CREATIVE REALITIES, INC. - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark one)

☒   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017

OR

☐   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number 001-33169

CREATIVE REALITIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(502) 791-8800

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: Common Stock, Par Value $0.01

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

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 ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 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 ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers in response to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant 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 (§ 229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes ☒  No ☐

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

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 Exchange Act). Yes ☐  No ☒

The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the issuer as of June 30, 2017, was approximately $8,645,459 based upon the last sale price of one share on such date. 

As of March 23, 2018, the issuer had outstanding 82,581,866 shares of common stock. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.) 

Our Company

Creative Realities, Inc. is a Minnesota corporation that provides innovative digital marketing technology and solutions to retail companies, individual retail brands, enterprises and other organizations throughout the United States and in certain international markets. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the related media management and distribution software platforms and networks, device management, product management, customized software service layers, systems, experiences, workflows, and integrated solutions. Our technology and solutions include: digital merchandising systems; omni-channel customer engagement systems, interactive digital shopping assistants, advisors and kiosks, and other interactive marketing technologies such as mobile, social media, point-of-sale transactions, beaconing and web-based media that enable our customers to transform how they engage with consumers. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the following related aspects of our business: content, network management, and connected device software and firmware platforms; customized software service layers; hardware platforms; digital media workflows; and proprietary processes and automation tools. We believe we are one of the world’s leading interactive marketing technology companies that focuses on the retail shopper experience by helping retailers and brands use the latest technologies to create better shopping experiences.

Our main operations are conducted directly through Creative Realities, Inc., and under our wholly owned subsidiaries Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc., and ConeXus World Global, LLC, a Kentucky limited liability company.

We seek to generate revenue in this business by:

We seek to generate revenue through these activities through: bundled-solution sales; service fees for consulting, experience design, content development and production, software development, engineering, implementation, and field services; software license fees; and maintenance and support services related to our software, managed systems and solutions.

Our digital marketing technology and solutions are deployed in and have application across diverse categories: automotive, apparel and accessories, banking, baby/children, beauty, consumer products, department stores, electronics, fashion, fitness, foodservice/quick service restaurants, financial services, gaming, luxury retail, mass merchants, mobile operators, and pharmacy retail. The industries in which we sell our solutions are established, but the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of technology-enabled experiences involving combinations of digital marketing technologies is relatively new and evolving. Moreover, a number of participants in these industries have only recently started considering or expanding the adoption of these types of technologies, solutions and experiences as part of their overall marketing strategies. As a result, we remain an early stage company without an established history of profitability.

We believe that the adoption and evolution of digital marketing technology and solutions will increase substantially in years to come both in the industries or categories on which we currently focus and in others. We also believe that adoption of our technology and solutions depends upon not only the services and solutions that we provide, but also depends heavily upon the cost of hardware used to process and display content on them. While the costs of hardware configurations and software media players have historically decreased and we believe they will continue to do so at an accelerating rate, flat panel displays typically constitute a large portion of the expenditure customers make relative to the entire cost of implementing a digital marketing system and can be a barrier to customer deployment. As a result, we believe that the broader adoption of digital marketing technology solutions is likely to increase, although we cannot predict the rate at which such adoption will occur.

Another key component of our business strategy, especially given the evolving industry dynamics in which we operate, is to acquire and integrate other operating companies in the industry in conjunction with pursuing our organic growth objectives. We believe that the selective acquisition and successful integration of certain companies will accelerate our growth; enable us to aggregate multiple customer bases onto a single business and technology platform; provide us with greater operating scale; enable us to leverage a common set of processes, tools, and cost efficiencies; and ultimately result in higher operating profitability and cash flow from operations. Our management team is actively pursuing and evaluating alternative acquisition opportunities on an ongoing basis. Our management team and Board of Directors have broad experience with the execution, integration and financing of acquisitions. We believe that, based on the foregoing and other factors, the Company can successfully serve as a consolidator of multiple business and technology platforms serving similar markets.

We currently market and sell our technology and solutions primarily through our sales and business development personnel throughout North America, but we also utilize agents, strategic partners, and lead generators who provide us with access to additional sales, business development and licensing opportunities.

We currently operate in one reportable segment, marketing technology solutions. Substantially all property and equipment is located at our offices in the United States, and a data center located in the United States. All sales for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, were in the United States and Canada.

You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information about the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The website of the SEC is www.sec.gov. Additional information about the Company and its public disclosures is available on our website at www.cri.com.

Corporate Organization

Our principal offices are located at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40223, and our telephone number at that office is (502) 791-8800.

The legal entity that is the registrant was originally incorporated and organized as a Minnesota corporation under the name Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc. in March 2003. Our business initially focused on the provision of expertise digital media marketing solutions to customers, including digital signage, interactive kiosks, mobile, social media and web-based media solutions. We acquired the assets and business of Broadcast International, Inc., a Utah corporation and public registrant, through a merger transaction that was effective as of August 1, 2014. Then on August 20, 2014, we consummated a merger transaction with Creative Realities, LLC, a privately owned Delaware limited liability company, in which we issued a majority of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. In that merger transaction, we acquired the interactive marketing technology business of Creative Realities that we currently operate. Shortly after that merger, we changed our corporate name from “Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.” to “Creative Realities, Inc.” On October 15, 2015, we acquired the assets and business of ConeXus World Global, LLC, a privately owned Kentucky limited liability company for which we issued preferred and common stock. In that merger transaction, we acquired the systems integration and marketing technology business of ConeXus World that we currently operate. On May 23, 2016, we dissolved Broadcast International, Inc. 

Our fiscal year ends December 31. Neither we nor any of our predecessors have been in bankruptcy, receivership or any similar proceeding. Our corporate structure, including our principal operating subsidiaries, is as follows:

Recent Acquisitions

Acquisition of ConeXus World Global

There were no acquisitions completed during the years-ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. On October 15, 2015, we completed the acquisition of ConeXus World Global, LLC for 2,080,000 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, and the conversion of $823 of ConeXus World Global debt into (i) 2,639,258 shares of our common stock, and (ii) $150 in principal amount of our convertible debt.

In accordance with the terms of the agreement and plan of merger and reorganization, an additional 416,000 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock and 4,000,000 shares of common stock were to be issued upon the reorganization of the capital structure of a Belgian affiliate of ConeXus (the “Holdback Shares”). Since the passage of the March 31, 2016 date targeted for the completion of the reorganization of the Belgian affiliate, the parties have determined that the value of the Belgian affiliate was de minimis.

An agreement was reached on September 1, 2017 by Creative Realities, Inc. and the prior shareholders of ConeXus to recognize the value obtained by Creative Realities, Inc. as a result of the merger and to issue the Holdback Shares to the prior shareholders of ConeXus.  Creative Realities, Inc. has waived the contingency relating to the issuance of the Holdback Shares and issued to the shareholders 5,631,373 shares of common stock. 3,198,054 of these shares were issued to Rick Mills, a majority shareholder of ConeXus, a related party, and the CEO of Creative Realities, Inc. Since the measurement period for the business combination has expired, the issuance of the shares is recognized as a charge to operations during the year of $1.9 million. 

As used throughout this report, the “Company” generally refers to the registrant (Creative Realities, Inc., formerly known as Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.), unless the context otherwise indicates or requires. Use of the first person “we” refers to the Company or, if the context so requires, to the historical business of Creative Realities or the registrant itself, in each case prior to the consummation of the August 20, 2014 merger transaction.

Common Stock

In 2017 and 2016 the following Preferred Stock conversions took place:

In 2016, in conjunction with the structured settlement program, the Company issued 409,347 shares of its restricted common stock to creditors and 809,842 shares of stock were issued to investors.

The Company and the investors entered into registration rights agreements requiring Creative Realities to register under the Securities Act of 1933 the resale of the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the secured notes and upon exercise of the warrants. The Company filed a registration statement on Form S-1/A on May 13, 2016 registering 23,272,184 shares of common stock and that registration statement became effective on June 1, 2016.

Preferred Stock

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had outstanding 5,833,549 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 0 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock.

The preferred stock entitles its holders to a 6% dividend, payable semi-annually in cash or in kind through the three-year anniversary of the original issue date, and from and after such three-year anniversary in duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of common stock. The three-year anniversary of the initial investment date occurred during the second half of 2017 for $5.2 million of the $5.5 million originally issued Convertible Preferred Stock and therefore dividends on those investments were paid via issuance of common shares as of the year-end date.

During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, the Company issued an aggregate of 245,816 and 452,224 shares of preferred stock in satisfaction of its semi-annual dividend obligation. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively, the Company issued an aggregate of 718,840 and 0 shares of common stock in satisfaction of its semi-annual dividend obligation. 

The preferred stock may be converted into our common stock at the option of a holder at an initial conversion price as adjusted of $0.255 per share. Subject to certain conditions, we may call and redeem the preferred stock after three years. During such time as a majority of the preferred stock sold remains outstanding, holders will have the right to elect a member to our Board of Directors. The preferred stock has full-ratchet price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the conversion price, as adjusted, subject to certain customary exceptions. The warrants issued to purchasers of the preferred stock contain weighted-average price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the exercise price, as adjusted, again subject to certain customary exceptions. In the Securities Purchase Agreement, we granted purchasers of the preferred stock certain registration rights pertaining to the common shares they may receive upon conversion of their preferred stock and upon exercise of their warrants.

In 2017, 385,200 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 1,860,561 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock were converted into 8,806,906 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share.

In 2016, 307,500 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were converted into 1,205,882 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share. 

Changes in Management and Board of Directors

During 2017, the Company transitioned the finance and accounting function from Fairfield, NJ to the corporate headquarters in Louisville, KY which included hiring a new VP of Finance. There were no changes in the Board of Directors. 

On May 2, 2016, Eric J. Bertrand was appointed to the Board of Directors of Creative Realities, Inc.  Mr. Bertrand possesses voting and investment power over shares beneficially held by Lincoln Road Media Partners LLC, which was the holder of a convertible promissory note and is the holder of a warrant issued in a private placement transaction on April 14, 2016.  See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.  Mr. Bertrand was appointed to the board in connection with Lincoln Road Media’s investment in the convertible note and warrant. 

Business Strategy

We believe that our existing business model is highly scalable and can be expanded successfully as we continue to grow organically and integrate our recent merger transactions, strengthen our operational practices and procedures, further streamline our administrative office functions, and continue to capitalize on various marketing programs and activities.

Industry Background

Over the past 18-24 months, approximately, we believe certain digital marketing technology industry trends are creating the opportunity for retailers, brands, venue-operators, enterprises, non-profits and other organizations to create innovative shopping, marketing, and informational experiences for their customers and other stakeholders in various venues worldwide. These trends include: (i) the expectations of technology-savvy consumers; (ii) addressing on-line competitors by improving physical experiences (iii) accelerating decline in the cost of hardware configurations (primarily flat panel displays) and software media players; (ii) the continued evolution of mobile, social, software and hardware technologies, applications and tools; (iii) the increasing sophistication of social networking platforms; (iv) increasingly complex customer requirements related to their specific digital marketing technology and solution objectives; and (v) customers challenging service providers with the delivery of a satisfactory consumer experience with the traditional pressure on reducing installation and ongoing operating costs.

As a result, a growing number of retailers, brands, venue-operators and other organizations have identified the need and opportunity to implement increasingly cost-effective and “sales-lifting” digital marketing, and interactive experiences to market to their customers. These include creating unique and customized experiences for targeted, timely offerings and relevant promotions; improving engagement resulting in increased sales; and increasing shopping basket size. We believe our clients consider capitalizing on these industry trends to be increasingly critical to any successful “store of the future” retail and brand sales environment, especially where sales staff turnover is high, training outcomes are inconsistent and product knowledge is low.

Companies are accomplishing their strategies by implementing various digital marketing technology solutions, which: are implemented in multiple forms and types of configurations and locations; attempt to achieve any of a broad range of individual or combination of objectives; contain various levels of targeting; have the ability to instantly manage single or multiple locations remotely from a customer’s desktop or other connected device at each location; and are built to deliver or contain a standard or customized experience unique to and within the customer’s environment. Examples of such solutions include:

Our Markets

We currently market and sell our marketing technology solutions through our direct sales force and word-of-mouth referrals from existing customers. Select strategic partnerships and lead generation programs also drive business to the Company through targeted business development initiatives. We market to companies that seek digital marketing solutions across multiple connected devices and who specifically seek or could benefit from enhancements to the customer experience offered in their stores, venues, brands or organizations.

Our digital marketing technology solutions have application in a wide variety of industries. The industries in which we sell our solutions are established and include hospitality, branded retail, automotive, food service and retail healthcare, but the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of technology-enabled experiences is relatively new and evolving.  Moreover, a number of participants in these industries have only recently started considering or expanding the adoption of these types of technologies, solutions and experiences as part of their overall marketing strategies.

Seasonality

A portion of our customer activity is influenced by seasonal effects related to traditional end of calendar year peak retail sales periods and other factors that arise from our target customer base. Nevertheless, our revenues can be materially affected by the launch of new markets, the timing of production rollouts, and other factors, any of which have the ability to reduce or outweigh certain seasonal effects.

Effect of General Economic Conditions on our Business

We believe that demand for our services will increase in part as a result of recovering retail-related real estate investments and new construction and the recent economic recovery in general. These general economic improvements generally make it easier for our customers to justify decisions to invest in digital marketing technology solutions.

Regulation

We are subject to regulation by various federal and state governmental agencies. Such regulation includes radio frequency emission regulatory activities of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the consumer protection laws of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, product safety regulatory activities of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and environmental regulation in areas in which we conduct business. Some of the hardware components that we supply to customers may contain hazardous or regulated substances, such as lead. A number of U.S. states have adopted or are considering “takeback” bills addressing the disposal of electronic waste, including CRT style and flat panel monitors and computers. Electronic waste legislation is developing. Some of the bills passed or under consideration may impose on us, or on our customers or suppliers, requirements for disposal of systems we sell and the payment of additional fees to pay costs of disposal and recycling. Presently, we do not believe that any such legislation or proposed legislation will have a materially adverse impact on our business.

Competition
 

While we believe there is presently no direct competitor with the comprehensive offering of technologies, solutions and services we provide to our customers, there are multiple individual competitors who offer pieces of our solution stack. These include digital signage software companies such as Stratacache, Four Winds Interactive, and Reflect Systems; marketing services companies such as Sapient Nitro or digital signage systems integrators such as Convergent. Some of these competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do and may be able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. We believe that our sales and business development capabilities, network operations / field service management capabilities, our comprehensive offering of digital marketing technology and solutions, brand awareness, and proprietary processes are the primary factors affecting our competitive position.

Territories

Our Company sells products and services primarily throughout North America.

Employees

We have approximately 100 employees as of December 31, 2017. We do not have any employees that operate under collective-bargaining agreements.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the specific risks described below, and any risks described in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, before making an investment decision. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.” Any of the risks we describe below could cause our business, financial condition, results of operations or future prospects to be materially adversely affected.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND OUR INDUSTRY

We have generally incurred losses, and may never achieve profitability.

Except for the second and fourth quarters of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, we have incurred net losses, have negative cash flows from operations and have a working capital deficit. We incurred net losses in each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

We have formulated our business plans and strategies based on certain assumptions regarding the acceptance of our business model and the marketing of our products and services. Nevertheless, our assessments regarding market size, market share, market acceptance of our products and services and a variety of other factors may prove incorrect. Our future success will depend upon many factors, including factors which may be beyond our control or which cannot be predicted at this time.

 Our digital marketing business is evolving in a rapidly changing market, and we cannot ensure the long-term successful operation of our business or the execution of our business plan.

Our digital marketing technology and solutions are an evolving business offering and the markets in which we compete are rapidly changing. As a result, our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by growing companies in new and rapidly evolving markets. We may be unable to accomplish any of the following, which would materially impact our ability to implement our business plan:

Our business strategy may be unsuccessful and we may be unable to address the risks we face in a cost-effective manner, if at all. If we are unable to successfully accomplish these tasks, our business will be harmed.

Adequate funds for our operations may not be available, requiring us to raise additional financing or else curtail our activities significantly.

We will likely be required to raise additional funding through public or private financings, including equity financings in 2018. Any additional equity financings may be dilutive to shareholders and may be completed at a discount to the then-current market price of our common stock. Debt financing, if available, would likely involve restrictive covenants on our operations or pertaining to future financing arrangements. Nevertheless, we may not successfully complete any future equity or debt financing. Adequate funds for our operations, whether from financial markets, collaborative or other arrangements, may not be available when needed or on terms attractive to us. If adequate funds are not available, our plans to operate our business may be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly and/or cease operating.

We are reliant on the continued support of a related party for adequate financing of our operations.

We will likely be required to raise additional funding through public or private financings, including equity financings, through at least 2018. As of the date of this filing, the Company’s majority shareholder and investor, Slipstream Communications LLC is the holder of 100% of the Company’s outstanding debt instruments including the term loan, secured revolving promissory note and convertible promissory notes. If we are unable to extend the maturity or replace our existing financing agreements in the future, our plans to operate our business may be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly and/or cease operating.

We may be unable to implement our business plan if we cannot raise sufficient capital and may be required to pay a high price for capital.

We will need to obtain additional capital to implement our business plan and meet our financial obligations as they become due. We may not be able to raise the additional capital needed or may be required to pay a high price for capital. Factors affecting the availability and price of capital may include the following:

We may be unable to meet our current or future obligations or to adequately exploit existing or future opportunities if we cannot raise sufficient capital. If we are unable to obtain capital for an extended period of time, we may be forced to discontinue operations.

We expect that there will be significant consolidation in our industry. Our failure or inability to lead that consolidation would have a severe adverse impact on our access to financing, customers, technology, and human resources.

Our industry is currently composed of a large number of relatively small businesses, no single one of which is dominant or which provides integrated solutions and product offerings incorporating much of the available technology. Accordingly, we believe that substantial consolidation may occur in our industry in the near future. If we do not play a positive role in that consolidation, either as a leader or as a participant whose capability is merged in a larger entity, we may be left out of this process, with product offerings of limited value compared with those of our competitors. Moreover, even if we lead the consolidation process, the market may not validate the decisions we make in that process.

Our success depends on our interactive marketing technologies achieving and maintaining widespread acceptance in our targeted markets.

Our success will depend to a large extent on broad market acceptance of our interactive marketing technologies among our current and prospective customers. Our prospective customers may still not use our solutions for a number of other reasons, including preference for static advertising, lack of familiarity with our technology, preference for competing technologies or perceived lack of reliability. We believe that the acceptance of our interactive marketing technologies by prospective customers will depend primarily on the following factors:

Our interactive technologies are complex and must meet stringent user requirements. Some undetected errors or defects may only become apparent as new functions are added to our technologies and products. The need to repair or replace products with design or manufacturing defects could temporarily delay the sale of new products and adversely affect our reputation. Delays, costs and damage to our reputation due to product defects could harm our business.

Our financial condition and potential for continued net losses may negatively impact our relationships with customers, prospective customers and third-party suppliers.

Our financial condition and potential for continued net losses may cause current and prospective customers to defer placing orders with us, to require terms that are less favorable to us, or to place their orders with competing marketing technology suppliers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. On the same basis, third-party suppliers may refuse to do business with us, or may do so only on terms that are unfavorable to us, which also could cause our revenue to decline.

Because we do not have long-term purchase commitments from our customers, the failure to obtain anticipated orders or the deferral or cancellation of commitments could have adverse effects on our business.

Our business is characterized by short-term purchase orders and contracts that do not require that purchases be made. This makes forecasting our sales difficult. The failure to obtain anticipated orders and deferrals or cancellations of purchase commitments because of changes in customer requirements, or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have experienced such challenges in the past and may experience such challenges in the future.

Our continued growth could be adversely affected by the loss of several key customers, including a significant related party customer.

Our largest customers account for a majority of our total revenue. We had two customers that accounted for 63% and 71% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. In addition, we had three customers that accounted for 56% and 56% of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Decisions by one or more of these key customers and/or partners to not renew, terminate or substantially reduce their use of our products, technology, services, and platform could substantially slow our revenue growth and lead to a decline in revenue. Our business plan assumes continued growth in revenue, and it is unlikely that we will become profitable without a continued increase in revenue. 

Our financial performance, condition and continued growth could be adversely affected by a key related party.

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had sales of $3,390 and $1,344, respectively, with a related party entity that is 22.5% owned by a member of senior management. Accounts receivable due from the related party was $3,017 and $543 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers with limited notice and without penalty payments, and early terminations could have a material effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers following limited notice and without early termination payments or liquidated damages due from them. In addition, each stage of a project often represents a separate contractual commitment, at the end of which the customers may elect to delay or not to proceed to the next stage of the project. We cannot assure you that one or more of our customers will not terminate a material contract or materially reduce the scope of a large project. The delay, cancellation or significant reduction in the scope of a large project or a number of projects could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

It is common for our current and prospective customers to take a long time to evaluate our products, most especially during economic downturns that affect our customers’ businesses. The lengthy and variable sales cycle makes it difficult to predict our operating results.

It is difficult for us to forecast the timing and recognition of revenue from sales of our products and services because our actual and prospective customers often take significant time to evaluate our products before committing to a purchase. Even after making their first purchases of our products and services, existing customers may not make significant purchases of those products and services for a long period of time following their initial purchases, if at all. The period between initial customer contact and a purchase by a customer may be years with potentially an even longer period separating initial purchases and any significant purchases thereafter. During the evaluation period, prospective customers may decide not to purchase or may scale down proposed orders of our products for various reasons, including:

Our prospective customers routinely require education regarding the use and benefit of our products. This may also lead to delays in receiving customers’ orders.

Our industry is characterized by frequent technological change. If we are unable to adapt our products and services and develop new products and services to keep up with these rapid changes, we will not be able to obtain or maintain market share.

The market for our products and services is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, changes in customer needs, heavy competition and frequent new product and service introductions. If we fail to develop new products and services or modify or improve existing products and services in response to these changes in technology, customer demands or industry standards, our products and services could become less competitive or obsolete.

We must respond to changing technology and industry standards in a timely and cost-effective manner. We may not be successful in using new technologies, developing new products and services or enhancing existing products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, even if we successfully adapt our products and services, these new technologies or enhancements may not achieve market acceptance.

A portion of business involves the use of software technology that we have developed or licensed. Industries involving the ownership and licensing of software-based intellectual property are characterized by frequent intellectual-property litigation, and we could face claims of infringement by others in the industry. Such claims are costly and add uncertainty to our operational results.

A portion of our business involves our ownership and licensing of software. This market space is characterized by frequent intellectual-property claims and litigation. We could be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual-property rights resulting in significant expense and the potential loss of our own intellectual-property rights. From time to time, third parties may assert copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual-property rights to technologies that are important to our business. Any litigation to determine the validity of these claims, including claims arising through our contractual indemnification of our business partners, regardless of their merit or resolution, would likely be costly and time consuming and divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. If any such litigation resulted in an adverse ruling, we could be required to:

Our proprietary platform architectures and data tracking technology underlying certain of our services are complex and may contain unknown errors in design or implementation that could result in system performance failures or inability to scale.

The platform architecture, data tracking technology and integration layers underlying our proprietary platforms, our contract administration, procurement, timekeeping, content and network management, network services, device management, virtualized services, software automation and other tools, and back-end services are complex and include software and code used to generate customer invoices. This software and code is developed internally, licensed from third parties, or integrated by in-house personnel and third parties. Any of the system architecture, system administration, integration layers, software or code may contain errors, or may be implemented or interpreted incorrectly, particularly when they are first introduced or when new versions or enhancements to our tools and services are released. Consequently, our systems could experience performance failure or we may be unable to scale our systems, which may:

Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that interfere with, or exploit security flaws in, our products and services.

Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that make changes to our customers’ computer systems and interfere with the operation and use of our products or products that impact our business. These applications may attempt to interfere with our ability to communicate with our customers’ devices. The interference may occur without disclosure to or consent from our customers, resulting in a negative experience that our customers may associate with our products and services. These applications may be difficult or impossible to uninstall or disable, may reinstall themselves and may circumvent other applications’ efforts to block or remove them. The ability to provide customers with a superior interactive marketing technology experience is critical to our success. If our efforts to combat these malicious applications fail, or if our products and services have actual or perceived vulnerabilities, there may be claims based on such failure or our reputation may be harmed, which would damage our business and financial condition.

We compete with other companies that have more resources, which puts us at a competitive disadvantage.

The market for interactive marketing technologies is generally highly competitive and we expect competition to increase in the future. Some of our competitors or potential competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us. These competitors may be able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. They may also devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than us.

We expect competitors to continue to improve the performance of their current products and to introduce new products, services and technologies. Successful new product and service introductions or enhancements by our competitors could reduce sales and the market acceptance of our products and services, cause intense price competition or make our products and services obsolete. To be competitive, we must continue to invest significant resources in research and development, sales and marketing and customer support. If we do not have sufficient resources to make these investments or are unable to make the technological advances necessary to be competitive, our competitive position will suffer. Increased competition could result in price reductions, fewer customer orders, reduced margins and loss of market share. Our failure to compete successfully against current or future competitors could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our future success depends on key personnel and our ability to attract and retain additional personnel.

Our key personnel include:

If we fail to retain our key personnel or to attract, retain and motivate other qualified employees, our ability to maintain and develop our business may be adversely affected. Our future success depends significantly on the continued service of our key technical, sales and senior management personnel and their ability to execute our growth strategy. The loss of the services of our key employees could harm our business. We may be unable to retain our employees or to attract, assimilate and retain other highly qualified employees who could migrate to other employers who offer competitive or superior compensation packages.

Unpredictability in financing markets could impair our ability to grow our business through acquisitions.

We anticipate that opportunities to acquire similar businesses will materially depend on the trading price of our common stock and the availability of financing alternatives with acceptable terms. As a result, poor credit and other market conditions or uncertainty in financial markets could materially limit our ability to grow through acquisitions since such conditions and uncertainty will result in a lower trading price for our common stock and make obtaining financing more difficult.

Our reliance on information management and transaction systems to operate our business exposes us to cyber incidents and hacking of our sensitive information if our outsourced service provider experiences a security breach.

Effective information security internal controls are necessary for us to protect our sensitive information from illegal activities and unauthorized disclosure, in addition to denial of service attacks and corruption of our data. In addition, we rely on the information security internal controls maintained by an outsourced service provider. Breaches of our information management system could also adversely affect our business reputation. Finally, significant information system disruptions could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage operations or reliably report results.

Because our technology, products, platform, and services are complex and are deployed in and across complex environments, they may have errors or defects that could seriously harm our business.

Our technology, proprietary platforms, products and services are highly complex and are designed to operate in and across data centers, large and complex networks, and other elements of the digital media workflow that we do not own or control. On an ongoing basis, we need to perform proactive maintenance services on our platform and related software services to correct errors and defects. In the future, there may be additional errors and defects in our software that may adversely affect our services. We may not have in place adequate reporting, tracking, monitoring, and quality assurance procedures to ensure that we detect errors in our software in a timely manner. If we are unable to efficiently and cost-effectively fix errors or other problems that may be identified, or if there are unidentified errors that allow persons to improperly access our services, we could experience loss of revenues and market share, damage to our reputation, increased expenses and legal actions by our customers.

We may have insufficient network or server capacity, which could result in interruptions in our services and loss of revenues.

Our operations are dependent in part upon: network capacity provided by third-party telecommunications networks; data center services and provider owned and leased infrastructure and capacity; the Company’s dedicated and virtualized server capacity located at its data center services provider partner and a geo-redundant micro-data center location; and the Company’s own infrastructure and equipment. Collectively, this infrastructure, equipment, and capacity must be sufficiently robust to handle all of our customers’ web-traffic, particularly in the event of unexpected surges in high-definition video traffic and network services incidents. We may not be adequately prepared for unexpected increases in bandwidth and related infrastructure demands from our customers. In addition, the bandwidth we have contracted to purchase may become unavailable for a variety of reasons, including payment disputes, outages, or such service providers going out of business. Any failure of these service providers or the Company’s own infrastructure to provide the capacity we require, due to financial or other reasons, may result in a reduction in, or interruption of, service to our customers, leading to an immediate decline in revenue and possible additional decline in revenue as a result of subsequent customer losses.

We do not have sufficient capital to engage in material research and development, which may harm our long-term growth.

In light of our limited resources in general, we have made no material investments in research and development over the past several years. In the long term, as a result of our failure to invest in research and development, our technology and product offerings may not keep pace with the market and we may lose any existing competitive advantage. Over the long term, this may harm our revenue growth and our ability to become profitable.

Our business operations are susceptible to interruptions caused by events beyond our control.

Our business operations are susceptible to interruptions caused by events beyond our control. We are vulnerable to the following potential problems, among others:

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could result in claims for consequential and other damages, significant repair and recovery expenses and extensive customer losses and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

General global market and economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our operating performance and results of operations.

Our business has been and could continue to be affected by general global economic and market conditions. Weakness in the United States and worldwide economy could have a negative effect on our operating results, including a decrease in revenue and operating cash flow. To the extent our customers are unable to profitably leverage various forms of digital marketing technology and solutions, and/or the content we create, deliver and publish on their behalf, they may reduce or eliminate their purchase of our products and services. Such reductions in traffic would lead to a reduction in our revenues. Additionally, in a down-cycle economic environment, we may experience the negative effects of increased competitive pricing pressure, customer loss, slowdown in commerce over the Internet and corresponding decrease in traffic delivered over our network and failures by our customers to pay amounts owed to us on a timely basis or at all. Suppliers on which we rely for equipment, field services, servers, bandwidth, co-location and other services could also be negatively impacted by economic conditions that, in turn, could have a negative impact on our operations or revenues. Flat or worsening economic conditions may harm our operating results and financial condition. 

The markets in which we operate are rapidly emerging, and we may be unable to compete successfully against existing or future competitors to our business.

The market in which we operate is becoming increasingly competitive. Our current competitors generally include general digital signage companies, specialized digital signage operators targeting certain vertical markets (e.g., financial services), content management software companies, or integrators and vertical solution providers who develop single implementations of content distribution, digital marketing technology, and related services. These competitors, including future new competitors who may emerge, may be able to develop a comparable or superior solution capabilities, software platform, technology stack, and/or series of services that provide a similar or more robust set of features and functionality than the technology, products and services we offer. If this occurs, we may be unable to grow as necessary to make our business profitable.

Whether or not we have superior products, many of these current and potential future competitors have a longer operating history in their current respective business areas and greater market presence, brand recognition, engineering and marketing capabilities, and financial, technological and personnel resources than we do. Existing and potential competitors with an extended operating history, even if not directly related to our business, have an inherent marketing advantage because of the reluctance of many potential customers to entrust key operations to a company that may be perceived as unproven. In addition, our existing and potential future competitors may be able to use their extensive resources to:

If we are unable to compete effectively in our various markets, or if competitive pressures place downward pressure on the prices at which we offer our products and services, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer. 

Risks Related to Our Securities and Our Company

Because of our limited resources, we may not have in place various processes and protections common to more mature companies and may be more susceptible to adverse events.

We have limited resources after accounting for a significant amount of restructuring and integration costs incurred in connection with prior acquisition activities, and we expect to incur additional restructuring and integration costs related to additional acquisitions in the future. As a result, we may not have in place systems, processes and protections that many of our competitors have or that may be essential to protect against various risks. For example, we have in place only limited resources and processes addressing human resources, timekeeping, data protection, business continuity, personnel redundancy, and knowledge institutionalization concerns. As a result, we are at risk that one or more adverse events in these and other areas may materially harm our business, balance sheet, revenues, expenses or prospects.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could limit our ability to detect and prevent fraud and thereby adversely affect our business and stock price.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. Nevertheless, all internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Our inability to maintain an effective control environment may cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our stock price. We have identified several material weaknesses in internal controls and have concluded in our 2017 filings that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting were not effective at the reasonable assurance level. 

Our controlling shareholder possesses controlling voting power with respect to our common stock and voting preferred stock, which will limit your influence on corporate matters.

Our controlling shareholder, Slipstream Communications, LLC, has beneficial ownership of 74,070,970 shares of common stock, including common shares that are beneficially owned by an affiliate of Slipstream Communications named Slipstream Funding, LLC. These shares represent beneficial ownership of approximately 58.39% of our common stock (on an as-converted basis) as of the date of this annual report on form 10-K. In addition, in the last quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC purchased all of our outstanding debt from the original debtholders. The terms of the debt have remained the same. As a result, Slipstream Funding has the ability to control our management and affairs through the election and removal of our entire Board of Directors and all other matters requiring shareholder approval, including the future merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentrated control could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change-of-control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our shareholders. Furthermore, this concentrated control will limit the practical effect of your participation in Company matters, through shareholder votes and otherwise. 

Our Articles of Incorporation grant our Board of Directors the power to issue additional shares of common and preferred stock and to designate other classes of preferred stock, all without shareholder approval.

Our authorized capital consists of 250 million shares of capital stock. Pursuant to authority granted by our Articles of Incorporation, our Board of Directors, without any action by our shareholders, may designate and issue shares in such classes or series (including other classes or series of preferred stock) as it deems appropriate and establish the rights, preferences and privileges of such shares, including dividends, liquidation and voting rights, provided it is consistent with Minnesota law. The rights of holders of other classes or series of stock that may be issued could be superior to the rights of holders of our common shares. The designation and issuance of shares of capital stock having preferential rights could adversely affect other rights appurtenant to shares of our common stock. Furthermore, any issuances of additional stock (common or preferred) will dilute the percentage of ownership interest of then-current holders of our capital stock and may dilute our book value per share.

Significant issuances of our common stock, or the perception that significant issuances may occur in the future, could adversely affect the market price for our common stock.

Significant actual or perceived potential future issuance our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Generally, issuances of substantial amounts of common stock in the public market, and the availability of shares for future sale could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could cause the market price of our common stock to remain low for a substantial amount of time.

We cannot foresee the impact of potential securities issuances of common shares on the market for our common stock, but it is possible that the market for our shares may be adversely affected, perhaps significantly. It is also unclear whether or not the market for our common stock could absorb a large number of attempted sales in a short period of time, regardless of the price at which they might be offered.

Our common stock trades in an illiquid trading market.

Trading of our common stock is conducted on the OTC Markets (OTCQX). This has an adverse effect on the liquidity of our common stock, not only in terms of the number of shares that can be bought and sold at a given price, but also through delays in the timing of transactions and reduction in security analysts’ and the media’s coverage of us and our common stock. This may result in lower prices for our common stock than might otherwise be obtained and could also result in a larger spread between the bid and asked prices for our common stock if we were listed on a more liquid exchange.

There is not now and there may not ever be an active market for shares of our common stock.

In general, there has been minimal trading volume in our common stock. The small trading volume will likely make it difficult for our shareholders to sell their shares as and when they choose. Furthermore, small trading volumes are generally understood to depress market prices. As a result, investors and shareholders may not always be able to resell shares of our common stock publicly at the time and prices that such investors and shareholders feel are fair or appropriate.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We will, however, pay dividends on our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock.

When permitted by Minnesota law, we are required to pay dividends to the holders of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, each share of which carries a $1.00 stated value. There are presently approximately 5.8 million shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding. All shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock were converted to common stock in September 2017. Our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock entitles its holders to:

We currently have the right to (1) call and redeem some or all of such preferred shares, subject to a 30-day notice period and certain other conditions, at a price equal to $1.00 per share plus accrued but unpaid dividends thereon and (2) pay all dividends in the form of shares of common stock. Holders of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock have no preemptive or cumulative-voting rights. 

We do not anticipate that we will pay any dividends for the foreseeable future on our common stock. Accordingly, any return on an investment in us will be realized only when a shareholder sells shares of our common stock. When legally permitted, we must expect to pay dividends to our preferred shareholders.

We do not have significant tangible assets that could be sold upon liquidation.

We have nominal tangible assets. As a result, if we become insolvent or otherwise must dissolve, there will be no tangible assets to liquidate and no corresponding proceeds to disburse to our shareholders. If we become insolvent or otherwise must dissolve, shareholders will likely not receive any cash proceeds on account of their shares.

None.

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)

Our corporate headquarters are currently located at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Suite 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40223. The corporate phone number is (502) 791-8800. We lease warehouse and office space of approximately 6,400 square feet and 8,300 square feet for our Kentucky operations under a lease agreement through May 30, 2021 and March 31, 2021, respectively. The monthly lease payment for the warehouse is $0.3 for September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016 and $5 for September 1, 2016 through May 30, 2021. The monthly lease payment for the office space is $6 for April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2017 and $12 for April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2021. We lease office space of approximately 10,000 square feet to support our Canadian operations at a facility located at 4510 Rhodes Drive, Suite 800, Windsor, Ontario under a lease through June 30, 2018 with a monthly rental of $4 CAD per month. We also lease 3,650 square feet of office space in Dallas, Texas, and 4,100 square feet of office space and 5,100 square feet of warehouse space in El Segunda California for monthly lease payments of $4 and $4 per month which have lease terms ending on December 31, 2018 and June 30, 2019, respectively. 

We have lease agreements for office space with approximately 18,000 square feet located at 22 Audrey Place, Fairfield, New Jersey 07004 which housed our previous operations center. We announced the planned closure of this location on August 10, 2017 and fully exited the facility in early 2018. The monthly lease amount is currently $22 and escalates to $23 by the end of the lease term on September 2020. We currently have two subtenants which provide $13 of monthly subtenant rental income. Our agreements with these subtenant lessees extend through October 2018 with an additional one-year extension at the option of the lessee. We are currently in negotiations with the landlord to exit this lease arrangement. No lease termination expense has been accrued as of December 31, 2017 as we had not ceased use of the facilities by the year-end date. 

Litigation

We are involved in a variety of legal claims and proceedings related to our business described in Note 7 to the Company’s financial statements, Commitments and Contingencies. 

While we are unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these ordinary course claims and proceedings, management believes there is not a reasonable possibility that the costs and liabilities of such ordinary course matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Not applicable.

PART II

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)

Market Information

Our common stock is listed for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board, the “OTCQX,” under the symbol “CREX.” The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Limited, 401 2nd Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401. The following table sets forth the high and low bid prices for our common stock as reported by the OTC Markets in 2017 and 2016. These quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown, or commission, and may not represent actual transactions. Trading in the Company’s common stock during the period represented was sporadic, exemplified by low trading volume and many days during which no trades occurred.

Shareholders

As of March 23, 2018, there were approximately 504 holders of record of our common stock.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to operate and expand our business and to finance the development and expansion of our business, subject to our obligation to pay dividends to our preferred stockholders as described below. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. 

Holders of our common stock are entitled to share pro rata in dividends and distributions with respect to the common stock when, as and if declared by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor. In addition, we must first pay dividends on our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, which have priority over any dividends to be paid to holders of our common stock. The current dividend payable to the holders of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock has been satisfied through the issuance of preferred and common stock. The current dividend for the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock aggregates to up to approximately $175 on a semi-annual basis (which we may be able to satisfy our dividend-payment obligations relating to the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock through the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock through August 20, 2017 and thereafter the issuance of additional shares of common stock). Other than with respect to shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, future dividend policy is subject to the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements and our financial condition.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

See “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” in Item 12 for information regarding securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans.

Sales of Unregistered Securities During the Fiscal Year 2017

Common Stock

During 2017, accredited investors converted 385,200 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 1,860,561 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock for 8,806,906 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share. These shares were issued pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act. 

Effective December 31, 2017, we issued 718,840 shares of common stock in satisfaction of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock dividend for the period July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. The preferred stock entitles its holders to a 6% dividend, payable semi-annually in cash or in kind through the three-year anniversary of the original issue date, and from and after such three-year anniversary in duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of common stock. The three-year anniversary of the initial investment date occurred during the second half of 2017 for $5.2 million of the $5.5 million originally issued Convertible Preferred Stock and therefore dividends on those investments were paid via issuance of common shares as of the year-end date. The common stock we issued as dividends on account of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock was issued pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.

During 2016, accredited investors converted 307,500 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock for 1,205,882 shares of common stock. These shares were issued pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.

Secured Notes

On December 12, 2016, we entered into a $1.0 million secured revolving promissory note pursuant to the August 17, 2016 Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, addressed below, with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on February 1, 2017. In connection with the loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 1,542,452 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment), all pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $136. This note was repaid on January 12, 2017. These securities transactions were effected pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.

Share Repurchase Program

On August 9, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to 5 million shares of our outstanding common stock through August 9, 2019. The authorization allows for the repurchases to be conducted through open market or privately negotiated transactions. Shares acquired under the stock repurchase program are expected to be retired and returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of common stock. The stock repurchase program can be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time at our discretion.  During the fourth quarter of 2017, 1,185,968 shares of common stock were repurchased at an aggregate price of $149 and were immediately cancelled, as follows:

Not applicable.

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.) 

Forward-Looking Statements 

The following discussion contains various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Although we believe that, in making any such statement, our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such statement may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. When used in the following discussion, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, certain of which are beyond our control, are set forth in Item 1A under the caption “Risk Factors.”

Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements. Accordingly, we cannot be certain that any of the events anticipated by forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them do occur, what impact they will have on us. We caution you to keep in mind the cautions and risks described in this document and to refrain from attributing undue certainty to any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of the document in which they appear. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement.

Overview

Creative Realities, Inc. is a Minnesota corporation that provides innovative digital marketing technology solutions to retail companies, individual retail brands, enterprises, and organizations throughout the United States and in certain international markets. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the related media management and distribution software platforms and networks, device management, product management, customized software service layers, systems, experiences, workflows, and integrated solutions. Our technology and solutions include: digital merchandising systems and omni-channel customer engagement systems, interactive digital shopping assistants, advisors and kiosks, and other interactive marketing technologies such as mobile, social media, point-of-sale transactions, beaconing and web-based media that enable our customers to transform how they engage with consumers. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the following related aspects of our business: content, network management, and connected device software and firmware platforms; customized software service layers; hardware platforms; digital media workflows; and proprietary processes and automation tools. 

Our main operations are conducted directly through Creative Realities, Inc. (f/k/a Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.), and under our wholly owned subsidiaries Creative Realities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc., a Canadian corporation, and ConeXus World Global, LLC, a Kentucky limited liability company.

We generate revenue in this business by:

These activities generate revenue through: bundled-solution sales; service fees for consulting, experience design, content development and production, software development, engineering, implementation, and field services; software license fees; and maintenance and support services related to our software, managed systems and solutions.

Our Sources of Revenue

We generate revenue through digital marketing solution sales, which include system hardware, professional and implementation services, software design and development, software licensing, deployment, and maintenance and support services.

We currently market and sell our technology and solutions primarily through our sales and business development personnel, but we also utilize agents, strategic partners, and lead generators who provide us with access to additional sales, business development and licensing opportunities.

Our Expenses

Our expenses are primarily comprised of three categories: sales and marketing, research and development, and general and administrative. Sales and marketing expenses include salaries and benefits for our sales, business development solution management and marketing personnel, and commissions paid on sales. This category also includes amounts spent on marketing networking events, promotional materials, hardware and software to prospective new customers, including those expenses incurred in trade shows and product demonstrations, and other related expenses. Our research and development expenses represent the salaries and benefits of those individuals who develop and maintain our proprietary software platforms and other software applications we design and sell to our customers. Our general and administrative expenses consist of corporate overhead, including administrative salaries, real property lease payments, salaries and benefits for our corporate officers and other expenses such as legal and accounting fees.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management is responsible for our financial statements and has evaluated the accounting policies to be used in their preparation. Our management believes these policies are reasonable and appropriate. The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included within Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report. The following discussion identifies those accounting policies that we believe are critical in the preparation of our financial statements, the judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of those policies and the possibility that materially different amounts will be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires that management make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of commitments and contingencies at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results could differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition

See Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report, for a complete discussion of our revenue recognition policies.

We recognize revenue primarily from these sources:

We recognize revenue in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 910, Contractors-Construction, ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, ASC 605-25, Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. and ASC subtopic 985-605, Software. In the event of a multiple-element arrangement, we evaluate each element of the transaction to determine if it represents a separate unit of accounting, taking into account all factors following the guidelines set forth in FASB ASC 985-605-25-5:

On January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue From Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09,” as codified in “ASC 606”), which outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The adoption of the standard did not have a significant impact on our financial statements or our critical accounting policies related to revenue recognition. Based on our initial evaluation of the Company’s current contracts and the related revenue streams and performance obligations, the Company expects that the allocation of revenue between hardware, services and other will have insignificant changes as compared with current GAAP. However, for certain sales transactions, the timing of revenue recognition for hardware and certain services sales may occur earlier, with the remaining service and other sales, occurring later than under current GAAP. The largest impacts as a result of the new standard are the new required qualitative and quantitative disclosures. See Note 2, “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements,” in our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report for additional information. 

Accounts Receivable

Our unsecured accounts receivable are customer obligations due under normal trade terms, carried at their face value less an allowance for doubtful accounts. We had a factoring arrangement with Allied Affiliated Funding for the majority of our accounts receivable during the period October 15, 2015 to August 16, 2016. We record an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable for amounts due from third parties that we do not expect to collect. We estimate the allowance based on historical write-off experience and current economic conditions and also consider factors such as customer credit, past transaction history with the customer and changes in customer payment terms when determining whether the collection of a receivable is reasonably assured. Historically, less than 1.0% of net sales ultimately prove to be uncollectible. Accounts receivable are written off after all reasonable collection efforts have failed.

We have not made any material changes in the accounting methodology we use to measure the estimated liability for doubtful accounts during the past two fiscal years. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to establish the liability for doubtful accounts. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

Approximately 51% or $3,017 of our accounts receivable at December 31, 2017 is from a related party (see Note 8).

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually as of September 30 and whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that impairment may have occurred. The Company has no indefinite-lived intangible assets. We test goodwill for impairment by comparing the book value to the fair value at the reporting unit level. The Company has only one reporting unit, and therefore the entire goodwill is allocated to that reporting unit. The fair value of the reporting unit is determined by using a discounted cash flow analyses consisting of various assumptions, including expectations of future cash flows based on projections or forecasts derived from analysis of business prospects and economic or market trends that may occur. We use these same expectations in other valuation models throughout the business. In addition to the discounted cash flow analysis, we utilize a leveraged buy-out model, trading comps and market capitalization to ultimately determine an estimated fair value of our reporting unit based on weighted average calculations from these models. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes to be reasonable but that are unpredictable and inherently uncertain. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, further analysis is performed to measure the impairment loss.

In addition, the Company’s market capitalization could fluctuate from time to time. Such fluctuation may be an indicator of possible impairment of goodwill if the Company’s market capitalization falls below its book value. If this situation occurs, the Company will perform the required detailed analysis to determine if there is impairment.

We have not made any material changes in our reporting units or the accounting methodology we use to assess impairment of goodwill since September 30, 2017. We updated our goodwill analysis as of December 31, 2017 using actual fourth quarter 2017 results and updated projected 2018 results and concluded no impairment exists. The valuation of goodwill and intangible assets is subject to a high degree of judgment, uncertainty and complexity. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to test for impairment losses on goodwill. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to an impairment charge that could be material. 

Intangible assets include the following and are being amortized over their estimated useful lives as follows:

Intangible assets are evaluated for impairment if events and circumstances warrant by comparing the fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying amount. The impairment evaluation involves testing the recoverability of the asset on an undiscounted cash-flow basis, and, if the asset is not recoverable, recognizing impairment charge, if necessary, to reduce the asset’s carrying amount to its fair value. There were no indicators of impairment identified in 2017. The Company recognized an impairment loss on its technology platform for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Income Taxes

Accounting for income taxes requires recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. These deferred taxes are measured by applying the provisions of tax laws in effect at the balance sheet date, including the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made broad and significant changes to the U.S. tax code that affects the year ended December 31, 2017, including, but not limited to, a change in the federal rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018.

The Company recognizes in income the effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the period that includes the enactment date.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016 a full valuation allowance is recorded against our deferred tax assets to reduce the consolidated deferred tax asset to zero. The valuation allowance is based, in part, on our estimate of future taxable income, the expected utilization of federal and state tax loss carryforwards, and credits and the expiration dates of such tax loss carryforwards. Significant assumptions are used in developing the analysis of future taxable income for purposes of determining the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets which, in our opinion, are reasonable under the circumstances.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). Inputs are broadly defined as assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.

FASB ASC 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, requires disclosure of the estimated fair value of an entity’s financial instruments. Such disclosures, which pertain to the Company’s financial instruments, do not purport to represent the aggregate net fair value of the Company.

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short maturity of those instruments. The fair value of the warrant liabilities is calculated using a Black-Scholes model, which approximates a binomial model due to probability factors used to determine the fair value. The calculation of this liability is based on Level 3 inputs. See Notes 3 and 11 for further discussion on the valuation of warrant liabilities.

Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2, “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements,” in our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on results of operations and financial condition, which is incorporated herein by reference. 

Results of Operations

Note: All dollar amounts reported in Results of Operations are in thousands, except per-share information.

Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2016

The tables presented below compare our results of operations adjusted for full retrospective adoption of certain accounting guidance described in Note 2 from one period to another, and present the results for each period and the change in those results from one period to another in both dollars and percentage change.

NM - not meaningful

Sales

Sales increased by $4,025 or 29% in 2017 compared to 2016. The $4,025 increase was driven by approximately $1,230 from two new large customers and the broadening of sales within existing customer relationships, including an increase in sales to a related party of $1,344. 

Gross Profit

Gross profit margin on a percentage basis decreased to 42% in 2017 from 50% in 2016, and increased by $531 in absolute dollars during the same period. The decrease in gross profit margin percentage and increase in absolute dollars is primarily the result of a lower margin sales mix on increased sales to customers. 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses generally include the salaries, taxes, and benefits of our sales and marketing personnel, as well as trade show activities, travel, and other related sales and marketing costs. Total sales and marketing expenses increased to $2,078 in 2017 from $1,061 in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in payroll expense related to our growing sales force and related travel expenses.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses increased 11% to $991 in 2017 from $893 in 2016, primarily as a result of additional headcount focused on these activities. 

General and Administrative Expenses

Total general and administrative expenses increased 9% to $6,944 in 2017 from $6,393 in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs, including recruiting fees, offset primarily by decreases in legal fees.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased 25% to $1,505 in 2017 from $2,003 in 2016 primarily as a result of the reduction of intangible assets from the impairment recognized in the third quarter of 2016.

Interest Expense

See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s debt and related interest expense obligations. 

Change in Fair Value of Warrant Liability

See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s non-cash change in Warrant Liability.

Gain on Settlement of Debt

During 2017, the Company settled and/or wrote off debt of $1,159 for $288 cash payment and recognized a gain of $872. This debt included $693 of payables previously recorded by our dissolved subsidiary Broadcast International, Inc, as we had exhausted all efforts to identify and settle these obligations in the first quarter of 2017.

In August 2016, the Company settled debt of $90 for $35 cash payment, resulting in a gain on debt settlement of $55. In June 2016, the Company settled debt of $614 for $123 cash payment and the issuance of 409,347 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, fair value at conversion date of $85, and recognized a gain on debt restructuring of $406. In conjunction with this debt settlement, an additional 809,842 shares of restricted common stock were issued to investors for cash to facilitate the settlement of a portion of the $614 debt. In March 2016, the Company issued 8.00% nonconvertible promissory notes in favor of certain general unsecured creditors in the aggregate principal amount of $288 to settle an aggregate amount of $839 of accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities. The aggregate amount of payables, accrued expenses and other liabilities was subsequently revised to $796. In September 2016, the amounts previously settled with nonconvertible promissory notes were paid in cash of $249 resulting in a gain on the debt settlement of $547. No gain was previously recorded.

Summary Quarterly Financial Information

The following represents unaudited financial information derived from the Company’s annual and quarterly financial statements, as adjusted for the retrospective adoption of ASU No. 2017-11:

Supplemental Operating Results on a Non-GAAP Basis

The following non-GAAP data, which adjusts for the categories of expenses described below, is a non-GAAP financial measure. Our management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful information for investors, shareholders and other stakeholders of our Company in gauging our results of operations on an ongoing basis. We believe that EBITDA is a performance measure and not a liquidity measure, and therefore a reconciliation between net loss/income and EBITDA has been provided. EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net loss/income as an indicator of performance or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as an indicator of cash flows, in each case as determined in accordance with GAAP, or as a measure of liquidity. In addition, EBITDA does not take into account changes in certain assets and liabilities as well as interest and income taxes that can affect cash flows. We do not intend the presentation of these non-GAAP measures to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP EBITDA

The following unaudited table presents the Company’s GAAP (Net Loss) measure, and the corresponding adjustments, to calculate “EBITDA” for the quarters ending December 31, 2017 and 2016, September 30, 2017 and 2016, June 30, 2017 and 2016 and March 31, 2017 and 2016, as adjusted for the retrospective adoption of ASU No. 2017-11:

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. As of December 31, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $1,003 and a working capital deficit of $(3,801). On November 13, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, extended the maturity date of our term loan to August 17, 2019 and extended the maturity date of our promissory notes on a rolling quarter addition basis which is now April 10, 2019. While management believes that due to the extension of our debt maturity date, our current cash balance and our operational forecast for 2018, we can continue as a going concern through at least March 31, 2019, given our net losses and working capital deficit, we obtained a continued support letter from Slipstream Communications, LLC through March 31, 2019. We can provide no assurance that our ongoing operational efforts will be successful which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. 

See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for an additional discussion of the Company’s debt obligations.

Operating Activities

We do not currently generate positive cash flow. Our operational costs have been greater than sales generated to date. As of December 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $(26,231). The cash flows provided by / used in operating activities was $655 and ($4,106) for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The majority of the cash consumed by operations for both periods was attributed to our net losses of $(6,950) and $(4,698) for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Included in our net losses were non-cash charges consisting of depreciation, amortization of debt discount related to convertible preferred stock / issued for debt-issuance costs, change in warrant liability, impairment on intangible assets, stock-based compensation, stock issuance expenses related to the ConeXus acquistion and changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts totaling $4,669 and $4,320 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2017 was $(569) compared to $(292) during 2016. The increase in cash used in investing activities is primarily due to more capital expenditures during the period. We currently do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures as of December 31, 2017, nor do we anticipate any significant expenditures in 2018. 

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2017 was $(435) compared to net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2016 of $4,389. The decrease is mainly due to the issuance of new debt financing and warrants in 2016. 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we did not engage in any off-balance sheet arrangements set forth in Item 303(a) (4) of Regulation S-K.

Not applicable.

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on Page F-1.

None

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company, under the supervision and with the participation of its management, including the Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and the Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer), evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level due to the material weaknesses described below.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on our assessment and those criteria, management identified that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2017 and that material weaknesses exist including: (1) a deficient process to close the monthly consolidated financial statements and prepare comprehensive and timely account analysis, (2) adequately identify and document multiple elements and deliverables, including allocation, deferral and cost estimates in support of revenue recognition, as well as not completing our analysis of the transition to and (3) the implementation and adoption of ASC 606 Revenue Recognition. 

A material weakness is a control deficiency or combination of control deficiencies, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management has already implemented certain practices and procedures during 2017 to address the foregoing deficiencies, including the hiring of new accounting personnel and plans to expand the scope of its assessment of the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting at the consolidated Company in 2018, and develop a plan to complete the remediation of the foregoing deficiencies. 

This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Company, as a smaller reporting company, to provide only management’s report in its annual report.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2017, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

None.

PART III

Our Board of Directors consists of Alec Machiels (Chairman), Rick Mills (CEO), David Bell, Donald Harris, Patrick O’Brien and Eric Bertrand. The following table sets forth the name and position of each of our current directors and executive officers.

The biographies of the above-identified individuals are set forth below:

Alec Machiels is a Partner at Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P., a private equity fund manager, and joined our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with the Creative Realities merger. Mr. Machiels is a member of the Executive, Investment and Sustainability Committees, as well as the co-chair of the Energy and Wellness Committees at Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P.  He has over 17 years of private equity investing and investment banking experience.  Previously, Mr. Machiels was a Financial Analyst in the Financial Services Group at Goldman Sachs International in London and in the Private Equity Group at Goldman Sachs and Co. in New York.  Investments in which he has been highly involved in include Molycorp Minerals, Traxys, Pure Biofuels, Olympus, Slipstream Communications, Coffeyville Resources and Merisant Company.  Mr. Machiels currently serves on the boards of Pure Biofuels, Olympus, Slipstream Communications, NSI, and Valogix.  He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Federation of Arts and Chair of its Endowment Committee 2011- 2013.  Mr. Machiels also co-founded Potentia Pharmaceuticals and Apellis Pharmaceuticals – two biotechnology companies in the complement immunotherapy space – as well as Revon Systems, a healthcare IT company.  Mr. Machiels is a graduate of Harvard Business School, KU Leuven Law School in Belgium and Konstanz University in Germany. 

David Bell joined our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with the Creative Realities merger. Mr. Bell brings over 40 years of advertising and marketing industry experience to the board, including serving as CEO of three of the largest companies in the industry–Bozell Worldwide, True North Communications and The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. Since 2007, Mr. Bell has led Slipstream Communications, LLC which is an international company providing strategic branding, digital marketing, and public relations services and served as a Senior Advisor to Google Inc. from 2006 to 2009. He is currently a Senior Advisor to AOL and has been an Operating Advisor at Pegasus Capital Advisors since 2004. He has also served on the boards of multiple publicly traded companies, including Lighting Science Group Corporation and Point Blank Solutions, Inc., and Primedia, Inc., and served as President and CEO of The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. from 2003 to 2005. Mr. Bell served as an independent director on the Board of Directors of Time, Inc. from June 2014 to January 2018.

Donald A. Harris was appointed to our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with the Broadcast International merger. He has been President of 1162 Management, the General Partner of 5 Star Partnership, a private equity firm, since June 2006. Mr. Harris has been President and Chief Executive Officer of UbiquiTel Inc., a telecommunications company organized by Mr. Harris and other investors, since its inception in September 1999 and also its Chairman since May 2000. Mr. Harris served as the President of Comcast Cellular Communications Inc. from March 1992 to March 1997. Mr. Harris received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from Columbia University. Mr. Harris’s experience in the telecommunications industry and his association with private equity funding is valuable to the Company.

Richard Mills is currently our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mills possesses over 32 years of industry experience. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of ConeXus World Global, a leading digital media services company, which he founded in 2010, and which was acquired by Creative Realities as reported herein. Prior to founding ConeXus, Mr. Mills was President and Director at Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group, Inc., a public telecom and technology infrastructure services provider. Previous to that, he joined publicly traded Pomeroy Computer Resources, Inc. in 1993 and served as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors from 1995 until 1999. Mr. Mills helped grow sales at Pomeroy during his time there from $100 million to $700 million. Mr. Mills was also a founder of Strategic Communications LLC.

John Walpuck has served as our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer since April 2014. Mr. Walpuck brings over 25 years of experience in financial and general management to Creative Realities, and over 20 years of experience in a broad range of digital media services, software, Internet services, online businesses, virtualization, and other technology industry sectors. Prior to Creative Realities, Mr. Walpuck served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of AllDigital, Inc. a digital broadcasting solutions company for the period from 2010 through 2013. Mr. Walpuck also served as the President and CEO of Disaboom, Inc., an online business and social network dedicated to people with disabilities, where he worked from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Disaboom, from 2005 to 2007, he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nine Systems Corporation, a digital media services company. Mr. Walpuck has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a CMA, CPA and holds other professional certifications.

Patrick O’Brien has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2015. Mr. O’Brien is the Managing Director& Principal of Granville Wolcott Advisors, which he formed in 2009 to provide consulting, due diligence and asset management services. Mr. O’Brien is a seasoned executive and business advisor, with 40 years of multi-unit international management experience with an emphasis in financial analysis and strategic business development. During the past five years, Mr. O’Brien has served on the boards of Merriman Holdings, Inc., Ironclad Performance Wear Corporation, Cinedigm, Inc., and is Chairman and CEO of LVI Liquidation Corp. (formerly Livevol, Inc.) He is a graduate of the Eli Broad School of Business of Michigan State University with BA in Hotel Management

Eric J. Bertrand joined our Board of Directors in May, 2016. Mr. Bertrand is the Chief Executive Officer and a partner of modop, a full-service advertising agency with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland and Panama City, Panama.  Prior to modop, Mr. Bertrand was a PE/VC fund manager, having invested $300 million in 60+ companies over the past 20 years.  Mr. Bertrand was a General Partner with Palisade Capital Management, where he jointly managed a private equity fund and venture capital funds.   Mr. Bertrand began his private equity career with Aetna’s Private Equity Group. Today, Mr. Bertrand is a Board Member of modop, Silverlight Digital, several privately held companies as well as international charities, Unite For Sight and the Alive Inside Foundation. Eric holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies from New York University. He graduated from Bryant University with a BS in Business Administration concentrating on Finance and Applied Actuarial Mathematics. 

Under our corporate bylaws, all of our directors serve for indefinite terms expiring upon the next annual meeting of our shareholders. The holders of a majority of our outstanding Series A Convertible Preferred Stock also have the right, but not the obligation, to designate one person to serve as a director on our board. As of the date of this Annual Report, the preferred shareholders have not exercised this right.

When considering whether directors and nominees have the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to enable the Board of Directors to satisfy its oversight responsibilities effectively in light of our business and structure, the Board of Directors focuses primarily on the industry and transactional experience, and other background, in addition to any unique skills or attributes associated with a director. With regard to Mr. Machiels, the Board of Directors considered his background and experience with the private investing market and his long-standing oversight of the Creative Realities business during such time as it was wholly owned by Pegasus Capital. With regard to Mr. Bell, the Board considered his deep experience within the advertising and marketing industries and his prior management of large enterprises. With regard to Mr. Bertrand, the Board considered his deep experience within the media industry and significant private equity background. With regard to Mr. Mills, the Board of Directors considered his extensive background and experience in the industry. With regard to Mr. O’Brien, the Board of Directors considered his background as an advisor and extensive management experience. Finally, with regard to Mr. Harris, the Board of Directors considered his extensive experience in the telecommunications industry and association with private equity investors. 

The Board of Directors has determined that there are no “independent” directors as such term is defined in Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules, and meets the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The preceding disclosure respecting director independence is required under applicable SEC rules. Nevertheless, as a corporation whose shares are listed for trading on the OTCQX Markets, we presently are not required to have any independent directors at all on our board, or any independent directors serving on any particular committees of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has determined that at least one member of the board, Mr. Machiels, is an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined in Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Mr. Machiels’ relevant experience in this regard is detailed above, which includes past employment experience in finance and investment banking. Mr. Machiels is not an “independent” member of the board as described above. The Board of Directors has determined that each director is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements.

Board and Committee Matters

The Company does not have a standing nominating committee, compensation committee or audit committee. Instead, the entire Board of Directors shares the responsibility of identifying potential director-nominees to serve on the Board of Directors, making compensation decisions and performing the functions of an audit committee. The Board believes the engagement of all directors in these functions is important at this time in the Company’s development in light of the Company’s recent acquisition activities.

Communications with Board Members

Our board of directors has provided the following process for shareholders and interested parties to send communications to our board and/or individual directors. All communications should be addressed to Creative Realities, Inc., 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY 40223, Attention: Corporate Secretary. Communications to individual directors may also be made to such director at our company’s address. All communications sent to any individual director will be received directly by such individuals and will not be screened or reviewed by any company personnel. Any communications sent to the board in the care of the Corporate Secretary will be reviewed by the Corporate Secretary to ensure that such communications relate to the business of the company before being reviewed by the board.

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and persons who own more than 10 percent of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Such officers, directors and shareholders are required by the SEC to furnish us with copies of all such reports. To our knowledge, based solely on a review of copies of reports filed with the SEC during 2017 and written representations from such persons that no other reports were required, all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements were timely met except as follows: Richard Mills has not yet filed a report relating to the issuance of shares to him by the Company in connection with the Second Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization and Waiver, which agreement is an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers (including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions) and directors. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics satisfies the requirements of Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available, free of charge, upon written request to our Corporate Secretary at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY 40223.  

Executive Compensation

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of our named executive officers for 2017 and 2016:

The material terms of employment agreements and payments to be made upon a change in control are discussed below, in the narrative following “Employment Agreements.”

Our named executive officers are eligible for retirement benefits on the same terms as non-executives under the company’s defined contribution 401(k) retirement plan. Employees may contribute pretax compensation to the plan in accordance with current maximum contribution levels proscribed by the Internal Revenue Service. There are currently plans to implement an employer contribution match of 50% of employee wages up to 6%, for an effective match of 3% on April 1, 2018.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth certain information concerning outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31, 2017:

Director Compensation Table

Non-employee directors received no compensation during 2017 and 2016.

As of the close of business on March 13, 2018, we had outstanding two classes of voting securities – common stock, of which there were 82,581,866 shares issued and outstanding and Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, of which there were 5,663,946 shares issued and outstanding. Each share of common stock is currently entitled to one vote on all matters put to a vote of our shareholders, and each share of preferred stock votes on an as-converted basis, which means that each preferred share is currently entitled to two and one-half votes on all matters put to a vote of our shareholders. Our preferred stock votes together with our common stock as a single class. The following table sets forth the number of common shares, and percentage of outstanding common shares, beneficially owned as of December 31, 2017, by: 

Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of the following persons is 22 Audrey Place, Fairfield, NJ 07004, and each such person has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite his, her or its name.

* less than 1%

Employment Agreements

We employ Richard Mills as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mills’ employment agreement is effective for a two-year term, which automatically renews for additional one-year periods unless either we or Mr. Mills elects not to extend the term. The agreement provides for an initial annual base salary of $270,000 subject to annual increases but generally not subject to decreases, and includes provisions for the right to receive up to 4,951,557 performance shares of common stock in connection with a series of performance-based requirements. Under the agreement, Mr. Mills is eligible to participate in performance-based cash bonus or equity award plans for our senior executives. Mr. Mills will participate in our employee benefit plans, policies, programs, perquisites and arrangements to the extent he meets applicable eligibility requirements. In the event of a termination of employment for good reason, as defined, without cause, as defined, or within 12 months following a change in control, as defined, other than for reason of death, disability or for cause, any of which occur during the first year of Mr. Mills’ employment, Mr. Mills will be entitled to receive a severance payment equal to six months of his base salary. After the one-year anniversary of his employment, the severance amount increases to 12 months of then-current base salary. The agreement provides that any severance payments would be paid in installments over the course of the severance. The agreement contains certain non-solicitation and non-competition provisions that continue after employment for a period of one year. The agreement also contains other customary restrictive and other covenants relating to the confidentiality of information, the ownership of inventions and other matters. 

We employ John Walpuck as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Walpuck’s employment agreement is effective for a one-year term, which automatically renews for additional one-year periods unless either the Company or Mr. Walpuck elects not to extend the employment term. The agreement provides for an initial annual base salary of $240,000, subject to annual increases but generally not subject to decreases. Mr. Walpuck is eligible to participate in performance-based cash bonus or equity award plans for the Company’s senior executives. In addition, Mr. Walpuck will participate in employee benefit plans, policies, programs, perquisites and arrangements to the extent he meets eligibility and other requirements. In the event of a termination of employment for good reason, as defined, without cause, as defined, or within 12 months following a change in control, as defined, other than for reason of death, disability or for cause, any of which occur during the first year of Mr. Walpuck’s employment, Mr. Walpuck will be entitled to receive a severance payment equal to six months of his base salary. After the one-year anniversary of his employment, the severance amount increases to 12 months of then-current base salary. The agreement provides that any severance payments would be paid in installments over the course of a one-year period. The agreement contains certain non-solicitation and non-competition provisions that continue after employment for a period of one year. The agreement also contains other customary restrictive and other covenants relating to the confidentiality of information, the ownership of inventions and other matters.

Independence

The Company does not have a standing nominating committee, compensation committee or audit committee. Instead, the entire Board of Directors shares the responsibility of identifying potential director-nominees to serve on the Board of Directors, making compensation decisions and performing the functions of an audit committee. The board believes the engagement of all directors in these functions is important at this time in the Company’s development in light of the Company’s recent acquisition activities.

The Board of Directors has determined that none of its directors is “independent,” as such term is defined in Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules, or meets the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The preceding disclosure respecting director independence is required under applicable SEC rules. Nevertheless, as a corporation whose shares are listed for trading on the OTCQX, we presently are not required to have any independent directors at all on our board, or any independent directors serving on any particular committees of the Board of Directors.

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)

The following table presents fees for audit and other services provided by EisnerAmper LLP for 2017 and 2016. Fees for tax services were provided by Eichen & Dimeglio, CPAs, PC in both 2017 and 2016.

Our Board of Directors reviewed the audit services rendered by EisnerAmper, LLP during 2017 and 2016 and concluded that such services were compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence.

PART IV

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on March 26, 2018.

In accordance with the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant, and in the capacities and on the date indicated.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

Creative Realities, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Creative Realities, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Change in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for the classification of certain equity-linked financial instruments with down-round features in 2017 due to the adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-11.

Basis for Opinion

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

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ EisnerAmper LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.

EISNERAMPER LLP

Iselin, New Jersey

March 26, 2018

CREATIVE REALITIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

CREATIVE REALITIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

CREATIVE REALITIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

(in thousands, except shares)