emerging growth company [  ]

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [  ]

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

As of last day of the second fiscal quarter of 2017, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $6.1 million based on the closing sale price on that date as reported on the OTCQB marketplace. As of March 16, 2018 there were 29,518,830 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

None.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Certain statements contained in this report are forward-looking in nature. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “should” or “anticipates”, or the negatives thereof, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. You are cautioned that our business and operations are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and, consequently, our actual results may materially differ from those projected by any forward-looking statements. Certain of such risks and uncertainties are discussed below under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

OmniMetrix®, OmniView®, ScopeView^TM, TrueGuard^TM and TrueShield^TM are trademarks of OmniMetrix, LLC.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

OVERVIEW

Acorn Energy, Inc. (“Acorn” or “the Company”) is a holding company focused on technology driven solutions for energy infrastructure asset management. Following the sale of our remaining interests in DSIT Solutions Ltd. (“DSIT”) in February 2018 (see below and Recent Developments), we provide the following services and products through our OmniMetrix^TM, LLC (“OmniMetrix”) subsidiary:

On January 28, 2016, we entered into a Share Purchase Agreement for the sale of a portion of our interest in DSIT to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. (“Rafael”), a major Israeli defense company (the “2016 DSIT Transaction”). Following the closing of the transaction on April 21, 2016, we owned approximately 41.2% of DSIT and had limited representation on its Board. Accordingly, from that date, we no longer consolidated the results of DSIT and instead reported DSIT’s results on the equity method. Consequently, from April 21, 2016, we no longer reported segment information with respect to DSIT’s Energy & Security Sonar Solutions segment or its other activities.

On January 18, 2018, we entered into a Share Purchase Agreement for the sale of our remaining interest in DSIT to an Israeli investor group (the “2018 DSIT Transaction” – see Recent Developments). Following the closing of the transaction on February 14, 2018, we will no longer report DSIT’s results on the equity method.

DSIT provides sonar and acoustic related solutions for energy, defense and commercial markets with a focus on underwater site security for strategic energy installations and other advanced sonar and acoustic systems for surface ships and real-time embedded hardware and software development and production.

During 2017, each of our PG and CP activities represented a reportable segment. In 2016, our “Other” segment represented certain information technology (“IT”) activities (protocol management software for cancer patients and billing software) and outsourced consulting activities performed by DSIT that did not meet the quantitative thresholds and may be combined for reporting under applicable accounting principles. The “Other” segment results are only for the period through which we consolidated the results of DSIT (see above).

We continually evaluate opportunities related to our activities and our goal is to maximize shareholder value and position our holdings for a strategic event, which may include co-investment by one or more third parties and/or a synergistic acquisition of another company.

FINANCIAL RESULTS BY COMPANY

The following tables show, for the periods indicated, the financial results (dollar amounts in thousands) attributable to each of our consolidated companies.

* Acorn ceased consolidating the results of DSIT following the close of the 2016 DSIT Transaction. Results reported above are for the period from January 1, 2016 to April 21, 2016.

OMNIMETRIX – POWER GENERATION MONITORING AND CONTROL and CATHODIC PROTECTION MONITORING AND CONTROL

OmniMetrix LLC is a Georgia limited liability company established in 1998 based in Buford, Georgia that develops and markets wireless remote monitoring and control systems and services for multiple markets in the Internet of Things ecosystem: critical assets (including stand-by power generators, compressors, batteries, pumps, pumpjacks, light towers, turbines, as well as other industrial equipment) as well as cathodic protection for the pipeline industry (gas utilities and pipeline companies). Acorn owns 80% of OmniMetrix with one of Acorn’s directors owning the remaining 20%.

Products & Services

In the PG segment, OmniMetrix sells a line of devices and services built on its baseline TrueGuard wireless remote monitor. This device is broadly applicable across all brands and models of emergency power generators and industrial engine applications. The TrueGuard product family connects directly to the engine’s control panel, and captures all data flowing through the control panel. As a result, the product provides the ability to identify whether an emergency generator is capable of operating as expected. In 2012, OmniMetrix designed and gained approval from PTCRB, the certification forum of North American cellular operators, and AT&T for a new 4G data radio module, replacing the 2G technology used since 2007. In 2016 OmniMetrix began shipping product with LTE-enabled radios. This new device includes GPS functionality and data storage at the device for the first time, enabling OmniMetrix to bring a mobile asset tracking functionality into the market, with primary focus on mobile generators and related equipment.

In the CP segment, OmniMetrix offers two primary product lines; the Hero Rectifier Monitor and the Patriot Test Station Monitor. Both of these products are used to monitor cathodic protection systems, a process which reduces rust and corrosion on the steel pipes used to transport natural gas underground. As the name suggests, the Hero Rectifier Monitor product monitors the operation of the rectifiers, which are a critical component in the effort to prevent corrosion, and are also the most common point of failure in the corrosion system. The Patriot Test Station Monitor is also used to provide data points along the pipeline segment powered by the rectifier.

Customers and Markets

At its core, the OmniMetrix PG product can remotely monitor and control any industrial engine application, which includes standby generators, compressors, batteries, turbines, pumps, and other equipment. Early in the company’s history, a strategic decision was made to focus primarily on the standby power generation market. Recently, the company has expanded its focus to add several additional applications where it sees demand.

Following the advent of the Internet of Things ecosystem, whereby multiple sensing and monitoring devices are aggregated into one simple dashboard for customers, many large companies, including Google, Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T are entering this market and offering similar platforms. Standby generator monitoring is rapidly becoming part of this ecosystem.

As OmniMetrix can monitor and control all major brands of standby generators, it is uniquely positioned to compete in this market.

In the first stages of OmniMetrix’s PG product and market development, relatively unsophisticated generator controls and early generation cellular and satellite communication processes limited the applications to alarm delivery. Customers were notified that some event had taken place after the fact. There was no diagnostic data opportunity, but service organizations could at best practice a proactive service approach.

With the advent of second generation cellular systems, and newer computerized engine controls, OmniMetrix migrated to a design point of collecting large amounts of performance data from the remote machinery, allowing service organizations to perform diagnostics on remote equipment before dispatching service. This was the beginning of the OmniMetrix SmartService^TM Program. It allowed the service organization to put the right person in the right truck with the right parts to effect a one-trip solution. At this phase service organizations could be efficient, as well as proactive, in their operations. Customers have provided OmniMetrix feedback telling how customer service teams are able to work “smarter” and more efficiently by going directly to sites with problems, thus increasing the value of their businesses.

OmniMetrix is now in its third phase of evolution, maturing the high performance data collection design point into the first provider offering of automated prognostic solutions. As most generator failures are the result of consumables, and as those consumables can be monitored, the consumption trends can be extrapolated into predictions of the most common failure modes.

OmniMetrix’s PG monitors have been installed on generators from original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) such as Caterpillar, Kohler, Generac, Cummins, MTU Energy and other generator manufacturers. OmniMetrix provides dual value propositions to the generator service organizations as well as to the machine owner. The dealers benefit from the receipt of performance data and status conditions from the generators they service for their customers that allows the dealer service organization to be proactive in their delivery of service to their customers, as well as to implement the OmniMetrix SmartService^TM approach to analyzing the remote machines before dispatching a service truck. Since the majority of service and warranty costs are incurred from service people driving trucks, preemptive analysis of customer site conditions prior to dispatch can reduce their labor cost as a result. From the machine owner’s perspective, the OmniMetrix product provides a powerful tool to be used in their constant effort to avoid failures that come from consumables such as batteries and fuel. With proper monitoring, the large majority of machine failures can be avoided completely. This migration from failure reporting to failure prevention is fundamental to the OmniMetrix focus, and is the result of a strong data collection and analysis design point. We believe that this transition to prognostics sets OmniMetrix apart from its competitors, many of whom are still in the failure reporting phase of application development. We have also increased our marketing efforts to end-users in an effort to increase demand for our services. These efforts have proved to be very successful, and OmniMetrix continues to execute on that strategy.

There are two types of competitors in the PG marketplace: independent monitoring organizations (such as OmniMetrix) who produce the monitoring systems (but not the equipment being monitored); and OEMs such as generator manufacturers or generator controls manufacturers who have begun offering customer connectivity to their machinery.

In 2017, no single customer of OmniMetrix provided more than 10% of its sales. OmniMetrix has successfully been able to mitigate the risk of customer dependency by increasing its penetration rate, its sales pipeline and supporting a larger base of customers. OmniMetrix expects to continue to expand its base of customers in 2018.

Competition

OmniMetrix is a vertical market company, deeply focused on providing an excellent customer experience and product and service designs for a complete end-to-end program for its customers. Having been the first provider of wireless remote monitoring systems for standby generators and pipeline corrosion programs, the company has had the opportunity to mature its offering to a level not offered by others who might like to compete in these two segments. This long experience working with key brand project partners over the years has resulted in product offerings that other competitors simply cannot match.

There are two types of competitors in the PG marketplace:

We believe OmniMetrix has a well-established and well-defended position in the high performance PG monitoring segment, due to its long history and numerous industry partner projects. The company is currently applying an aggressive sales effort into both the market segment requiring less technology and lower price (including the extremely large residential generator market) as well as developing more sophisticated, diagnostic products and custom solutions for commercial and industrial clientele.

Within the CP marketplace, there are no OEM competitors, but there are several independent monitoring companies similar to OmniMetrix such as Abriox, Elecsys, and American Innovations. We believe that OmniMetrix systems provide greater functionality than these competitors, though those competitors are much larger and have greater resources potentially enabling better channel penetration than OmniMetrix can accomplish.

Intellectual Property

OmniMetrix has always focused on being the technology leader in its markets, and as a result has created many “industry firsts”. Initially, the company only pursued patents on the most valuable processes and systems and otherwise made public disclosure of many processes to prevent others from making later patent claims on those items. Nonetheless, OmniMetrix has five issued patents. Furthermore, the company has agreements with its employees and consultants which establish certain non-disclosure and in some cases, non-compete, requirements. OmniMetrix continually evaluates whether and how to best protect its intellectual property, but there can be no assurance that its efforts will be successful in all cases.

Facilities

OmniMetrix’s activities are currently conducted in approximately 21,000 square feet of office and production space in the Hamilton Mill Business Park located in Buford, Georgia under a lease that expires on December 31, 2019. OmniMetrix is currently utilizing only a portion of these leased facilities and has previously taken an impairment charge with respect to the underutilization of these facilities.

DSIT

We recorded $450,000 as our 41.2% share of DSIT’s net income for the year ending December 31, 2017. On February 14, 2018, we closed on the sale of our remaining interest in DSIT to a group of Israeli investors for $5.8 million before transaction costs and withholding taxes (See Recent Developments). Accordingly, we adjusted our equity investment balance in DSIT to be equal to the gross proceeds received from the sale and recorded an impairment charge in 2017 of $308,000. In the first quarter of 2018, we will record our 41.2% share of DSIT’s income or loss through the closing of the 2018 DSIT Transaction as well as our estimated transaction costs and withholding taxes on the transaction ($460,000 and $388,000 respectively).

GRIDSENSE

GridSense was 100% owned by Acorn and until the cessation of its operations and subsequent liquidation (see below), developed and marketed remote monitoring systems to electric utilities and industrial facilities worldwide.

On April 21, 2016, we announced that we decided to cease operations of our GridSense Inc. subsidiary and initiate the liquidation of the GridSense assets. As a result of this decision, GridSense is reported as a discontinued operation effective with our first quarter 2016 report.

In July 2016, GridSense Inc. sold its assets to Franklin Fueling Systems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Electric Co., Inc., for a gross sales price of $1.0 million of which $100,000 was set aside as an indemnity escrow. In the second quarter of 2017, $50,000 of the escrow was released to GridSense Inc. These funds were used to settle claims by both Acorn and OmniMetrix following the cessation of settlements with outside creditors (see below). The remaining escrow balance was released in July 2017.

Following the sale, GridSense Inc. engaged a third-party liquidation officer to satisfy, to the extent of the funds available, the claims of GridSense Inc. creditors, including Acorn which was GridSense Inc.’s largest creditor. At December 31, 2016, GridSense had approximately $19,000 of cash available (excluding escrow amounts) for satisfaction of remaining creditor claims of approximately $314,000. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the liquidator settled $70,000 of claims while disbursing $7,000 to those creditors. All of these settlements occurred in the first quarter of 2017 with no settlements with outside creditors being made subsequent to the first quarter of 2017.

On September 25, 2017, the Board of Directors of GridSense Inc. decided to dissolve and wind up the affairs of GridSense Inc. and adopted a Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution (the “Plan”). In accordance with the Plan, which was adopted on the same date, GridSense Inc. filed and executed Articles of Dissolution of the Corporation with the State of Colorado and established a liquidating trust to which all assets and liabilities of GridSense Inc. were transferred to in order to implement the winding up of the business. In addition, GridSense Pty Ltd. (“GPL”), the parent company of GridSense’s former operating company in Australia, has been deregistered by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (“ASIC”). As a result of the deregistration, which is akin to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the US, (i) GPL has ceased to exist as a legal entity and its property is deemed vested in ASIC, (ii) the former officers and directors of GPL no longer have the right to deal with property registered in the GPL’s name, (iii) legal proceedings against GPL cannot be commenced or continued.

Accordingly, following the two aforementioned events, GridSense (GridSense Inc. and GPL) has been deconsolidated from the books of Acorn. We recorded a gain of $660,000 on the deconsolidation of GridSense in the third quarter of 2017.

BACKLOG

As of December 31, 2017, OmniMetrix had a backlog of approximately $3.6 million of which approximately $2.8 million is expected to be completed in 2018. OmniMetrix’s backlog is primarily comprised of deferred revenue.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSE, NET

Research and development expense recorded for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 for each of our consolidated subsidiaries in continuing operations is as follows (amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars):

Research and development expense in DSIT is recorded net of participation by third parties in the research and development costs. Acorn ceased consolidating the results of DSIT following the close of the 2016 DSIT Transaction. Results reported above for DSIT are for the period ending April 21, 2016.

EMPLOYEES

At December 31, 2017, we employed a total of 21 employees – all of which were full-time employees employed by OmniMetrix in the U.S. Our CEO is hired as a consultant to us and our CFO is an employee of DSIT, a portion of whose salary is allocated to us.

Twelve of OmniMetrix’s 21 employees are engaged in production, engineering and technical support, seven in marketing and sales and three in management, administration and finance. We consider our relationship with our employees to be satisfactory. We have no collective bargaining agreements with any of our employees.

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

For additional financial information regarding our operating segments, foreign and domestic operations and sales, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These filings are available to the public over the internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room.

Our website can be found at http://www.acornenergy.com. We make available free of charge on or through our website, access to our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed, or furnished, to the SEC. Our website also includes our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and our Board of Directors’ Committee Charter for the Audit Committee.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

We may from time to time make written or oral statements that contain forward-looking information. However, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations, statements or projections. The following risks and uncertainties, together with other factors not presently determinable, could cause actual results to differ from our expectations, statements or projections.

GENERAL FACTORS

We have a history of operating losses and have used significant amounts of cash for operations and to fund our acquisitions and investments.

We have a history of losses from our OmniMetrix subsidiary and corporate overhead, and have used significant amounts of cash to fund our operating activities over the years. In 2017 and 2016, we had operating losses of $1.9 million and $3.1 million, respectively. We also had income from discontinued operation of $0.7 million in 2017 and a loss from discontinued operations of $0.3 million in 2016.  Cash used in operating activities of continuing operations in 2017 was $1.6 million and $3.6 million in 2016. An additional $1.0 million were used in the operating activities of discontinued operations in 2016.

The closing of the 2018 DSIT Transaction (see Recent Developments) provided us with approximately $1.9 million after paying transaction costs, withholding taxes and the repayment of director loans and associated accrued interest. On March 16, 2018, we had approximately $2.4 million of corporate cash and cash equivalents.

During 2017, we provided OmniMetrix with $300,000 of financing during 2017 and none since September of 2017. We believe that with OmniMetrix’s continued growth and increased credit availability, that OmniMetrix will not need financing from us during 2018. Our corporate overhead has also been significantly reduced and has stabilized, though we continue to look for cost savings. Based on the above, we believe we have sufficient cash to finance our operations for at least twelve months from the issuance of these financial statements. However, we may need to seek additional sources of funding for long-term corporate costs or if OmniMetrix were not to grow at the rate anticipated and needed additional funds for their operations. Additional sources of funding may include additional loans from related and/or non-related parties, partial sale or finding a strategic partner for OmniMetrix or equity financings. There can be no assurance additional funding will be available at acceptable terms or that we will be able to successfully utilize any of these possible sources to provide additional liquidity. 

We depend on key management for the success of our business.

Our success is largely dependent on the skills, experience and efforts of our senior management team, including Jan Loeb and Walter Czarnecki. The loss of the services of any of these key managers could materially harm our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow. We do not maintain “key person” life insurance policies on any of these employees. We may also not be able to locate or employ on acceptable terms qualified replacements for our senior management if their services were no longer available.

Loss of the services of a few key employees could harm our operations.

We depend on key technical employees and sales personnel. The loss of certain personnel could diminish our ability to develop and maintain relationships with customers and potential customers. The loss of certain technical personnel could harm our ability to meet development and implementation schedules. The loss of key sales personnel could have a negative effect on sales to certain current customers. Although most of our significant employees are bound by confidentiality and non-competition agreements, the enforceability of such agreements cannot be assured. Our future success also depends on our continuing ability to identify, hire, train and retain other highly qualified technical and managerial personnel. If we fail to attract or retain highly qualified technical and managerial personnel in the future, our business could be disrupted.

There is a limited trading market for our common stock and the price of our common stock may be volatile

Our common stock is approved for quotation on the OTCQB marketplace under the symbol “ACFN.” The OTCQB is a regulated quotation service that displays real-time quotes, last-sale prices and volume information in over-the-counter equity securities and provides significantly less liquidity than a listing on the NASDAQ Stock Markets or other national securities exchanges. The OTCQB securities are traded by a community of market makers that enter quotes and trade reports. This market is limited in comparison to the national stock exchanges and any prices quoted may not be a reliable indication of the value of our common stock. Quotes for stocks included on the OTCQB are not listed in the financial sections of newspapers as are those for the NASDAQ Stock Market or the NYSE. Therefore, prices for securities traded solely on the OTCQB may be difficult to obtain.

Trading on the OTCQB marketplace as opposed to a national securities exchange has resulted and may continue to result in a reduction in some or all of the following, each of which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock and our company:

In addition, the market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to:

Penny stock rules will limit the ability of our stockholders to sell their stock

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations which generally define “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 also must 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 customer’s 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 of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our common stock.

Compliance with changing regulation of corporate governance, public disclosure and financial accounting standards may result in additional expenses and affect our reported results of operations.

Keeping informed of, and in compliance with, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance, public disclosure and accounting standards, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Dodd-Frank Act, as well as new and proposed SEC regulations and accounting standards, has required an increased amount of management attention and external resources. Compliance with such requirements may result in increased general and administrative expenses and an increased allocation of management time and attention to compliance activities.

We may not be able to successfully integrate companies which we may invest in or acquire in the future, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

Part of our business model includes the acquisition of new companies either as new platform companies or complimentary companies. Although we do not presently foresee making such acquisitions in the near term unless they support our existing business, if we did so, any failure to effectively integrate any future acquisition’s management into our controls, systems and procedures could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In order to grow, we may decide to pursue growth through acquisitions, although we do not currently plan any significant acquisitions. Any significant acquisition could require substantial use of our capital and may require significant debt or equity financing. We anticipate the need to closely manage our cash for the foreseeable future and cannot provide any assurance as to the availability or terms of any such financing or its effect on our liquidity and capital resources.

Integrating acquisitions is often costly, and we may not be able to successfully integrate acquired companies with existing operations without substantial costs, delays or other adverse operational or financial consequences. Integrating acquired companies involves a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, including:

We incur substantial costs as a result of being a public company.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses in connection with our reporting requirements. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Dodd-Frank Act and the rules subsequently implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) have required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. These rules and regulations have already increased our legal and financial compliance costs and the amount of time and effort we devote to compliance activities. We expect that as a result of continued compliance with these rules and regulations, we will continue to incur significant legal and financial compliance costs. We continue to regularly monitor and evaluate developments with respect to these new rules with our legal counsel, but we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. 

We may in the future become involved in litigation that may materially adversely affect us.

From time to time in the ordinary course of our business, we may become involved in various legal proceedings, including commercial, product liability, employment, class action and other litigation and claims, as well as governmental and other regulatory investigations and proceedings. Any legal proceedings can be time-consuming, divert management’s attention and resources and cause us to incur significant expenses. Because litigation is inherently unpredictable, the results of any such actions may have a material adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

We have reported material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 and we cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future or that we can effectively remediate our reported weaknesses. If our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures are not effective, there may be errors in our financial statements that could require a restatement or our filings may not be timely and investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each year, and to include a management report assessing the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in each Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. Over time, controls may become inadequate because changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may occur. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

As a result, we cannot assure you that additional significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future or that we can effectively remediate our reported weaknesses. Any failure to maintain or implement required new or improved controls, or any difficulties we encounter in their implementation, could result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, cause us to fail to timely meet our periodic reporting obligations, or result in material misstatements in our financial statements. Any such failure could also adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations regarding disclosure controls and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder. The existence of a material weakness could result in errors in our financial statements that could result in a restatement of financial statements, cause us to fail to timely meet our reporting obligations and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, or our intellectual property protection efforts are unsuccessful, others may duplicate our technology.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secret laws and restrictions on disclosure to protect our intellectual property rights. Our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary technology, systems designs and manufacturing processes. The ability of others to use our intellectual property could allow them to duplicate the benefits of our products and reduce our competitive advantage. In the future, should we apply for new patents, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will be issued or, in the case of patents issued, that the claims allowed are or will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology or processes. Further, a patent issued covering one use of our technology may not be broad enough to cover uses of that technology in other business areas. Even if all our patent applications are issued and are sufficiently broad, they may be challenged or invalidated or our competitors may independently develop or patent technologies or processes that are equivalent or superior to ours. We could incur substantial costs in prosecuting patent and other intellectual property infringement suits and defending the validity of our patents and other intellectual property. While we have attempted to safeguard and maintain our property rights, we do not know whether we have been or will be completely successful in doing so. These actions could place our patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights at risk and could result in the loss of patent, trademark or other intellectual property rights protection for the products, systems and services on which our business strategy partly depends. Furthermore, it is not practical from a cost/benefit perspective to file for patent or trademark protection in every jurisdiction where we now or in the future may conduct business. In those territories where we do not have the benefit of patent or trademark protections, our competitors may be able to prevent us from selling our products or otherwise limit our ability to advertise under our established product names and we may face risks associated with infringement litigation as discussed below.

We rely, to a significant degree, on contractual provisions to protect our trade secrets and proprietary knowledge. These trade secrets either cannot be protected by patent protection or we have determined that seeking a patent is not in our interest. These agreements may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. Our trade secrets may also be known without breach of such agreements or may be independently developed by competitors.

It can be difficult or expensive to obtain the insurance we need for our business operations.

As part of our business operations, we maintain insurance as a corporate risk management strategy. Insurance products are impacted by market fluctuations and can become expensive and sometimes very difficult to obtain. There can be no assurance that we can secure all necessary or appropriate insurance at an affordable price for the required limits. Our failure to obtain such insurance could lead to uninsured losses that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition, or cause us to be out of compliance with our contractual obligations.

We may in the future be involved in product liability and product warranty claims relating to the products we manufacture and distribute that, if adversely determined, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant periods, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Claims of this nature could also have a negative impact on customer confidence in our products and our company. While insurance can mitigate some of this risk, due to our current size and limited operating history, we have been unable to obtain product liability insurance with significant coverage. Our customers may not accept the terms we have been able to procure and seek to terminate our existing contracts or cease to do business with us.

Concentrations of credit risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash and cash equivalents and trade accounts receivable. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were deposited primarily with U.S. banks and brokerage firms and amounted to $481,000 at December 31, 2017. The Company does not believe there is significant risk of non-performance by these counterparties. Approximately 27% of the accounts receivable at December 31, 2017 was due from one customer who pay their receivables over usual credit periods. Credit risk with respect to the balance of trade receivables is generally diversified due to the number of entities comprising the Company’s customer base.

RISKS RELATED TO OMNIMETRIX

OmniMetrix has incurred net losses since our acquisition and may never achieve sustained profitability.

OmniMetrix has generated losses since our acquisition in 2012 including losses of $0.8 million in 2017 and $1.2 million in 2016. While OmniMetrix has significantly reduced its losses and its cash needs from us, particularly since the latter half of 2017 (OmniMetrix has not needed funding from us since September 2017), we can provide no assurance that OmniMetrix will be able to generate sufficient revenues and cash flow to allow it to become profitable or to eventually sustain profitability or to have positive cash flows.

An increase in customer terminations would negatively affect our business by reducing OmniMetrix revenue or requiring us to spend more money to grow our customer base.

Non-renewals or other monitoring service terminations could increase in the future due to customer dissatisfaction with our products and services, increased competition from other providers or alternative technologies.

If we have an increase in our non-renewal rate, we will have to acquire new customers on an ongoing basis just to maintain our existing level of customers and revenues. As a result, marketing expenditures are an ongoing requirement of our business. We incur significant costs to acquire new customers, and those costs are an important factor in determining our net profitability. Therefore, if we are unsuccessful in retaining customers or are required to spend significant amounts to acquire new customers, our revenue could decrease and our operating results could be affected.

OmniMetrix is a relatively small company with limited resources compared to some of its current and potential competitors, which may hinder its ability to compete effectively.

Some of OmniMetrix’s current and potential competitors have significantly greater resources and broader name recognition than it does. As a result, these competitors may have greater credibility with OmniMetrix’s existing and potential customers. They also may be able to adopt more aggressive pricing policies and devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products which would allow them to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. In particular at the present time we are facing significant competition from generator manufacturers who offer their own monitoring solutions.

OmniMetrix may not be able to access sufficient capital to support growth.

OmniMetrix has been dependent on Acorn’s ability and willingness to provide funding to support its business and growth strategy. Since our acquisition of OmniMetrix in February 2012, we invested approximately $14.0 million and through March 16, 2018 have lent $2,662,000 net of repayments to OmniMetrix. OmniMetrix has reduced its borrowings from Acorn (only $300,000 in 2017) and has not borrowed from Acorn since September 2017 and is not expected to need working capital support from us in 2018 to support its growth and working capital needs.

In October 2017, OmniMetrix renewed its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1 million. Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of prime (4.50% at December 31, 2017) plus 2% or 6% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.9% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 17.3%. OmniMetrix also agreed to continue to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150,000 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of one year beginning November 1, 2017.

We have no assurance that this financing arrangement will provide sufficient liquidity for OmniMetrix’s working capital needs in 2018. Additional financing for OmniMetrix may be in the form of a bank line, a new loan or investment by others, a loan by Acorn, or a combination of the above. The availability and amount of any additional loans from us to OmniMetrix may be limited by the working capital needs of our corporate activities. Whether Acorn will have the resources necessary to provide funding, or whether alternative funds, such as third-party loans, will be available at the time and on terms acceptable to Acorn and OmniMetrix cannot be determined.

OmniMetrix sells equipment and services which monitor third-party products, thus its revenues are dependent on the continued sales of such third-party products.

OmniMetrix’s end-user customer base is comprised exclusively of parties who have chosen to purchase either generators or construct gas pipelines. OmniMetrix has no ability to control the rate at which new generators or cathodic protection systems are acquired. When purchases of such products decline, the associated need for OmniMetrix’s products and services is expected to decline as well.

If OmniMetrix is unable to keep pace with changing market or customer-mandated product and service improvements, OmniMetrix’s results of operations and financial condition may suffer.

Many of OmniMetrix’s existing products may require ongoing engineering and upgrades in conjunction with market developments as well as specific customer needs. There can be no assurance that OmniMetrix will continue to be successful in its engineering efforts regarding the development of its products and future technological difficulties could adversely affect its business, results of operations and financial condition.

The cellular networks used by OmniMetrix are also subject to periodic technical updates that may require corresponding updates to, or replacement of, OmniMetrix’s monitoring equipment.

Cellular networks have evolved over time to offer more robust technical capabilities in both voice and data transmission. At the present time, the changes from the so-called “2G” to “3G” and “4G” service have resulted in only limited service interruptions. OmniMetrix anticipates, however, that as these new capabilities come online, it will be necessary to have equipment that can readily interface with the newer cellular networks to avoid negative impacts on customer service. Not all of the costs associated with OmniMetrix’s corresponding equipment upgrades can be passed on to customers and the increased expenses are expected to have a negative impact on OmniMetrix’s operating results.

A substantial portion of OmniMetrix’s revenues are expected to be generated not from product sales, but from periodic monitoring fees and thus it is continually exposed to risks associated with its customers’ financial stability.

OmniMetrix sells on-going monitoring services to both PG and CP customers. It is therefore dependent on these customers continuing to timely pay service fees on an on-going basis. If a significant portion of these fees are not renewed from year-to-year, OmniMetrix can expect to experience deterioration in its financial condition.

OmniMetrix’s ability to provide, and to collect revenues from, monitoring services is dependent on the reliability of cellular networks not controlled by OmniMetrix.

OmniMetrix provides monitoring services through the use of cellular technology utilizing the networks of third-party providers. These providers generally do not warrant their services to either OmniMetrix or the end users and any dropped transmissions could result in the loss of customer renewals and potential claims against OmniMetrix. While OmniMetrix uses contractual measures to limit its liability to customers, there is no assurance that such limitations will be enforced or that customers will not cancel monitoring services due to network issues.

OmniMetrix’s business is dependent on its ability to reliably store and manage data, but there can be no guarantee that it has sufficient capabilities to mitigate potential data loss in all cases.

The efficient operation of OmniMetrix’s business is dependent on its information technology systems. In addition, OmniMetrix’s ability to assist customers in analyzing data related to the performance of such customers’ power and cathodic protection monitoring systems is an important component of its customer value proposition. OmniMetrix utilizes off-site data servers, housed within a commercial data center utilizing accepted data and power monitoring and protection processes, but whether a data loss can be avoided cannot be assured in every case. OmniMetrix’s information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, sabotage (including theft and attacks by computer viruses or hackers), power outages; and computer systems, Internet, telecommunications or data network failure. Any interruption of OmniMetrix’s information technology systems could result in decreased revenue, increased expenses, increased capital expenditures, customer dissatisfaction and potential lawsuits, any of which could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations and financial condition.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIES

Our stock price is highly volatile and we do not expect to pay dividends on shares of our common stock for the foreseeable future. Investors may never obtain a return on their investment.

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated substantially in the past and is likely to continue to be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations. During 2017, our common stock traded at prices as low as $0.15 and as high as $0.56 per share. Fluctuations in our stock price may continue to occur in response to various factors, many of which we cannot control, including:

We do not intend to pay dividends to our stockholders in the foreseeable future. We intend to reinvest earnings, if any, in the development and expansion of our business. Accordingly, you will need to rely on sales of your common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, in order to realize a return on your investment

Our share price may decline due to the large number of shares of our common stock eligible for future sale in the public market including shares underlying warrants and options.

Almost all of our outstanding shares of common stock are, or could upon exercise of options or warrants become eligible for sale in the public market as described below. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the possibility of these sales, may adversely affect our stock price.

As of March 16, 2018, 29,518,830 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding. As of that date we had 2,654,423 warrants outstanding and exercisable with a weighted average exercise price of $1.46 and 1,400,655 options outstanding and exercisable with a weighted average exercise price of $3.45 per share, which if exercised would result in the issuance of additional shares of our common stock. In addition to the options noted above, at March 16, 2018, 53,334 options are outstanding, but have not yet vested and are not yet exercisable.

Substantially all of our currently outstanding shares and shares issuable under our outstanding options and warrants are or would be freely tradable.

We may have to offer additional securities for sale in the near future.

In February 2018, we sold of our remaining interest in DSIT (see Recent Developments) and received cash proceeds of approximately $4.2 million (net of our balance due to Acorn which was assigned to the purchasers) which was used to pay transaction costs, withholding taxes, repay our director loans and associated accrued interest and provide working capital for us and if necessary, OmniMetrix. As of March 16, 2018, we had corporate cash of approximately $2.4 million which we believe is sufficient for at least the next twelve months. Despite this, we may ultimately not have sufficient cash to allow us to execute our plans and the occurrence of one or more unanticipated events may require us to make significant expenditures. Accordingly, we may need to raise additional amounts to finance our operations.  If we were to do so by selling shares of our common stock and/or other securities convertible into shares of our common stock, current investors will incur additional dilution in the value of their shares.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

OmniMetrix’s activities are currently conducted in approximately 21,000 square feet of office and production space in the Hamilton Mill Business Park located in Buford, Georgia under a lease that expires on December 31, 2019. The lease provides for annual rents ranging from approximately $106,000 in 2018 to $109,000 in 2019. OmniMetrix is currently utilizing only a portion of these leased facilities and has previously taken an impairment charge with respect to the underutilization of these facilities.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

None.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our common stock is currently traded under the symbol “ACFN” on the OTCQB marketplace. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low bid prices on the OTCQB marketplace.

As of March 16, 2018, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the OTCQB marketplace was $0.28, there were 83 record holders of our common stock and we estimate that there were approximately 4,900 beneficial owners of our common stock.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Sale of DSIT

On February 14, 2018, we closed on the 2018 DSIT Transaction initially entered into on January 18, 2018 for the sale of our remaining 41.15% interest in its DSIT Solutions Ltd. business to an Israeli investor group. At closing, we received gross proceeds of $5.8 million before transaction costs, professional fees and withholding taxes. From the gross proceeds, $1.6 million of the amounts due to DSIT were assigned to the purchasers and we paid an Israeli withholding tax of $388,000 as well as expenses associated with the transaction of approximately $460,000.

Repayment of Director Loans

On February 21, 2018, following the receipt of the proceeds from the 2018 DSIT Transaction (see above), we repaid the entire $1.3 million borrowed from certain directors during 2017 along with accrued interest of $128,000.

OVERVIEW AND TREND INFORMATION

The following discussion includes statements that are forward-looking in nature. Whether such statements ultimately prove to be accurate depends upon a variety of factors that may affect our business and operations. Certain of these factors are discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

We currently operate in two reportable operating segments, both of which are performed though our OmniMetrix subsidiary:

In addition, up to the closing of the 2016 DSIT Transaction, we reported activities in the Energy & Security Sonar Solutions segment. This segment, whose activities were performed by DSIT, provided sonar and acoustic related solutions for energy, defense and commercial markets with a focus on underwater site security for strategic energy installations and other advanced acoustic systems and real-time embedded hardware and software development and production. “Other” operations include certain IT activities (protocol management software for cancer patients and billing software) and outsourced consulting activities performed by our then Company’s DSIT subsidiary that did not meet the quantitative thresholds under applicable accounting principles.

Following the closing of the 2016 DSIT Transaction, the Company no longer consolidates the results of DSIT, but rather reports on its investment in DSIT on the equity method (until the closing of the 2018 DSIT Transaction – see Recent Developments). Accordingly, effective April 21, 2016, the Company no longer consolidates the results of DSIT’s Energy & Security Sonar Solutions segment or the activities of its “Other” segment.

The following analysis should be read together with the segment information provided in Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.

OmniMetrix

Following the emergence of machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications whereby companies aggregate multiple sensors and monitors into a simplified dashboard for customers, OmniMetrix believes it plays a key role in this new economic ecosystem. In addition, OmniMetrix sees a rapidly growing need for backup power infrastructure to secure critical military, government, and private sector assets against emergency events including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and cybersecurity threats. As residential and industrial standby generators, turbines, compressors, pumps, pumpjacks, light towers and other industrial equipment are part of the critical infrastructure increasingly becoming monitored in Internet of Things applications, and given that OmniMetrix monitors all major brands of critical equipment, OmniMetrix believes it is well-positioned as a competitive participant in this new market.

OmniMetrix has two divisions: PG and CP. In 2017, OmniMetrix recorded revenue of $4,350,000 ($3,355,000 in its PG activities and $995,000 in its CP activities) as compared to revenue of $3,585,000 recorded in 2016 ($2,903,000 in its PG activities and $682,000 in its CP activities). Increased revenue in 2017 was driven by hardware revenue which increased 25% from $1,689,000 in 2016 to $2,115,000 in 2017. The increase in hardware revenue was complemented by an increase in monitoring revenue which increased 18% from $1,896,000 in 2016 to $2,235,000 in 2017. The increase in hardware revenue is the result of increased sales of both PG and CP units. The increase in monitoring revenue is the combined result of increased units being monitored as well as the impact of a one-time negative adjustment of monitoring revenue of $130,000 in the second quarter of 2016 with respect to a previous understatement of deferred revenue. Fourth quarter 2017 revenue of $1,124,000 reflects an increase of 8% to as compared to fourth quarter 2016 revenue of $1,041,000 and an increase of 4% from third quarter 2017 revenue of $1,085,000.

Gross profit during 2017 was $2,447,000 reflecting a gross margin of 56% on revenue compared with a gross profit of $1,894,000 reflecting a 53% gross margin in 2016. The increased gross profit in 2017 was due to both increased revenue and an increase in the gross margin. Gross margin on hardware revenue increased in 2017 to 27% from 18% in 2016. This increase was the result of increased gross margins for PG hardware which grew from 6% in 2016 to 21% in 2017. The increased margin was the result of reduced costs in our PG units as we benefit from our redesigned products. CP hardware gross margin decreased from 46% in 2016 to 38% in 2017 as a result of pricing becoming more in line with current market price ranges. Gross margin on monitoring revenue remained strong at 84% during 2017.

During 2017, OmniMetrix recorded $518,000 of R&D expense as compared to $458,000 in 2016. The increase in R&D expense in 2017 is related to the continued development of next generation PG and CP products. We expect a moderate increase in R&D expense in 2018 as we continue to work on certain initiatives to redesign products to increase the level of innovation and to reduce their costs in order to increase our future margins.

During 2017, OmniMetrix recorded $2,712,000 of SG&A costs. Such costs were above 2016 SG&A costs of $2,626,000 (an increase of $86,000 or 3%). The increase in SG&A expense was due to certain marketing initiatives and increased customer support. Fourth quarter 2017 SG&A costs of $687,000 were $2,000 less than that of fourth quarter 2016 costs of $689,000 and was $2,000 less than third quarter 2017’s G&A costs of $689,000. We anticipate that our quarterly SG&A costs in 2018 will remain roughly at the levels in the third and fourth quarters of 2017.

In October 2017, OmniMetrix renewed its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1 million. Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of prime (4.50% at December 31, 2017) plus 2% or 6% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.9% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 17.3%. OmniMetrix also agreed to continue to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150,000 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of one year beginning November 1, 2017.

During 2017, Acorn lent OmniMetrix a total of $300,000 and none since September 2017. We believe that OmniMetrix will not need working capital support beyond the amounts available to it under the amended Loan and Security Agreement.

However, we have no assurance that this will be the case or that Loan and Security Agreement will be extended again beyond its October 31, 2018 expiration date. Additional financing for OmniMetrix may be in the form of a bank line, a new loan or investment by others, a loan by Acorn, or a combination of the above. The availability and amount of any additional loans from us to OmniMetrix may be limited by the working capital needs of our corporate activities. Whether Acorn will have the resources necessary to provide funding, or whether alternative funds, such as third-party loans, will be available at the time and on terms acceptable to Acorn and OmniMetrix cannot be determined.

GridSense

On April 21, 2016, we announced our decision to cease operations of our GridSense subsidiary and initiate the liquidation of the GridSense assets. As a result of this decision, GridSense is being reported as a discontinued operation.

On July 12, 2016, Acorn Energy, Inc. and GridSense sold the GridSense assets to Franklin Fueling Systems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. for a gross sales price of $1.0 million of which $100,000 was set aside as an indemnity escrow. Such escrow was received by us in the second and third quarters of 2017 ($50,000 in each period). These funds were used to settle claims by both Acorn and OmniMetrix following the cessation of settlements with outside creditors (see below).

With the proceeds from the July 2016 sale, GridSense paid off approximately $240,000 of previously accrued severance and other payroll costs. GridSense recorded a gain of $944,000 (net of transaction costs) on this transaction as the value of the GridSense assets sold had previously been written down to nearly zero. Such gain was included in discontinued operations in the third quarter of 2016.

Also, following the sale, GridSense engaged a third-party liquidation officer to satisfy, to the extent of the funds available from the remaining proceeds, the claims of GridSense creditors, including Acorn which is GridSense’s largest creditor. Through December 31, 2016, the third-party liquidator settled approximately $459,000 of outside creditor claims while disbursing approximately $47,000 to those creditors. At December 31, 2016, GridSense had approximately $19,000 of cash available (excluding escrow amounts) for satisfaction of remaining creditor claims of approximately $314,000.

Through September 25, 2017, the liquidator settled approximately $70,000 of claims while disbursing $7,000 to outside creditors. These settlements occurred in the first quarter of 2017 with no settlements with outside creditors being made subsequent to the first quarter of 2017.

On September 25, 2017, the Board of Directors of GridSense Inc. decided to dissolve and wind up the affairs of GridSense Inc. and adopted a Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution (the “Plan”). In accordance with the Plan, which was adopted on the same date, GridSense Inc. filed and executed Articles of Dissolution of the Corporation with the State of Colorado and established a liquidating trust to which all assets and liabilities of GridSense Inc. were transferred to in order to implement the winding up of the business. In addition, GridSense Pty Ltd. (“GPL”), the parent company of GridSense’s former operating company in Australia, has been deregistered by the Australian Securities& Investments Commission (“ASIC”). As a result of the deregistration, which is akin to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the US, (i) GPL has ceased to exist as a legal entity and its property is deemed vested in ASIC, (ii) the former officers and directors of GPL no longer have the right to deal with property registered in GPL’s name and (iii) legal proceedings against GPL cannot be commenced or continued.

Accordingly, following the two aforementioned events, GridSense (GridSense Inc. and GPL) has been deconsolidated from our books. We recorded a gain of $660,000 on the deconsolidation of GridSense comprised of the elimination of the net liabilities of GridSense of $914,000 less the Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss of $254,000 associated with GridSense.

Corporate

Corporate general and administrative expense of $1,128,000 in 2017 reflected a decrease of $834,000 or 43% from the $1,962,000 of expense reported in 2016. The decrease in corporate general and administrative expense was primarily due to approximately $460,000 of severance and related costs associated with the resignation of our former CEO recorded in the first quarter of 2016 as well as reduced professional fees and salaries costs. In addition, in 2017, we reached a settlement with a professional service provider on an outstanding invoice resulting in a benefit of $167,000. Non-cash stock compensation also decreased from $89,000 in 2016 to $22,000 in 2017.

Fourth quarter 2017 corporate general and administrative expense was $331,000 reflecting an increase of $214,000 compared to the fourth quarter of 2016 and a decrease of $17,000 as compared to the third quarter of 2017. The increase in fourth quarter 2017 corporate general and administrative expense compared to fourth quarter 2016’s balance was primarily due to a 2016 adjustment to stock-compensation expense. We believe corporate general and administrative quarterly expense in 2018 will approximate our fourth quarter 2017 expense, depending upon the level of professional fees incurred. We continue to seek ways to further reduce our operating expenses going forward.

The closing of the 2018 DSIT Transaction (see Recent Developments) provided us with approximately $1.9 million after assigning $1.6 million of the amounts we owed to DSIT to the purchasers, paying transaction costs, withholding taxes and the repayment of director loans and associated accrued interest. As of March 16, 2018, Acorn's corporate operations (excluding cash at our OmniMetrix subsidiary) held a total of approximately $2.4 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The SEC defines “critical accounting policies” as those that require application of management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods.

The following discussion of critical accounting policies represents our attempt to report on those accounting policies, which we believe are critical to our consolidated financial statements and other financial disclosure. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our significant accounting policies, which are more fully described in Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report. In many cases, the accounting treatment of a particular transaction is specifically dictated by generally accepted accounting principles, with no need for management’s judgment in their application. There are also areas in which the selection of an available alternative policy would not produce a materially different result.

We have identified the following as critical accounting policies affecting our Company: principles of consolidation and investments in associated companies; business combinations, revenue recognition, foreign currency transactions and stock-based compensation.

Principles of Consolidation and Investments in Associated Companies

Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all majority-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Investments in other entities are accounted for using the equity method or cost basis depending upon the level of ownership and/or our ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee. Investments of this nature are recorded at original cost and adjusted periodically to recognize our proportionate share of the investee’s net income or losses after the date of investment. When net losses from an investment accounted for under the equity method exceed its carrying amount, the investment balance is reduced to zero and additional losses are not recorded. We resume accounting for the investment under the equity method when the entity subsequently reports net income and our share of that net income exceeds the share of net losses not recognized during the period the equity method was suspended. Investments are written down only when there is clear evidence that a decline in value that is other than temporary has occurred. In 2016 and 2017, we had no cost basis investments. However, following the closing of the 2016 DSIT Transaction, we account for our investment in DSIT using the equity method.

The equity method of accounting is intended to be a single line consolidation and, therefore, generally should result in the same net income attributable to the investor as would be the case if the investee had been consolidated. The main impact on our consolidated financial statements is that, instead of DSIT’s results of operations and balance sheets affecting our consolidated line items, our proportionate share of net income or loss from DSIT is reported in equity income (loss) — net, in our consolidated income statements, and our investment in DSIT is reported as an equity method investment in our consolidated balance sheets.

Following the closing of the 2018 DSIT Transaction (see Recent Developments), we no longer have any equity method investments.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from time-and-materials service contracts, maintenance agreements and other services is recognized as services are provided, all significant contractual obligations have been satisfied and collections assured.

Sales of OmniMetrix monitoring systems have multiple elements which include the sale of equipment and of monitoring services. Sales of OmniMetrix equipment do not qualify as a separate unit of accounting. As a result, revenues (and related costs) associated with sale of equipment are recorded to deferred revenue (and deferred charges) upon shipment for PG and CP monitoring units. Revenue and related costs with respect to the sale of equipment are recognized over the estimated life of the units. Revenues from the prepayment of monitoring fees (generally paid 12 months in advance) are initially recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt of payment from the customer and then amortized to revenue over the monitoring service period.

Stock-based Compensation

We recognize stock-based compensation expense based on the fair value recognition provision of applicable accounting principles, using the Black-Scholes option valuation method. Accordingly, we are required to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of the award and to recognize that cost over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award. Under the Black-Scholes method, we make assumptions with respect to the expected lives of the options that have been granted and are outstanding, the expected volatility, the dividend yield percentage of our common stock and the risk-free interest rate at the respective dates of grant.

For our Acorn options, the expected volatility factor used to value stock options in 2017 was based on the historical volatility of the market price of the Company’s common stock over a period equal to the expected term of the options. For the expected term of the option, we used an estimate of the expected option life based on historical experience. The risk-free interest rate used is based upon U.S. Treasury yields for a period consistent with the expected term of the options. We assumed no quarterly dividend rate. We recognize stock-based compensation expense on an accelerated basis over the requisite service period. Due to the numerous assumptions involved in calculating share-based compensation expense, the expense recognized in our consolidated financial statements may differ significantly from the value realized by employees on exercise of the share-based instruments. In accordance with the prescribed methodology, we do not adjust our recognized compensation expense to reflect these differences. Recognition of stock-based compensation expense had, and will likely continue to have, a material effect on our selling, general and administrative and other items within our consolidated statements of operations and also may have a material effect on our deferred income taxes and additional paid-in capital line items within our consolidated balance sheets.

For each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we incurred stock compensation expense with respect to options of approximately $22,000 and $89,000, respectively.

See Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements for the assumptions used to calculate the fair value of share-based employee compensation for our Acorn options. 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 has been derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 has been derived from our consolidated financial statements not included herein.

This data should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included herein and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Selected Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to revenues and profits of our reportable business segments for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (dollars in thousands), including the percentages of revenues attributable to such segments. (See Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the definitions of our reporting segments).

* Acorn ceased consolidating the results of DSIT following the close of the 2016 DSIT Transaction on April 21, 2016. Results reported above for the year ended December 31, 2016 are for the period ending April 21, 2016.

2017 COMPARED TO 2016

Revenue. Consolidated revenue of $4,350,000 during 2017 reflected a decrease of $4,309,000 or 50% as compared to 2016 revenues of $8,659,000. The decrease in revenue was due to the fact that we are no longer consolidating the results of DSIT following the sale of a portion of our interests in DSIT in April 2016. DSIT’s revenue in the period up to the sale was $5,074,000. OmniMetrix’s revenue increased from $3,585,000 in 2016 to $4,350,000 in 2017. OmniMetrix recorded increased revenue in both its PG and CP activities. PG revenue increased from $2,903,000 in 2016 to $3,355,000 in 2017 (16%) while CP revenue increased from $682,000 in 2016 to $995,000 million in 2017 (46%). Increased revenue in both segments was the result of increased hardware sales and resultant monitoring revenue.

Gross profit. Gross profit of $2,447,000 during 2017 reflects a $1,078,000 or 31% decrease compared to 2016 gross profit of $3,525,000. The decrease in gross profit was due to the fact that we are no longer consolidating the results of DSIT following the sale of a portion of our interests in DSIT in April 2016. DSIT’s gross profit in the period up to the sale was $1,631,000. OmniMetrix’s gross profit increased from $1,894,000 in 2016 to $2,447,000 in 2017. OmniMetrix’s increased gross profit was attributable to a combination of its increased revenue and increased gross margin from 53% in 2016 to 56% in 2017. The increased gross margin is the result of increased gross margins in hardware revenue which grew from 18% in 2016 to 27% in 2017 while maintaining our 84% gross margin on monitoring revenue.

Research and development (“R&D”) expense. R&D expense decreased $409,000 (44%) from $927,000 in 2016 to $518,000 in 2017. The decrease in R&D was due to the fact that we are no longer consolidating the results of DSIT following the sale of a portion of our interests in DSIT in April 2016. DSIT’s R&D expense in the period up to the sale was $469,000. OmniMetrix’s R&D increased from $458,000 in 2016 to $518,000 in 2017 as it continues development of next-generation PG and CP monitors.

Selling, general and administrative expense (“SG&A”). SG&A expense in 2017 decreased by $1,811,000 (32%) as compared to 2016. The decrease in SG&A expense was due in part to the fact that we are no longer consolidating the results of DSIT following the sale of a portion of our interests in DSIT in April 2016. DSIT’s SG&A expense in the period up to the sale was $1,063,000. OmniMetrix’s SG&A increased from $2,626,000 in 2016 to $2,712,000 in 2017. Corporate expense decreased from $1,962,000 in 2016 to $1,128,000 in 2017. The increase at OmniMetrix was due to certain marketing initiatives and increased customer support. The decrease in corporate expense was due to the inclusion in 2016 of approximately $460,000 of severance and related costs associated with the resignation of our former CEO. Corporate expense in also 2017 includes a benefit of $167,000 related to the settlement of an outstanding invoice.

Finance expense, net. Finance expense in 2017 is primarily comprised of corporate interest expense of $107,000 of interest to directors of Acorn as a result of their loans to us during 2017 and $34,000 of interest to DSIT on their loan and our outstanding balance of intercompany expenses to them as well as and interest expense of $55,000 associated with OmniMetrix’s line of credit. Finance expense in 2016 was primarily comprised of interest expense of $446,000 ($381,000 of which was non-cash interest related to the accretion of discount and the value of shares given in the borrowing) recorded in connection with our borrowings from Leap Tide Capital Partners III, and $56,000 of interest to directors of Acorn as a result of their loans to us in early 2016.

Sale of DSIT. In April 2016, we closed on the sale of nearly 50% of our interest in our DSIT Solutions, Ltd. Business. As a result of the sale, we recorded a gain of approximately $3.5 million in 2016.

Share of income in DSIT. Following the sale of DSIT in April 2016, we no longer consolidate their results, but rather record our share (approximately 41.2%) of their income (or loss). Our share of DSIT’s income following the close of the transaction in 2016 was approximately $268,000. In 2017, our share of DSIT’s income was $450,000.

Impairment of investment in DSIT. As a result of the sale of our remaining interest in DSIT in February 2018 at a gross sales price of $5.8 million which was below the carrying value of our DSIT investment, we recorded an impairment of $308,000 to reduce the carrying value of our investment to the selling price at which we sold our investment.

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes. During 2017, we recorded income net of income tax of $698,000 with respect to GridSense, primarily the result of the gain of $660,000 on the deconsolidation of GridSense. During 2016, we recorded losses net of income tax of $286,000 with respect to GridSense.

Net loss attributable to Acorn Energy. We had a net loss attributable to Acorn Energy of $1,169,000 in 2017 as compared with net income of $145,000 in 2016. Our 2017 results are comprised of corporate expenses of $1,312,000 and a loss at OmniMetrix of $871,000. These losses were offset by income of $698,000 at GridSense which is included in discontinued operations. In addition, we also recorded $450,000 as our share of DSIT’s net income in 2017 which was offset by an impairment of $308,000 taken on our DSIT investment and $174,000 of non-controlling interests share in our losses.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

As of December 31, 2017, we had working capital of $1,183,000. This amount includes the carrying value of our $5.8 million investment in DSIT. Our working capital also included $481,000 of cash and cash equivalents as well as $2,753,000 of deferred revenue in OmniMetrix. Such deferred revenue does not require significant cash outlay in order for the revenue to be recognized.  Net cash increased during the year ended December 31, 2017 by $259,000. During 2017, $1,676,000 of cash was used in operating activities of which approximately $1,632,000 was used in continuing operations.

Our corporate headquarters used approximately $1,268,000 during 2017 while our OmniMetrix subsidiary used $364,000 of cash for its operations during 2017. Our discontinued operations (GridSense) used $44,000 in their operating activities in 2017 until the date of its liquidation.

Cash provided by investing activities of $679,000 was due to the release of $579,000 of escrowed deposits from the 2016 DSIT Transaction (from continuing operations) and $100,000 from the release of the GridSense escrow (from discontinued operations).

Net cash of $1,237,000 was provided in financing activities during 2017. During the period, we received $1,300,000 from director loans. This was offset by the net repayment of $63,000 by OmniMetrix under its Loan and Security Agreement (see below).

In October 2017, OmniMetrix renewed its Loan and Security Agreement with a lender providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1.0 million (an increase of $500,000 from the previous Loan and Security Agreement). Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of prime (4.50% at December 31, 2017) plus 2% or 6% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.9% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 17.3%. OmniMetrix also agreed to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150,000 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of one year beginning November 1, 2017. At December 31, 2017, OmniMetrix’s loan balance under the Loan and Security Agreement was $313,000 it had additional availability of $182,000. At March 16, 2018, OmniMetrix’s loan balance under the Loan and Security Agreement was $452,000 it had additional availability of $194,000.

We have no assurance that OmniMetrix’s credit facility will provide sufficient liquidity for all of OmniMetrix’s working capital needs in 2018. In 2017, we lent OmniMetrix $300,000. If necessary, additional financing for OmniMetrix may be in the form of a bank line, new investment by outside parties, a loan by Acorn, or a combination of the above. The availability and amount of any additional loans from us to OmniMetrix may be limited by the working capital needs of our corporate activities.

In October, 2015, Edgar S. Woolard, Jr., one Acorn’s directors acquired a 10% interest in Acorn’s OmniMetrix Holdings, Inc. subsidiary (“Holdings”) through the purchase of preferred stock (the “OmniMetrix Preferred Stock”) for $500,000. Holdings is the holder of 100% of the membership interests OmniMetrix, LLC. Subsequently, in November, 2015, the director acquired an additional 10% interest in Holdings through the purchase of additional OmniMetrix Preferred Stock for an additional $500,000 and currently owns a 20% interest in Holdings.

A dividend of 10% per annum accrues on the OmniMetrix Preferred Stock. The dividend was payable on the first anniversary of the funding of the investment and quarterly thereafter for so long as the OmniMetrix Preferred Stock is outstanding and has not been converted to Common Stock. The dividend is payable in cash or the form of additional shares of OmniMetrix Preferred Stock at the election of the holder. Through December 31, 2016, a dividend payable of $115,000 was recorded with respect to the OmniMetrix Preferred Stock. On December 31, 2016, Mr. Woolard agreed to treat the $115,000 of accrued dividends (and to treat future accrued dividends) as a loan to OmniMetrix which bears interest at 8% per year. All amounts due (principal and interest) are due the later of April 30, 2018 or 90 days following the advance of a new loan (quarterly dividend accrual). In December 2016, Mr. Woolard provided OmniMetrix with a $50,000 loan under the same terms as the abovementioned accrued dividends. On December 31, 2017, OmniMetrix owed Mr. Woolard $283,000 comprised of $215,000 of accrued dividends, $50,000 of loans and $18,000 of accrued interest. In addition, OmniMetrix owes Acorn approximately $3.4 million for loans, accrued interest and expenses advanced to it by Acorn. Such amounts will only be repaid to Acorn when OmniMetrix is generating sufficient cash to allow such repayment.

As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $450,000 of non-escrow corporate cash and cash equivalents. In February 2018, we sold of our remaining interest in DSIT for $5.8 million (see Recent Developments) and received cash proceeds of approximately $4.2 million (net of $1.6 million of our balance due to DSIT which was assigned to the purchasers) which was used to pay transaction costs, withholding taxes, repay our director loans and associated accrued interest and other liabilities. As of March 16, 2018, we had corporate cash of approximately $2.4 million.

We believe that our current cash plus the cash generated from operations and borrowing from the OmniMetrix Loan and Security Agreement, will provide more than sufficient liquidity to finance the operating activities of Acorn and OmniMetrix at their current level of operations for the foreseeable future and for the twelve months following the issuance of this report in particular.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The table below provides information concerning obligations under certain categories of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017.

CASH PAYMENTS DUE TO CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

Of the $1,624,000 Due to DSIT at December 31, 2017, $1,600,000 was assigned to the purchasers in the 2018 DSIT Transaction (see Recent Developments). Of the $1,690,000 Due to directors at December 31, 2017, $1,407,000 was paid from the proceeds from the 2018 DSIT Transaction. We expect to finance the remaining contractual commitments from cash currently on hand and cash generated from operations.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

General

We are required to make certain disclosures regarding our financial instruments, including derivatives, if any.

A financial instrument is defined as cash, evidence of an ownership interest in an entity, or a contract that imposes on one entity a contractual obligation either to deliver or receive cash or another financial instrument to or from a second entity. Examples of financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, deposits, trade accounts receivable, loans, investments, trade accounts payable, accrued expenses, options and forward contracts. The disclosures below include, among other matters, the nature and terms of derivative transactions, information about significant concentrations of credit risk, and the fair value of financial assets and liabilities.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair values of financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities are estimated to approximate their book values due to the short maturity of such investments.

We have reduced the carrying value of our investment in DSIT to $5.8 million representing the gross proceeds (before transaction costs and withholding taxes) from the 2018 DSIT Transaction (see Recent Developments).

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash and cash equivalents and trade accounts receivable. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were deposited primarily with U.S. banks and brokerage firms and amounted to $481,000 at December 31, 2017. The Company does not believe there is significant risk of non-performance by these counterparties. Approximately 27% of the accounts receivable at December 31, 2017 was due from one customer who pay their receivables over usual credit periods. Credit risk with respect to the balance of trade receivables is generally diversified due to the number of entities comprising the Company’s customer base.

Interest Rate Risk

In October 2017, OmniMetrix renewed its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1 million). Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of prime (4.50% at December 31, 2017) plus 2% or 6% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.9% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 17.3%. OmniMetrix also agreed to continue to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150,000 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of one year beginning November 1, 2017.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Furnished at the end of this report commencing on page F-1.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Act”) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report on Form 10-K. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, due to the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as described below, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2017.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 based upon the document “Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based upon this assessment and those criteria, management concluded that due to the material weaknesses described below, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2017.

The Company employs a decentralized internal control methodology, coupled with management’s oversight, whereby each subsidiary is responsible for mitigating its risks to financial reporting by implementing and maintaining effective control policies and procedures and subsequently translating that respective risk mitigation up and through to the parent level and to the Company’s external financial statements. Also, as the Company’s subsidiary is not large enough to effectively mitigate certain risks by segregating incompatible duties, management must employ compensating mechanisms throughout the Company in a manner that is feasible within the constraints it operates.

The material weaknesses management identified were caused by an insufficient complement of resources at the Company’s OmniMetrix subsidiary and limited IT system capabilities, such that individual control policies and procedures could not be implemented, maintained, or remediated when and where necessary. As a result, a majority of the significant process areas management identified for the Company’s OmniMetrix subsidiary had one or more material weaknesses present. This condition was further exacerbated as the Company could not demonstrate that each of the principles described within COSO’s document “Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013)” were present and functioning.

Although a material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, this material weakness did not result in any material misstatements of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures for any interim periods during, or for the annual period ended December 31, 2017.

Remediation Actions

Management intends to strengthen the Company’s internal controls. Management expects to make progress towards reducing the risk that the material weakness could result in a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements. As business conditions allow and resources permit, management will systematically build the necessary capabilities and infrastructure to implement corrective action.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Other than those changes associated with our material weakness described above and the corresponding remediation actions, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Directors and Executive Officers

Set forth below is certain information concerning the directors and certain officers of the Company:

Christopher E. Clouser was appointed to the Board in November 2011 and became Chairman in November 2012. He is also a member of our Audit, Compensation and Nominating Committees and serves on the Board of Managers for OmniMetrix. Mr. Clouser has held senior level positions including: President of Burger King Brands; President and CEO of Preview Travel; CEO of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball Club; Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer of Northwest Airlines; Corporate Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications of Hallmark Cards; and Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Sprint. In addition, he has served on the corporate Boards of Directors of Piper Jaffray Inc., Gibson Guitar/Baldwin Corp., Mall of America, Pepsi Americas, Marquette Bancshares, Delta Beverage and Mesaba Aviation. He is the immediate past chair of the Board and executive committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He serves on the Advisory Boards Fila, Northstar, Mall of America and VML corporations. Prior to his current positions, he was President of the Association of Tennis Professions (ATP), where he also served as Chairman of ATP Properties and Chair of the ATP Foundation.

Key Attributes, Experience and Skills. Mr. Clouser brings to Acorn a wealth of operational and managerial experience culled from decades of service in key roles at major corporations. He has particular skills in marketing and business development, which will enable the Board to better position our companies for customer growth.

Jan H. Loeb has served as our President and CEO since January 28, 2016. He was appointed to our Board in August 2015 pursuant to the terms of our Loan and Security Agreement with Leap Tide Capital Partners III, LLC (the “Leap Tide Loan Agreement”) and is a member of our Nominating Committee. He was also appointed to the Board of our then DSIT subsidiary in August 2015 pursuant to the terms of the Leap Tide Loan Agreement and held that position until the recent sale of our remaining interest in DSIT in February 2018. Mr. Loeb has more than 35 years of money management and investment banking experience. He has been the Managing Member of Leap Tide Capital Management LLC since 2007. From 2005 to 2007, he served as the President of Leap Tide’s predecessor, Leap Tide Capital Management Inc., which was formerly known as AmTrust Capital Management Inc. He served as a Portfolio Manager of Chesapeake Partners from February 2004 to January 2005. From January 2002 to December 2004, he served as Managing Director at Jefferies & Company, Inc. From 1994 to 2001, he served as Managing Director at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Inc. (formerly Wasserstein Perella & Co., Inc.). He served as a Lead Director of American Pacific Corporation from July 8, 2013 to February 27, 2014, and also served as its Director from January 1997 to February 27, 2014. He served as an Independent Director of Pernix Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (formerly, Golf Trust of America, Inc.) from 2006 to August 31, 2011. He served as a Director of TAT Technologies, Ltd. from August 2009 to December 21, 2016. He has been a Director of Keweenaw Land Association, Ltd. since December 2016.

Key Attributes, Experience and Skills. Mr. Loeb brings to the Acorn Board significant financial expertise, cultivated over more than 35 years of money management and investment banking experience, together with a background in public company management and audit committee experience. 

Mannie L. Jackson was elected to the Board in September 2012 and is a member of our Compensation Committee. Mr. Jackson played professional basketball for a brief time before starting his business career at General Motors, Inc. He later served as President and General Manager of Honeywell’s Telecommunications Business and then as Corporate Executive VP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing before retiring as a Corporate Officer and Senior Vice President in 1993. Mr. Jackson helped found and chaired the Executive Leadership Council which represents the most senior African American corporate executives in Fortune 500 companies and previously served on the Board of Directors of several Fortune 500 companies, including Ashland Inc., Reebok International, Stanley Works, Jostens and True North. Mr. Jackson is currently President of Mannie Jackson Center For the Humanities (MJCH), Chairman of privately held Boxcar Holdings, LLC, and a former owner and Chairman of the Board of the Harlem Globetrotters. He is also former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is a member of the University of Illinois Foundation Board of Directors.

Key Attributes, Experience and Skills. Mr. Jackson brings to the Board deep operational, strategic planning and senior managerial experience; as well as access to a network of domestic and international business relationships.

Edgar S. Woolard Jr. joined the Board in November 2014 and serves as a member of our Audit and Nominating Committees. Mr. Woolard served as chairman and chief executive officer of DuPont from 1989 to 1995 and as chairman until 1997. He remained a director until his retirement from the board effective January 1, 2000. He also served as non-executive chairman of DuPont’s Conoco Inc. subsidiary where he oversaw that company’s IPO in 1998 and initiated its merger with Phillips Petroleum. He has served on the boards of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., Telex Communications Inc., Apple Computer Inc., Citigroup, Inc., IBM, and Bell Atlantic, Delaware. He is also a former Chairman of the Business Council. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Philosophical Society.

Key Attributes, Experience and Skills. Mr. Woolard brings to Acorn a distinguished background of operational and managerial experience at the highest levels of the energy industry, in addition to his outstanding and extensive service record of corporate management and oversight as a member of the boards of several major corporations.

Samuel M. Zentman has been one of our directors since November 2004 and currently serves as Chairman of our Audit Committee and is a member of our Compensation Committee. From 1980 until 2006, Dr. Zentman was the president and chief executive officer of a privately-held textile firm, where he also served as vice president of finance and administration from 1978 to 1980. From 1973 to 1978, Dr. Zentman served in various capacities at American Motors Corporation. He holds a Ph.D. in Complex Analysis. Dr. Zentman serves on the board of Hinson & Hale Medical Technologies, Inc., as well as several national charitable organizations devoted to advancing the quality of education.

Key Attributes, Experience and Skills. Dr. Zentman’s long-time experience as a businessman together with his experience with computer systems and software enables him to bring valuable insights to the Board. Dr. Zentman has a broad, fundamental understanding of the business drivers affecting our Company and also brings leadership and oversight experience to the Board.

Michael Barth has been our Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of DSIT since December 2005. For the six years prior, he served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Controller of DSIT. Mr. Barth holds an MBA in Accounting from Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York. He is a Certified Public Accountant in both the U.S. and Israel and has over thirty years of experience in public and private accounting.

Walter Czarnecki serves as President and CEO of OmniMetrix. Mr. Czarnecki has over 15 years of management, strategy and P&L leadership experience building high-growth companies in technology and energy across global markets. Prior to his appointment at OmniMetrix, Walter served as Vice President of Business Development at Acorn, and previously as Director of Corporate Strategy at Ener1, Inc., a maker of lithium-ion energy storage solutions for electric vehicles, grid storage and military applications. There he negotiated and managed Ener1’s joint venture with China’s largest Tier I auto parts supplier, Wanxiang, a $26 billion global conglomerate. Prior to Ener1, Walter spent four years in Beijing, where he led the Energy Technology team for China Renaissance Group, a Chinese investment bank with over $80 billion in transactions. Prior to China Renaissance, Walter established the University of Maryland’s China strategy and increased revenue by $3.6 million. He began his career at Lehman Brothers Investment Banking in New York. Walter holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies with a focus on Mandarin and East Asian Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He is professionally proficient in Mandarin Chinese and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Bucknell University. In 2015, Walter was named in Wharton’s 40 Under 40 list. Walter serves as President of Technology Executives Roundtable, a leadership forum for Atlanta technology CEOs and CFOs.

Audit Committee; Audit Committee Financial Expert

The Company has a separate designated standing Audit Committee established and administered in accordance with SEC rules. The three members of the Audit Committee are Samuel M. Zentman, Christopher E. Clouser and Edgar S. Woolard Jr. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee meets the independence criteria prescribed by NASDAQ governing the qualifications for audit committee members and each Audit Committee member meets NASDAQ’s financial knowledge requirements. Our Board has determined that Dr. Zentman qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Compensation Committee

Our executive compensation is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, which was reconstituted in 2017. The members of the Compensation Committee are Christopher E. Clouser, Mannie L. Jackson and Samuel M. Zentman, all of whom have been determined by the Board to be independent in accordance with NASDAQ’s requirement for independent director oversight of executive officer compensation.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee of our Board of Directors, which was reconstituted in 2017, has overall responsibility for identifying, evaluating, recruiting and selecting qualified candidates for election, re-election or appointment to the Board. The Members of the Nominating Committee are Christopher E. Clouser, Jan H. Loeb and Edgar S. Woolard, Jr. The Board of Directors has determined that Messrs. Clouser and Woolard each meet the independence criteria prescribed by NASDAQ governing the qualifications of nominating committee members, and that Mr. Loeb does not.

Our stockholders may recommend potential director candidates by contacting the Secretary of the Company to receive a copy of the procedure to recommend a potential director candidate for consideration by the Nominating Committee, who will evaluate recommendations from stockholders in the same manner that they evaluate recommendations from other sources.

Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. These persons are also required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Further, we have implemented measures to assure timely filing of Section 16(a) reports by our executive officers and directors. Based solely on our review of such forms or written representations from certain reporting persons, we believe that during 2017 our executive officers and directors complied with the filing requirements of Section 16(a).

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all our directors, officers and employees. This Code of Ethics is designed to comply with the NASDAQ marketplace rules related to codes of conduct. Our code of ethics may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.acornenergy.com/rsc/docs/55.pdf. We intend to satisfy any disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our code of ethics by posting such information on our website, at the Internet address specified above. 

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

Executive compensation for 2017. Changes in each named executive officer’s base compensation for 2017, together with the methodology for determining their respective bonuses, if any, are described below. The Boards of Directors of our companies (DSIT and OmniMetrix) determined the compensation of their own executive officers and other employees.

Jan H. Loeb. On January 28, 2016, Jan H. Loeb was appointed President and CEO of the Company, replacing outgoing President and CEO, John A. Moore, who resigned from those positions as of that date. Concurrent with the appointment of Mr. Loeb as President and CEO, the Company entered into a consulting arrangement (the “2016 Consulting Arrangement”) with Leap Tide Capital Management LLC pursuant to which Leap Tide Capital Management LLC received a monthly fee of $17,000 and provided the services of Mr. Loeb to the Company as President and CEO and such other services mutually agreed upon with the Company. Mr. Loeb is not an employee of the Company and did not receive any cash compensation from the Company in connection with his service as President and CEO in 2016. The 2016 Consulting Arrangement expired on January 7, 2017.

On February 21, 2017, the Company entered into a new consulting arrangement effective January 8, 2017 (the “2017 Consulting Arrangement”) between the Company and Mr. Loeb extending its arrangements for compensation of Mr. Loeb for his services as President and CEO of the Company. Pursuant to the 2017 Consulting Arrangement, Mr. Loeb received cash compensation of $17,000 per month. The 2017 Consulting Arrangement expired on January 7, 2018. Mr. Loeb has continued to provide services at the same rate of monthly cash compensation while a new agreement is being negotiated.

Mr. Loeb is the sole owner and manager of Leap Tide Capital Management LLC. Pursuant to the 2016 Consulting Arrangement, on March 16, 2016, the Company issued to Leap Tide Capital Management LLC, for nominal consideration, warrants exercisable for 35,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The exercise price of the warrants is $0.13 per share. One-fourth of the warrants were immediately exercisable; the remainder became exercisable in equal increments on each of June 16, 2016, September 16, 2016 and December 16, 2016. The warrants expire on the earlier of (a) March 16, 2023 and (b) 18 months from the date Mr. Loeb ceases to be a director, officer, employee or consultant of the Company.

Pursuant to the 2017 Consulting Arrangement, Mr. Loeb received a grant of options to purchase 35,000 shares of Company common stock exercisable at a price of $0.36 per share (the closing price for the common stock on the last trading day preceding the date the new agreement was entered into). These options vest and become exercisable on the same terms as the stock options granted to directors of the Company, with one-fourth immediately exercisable and the remainder becoming exercisable in equal increments on each of April 1, 2017, July 1, 2017 and October 1, 2017. The options will expire on the earlier of January 8, 2024 or 18 months from the date Mr. Loeb ceases to be a director, officer, employee or consultant of Acorn.

Michael Barth. Mr. Barth’s base compensation for 2017 increased by approximately $13,000 due to currency exchange rates and contractual cost of living adjustments. He is due to receive a cash bonus of $20,985 for 2017 in accordance with the terms of his contract whereby he is entitled to a bonus payment equal to 1.50% of DSIT’s net income before income taxes. Mr. Barth received a bonus from DSIT of $8,490 in 2016 and no bonus from Acorn in 2016 or 2017.

Walter Czarnecki. Mr. Czarnecki’s base compensation increased from $200,000 per year in 2016 to $220,000 effective June 1, 2017. He did not receive a bonus in either 2016 or 2017.

Stockholder input on executive compensation. Stockholders can provide the Company with their views on executive compensation matters at each year’s annual meeting through the stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation and during the interval between stockholder advisory votes. The Company welcomes stockholder input on our executive compensation matters, and stockholders are able to reach out directly to our independent directors by emailing to cclouser@acornenergy.com to express their views on executive compensation matters.

Employment Arrangements

The employment arrangements of each named executive officer and certain other officers are described below. From time to time, the Company has made discretionary awards of management options as reflected in the table above.

Jan H. Loeb became our President and Chief Executive Officer on January 28, 2016. Concurrent with the appointment of Mr. Loeb as President and CEO, Acorn entered into a consulting arrangement with Leap Tide Capital Management LLC pursuant to which Leap Tide Capital Management LLC received a monthly fee of $17,000 and provided the services of Mr. Loeb to Acorn as President and CEO and such other services as mutually agreed upon with Acorn. Leap Tide Capital Management LLC also received 35,000 warrants as described above. Mr. Loeb is the sole owner and manager of Leap Tide Capital Management LLC. Mr. Loeb is not an employee of Acorn and did not receive any cash compensation from Acorn in connection with his service as President and CEO in 2016. On February 21, 2017, the Company entered into a new consulting agreement effective January 8, 2017 between the Company and Mr. Loeb (the “2017 Consulting Arrangement”) extending its arrangements for compensation of Mr. Loeb for his services as President and CEO of the Company. Pursuant to the 2017 Consulting Arrangement, Mr. Loeb received cash compensation of $17,000 per month. The 2017 Consulting Arrangement expired on January 7, 2018. Mr. Loeb has continued to provide services at the same rate of monthly cash compensation while a new agreement is being negotiated.

Pursuant to the 2017 Consulting Arrangement, Mr. Loeb also received a grant of options to purchase 35,000 shares of Company common stock exercisable at a price of $0.36 per share (the closing price for the common stock on the last trading day preceding the date the new agreement was entered into). These options vest and become exercisable on the same terms as the stock options granted to directors of the Company, with one-fourth immediately exercisable and the remainder becoming exercisable in equal increments on each of April 1, 2017, July 1, 2017 and October 1, 2017. The options will expire on the earlier of January 8, 2024 or 18 months from the date Mr. Loeb ceases to be a director, officer, employee or consultant of Acorn.

Michael Barth has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company and Chief Financial Officer of DSIT beginning December 1, 2005. In August 2009, the Board approved new employment terms for Mr. Barth. According to the new employment terms, Mr. Barth was entitled to a salary of $175,000 per annum effective August 1, 2009. One half of Mr. Barth’s salary is fixed in NIS at the November 1, 2007 exchange rate and linked to the Israel CPI and adjusted semi-annually. The cost of Mr. Barth’s total compensation (excluding bonuses) is shared by an arrangement between Acorn (75%) and DSIT (25%). Mr. Barth’s current annual salary following such linkage adjustments is approximately $195,000. Each of Acorn and DSIT separately determine any bonus (if any) to be paid to Mr. Barth. In September 2012, DSIT’s board of directors made Mr. Barth eligible to receive an annual bonus equal to 1.5% of DSIT’s annual consolidated net income before tax, to be calculated and paid as soon as practicable following the end of DSIT’s fiscal year beginning with 2012. For 2016 and 2017, Mr. Barth did not receive any bonus from Acorn. For 2017, Mr. Barth is to receive a bonus of $20,985 based on DSIT’s 2017 performance. For 2016, Mr. Barth received a bonus of $8,490 based on DSIT’s 2016 performance.

Walter Czarnecki. Mr. Czarnecki has served as President and COO of OmniMetrix since March 2014 and as CEO since March 2015. Until June 1, 2017, Mr. Czarnecki had no employment agreement and was employed on an “at-will” basis. Mr. Czarnecki’s annual salary for 2016 and until June 1, 2017 was $200,000. Mr. Czarnecki and OmniMetrix entered into an Employment Agreement on June 19, 2017. The Employment Agreement has a three-year term and provides for a base annual salary of $220,000. Upon the achievement by OmniMetrix and Mr. Czarnecki of certain performance goals established annually by the Board of OmniMetrix, Mr. Czarnecki shall be entitled to increases in his annual salary and an annual bonus. If his employment should be terminated without Cause (as defined in the Employment Agreement), Mr. Czarnecki would be eligible for a severance payment equal to six-months’ base salary at the rate in effect at the time of termination, to be paid in equal installments over a six-month period subject to his continuing fulfillment of his ongoing obligations under the Agreement. Mr. Czarnecki did not receive a bonus for 2016 or 2017.

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2017 Fiscal Year End

The following tables set forth all outstanding equity awards made to each of the Named Executive Officers that were outstanding at December 31, 2017.

Option and Warrant Exercises

None.

Non-qualified Deferred Compensation

The following table provides information on the executive non-qualified deferred compensation activity for each of our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Payments and Benefits Upon Termination or Change in Control

Jan H. Loeb

Under the terms of the consulting agreement with Mr. Loeb, there are no amounts due under any termination scenario.

Michael Barth

Under the terms of the employment arrangement with Mr. Barth, our Chief Financial Officer, we are obligated to make certain payments to fund in part our severance obligations to him. We would be required to pay Mr. Barth an amount equal to 120% of his last month’s salary multiplied by the number of years (including partial years) that Mr. Barth worked DSIT. This severance obligation, which is customary for executives of Israeli companies, would be reduced by the amount contributed to certain Israeli pension and severance funds pursuant to Mr. Barth’s employment arrangement. As of December 31, 2017, the unfunded portion of these payments was $73,237. In addition, the arrangement with Mr. Barth provides for an additional payment equal to six times his last month’s total compensation, payable at the end of his employment. 

The following table describes the potential payments and benefits upon termination of employment for Mr. Barth, as if his employment terminated as of December 31, 2017, the last day of our last fiscal year assuming that there is no earned, but unpaid base salary at the time of termination.

Walter Czarnecki

Under the terms of the employment agreement with Mr. Czarnecki, Chief Executive Officer of our OmniMetrix subsidiary, we are obligated to make certain payments to him upon the termination of his employment.

The following table describes the potential payments and benefits upon termination of employment for Mr. Czarnecki, as if his employment terminated as of December 31, 2017, the last day of our last fiscal year assuming that there is no earned, but unpaid base salary at the time of termination.

Compensation of Directors

Compensation of Directors in 2017 and 2018

In January 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted a revised compensation policy for its non-employee Directors, which provides for reduced cash and equity compensation. The Board reviews non-employee director compensation on an annual basis. Our compensation policy for non-employee Directors for 2017 and 2018 is as follows:

The non-executive Chairman receives an annual retainer of $35,000, plus an annual grant on January 1 of an option to purchase 25,000 shares of Company Common Stock. The Company also pays $22,200 per annum for an administrative assistant in connection with the non-executive Chairman’s duties.

Each non-employee Director (other than the non-executive Chairman) receives an annual retainer of $15,000, plus an annual grant on January 1 of an option to purchase 10,000 shares of Company Common Stock.

Upon a non-employee Director’s first election or appointment to the Board, such newly elected/appointed Director will be granted an option to purchase 25,000 shares of Company Common Stock. Each option so granted to a newly elected/appointed Director shall vest for the purchase of one-third of the shares purchasable under such option on each of the three anniversaries following the date of first election or appointment.

All options granted to non-employee Directors and to the non-executive Chairman shall have an exercise price equal to closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on its then-current trading platform or exchange on the last trading day immediately preceding the date of grant, and shall, except as described in the preceding paragraph, vest in four installments quarterly in advance. Once vested, such options shall be exercisable in whole or in part at all times until the earliest of (i) seven years from the date of grant or (ii) 18 months from the date such Director ceases to be a Director, officer, employee of, or consultant to, the Company.

The chair of the Audit Committee receives an additional annual retainer of $10,000; each Audit Committee member other than the chair receives an additional annual retainer of $2,000.

Each Director may, in his or her discretion, elect by written notice delivered on or before the first day of each calendar year whether to receive, in lieu of some or all of his or her retainer and board fees, that number of shares of Company Common Stock as shall have a value equal to the applicable retainer and board fees, based on the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on its then-current trading platform or exchange on the last trading day immediately preceding the first day of the applicable year. Once made, the election shall be irrevocable for such election year and the shares subject to the election shall vest and be issued one-fourth upon the first day of the election year and one-fourth as of the first day of each of the second through fourth calendar quarters thereafter during the remainder of the election year. A newly-elected or appointed Director may, in his or her discretion, make such an election for the balance of the year in which he or she was elected/appointed by written notice delivered on or before the tenth day after his or her election/appointment to the Board, with the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to such newly elected/appointed Director’s election to be based on closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on its then-current trading platform or exchange on the last trading day immediately preceding the day of such newly elected/appointed Director’s election/appointment. For the 2017 calendar year, Messrs. Woolard and Jackson elected to receive Common Stock in lieu of retainer and board fees. For the 2018 calendar year, Mr. Woolard elected to receive Common Stock in lieu of retainer and board fees.

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation earned for service on our Board of Directors during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 by each individual (other than Mr. Loeb who was not separately compensated for his Board service) who served as a director at any time during the fiscal year.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION IN 2017

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The following table and the notes thereto set forth information, as of March 16, 2018 (except as otherwise set forth herein), concerning beneficial ownership (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) of common stock by (i) each director of the Company, (ii) each executive officer (iii) all executive officers and directors as a group, and (iv) each holder of 5% or more of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock.

* Less than 1%